fanciful devices: Finally, Some GA!-Damn Eyecandy.

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.

4/15/12

Finally, Some GA!-Damn Eyecandy.

These are earrings w/posts from a tin sent to me ages ago.

I finally got some pictures taken of some stuff. Not a ton of stuff either... And not listed- since tonight's gonna be dedicated to taxes. Ohyeahthatsright Dad! I left it 'til the last minute. Whacha gonna do about it?

Horse hair with tin cones from a little child's plate SacredCake sent.

This weekend Mom started scolding me the way she does- gets her self all wound up and just keeps going at it 'til it's so beyond anything you could possibly construe as constructive. And I said, "Stop! No! I'm 37! I don't accept your scolding. End of conversation." And it made her start laughing.

My hubs the professional fretter who frets enough for 10 people is now on about how I have to let y'all know I'm not liable for if your limbs fall off in Uruguay, if you want your travelers insurance you need to get it yourself and no refunds. When I start trying to tell him we now have 2 other husbands coming- and that one has already been to Uruguay- I get him telling me I need to write up documents with lawyers! Oh he is a ball of fun that husband of mine.

I wanted to mention to those of you who are wanting more of a stash (here I thought everyone on earth wanted to pair theirs down) this shop that shipwreckdandy turned me on to called dollarbead.com.

They got everything under the sun. Mostly meh, but the best is the "Artisan Mix" section here.

Thin layer of utee over the paper and wax o

(There's a little Charlotte on some moss holding a flower. Oh and the idea of the windy key as a top I stole from somewhere...)

It's not the best website since lots of the pictures aren't showing up so you need to click into the listing to see. But at a dollar a strand you can sacrifice.

2 – 32mm Wood Mix Artisan Bead – 15” string - Click Image to Close

12 - 22mm Orange Spot Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 4” string - Click Image to Close

16mm Brown Butterfly Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 4” string - Click Image to Close

10mm Round Black Luster Fire Polish Glass Bead - Click Image to Close

16 – 20mm White Spot Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 5” string - Click Image to Close

Approx. 2oz. Mix of Powder Blue Artisan Glass Beads. No Returns! - Click Image to Close

14 - 24mm Red Mix Artisan Bone Bead – 7” string, big hole - Click Image to Close

Approx. 2oz. Mix of Pale Green Artisan Glass Beads. No Returns! - Click Image to Close

10 – 22mm Color Stripe Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 6” string - Click Image to Close

Approx. 2oz. Mix of Beige Artisan Glass Beads. No Returns! - Click Image to Close

14 – 16mm Color Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 5” string - Click Image to Close

10mm Black Round Opaque with Luster Fire Polish Glass Bead - Click Image to Close

3 - 10mm Dark Pink Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 13” string - Click Image to Close

15 – 27mm Maroon Handmade Clay Mix Artisan Bead – 7” string - Click Image to Close

14mm Pink Gold Table Cut Glass Bead – 6 Beads - Click Image to Close

8 - 16mm Color Spot Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 8” string - Click Image to Close

7 - 12mm Color Sugar Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 12” string - Click Image to Close

20 x 26mm Beige Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 8” string, big hole - Click Image to Close

16mm Pink Handmade Ceramic Mix Artisan Bead – 5” string - Click Image to Close

22 x 18mm Plum Silver Table Cut Glass Bead – 4 Beads - Click Image to Close

24mm Apple Green Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 8” string, big hole - Click Image to Close

6 - 18mm Color Sugar Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 6” string - Click Image to Close

5 x 21mm Mustard Handmade Ceramic Mix Artisan Bead – 3 beads - Click Image to Close

9 – 17mm White Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 8” string - Click Image to Close

9 – 11mm Dark Blue Spot Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 9” string - Click Image to Close

2 – 32mm Beige Wood Mix Artisan Bead – 15” string - Click Image to Close

16mm Dark Blue Handmade Clay Mix Artisan Bead – 6” string - Click Image to Close

8 - 12mm Yellow Mix Artisan Glass Bead – 6” string - Click Image to Close

16 comments:

