This Update is So Long Overdue...

...So long overdue that my jewelry looks old!

Not really. Sort of. My last post asking for steampunk help was on super short notice. I had an opportunity to get some of my jewelry into a steampunk fashion show in the middle of an Abney Park concert. How cool?! SO. I scrambled to get some things made, and here are a few pieces that resulted. More pics to come when I get the jewelry back. I'm listening to AP right now. They're amazing. The show was so much fun, and I met a lot of other crafters/steampunk folk/generally awesome people. Huzzah!







Next updates include:
-Update on the commission list
-More Steampunk fun
-Gearing up for PAX: Metal badge lanyards

Steampunk Folk, I need your help!

I want to put a new old spin on my maille. Where are some good places to find old watch gears, sprockets, gizmos, and tidbits? Also looking for a decent place to find leather scraps. Any/all help is much appreciated, and you just might get a present if you help me out. :D Email me, leave a comment, twitter, etc. You know how to reach me.

Cheers!

Guitar Straps

I've made a couple of guitar straps, which are time consuming but very, very rewarding. Both were commissions from fellow Enforcers. The first is for a friend, BigRed, who wanted a steel strap with his name in red aluminum. This was my first attempt at a guitar strap and I think it was successful. The ends are made of a soft leather piece I found at a craft store. They are doubled over, sewn together with red rings, and grommets punched through the end to attach to the actual maille strap. This one was made specifically for Guitar Hero/Rock Band



The second is for another friend who actually plays guitar. His handle is TwoTone, and he's all about the checkerboard. This one is entirely aluminum, with the added challenge of a full inlay. The leather ends were made in the same fashion with turquoise rings vs red. I made a very silly mistake while making this one and ordered two different ring sizes. Oops! Had to remedy that.



These were very fun projects. Simple 4-in-1, but it's amazing how versatile that weave is.

More Fun With Braceletes

I really need to get into the habit of posting regularly, so I am going to start by putting up a pic here and there whenever I get them onto Flickr. Luckily, I took a bunch of pics the other day and only showed you a few on my last post.

A lot of times when I am at work, I have a few spare minutes on my lunch break after eating to fool around with some rings. I also have a lot of small batches of miscellaneous rings leftover from previous orders.

To keep myself occupied, I have been flipping through the many, many weave pages at M.A.I.L.L.E. Artisans. I am a bit limited by the ring sizes I have on hand, but I do what I can to learn some new tricks. Very recently I've fallen for the Alligator Back weave. It is very strong looking, easy to learn, and makes a great statement.

I started with some 16g 1/4" ID AA and EPDM to make one for myself. I wanted to give it more of a punk feel and make it a good, wide band, so I strayed from pure Alligator and added a couple more rows of Euro in the middle.

The weave is very stiff in this size, but the rings are also new. The EPDM will loosen up with wear, at which time I will most likely take a bit of length out of the bracelet so it remains a snug cuff on my wrist.

This next bracelet is also stretch, 1/4" and Alligator Back weave, but it is much more flexible. The aluminum rings are 18g instead of 16g, which not only loosens up the weave but also makes the green EPDM more prominent. Perfect, since the friend I am giving it to loves that color. I was tempted to widen this one like the black/purple variant, but as I put it together it looked better than I originally hoped.


That's it for today. I will try to update regularly, once or twice a week. Poke at me on IRC/Twitter/etc. if I fall behind!

A Long Overdue Update

With pics! Happy 2009 everyone. Here's a little bit of what I have been up to, including a few pieces from my previous commission list.

First up, my good ol' Pirate Bands. Still a good, simple favorite among friends. These two are shipping off to Australia.


Next, the choker with scales. A commission for a birthday gift, this is custom sized and accented with a few red TRL scales. A little bit of jingle!


If you follow my flickr, this is a repost of a previous bracelet. BUT this one was done in a semi-professional manner, instead of using a poorly-lit camera in my work office. Stepping Stones (love this weave, nagged it from the lovely folks on the TRL forum) in sterling silver. Sooo pretty.


More pieces to come soon. With that next TRL order I'll have plenty of stuff for you guys to see. My hope is to not only improve on my mailling (as always), but to improve my photography of my work and eventually get a more professional setup with lights and backdrops. Thanks for looking!

