10/31/09

Mourning Jewelry, then and now







According to Trendhunter.com, mourning jewelry is back.  I liked the idea of some hair in a dimensional bevel enclosure, and have some of my husband's, but never completed the project.  Cuz I've got piles of projects yet to be completed.  Anywhoo, the pic's above are Victorian, and below are contemporary by designer Anna Schwamborn.


10/30/09

New Items in Shop




I finally got some pretty decent pics of some new things, and was able to list these in the shop.  I've been going to more meetings than I thought were humanly possible to survive, however, so I have fallen far, far behind on my projects.  My boss doesn't ask if we want to put in 6 extra hours a week at "training" pay (teachers only get paid their teaching salary for the class hours, all prep and test making/grading/evaluations/etc. are just slave labor.)  "Training" pay is less than half our normal wage- though sitting through a meeting w/him is much more grueling than any teaching I've ever done.... wait.  What was this post about?  Oh, yeah, my boss makes the hair on my arm stand on end.  That was the point of this post.

As you can see, a couple of bright spots among a lot of grey grey grey.  the color ones aren't really my focus now, I want the timeless ancient grey-black look.  But I have these lovely color elements which I feel I should use...  But is that then detracting from my overall shop mood?  Not as unified.... Hmm...

10/26/09

Babette Boucher

Babette Boucher, "Muttertag" Necklace, here.

10/24/09

10/23/09

Color compositions

I've seen a few of these color composition photographic prints lately.  Here are 3 lovely ones from

A VIEW TO on etsy:






Arhan
When the chill of earth black-breasted is uplifted at the
glance
Of the red sun million-crested, and the forest blossoms
dance
With the light that stirs and lustres of the dawn, and with
the bloom
Of the wind’s cheek as it clusters from the hidden valley’s
gloom :
Then I walk in woodland spaces, musing on the solemn
ways
Of the immemorial places shut behind the starry rays
Of the East and all its splendour, of the West and all its peace;
And the stubborn lights grow tender, and the hard sounds
hush and cease.
In the wheel of heaven revolving, mysteries of death and
birth,
In the womb of time dissolving, shape anew a heaven and 
earth
Ever changing, ever growing, ever dwindling, ever dear,
Ever worth the passion glowing to distil a doubtful tear.
These are with me, these are of me, these approve me,
these obey,
Choose me, move me, fear me, love me, master of the
night and day.
These are real, these illusion: I am of them, false or frail,
True or lasting, all is fusion in the spirit’s shadow-veil,
Till the knowledge-lotus flowering hides the world
beneath its stem;
Neither I, nor God life-showering, find a counterpart in
them.
As a spirit in a vision shows a countenance in fear,
Laughs the looker to derision, only comes to disappear,
Gods and mortals, mind and matter, in the glowing bud
dissever :
Vein from vein they rend and shatter, and are nothingness
for ever.
In the blessed, the enlightened, perfect eyes these visions
pass,
Pass and cease, poor shadows frightened,
leave no stain upon the glass.
One last stroke, O heart-free master, one last certain
calm of will,
And the maker of Disaster shall be stricken and grow
still.
Burn thou to the core of matter, to the spirit’s utmost
flame,
Consciousness and sense to shatter, ruin sight and form
and name!
Shatter, lake-reflected spectre; lake, rise up in mist to
sun;
Sun, dissolve in showers of nectar, and the Master’s
work is done.
Nectar perfume gently stealing, masterful and sweet and
strong,
Cleanse the world with light of healing in the ancient
House of Wrong !
Free a million mortals on the wheel of being
tossed !
Open wide the mystic portals, and be altogether lost!


At Akyab. 


Aleister Crowley 


This really demands to be read out loud.

10/22/09

Evocative, Gorgeous Poem for Listing

Since posting the previous pictures, I have rubbed each piece... except for the gold military one, with wax and dirt.  Now I'm letting them dry/harden/set (?) before I consider if they need rinsing or wiping down.  Ah, the joys.  I have all sorts of stuff planned for the "descriptions" and titles.
Here is this moving and seriously gorgeous poem by Aleister Crowley invoking some guiding spirits before a tarot reading.




The Interpreter

Mother of Light, and the Gods! Mother of Music, awake!
Silence and speech are at odds; Heaven and Hell are at stake.
By the Rose and the Cross I conjure; I constrain by the Snake and the Sword;
I am he that is sworn to endure -Bring us the word of the Lord!

By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening, whose God was my sire;
By the Lord of the Flame and Lightning, the King of
the Spirits of Fire;
By the Lord of the Waves and the Waters, the King of the
Hosts of the Sea,
The fairest of all of whose daughters was mother to me;

By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes, the King of the
Spirits of Air,
In whose bosom the infinite ease is that cradled me there;
By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains, the King of
the Spirits of Earth
That nurtured my life at his fountains from the hour of my birth;

By the Wand and the Cup I conjure; by the Dagger and Disk I constrain;
I am he that is sworn to endure; make thy music again!
I am Lord of the Star and the Seal; I am Lord of the Snake and the Sword;
Reveal us the riddle, reveal! Bring us the word of the Lord!

As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea, as the storm of the air,
As the quake of the earth -let it soar for a boon, for a bane, for a snare,
For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod, for a scourge, for a sword -
Bring us thy burden of bliss -Bring us the word of the Lord!


PERDURABO.
Aleister Crowley

Now I need to decide which piece matches this or part of this verse, and which of several gorgeous chunks to use as the name... like: "Burden of Bliss".  Or even: Bring us thy burden of bliss, bring us the word of the lord!  But that's too long, of course.  "King of the Spirits of Earth"  might be right for a more orange-y one I'm working on.  And I have several other Crowly verses that are so bad-ass...  Post another tomorrow....

10/21/09


A bunch of new stuff I have yet to list.  First- better pictures.  This is a new direction for me (at least the beginning of a new direction is visible in the black pieces).  I'd call it Victorian Tribal if that didn't sound both tacky and insulting somehow.  Imperialistic?  Victorian Conquistador?  Explorer?  PreIndustrial Victorian?  Which is just an oxymoron.  Damn, I wish I could come up w/the perfect label...

Another lovely blog feature



The exquisite Cafe Carolina has a short piece about me and I think it's swelling up my head...  Not really- I'm mostly stunned and amazed.

10/19/09

10/16/09

Obsessed

I can't get modartifax out of my mind.  I'm beyond obsessed.


 Find myself looking for not vintage, not antique, but ancient components.  Like these unburied bits from France on CoolVintage:



Or this thousand-year old Roman, Celtic and... Bronze age (?) stuff from blue dog vintage :



Oh, and I LOVE this girl, pvcatalina


She just posts these rusty lots of things she finds in the desert.  She charges under $3 for each- I mean, not even worth a trip to the post office in my book, so hats off!  Plus, all the other stuff is SO expensive in comparison...  I'm going to go buy some now...