Thrifted steampunk display cloche

Steampunk appears to be taking over the world. I love the historical/literature aspect of it and it happens to go with my decor so lucky me! I created this display for around $2.50 using thrifted and already-on-hand goods.


It all started with that glass light fixture globe I bought at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It cost me a whole dollar! Gasp! ;) (read about it here)
Then I added my ten cent garage sale candlestick, spray painted oil-rubbed bronze (read about it here).
Next came the lid off a spaghetti sauce jar, spray painted black, an ornate key my brother found me at a flea market, a spool of pretty ribbon and a twig from the yard.

I needed the lid to create a little "stage" inside my display dome. I first made sure it would fit inside comfortably, painted it, and then (after letting it dry of course) used a huge nail and a hammer to poke a hole in the center.


This will hold my twig. Kindof ignore this twig because it didn't work and I ended up using one off the apple tree instead. I could have fashioned something out of wire, but I really wanted that natural element in there.


Those things go on the even bigger stage of the candlestick. The jar lid helps get my display above those threads along the bottom of the glass dome.


Balancing the key on a nubby off the twig...


And then I had to cut some off the top and it left a bald spot which I covered with this little brass gear.


I have a few thousand old dictionary pages from a falling apart dictionary. This page had a tear in it, so I cut out a rectangle and slid it into the back to create some depth and interest. Then I cut a length of ribbon and tied it around the bottom of the globe to cover the threads of where the globe would normally go into a light fixture.


Et voilà. It goes right with my entryway autumn/Halloween display!



If you're interested in adding steampunk elements to your home, I enjoy the posts at The Steampunk Home.



Linking to:

House of Grace's Twice Owned Tuesday

The Shabby Chic Cottage's Transformation Thursday

Clockwork Heart

Do you ever clean out your blog photo folders and go, heyyyyy I never posted that.
That's what I was doing this morning. :)

Clockwork Heart is actually the title of a book by Dru Pagliasotti (click here to visit the link on amazon) that my friend Megan got me for my birthday. I haven't read much in the "steampunk" genre unless you count the classical stuff (i.e. Jules Verne, etc.) but I liked the book!

Clockwork Heart is also the name of a necklace I made, but I already sold it to a very nice person on etsy. By the way, my etsy shop is finally open again since I'm back from vacation.

In any case, that title can also be used for an ornament I made, took photos of, intended to post, and never did. ;)

I bought the glass heart for twenty-five cents at Spencer's Alley. I cut a piece of scrapbook paper in an aged paper look with script print small enough to lay flat against the back of the heart. Trying to glue stiff paper around a curve is not advisable, hence the small heart. All it really needed to do was add a bit of interest to the background.


I adhered a vintage clock gear to the front using E6000. A little glass gem glued into the center gives it some sparkle and fills in an empty hole.

With a pair of jumprings I attached a clock hand to the top and bent the tip to make a hook.

A little beauty, a little industrial...now if only I could make it fly or something....

Linking to:

Upcycled Yarn Holder

There are new shinies in the shop!


Be sure to check out the other projects for Trash to Treasure Tuesday over at Reinvented!

This project







To warn you this post is a little lengthy because there were so many steps involved.

With drying times (and several other things going on), this project took me two days.

A few months ago my friend Judy handed me an empty oatmeal container and asked, "Can you make me a steampunk yarn holder out of this?"

She'd just given me a ton of gorgeous beads so how could I not want to reciprocate and do something nice for her? Since then, the container has been staring at me from my floor while I pondered the materials I would use to transform it. This weekend, it all came together.

To thoroughly cover the original container design, I used a scrap of white, paintable wallpaper. Wallpaper? Yep! Kimm gave me the idea - check this out.

I traced my container onto the back of the wallpaper with a pencil and carefully cut out the size I would need.

Using regular white glue, I poured a lot on the back of the wallpaper. I probably could have used water to moisten the pre-glued wallpaper, but considering I am applying this to cardboard, I didn't think that would be a good idea.

Once the glue was spread I carefully lined up my container and rolled it along, pressing firmly to make sure there were no bubbles. Once it was on, I walked away and let it dry for a few hours.

