Is That A Challenge

One of the fun things about being in an etsy street team, in my case the steam team, is creative challenges. I haven't been able to participate in many of them, though I've enjoyed watching and voting on entries. This time, I can. The theme is a challenge of metal and cloth and lace counts as cloth. I found in the clearance section of Micheal's these large metal filigree pieces and saw something in them that I could work with.

I started yesterday by setting the piece with several different tatted necklace to find the right partner. I settled on the flower garland design and began tatting it directly onto the piece, which is not as much fun as you might imagine. The metal is heavy and pulls on the work so I have to hold it in my palm to avoid drama. Next up is figuring the best way to utilize the four rings at the bottom. I was going to do triangles to match a motif in the design, but they did not turn out well, so I'm rethinking that later.

Other events yesterday include getting another dozen boxes out of the garage to prep for more unpacking. Then smashing my already broken toe against a box when the 2 year old panicked over cats in the garage. I stopped pulling out boxes after that, but went ahead and started opening the boxes and managed to stab myself in the finger with the utility knife when I failed to pull the blade in all the way. This is when I decided to go ahead, sit down and just work on the tatting for the rest of the day. Yeah, I know, I just need to cut it out and let my foot heal, but there's just so much to be done.

Today, I add one more thing to the list of things to do, start the homeschooling of the 5 year old. If you've been following that drama, you know that I managed to wait too long to sign her up for formal Internet based classes and found they were full. This was followed by panic over my extreme parent fail. Then, I discovered that all was not lost as kindergarten is not required. This means that I can do kindergarten informally and get her signed up in time for first grade in the spring. I decided that the first of September was a great time to start and that's today so we'll see how this goes with all the tatting and house cleaning and everything else my day brings. Here we go.

I'm Baaack!

I'm here and not remotely prepared to face the day of laundry and inventory that awaits me. I'm certain to give a more thorough analysis of the weekends Maker Faire experience but here's the quick rundown. I wish I could say that I saw many wonderful sites and explored the maze of creativity that abounded and the fair, but truth is I arrived at 8 each morning, trudged back to the Carnival Mechanique and laid anchor. The crowd volume was intense and there was little time for anything other than minding our tables and talking to the hundreds, perhaps thousands of people that swarmed by us. I literally did not use the bathroom the entire time I was at the fair.

The wind was awful both days requiring us to continually rescue our own displays as well as our teammates. This also made it almost unbearable cold in the shade, so awesome outfits were hidden by wraps and jackets. We also had the added bonus of a steam powered locomotive directly behind us that sounded its horn at intervals throughout each day causing us to stop and plug our ears mid conversation. The sport of choice was browsing with a side of extreme business card grazing, but I think all the members of our group as well as the folk that sent in items to sell, sold something at least. Though I have yet to do my inventory, I think I did fairly well overall. I feel that at least the trip did not end up costing me any money.

The absolute best parts of the faire for me were the people. I heard and uttered the phrase, 'I know you from the Internet' countless numbers of times. I finally met all me new best friends form the steamteam and found my blind date fear of rejection was ill founded and they were fabulous and my daughter bonded unexpectedly with the other Pamela aka ClockworkCrow. I met several folks from instructables and got my special button for my presence on their site. I also spent many hours explaining tatting as well as Steampunk and I think we brought many people into both camps.

I have much more to share, but for now, here's a few pictures...sorry to say they were not many taken...except by complete strangers.

Carnivale Mechanique

Carnivale Mechanique
Originally uploaded by exoskeletoncabaret

So, I'm off later today to San Mateo in preparation for the Maker Faire. The etsy shop is closed up, the outfits are chosen and most of the packing complete. I shall return with an account of what has transpired during my stay at the Carnival Mechanique. Hopefully there will be more good stories than horror.

If you're planning on attending the faire, stop by and say hello. I'm awful with names so please forgive me if I know not who you are.

See you all on the flip side!

Faces

Well it looks like nobody spied my mask last night. I knew it was a long shot anyway, so I guess it's no big deal. I haven't looked myself yet, but I will scan through the episode when the kids let me have the t.v. later just in case I see something. I did however have two other great features yesterday.

