My Steampunk has... WINGS!

Quoting from wikepedia,  Steampunk is most directly influenced by, and often adopts the style of, the 19th century scientific romances of writers Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Mary Shelley.  Their works often feature the Victorian Era or the Wild West Era where steam engines are still widely used and mixed with elements of science fiction and fantasy.  I guess, Steampunk jewelry can be often inspired by such literary style.  Sounds interesting, right?

What actually inspired me to do steampunk style jewelries are my bookworm cyber friends (Ciela and Tina) who requested a steampunk angel inspired by Cassandra Clare’s Novel entitled “Clockwork Angel.”    There was a slight hesitation at first but fearlessly, I said YES! The project had finally tapped my creative nerve and I was able to finish more than one version of the steampunk angel project. Look how they evolved:

The  1st version of the clockwork angel was not so steampunky:  I didn't have gears then. I just used some jump rings, chains and spacers.

2nd Version: The design was submitted by my client Ciela and I made the execution now with gears!

The ring version of the wings. =)

3rd Version: This is the version i made for my hubby's cousin residing in Dubai, UAE. 

My style doesn’t bear that steam engine look but I guess it will always have that Victorian feel.  I just love how I layered the gears in this necklace and portrayed some switching motion.

I’ve made quite a lot of steampunk works and some are Christi Friesen inspired. I love Christi’s works and I have her book “Steampunkery” to help me kick-start my creativity.  You can check her works at: http://www.cforiginals.net/

Here are some of my CF inspired works:

CF inspired slave bangle

CF inspired bangle

The heart here was CF inspired. This key-chain was given to a Filipino celebrity, Billy Crawford.

CF's moth goes steampunky!

Today, the Philippine Polymer Clay Guild concluded its valentine challenge: “Create a Heart with A Steampunk Theme.” My original plan was to actually make an anatomical heart. My last minute decision to join the challenge made me realize that I lack all the time to do it. I just let my hands played with gears and some reclaimed watch parts, scrap clays and voila… it gave me that steampunk look in no time!

It's romantic...

It's steampunk... It flies 'coz...

It has WINGS!!! =)

Love, free as air at sight of human ties, 
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies. – Alexander Pope

You can check the entries of other guild members by again clicking the logo on the right side of this page. ENJOY! 

Artful Inchies

I am part of the Philippine Polymer Clay Guild also dubbed as P3. It is the guild’s requirement to join quarterly challenges to hone our skills and keep us inspired. This month’s challenge is all about INCHIES.  Quoting from the guild’s definition: An "INCHIE" is a small piece of art; a snippet of self-expression. We’re required to express ourselves by making four (4) separate inchies. Oh well, I have to admit that this challenge is pretty intimidating at first and it’s not as easy as it seems. On my part, any attempt to define the kind of a polymer clay artist that I am is already a challenging task. Hence, those four (4) little squares though little as they are, should not fail me…  

I started the challenge by examining my works and by collating some common design elements. I found out that I like wings, steampunk, flowers, romantic images, vintage, rustic but vibrant colours.  I love mixing clay with anything that may end up with a tasteful, bold, and yet feminine piece.  I made some squiggles on paper to compose my ideas and decided to try out some techniques I’ve long wanted to do.

 Just look at what I've came up with:

Techniques used: Metal leaf, Alcohol Inks, Mokume Gane, Steampunk and Faux Cloisonne.  The later is the newest technique that I've tried and was inspired by Eugena Topina. 

I hope that I was successful enough in embodying my work through those four little squares. But I swear….  I’ve managed to complete this challenge with a smile! =)

The entries of the other guild members will be posted on our guild page soon! The guild's logo on the right-hand side will lead you to our Facebook page. Just click it, like it and enjoy! =)

A Thrifty Treasure Hunting Weekend

One of the things I love doing on a weekend is shopping. LOL! But let me clarify it… I’m fond of bargain hunting!  It was a pleasurable weekend for someone like me who loves the thrill of finding something beautiful but of course potentially inexpensive.  Just look at what I've found!

If you are a lover of art and lover of vintage like I am, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this vintage vanity case I got from EGG (exciting gifts + goodies) at half the original price. This is perfect for my future closet  craft room.

I love its femme fatale design..

... and its romantic inscriptions are just so perfect =)

Next up is my all time favorite shop for bargain books --- BOOKSALE!  Everytime I sneak into this store, I always manage to pick up some hard to find books (craft and non-craft related) and beading magazines at a cheaper price. You just have to be patient quarrying through their heaps of second hand books and magazines but some are really new... and these gave me double happiness:

Beading Magazines!!! Can't wait to try some of the featured projects here! =)

Cake, Scrap booking and Polymer clay books

How about you? What are you most excited about when you go bargain hunting? Have a fun productive week ahead! =)