Belt to Cuff

It's been a while since I've put anything fun on here, so I've got an awesome new project to show you guys. 

It all started when I was wandering around a thrift shop the other day when I saw this belt that screamed Steampunk!

I just had to have it, but I knew that I wouldn't be using it for a belt, because part of it was pretty trashed.

So after debating what to do with it, I finally decided that it would make the coolest cuff. It would even be Steampunk enough that a man could sport it. 

Basic first step, cut the belt to fit your wrist. The original belt came with chain to link the leather strips, so I figured chain would be a great addition to my belt cuff. 

I measured the straps to fit mostly on the top of my wrist and chain to go below.

I also used a leather punch to make the holes for the chain. 

Then it was just as simple as putting everything together!

Very Steampunk!

I ended up giving this as a Christmas gift to one of my guy friends, who absolutely loved it. The great thing about keeping all the belt attachments is that it is easily adjustable.

This is something that can honestly be done with any simple leather belt. 

Give it a try!

Steampunk Ha!!oween!

This year for Halloween, I decided to go with a Disney Villain for my costume.

That's right, I chose Ursula from the Little Mermaid.

With my choice made, I realized that I was definitely going to have to tweak this character to my liking; I didn't want to do the typical purple skin and crazy white hair. Also, since I was making the costume, I realized I had no idea how to make a tentacle dress. Things looked a little grim for me, but then I got inspiration from Pinterest to put the tentacles in a HAT!

If you know me, you know that I love to make mini top hats! I jumped right on that idea, and began to piece together my costume.

(Me and my coworker, Tyson...poor unfortunate soul.)

There was much touch and go and winging it. 

It's amazing what hot glue can do!

This is what I ended up with for a Sea Witch Mini Top Hat! (It was beat up a little when I took this picture. Ignore the imperfections haha)

Here's the break down to this craziness:

Tentacles were made from wire, gauze, fabric and paint!

I found a cool little skeleton at the Dollar Store as well as some shells at Hobby Lobby.

  

A little hot glue, a little elbow grease and some magic words and Viola an AWESOME HAT!

Well, my costume didn't stop at the hat (I can't do anything simple). Since I was already going down the Steampunk road, I figured I needed an equally awesome necklace.

If you've ever seen the Little Mermaid, you know that a key piece of Jewelry for Ursula is the shell necklace that she captures Ariel's voice in.

I found a glob of Sculpy and started working my magic.

         

Clay, paint, chain, shells and beads. 

This lovely piece of art came out better than I had anticipated!

It was a great costume all together and I had a blast making it. 

I won two costume contests and got stopped everywhere that I went so people could check out the hat. 

Can't wait til next year!

Welcome to STEAMFEST!

              

2014 Salt City Steamfest has come and gone.
And it was AWESOME!
There was so much to take in that it was almost overwhelming, but months of planning finally paid off.

We didn't have much room to set up, but with a little genius (slanting the table), I fit everything on it!

I borrowed some crates to finish the look and they were perfect! 

                          

As my first actual convention, I didn't know what to expect. 

I had read almost every blog about what to bring and how to prepare myself, but there is no way that you could really know what was coming. 

My neighbor booths on either side were interesting.

On one side, a couple who traveled all over the western U.S. selling at shows like this one. They had a little bit of everything, even Vampire killing stakes. Haha

They were so crazy! Every time there was a lull in selling, they would come over to my booth and chat us up about anything and everything. They were definitely characters who just enjoyed the experiences of life.

On the other side, three girls who were a hoot to listen to as they rattled off to entertain each other.

Actually selling was quite an experience in itself. 

Day 1, there were a lot of lookers and no buyers. That was kind of discouraging, but I did make a few sales.

                          

There was a lot to look at on my table. I had a little bit of everything myself. 

When I go to a show, I like to be drawn to the booth. 

Every blog I read said that presentation is everything. 

It was really fun to hear what people thought about the things I had made.

There were all manner of people. 

I even sold a few hats to stuffed animals.

 

The costumes were so cool. This lady made her own wings and had to walk sideways down the aisles of the marketplace. 

This woman had two pet foxes!

She brought one out with a harness and everything, walking him around the convention.

                             

                              

I was blown away by the creativity of some people at this show.

It was definitely worth the stress and preparation.

I think it would have been fun to go to participate in the actual cosplay games that were going on.

Apparently, we were on a airship and there was an outbreak of a disease that turned players into zombies.

There were a lot of aspect of the show that I wasn't able to check out, as a vendor, but the marketplace was a world in itself.

