Etsy Tuesday: Steampunk

Today's Etsy Tuesday is a look into incredible steampunk jewelry. It was inspired by the first necklace in this list:

$28.00 USD

This is a pendant by one of my favorite steampunk jewelry-makers on Etsy--Friston Ho'okano, who runs the shop DesignsByFriston. I love the jewel eyes, and the watch parts on the stomach. Overall, it's a beautiful piece.

$59.99 USD

The store DesignsBloom, run by Byrdldy, has jewelry which is a fabulous mixture of insect and steampunk--something I didn't realize I enjoyed until I saw its first pieces. This is my favorite, though there are pendants based on butterflies, snails, and other creepy-crawlies which really shouldn't be this pretty.

$55.00 USD

Speaking of things that shouldn't be this pretty (or adorable), I love this little crab necklace made by CosmicFirely, who runs a shop of the same name. One of the reasons I like it so much is that it's in silver--a metal I prefer to gold and brass, which characterizes steampunk. I think the silver makes it look more all-purpose, while still keeping it steampunky.

$38.00 USD

While some people may not think that hot air balloons are steampunk, I do--and certainly when crafted like the pendent above, and placed in that setting. I also love the green and purple balloon in contrast to the brass metal. Very pretty, and sold in the store TrashAndTrinkets run by Gypsy Trading Company.

$35.00 USD

The final piece on this list is a pendant made of watch parts. My favotire part of it is how tiny and detailed it is--the whole pendant is about as tall as a quarter. It's a beautiful little piece, and appropriate for all situations. It's made by Daria, who runs the shop Cultural Diversion.

Escapism

My computer has been refusing to connect to the internet for a while now. I just finally convinced it to connect when I hook it to an ethernet cord, so I was able to come here and update my blog (which I have been wanting to do for a few days now). In the time since I last updated, I saw The Dark Knight Rises as part of AMC's Trilogy experience (I will write up a review once I see it a second time), made significant progress on my first DIY tutorial, cleaned the house for some guests that are coming this weekend, and planned my combined graduation party with my brother (which is on Saturday). Along with working almost-full time this week, I have been busy.

Being busy usually leads to me being stressed. Combining this with some of the horrors that have been in the news lately--plus the death of a good friend's father--I've been driven towards escapism. Here is a list of my favorite escapist movies and tv shows. I also polled some of my friends for more ideas (unfortunately, they were pretty much the same shows I already had listed). What are your favorite things to watch when you just want to take a break from the real world?

4) Firefly/Serenity

Image from firefly.wikia.com

The only thing that makes this a poor escapist TV show is that there are not nearly enough episodes. When I want to "escape" with Buffy, I can be "gone" for weeks. With Firefly, it's a just a few days--even if you throw in Serenity. The longevity of the show's passionate cult following is testament enough to how immersible the world universe Joss Whedon created. The characters are equally hilarious and heartwarming (despite being on the wrong side of the law), and what's not to love about a space western?


3) Doctor Who: The David Tennant Years

Image from herocomplex.latimes.com

David Tennant is widely held to be one of the greatest Doctors, usually only contending with Tom Baker for the top spot. While Doctor Who presents an excellent look at the universe through the adventures of everyone's favorite Time Lord, the fact that the show is as old as my parents shows how well it is able to suck in its audience. I could happily watch Doctor Who forever--it's more like the real world gets in the way of me watching Doctor Who than it is that Doctor Who takes me away from the real world...as sad as that may sound (but I'm okay with it.)


2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Seasons 1-3

Image from www.wikipedia.com

Buffy is something that I have always loved, and always turn to. Joss Whedon's creation takes itself seriously, while still having fun with itself--this is especially true in the first three seasons. Except for the Angel  storyline in Season 2, the problems are serious enough to draw you in and thrill you but manage not to be depressing.

1) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

LotR has always been an escape for me, since I first read the books at the age of ten. A good thing about reading the books at that age was that I learned more and more with each re-reading. The reason I chose the first Lord of the Rings movie as my escapist movie of choice is that this movie, more than the others, is able to draw you in to a new world. As the first movie, it introduces you to Middle-earth in a way that transports the watcher into this other world. The other movies do not do this, as they are sequels--to appreciate them, you have to let The Fellowship of the Ring bring you into Middle-earth.

Etsy Tuesday: Star Trek

I know it's almost Wednesday (and it is Wednesday for some of you), but here is today's trip around etsy.com. Coming off the news from yesterday about Urban's maybe-slip-up, here's some handmade Trek gear for your home and yourself.

Coasters
Jason Barfield of the shop jb2designs has several excellent sets of Star Trek coasters, along with many other geeky goodness themed coasters. Here are my two favorites:

Star Trek Drink Order Mini-set. Clever and cute! ($10.00)

And also:

Star Trek Ships of the Fleet 6 Coaster Set (16.00)

I'm moving into a new apartment next month--maybe I should buy a few sets (and, in my opinion, so should everyone else! The shop also carries coasters based off of Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter--among other things.)

Poster
Andrew Heath's shop AndrewHeath sells minimalist geeky posters. This would look great in my bedroom, and I'm eyeing a Ghostbusters one for my boyfriend.

Star Trek-inspired Print (18x24 $20.00)

Pillow

For the first time ever, I'm posting something I already own--this Star Trek pillow. I lusted after it and received it as a gift for my last birthday. I love it! It's insanely comfortable, snuggly, and an excellent conversation piece. It's made sold in the shopYellowBugBoutique for $35.00.

Wine Glasses

Etching glassware is something I've always wanted to try but never quite got around to--which is why I am extremely tempted to buy these wine glasses ($25.00). They are etched with the four different Star Trek badge insignias--Medical, Command, Science and Engineering. Not only are they excellently geeky, but they would hep you identify your glass when you have guests over! They're sold at the shop desolationallie by Alyson Trent. They also come in regular glasses.

Necklace

I really enjoy this Enterprise necklace, made out of laser cut acrylic. You can specify what color you want the charm painted and what type of chain you want it on--which I think is awesome. Even more aweosme is the price--a mere $8.50, which means I could buy several of the necklaces from HoraEffect, run by Lara Mogensen. In fact, that's what I am going to do with my next paycheck. 

That's it for today! I'm working on some crafts of my own that I may post later, along with my first DIY how-to. Tune in later!

AWOL and Movie News

I've been gone for a while. Between Master's Exams, graduating, moving, starting a summer job, and going to Las Vegas for my cousin's bridal shower, I've been extremely busy.

However, today there were two news points which prompted me to write: 1) a potential leak regarding Benedict Cumberbatch's role in the new Star Trek movie, and 2) casting for The Wolverine.

Star Trek 2

The internet is a buzz with the news that Karl Urban (Bones) may have leaked the identity of the Star Trek villain in J.J. Abrams's new Star Trek movie, saying that "[Cumberbatch's] Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary." For those who are not familiar with the original Trek series, Mitchell is a former Academy friend of Kirk who gains god-like powers which kind of go to his head, forcing Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to maroon him and, ultimately, take more effective actions to stop his path of destruction.

What makes this interesting is that Robert Orci had said Mitchell wouldn't be appearing in the new movie. Of course, he had said the same about characters in Michael Bay's second Transformer's movie. So who's right--Urban or Orci? Is Urban stringing us along? I think it's possible, since I doubt someone as successful as he would forget his contract stipulations and leak something his bosses obviously want to be kept secret.

Still, I think that Cumberbatch would make a much better Mitchell than Khan, so I hope this is good information.

The Wolverine

Hollywood has done something strange here, which I think should be briefly commented on--they've actually cast Japanese actors for The Wolverine. Hollywood too often whitewashes it major features (see The Last Airbender, for an excellent example). Even if it doesn't whitewash, it will cast Asian characters indiscriminately. I'm happy to see the studio trying to do things right, and honoring the source material.