Past Pieces: Classic Necklace Picture and tutorial

 This was a tutorial I did a few years ago on a piece I redid a few years ago.  This actually was two necklaces that I redid and mixed together.  The final product took me a little over two weeks but it was worth the time.  I later sold it at my first convention.

Random Photo Wednesday !

Oh goodness I forgot this one was on my phone.  I saw this at a mall a few years back and the placement of the toys next to the cut outs cracked me up.

Favorite Author Week: Gail Carriger

A book I have been waiting months to come out recently released.  Prudence by Gail Carriger came out the other night.  The sequil/spinoff of her popular steampunk book series: Souless. 

So I thought it would be a good opportunity to begin sharing some of my favorite authors and their works, begining with Ms. Carriger.

I stumbled upon Ms. Carriger’s first book Soulless in the series by the recommendation of a friend who I ran into at the bookstore as we were discussing books.  She recommended this knowing of my love of reading and steampunk.  At the time I had been making jewelry for about a year or so and was learning as much about the steampunk culture as I could.  Book wise aside from some of the classics like HG wells and such, despite my love of reading, had been limited to art books and books on the steampunk culture itself. 

I had noticed the Soulless series before but had been hesitant to read it for a few different reasons.  One I wasn’t sure how I would like the mix of fantasy and steampunk together.  The other was the influence of vampires and werewolves into the books.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have been a big fan of werewolves and vampires since high school, (Vampire Chronicles) it’s just at the time I discovered Ms. Carriger’s works the Vampire/Werewolf revolution started by Twilight and shows like Alpha and True Blood left me a little…well burnt out.  Especially on the tragic angst filled vampire or werewolf hero with a human woman swooning over him.   But the book came recommended so I gave it a chance.  And I am so glad I did.

To start with...  There are no angsty vampires or werewolves (some angst scenes for sure but that makes it good.)  Within the world of the Soulless series vampires and werewolves instead of hiding in the shadow, live openly in society.  This creates a delightful mix of society fancy Vampires and stern, gruff werewolves who work in the military and police, and one awesome lead female.   The series revolves around Alexia Tarrabotti an Englishwoman born with an interesting condition: She has no soul.  This gives her power to render a supernatural creature temporarily human at her touch.  She gets into all sorts of scrapes aided by the stubborn and occasionally loud Lord Maccon (One Word: Scottish Wearwolf.)  All while trying to maintain a good face in English Society and to be home by teatime. The moment that Alexia first spoke in the book admonishing a Vampire for attempting to bite her before they have been properly introduced, I knew that I was going to like her.  Alexia is the type of no-nonsense, stubborn, treacle tart loving woman with parasol swinging skills that I one day hope to have.   I purchased the rest of the series (All five books were already out by then thankfully.)  And finished them within a little less than two weeks.  The problem with it that being that it left me hungry for more.  Happily, little while later I discovered that Ms. Carriger had another series out in the Young Adult section.  

The funny part about finding the second series is that I didn’t notice the author’s name when I first picked it up.  I had finished the Soulless series almost a year prior and hadn’t noticed any news about another series.   The Soulless series also was in the adult sci-fi section so I was not expecting to see any work of hers in the Young Adult.  I also have the bad habit of not looking at the author’s name right away.  It was the title that caught my attention.  Etiquette and Espionage.  Upon reading the synopsis I was interested enough to take it home and give it a try.  This particular series follows Sorophina as she attends finishing school upon Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy.  What makes this series so interesting is that along with learning how to curtsy and pour the proper cup of tea they are also learning the art of how to properly assassinate one without mussing one’s gown or hair.  As I read the first few chapters I began to feel that the style of writing as well as the world that the book seemed to be located was familiar.  Werewolves and vampires mixed into society, steampunk gadgetry and strong minded Englishwomen brought back an air of familiarity.  It wasn’t until Sarophina is greeted by one Elder Madam Lefoux (whose niece plays a heavy roll in the Soulless series) my suspicions were confirmed and I looked at the author’s name.  I hit google and sure enough not only did the books have the same author, the Finishing School Series was a prequel.  Taking place twenty years before Soulless.  Despite being a prequel however this series tells its own separate story outside of the Soulless story line.  This creates an entirely new story while putting in enough cameos of familiar characters to make me happy.  Especially when one of my favorite characters shows up in the second book.

