Showdown at Unobtainium - Coming Soon!

Ok Steampunks... the ultimate battle between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison is going to happen and you can be a witness. Come to the forgotten mining town of Unobtainium, Texas, on November 10 and 11 and experience the event for yourself!

From their website:

"Showdown at Unobtainium 2012: Tesla vs. Edison is a two day themed experiential event featuring music, vendors, strolling and stage actors, Vaudeville-style performances, and interactive art. The look and feel is Steampunk/Victorian/NeoVictorian/Dark Victorian/Weird West/DieselPunk/Clock Punk."

My Mad Scientist's Lamp will be a part of the art installation and you will find me there under my canopy. I will be selling my handmade wares along with some hand picked found items. Come in and browse or join me in a cup of coffee or tea in my sitting area. I am working on some fun ideas for decorating my "pavillion" so come and check it out.

And don't forget to stay for the show Saturday night! The incomparable Marquis of Vaudeville take the stage and will amaze you with their spectacle of splendor.

For more information on this amazing event go to their website here .

Change

On the first day of class my freshman science teacher told us that the only constant in the universe is change and he was so right!  Change is coming. Good, bad...don't know for sure but we will see...

We got my father moved from Georgia last month and he is settling in well. I get to see him much, much more than I have since I was in high school and that is good.


In the meantime, the masquerade last month was so much fun! As was the cd listening party for the Marquis of Vaudeville's new CD, The Great Promenade of Fools & Ghosts. At both events I got to wear my spectacular new dress made for me by Deborah Gerard of Time Traveler Outfitters









Coming up, I am NOT going to Emerald City Steampunk Expo. Instead, I am going to Encounters Con in Wichita, KS on October 19-21 and then Showdown at Unobtanium outside of Austin, TX on November 10 and 11. So definitely look for me at those shows.

Coming Up....

I have a busy couple of months coming up. This month I am helping my father move from Georgia to Texas. This includes a trip to Georgia next week!  Then I will be attending the Sky Commodore's Autumn Masquerade Ball in Dallas. This is going to be a great Steampunk/NeoVictorian masked ball featuring the music of The Marquis of Vaudeville and Steam Powered Giraffe. It takes place at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, TX.  

A week later I will be attending the  Marquis of Vaudeville's Euponic Soiree. This will be the unveiling of their amazing debut album, ~The Great Promenade of Fools & Ghosts~ .

The first weekend in November will, I hope, find me vending at Emerald City Steampunk Expo in Wichita, KS. I am still awaiting formal word that I will be one of the vendors.

The end of November, beginnng of December will find me accompanying Deborah Gerard of Time Traveler Outfitters to Madison,WI for TeslaCon.

Looking forward to seeing you at these events. Stop by and say hello if you are there!

Yet more on Clockwork Con!

I am posting on Clockwork Con again! It is coming sooner than you think and you know you want to be there!!  Clockwork Con is a 3 day ALL Steampunk convention taking place in Austin, Texas the weekend of January 20-22, 2012. If you haven't already gotten your tickets, you can still get them here. Weekend passes are available for $50 each right now, $60 at the door.

Purveyors of all sorts of steamy goodness will be there as well! You can find corsets by Casta Diva, leather from Griffin Leather, clothing from Silver Leaf Costume, Ravenworks, Caveat Emptor and Mad Girl Clothing, wigs from Prince Pez Addictions, Steampunk Curiosities from the imagination of A Grimm, and jewelry by yours truly. You can even get your steampunk portrait preserved in photographic form by the wonderful folks at Penland Photography.

In addition, you can meet the crew of the Airship Isabella and the all-captain crew of The Delirium of Grandeur. Chat with the lovely and talented OM Grey, be entertained by Mr. Saturday and Sixpence, shake hands with Emperor Justinian of the Red Fork Empire (if you dare), or listen to the musical stylings of Steam Powered Giraffe, Bones Jangle and the VooDoo Island Cannibals, or the always wonderful Marquis of Vaudeville!

So if you haven't already made your reservations, DO IT NOW!!!

Coming Soon - Clockwork Con!!!

After a reasonably successful weekend at the Emerald City Steampunk Expo in Wichita, Kansas last weekend my next stop will be Clockwork Con in Austin, Texas over the weekend of January 20-22, 2012.

Clockwork Con looks like it is going to be a LOT of fun! They have a great guest lineup including Airship Isabella, Delerium of Grandeur, Emperor Justinian, the lovely and talented author O.M. Grey, the ever fun Mr. Saturday and Sixpence, and Cracked Monocle. And their musical lineup is just as awesome! They have Master Bones Jangle and the VooDoo Island Cannibals with their own brand of pirate music, The robotic trio Steam Powered Giraffe, and the always wonderful and fun Marquis of Vaudeville!




