New from my Steampunk Workshop!

I have been making new creations left & right for Blue Dome Arts Festival this weekend & for Marry Me Indie (on June 1st)! I am especially excited about all of the upcycled & steampunked bow ties! My favorite is the striped keyhole bow tie--when the light hits the fabric it tints the fabric pink! A couple of these will be at Blue Dome this weekend and the others will be worn down the runway at Marry Me Indie! Another new creation is this elegant yet simple Glass Cameo & Skeleton Key Necklace. The metal filigree is inlaid with tiny rhinestones which brings out the luster of the key & chain.  The luster almost reminds of midnight blue--that shimmer of twilight.

This next necklace is the total opposite--a little burst of golden sunlight & warmth to adorn your neck. Brass washers, gold key charms, pocketwatch screws, and vintage gold foil beads reflect the glorious sunshine.

Serendipitous day--speaking of sunshine, it cast this beautiful shadow of budding leaves against the wood grain that I used as a backdrop to photograph my jewelry. I love moments like this--lucky moments--when nature's beauty compliments man made (or, in this case, woman made) beauty. I have a ton of pocketwatch necklaces for sale! And they're all a little different.

      And last but not least, this simply steampunk necklace! So that's a little sneak peek at what I've been up to! Lots more, so stop by Blue Dome this weekend (this Fri, Sat from 11am -10 pm; Sun 11am-5pm at the Make:Tulsa group Booth)! Hope I see some friendly faces!

One of My Pins is Making its Stage Debut!

I recently sold one of my pins on Etsy to the props manager of Annapolis Opera! The pin I created (out of an old card catalog brass pull, a safety pin, and an old stamp collector's image) is going to adorn one of the props for the opera house's performances of Verdi's Rigoletto. The pin is going to adorn the key to the court jester's house. For those of you who have not seen the opera, it revolves around the rakish Duke of Mantua who seduces several women--including the daughter of Count Monterone. Rigoletto, the jester, mocks the men of the Duke's conquests which in part leads the Count to curse both Rigoletto and the Duke when he's hauled off to jail in Act I. The second scene revolves around Rigoletto's secret--he has a daughter of his own, Gilda who he has hidden from the Duke to ensure her virtue remains in tact. Of course, with any secret comes mistaken identities & shenanigans--the noblemen, angry with Rigoletto for mocking them for their wives' infidelity, decide to kidnap Gilda--who they wrongly assume is Rigoletto's mistress. They unlock the door (which they trick Rigoletto into opening by blindfolding him and telling him they are kidnapping the Countess Ceprano) and successfully kidnap poor Gilda.

I am so excited about one of my pieces hitting the stage! If you are in the Annapolis area, check out their performance of Rigoletto on March 15th & 17th! For those of us elsewhere, I leave you with one of the famous librettos from the opera--the Duke singing "La Donna e Mobile."

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFEk6Y8TmM]

2 Simple Ways to Steampunk Your Christmas Balls!

Christmas Ball Compass: (Materials Needed: Christmas tree ball, length of chain--appropriate to your ball's size, snowflake sequin, game spinner, and 2 jump rings) Tools Needed: An awl and a pair of flat nosed pliers.

1. Using your awl, poke a hole in your snowflake sequin.
2. With your flat nosed pliers, open your jump ring and load your game spinner, snowflake sequin, and chain onto the ring and close securely.
3. Then attach the other end of your chain to the hook of your ornament with the second jump ring.
4. Now your ornament is ready to hang on the tree so get to decorating!

Christmas Key Ball: (Materials Needed: Christmas tree ball, tiny key, and a tree hook) No tools needed.

1. Load your tree hook with the tiny key and then the Christmas ball.
2. Then close the hook securely and hang on your tree!

As always, Merry Making!