Some Shinies to Share

I was so distracted by International TableTop Day that I almost forgot to post this blog entry! I've been having a great time today--I spent a good five plus hours at my favorite local game store (the excellent and amazingly wonderful The Wandering Dragon. Everyone's so great there, I love it!). Luckily, I came home for dinner and Doctor Who, so I remembered to post this! 

I’m currently home for Easter, and my mom needed some help fixing a few earrings yesterday, so we went to Michael’s to buy some supplies. While I was there, I saw some cute clock and birdcage charms so, naturally, I snatched those up. I will take some better pictures when I get back to my apartment (and my camera), but here’s a taste of the steampucky jewelry that I made.

Birdcage Necklace

I began by selecting two different chains, and laying them so that one was longer than the other. I added the clasp, and then the charms. The heart clock is attached by a smaller section of chain, while the birdcage and the oval gear charm are attached with rings. The beads and clock in the center are attached on a pin and ring. The cell phone pictures don’t adequately represent the detail in the charms, but you get the idea.

Here, you can see the two different chains I chose.

Here's a close-up of the necklace!

Here's a (blurry) picture of the necklace on.

Clock Earrings

These earrings are pretty simple, but I like them a lot. I used a brass clock charm and each of the colors of beads (brass, bronze, and silver). I attached the charm directly to the earring, and then attached the beads to two pins. I then bent the end of the pin around some brass chain, and attached the chains with the beads to the earrings. If you look really closely, you can also see me wearing these earrings on the Wandering Dragon Facebook page!

For some reason, Blogger keeps rotating this and I can't fix it! Aurgh!

Hope everyone else is having a great International Tabletop Day (or just day)! If anyone has any idea how to keep Blogger from rotating my photos, let me know!

Etsy Tuesday: Rayguns!

   I've always considered rayguns to be the official Geekphoria mascot. They're all kinds of geeky--present in the subculture from the days of classic sci-fi to modern-day steampunk. Also, I used them in one of my first DIYs--the Dry-Erase Calendar. This same calendar is hanging on the wall next to me. And still on November--at least, until I find a replacement frame that has glass instead of plastic. It's really difficult to get dry erase marker off of cheap plastic after a month.

   Also, the fellowship application I'm working on is frustrating me to no end, so I'd really just like to vaporize it. Thus, the choice of the theme today is also cathartic. Fun story: I recently found out that the word "cathartic" can also mean something that acts as a laxative. So think of it in its more common usage as an emotional laxative.

   Now that I've been sufficiently awkward, it's time to move onto the goods.

   The first is a print from the shop Art of the Page. I think this particular raygun piece gives off more of a steampunk vibe--it looks like a book page upon which someone drew plans for a raygun. Fun fact: the artist also has several "Gentleman Dalek" prints, which are completely awesome. Check it out, there's tons of other great (Doctor Who) artwork for more-than-reasonable prices. 

$12.25 USD

   I went through a phase a couple of years back where I was constantly buying belt buckles. I got them from Hot Topic, Spencers, and the Internet, and they're all sorts of geekiness. I have a Jack Skellington head, a classic Nintendo Controller, and no fewer than three Batman buckles. This next belt buckle makes me want to add to the collection again. Though all the belts that go with the buckles have kind of died. I could always incorporate it into a steampunk cosplay, though. It's sold by the shop reganflegan. 

$19.00 USD

   These salt and pepper shakers are a little pricier than what I normally feature on Etsy Tuesday, but I'm pretty much in love with them. They're simple, classic, and adorable. I would love to have them in my apartment. Maybe someday I will be at the income level where I can spend this much on salt and pepper shakers (I don't even have salt and pepper shakers now). They're sold in the shop PocketSquid.

$120.00 USD

   This tote bag screams classic sci-fi, and I love the rayguns and spaceships. Also, I'm pretty sure that the little robot wants to be my best friend (or would, if it weren't a drawing). The piece is a nice, every-day tote that looks like it would do a good job carrying all of my books. It's sold in the shop theboldbanana, a name which I find ridiculously entertaining. They also sell a cute t-shirt featuring a narwhal and a unicorn. Hello, adorable. 

$12.00 USD

   After I found this ring, I went through PNWHandmade's shop (as I usually do) and found three things that I NEEDEDRIGHTAWAY. Here, though, is the original ring (as it is the only one that fits in this theme), but trust me when I say you definitely need to check this shop out. 

$15.95 USD

   The last piece is also jewelry--a cute little golden charm on a leather cord. As usual, I love the small, understated pieces. The LostApostle store is also definitely worth a browse (there's an adorable octopus necklace that reminds me of the little squid from Finding Nemo). 

$38.00 USD

   I am currently working on a DIY, getting some products into the Geekphoria Etsy store and, of course, the Ghostbusters edition of Gamer Drama. The boyfriend will be off visiting friends this weekend, so I'm hoping that means that I will be very productive (though I also have to write a paper. Bah.). 

-A

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.