There will be vendors a-plenty (myself included), panels on a wide variety of steampunk topics, A Dinner Event of Aether and Steam, a concert and vaudeville show, and a gadgeteer festival where Steampunks can show off their greatest creations!  In addition, word is that there may well be more S.C.A.R.S. versus The Order action!

So if you are a steampunk and can get to Austin, Texas over the 4th weekend of January 2012 (yes, January has 5 weekends next year!) then come on in and stay for a while!

The Mechanical Grave

The year is 1895. Steam-powered ships fly through the air. Clockwork robots have replaced servants. And a grisly murder has taken place in the dark night of New York City. Called to the scene of the ritualistic murder of a young woman, newly appointed police commissioner Teddy Roosevelt discovers Detective Wayne and his police officers power usurped by two special investigators appointed by the White House: Occultist Edgar Allan Poe, a clockwork automaton housing the soul of the literary legend, and Mrs. Emma Entwistle, a dangerous assassin with a unique connection to the other world. When they elicit information from the demon Neshrew, a much darker and more dangerous plot of world domination is uncovered.

The Mechanical Grave is a short film directed by Jon Keeyes. The production company, Wolfclan Productions, says about The Mechanical Grave that it is "a darkly fascinating Sci-Fi /Steampunk short film designed as a TV Pilot that will initially become a six part Mini-Series, and ultimately, become an Episodic Series for multiple seasons." (Wolfclan Productions)

My goggles

A month or so back I got the opportunity to be a part of a this project and boy was it a fun night!  My friend Deborah Gerard of Time Traveler Outfitters designed and created the beautiful costumes.  She invited me to join her on the second night of shooting to play one of the minions of the demon Neshrew. I also contributed a couple of the costume accessories, including the goggles seen on the top hat worn by Mrs. Entwistle, the monocle worn by the giant, and bits on several of the minions (check out the wrist piece on the right wrist of Lucian Menkent, below)

Giant, wearing my monocle

Toby Lawhon

Other minions were played by friends and aquaintances from the Texas steampunk community, including Toby Lawhon (lead singer of Dallas area band Marquis of Vaudeville), members of the Airships Isabella and Nocturne, and members of the Celestial Rogues.

Capt Whitaker, ASI

Lazuli Delacru, ASI

 .

Lucian Menkent, Celestial Rogues

      

Thaddeus Vale, ASI

Amelia and Audra, ASI

 So check out the short teaser trailer and let us hope they get the full length trailer AND the short film out soon!!!

This just breaks my heart!!!

A fellow steampunk artisan and etsy seller, AutumnSteam, had 75 of her pendants STOLEN while packing up at Faerieworlds in Eugene, Oregon this past weekend!  What kind of sick person does something like this???? The pendants were displayed on red velvet in vintage picture frames and were taken while the booth was being packed up and the van retrieved.

If you live anywhere in the Eugene area please help her keep an eye out for her missing pieces at flea markets, pawn shops, even on etsy or ebay!   You can check out her blog here for details on what was stolen. Please, if you see anything that looks like any of her missing work, let her know right away! This is one of the worst things that can happen to an artist and I wish I could do more to help!

The Infernal Device

Steampunk (as well as Fantasy, Horror and Gothic, among others) artist, illustrator and sculptor Myke Amend (who does amazing work, by the way) is working with Steve Brook (maker of incredible steampunk guitars) and Todd Cahill (Steam Machine Sculptor) to build an incredible machine for an art competition in September.

A sketch of what the Device might look like

The Infernal Device will be a large piece of steampunk art powered completely by alternative energy, including wind and solar power.  They are primarily using re-purposed materials (90% of the device will be made of re-purposed parts), primarily in the style of the late 1800's. They are searching high and low through junkyards, farm fields, old garages .... for suitable items. They are gladly taking donations of anything you might find that you'd love to see used but won't be using yourself but they are also seeking help in purchasing some of the items they want.

This is where you come in. Check out their kickstarter page for more information on the device and how to contribute.  They have great rewards for everyone who contributes, even if you only give $1!  So stop on over before 7pm this Monday, May 23rd, and help them to make this project a reality!


You can find out more about the device and Myke at these sites:


The Infernal Device

The Infernal Device's Facebook Page

Myke Amend's Live Journal

Myke's Facebook Page

Etta Diem (Myke's etsy shop)

Myke's Deviant Art Page

Some Ghouls Wander by Mistake

I'm Baaaaaaack.........................

It really has been a long time since I posted, wow!

Since my last post I moved to Texas! Yes, Texas. I have been here for almost 2 years now and am enjoying the change of scenery.  I have been active in the steampunk community here in Texas and have been to several convenetions and have even sold at a couple. 