First, VickiDianeDesigns who is responsible for the Etsy Artists Exposed treasuries set her sites on the SteamTeam. The treasury featuring the actual faces of many team members went up yesterday morning and quickly shot to the top of the pile getting hundreds of views. I stole this image and the subsequent links from dbvictorias live journal post...because I'm lazy.


The treasury expires Wednesday, so for posterity, once the link is no longer live, the artists featured are, from left to right, top to bottom:

TotusMel, Tatted Jewelry and Accessories, Unique and Elegant; Tom Banwell, Leather; WinonaCookie, Custom illustration, collage, nifty items; dbvictoria Wire wrapped jewelry and other artful creations; Insectus, Industrial, Steampunk and Gothic Jewelry; CJGrand, The Grand Design;zkitten, Chaoticly Creative; Fantasies in Leather, A bit of leather, lace, love and laughter; IndustrialFairyTale, Jewelry, Books, Art, and Steampunk Odds and Ends; Choklit, Adornments for Tarts; ClockworkCrow, "Flights of Fancy", and more simple silver treasures. Tick-tock; VelvetMechanism, Steampunk Jewelry, Corsets and More!

I know, I cheated a little using an already existing image that effectively hides my face, but it's a good picture!

Also yesterday I had a great photo interview post on a the Tattered Rouge blog. Go check it out if you have a moment, it is also linked in the 'where I'm featured' list in the left column. This is also your last warning. Tomorrow I am posting a giveaway featuring one of my favorite artists, so you will want to pop by and get yourself entered to win a little something. My new tatting project has taken a backseat to a custom order, so it might be a while before I have something tangible to show you, but I will.

The Tatted Neck Corset

The prototype is complete! After a few days of work and a rough patch at the end when I couldn't decide on keeping or tossing the top edging, I have completed the tatted neck or throat corset, clearly I haven't decided which to call it either. I took all the pictures on my mannequin head which had a ridiculously long neck, but I assure you it is comfortable and fits like a dream on my real human neck. I laced the ribbon directly through the rings and though the ribbon I used here was a bit thick for easy lacing, it worked better than expected.

I shall begin work on the final piece in black today, so there's a small chance I'll have it ready in time for Mondays post. It's going to be a busy weekend though, so don't hold me to it. Working on this piece has again given me a reason to love the twitter community. I asked for opinions on the top edging and was given many very quickly and my flickr saw quite a few more hits than usual as many more stopped by to see what on earth I was talking about.

I also got a note from the steamteam friend, Olorle who bought one of my prototype sale pieces. He had completely a gauntlet using the medallion. You can check out his creation on his blog, here: http://bruisedwonderland.blogspot.com . It's always great to see what is created when a new set of hands takes over. I also recently sold a necklace to another etsy seller who embellished it almost beyond recognition into an incredible steampunk inspired piece. The seller is suewoojewels.etsy.com and I was surprised when I found the piece listed as I was stalking the tatting. I had actually forgotten that when I sold the piece to her she had said she was going to embellish it. It reminded me that I still haven't decided on a medallion or edging for the my Tatting Challenge. I plan on having the next one after the holidays to take advantage of the down time, but I'm a little afraid everyone will have forgotten about it by then. i guess I'll just have to keep mentioning it so it stays on the brain.

One last thing for this Friday, I was tagged by another blogger. While you are probably aware that I do not play these tag games, I do like to acknowledge those you like my stuff enough to bother tagging me. This time it was thespottedsparrow. You can find her blog here: http://blog.spottedsparrow.com/. Maybe one day I'll feel it necessary to share random facts about myself, but I just can't get into the chain letter nature of this stuff.

New And News

Ah, back to tatting. I spent yesterday afternoon discovering a new design to exploit from those antique pattern books. I think I've found a good one and I've finished the first piece using it and I'm well into the second which will be far more dramatic as is my way.

I'm calling this piece 'Starburst' because of the small star shape in the center, but it began life as a pattern for a lunch cloth, whatever that is. I was looking far to hard for a ready made medallion when I noticed this shape within another pattern. The next piece will be a choker and I think I'll work on a gauntlet or bracelet as well.

In other news, the etsy steam team has been back from Steampowered for a few days, but they're still getting great publicity for the team along with making more regretful that I did not go. The newest is a mention in the Make magazine blog. The picture links to the article, so click away.All the members present for the photo got a store link and they clearly had more fun than I did last weekend, though trick or treating with the family was important too. I however am terribly jealous and I vow that the next event the team attends on this coast will find me present, even if I have to drag my family along with me.

