This is one o' my favorite MIA songs, who is maybe my favorite maker o' music ever. But I actually don't like the whole bit before 0:52.


Wait did I say no more blog posts? And you believed me? Dork.


(These are tintypes. Well they're one tintype. I cut and sanded... and flicked paint at, because I just wanted to. Backed it up with a strip of tin to strengthen.)

(Roman glass. I'm concerned these earwires are too thick and the copper too soft...)

"One popular human strategy for dealing with difficulty is autosuggestion: when something nasty pops up, you convince yourself it is not there, or you convince yourself it is pleasant rather than unpleasant. The Buddha’s tactic is quite the reverse. Rather than hide it or disguise it, the Buddha’s teaching urges you to examine it to death. Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you are miserable; that is the reality, that is what is happening, so confront that. Look it square in the eye without flinching. When you are having a bad time, examine that experience, observe it mindfully, study the phenomenon and learn its mechanics. The way out of a trap is to study the trap itself, learn how it is built. You do this by taking the thing apart piece by piece. The trap can’t trap you if it has been taken to pieces. The result is freedom."

- Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

I painted these pearls. They're not real. They're imaginary.

This is so good except that Timbaland had to appear at all.

 Dunno why I've never shared her w/y'all before. So many mysterious facets of me you don't know about- like, did you know, I bite my toenails? I am not kidding. My fam was just thanking me for not doing it in front of them anymore. It's super yummy.

So I'm thinking listing these so soon before leaving is a waste of time? Thoughts?

(I've totally used these earwires before. You haven't been studying my every move like a real stalker would. *sniffs* And since I can't keep anything from y'all: here and here.)

Is there anything else I needed to say? Or am I just putting off the cleaning I'm supposed to be doing?

So I wanted to show y'all something I forgot to add. This is the original picture. I found it on ebay... should really add a link and credit it, but....   In any case I thought she'd make more of an impact if she were looking at the camera instead of either looking waaaaaay off to the left or perhaps missing her irises and pupils entirely. So I went in with photoshop and the magnifying lens to make that one change and next thing I know I have an entire ethnicity altogether.
Somehow I couldn't stop myself. I knew she'd look better if I flattened the bridge of her nose, thickened her lips... I guess my beauty ideal is some kind of southeast asian. She looks like some kind of southeast asian, doesn't she? The browner of the asians, you know? What are those- Cambodian or something? 


The mentor call-out thread is warming up, along with mentoring threads on specific topics somehow, as I was totally confusing about what I meant. I meant so my ladies have specific good friends to convo with privately- since sometimes you wanna say "I don't know what to do about this necklace and plus I ain't been laid in a decade." And you want some immediate and specific advice from a slut who knows.

Speaking of which, Chelsea- it's just glue. Golden matte medium, which is basically glue. I kinda outlined the bird and sanded down all the gunk I'd layered on there before I remembered that I wanted to add something. Like wax and oxidations. Then I sanded it down just a touch which revealed some white paper and then I wetter it and rubbed a drop of watery black acrylic on it with a finger. Not that that's necessary but I can never leave well enough alone.
And sparrow, I luv iu.
And 13! What are you gonna enjoy more, another tin container with no use or the, like, millions of adornments you can make out of it? Pu-leez! Cut that shit up!

Also, my Uruguay trip- not TOURuguay, that's next year- is coming up fast and I'm going to spend the next few days cleaning the studio and house (yeah right, poor hubs is doing it all) and preparing the cousin gifts, etc. So... *sniffle* I'll see you in a couple weeks....

I'm talking to you, Sparrow!

So my dollarbeads aren't good enough, your highness? Well, check these babies out!!! I had a custom request from a regular and she likes colorful. So... yeah!



Obviously, I gave them some acrylic washinks with the blackness.








Also, I got her there via transfer and layer of utee. I back painted the glass for some color, which is cool b/c when you shift it around the color doesn't match up with the photo image in back and it looks neat.


I really overdid the color so I sorta scratched it off which left tons of scratches on the glass...




Also, just to note- I only did custom for her cuz she has been a regular forever and her requests are like "Like this one --->>
but with an indian girl with lots of color and coin-type things and do your thing all over it."

So I actually made it a combo of 2 necklaces. She loves her some tribal. I had the idea to tone down the tribal w/the rhinestone rondelle bling and of course, gigantor beads make good chokers.
Used these: , these: and these on the smaller one: 
and a couple others.Dunno if it isn't a bit too dinged-up. What with the scratches.
I could open it back up and erase the scratches with some of that diamond glaze stuff I think I have somewhere.

Maybe I should show you 50 more pictures of the same damn piece?

Call for Mentors.

OMG that muzzle. 

Yes, that's a cast.