Now that I'm done and I reflect, I definitely will be making some changes for next year.

Live and Learn.

And now...I'm left with everything that I didn't sell...

If you're interested in checking them out, I've been posting things on my Etsy page every day.

Check it out HERE

Goo Goo for Goggles!

I believe that a major staple to Steampunk fashion is goggles. I'm sure you agree.

With Steamfest less that three weeks away, I decided my costume could use a bit more awesomeness to compliment all the other awesomeness that it's already made of.

Thanks to a YouTube tutorial on how to paint with an aged look, all I needed to do was find some welding goggles.

  

It was a lot of fun/pressure to try to decide what colors I wanted to go for. I didn't necessarily want to be matchy matchy with my outfit so they would just blend in. I needed something to make them stand out. So I rimmed them in red!

It was all a matter of painting them and then putting it all together. When I was done I got so excited. Too bad I can't wear them in every day society. Steamfest can't come soon enough!

For a tutorial on the "Aged Look" click here.

Lightbulbs Display Tutorial

This post is inspired by an awesome Pin that I found on Pinterest!

I was looking around for table displays, especially ones with a lighted aspect, and thought this lantern light was too cool to pass up.

Here's how you do it:

STEP ONE:

Grab a flameless electric candle (it's safer) and a glass that it will fit in. 

(Also make sure that the glass fits into the "lantern" jar on step two.)

Put the candle inside the glass.

                                           

STEP TWO:

Find a larger jar or vase to put the glass inside. 

Make sure there is some room along the sides to fit the light-bulbs

STEP THREE:

Find a bunch of light bulbs. 

Night-light light bulbs work the best. (I found a bunch of them at the dollar store)

STEP FOUR: 

Fill the vase with the candle with the small light bulbs. 

Fill and shift around to your satisfaction.

TA'DA!

Stand back and admire your work.

Now you have an amazing display. 

(These pictures don't do them much justice, they look much cooler when its darker in the room)

Try it out! They make pretty cool table decorations, night lights or another piece to your Steampunk collection!

Recycle - Reuse

As a crafter, I have a hard time throwing anything away (you never know what you can reuse).

One of my friends gave me an idea about using Altoid Tins for business card holders. Of course, I took the idea and ran with it!

I made mine to look like a little Steampunk suitcase!

It was super easy to make. Grab some fun scrapbook paper, a few charms, ribbon and modge podge!

To complete the suitcase look, I added a little pocket. 

My cards will be very accessible at my craft table and presentable!

These little guys can be used for so much more than just business card holders. You can use them as change holders (though they may jingle a lot), to hold bandaids, mini first aid kits, draw inside and make your own tic-tac-toe with magnets or secret boxes, etc...

Here's one with metal-looking paper. 

Hats Off To You

I love that Steampunk fashion is an open book. Pretty much anything goes.
Here is my creation of another new top hat.

And the best part about making your own is that you can make it look like whatever you want! 

I took some fun pendants and used them as the center focal point for my hat.

The pendant I chose for this hat is the Owl.

The owl represents wisdom and intuitive knowledge. They also grant you the ability to see what is hidden to most.

I added some fun gears to compliment the owl and add to the Steampunk vibe.

Look through your jewelry box and find anything that is broken or you don't wear anymore. Don't throw it away! Use it to embellish something like an awesome top hat.

Hats, HaTs, HATS!

Lately, I've been going a little crazy over the funnest Steampunk Project. 

Top Hats!

Top Hats can been seen all through Steampunk fashion and movies. Various sizes fit various costumes.

My personal preference is what I like to call, The Mini!

Mini top hats hold a special place in my heart because they can be worn with any hair style and pretty much any costume. 

I've even seen a few mini's made for brides! 

They're everywhere!

So, I put my creative juices to work and made a new batch of Mini Top Hats. 

(They'll be for sale on my Etsy soon ;) )

I make my top hats from scratch. True to my recycling ways, I use things that normally people would throw out. Such as, cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls and scraps of fabric.

It doesn't take much to make a mini hat. I shop at the scrap section of the store and always find more than enough fabric to cover my hats (for a cheaper price!)

                                

Since they are made from anything I can get my hands on, they each come out completely unique!

There are some people who think Steampunk is just slapping a few gears on something and calling it good.

I believe that Steampunk is an expression, and I try to add that expression to every work of art that I make.

Here's an example of a little hat that I made out of a toilet paper roll!

I have a few more toilet paper roll hats here.

Why not give it a try. See what you come up with!

If you're interested in a custom order, please message me.