Letting Go

It was a flurry of activity yesterday as I finally packed up a box to send to my SteamTeam friends. They will be selling my pieces for me at the SteamPowered convention in Sunnyvale. I tagged and pressed the pieces and packed them and tried my hardest to come up with some displays. That last thing may prove to be a complete failure. Then as I was ready to seal the box, I hesitated. I have never done anything like this as even though I trust the hands that will be receiving my things, I felt a bit of fear. Of course it passed and I sealed the box, set it out on the porch and waited for the mailman to pick it up.

As I watched him walk away with with my box, I felt another pang. I tried to imagine what I was going to feel like if I sold nothing or everything. How would I feel if it was all lost, or worse stolen. While the actual value of the thread and random findings and beads probably doesn't equal more than $40 or so, it represents countless hours of work and I don't dare tell you the potential retail value of the box. I decided the best thing for my mental well being was to say  goodbye to the box and expect nothing in return. Even after this mental exercise, I'm certain to be a little uneasy until the convention is over the first week of November, so send calming vibes my way.

Just after the box left me, I got another front page feature. It lasted only about 15 minutes, but I still got a few more hearts and about a days worth of views out of the deal. So a big thank to MistFlowerStudio for adding me to yet another of her front page snagging treasuries! I hope to here back from a alchemy customer today as well, she has asked me to make her a longer version of the collar I showed you all yesterday. I posted the pictures on etatters and after she saw it there she contacted me on etsy for the project. I never thought I'd get a sale through that networking site. I'm just there to get feedback from fellow tatters, so this was a nice unexpected event as well. I also went shopping again with some favorite shops that I think needed a little surprise sale. I hope I helped their days.

After all of that stuff yesterday, today should be a quiet and relaxing change of pace.

Meh

It's gonna be one of those days. Sure, I have projects lined up, quite a few actually, but I'm feeling a little listless and unfocused. Part of the problem is that most of my projects are off etsy. I'm sure this is perfectly normal for many of you, but my tatting life began at the same time as my etsy life. They go hand in hand for me. Every time I make a piece it ends with pictures and being listed for sale. I'm still making pieces for the SteamPunk convention Steampowered in Sunnyvale at the end of the month. It is taking all of my willpower to not list them on etsy anyway. I know that if I do that, there will be no pieces for my lovely SteamTeam friends to take with them and I really want the exposure that this convention can give me.

I've also been making a couple of masks for myself and my mother. My husband thought it would be a great idea to wear the mask to the Northern California Ren Faire this weekend. This is only the second time I have actually made myself something I sell to keep since I started tatting. I've embellished a shrug with tatting for myself and I've made a few doilies and one huge centerpiece, but since I have a one year old, I can't generally wear my jewelry anyway so it was just as well that they were sent off to people who would love them.

So, I guess I shall get back to work and hopefully I will have more to say tomorrow.

Why SteamPunk?

It is a fair bet that you have at least heard or seen the term SteamPunk recently. It seems everyone is talking about it, but if you've missed it, SteamPunk is just the most recent subculture to stray into the mainstream spotlight. I'm not going to try to explain the genre, that is best left to the countless SteamPunk blogs and other web resources. What I would like to do is try to explain why people go steam.

I am no stranger to subcultures, while I've never gone "all in", I've been part of one or another most of my life. All of them have some key elements in common, sure they all have distinctive fashion and style and many have a music genre to call their own, but where they are exactly the same is that they fill an emotional need and that is what draws in the hardcore members. The easy example to go with here is Goth. Most kids have a certain degree of normal teen angst, going Goth allows them to acknowledge and deal with that angst on the surface. Sure many people just like to wear black and listen to dark music, but the true Goth embraces the emotional support of others just like them. Even as they are rebelling, they are finding a place to belong.

So then to SteamPunk, just like Goth, it fills an emotional need to belong. What is different about SteamPunk is that it acknowledges a sense that we do not belong. The core of SteamPunk is a time that does not really exist, a time that is wrong whose elements do not belong together. That melding of past that never happened and a future not likely to exist has created a place where anyone, no matter how much of a social outcast can co-exist. It is not a depressing place like Goth can be, but rather a place of pure fantasy.

