fanciful devices: You So Punny.

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

3/7/13

You So Punny.

You guys. Look at what 13 sent me:

Some of these were ughs but some really made me laugh. Also mom called me from work concerned that I was so terribly sad. "Mom, I said I was vaguely sad. And it was just me recovering from the energy drink." But I thought it was so cute that she called all concerned that I told the story at dinner. "And what this tells us is that Mom's checking my blog at work!"
"No, I read that the night before. So really I was worried all night."
D'AAWWWW! Moms are the best.
Anywonk, I cut up some tin and made some simple danglies with beads.

Saints of Salvage.

A Civil Haunting. The backs have paper.

These have some faceted grungy chunks from shipwreckdandysupply.

Out of the Blue.

I love these: Handmade Polymer Clay Beads - 3 Picture Beads - Abstract Roses - Hand Illustrated Colorful Spring Floral Bead Set - Polymer Clay Beads

and these: RESERVED - Custom Order for M - Hand Dyed Bone Beads - 4 Strands

These glass teardrops on almost all of them are called "Unicorne Tears" and they give you the pow of lampwork without the big-ass mass or price.

Despair and Delight.

And some sailboats, when I realized that the triangles looked just like sails.

Off the Horizon.

And some chandelier's for the patrona.

And that's all for now.

7 comments:

Juliette said...: oh noooo.

I severely covet the patrona's chandeliers.; 3/7/13, 11:41 PM
Penelope said...: Oh MY those ones with the ladies and the film strips! I wish I still wore dark colours so I could buy them.

So funny how we work on similar things without knowing, I just started cutting out a bunch of tin shapes as well!

Also, saints of salvage? THAT IS US. Now we need a tv show. We can be like those idiots in the cowboy boots who buy stuff and turn it into lights. Except we'd be good.; 3/7/13, 11:57 PM
Tribalis said...: cute those saints on top..I like them..
Send a big hug to your mom.. and you come here to my lap and I will make you a little "cafune"(cafune
Web definitions(Portuguese) – to repeatedly run your fingers through someone’s hair. Usually done in a soft and affectionate manner..), something that just the mothers know how to do to scare this little sadness..come! come!!!!; 3/8/13, 12:17 AM
Flotsam Tide said...: Shipwreck's beads are wonderful! I love that rose set as well, and her dyed bone is awesome. Your tin shapes are very sleek (my favorite), and those sweet little boats... they make me happy and remind me of children's books and Sundays in the park.; 3/8/13, 12:47 AM
alteredarcheology said...: Those little sail boats say it all. You are physically immersed in all that freezing gray weather but your mind is in the Caribbean! They remind me of my childhood, my family sailed every weekend, thanks for the sweet memory.; 3/9/13, 6:56 AM
StaroftheEast said...: Love those sail boats!; 3/11/13, 1:41 PM
alek said...: a civil haunting - brilliant !; 3/15/13, 3:34 PM