alteredarcheology said...: Ahh, that is some sweet sweet candy for sure. Lovin that tiny Charlotte with the key clock top. Say what you will about old keys, I know they have been done a lot but I still love them, and of course when Fanci includes one they are cool all over again, lol
Will be checking the dollarbead out cuz ya know you can always use a little more ;) My personal cheap beads weapon of choice is Mass O' Glass available on the bottom shelf of your local Michael's Craft store. 12 oz. Mix of beads for $3.99. Made in India. When you open the container they smell musty and are dirty......Heaven!! Some still have old eye pins left in them. They are probably mostly recycled, they are amazing.; 4/15/12, 9:34 PM
neshuma said...: Word: I’d be *very* concerned about giving credit card information to a site with no valid SSL.
Click on the Comodo tag in the lower right-hand corner of the DollarBead.com website. It says
“IdAuthority credentials are not available for this site.” It appears that DollarBead.com is
using Comodo’s security logo without providing customers with that security. Further evidence:
their account registration page doesn’t have an {https://} in the URL line. (I’d report more,
but one cannot get to the checkout page without registering.); 4/15/12, 9:48 PM
Vintajia Adornments said...: Not a ton of stuff eyecandy is good - able to peruse and take it all in, unlike tons of stuff where ya eyes glaze and eventually the head rotates.
This selection is gewd full of nickable ideas.
Bah on dollarbeads.com coz they don't like us for-un-errs and refuse overseas shipping the beady goodness .; 4/15/12, 9:53 PM
richelle said...: I paid dollarbead using paypal. No problems whatsoever and everything arrived perfectly. They even refunded me for a strand that was out of stock--no problem there either. Highly recommended site and beads. (Using paypal. I suppose a credit card might be a different story with the dynamics mentioned.); 4/15/12, 10:29 PM
richelle said...: And looks like those clay ones are 50 cents a strand now...; 4/15/12, 10:41 PM
Jennifer Valentine Morford said...: I love the horse hair...reminds me i need to finish a necklace I'm making from on old typewriter eraser...
been too busy making bling lately to do much of anything else...I miss the non- bling...but anyway, thank you for mentioning me here...ONCE AGAIN! You are too kind. Your blog is always so fun...mine feels like "MEH" lately...better come up with something interesting to say i imagine...
anyway, I've missed you! xoxoxoxo; 4/16/12, 5:27 AM
Anonymous said...: Arse.. posted on wrong post, loving new stuff etc, etc, see other post for details! Arse again they don't ship internationally.; 4/16/12, 5:40 AM
Anvilartifacts said...: I'm gonna repeat myself here. Love all of your post-tute creativity! Everything you've been making is wonderful! The necklaces are truly fantastic! Keep it coming please. Another tute. Another round of great jewelry.....another.......; 4/16/12, 6:58 AM
Alice said...: Love the sweet, tiny charlotte pendant. And those tin piece have my heart skidding sideways and every which way. Lovely!!!!!

What's utee? And yes, I do live in a cave, if you're asking. And the cave does not have utee.

Have a great week!; 4/16/12, 7:44 AM
Peggy Odam said...: I have purchased a one pound bead mix from this Etsy seller and it was a nice mix of beads and they mail internationally.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97185186/one-pound-scoop-of-glass-beads-mixed

LOve the new eye candy.; 4/16/12, 8:09 AM
Aqua Junko Artworks said...: Love your new work.As to worrying about the lives of your fellow travelers you could write up a page saying you are not responsible for us. I do not expect you to be blamed for anything that could happen to me. I was waiting for this issue to come up. Let's make this trip as we are joining together to travel and make jewelry. Lori; 4/16/12, 10:23 AM
TesoriTrovati said...: So in love with what you do with tin. I think I need to get more creative and grungify my pieces more. I particularly love the inventive use of the key and the bottle. Keys are my crack! ;-)
Enjoy the day!
Erin; 4/16/12, 11:41 AM
Petra Carpreau said...: Well, I've obviously missed a million posts while I've been stuck in clay cave again - ugh. I'm sure there was a time when i could do two things at once! hey ho. Love these new neckpieces - they look like classic fanci. Just been picking up the thread of your mind boggling group visit. The pictures will be quite something!!!; 4/16/12, 11:56 AM
martinisfor2 said...: i agree with Janet.....your creations after a tute are amazing. i checked out dollar beads and love the artisan mixes....would definitely use paypal. thank you to altered archeology for the tip on mass o' glass at michaels. i will definitely be checking that out.....love beads from India.; 4/16/12, 4:44 PM
Penelope said...: I have to wonder...how you can get such ugly beads and make them look good?! If I used any of those beads all I would see in the piece is that one bead, screaming LOOK AT ME I'M CHEAP AND BORING. Maybe it's just their photos. Maybe it's cause they're a dollar, you are blind to anything else, and then whatever turns up in your hands turns to gold anyway so yeah. I should just shut-up and go to bed.; 4/17/12, 12:26 PM
richelle said...: Many of the beads I've gotten from Dollar Bead are some of my absolute favorite beads. Big cane furnace glass tube nuggets, impossibly iridescent little grey sugar glass, the teeniest wedding cake lampwork rondelles, bright red evil eye beads--all very non-commercial feeling, unusual, and very imperfect/rustic. Their photos do suck, but maybe I just have boring taste...; 4/17/12, 1:34 PM