Fall is here - and since I am not working I have a lot of free time. I love this idea! Trying it today!

Fall leave swag

Steampunk Faux Metal Top Hat

The Steampunk World's Fair was this past weekend and, like most participants, I was looking for a special accessory to show off.

I found it at this tutorial created by Lost Wax.

Once I purchased the (cheap!) tutorial I made the base out of an old yoga mat. While Chris recommends a "bumpless" base mat I couldn't find anything and had to use what was available.

Here's the hat with some of the "metal plates" glued on:

You can see some of the purple yoga mat underneath.

Here is the brim from the underside. I left the inside plain but found after spray painting it all with a Krylon dark brown, the inside remained "sticky" so I lined it with some crushed velvet remnants I had around. You can see a "plate" being clamped on in the upper right hand corner. (chip clips!)

You can see the dots are two different types. I tried using the 5 min. epoxy as recommended in the video but, of course, it dries quickly and tends to "thread". Instead I used a craft glue that had an applicator tip. Super fast and easy! You have to do a section at a time. Since I used big dots the glue dried "crinkled" and ended up looking a bit like screws rather than rivets. Next time I might try a puffy paint with an applicator tip. This would probably look more rivet-like.

I cut out the base hat on a Sunday and spent about 3 hours or so glueing and cutting/pasting plate sections. I started using Gorilla Glue and went through 4 packages of "syringes" and ended up using E6000 at the end. You need a LOT of glue. It's a slow go. Cut plates, mix glue, spread glue (thin!), wait 5 minutes, test, stick, repeat. Helps to have a timer and a book to read in between.

I then glued plates on each morning and night for Monday AM/PM, Tuesday AM/PM and Wednesday AM. The brim sections needed to be clamped to curve around the outer brim and that took 3 different sessions. And all the dots had to be dotted and fully dried prior to painting. One note - since I had to cover the base mat to hide the bumpies the hat was heavier than it probably should have been. Consequently it slid down a bit while I was wearing it. I'm going to add a bit of braided cord to the inside to tighten the brim. I would suggest cutting the brim slightly smaller than recommended if you have to do a lot of covering like I did. You can always cut it a tiny bit larger since the brim and the crown don't meet exactly (at least they didn't for me!).

Wednesday PM I spray painted the inside of the hat (Krylon dark brown, it's what I had around) and Thursday AM I did the outside. Krylon is VERY bad to breathe in so do it outside or in a very well ventilated area.

Thursday PM I used Rub 'n Buff in Grecian Gold to decorate. You don't need a lot and it can be pretty messy and still look good. Remember less is more! You can always add but if you add too much you'll need to repaint your base color and start over. It's supposed to look like rusty metal, not a gold burlesque hat.

Here's the final hat:

I was constantly stopped for pictures and questions so I would call this a BIG success.

Watch the video; I would recommend purchasing the tutorial. It's inexpensive and the pattern is invaluable. I was just on the Lost Wax website and found a new tutorial for goggles. Can't wait to try them!

Handmade in NY

I've been working on some new jewelry techniques inspired by the work of Deryn Mentock - see her work at her website Something Sublime (http://somethingsublime.typepad.com).

Some examples here:

Imaginative and uniquely handmade!

Office Wear?

Here's the beloved Kato modeling a simple but great steampunk look.Take off the arm cuff and it could go to the office, what?

Skull Duggery

Recently, I have been trying to incorporate different elements into my jewelry designs. Yes, steampunk but also a Goth touch. So I've been researching skull and bone jewelry on the web. Not beads made from bones, but the bones themselves.

We've had this bird skull sitting on the windowsill for years and years. I decided to resin it onto a pendant piece and make a statement necklace out of it.

The scrolled backing is a Tim Holtz design. First, I cut out an oval from a page of an old book and attached it with resin to the back. I am using Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos. I love this product because it dries super clear, but, it is a) expensive and b) HAS to be cured in sunlight or under a black light. If you are doing a larger item it would make more sense to invest in an ICE Resin set up.

The resin will cure s-l-o-w-l-y under a fluorescent lamp and since the day I started it was overcast and really cool I put it directly under my Ott lamp to cure overnight. I suspended the piece over a small plastic box so it got plenty of air circulation and wouldn't get attached to anything it was laying on. I know some folks use packing tape but I guess I'm not doing it correctly since I've never had success with that technique. I checked it several times to make sure the first layer wasn't 'bowing' out.

Then resin a very thin layer on the front, THEN add your decoration. If I was doing this again I would fill the cranium of the skull with resin before setting it in the frame. Int his photo you can see into the eye socket and see the interior - the skull it pretty thin so the resin would support it well.

I tried to drip some into the cranium a bit at a time so I'll see if it was enough when the piece breaks or doesn't break!

I'll try and post a photo of the end result.

Check out this totally cool accessories from Author (and Blogger) Gail Carriger and her blog Retro Rack. Great idea for those of us who luv conventions!

Steampunk DYI Pocket Belt

I am just starting her new book "Etiquette & Espionage", which I'm sure I will enjoy as much as the Parasol Protectorate.

Thanks, Gail!!

The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted (acoustic)