I'm on a Steampunk kind of mood

For today's Wild and Wacky Wednesday, I decided to go punk.  Steampunk.  Steampunk is a style that defies definition

and is not something I would own myself, but 

I LOVE IT!  

So here's some things to make you go "oh" and "ah" and "cool"!

I first saw this Victorian Organ Command Desk a few years ago, and I went looking for it this morning.  This is an actual working desk, all electronics included.  Follow the link to read all about it.  While this doesn't match my rustic country decor, I would surely put this desk in my house.

Now here's a door.  When I discover things that I share here on my blog, I try to go all the way back to the original site, but I am finding that many of the original sites no longer exist.

And for those of you (like me) that can't afford to go steampunk in such a big way-

You can wear this totally awesome Steampunk Necklace I found in the totally awesome shop of Steampunk Beadery at the totally awesome The Craft Star.

So how do you feel about steam punk? Love it or hate it?

Be blessed,

Debbi

What's new in handmade....

Let's visit several places today and see what's new out there in handmade land.

Here's a little cutie from The Craft Star, 

American Flag Mouse

by Warmth.

At Handmade Artists I found

a Steam Bee Steampunk Necklace

by Designs Bloom.

For a country girl, I have to admit I am strangely attracted to steampunk. lol

I haven't been here for ages, but at Artfire I found a

3D white persian cat mug

by

MadamePomm.

And my final stop is at Zibbet.  I love this

Laser Cut Leather Cuff

by  Lydia Wall Millinery.

Well, that's it for today.  Now it's up to you.

Remember, when you buy handmade, you are supporting small business.

Be blessed,

Debbi

What's new at The Craft Star

The big shopping weekend is almost upon us, and I am so excited to be a part of all the new and innovative ideas that you'll be seeing at The Craft Star.  The most recent promotional idea are the live sales.

A one-hour long broadcast featuring 4 artists and their shops.  Every Wednesday.  Here's last weeks.

Keep on eye out for more great things coming soon at The Craft Star.  

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are going to be a blast!

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF - True Blue

Hey everyone...taking a minute from our Florida vacation to bring you this weeks Handmade Artists Forum blog ring artist feature.   And the theme is "True Blue".

First up this week is this gorgeous Lapis Lazuli Cabochon from the wonderful shop of Rasmussen Gems.

This stone was purchased in the rough in a bazaar in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and then John cut it in his own lapidary at home, and set it in this wonderful yellow brass setting.  Delicious!

Pam at A Bead Thing does an amazing thing with beads.  She weaves them.  And when she weaves them, she creates unique pieces of jewelry.  Like this Turquoise Cats Eye beaded ring.

I love rings, and these flowers are one of my favorite pieces in her shop.

I love the look of this one of a kind vintage button bracelet created with different vintage pieces.

Lisa at Uniqlets has an amazing talent of seeing beauty and new life in items others might just toss in the trash.  This bracelet is made from buckles, and buttons, and rhinestones.

Sometimes, simple is best, and while these lampwork bead earrings may look simple, they are perfect!  April is the talent behind these earrings, she created every bead individually from glass, and their perfectness amazes me.  Check out her lampwork creations in her shop, BrooklynBeadGoddess.

My favorite blue stone has always been turquoise.  And I'm amazed with wire wrapping, so when I saw this Sunflower wire wrap necklace in Colette's shop, I had to share it.  She used 2 different shades of turquoise stones and sterling silver wire in this pendant, and the finished product is

true blue!

That's it for this artist feature.  Now it's time to go back and play with my great-grandbabies!

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF artist feature....a new way to feature

It's time to start up our featured artist blog ring over at Handmade Artists, and Pam from Beadthing and I thought we would mix it up a bit this time around, and blended the blog ring, the twitter ring, and the facebook ring into one big fun party.  This post is our first trial feature to see how well this will work.

The first thing we decided was to choose a theme to center our features around...and this round the theme is 

"SPRING"

I know, not very original, but hey.... :0) .....ok, let's try this puppy!

Our featured artists this week are the Kitchens, the power couple behind the whole Handmade Artists world.  They have 2 shops, Making the Best Of It, and Chainmaille by MBOI.  I chose this very cool stretch bracelet from the chainmaille shop.  The colors are classic (and my bathing suit is black and white) and with it being stretchy...easy to put on.  Plus I just love the look!  So if you want it, you better hurry before someone else snatches it up.

Next we get to showcase an item from our own shop that is in keeping with the theme.  I chose my smiling copper sun anklet, because to me, spring is when I break out the summer shorts, and get my first pedicure of the season.  And what better way to draw attention to your pretty toes then with this boho style anklet?  Lightweight and with an adjustable clasp, this chain will fit any ankle all the way up to 10.5".

And for our last item, we get to pick any item from any shop that fits the theme.  And just because I like to think outside the box, I chose this steampunk watch from the shop of Uniqlets.  Can you guess why?  Because it has springs in it!!! LOL

I know, totally goofy, but hey, I'm just like to be difficult, um, different.

Ok, now it's time for the other parts of the new promo ring....

All those that tweet and have facebook pages, please use the buttons below to share this post!

See, not too bad.  What do you think?  I like it. :0)

Be blessed,

Debbi

Handmade Highlight #24 winner is...Uniqulets

I want to post the weekly highlight winner every Monday...but life here has been crazy lately.

So here it is today...

Last week the highlight challenge at HandmadeArtists.com was "my birthday" with lots of great entries.  The winner with 25 comments was Uniqlets.



Just click on the highlight, which will take you to the original highlight, and from there, click on any item you would like to check out.

