Unwhiney

Feeling much better, thank you guys for all the kind comments, especially Skye reminding me never to compare myself to others and RomAntiqueSoul reminding me it's not a race. I mean, I know this stuff already I just forgot for a minute.

Thaumaturgy (from the Greek thaûma, "miracle" or "marvel" and érgon, "work") is the capability of a saint or magician to work miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking.

Also Rebecca S who is the University professor who invited me to be a guest speaker at James Madison U a couple years ago who said, "Of course I have had the pleasure of seeing you in real life and you are an adorable tiny bundle of energy!"  Which made me way happier than I should admit. In part because Rebecca herself is even tinier than me.

Also, I always seem to have energy when chatting with others. It's one of the reasons I had such a hard time getting psych help in my youth. When I'm with people I'm all animated and happily babbling away...

Ambedo- n. a kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details. 
-Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Ode to Spring.
Check the deets! I cut a raccoon bone in half (*debate as to whether raccoons are cute or not starts anew*) and resined it into this old cast bronze drawer-pull. I used quick-set epoxy resin and as soon as it was no longer tacky (like, a minute) I covered the resin surface with cornstarch. When it set, I brushed it off and got this non-shiny surface which doesn't look like there's resin all over it.

There's actually resin between the bone and the back plate as well but the lack of shine makes it practically invisible. Also, that bit of hemp cord leads me to Shipwreck's super helpful comment...

richelle said...

I use a lot of hemp. Although I've settled on my favorite type, I've tried many, and no matter how initially scratchy or processed they are, they all benefit greatly from an initial water-soaking and then a soak with some water + fabric softener, then a good rinse. Don't dunk the whole roll--just a few feet to several yards at a time. Air dry, and at about half-dry, undo any tangles; hold one end of the strand, and with a dry towel/washcloth over your other hand, pull the strand through the towel, squeezing the strand with your thumb and index finger (you want to make sure your fingers are covered well--this creates some creepy feeling friction even through the towel.) This gets all the fibers in line nicely. Repeat the pulling a few times. When it's totally dry, you can apply wax using the same pullin-through-your-fingers-method (with no towel, though.) Go super slowly, and add wax as you go. Make sure you pull it through the same direction as before so the fibers stay lined up. If there are loose fibers, they'll nicely just come off as you do this. This whole wash/wax process makes it almost like really old, supple leather cord instead of hemp. Another benefit of pre-washing is it really brings out any weirdness, like bad dyes and processing substances, and you'll also be able to make sure there aren't any mutant knotty areas or weak spots before you use it.
Now, by sheer coincidence I had some hemp cording I'd been using as a drawstring on some pants (I know) and they'd ended up in the wash. After reading this, I pulled it out and sure enough, soft as can be! No sanding! Also no pulling or wax, though. It almost reacted like when you wash felt fibers?
Prayer for Mercy.
“Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by what is above him when he shows no mercy to what is beneath him?”
–Pierre Troubetzkoy

Look, it's a convertible lariat/earring pair! Clever me.

Can you tell I just pulled out everything green I had piling up and just tossed it all together? I mean, very carefully tossed it... placed it. Arranged it.
Remember how I added a shot of a way-too-busy necklace a post or two ago?

Simply removed the excess crap and voila. Have you heard the advice about taking a picture of whatever project you're struggling with? It really works. Looking at your work via the medium of photography gives an outsider's perspective and the strengths/weaknesses pop right out.

Hierophant- One who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.

Aphelion- the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid or comet at which it is farthest from the sun.
OK, no. You don't understand. I'm madly in love with these earrings. So, first, torch-enamel sticks by Georgie of 4Ophelia and NearlyLost with a bit of sparkle, stunning. But then! These polybabies turned out perfectly color-coordinated for them! They were actually quite bland and flat until on a lark (as they say in the UK and not around here at all) I started rubbing them with Varathane and russet pigment powder. The green was way too flat so I muddied and deepened it by choosing russet, as red is the opposite of green in the color wheel and opposite colors tone each other down. I often use opposite colors this way since polymer always wants to turn out super bright. Also the black paint that was originally in the crevices was doing nothing for them. Ceramic heishi by etsian Grubby, Indonesian wobbly balls, opposite color semiprecious rondelles... Idk, I love them.

Gokotta- (Swedish) to wake up early in the morning just so that you may go outside to hear the birds sing. 
And I finally found the perfect home for these tiny glass drum charms from Uruguay. Squee!

Luminous Moons.
Some more from my Many Moons collection of caged Baroque glass pearls.

Roseate Moons.
Both of the above pairs sold as soon as I listed them. Which means I have to make more despite the zillion projects on the table. 

Tiny Moons.
But look- these are all skinny! I love these
Norma Conway commented, "I think I see in 'mangata' a lovely bead made by your whiny self!! It looks like it to me anyway," Yup! That's mine all right, "and I just wanted to tell you Marina, that your bead work goes swimmingly with other beads found in this world of ours. Really, goes good. I've been noticing that combo. of your beads and other beads in your work for awhile now and have been meaning to mention it." 
Well, if that didn't just make my day! Yeah, polymer tends to want to look like bright bubblegum, so I always make the effort to make beads like the kinds I like to use in my work. So then it follows that my results combine well with whatever other beads I have around. In fact, when I was featured on Polymer Clay Daily, Cynthia Tinapple wrote of my jewelry, "your eyes have to search carefully to pick out which components might be polymer." I'm such a shmo, quoting things people have said about me! I don't know what a shmo is. I have a big goofy smile on my face.

Anyways... 
Are y'all heathens gonna tell me you think foxes are creepy too? Cuz yeah, some commenters were less than complimentary about the monkeys. Which how wrong could you be?

But whatever, look at these fuzzy angels. I want a fox and a raccoon and an orangutan.
But if you don't like foxes and worship satan or whatever, here's a moose family playing in the sprinkler on a scorching hot day:

And a koala making a quick visit to a hospital, seemingly just to check that everything's in order.

In closing, some random food notes.

• Coconut oil makes a delicious and super healthy alternative to butter while costing way less than ghee. 
• Squeeze lime in your water and sprinkle some stevia in there- its yummy and the high alkalinity makes extra hydrating. 
• In trader joes they sell black rice- it looks scary but it's milder tasting than brown rice and packed with antioxidants and other good stuff.
• What, I just wanted to share OK? Don't judge me.