Ms. Carriger’s books are a wonderful mix in humor, adventure, strong female leads, steampunk, food, zany adventures, mad scientists, secret societies, gossip, flamboyant vampires, Scottish werewolves, (I know I’ve already pointed it out but it’s worth pointing out) dirigibles, tea and parasols with weapons in them.  Everything a girl could want.

And if that wasn’t enough there is Ms. Carriger herself.  You get a good idea of her personality by reading her biograph.  

“New York Times Bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London. Gail's books are published in over a dozen different languages. She has received the Prix Julia Verlanger and the Elbakin Award from French readers.”

If that’s not enough to convince you of what a wonderful and unique person she is then just head over to her blog here. There she gives you dose of daily Parasol and everyday steampunk tips.  I look forward to any updates on her blog or twitter. 

Ms. Carriger has captured my imagination with her series and shot to the top of the list as one of my favorite authors.  I look forward to the day that I will have the opportunity to meet Ms. Carriger so I can shake her hand and thank her for recruiting me into the Parasol Protectorate.

Photo Sources:

1.) http://www.gailcarriger.com/images/books/PPA1Prudence/PrudenceCover.jpg

2.)"Soulless by Gail Carriger 1st edition cover" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Soulless_by_Gail_Carriger_1st_edition_cover.png#/media

/File:Soulless_by_Gail_Carriger_1st_edition_cover.png 

3.)http://www.gailcarriger.com/images/home/gailphoto.png

4.) http://www.gailcarriger.com/images/books/FS1Etiquette/FS1ARCcovermed.jpg

Random Photo Wednesday

Today's random photo: Snakes on a plane.  These were added to all of the airport signs not too long after the movie came out and the city has yet to change them.  And I mean they were added to ALL the signs.  I thought it was pretty funny.

Lazy Blog

So today I had a bit of a busy day and carpel tunnel is acting up, so today is going to be a bit of a lazy blog I'm afraid.  I'll try to post a longer one tomorrow on top of random photo Wednesday but until then I can at least give you some pictures of my latest pieces on etsy which just came on sale tonight including: Eyepatches!!!  

All of these pieces are available for sale on etsy and there will be more soon to come.  Until then.  Enjoy!

etsy.com/FaybirdsFinds/shop

I Had A Bad Morning Yesterday

Yesterday I had a bad morning.  It started out simple enough with me going to cut my hair.  We were having a surprise party for my dad later that day and I had a plan all set out.  I would go to my normal beauty shop Fantastic Sams around ten or eleven get my hair done, spend some time with my fiance Robert before leaving to go to my grandparents house where the party would be.  As you can guess things did not go as planned.  The first hitch in the plan was my not realizing that Fantastic Sam's closed on Sunday.  No big deal.  I could run up to the mall.  There were a few hair places there I'm sure one would be open.  Well I got there and neither was open however the first place I stopped by had a sign that they would be open at noon.  That would be fine I would still have time to cut my hair and be on time for the party there would just be a little less time to spend with Robert.  So I stroll over to the Starbucks in the mall which was nearby to kill some time over coffee and a pastry.  At this time I begin texting back and forth with my best friend who is also having a rough morning (I'd rather not go into details for her privacy.)  enough that I am getting slightly anxious for her.  Noon comes around so I get up and go back to the shop...its still not open.  I see another lady waiting as well.  I decide to give it a few minutes to see if maybe they are still doing set up or perhapse a team meeting that went a bit over.  After about five minutes I look over at the other lady waiting, we lock eyes and she points at her watch and shrugs.  I shrug back thinking I am glad that I don't have an appointment.  We can see a person moving around in the back but she never comes forward to let us know it'll be a moment or to open so we can come in and sit.  At 12:15 I am done waiting and walk over to the other shop in the mall which has their doors open at least.  There was a 30 minute wait before me but they were all military gentlemen so the lady told me it may take less time.  I was slightly concerned because I was not sure how long it would take to cut my hair but decided to chance it and sat down to wait now stressed and slight anxiety turning into heavy anxiety.  I took out my skratch pad I always keep on my for jewelry ideas and began to scribble. (A stress reliever for me) 

