fanciful devices: Half an Update.

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.

3/14/16

Half an Update.

These are the things I'm going to show you today:

As the week goes on, though, I'm going to also list these things in the shop:

So instead of dumping twenty things on you at once, you have some time to absorb it all. Thank you Sparrow for the idea.

Eternity Transcending.

Sacred reliquary with Gobi Desert Agate.
From my listing description:

Gobi Desert Agate are ancient stones which are tumbled for thousands of years by the sands of the desert. This tumbling is what gives them their special pitted texture and luminous finish. Nomads from China, Tibet
and Mongolia collect these prized stones and sort them by size, color and shape.

Look at the drop in the center. That is naturally occurring texture and it makes me swoon.

That's the fanciest piece of the batch.

A Delicate Balance.
The name is because so many elements are balanced in this (for me very) minimal necklace

"A coin has a certain masculine seriousness, as opposed to the fantastical whimsey of the bronze pendant, but it is light and flat while the other is thick, substantial and very dimensional. The female portrait, as well as the glass opal, adds a pretty, feminine touch.
All of these elements are united by size and color so as to balance and play off each other instead of clashing against each other."

Ramble.

I feel like this little baby is initially unassuming but as you take into account all the special bits that went into it you realize ... well, that you have to charge more for it. There's Desert Agate here too. Also a gorgeous polymer pendant charm by another new obsession, JBDRusticOrganic. The layering of the 4Ophelia link over the ceramic disc allows these flat pieces to blend into a thick and chunky necklace.

Telluric- of or arising from the earth or soil, terrestrial
Did somebody say Gobi Desert Agate? And graduated beads? And shades of earthy red?

The clasp button and big salmon ceramic add a pretty counterbalance to all the rustic.
Moving away from all the warm amber browns...

Spirit Song.
Look at this pretty bird on its swing!

I love you pretty bird.

Spectrum.
These doughnut/rondelle/heishi/??? are also from JBDRusticOrganic. I didn't do much to create this necklace, I just wanted to feature these amazing polies. Gotta admit I was surprised and a bit awed at how good they look with these pretty vintage beads.

The watery color stain effect was made with transfers of the artists' own art work. And the artist? Is a man!!!

Grandma's Cupboard.
Bright simple fun. A true hodgepodge assemblage bracelet.

Electric Heliotrope.
I made them there crackled babies! I forgot to mention when I was describing my process last time that I got their not-quite-round shape by using inclusions. I took all the scraps I cut to facet other, already-baked, polybabies, and incorporated them with the raw clay. It produced these wobbly almost-spheres which I really appreciate because it's too easy for everything to end up just round.