Steampunk'd

Steampunk is something that's caught my imagination a bit. Occasionally something creeps up on you and inspires you. For those who don't know- and I didn't until a couple of months ago, steam punk is, in basic terms, Victorian science fiction. Think Jules Verne, Philip Pullman, clockwork, steam power.

So, time for a quick book review.

Steampunk Emporium by Jema Emily Ladybird Hewitt. It was on my Amazon wish list for ages and I ummed and arred about it. I had bought another Steam punk jewellery book and found it a little bewildering and really not what I was expecting, plus there were a load of parts needed that were a little tricky/expensive to find. But this one is a gem! From bracelets to hatpins, necklaces to pocket watches, its a fantastic source book for inspiration. Just a tiny bit of digging on the Internet and I easily found the parts I needed for a couple of the projects. Each project is accompanied with a little story for introduction if you like that kind of thing- which I do.
So far I have made my version of the Brass Wings Necklace:

And the 1st Lunar Regiment Dog Tags:

Then armed with a bag of watch parts and some Araldite I went on to make another necklace:

Now jewellery isn't really my thing, I just like dabbling from time to time, so there were some things in the book- like a rather expensive two part resin which I didn't want to invest in, but all of the designs can be adapted to work around this. The instructions are clear and accompanied by plenty of photos. I love this book and can't wait to get started on another piece.

Bags, however are my thing, and following in the Steam punk theme, with a messenger bag pattern from Making magazine and an embroidery design from my favourite website; an evenings work came up with this:

 complete with pocket watch! In the past I've struggled to come up with  more masculine bags for my craft fairs, but I think a few of these might go down okay. Tick Tock....

Take care. xx