Thursday, July 5, 2012

Mail Day Madness

Here's today's photo dump. Is this gunna get boring? Personally I think the answer is NO NEVER. Because everyone loves studio shots and supply lust. 


Here's the textile rope I made yesterday- I'm pretty sure it won't end up like this, I'd like to do some wrapping and some beads n stuff, maybe dye it so it's more brown and less blue/grey. It's a pretty big piece, hung with some kind of super-chunky cluster pendant.


This is me mucking around with cluster pendant ideas. Big ol' iron ring from under the ground in Eastern Europe, Russian deer antler, African cattle pendant, tropical ocean shell, various beads of a rustic nature.

 
I had a huge mail delivery today (everything comes at once!) so right now, my desk is covered in all these gorgeous big tribal rustic chunky things. Vintage pit-fired clay beads of exceptional size, deer antler tips; those brown and white mega-chunks are sea pottery fragments, they're destined to be statement necklace plates, warrior stylee.

Giaaaaant beeeeeeeeeead!! 

Here's some suuuuper awesome cattle charms from Ethiopia- these are the real deal, proper old; not the thin replicas you get from everywhere. To be honest I don't think the people who sold them knew what they were. They're all grungy and thick and wonky. Perfect. 


The flat bluey things are slates, from the shores of a Scottish ocean. I imagine these are fragments of cottage shingle. I love stuff like this- the secret history that lies within this object...what was the building it sat on? What scenes played out under these stone slices? How did they come to be in the sea?


I like the way their chalky blue sits with the textile rope, so I might end up making a pendant from them for this rope instead of dyeing it to match the spear/shell set-up. The slates make a glorious tinkling noise when they hit each other, like a windchime. They're pretty tough too, having bobbed about in the ocean for so long, losing their fragile layers and smoothing off their fissures so they're just a solid core. You could almost say these were the bones of slate.


Do you know what these are? Bone! No. Fossil? No. These are....... omg omg omg.... 


TEAPOT SPOUTS!! For reals, yo. I bought them from the same shop as the slate; the girl who runs it is really sweet, and she lives in an area of Scotland that produced a lot of ceramics. She finds her stuff on the shoreline. Apparently the area made a lot of teapots...but I especially love how these have a faux bois pattern on them, it's perfect for my ideas about place and primitive versus advanced culture. I'll tell you about that in another post.



Just some cute bits, cause little things still count. The bird is carved from horn, I think it's native American.  

Fly like an eagle... (good name for a song!) 


And it was while photographing all this junk that I found my new background for listing pics. I don't think I'm going to list these earrings (there's a crack in the driftwood I want to deal with) but I do love the antique tribal contrast of knackered cloth book cover and woven grass. 

 

 So that was my day -well the creative portion. I did some extra domestic stuff so that tomorrow is free to tinker. I am actually looking forward to it, when I have nothing to do except sit at my desk and make things. I am finally, finally...finally...happy to be making things again.

19 comments:

Mary Jo said...

Beautiful treasures! I love things with histories, too. I'll check back to watch process unfold! Happy creating!
mjfisher24@gmail.com
Mary Jo Fisher

Alice said...

I love a good mail day! Haven't had one for a long time now since I've put myself on a bead diet.

I really like the idea of cluster pendants. Thanks for sharing all your bits and treasures with us!

Anthropomorphica said...

Supply lust, you can say that again, there's dribble on my keyboard!!!!
I love the textile rope with it's contrasting and random stitches, you always look like you are crafting artefacts, wonderful, wonderful...slurp...

Anonymous said...

Totally mad about the textile rope and Loving the teapot spouts. Can't wait to see the warrior pieces you come up with.

darlene said...

~everyone loves studio shots and supply lust~ indeed! such a creative mind. beauty. your photos are so stunning as well. what talent!

Flotsam Tide said...

Swooning over here really, had to steady myself by taking deep breaths.... oh wow! These things that you photographed are so incredibly beautiful, I love the supplies you have harvested so thoughtfully and all the mouth watering texture. Love, love, love how you described the sound that the slate makes when they hit each other. You are doing some big things over there, the textile rope has some nice muted color tones, and hooray for the joy in making again. We are salivating on this side in anticipation

owlparty said...

Yesss, definitely drooling with supply lust. Glad to see you back at work and thank you for sharing the process!
Anastasia

fanciful devices said...

WOW
OMG
...
wow



also, omg im so glad you want to be making again. oh, and as soon as i saw those spouts i was like 'those are spouts.' but maybe b/c i look at all the same supply shops as you.
the rope is glorious. why do i feel i have or had the same ravely fabric? did i send that to you? (or you to me- th oim pretty sure it started out as the vintage bandages i found in an old lady's cottage...)
Also, those earrings are glorious, just e600 the crack and extend the gold lines to encircle the wood...
OH IM SO EXCITED TO SEE ALL THIS AND YOU AND YEAH!

Jayne said...

Hi Penny it is so good to see you posting again and I have missed two other posts. I kept checking to see and I am so happy that you are finally happy to be creating. Your work is so beautiful and the materials use use to the photographs you take are all so inspirational. Be kind to yourself you are doing so well. Jayne x

Angela Mahler said...

Yea!!! You are back!!!

I'm so glad to see you and your creative efforts. You are so inspiring with what you do.

Yea!!

sue said...

Lots of beauties to spark the old creativity. It is wonderful to hear that you are reclaiming the joy of making! go forth and conquer!
x
sue

Beatnheart said...

The heavens have opened to allow the sparrow to fly like an eagle as her spirit is set free. Love your muted pallet and earthiness and the idea is the bits having a history... Wish I could hang out withcha.

stregata said...

Looks like your muse is back - in overdrive... love the rope. And love that you have found your way back to creating - you are such an inspiration.

Maggie Zee said...

Thank you for taking the time to share your fabulous new finds and your processes - inspiring on so many levels. Phoenix indeed.

Julie said...

Thank you so much for sharing! I have stumbled upon your blog only recently and I am fixated!

Kathy Van Kleeck said...

exceptional haul! I'm especially fond of the slate and the cattle charms - but it's all pretty terrific! Yep, nothing like a good mail day ...

Unknown said...

I am a new, dedicated and admiring fan! You have inspired me to make my 30 year old collection of beads and baubles grow to table size!! You have a true gift of the eye for color and form.
I am also drooling over the tea pot salvage! Maybe we'll get some here on the Cali coast from Japans debries!!!
So glad to see your work in progress! I would be honored if you comented on my measley offerings, Burlap Budda facebook, or on my blog....

Kim Henkel Creations said...

OMG Beautiful! Loving it all, but those tea pot spouts - contented heart sigh! My first visit here, and it was a feast for my eyes and my heart. Lovely!

Wen said...

Great wrapped rope necklace- ever put one like this on your etsy?