 



Me with Abney Park at A-Kon 21

Last June I took my daughter to A-Kon as she loves anime. I was lucky enough to get to see Abney Park again!  I got to pose with the entire band this time and I gifted them with my Clockyard sculpture which was inspired by the song "Clockyard" on their Aether Shanties album. Check out their video for the song "End of Days" and you will even see it in the background!

Clockyard Sculpture





In January I was a vendor at Clockwork Wonderland, a one night mini-convention in Dallas. I did well there and had a lot of fun. 

Sunday at WWW Con

In March I went to Wild Wild West Con in Tucson with my friend Deborah Gerard of Time Traveler Oufitters. I sold one of my badge holders and did a trade for another. And I got to see Abney Park in concert once again!



My booth at Oklahoma Steampunk Expo

Then in April I had a booth at the Oklahoma Steampunk Exposition. I did very well there and sold a number of items, including my steampunk chess set! I got to hang out with friends I have made over the last year and generally had a really good time.



At the end of April I went to Aetherfest in San Antonio. That was a great event with lots of fun things to do and a great location. The St. Anthony hotel is Victorian in style and made a great site for this event. And on Saturday morning a number of the attendees, myself included, walked to the Alamo and posed for a picture in front of the mission.

Steampunks at the Alamo!



And the winner is.....

The winner of my recent name the necklace contest is Rain Pope, or rainfeather13 as she is known on etsy. Her shop on etsy is Rain's (Obsessive) Stitchery. Rain describes herself as "A happy kitchen witch in Nashville that does sewing, machine embroidery and other fun needlecrafts with her cat. Incorporating designs from many spiritual traditions, her products are designed toward the purpose of "bringing the common and sacred into agreement" and include kitchen towels, altar cloths, tarot bags and eclectic ornamental pieces."

Rain (and her husband) suggested the name Tonantzin. Tonantzin was the Aztec goddess of the harvest. Given my mother's love for gardening, both flowers and vegetables, I really liked this choice of name for the necklace I made using a part of one of my mother's favorite pair of earrings. A very fitting tribute to my mother, I thought (see my post below concerning my mother).



I am lucky enough to own not one but two of Rain's lovely pieces, both given to me as Christmas/Yule gifts last year. One of them features her fire goddess, as seen here.









Her tarot bags are beautiful. Done on silk, each has a lovely design embroidered onto the front. My favorite is this one which she has covered with gorgeous, brightly colored Celtic beasties.



In addition to her machine embroidery, Rain also makes beautiful hand-painted eggs. She uses bright colors and they look as if they were made of stained glass.


For a visual treat, please do stop by her shop and take a look around!

Contest

I have been a terrible blogger and not posted anything new in months. I am finally over my creative dry spell, however, and have been making and listing new things for close to a month. My latest creations come from a pair of earrings that were my mothers. I made two necklaces using each earring as a focal. I will be listing one necklace and the other will be the prize in my contest.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a name for this necklace:

The focal is made of polymer clay, glass and carnelian beads and wire. The beads used in the necklace are: agate, black glass, amber, turquoise, jasper, unakite, carnelian, serpentine, and green glass.


The prize uses the matching polymer clay, glass, carnelian and wire piece. It is strung with black glass, orange glass, yellow turquoise, serpentine, carnelian, ceramic, and wooden beads. Both necklaces measure 22" in length and the focal is just shy of 3" in length.

If you would like a chance to win the second necklace, please type your name for the first piece in the comments section for this post. I will choose the winning name on Wednesday, May 13 and will post it here on my blog and will let the winner know via email or etsy convo.

Thanks for entering and good luck!!!

Winter Blues

It's been a while since I posted here. Two days after my last post I was let go from my job of almost 10 years and spent the next few weeks dealing with my mother's estate as well as the loss of my job. Then the holidays were upon us! We drove to Georgia and got to spend Christmas with my father, as well as my brother and his wife. Now I am back and busily trying to get myself employed again. I haven't been creating anything new, sadly, but I am hoping that I can get back into the swing of things soon.

Holiday Sale

The Earthpath Artisans Street Team (EAST) on etsy is holding their 2nd Annual Winter Wonderland Event now! Running from Nov.28 thru Dec.15, EAST member shops are celebrating the season with special sales promotions, and crafting unique new items! Search Etsy using the WWEE tag to find participating items. My WWEE items are marked down up to 33% and have free shipping! So stop on in for some great buys and shipping!

I will also offer free shipping and a 10% discount on any item in my shop to the first person to make a purchase and mention "blogspot" in the notes to seller.

Goodbye to an amazing lady

My mother suffered a massive stroke nearly 13 years ago and has been living a half life since then. The woman who was so full of life and creativity, independence and adventure became almost totally dependent on others. Early on the morning of November 25 she was finally released from the shell of what she had become. I grieve for the loss of my mother, but have really been doing that for over a decade now. I also rejoice for her release and know that she has passed from the pain and unhappiness. A toast to my mother whose creativity and love of art helped to shape me!

