Love Steampunk....do you?

Beginning note: If you are my Lauren and are starting to read this then STOP and go no further...ppplease!!!

Just what is steampunk? Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that brings together the 19th century and the workings of futuristic machinery. Steam powered machinery and the use of brass, wood, working gears, leather and a whole lot of imagination bring this genre to life. Think of it as an earth alternative but in the 19th century. To get my imagination flowing I like to go to two of the best classic novels that really explore this unique and different way of thinking...."The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells and "Around the World in 80 Days" by Jules Vernes. Both get my muse to singing!!!!

I started with the basics......watch gears and pieces along with a lens from a pair of reading glasses. I just let my imagination go wild and whimsical and we all know just how wild and whimsical that can be.

Why the reading lens I bet you're asking. I wanted to make a monocle. Monocles were widely used back in the Victorian era which was in the 19th century and once you add the watch pieces and gears then you've designed something that fits perfect into the steampunk genre. It amazes me sometimes (and some have called me weird because of this) that I can "see" different objects within other objects. Like when I poured all the gears and pieces out on the desk and whooooo should show himself but a wise old owl.

A wise old owl....how perfect is that for a monocle focal point? Peoples who read the written word are just like the wise old owl. OK...maybe not just like a wise old owl but it can help the mind to expand if you pick  up a book and read. HEHE  If you haven't read the two classics I mentioned above then please do...they are both excellent tales of adventure.

I'm going to attached the monocle and some other items to a long silver chainmail necklace to keep within the Victorian era. I love the long necklaces they wore back then.....so elegant and pretty.

Here are all the pieces I've made to go on the necklace and with the way I'm making it more items can be added in the future.

Here's a close up of the monocle. As you can see I attached a pair of silver angel wings to the pieces and then added the owl on top of those. At the (left) bottom of the monocle I made a nice collection of watch pieces and gears. On the other side there is a Celtic cross with faux diamonds (if you did NOT pay attention to the first sentence and are still reading Lauren, sorry sweet girl...wish they could be real) and hanging from the cross is the letter "L" charm and a dangle made using a larimar butterfly bead (Larimar is believed to awaken feminine power and soothe emotions) a moonstone (Moonstones are believed to protect, bring good fortune and passionate love and are best called upon during a full moon) a Swarovski crystal (just because I thought it was pretty..hehe) and a falling time watch charm. We all need to let time fall as we need it too.

The next piece is one I'm sooo happy that I found. Found it at Hobby Lobby believe it or not. I was really surprised at all the great charms they have. I could have bought so much more if only I had the money...hehe. I like this key because it reminds me of the skeleton keys they used in the Victorian era for those beautiful homes they lived in. Lauren lives in NOLA where so many of those beautiful homes still stand so I thought it even more fitting, yes? Attached to the key is a dangle that holds a amazonite bead (amazonite is called the "Hope" stone and is believed to bring luck, promote kindness and balance) a dragons egg (which is a debride quartz that is believed to bring peace, harmony and balance) a prehnite bead (prehnite stones are believed to connect will and heart) and a tiny glass vial filled with wish dust (glitter....just cause it's pretty too)

The last piece to go on the necklace is a leather bound tiny journal with a fleur de lis attached to the top. (Go Saints)  I mean she will have a monocle and she might just read something that she wants to jot down and remember. The journal will let her do that. I added another watch charm to pull it together.

Here's the necklace all put together. I think it turned out VERY steampunkish and I love the length. It will allow Lauren to pull the monocle up and actually use it. (without choking herself in the process. Aren't I smart?)

Now.....it's on to the next project to get finished so I can get this piece and that project in the mail to arrive to my beautiful nieces by Christmas.

Until next time...........send me wishes that time is on my side and that Lauren did NOT read this post...hehe,
Regi

Pretty Pretty Peacocks

Good Morning peoples and WELCOME. I love when you come and spend some time under the old Southern ooak tree.

I finished the special order of hand painted peacocks on the glass Christmas ornaments. I think they are going to look lovely hanging on a tree with lights shimmering off of them. I really enjoyed painting a pair of these beautiful creatures. What a unique item to be a collector of, yes? That's who these were ordered for. Perhaps I can talk Shannon into sending me a picture of the tree.....we would all love to see it I'm sure. If she does I will post it here in an update. (good way to get you to come back...hehe)

Today I'm going to work on a steampunk piece....one I started planning over a month ago. YIKES....has it been that long already peoples? Do you remember the piece? I did get the main focal piece started for it A wise old Steampunk owl.

I need to go to Hobby Lobby (ohhh poor me...a trip to Hobby Lobby...snicker snicker) to get some more watch pieces to use for the monocle that the owl will be a part of. Yes, you read right. I'm making a monocle necklace. A FUN piece for sure.

