fanciful devices: Sale

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.

6/12/10

Sale

I've lowered a bunch of prices.
Black and Blue. Antique Tag and Bead Strands for the Wrist.

The Chaldean Oracles. Black Baubles Necklace.

I didn't label them all 'sale' however. Can't help feeling that makes them look undesirable. Kinda like saying "I was deluded enough to think it could go for this other price to begin with!"
Royal Marys. Antique Gold Medal Earrings.

Royal Marys. Antique Gold Medal Earrings.

Calavera. Wood and Sari Yarn Assemblage.

I think my prices got too high because of pressure from all sortsa folks going- "You should chanrge more! You need to raise your prices!"
Sale. Binder Clip Interchangeable Assemblage Neckpiece.

Sale. Binder Clip Interchangeable Assemblage Neckpiece.

Sale. Ignorant Armies. Antique Bulb Neck Piece.

In the end it was very self-defeating. And yes, etsy creates a lot of competition. It's called the free market. Same reason why millions work for pennies in factories and we look at price tags. It's called capitalism.
Sale. Battle Axe. Enamel and Tin Tag Bracelet.

Sale. Battle Axe. Enamel and Tin Tag Bracelet.

Sale. Perfume. Antique Bottle and Rose Petal Necklace

And though there's lots of competition on etsy and you could get double in boutiques, the boutique owners have so much overhead, they'd have to take half of what the item goes for anyway. So there.