The holidays are approaching!

The holidays are coming and I have been listing new pieces, including some holiday themed jewelry. I am having carpal tunnel surgery next week and I am not sure how soon I will be able to get back to creating so I wanted to get a start on new items. Check out these new pieces!

Wand of a Steampunk Magus is a fun piece that actually lights up! I wanted to create a wand that might have been used by a steam-era mage. The light inside makes the quartz crystal on the end glow with either flashing or steady reddish light when it is turned on.

Deck the Halls is my entry in the etsy SteamTeam's current contest. It would look great on any Christmas tree!

For holiday themed jewelry I have these fun pieces using lampwork and semi-precious gemstone beads:

But Once a Year Made with lampwork beads by a local lampwork artist (Chic Velazco of Chic Beads), green aventurine, white onyx, glass, red coral, malachite and tierra cast lead-free pewter, this piece is sure to draw comments this holiday season!

Happy Holidaze This fun bracelet is made with some of Chic's

lampwork beads, along with golden metallic beads for a cheerful holiday look.

Red and White Bracelet Red and white lampwork beads by Chic and white howlite beads have been combined to create this luscious peppermint creation.

Back from SteamPowered!!

Wow, what a weekend!! I had a blast at SteamPowered! I got to meet some of the other etsy SteamTeam members, exceeded my sales goal, got to see Abney Park in concert and generally had a really good time.

I also got to meet Nathaniel of Abney Park on one of his wanderings around the vendor area and he graciously agreed to pose for a picture with me. He did, however, insist we pose as if it were a prom picture.

I was able to sell a fair amount of my steampunk style items and was very pleased about that. What didn't sell will get put back into my etsy shop as soon as it has been shipped back to me.

Industrial Fairytale did an amazing job of organizing our little group. Big kudos to our own Indy!!!

Orpheus Alchemy of the SteamTeam won first place in the inividual costume portion of the costume contest on Friday night. She looked amazing and definitely deserved the accolades. Any time she was at our tables she drew people who wanted to see her costume up close and find out how her wings worked. She is an amazingly talented costumer!












Despite the rain most of the weekend we all had a great time. The rain certainly didn't dampen anyone's spirits and a wonderful time was had by all!!!

SteamPowered is almost upon us! The etsy steamteam will be having a group table as well as a number of individual members in the vendor area and we are going to have a great time! If you are going to be in or near San Jose any time between October 31 and November 2 come and check us out!

I have already packed up most of my steampunk items and sent them out to Industrial Fairytale who has spearheaded the group effort. We have a beautiful banner that Crescent Wench got printed for us so we will be easy to find and we will have quite a variety of goods.

Hope to see you there!!!

Upcoming Shows, etc

The next few weeks will see me out and about. This weekend I will be merchanting at an SCA event, A Day at the Mill near Kokomo, Indiana. I will be selling jewelry that is appropriate for the Society for Creative Anachronism.

In three weeks I will be attending Steam Powered, the first Steampunk convention! San Jose, here we come. The etsy Steam Team has joined together and will be selling as a group in the vendor area. Several members will have their own tables (19Moons, Atelier Choklit, Chaoticaly Creative, Cracked Looking Glass, Faraday Bags, and Theriaca Fina). Others of us will be sharing several tables (Industrial Fairytale, Cognitive Creations, Crescent Wench, Clockwork Crow, Sojourn Curiosities, Gabrielle Lucretia, CJ Grand, WinonaCookie, Lilibat, TotusMel, Bell76, MadArtJewelry, CalloohCallay, as well as myself!) It is going to be great fun to meet the folks that will be there (not everyone will, many in the second group are sending items out as they will not be able to make it) and to see all the wonderful steamy creations!

The Spirited Autumn Event

From September 23 (the Autumn Equinox) through October 6 the etsy Earthpath Artisans Street Team (EAST) is having a special sale! Items included are fall or Halloween oriented or metaphysical/spiritual/magical in nature. On etsy search TSAE to find items in this sale from my shop and from other members of the EAST team. I am offering free shipping and a 10% discount in price for my items that are included in this sale.

Busy busy busy

After a 12 or 13 year hiatus my husband and I have gotten involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) again. I jumped right in with both feet and volunteered to fill the open office of Minister of Arts and Sciences for our local group. I figured with my crafting it was a logical thing to do. So now I am working on getting classes setup and scheduled. What fun!

I am also busy sewing! Costumes for SteamPowered which we are attending and selling at over Halloween weekend and lots of SCA garb since we basically have to start fresh. Too much to do and not enough time right now, I think.

My husband has gotten back into making barrel helms and basket hilts too so we are going to be merchanting at events here and there. The first will be A Day at the Mill in Kokomo, Indiana the 2nd Saturday in October.