most of the things i work on have to have some sort of a purpose or use. to be honest, i feel like i’m wasting my time otherwise. i like to think that i am practical, but i think if anyone were to look closely enough, they would learn that i’m not.

enter exhibit a: i own a salad spinner. each time i use it, i hear the word “frivolous!” in my head. and that frivolous is said in a high pitched, slightly eccentric “fabulous!” sort of way. with the possible snapping of fingers over my head in a zigzaggy fashion. it really is over-the-top if you think about it. a giant piece of plastic, taking up all that space in my cupboard away from potential vintage pyrex purchases, only to be used to centrifugally spin water away from my spinach leaves? i am reminded of my frivolity each time i visit my mom, who has been washing then drying vegetables all her life with a quick and simple toss within a towel. “see ana? not hard…” she reminds me. i like this joke we share. and i am not getting rid of my salad spinner anytime soon.

enter exhibit b: these rocks i shared last time.

i don’t know what purpose they serve. if i were to conjure up a use, i might say that they could be used as paper weights. but in all these years, my desk has never been caught in a wind tunnel and so i can’t imagine ever really using them for that purpose. i suppose i could use some epoxy, like cement glue, and glue magnets onto the back of them and put them on the fridge. but if you’ve seen my fridge, you’ll know that there is very little real estate left for such things.  my fridge is covered mostly in artwork by the kids, and a little dry erase board where i make lists (more about my lists in an upcoming post). i’m not really the type who puts things like this out as decor, like those decorative balls in a bowl (though i have put skulls in a cheese dome, so anything is possible i suppose).  i guess i could put them in my sewing space, for darning socks. i could see the blog post already, “sock darning rocks!” haha. hmmm…

but my point is that i got utterly and completely lost in making these. it was one of those creative outlets i’ve mentioned before. the kind where you put your head down and get to work, then look up and your kids have trashed the house a whole hour has flown by.

they were very simple to make. a shiny bag of rocks purchased at the craft store. my trusty black fine tipped sharpie marker. that’s it.

i’m sure you can imagine the possibilities, and come up with your own creative uses for these.

but for me? well, at the risk of sounding so very woo woo new age earthy mama, the process was so very… zen. relaxing. such a smooth drawing surface that didn’t soak up the ink thirstily like paper does. the contrast of the black on white. the weight of the small rock in my hand. they are only about 1.5″ (4 cm) long. my breathing slowed down, i’m sure, as i was holding each rock still to draw the little words. .

you can come up with variations on these that would suit your personality. i tried little paintings. my kids have since wandered off with these ones…

acrylic paint, coated with a thin layer of waterproof sealant (wait 24 hours before adding the sealant, it will smudge the painting otherwise). if each stone carried a letter, it could be a gift to that word nerd or lover of typography in your life. if you don’t have such a person in your life yet, hello… i’m available for both positions.

as for the particular set of words above, i made them as a gift for a friend, with words that reminded me of her. i’ll let her decide what to do with them. your suggestions for use are certainly welcome…