fanciful devices: Instagram

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.

2/4/15

Instagram

I'm rather proud of the names on this batch of makies, so I'mma add them and the definitions cuz I do what I want.

Mangata. Silver and grey victorian tribal rustic assemblage bracelet with art beads.

Mangata- (Swedish) The glimmering, path-like reflection that the moon creates in water.

Soanyways, I did it. I succumbed to peer pressure and got my ass on Instagram. People have been shifting away from blogging for some time now and it makes sense since social networking sites are less effort.

Ya'aburnee. Rustic assemblage bracelet with large coin.

Ya'aburnee -(Arabic) Both morbid and beautiful, this literally translates to, "you bury me," a declaration of hope that you'll die before your loved one because life without them would be unbearable.

Anywho go troll me @fancifuldevices there you want. Now Imma hafta do one of those sidebars you see with: here's my tumblr/ pinterest/ instagram/ facebook/ flickr/ blog/ etsy/ eharmony/ grindr/ bankaccountpassword/ etc.

Litost. Victorian tribal rustic assemblage bracelet in black and silver.

Litost- (Czech) A feeling that synthesizes grief, sympathy, remorse and longing.

Haven't updated my sidebars in years, ugh. Lazy.

Toska. Chunky rustic assemblage necklace with druzy amethyst, tourmaline and archeological find. Violet lavender lilac.

Toska -(Russian) a spiritual anguish, a restless longing.

Too busy getting things done to get anything done.

Saudade. Red rustic assemblage earrings with artisan elements.

Saudade-(Portuguese) Melancholic longing or nostalgia for a far away something that is lost to you.

Look at these sticks by 4Ophelia! Look upon them and tremble!

Cafune. Rustic brick terra cotta asymmetrical assemblage earrings with artisan beads and elements.

Cafune- (Brazilian) Tenderly running your fingers through a lover's hair.

Here's another, tremble at its asymmetrical magesty!

Duende. Rustic assemblage earring hoops with baltic amber, citrine and religious medal.

Duende- (Spanish) Spirit. Originally used to describe the mythical entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe, it has transitioned to mean the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move us.

Also of note, I've actually started watermarking my pictures like a big girl. Idk, now that this stuff's gonna be loose all over the interwebs... Cuz Instagram has this feature wherein you can automatically update the pix to your flickr, tumblr and facebook as well. So those abandoned accounts will be seeing some action.

Darkest Night. Rustic assemblage earrings with onyx and buttons in black.

Darkest Night. I remade these to include these lovely buttons.

It's all too much to keep up with. I'm exhausted just typing these words out. Once you turn 35, any new technology is like "Thar be dragons!"
I gotta go cuz--

5 comments:

Unknown said...: Oh weeeee - eye candy! Love the earrings and being of Russian heritage those really appeal to me in more ways than one. New technology - ugh - I am not worthy.; 2/5/15, 11:44 AM
Unknown said...: Uh dur, the eyes are going too - Necklace not earrings.; 2/5/15, 11:45 AM
Anonymous said...: > Too busy getting things done to get anything done.

Oh, yeah! Beautiful work. Keep making and doing.; 2/5/15, 7:10 PM
Rebecca S. said...: I love these titles! It really points to the absences in naming such beautiful and nuanced states in our language. It also seems to underline a certain lack of poetry in our thinking. I am sure we have complex words. But do we have words that address sad/contradictory/longing experiences like this?

By the way I wrote this comment twice, but my phone ate the other remark I wrote a few days ago (and which was probably completely different). As one of your other fans wrote once: Stupid smart phone!

As ever, I am looking forward to your next treat of beauty and brilliance!; 2/15/15, 5:35 PM
betweenreader said...: Makies from Paradise! All of them. My eyeballs are rolling about in ecstasy!; 2/16/15, 10:21 AM