Ordering!

Hey All. Sadly my camera battery chose the worst time to die this weekend, and I did not get a shot of the ornament I gave to my parents. So, I'll describe it to you! A frosted silver/white glass ornament from Target, captured with sterling silver byzantine and E4-in-1, and a little flourish with four dangling mobius chains. I'll get a picture of it next year when it is hanging on the tree. The visit home was great, and I got back into town today just as the first flakes began to fall again along the west coast.

Now, down to SRS BIZNES.

I am making a TRL order this week. On my plate so far is 18g 3/16" sterling silver, 18g 1/4" black AA, 16g 5/16" purple AA, same size blue glow stretch, and 16g 5/16" flat stainless. If there is anything you want, LET ME KNOW. It is better/easier/cheaper for me to do large orders. In other words, it lets me sell you awesome stuff for less. :D email me, catch me in IRC, or post a comment here. I will be checking all 3. I plan to order on Tuesday or Wednesday, so talk to me soon!

Current Commish List:
sterling elf weave bracelet (7.25")
sterling half-persian choker (15.5")
stainless belt chain (23")
aluminum kingsmaille cuff (6.5")
Pirate Band, purple w/ blue stretch glow
Pirate Band, green w/ blue stretch glow
E4-in-1 stretch glow choker
*DONE/DELIVERED* HP3-in-1 black choker w/red scale accents
Medium dice bag w/inlay, black/purple
*DONE* Pirate Band, blue w/ black stretch
*DONE* Pirate Band, pink w/ black stretch

Child's Play Recap

Wow. What. A. Night. It started horribly, but completely turned around once I arrived at the auction with my date. I swear, we are cursed. For the second time in 6 weeks we were in a car accident together. This one was worse, but everyone still walked away shaken up and unharmed. Driving down I-5, traffic came to a very quick halt at the Mercer exchange. We stopped in time, the car behind us didn't. Neither did the car behind them. On the second impact we tapped the car in front of us but there was no major damage to the front end of Ryan's car. The back looks like hell from being hit twice, but compared to the two cars behind us we came out okay. SO. After the police, fire and medics arrived and everything sorted out, we were on our cautious way to a glamorous evening.

Champagne and hors d'oeuvres plus the silent auction was great. By the time we got there everything was out of my price range, but it was fantastic to see everything that had been donated. My shirts were in the silent auction, and I'm disappointed to say that they only went for $600. I met the winning bidder and chatted with him and his date. He was very excited to have won them, and at such a great deal. When I told him how much work went into the shirts and everyone who helped, he asked me what the material cost was. The PA organizers wrote $850 on the bid sheet, so he promised me he would make the check out for that amount! So that, combined with the extra $275 in donations, we raised $1125 for CP this year. I had hoped for much more, but still. We raised over a thousand dollars for the kids. *hugs* to all of you for your help and support!

The live auction was equally exciting and elegant. Steak dinner, local wines and market fresh salad, and a decadent german chocolate cake dessert. The bidding opened with one of Gabe's Limited Edition cels, and I got the first bid in! My hand shot up and Groove pointed me out. The bidding was slow at first, and for a short time I thought I might actually win the item at a fairly low price (I stopped at about $300), but more hands shot up once the amount got to that point. There were some amazing items, and I really hope I can attend with more expendable money next year. It seemed like everyone was a little more reluctant to throw down the cash this year.

The afterparty was equally amazingly fun. Ryan and I took charge of organizing the TapHouse Enforcer run. After the live auction ended we got in touch with the PA crew and Wil Wheaton and invited them along as well. The party exploded with so many people in attendance, Kurtz was there, everyone from PA and their +1's, a few auction winners including Pete from Brawndo/Sex Panther (always fun talking to him), some of the Harmonix guys, and a whole lot of people I didn't know. I rocked out with Wil on Rock Band (wow, TapHouse needs to buy new instruments), had a few drinks courtesy of whoever was buying, shot some pool, and generally had an amazing time. Really, the only dark point of the night was the car accident, and even that went smoothly considering the situation. Wonderful, wonderful night. Easily one of the greatest highlights of 2008. Thank you, Penny Arcade.





Photos courtesy Quicksnap