Lilac Muscles / Smoke Stars

Lilac Muscles / Smoke Stars

various fabrics, puffy stars, beads, fiber fill, piping, ribbon

9' x 4'

______Last week, I took a week and a half off to take a beading workshop in a tiny town in North Carolina. I lived Thoreau-style in a cabin in the woods that possessed absolutely no Internet or cell service, and it was quiet, quiet as could be. The only thing I heard at night was the occasional hoot of an owl and the rushing stream just yards from the cabin. And also this cracking noise the heat made whenever it cranked on that sounded like someone was trying to break in through the glass front doors. But that's just a detail.

______Though there wasn't much around the cabin itself, there was a Walmart some 20 miles off, fully furnished with all a human needs to survive. Even better, there was a creepy man loitering around the drink isles. Upon seeing me place a six-pack of diet root beer in my cart, he floated over to me like a bee to a flower, his yellow mustache wiggling as he spoke. He proceeded to tell me about how he makes the best alcoholic root beer floats ("not your daddy's root beer float" as he said... thanks for that, bro). I kept trying to slowly pull away but he kept following and managing to make eye contact. Strange men, y u gotta be like that?

     

______Upon signing up for these classes, I was afraid it was going to be super hokey, but it was the most relaxing, fun, and immersive experience I had. I don't care how cheesy that sounds. Immersive! Relaxing! Fun! I sound like an advertisement.

______At night, the school always had some kind of event going on in the common area, whether that be story telling from students, local legends with their banjo music plucking up a musical storm, or square-dancing for the more socially-inclined. I'd usually just sit with my laptop in a cozy rocking chair at night in front of the coffee machine, greedily sucking up their wifi and their decaf. Because that's the kind of terrible person I am.



______Anywho, here is my most recent project that I'm sure most of you all have seen on Facebook, Instagram, or some other social media that we're acquainted on. Normal blogging shall resume!

Ice Ice Princess

______"Ice Ice Princess" is by far the most unsuitable title for this post, mainly because it is currently sixty-seventy degrees in the land of Alabama as I scribble these words.  There is no ice for me to princess in.  There may never be any. For all we know, ice is a theory yet to be proven in the state of Alabama during November.  Nonexistent.  A myth, just like Big Foot and gluten-free bread that doesn't taste like your great grandma's mothball-covered prom dress.

______My mom was quick to note the impossibility of me ever being an ice princess as we hopped into the stuffy, sauna-like interior of the car to drive off and take these photos.  She said I would have to settle with being the melting princess instead. I suppose I could be that. I'm not picky as long as I can be princess of some kind of imaginary kingdom. Princess of Various Meltable Things? Sure, I'm game.





______That means I would have power over all sorts of items with a melting point, like ice cream cones, bags of ice, grilled cheeses, and sugary candies like gummy worms and tootsie pops.  I would also have power over candle wax and chocolate.  So much better than being able to do snowy stuff, right?  Elsa has nothing on me.  Esla?  I never watched Frozen.  I'm a terrible person.

______I could also make the argument that I could make hearts melt, but in a literal sense, that seems inhumane.  And even in a metaphorical sense, probably not possible. So we're going to stick with the happy, non-twisted mind stuff!




______I feel like being able to melt chocolate would come in handy during the holidays when dessert-based baking is at its prime.  Similarly, melting cheeses and a variety of other gooey foods could be convenient on a day-to-day basis.  But if we're being completely honest here, and you guys know how I like to be honest, being the melting princess would be completely useless and I'd need a real day job.

______I couldn't even be an evil melting princess--I mean, what would I do? Melt children's candy during Halloween?  Melt the plastic on cartons of milk in the grocery store, thus causing an inconvenient spill for employees?  I guess I could melt those big metal doors in banks and steal all their money, but I would feel like a big jerk afterwards.  And also that's illegal.  Committing a crime just wouldn't sit well with me.

______I just couldn't be a meanie jerk head melting princess.  I just couldn't.

______All right, kiddos. If you could be princess/prince/ultimate overlord of anything in the world, what would it be?



Top: Charlotte Russe (similar)
Fur vest: Charlotte Russe (similar styles)
Skirt: Urban Outfitters (exact)
Booties: Jeffrey Campbell
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Earrings: Charming Charlie
Bunny ring: Claire's

Social Hour

______Realizing I hadn't really socialized all week, I decided to take action. I dressed myself up, actually properly dried my hair with a blowdryer opposed to letting the air leech water droplets from it over the course of the day, and grooved on over to Starbucks. Yes. Grooved. On. Over. Watch out.

______Thus, I am presenting sitting at Starbucks, drinking delectable peach tea, editing photos, and occasionally glancing up from my screen to accidentally lock eyes with another human being. Insert hipster habit commentary here. I've witnessed a twenty minute Tindr date go down, which doesn't seem very long to get to know someone to me, as well as noticed a few men hunched around a table conducting a very specific business endeavor. A group of five bearded men all dressed in old jeans and wrinkled T-shirts kept shuffling from the inside seating to the outside, clearly not sure what to make of this seventy-degree temperature in November. And a couple girls with laptops just like me sat "chilling like villains" (as the cool kids say) with their checkered vans and thick-rimmed glasses.





______I'm sure they're doing the same thing I am: getting out of the house to hear something other than the scraping of their dog's claws against the hardwood floors or the white noise of televised news debates. I can get pretty stir crazy even though I am a humble home-dweller, so even tiny outings like this can ease my brain. Just a new environment to soak in, grumbling Penske truck, antsy humans on their devices, traffic noise, and all.



______And so, two hours later and having spoken to no one, my social meter was brimming with a strange satisfaction. That's how you do it as an introvert, and I suppose that is the way of stuff, the way of things, and the way of stuff and things.

Blazer: Charlotte Russe (similar)
Dress: KnowStyle
Jelly shoes: BooHoo (exact and they're $10 go go go ladies)
Chain bracelet: Charming Charlie (similar)