And now for some great items from our winner...Lisa the artist behind Uniqlets

 

Lisa loves to take vintage items and upcycle them into original and one-of-a-kind jewelry.  This Lucite and Bakelite Scotty Necklace is a great example of her work.  And being orange is just a plus for me. :0)  This is actually 2 separate pieces, the lucite scotty is mounted on the orange bakelite carved buckle.  You wouldn't know it just by looking at it...love it!

 

And here is a great example of her very detailed work...Cuckoo Vintage Steampunk Necklace....so many pieces carefully individually attached onto a vintage pocket watch...a great example of steampunk.  You can also find more of Lisa, and Uniqlets at her website, facebook, handmadeartists shop, pinterest, shopinterest, and twitter.  So click on any links and visit this amazing artist.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Handmade Friday Finds - Steampunk

We don't have cable or satellite at our house, but we do have great channels like MeTv and RTV and This.  They carry the great old shows like the Rifleman, the Dick Van Dyke Show, and the Brady Bunch.  A nice variety of styles and decades.  On This tv they show old movies, and they are fun to watch.  Yesterday I only caught the tail end of a movie starring Vincent Price.  He was flying over the earth bombing it from a "spaceship" which looked like a metal dirigible.  I can't remember the name of the movie, but it did get me interested in steampunk again.  So let's go see what I can find.

 

First I stopped at HandmadeArtists.com and did a simple search using the keyword steampunk, and this little guy popped up on the first page.  I love this "Face of Steampunk" bracelet.   He looks surprised, hahahaha.  This is a unisex bracelet and can be found in the shop of Uniqlets.  You really should visit this shop, the artist uses vintage pieces to create amazing jewelry.  You won't find pieces like these anywhere else.

 

Over on Etsy.com the search brought me this Steel Metallic Finish Steampunk Goggles.  Kind of cool, huh?  Great to wear, or just use as decor, this is handmade by Dr. Sharp in his shop.  And with that little led light, this would be a cool night light for your kids to use on their nightly bathroom trips. LOL

And this last one I found just doing a google search on handmade steampunk...

 

This is a real working desk...with a fully functional PC, LCD screens, cameras, and keyboard.  I love it!  Totally would not fit with my normal home decor, but how cool would it be to take care of business sitting in front of this desk.  I found this on the blog Hometone.com but the link to the desk does not work. :0(

Do you create anything steampunk? I've added a link widget to this post, so you can share your steampunk creations.  And if you know the name of the Vincent Price movie that started me on this journey, please let me know.

Be blessed,

Debbi 

 

Besteam feature on KC Dragonfly

I love dragonflies, and you'll find plenty of them here at KC Dragonfly on Etsy.  Kristine Cherry is the proud proprietor of this shop, and a fairly new member to the BESTeam.  She carries some great items in her shop and one of my favorites is this...

Wedding Parasol.   Great for weddings, photo ops, or fun dress up occasions, there are several in her shop to choose from so you will surly find the right one for you.  This reminded me of when I was a little kid and my mother bought me a parasol at a local carnival.  I absolutely loved it, but unfortunately I didn't realize that they are NOT umbrellas.  lol

You can also find small clutches and bags at KC Dragonfly, like this wonderfully detailed Clutch Purse in green and burgundy.  What I especially like about this purse is that Kristine used leftover material and trim from the above parasol to create this clutch.  I totally agree with the idea of waste not, want not.  Plus, having a matching clutch for your parasol...what a classy way to complete your outfit.

My last pick for this shop is this Celtic Round Tigereye earring and cuff.  Tigereye is one of my absolute favorite gems.  It is such a pretty shade of brown, very soft.  And it offsets the gold nicely.  If I put all 3 of these items together, I'll be set for our upcoming local Renaissance Festival.   Hmmmm, I wonder if a woman my age could pull off this look. heehee

Kristine also writes a blog, has facebook, and she tweets, so you can follow, fan, and find her everywhere, :~D
Debbi

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Besteam feature on Poison Garden

This week I'm browsing the shop of a BESTeam newbie...Poison Garden.  Three friends, Melissa, Suzette, and Crystal share this Etsy shop, which is full of great romantic jewelry and accessories.  I was intrigued when I was reading their blog, and saw their pictures.  I want to share those pictures with you, because they look like they would be a blast to hang out with.  I love their romantic style!

From left to right we have...Crystal...Melissa...and Suzette.  Love that hat on Suzette!  And this great fashion style flows into their custom designs, gothic, steampunk, ribbons, suncatchers...you'll find it here.  Let me show you what I found while shopping their store.

 This Smokey Rose Suncatcher would look great hanging from my
mini-van rear view mirror.  One look at this and maybe I'll hear the wisper of a wind blowing thru an english rose garden instead of "mom...he's looking at me".



I love pearls...and this large pearl pendant looks wonderful.  Hanging from a choker created with sliver rose beads, clear beads, and small white beads, this is a great look for both casual jeans, and that classy little dress.  The Margaret style Pear Choker is just waiting for someone to take it home.

My eye became stuck on the gorgeous colors of this Purple and Teal Feather Hair Clip.  I love color, but if I bought this, I would have to buy a new outfit to match.  Hmmmmm, maybe I should think about this? So if your drawn to this hair clip like I am, you better get it quick.



The girls also have a wonderful blog just jammed full of artist features, info on them, upcoming shows, custom work...be sure to follow this blog.  Or if you prefer quick updates, check out thier facebook page.  And for even faster updates...twitter!  So hurry...and have fun shopping with Poison Garden.
Debbi

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