Cosmos Jewlery part one: Galaxy Choker

This is part one of a more intricate piece coming up next week for a piece inspired by the miniseries Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.  I'm a science fangirl and was eagerly anticipating the new show, which didn't disappoint.  It was a good follow-up to the original series by Carl Sagan.  Both filled me with a sense of childlike wonder at the amazing complexity of the world and universe we find ourselves in.

It inspired me to sculpt the Spaceship of the Imagination.  I began with sculpey and a marble, but sculpey is soft enough after baking that I don't trust it as a jewelry piece.  Plastic should be much more sturdy, so this little guy is currently sitting in a homemade silicone mold that's curing.

I wanted a statement piece to go along with this and so to go along with the theme of the show.  At SoonerCon, I found and bought an amazing steampunk choker that was made from an old belt.  I thought that was a great idea and went on a shopping spree a nearby Goodwill.

Supplies

• Skinny belt
• Scissors
• Acrylic paint in black, white, blue, purple, red, and yellow
• sponge (I'm using a latex makeup sponge)
• small (size 0) paintbrush or a toothbrush, toothbpick, or dotting tool
• Leather Punch or awl
• Mod Podge or other sealant
• Chain, jump rings, and jewelry clasp (if not keeping the belt buckle)

The brand of paint you use isn't important, nor are the colors.  If you look at images from the Hubble telescope, you'll see just about every color imaginable in there.  

(yes, the images are enhanced and show details not visible to the human eye.)

"What the hell am I going to do with this thing?"

This week's project is inspired by a visit to Dallas Makerspace where I made a heart in their blacksmithing class.  I posted it on Facebook and my aunt asked me what I was going to do with it.  Instead of this being a tutorial, this is more the process that I went through making this piece.  

What AM I going to do with this thing?

I wanted to make it into some sort of wall art, and started playing around with the idea of making something similar to a dream catcher.  I liked the rustic feel of the hammered metal and I wanted to keep with that look.  I used hemp cord, wooden beads, and cast resin keys and locks to make this piece.

Making the Heart

Dallas Makerspace is one of over 100 workshops/studios that are available to the public.  They offer classes, sometimes with a nominal fee, and members have access the fun tools and experts to make sure they are used responsibly.  It's a relatively new phenomenon, but is growing.  I'll be taking more classes there!

Most of us had never done any sort of blacksmithing before.  Our instructors helped us hammer the ends of the rod we'd been giving into points, folding the metal in half, and curving the pointed ends until we ended up with a heart.  

Some people did complex, swirly hearts.  Others, like me, did simple shapes that I tried to just make as perfect as I could.  In the end, I am really happy with my first foray into blacksmithing.  That was definitely the most fun I've ever had while getting serious burns.

Elfquest shoes

Elfquest is the story of Cutter and his tribe of Wolfriders as they discover their world is much bigger than they ever imagined after a fire destroys the forest they call home.  This comic series, by Wendy and Richard Pini, began in 1978.  Elfquest: The Final quest began in 2012.  There are so many things I love about this series.  I love seeing male characters be strong, brave and completely in love with their mate(s), children, and friends.  I love seeing strong, intelligent female characters who don't wait for a man to save them.  I love that Cutter's daughter Ember is tough, hard-headed, and a born leader and her twin brother Suntop is gentle and tender and loved as much as his sister.

Oh, then there's the art.  Wendy's ability to tell a story with her drawings alone are wonderful.  I had so much fun wandering through the old edition and finding all of those little bits of background foreshadowing and humor.  

Elfquest was the reason I began to draw in earnest in middle school.  It was the spark, guided by my mother, that led me to create my first world with my friends, a planet named M'aarth.  Elfquest was where we drew all of our inspiration.  Amber and I did most of the drawing, though I think just about everyone tried their hand at emulating Wendy Pini's style.  I found some very dear friends because of that world, people who will always have a very special place in my heart.

I found a tutorial on YouTube on how to a decoupage comic book shoe, which inspired me to do an Elfquest-inspired one. This is one of my favorite projects to date and I've gotten several compliments on them.  

Metallic Lace Manicure Tutorial

I'm in the middle of working on a pair of decoupage shoes using images from one of my favorite comics when I was a child.  Since they're not done yet, it's nail art time!

This was the manicure that I had for SoonerCon, so since I was doing the steampunk thing, I thought I'd go with a nice metallic nail and I'm a sucker for "complicated" nail designs.