Sure, a lot of people have been adopting the SteamPunk aesthetic lately just because it is stylistically appealing. I know that I love the Victorian fashion and it doesn't hurt that my tatting fits right into that. Some people dig on the gears, leather and futurist tech, but like any trend its mainstream popularity will eventually wane. The lasting result will most likely be that when you see that goggle wearing freak on the street, you will know that she's into SteamPunk. The subculture will likely take its place beside Goth as something everyone knows about with goggles and geared jewelry featured in Hot Topic, but not something the masses will all adopt. This is of course just fine with me.

If you'd like to immerse yourself in some more SteamPunk info check out these links I've gathered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk
http://steampunkworkshop.com/
http://www.steampunk.republika.pl/arch/opedia.html
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1595812/20080929/index.jhtml
http://etsysteamteam.com/

All Better Now

Well, I fell better now, I always do after a life lesson post. So back to business then. The deadline for the tatting challenge is looming, just two weeks to go. If you're playing with me this time, don't forget to join the flickr group and get those entries up! I still have a few medallions sitting around as well, so if you're one of those people who thrives on a deadline, feel free to join us.

I have been impressed so far by the pieces created for the challenge and I'm really hoping that I get an even bigger response to the next one. No, I don't know what or when the next one will be, but feel free to let me know if you would be interested in participating in another of these challenges. My goal is to get a large exposure to tatting outside of the established tatting community. I think that the more people exposed to pieces made with tatting might actually result in more tatters and and upswing in the popularity of this unique and beautiful art form.

I think I will also take this opportunity to out the judges for the challenge. First, we have Jane Eborall, a wonderful tatter that I've had the pleasure to talk with on etsy and through her blog. Next we have Fetishghost, also know as Zygote from the Etsy Steam Team. He is an amazing ceramics artist as well as a jewelry artisan working primarily in silver. The tie breaking judge is also the original collaborator that inspired the challenge in the first place. Lily also known as Slvrlily. She's another member of the steam team, a wonderful steam punk jeweler and you may remember a fellow victim of the photo thief.

Once these wonderful people have chosen the winners, I will announce them here, at etsy, on flickr and anywhere else I have a place to post. Only with exposure can the challenge have any real impact on the popularity of tatting, so feel free to post about this challenge if you need something new to talk about. I'm certain to mention the challenge often as we get closer to the deadline but I will refrain from posting the entries until they are all listed. That's all for now, here's hoping this weekend helps me recover a little more from my vacation.

Happy Weekend

I know I usually don't write on Saturday, but I thought I'd at least leave a little eye candy for you since I am lucky enough to be featured in two treasuries right now.
















I'm also really happy with my two most recent creations so I thought I'd give you those pictures to look at as well. The one on the left is the Grand Circus Daisy. It was inspired by a Storque article on Circus couture which is described as one of the many sub-genres of Steam Punk. The one on the right is Gears of Grace. It was named by one of my steam team friends Elegant and is the first successful merging of gears and tatting. I promised I wouldn't jump on the gear bandwagon unless it looked like it belonged in the design and I think this was spot on. The design actually came about while I was trying to create a rectangular motif for another steam team member Zkitten. So, see Z, I haven't forgotten, I'm just easily distracted.
See you all on Monday when I'm certain to have something new and witty to say, if not, I promise I'll fake it.

Happy Tuesday Everybody

I was reading a list yesterday of 101 things to blog about. It had a plethora of fairly generic ideas to spur you onto blogging success including, write a post about your popular posts. So, in essence it was a suggestion for a clip show. I wonder if 65 posts is enough to pull from to make a clip show post. Well, lets see, I already made a list of my most popular posts and I imagine there are plenty of people who haven't read them because they just found my blog. Seems like it might work. Alright, tomorrow morning be ready for the TotusMel clip show.

Today, I'll just share that I've gotten 11 participants for my tatting challenge and the deadline isn't until July 31st so there is plenty of time to join in if you haven't. Part of the inspiration for the challenge was a collaboration I recently did with slvrlily from steamteam. She has finished a couple of brooches using two different medallions and I offer them up as inspiration for anyone who needs some. They are both gorgeous, but the black one is my favorite. Lucky for you I'm not judging this one!