fanciful devices: Thingedy Stuff and Things

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.

2/26/14

Thingedy Stuff and Things

Hey you- wanna get looked at like you're a crazy person? Go get you in a shoe store, hear a classic 80s hip hop jam, turn to the 1st store worker you see- a very cute black girl proly no older than 19- and yell, "Is this Da Butt?" Yeah. Do that.

Then watch as she yells to all the other workers in the store while you backtrack, "Um... it's not really important"

while a hot guy in dreads goes, "Is this the what?" and you find yourself going, "You know, Doin' Da Butt, awww, sexy sexy...."

and start wondering if you're totally confusing this with anything else cuz its been maybe 20 years or more since you heard it and it's not at the refrain or anything....

as the workers track down the oldest lady in the place... who has no idea why people keep yelling at her about butts...

til finally and to your almost painful relief you hear "Doin' Da Butt! AAAW! Sexy sexy! When you get that notion/put your back field in motion- AW!"

Finding yourself unable to hold back a few buttcentric moves. Or they would be if you had anything other than a flat plank of wood where an ass might go, a condition also know as Noasatol Syndrome.

I've learned to live with Noasatol.

I tried to take a better picture of these.

Y'all ever just loose listings?

Don't know if you hit 'edit' instead of 'copy' or just never listed them in the first place?

Happened with these and those and those.

So here they are, up in the shop.

Also took some very crappy pix of this stuff that isn't crappy but the pix iz.

Whatevs, I'll take the rest of the images some other time.

Not tomorrow thought because Mom and I are going to get a new baby sister for Chiquita.

Squeeeee!

Now check this out. I got these wrapping papers on etsy for just $12.

I put them in this huge cheap IKEA frame- just double sided tape on the backboard that comes with the frame.

OK, can't get a decent picture with all the reflections but dude! It's just printed on soft newsprint and all, but its so awesome. I'm so psyched.

I just stare at it like:

And then I celebrate like:

(P.S. Lovely comments about what is an artist still coming in. I'm sure there's some questions I forgot to address. If you ask me twice there's a 95%% chance I'll remember to answer next post.)

7 comments:

Unknown said...: "... ain't nuttin' wrong-if you wanna do da butt alll night long- O-o ee O- - O-o-e-o o-o.." the dark back grounds are really fab w/ those bone bar earrings, & yes, you should be squee-ing w/ those papers!; 2/26/14, 10:28 PM
Wendy B. said...: i am gonna out myself. i have been reading your blog from now and then back to the beginning-ish. watching your progression through it all has been so much fun. i also learned more than my fair share of how to do something solving problems i was unwilling to tackle. so a big fat thank you for all of that. and i never let you know how many times i wanted to say something... starting with thank you, but did not. i was thinking it though and knew your radar was picking it up somehow.

as for being an artist... in my opinion it has as many faces as people who embrace the entire lifestyle.
i have been making things for as long as i can remember and possibly further back than that.
in my world, there are a few components to being an artist... firstly there is the itch to make. doesn't really matter to me what it is... cause the second part is that there are plenty of materials to choose from to satisfy the making itch. i got it bad. and a third component of it is, not being able to quit... not being able to stop to get a job doing something else. .. or not being able to not have the freedom to just be a maker when you need to.
i am not financially fluid a lot of the time, but i am rich with my dreams getting into real life. and the journey is pretty satisfying a lot of the time. it is always something... to quote gilda radner. i just cannot have my life any other way after trying so hard to figure out what it was about me that was really me.
thanks for the latest eye candy too. it is all so yummy.; 2/27/14, 4:25 AM
Lorelei Eurto said...: Laughing hysterically, through the whole post- totally envisioning myself doing this very thing. I have a serious weakness for 80s rap and dance tunes. Cuz I lived it. And LOVED it.
Anyway had to back up and look through your post a second time to see the jewelry! All beautiful and eclectic as usual. love you. so. much.; 2/27/14, 6:46 AM
TesoriTrovati said...: Noasatol - snort!
Lurve the earrings. The long dangly bits and the different strokes for different folks bits, and the deep grunge and high gold bits. Lurve. And thanks to you I have a new obsession, to hunt down some fine papers like this! Enjoy the day, Miss Fanci. Erin; 2/27/14, 9:31 AM
Anvil Artifacts said...: Ummmm yummy earrings. And great pictures of your fab new earrings. Sorry, can't relate. I've never had Noasatol syndrome. Might like to catch it though.......; 2/27/14, 9:50 AM
Unknown said...: I am laughing my "butt" off. I loved that song and my mother was totally disgusted by it. Still laughing!!! Will have to remind my mother of it. I love all of the earrings.; 2/27/14, 6:47 PM
Anonymous said...: how did I know you love space stuff.

those earrings with the boxes of white...amazing.
and the dangly purpura necklace....ohhhhhhhhhh cant take it

want it all
want to eat it for breakfast.
especially those UTEE beads

sigh. amazing. <3 <3 <3...

(ps.
Da Butt: 1988, Spike Lee. classic film!

hey, that was when DANCING with your BUTT still had some DIGNITY to it!
...not like today, where women don't think twice about what it "makes them look like"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IihpQCF-zj8
(this is a "dance school2!?!?)

(...hasn't anyone wondered why no *male equivalent* has appeared?
Maybe cuz they have more self-dignity!?!?
sigh. that's some f*uk'd up sh*'t.); 2/28/14, 11:05 AM