Bracelets and Stuff.

Imma list these later today, girls. So chill.

Remember ages ago I made a bracelet with a triangular Kuchi and one of these bird stampings sent to me by SacredCake? That everyone went shitbats over? Well, here's another. Took forever to get around to it because it wasn't doing it for me. Then I suddenly had it next to this amazing earring bit that was also sent to me by SacredCake! Don't you love it when things come together like this? Craziness.

 

Ages ago, you saw this pig piece in my last Uruguay haul. I wasn't planning on making it into a necklace, but there you go. I made a bezel from a tin cigarette case. Except maybe it needs a fiber tassel. Something about it... Actually I think someone favorited a necklace with similar playing blocks and tassels. And as you now know, I love to steal ideas.

Where the hell did I see this thing? Anyone? Some blog somewhere... 

Ok, here's this. And yeah, I broke the middle finger off this hand piece by doters. I'm not gentle with my stuff. I may have shoved it about along with boxes and such. What should I do? I couldn't find the tip in time to save it, haha. No but I couldn't find it.

ANOTHER piece sent me by SacredCake! What's up with that? And as you can see, I dry-brushed it pink. Idea stolen from Sparrow earrings.

Here's this. The metal was some random thing from Uruguay that looked like a book cover. But it didn't open and close so why? So I curved it into a bracelet. And a small chunk of woven belt capped with folded cigarette tin metal and to the links between the 2 I added those Afghan buttons. Or Turkish. Crystal dangle from Corvid who is doing some adorable destash listings. Oh shit! Went for the link and her wacky destash assortments already sold. It's all about the photos. Look:

Oh, petra, I don't mess with bones. I tried once and my house still stinks. My father in law who actually does taxidermy professionally thought it was hilarious that I tried to boil the dried flesh off a muskrat skull (it was vile) cuz they are infamously stinky. I got that bone from ShesSoWeird who sometimes actually buys things from etsy to have them sent directly to me to make something from. She's the one that had the idea of the bangles. Actually, the beadcap the crystal there is in is from a repair necklace she had sent to me. Anyways, do a search for 'animal bones' in the supply section, there's tons of lovely specimens, like so:

So today is another in a series of insanely grey days here in Chicago. (Cuz guys, I'm from Uruguay but live in Chicago. Disappointing, I know.) So I thought, if you need a little sunshine in your day, like I do, you can watch this. Before doing so, you have to turn on the sound.

Oh, and Debi- it was $200.

I'm Back!!

I could say I've been busy with Thanksgiving, and y'all wouldn't even question it, would you? After all this time together, you don't know me at all! 

In fact, I've been having artistic ADD and working on multiple projects at once. You guys'll be pleased. More dramatic theeeengs.

 Meantime, I made some more pale bangle stacks just for destash and because I'm going through withdrawal after all those big sales.

So here's the first one. It has some bits of color here and there.

As usual, I can't believe anyone would buy these for more than 10 bucks, but I priced it crazy high so Sparrow wouldn't scold me.

So, the second stack is this girly one:

Random strap of leather from white belt. Lots of white strings and cords. Plastic! And then lampwork and Czech glass and polymer and stones, too. So it's not all crap. And the plastic is vintage. *shrugs*

Oh man, I've had that damn fish forever.

I didn't bother buying a ton of fillers this time .... I got a life to live here. 

Like today I actually went to a movie for the first time in a couple years. Saw my 1st 3D and have the headache to prove it. Yup, had a hot date with my parents. I picked the movie Hugo and both of them really liked it which in my family is nothing short of a miracle. 

The last stack is the more rustic one. What else do I have to say about this? Not a thing.

So Louise, yeah, I been married for 6 years now. (I'm just now getting to the comments of the post before last.) I  wear a plain band from before I made jewelry. And I know it's good gold because after all the patina chemicals I've gotten all over it, it's still like new. If it weren't gold, it would have barnacles on it by now and not be so comfortable while working. 

Photographs from the blog becoming a book isn't doable, ye old weird one. Photos that are the right size for the websimacles are too small for physical reality. 

What else? Oh, anonymous! I don't think papaya was ripping off those photos as they're not pretending that they shot the pictures themselves. Being that they're a card company, they do have to keep an eye out for copyright. Moreover, just like some commenters say my style is easily recognizable, I think Anakata Katkin's is absolutely recognizable. She doesn't just slap the photo on a background (the way amateur collage makers tend to), but colors it, embellishes, incorporates and has fun with it. 

