To wit, a box of Applebaum’s handmade felt guns, which are sold at Jonathan Adler stores. “The materials are really soft and inviting, and when something’s more playful, you feel more comfortable with it,” she explains. “For me, it’s a way to think about things I don’t want to think about and to bring them into my awareness in a non-scary way. The guns and ropes are about facing my own mortality, rather than violence towards others.”