I hope that YOU have a wonderful Friday and an even better weekend. Do something creative if you get the chance....make some gifts. Nothing better than a gift given that's been made from the heart and with your hands for that special person.

OMGOSH....I still have to put my tree up too. Good grief how did December sneak up on me peoples. ^_^

Peace,
Regi

Wednesday work!!

Good Morning peoples!! Hope you're having a good middle of the week. Only 1 day, 12 hours and 19 minutes remaining until Halloween. ^_^

I decided to start working on some of my Christmas gifts. Those that come and sit under the old Southern ooaks tree know that I make most of my gifts for my nieces and nephews and "gulp" great nieces and nephews. Nooo, I'm not old...my niece was just really, really, really young when she had them...Bahahaha!!

I'm starting with my sweet niece Lauren. No worries that she will see this as she never comes to sit under the old ooaks tree. Not that she doesn't love my art...she does. It's just that she is a 17 year old that is doing her own thing these days. Just my luck though...she will THIS time. If so, all I can say is "Merry Christmas...I love you".Ohhh and "Surprise".

She really likes the steampunk look so I thought perhaps a necklace....a monocle necklace....a steampunk monocle necklace. Get the idea? Hehe...I think ya might.  I must admit that I got the idea when I was making the monocle for the witch ooaks I just finished. I had an old pair of reading glasses that finally decided to break on me and you know how much I love repurposing items so I just had to use them for this project. Add that to some watch pieces and POOF...steampunk....here we come!!

Whooooo's this cute lil fella? Isn't he a hoot? Bahaha..I love how the pieces kinda speak to me and this lil owl just kinda jumped out from all the pieces. He will be the focal on the monocle.

I'll be adding other watch pieces and natural gem stones around the edges of the eye piece. Since it's a reading glass lens then she might even be able to use it for reals. Wouldn't that be awesome!! I can't decide if I'm going to put it on a chain, a piece of leather cording or ribbon. What do YOU think?

Until next time.........Hoots (ummm I mean Hugs),
Regi

A beautiful Fall Sunday morning!!

It is indeed a beautiful Fall feeling Sunday morning. What I want to know is......WHO moved me during the night to a different location? Bahahahaha!! Not complaining and I have the windows open so I can enjoy the crisp, coolness for however long it's last. That should be until around 11ish and then......Welcome back to the South!!

I'm feeling a tad bit better today so I'm hoping that I'm FINALLY on my way to recovery. Thank goodness!! I do believe I look much better than yesterday. What do YOU think? Be honest now...hehe

I love the AMC Walking Dead Dead yourself app...bet ya hadn't figured that out yet....had ya?  Here's the link if anyone else would like to play with it. Click Here!! Ohhh, go ahead...ya know ya want to and no one will know...unless you share yourself. Don't go yet though, ppplease, wait until you have finished visiting. YOU know I love your visits!!

I was able to work on Sabrina some yesterday and early this morning. She has her beautiful dreadlocks (really they are pretty wool yarn) and is attached to the wooden block. She has her earrings on and all she is lacking is her unique witches hat. I mean she can't be a part of "The Black Hat Sisterhood" without her black hat now can she?

Such a pretty little witch, ri iight?  If ya don't agree then remember the saying "If ya don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all". I mean I can take the criticism but not so sure Sabrina could and she is a witch. Bahahaha

I told ya'll yesterday that I was redoing the goggles and not going to be doing the spyglass but replacing it with a monocle. Well......I have the monocle completed and I really like how it turned out. See.....when some of our projects don't turn out the way we thought the new ones can turn out to be even better.

 Steampunk spy spider

Love...love....LOVE steampunk!! There is an actual piece of clear plastic in the center of the monocle. The focal point is the spy steampunk spider. I will go more in detail about it with Sabrina's story so make sure you come back to visit. (yeah yeah.....I'm tempting you so that you will come back. I'm badddd!!!) I'm going to attach this to the chain that is already attached to the moon on her hat. Ohhhh, wait......I haven't shown you that yet. Guess you will just have to come back to see THAT too...hehe!!

Today, I'm hoping to work on the goggles. I have my pattern (as I showed in yesterday's post) done and just need to cut the pieces of the leather out and start assembling it. Fingers crossed these goggles turn out steampunkish!! I'm hoping that the pattern works out with this one too because I already have that other Sister ooaks bouncing around in my head and she is going to be wearing goggles too. It's the steampunk witch coven....bahahaha!!

Until next time............Hugs,
Regi

Happy Monday the 13th!!

It's Monday yet again peoples. I hope that you had an awesome weekend....one spent having some fun adventures (ones that you can talk about and even some that so need to stay put in the weekend and NEVER be talked about..bahaha) OR just resting. So happy that you came to sit under the Old Southern ooaks today....luv your visits.