I dunno. That's just off the top of my head. Like, incorporate what has gone before to evolve what comes next. A ton of culture is accessible to us in our society so using images from the past feels very authentic to me, just like making fake old things that incorporate real old things and make new things look old feels somehow right too. Or whatever.

My husband just yelled over, "You peed a whole bunch last night, hu?"

So I should go since he's clearly trying to initiate a deep conversation.

ART THEFT MANIFESTO

Culture is at it's most fertile when it is shared.
In whatever discipline- from the sciences, to cartography, to art, when our knowledge is shared, it grows exponentially.

By way of example, let me show you a lovely Kalighat painting made as a temple souvenir in India circa 1800s and sold to visitors for what amounted to pennies.

Now, lets look at a Matisse's famous "Le bonheur de vivre." 

Another Kalighat here and below, a Picasso.

The modernists were famously influenced by non-Western art in which they saw all classical aesthetic principles flaunted. In shifting their paradigm, they broke their own rules. They felt free and continued breaking down their rules and traditions, thus allowing, for example, the image on the right to lead to the one below.

Another famous example is Japan's Edo Period, which was triggered by contact with the Dutch, or the Renaissance, which began with an influx of Greek refugees to Italy, blossomed with Arab knowledge brought back from the crusades and continued with increasing trade with Asia.

In the 80s and 90s, I used to hear a lot of talk about sampling in pop music being a form of theft. However, I only learned about "Under Pressure" because of "Ice Ice Baby" (I was an immigrant! I was jamming to samba or something) and the sampling furthered tremendous developments in hip hop.

You might say those are abstract cases, or instances of inspiration as opposed to theft. In that case lets consider some examples of the most blatant theft I've seen. In this blog entry, Anahata Katkin lines up her original cards on the left, and Pulp Cards knockoffs from the UK on the right.

Pretty awful, hu? That is, pretty awful knockoffs- lacking the fun and glowing loveliness evident in the originals. But guess what? Pulp Cards has disappeared and Anahata's shop Papaya is thriving.
Clearly, her artistic success keeps her going, while the half-assed copying was sustainable neither at the business end nor in the creation process.

I sometimes receive convos alerting me to a shop or item that seems copied directly from a design of mine. My knee jerk reaction is like a little kid who yells "Mine!" and yanks back a toy s/he wasn't even actively playing with. But immediately after, I loose interest. And so far, no one has taken food off my table.

When I started, I would look at things by OpulentOddities and think, "I wanna play with pretty old things!" I'd see a piece of hers with rhinestones and think, "Rhinestones! Why didn't I think of that?" and rush out to buy some rhinestones. And so I started to develop and learn. I had so much fun that I continued despite having no clue or guidance, no knowledge or ability to see what worked and what didn't. Eventually I found my aesthetic, or 'voice'.  However, I continue to see exciting artists who do something that makes my ears perk up and my muse say "I wanna do that!" It keeps me energized and full of ideas, and keeps this fun.
When asked where their inspiration comes from, people always say, among other things, "from everyday life." What a maddeningly tired answer. It has been studied (citation needed, I know) and it turns out that artists get most of their inspiration from other artists! Why else would we spend 10 hours a day combing through the interwebs? Why else would you be reading this now? So that means when people say they get inspiration from everyday life, they're actually stealing a line they got from interviews of other artists! Mind-boggling.

In summation: I'm going to steal from you! Try and stop me. And you're welcome to steal from me.

(Note: bibliographica wrote a lovely post in part about moi so go read it. Also, thank you for your lovely comments as usual. from now on before I list anything I'm going to say it's too important to list and everyone will clamor to buy it!)

2 more

Exiled Stars.
I've just listed these.

I've also just finished but not listed this necklace.

I feel like this is a special necklace, potentially very symbolic to the person who buys it.

I pulled out all the stops, packing it with special bits. 

Like here is an oragami lily made of copper mesh that my friend sent me, and a couple of roman glass beads on strands of moonstones, vintage amber glass tubes and Mali clay.

