Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Spool Hop




Wonderful, beautiful, talented Christine from One Kiss Creations sent out some vintage wooden spools, she tossed down the gauntlet and said "make something". 

First I wanted to saw the biggest spool in half, maybe with the very vague thought of doing some embroidery.  The idea seemed innocent enough, but my electric mitre saw was just too much for that little spool.  I almost had it in half when "pop" a piece went flying across the garage, never to be seen again.  Sigh.  Lucky I had a few more to play with.  Not one to give up on power tools, I pulled the drill out . . .


Cabochon, anyone? 



I picked up a ball of hemp and had an attempt at macrame. 



Funny thing, that hemp is strong.  All the pulling to get the knots tight gave me a blister.  I had to laugh because I split 1.5 cords of wood in the last month with no blister.  The clasp was made from a carnelian bead that was part of the spool package.  Love carnelian.



This second piece in no way is some hidden debasement of these spools, its all about appreciating the little things in life. 


Did you know toilet paper was first recorded in China in the 6th century and was actually mass produced in the 14th century?  I had no idea it had been around so long.  According to Wikipedia, before the more standard TP existed wealthy people used wool, lace or hemp.  Less wealthy people used various materials such as rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, moss, plant husks, etc.  "In Ancient Rome, a sponge on a stick was commonly used, and, after usage, placed back in a bucket of saltwater."  Yikes!!!   Like I said, this is about appreciating the things in life that we generally take no notice of.



I feel extremely fortunate to know Christine and am having fun getting to know more about the other ladies in this hop.   I'm fascinated by these pixilated threads that span space and time, connecting people in so many different ways. 

Here are the early finishers: 

And these are the ones yet to come: 

Hurry up ladies!  I want to see what you make :-)

Friday, November 8, 2013

Rant

Beware.  I am going on a rant today.  And it has nothing to do with beads. What started it was an article on the front page of the NY Times yesterday, "Mannequins Give Shape to Venezuelan Fantasy".  When I first saw the below photo I did a double take.  Is this a mannequin for a porn store?


The article was about a recursive loop of flesh and blood women undergoing cosmetic surgery, and the evolution of corresponding fiberglass stacked mannequins.  The store front window then becomes a taunt for unaltered women to step in line with a new cultural norm of beauty.  I have long abhorred rail thin fashion models and mannequins, but this is ridiculous. 


In the article, a woman who made these mannequins was quoted as saying she wanted a boob job someday, because "it gives you better self-esteem".  Can you really get self esteem with a scalpel and some silicone?  Well, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2012 at least some of the 330,631 American women who had breast augmentations must have thought so.