I  F I N A L L Y finished with Sabrina's eyes....all the layers and layers of paint and clearcoat. I do think they turned out so good and l@@k so pretty. I really like making eyes this way but for future reference if you ever follow along and try some of the things I do....DO NOT....make the well to deep. Takes F O R E V E R to fill in. I know, I know, I stated in past post that I was patient and (STOP LAUGHING) I am but goodness it took two days to fill those greens in. ^_^

In between waiting on each layer to dry (Did I mention that it took a long long time? hehe) I worked on her steampunk jewelry pieces. Love steampunk!!!

 Thinking I might actually like a pair of the earrings for myself. Bahaha!!

 Close up of her necklace. I even put a lobster clasp on it. Well...she might want to take it off AND if she does then ya better.....RUN!!!!

This piece is going on her hat....in the front and center. I'm going to attach a small green potion bottle that's filled with dragon teeth dust. It's really beach sand.  What did ya think it was peoples? Like I would give away my dragon teeth dust...ppplease. Her steampunk spy glass I'm currently working on is also going to be attached to her hat on the chain as well. Her goggles will be going on top too. I got the spyglass and her goggles sculpted yesterday and baked last night and plan on working on them as soon as I'm finished with this post. 

Remember this is a WIP image....they will look good once completed....I hope!!! I'm ready to get this piece completed because I already have a few others "flying" around in my head wanting to get out. BAHAHA!! Did ya catch that funny there? Flying...witches. Ok ok I know I'm weird but ya gotta luv me, ri iight??

Until next time....Hugs,

Regi

Gonna be a Steampunk Saturday

Happy Happy Saturday peoples!!! It's going to be a beautiful day. I have the windows and back door open and the cool, crisp air is AWESOME. Of course, it won't last long. It's the South and Mother Nature thinks it's suppose to be summertime here all the time...BAHAHAHA!!!

It's going to be a steampunk day here under the old Southern ooaks. Sabrina is all baked and I plan on starting on her eyes today. It's going to take some time adding all the clear layers to them after I get the iris painted so I have to be very, very patient. Stop laughing....I am and can be patient....I.....hope!!!  I worked on her hat yesterday while she was baking and cooling and here's what I have so far. (plus a few of the items that are going to go on the hat too...maybe....perhaps)

I really like how this turned out. I made it the same way I did my Mad Hatter hat a few years ago. Of course, this one is bigger than that one....hehe!! I wish that I had done a How to for ya'll, just in case you might want to make one too. I can TELL ya what I did and post a pic of my pattern....that should help, eh?

You can make so many different variations with these hats. Make them out of foam....out of paper (pretty paper).....cover them in fabric....in fur....the ways are limitless. For the base I used heavy cardstock but you can use an empty cereal box. Well....it should be empty. I have been known to need one and dump the contents in a ziplock bag....oh yes I did!!!  For this particular hat I used the above pattern. The brim measures 4 inches across and the top portion measures 3 inches. The band is 2 1/2 inches on the ends and the more curve you give it the more height you will have in the front of the hat. Just play with it until you get it the way YOU want it. I did add a bit extra around the band and cut out tiny tabs along the top side on the paper (side that will go against the brim) so that I would have something to glue to the brim for support. I did the same thing with the top hat circle too. You can glue or tape it together. If I'm going to be using pretty paper as the outside of the hat then I use glue. For this one though since I covered it in velveteen fabric I taped the hat together to make sure it held and gave it some extra strength. I then glued the fabric on the cardstock and even stitched along the top portion (don't take glue to the edges if you are going to do this...makes it VERY hard to stitch) and then stitched together the brim top portion and the piece for underneath (so my cardstock wouldn't be showing) Not hard at all....just a bit time consuming but it's so so worth it....ri iiight?? For the tulle around the brim I gathered sections and then whip stitched them to the brim. I'm hoping to get it detailed today. I'm planning on making a pair of steampunk goggles to go on the hat top too. I mean a witch can get dust in her eyes from flying on her broom. Safety peoples....safety ^_^

Do you love this time of year? I know I sure do. Halloween is such a FUN time. I love vintage Halloween even more and try to pull it into my decorations. Do you have some little ghouls ummm I mean girls you plan on making special Trick or Treat bags for? I have some cute vintage paperdolls that you could add. I mean what little girl doesn't like paperdolls?

Hope you enjoy these and (looking around and whispering) it's quite alright if YOU cut them out and play with them too. Just sayin....I won't tell a soul. BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi

WIP on The Black Hat Sisterhood ooaks

Happy Friday peoples!! I've been working on my newest ooaks the past few days and wanted to share some WIP images with you. Hoping to get her face detailed this afternoon as she's in the oven baking as we're conversing at the moment. ^_^ Thanks for stopping by too....love YOUR visits!!!