I feel reluctant to list it! Like it's just going to be another too-expensive-for-anyone-to-buy piece that sits in the shop forever. And I'm not ready to subject it to that yet.

But if I sent it somewhere for publication, it would be out of my sight for forever. Sigh. I'll decide in a day or

What else? I'm working on..... a manifesto!

Is that not redonk? An artist with her manifesto. Sheesh. Thing is, it's not like an "Art Manifesto." It's more like a declaration to all silly craft bloggers like me. About ideas, culture and theft.

New Babies.

OK, here's what's new for this week.

Rooster in Light.
So guys. I just got my visit from Aunt Flo, I feel ill from too much coffee and I may have just overdone it on Indian food... Uuuuugh.
That word is hard to elongate... 'Uuuuggggghhhh?' 'Uuuughghghgh?'


Here's a kitchy fun pair of asymmetricals with a big fat pearl Corvid gave me, a rooster from Uruguay and one bright green happyfallout bead.


Ultimate Limits.
I actually showed you these a while ago but they're back. One of my abandoned reserves.




The Longing.
I have a feeling this one's going to be popular because you girly girls love you a frozen charlotte. But don't forget to notice the happyfallout beads, the huge tourmaline... I'm not feeling settled about it though. The balance is off... Someone might want it as is but there's something off with the weight. I mean, the physical weight because the head wants to sink to the middle and then the thimble stops making sense. And then my sentence stops making sense.
I might rework it when I'm less menstrual.


Check this out though. See the letters stamped in the one under the thimbled one? It reads "enegma." No, not a typo. Rather, it's a play on something silly I once wrote here. Apparently I wrote "I'm an enigma wrapped inside an enema." So happyfallout commemorated that in this bead. Which makes me feel, I dunno, famous. 


Between the Stars.
Here's something with a miniature. It also includes an antique mechanical pencil, an 'icicle' from a Christmas decoration Sparrow sent me, a couple of gorgeous Victorian buttons and some gorgeous art beads. Oh and a 'Turkoman' metal button at the base of the hook.
Notice I've been doing some metallic leather cording lately? Well, I have.


I'm finding this more adorable that I should admit to finding my own creations. Surely when it fails to sell, I'll do a 180, but I'm going to enjoy it for now. yay.


Ghost of the Illicit Kiss.
This chunkiest of chunky pyrite was sent to me by my friend Anastasia I told you about that sent me all sorts of things? And I used a bunch of happyfallouts here. When I said the finish looked like charcoal she said it basically was, cuz she made them w/a raku process by which they end up coated in carbon. Sigh.... Sounds hard.

The locket dangle has some found poetry that explains the name. Justifies the name? Translates into the name? Whatever. Focal bead by Grubbi, tribal dangle thing sent to my by Sparrow, and I'm sure she has no recollection of it. I banged it into a flatter sort of thing.


Futility.
Here's one with a pocket watch frame to organize the focal. I havent done a circle under a horizontal line in a while. Pyrite and white beads from Anastasia, tooth and skull by happyfallout, and lovely talisman from a new discovery- Happy Mango Beads. Lots of happiness all around in any case.


Is it too busy? Cuz I kept the necklace part simple. Simple for me. Cuz I'm a complex lady. I'm an enigma wrapped inside... Oh wait, I already made that joke. But I dont' know if this one is trying too hard. Do you know what I mean?


Om Mani Padme Hum.
Oh I'm so ridiculously excited about this one. The graduated row of faceted pastel lovelies from SpiritedEarth. Nugget beach stone from somewhere on etsy. I rubbed it with dirtwax. African sandcast from HappyMango, as well as the long yakbone baby. And then my musketeer from Uruguay.

Everyone was crazy over this ring -->
I made with another figure just like it so I was saving this one for another ring, but it was just too perfect for this. So damned European and dark, it was the only thing that could balance all this tribal pastel.


Squeeee!
In fact I saw a number of these musketeers while I was there, but didn't think I'd need to stockpile. Now that I'm no longer teaching (day job) I'm burning through my haul so fast I'll surely have an excuse to go back much sooner. So next time I'll have to keep an eye out.

Oh! I forgot to tell y'all: 4 days ago was the 3rd birthday of fancifuldevices, my shop and super hero alter ego. Only my dad remembered, cuz I sure didn't.  Sweet, hu?