This one is a pretty easy one once it's broken down step-by-step.  It looks best with contrast between the colors.  You could do a contrast with light and dark, or even actual contrasting colors on the color wheel.  If you're not familiar with the color wheel or color theory, it's a very useful tool for helping to pick out colors for many arts and crafts.  

This technique isn't mine.  I can't remember where I ran across it the first time as it was several months ago. It's a variation on the no-tools cloud manicure, which is also an adorable look without all the extra dots.

However, dots make your nail art look much more complicated than it actually is.  

Tools 

• Base coat
• Nail polish colors:  Shown here is Pure Ice in "Silver Mercedes", "Magic", and "Bite Me" and Maybelline Color Show in "Bold Gold"
• Dotting tool: I used both a large and small diameter dotting tool.  If you don't have this particular tool, a toothpick will make the small dots and an old ballpoint pen will do for the larger dots.
• Palette
• Top coat

SoonerCon report

SoonerCon is over and I've done the Nap of the Chronically Fatigued.  Costume Contests were entered, dancing was done, and sales were made at Mom's table.  All in all, it was a lot of fun and I'll be doing more cons and contests in the general area.  I made new friends and got way too many ideas.  It's hit my "creativity reset" button and I'm ready to get a-crackin' on more cool projects.

Mom has been going to SF/Fantasy cons since before I was born when she got into Star Trek fandom in the 70's.  She started taking me along to local cons when I was a child where I'd help out at the table.  She sold comics and graphic novels and over the years has moved into nonfiction books, short stories, and lately, science.  I stopped going in my 20's when life stopped for a while while I dealt with the aftermath of abusive relationships, endometriosis and a hysterectomy, a fibromyalgia diagnosis, and the devastating depression that came afterwards.

None of this stopped Mom from offering me invitations whenever there was a local convention.  She'd never push, just put the invitation out there and hope I'd be there.  If I went, she'd always gush about how happy she was that I was there and how much fun she had hanging out with me at cons.  It was a point of light in a dark time in my life and a much-needed reminder that I was special and worthwhile, if only to her.

I won the lottery in the Mom department.  Dad's also awesome, and I am one lucky kid to have them.

Kitsune Preview!

SoonerCon is at the end of this month, and I've been working since February to get this costume together from thrifted and crafted pieces.  This is the first time I've created a character and costume from scratch from a crazy idea that I wanted to make a realistic fox tail out of yarn.

Yep, I'm a masochist.

I think it's turned out beautifully.  I will definitely participate in the costume contest, but I don't think it's worthy of winning any awards. I've never participated in the Masquerade at any con I've been to and I'm not quite sure what to expect.  It should be an adventure and getting me out of my comfort zone is always a good thing.  I'm not sure if I'll have to have a performance or not, so I'm preparing one just in case.

Corset Inspired belt

"I swear, I'm sotally tober, Ocisfer."

I've always wanted to make my own clothes. I have Project Runway fantasies and a reality that looks like a PSA against drinking and sewing. Just ONCE I'd like to be able to cut a straight line. Maybe it's because I use scissors right-handed and I'm a leftie. Maybe it's the astigmatism. Maybe it's none of this and people who can cut straight lines are robots.

I took an apparel class in high school and did a dress as a class project. I hated mine by the end of the only day I wore it. I made one skirt on my own and it was equally terrible.  Both pieces ended up in the back of my closet to fester and die. I wish my instructor would have taken the time to have us all get the proper size based on our measurements. Instead, we went with the clothing size we thought (or wished) we were and I don't think anyone in the class came up with an attractive dress. If you've never sewn from a pattern, your off-the-rack size and pattern size aren't the same, as if vanity sizing wasn't confusing enough. I wear a 16-22 depending on the clothing manufacturer and I'm around a 24W in sewing pattern sizes. It's a blow to the ego at first, but fit is more important than a number on a tag.

Ben bought me a Brother sewing machine for Christmas in 2013 after he'd asked for some alteration to his clothes and I'd give him the same response: "Sure, if I had a sewing machine."  Ben took this to heart and got this amazing gift for me and I was so excited! I could finally do the tailoring to my clothes that I always wanted but could never seem to part with the money. Now for the fun part: learning how to use the dag-blasted machine which I have just named Mano. Why Mano? Because it's Spanish for "hand" and slang for "brother" and I'm a dorky Texan.