Since this is just a bust and I knew it would take a good bit of clay for the size it needed to be, I had thought about doing a foil armature for the clay to attach to. I love using foil and then wrapping it in floral tape and then sealing it with glue for my larger pieces but I was really afraid that it would make the head a bit to heavy. Don't need an ooaks that seems to nod off now and then from a droopy head. If you have been visiting with me under the old Southern ooak tree for some time then you know that I LOVE to use old items......items that have lived out their original purpose but aren't ready for the trash pile just yet. Yes, yes....it's true...one man's trash is another man's treasure...BAHAHA!! I remembered that I had these small round used light bulbs and felt that one would be perfect and light (no pun intended..hehe) enough to make a great skull for this witch. 

This is how she looks sitting on the block. I'm very happy with how the bulb worked out. I did this a bit more human than most of my sculpts but I think she still has my whimsy style.

 

I'm going to do her eyes a bit different than I normally do. For my smaller pieces I normally use a bone bead as the sclera (the white part) and then paint the iris and pupil after baking. I have actually made some clay eyes and baked and painted them before I put them in a sculpt as well. I like both methods but wanted to try something different with this one since it's probably one of the biggest heads I've sculpted. I love looking at How To videos and saw one a while back (a long while back and can't seem to find now or I would share link with you) where an artist used clay and made an indention in the center. She then painted the iris (indented center or well) and slowly added clear varnish layers building the iris up giving it a more realistic look. This is what I'm going to try peoples.....keep those fingers crossed that it works.

Be careful now....this lil witch might HEAR what you're saying....BAHAHA!!! Most the time you can't see the ears because of the hair but like most things that are never seen, I add them because I know they're suppose to be there. I'm also going to make a pair of dangle steampunk earrings for her to wear and she needed ears for that. ^_^

Until next time............Hugs,
Regi

Whoodoing the voodooing on this old gal??

Morning peoples!! I have a question and someone had better answer it....ummm ppplease ^_^   Whoodoing the voodoing on this old gal? Can ya ppplease stop? I promise to not do what ever it was that I did do that caused you to do that voodoo. HEHE  I feel as though someone has a poppet of me and has lit a fire in my kidneys. Not fun....not fun at all BUT.......it will NOT stop me from starting my next Southern ooaks. No indeed!!!

I really don't think any of YOU have a poppet of me....well....perhaps one someone but she would be making me feel warm fuzzies not warm kidneys. (Ri iiight Dragonlady?) I'm not one to lay around and it is best to keep busy, yes? My grandmomma always said that keeping ones mind on other things could help keep any pain at bay ya might be a feelin. It works....most the time!!

I love this time of year and carousing all the sites to see just what other folks have come up with to celebrate Halloween. I never copy anyone else but ya have to admit, you sure can find some awesome inspiration out there. I found one site that had painted signs and fell in love with this one in particular. I've seen it a good bit over the years but it really grabbed my attention this time.

 Sign can be found HERE if interested ^_^

I do like the whole sign but it was some of the words that JUMPED out at me. "The Black Hat Sisterhood  Est. 1692". You do know the importance of the year, yes? In February of that year is when the famous witch trials in Massachusetts began. Sad....so so sad that so many were accused that truly had no idea just why they were thought of as witches. Really sad that folks did not realize that like everything in this world there can be good and not just evil. OK....I'm getting of on a tangent....sorry!!

Seeing those words jump out at me was what truly inspired me for my next ooak piece. That along with the fact that I just finished the Glenda piece and her hat was the last piece I worked on and I LOVE making witches hats. Oh yes I do. This is not going to be a full witch sculpt since to me the important focal point here is....of course.....THE HAT!! It's going to be a witch's head with her hat. A pretty witch....a steampunk witch.Which means steampunk hat!!! Yeppers....that's what I'm seeing in my imagination at this point. I've started on the base already. Amazing what a plain old 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 block of wood can be turned into. Not finished with it just yet but thought I would show what I have so far. Love sharing ya know. ^_^

 Some orange acrylic paint rubbed into block and then wiped down. Added some black acrylic paint to detail and wiped down most of it.

Wanted a primitive look so I got brave and used my wood burner again. Didn't burn myself THIS time.

Today, if I can sit long enough then I'm going to start on the witch head. I do hope my muse and clay will cooperate and decide to be the pretty witch I see in my head. 

Until next time..........Hugs,

Regi, the Poppet ^_^

Ohhh and of course my newest side kick is right by my side today...as I believe she always will be. Life without a cat is not much of a life.....well....for me anyways!!!