Silver Watch Plate, Gear, Beads, and Key Pendant

In the same class as my previous pocket watch part pendant, I finished up this pendant whose design has vexed me for a couple of weeks now.  At the top, a vintage metal bead leads down to the plate.  An almost tiger-eye pattern stone cabochon serves as the base for a large gear and a smaller accent gear.  The smaller silver gear on the left came from a watch, and so a silver watch hand dangles from its' edge.  The bead at the bottom was once silver coated, but has worn, showing the ceramic material underneath and lending an antique-y air.  To top it off at the bottom, so to speak, a miniature brass skeleton key hangs invitingly.

This pendant is also for sale in my ArtFire shop.  I have now paid for a whole year's membership there, which will give me many more opportunites and features beginning in January.

~ DS

Pretty as a Parasol

Peppermint Parasol

Outshine the sun?!  Certainly!

Whether you are taking your doggie for a stroll, or heading to a Mardi Gras parade, a parasol is just the thing to keep the elements from darkening your day!

In case some of my visitors have not yet been there, I would like to direct everyone's attention to The New Orleans Umbrella Company on Etsy.

The artisan, lizmpetro, creates unique and creative umbrellas of many themes and materials.  You will find dots, buttons, ribbons, lace, frills, and feathers, in lines, layers, trims and tassels. (The pirate parasol is very cute, but what rhymes with 'pirate'?...)

She sews each element onto the umbrella by hand, and securely attaches beautiful handles made from vintage finds.  The prices are very reasonable for such a unique and useful item.

I have communicated with Liz, and she seems delightful.  =)

Do take a look! 

~ DS

Pocket Watch Plate & Key Pendant

Well, I finally made myself sit down and brainstorm/create some actual jewelry. Yay!

It is a pendant created from an Ingersoll pocket watch internal brass plate.  As always, I had to add a gear, this time a flywheel, and I used one of my miniature skeleton keys to add movement to the bottom edge.  The upper left items are two clock/watch hands.  What I like best about the piece is that the original engraving indicating the watch patent date spirals around the center.

Later,  I changed the pendant, as seen here on the right.

 This is still for sale in my shop on ArtFire.

A Handful of Helmets

(Clockwise, from upper left to lower left)

1. Black Leather Flying Helmet - atomefabrik

2. Steampunk Darth Vader Helmet - CREATUREFEATURE13

3. Blasting Time Lord's Hat Helmet - oldjunkyardboutique

4. Pith Vogue Couture Hat - whimandaprayer

Here we have a small collection of headgear from the Etsy site.  I found myself attracted to items that seemed to have required a bit of time and also had an aura of inventiveness about them.  It is my opinion that we as humans often believe things that we think we could not have made ourselves are cool.  I know I do!   ;-)  I tried to choose pieces from artists I have not included here before.  Enjoy!

~ DS

Presenting ... Mechtorians!

Want to give that special someone a delightful and fun collectible steampunk gift this holiday?

Look no further, for we have found ... Mechtorians!

These little toys are the ultimate combination of cuteness and technical whimsy.  Created by DoktorA, also known as Andrew Mitchell, They stand from 3.5 to 4" tall, are handpainted, and can be had for under $15 at TenaciousToys and also on eBay.  The members of the first series have names: Stephan LePodd, D.J. Gramo, Mr. Head, Scuttler The Butler, Sentry Wheel & Sir Shilling. 

I would love to have a couple of these, just for fun, but they seem to go up in value as collectibles as well.

 

The custom-made Mechtorians are especially cool.  Here is one that I especially like, with his collection hose:

You can see more custom Mechtorians here.  There is also a custom Mechtorians show, Doktor A's "The Barnabus and Wrench Traveling Robotic Freak Circus" show opening November 14th, 2009, in Detroit.  Here is a link to many photos of the show. Freak Circus

Of course, I have no affiliation with the artist or marketers, but just had to share these little guys! I would love to hear if any of my readers own one or more of these, or end up purchasing one (or more!), and what you thought of them "in person".  They look soooo cute!

Enjoy!

~ DS

My YouTube Video -- DreamSteam's Steampunk Jewelry

Hello, all!  Let me say that I hope to have some new jewelry to share and sell very soon.  Until then...

Upon the advice of a few web sites and through the inspiration of the Etsy Steam Team, a few months ago I ventured into the mysterious world of YouTube by making a slide video of my jewelry.

After getting just a few views in as many months, I just stopped checking to see how many people had viewed it.

People did leave comments that perhaps it would get more views if I was showing how to MAKE the jewelry, but that was not the point of that particular slide show.  Besides, do you win something for having more views than other people's videos do?  Out of feigned indifference, I say I think not.

But in the interest of pointing out its' existence, I give you:  DreamSteam's Jewelry Video Extrordinaire!

If you would like to watch it without leaving this page, you can scroll down and click on the box so labeled on the right hand side to play an embedded version of the video.

Please go watch it.  It has a lovely classical music accompaniment.  *grin*

(As a note: some of that jewelry is actually still for sale.  Check out ArtFire, which is where you may currently find all of my jewelry for sale, or go to the bottom of this blog page for the immediate gratification of instant checkout.)

Many thanks!

~ DS

Completed! My Leather Steampunk Goggles

above: Goggles by DreamSteam, after being modified in 2012

goggles before being modified

Here they are, the results of my very first attempt at goggle-making! They are actually wearable and sturdy. At first I wore them on my forehead, until a guest at my party asked if I was "Hellboy".  Pfffft!  (I wore them around my neck the rest of the night, lol.)

Some may wish to know what materials compose these wonders of tinkering.  Here is a link to the post which contains pictures of the pieces before assembly: Goggles in Progress

The strap is a purse strap; the eyepieces are heavy leather that I cut, dyed black, formed, pinched, and laced together. The lenses are clear glass that I also cut by hand, and the metal rings are some pipe fittings which I antiqued. (As an interesting bit of trivia, Lord Featherstone of Brute Force Studios told me that years ago, he was one of the first people to use this style of pipe fittings as goggle parts, and then everyone began copying the technique.  I think they did so because it is an easily found metal goggle part for those of us who do not have milling machines!)  The leather pieces are joined by rivets and leather lacing. Twisted copper wire with jute twine wrapped around it forms the nose piece.

In the future I may add the decorations that I had in mind but did not use (a couple of small watch gears on the eyepieces at the temples), but the siren song of other projects and prospects may steal me away.  Regardless, I have thought of making more of these and posting them for sale on ArtFire.  Perhaps I will even offer these for sale.  I would consider taking offers.... Stay tuned!

I hope you have enjoyed following the short but suspenseful saga of steampunk goggle-age over the last weeks!

~  DreamSteam

Note: in 2012, I modified these goggles.  I disassembled the eye cups and cut the leather to make the cups shorter, re-laced the nose piece area, colored the metal pipe rings copper, and added some copper accents to the outer edges.  Then I wore them to Anachrocon 2012, yay!