When I was sure the glue was dry under the wallpaper I took a razor knife and trimmed the excess paper around the plastic area where the lid goes. If you don't do this, your lid won't snap shut properly.

Then I made a wash (part paint, part water) out of two colors of acrylic craft paint - burnt umber and metallic gold. I only used a few drops of the gold paint since I wanted a subtle sheen. I applied the wash with a large brush and let the first coat dry. Then I came back and brushed on a second, heavier coat, blotting at it with a paper towel to leave some places a little darker and to make the design have more depth and a more aged look.

I then let the whole thing dry overnight.

Though glued, painted, and dried, the wallpaper is still a bit fragile and I applied two coats of spray can clear sealant to protect it.

Now for the lid! I have a great piece of scrapbook paper that looks like leather so I traced the lid onto the back of the paper, cut it out, and mod podge'd it onto the top of the lid.

Once the glue was dry I gave it two coats of clear sealant as well.

Now for the embellishments! Steampunk style, being inspired by Victoriana is meant to be functional but gorgeous and detailed at the same time. This in mind, I dug out the trims and tacks. The points on the tacks were too long - they would have poked all the way through the container, so using some heavy duty wire cutters, I snipped the sharp bits off and dug out the glue gun.

I applied my embellishments to places where they could be functional as well - such as added reinforcement to hold down the seams. All the embellishments were hot glued.

Then I cut a hole through the lid using a razor knife so that the yarn can come through and the container doesn't have to be open. I would have liked to put a gromet there, but I didn't have any. *sad face*

And just for fun I added "knit" and "purl" with stickers that look like old tyepwriter keys.

Take a look at the finished product:

It's also a good idea to take a lightly damp cloth to the interior of the container to remove any oatmeal dust left in there.

Technically there is nothing steam powered about this, but it does have a "period piece" look to it, right?

If you decide to make your own oatmeal container yarn holder, be sure that, whatever materials you use to cover it, they are sealed, protected and functional. And most importantly - let your imagination go wild!

Blending in unsightly storage

Ever wish you had something other than what you had? (Who am I kidding?)

I've been recently motivated to clean and organize by some posts at maya*made - and things are looking much better! Problem is, I find myself wanting things I don't have available to me. *shakes finger at self*

Like when I took a look at my cat food storage.

Blahhhhhh.

Functional, sure! But does it have to stick out like a sore thumb and be so....ugly?

Well actually, no it doesn't!

Now I have motivation from maya*made and inspiration from The Steampunk Home (where they bring innovation and Victoriana into the 21st century) - how to apply that to modern plastic?...

I have tons of acrylic craft paint at my disposal as well as tons of wrinkled and crinkled tissue paper left over from Christmas, so I gathered those items and set to changing my storage from sterile to steampunk.

Using decoupage glue I tore the super-wrinkled tissue paper into workable pieces and glued them haphazardly onto the container in layers. Overlap? Who cares! Bubbles and wrinkles? Who cares! It will look better with those "flaws" in the long run.

While I waited for that to dry I took the lid outside and masked off the handle and side flaps which lock the lid in place. Then I painted the lid with my little can of gold spraypaint which amazingle still had some left after...two, three? projects I've already used it on recently. Once that was dry I dug out some bronze metallic craft paint and sponged it over the gold to add a patina. Once both layers were dry I applied a clear coat sealant making sure all the while that none of this paint gets onto the inside of the container (it is going to be food storage after all).

With the bottom half dry I mixed Burnt Umber and the metallic bronze acrylic paint and sponged onto the lid using a wet sponge. The wet sponge will allow a little more movement to the paint and a lot less thickness. If it doesn't come out as dark as you like (like mine did at first) simply apply another coat!

I also applied a layer of clear sealant to the bottom - it is just paper after all.

The finished product blends in nicely with the existing decor and is still just as functional as it was previously.

It's still lacking a little steampunk style though, so I'm toying with the idea of adding some brass "tacks" or some kind of decorative flourish to add a little elegance. We'll see!

Making old stuff look even older

Usually people are all about the shiny and new and we know how I love a bit o' shine, but I am actually quite the fan of old junk...I mean...collectibles.