I'd like to officially announce a new forum thread: The Official Mentor Call-Out Thread. And you don't have to be a "mentor," just a support via convo. So, on the thread people might type in what kind of what they'd like and what they have to offer... which is more nuanced that just 'advice and cheerleading about my shop', but can also be 'parenting moral support' or 'a sympathetic ear about my illness', 'someone who is funny and tough' 'someone who is kind and nurturing' 'someone who needs an ear and/or shoulder. Cuz I work at the organ donation registry.' 'Someone with high-art design instincts', 'someone into shabby chic.' etc etc. 

And leave your convo links.

Cuz there are soooo many amazing women out there that I cant' give 100% to and have so much to offer each other. Like ears and other unused organs.

I am so overwhelmed by all the convos I get, you see. I have 14 or so each time I go to the computer and it's getting me all tense again. And, like I said before, I don't wanna feel tense about chilling with my best friends. 

What do these have to do w/anything? Shut up, that's what.

<--Now I cant remember who sent me this awesomeness just, like, a day ago. She was simply inspired to expand the bangle idea to a necklace and look how awesome that penis ca... I mean that necklace came out! lol, ok, the gorgeous little sea urchin looks a little shall we say Freudian? But it's awesome. So... she had a face on her avatar I remember... you guys have no idea how many convos I've been fielding!

<- and more bracelets.

Yeah I think this shows I'm not able to keep up with all the pix people are sending cuz I know there's more I lost along the way. And this blog hop has sent thousands more folks my way. And by thousands, y'all know I mean tens, right?

D'ja miss me?

Don't lie. You know you did.
Manus Dei.
So I decided to put these up for sale, from the tute. Wondered if it would somehow look tacky? But it's not like there'll be a time without the tutes in the shop. Tutes are forever!
The Fearless Kiss Kidnapper.
I was out of it the last couple days. I mean the couple days before the last couple.  I was in need of a lot of extra sleep it seems.  But the last couple I was making like nutballz!
Little Red and the Dragon. So finally got these up I showed y'all last time.

When the Child was a Child.

Crepuscle.

Saint.

The World.

The Music of the Spheres. This one's already gone, tho.

I dunno, I think I may have priced things high to compensate for the sale. Cuz it's new things- don't wanna just give them away. Sometimes I do.


The Measured Universe.
In my making frenzy after too many days away from my toys, I remembered why I love this so much.


Getting to play with the prettiest little magical bits, making them even prettier and more magical, putting them together in unexpected ways. Man I love this.


From Your Heart's Haven.
Even if all today was photos and listing.


Damn me for coming up with the most complicated way of writing listings ever.
Narrations shmarrations.


Bone Bridge, Flesh Valley.
Theses are like "Throw shit at it and see what sticks!" That's what they're like.

And Goddamn if it didn't work.


The Further Astray.
Yeah, I was in the mood to toss lots of shit at shit.


Aren't you glad you come here to get the ins and outs of my process? "Throw shit at shit."


Soup Song.
Seems too soon to be back to dragging udders around, right? Cuz I totally am. You could fit two of my regular boobs into one of my now boobs.


"But why would you want to?" You ask.
"Cuz boobs are fun to fit into each other, duh." I might answer if I were less of a lady.


This World Which Is Made of Our Love for Emptiness.
Oh, awesome Rumi poem goes with these.

Two sort of  'reveals' in this post. First- Sparrow! Those beads are just the kind you'd get from one the necklaces you salvage. So lookit:
Angels of Torment.
The teeny whites and pearly ones are vintage, the beige are Indonesian and the mint are from dollarbead.


And they're perfectly adorable. And I finally found something to do with this damned quartz pyramid.
Inspiration? Yes of course:

By this awesome etsyan.





So my second and final 'reveal' piece... by which I think I mean piece I'm eager to show y'all... um, is this-
Decent into the Elder Blood.
It's got all sortsa gold leafing on garnets, black tourmalines, clay, ceramic, cloisonne (oh wait that one's not foiled), metal Afghan and yeah.
                     But wait! There's more! Call now and you also get this hammered copper hook I made and am sorta pleased with because of its length. In addition, you'll notice a circle of velvet trim from which hooks a tin cone with a sexy horse hair tail hanging down. Oh yeah.


But we're so confident you'll love your decentintotheelderblood choker that for a limited time only we're also throwing in an antique Uruguayan needle case which has been oxidized and foiled. If you wore it now, the case would open and the whole piece would flop right off. But! I'm going to either A- put a special prayer/poem/blessing in it at the request of the buyer, then close it forever, or B- send as is for the buyer to add, I dunno, grandma's ashes and that tooth that fell out when she got into a drunken bar brawl and adhere it shut herself.
How much would you expect to pay for all this? Ten, twenty million dollars? Well, if you call within the last 20 minutes, cuz we can't do this all day, you can have this entire goddamn package for just one low payment of  43104.00 Yemeni rials! That's just 3 installments of 76 086.6667 Albanian lek!  I also accept Botswana Pulas and recently passed gall stones.