Vintage, distressed, shabby chic, what have you, I'll probably love it. However that is usually the last thing people want in a cell phone.

My cell phone is already considered "old" simply because it doesn't have so many features that even basic models now have. However! Mine has flashing lights when it rings that make me feel like I'm playing pinball and I love it. I am easily amused, what can I say?

My last two phones have been hand-me-downs from my friend Karen without whom I probably wouldn't even have a cell phone at all. *applause for Karen if you please* With the current phone I now have she also provided me with a cute new cover and side bumpers so that the phone would look all shiny and new for me. That was two years ago.

Once I got into the idea that a person could make steampunk style for everyday objects I desperately wanted to try it. [I can't decide what I like the most about steampunk - the stylistic aspect, the literary aspect or the historical aspect.] And if you are completely confused and don't even understand the terminology I'm throwing about willy-nilly, please see this earlier post.

Thankfully because my cell phone is oh-so-aged it is also quite easy to disassemble. Two pieces make up the front and back and rubbery plastic see-through bumpers on the sides also come off.

Before painting (or disassembling for that matter) I checked to see which nooks and crannies would be adversely affected by a layer of paint. These areas, like the camera phone lens opening and front screen lens opening as well as a back side button which disengages the case so you can get into your phone's inner workings, I taped off with painter's tape. All the insides of the phone as well as the keypad I put to the side in a safe and dry location.

To steampunk the phone I bought two mini cans of spray paint, one in gold and one in copper (I couldn't find a brass color at the store I was in). First layering on a thin, even coat of gold and allowing to dry and then a thin, even layer of copper. Because of the very smooth and plastic surface you have to take care that you are making thin coats so your paint won't fish-eye. Using a spray paint specifically formulated for plastic would be best, if you can find it in the color you need.

I did have to paint about four layers on both the front and back pieces, making sure to get all sides and little nooks and crannies. Once the paint was on, I layed out in pattern a set of art-nouveau style stickers in gold that I had found at the craft store. Then I carefully removed their backing and applied them, then spraying three layers of sealant allowing each to dry between times. When I was done with the painting, sticker application and sealant I left the pieces alone for a few days to make sure everything was cured.

During the "waiting time" I took the plastic side bumpers and traced around them onto a piece of muslin fabric leaving a little excess just in case. The natural tones of the fabric and the thickness (or rather lack thereof) would both fit with the steampunk style and still allow my beloved flashing lights to show through (feel free to roll your eyes at me).

The color of the muslin wasn't quite dark enough for my taste so I poured a cup of coffee and soaked my pieces in it for several hours. I removed them from the coffee, rinsed, dried and ironed the pieces. Using some tacky glue I applied the fabric like you would upholster something - tucking in the edges and corners. Once they were dry everything was ready for reassembly! Hopefully if you tackle a project like this you won't forget how it all goes back together in the time it takes you to make over all the pieces.

It could certainly be more steampunk style, but it was a first project and got me over being scared to try it - and it didn't turn out too bad!

Steampunkery

If you've never heard the term "steampunk" you're probably making the face that I made when I first heard it: one eyebrow raised in quizzical wonderment. When I realized it was a newish term to describe something I'd always found so fascinating I got all excited. THEN I found out that people were crafting all kinds of shiny goodies to embody the spirit of steampunk. I am constantly being inspired by other artists to incorporate new materials into my jewelry-making and clock gears became next on the list. Lucky for me my cousin Mario used to repair clocks and watches and has drawers full of leftover parts. He let me dig around in his shop and I got very dirty, but inspired. The results:
































I ended up keeping this last necklace for myself! Partly because I needed it to wear at Halloween and partly because I knew I could do a better job next time. I do have your best interest at heart!




What was fun about Halloween (I mean besides the adorable kids that came to the door) was that I got to wear my great uncle Heinz's top hat from wayyyyyy back when. He was a magician and I'm not sure if he used this particular hat in any routines but there are a few clues that lead me to believe so.







The Steampunk Workshop will provide you with some steampunk inspiration of your own. JLH Jewelry sells some great steampunk pieces as well as plenty of other beautifully crafted wearable art. I've bought a couple of things from Jen that I just love!