Finally my name was called and a sweet lady named Jasmine sat me down.  That is where things began to turn around.  She and I had a fun conversation that started with her asking about my sketch pad and if I liked art.  We talked about disney, food, family and all sorts of things as she washed and styled my hair.  (I swear she had magic hands.) I soon began to feel better and calm.  We were done with enough time to meet up with Robert and drive to the party where I spend the rest of the day celebrating with family.  My father was pleasantly surprised. We had cake, I played with my two year old niece and nephew Cal and Lux and played pass the baby with Lux's new two week old sister Veda.   Later on that evening I made Robert some lasagna and he set up World of Warcraft on my computer so we could play together. (For the Horde!!!)  

So yes I had a very bad morning.  But the good thing about that bad morning is that it turned into a wonderful day.  It was a nice little reminder for when you go though bad times that they will eventually get better.  And those bad times help you appreciate the better all the more.  Whether it is a bad morning or a bad year.  Just remember that something good is coming. 

Past Pieces: Feathered Skeleton Key

Another older piece of mine.  One of the first I've ever made in fact. That's right folks this is the one that started it all. (Apologies for the less than quality picture.  I did not have the best quality camera at the time.)  I may have mentioned this earlier but the reason I began making jewelry in the first place was because I began to fall in love with the Steampunk style a few years ago.  However at the time steampunk had not reached the revolution and popularity that it celebrates today.  As a result steampunk type jewelry was not easy to find.  The only places I could find anything similar was online for a price.  So I decided I would give making my own necklace a try.  I had done very little jewelry making before that, although my mother had been making and selling beaded jewelry at work for a year now.  My first necklace as you can see was very simple and easy.  I simply took apart an earring that had lost its mate and attached it to an old skeleton key I had convinced my Mamaw to give me when I was a little girl.  (My pack rat nature and fascination with the old fashioned showing even then.)  I then attached a cord to the necklace and it was done.  (Simple I know but like I said this was my very first piece.) I then realized that I liked making jewelry and continued to do so.  My mother soon convinced me to try selling some of my extra pieces at the market where she sold hers and a few years later I sold at my first con.  Soon I was learning different techniques like wire wrap and resin alchemy.    And I've even branched outside of jewelry by making goggles, hats and most recently eye patches and cyborg eyes.  A single necklace made to imitate something I kept finding online has opened up a new world for me.  A necklace that I keep to this very day and still wear.

etsy.com/FaybirdsFinds/shop

Random Photo Wednesday

Today’s photo for Random Photo Wendsday I give you a dog on a horse.  This was taken from my last trip to Nashville a few years ago with my mother for the Country Music Festival and I recently rediscovered it when I was going through one of my older memory cards for my camera.  Downtown Nashville had many of these horse and carriages around at night and one year we even rode in one when we traveled up there for my 21st birthday (When I may or may not have danced on the bar at Tootsies Orchid Lounge)  But this was the only one I saw that had a dog so naturally a picture had to be taken.  Sadly the name of the Dog or of the horse has been lost to the ages but I’d like to believe that their friendship still lives on.  Even if only in our memories.

Exciting News all!!   Last week I did something I have wanted to do for a while.  I took part of my profits from the recent Pensacon and invested it in a sweet Nikon camera.  Up until recently I have been taking pictures using my phone, adjusting the lighting via photoshop (neither me, my fiancé or photography friends could figue out how to turn the auto dim on my phonecamera) and regular crying in corners sobbing “I just want the pictures to look nice.”  (Really, it became a tradition almost.)  I managed to get decent quality photos but not to the one’s I liked.  So I decided to invest and do some research and managed to order a camera that would have all my basic needs.  I received it on Friday and after some power charging, playing with the controls (can you say selfie?) and just a bit more sobbing in the corner while I tried to figure out how to adjust the brightness (what can I say old habits die hard)  I now have the first series of pictures of some of my older as well as a few of my newer pieces.  

Come on new camera?  If course it's selfi time.

Most of these I’ll be posting on etsy and on my Tumblr as well but here are a few of the newer pictures.  All of which are now available for sale on here  I am more than excited with my new toy and plan to have lots of fun learning to take better and better pictures.  (Any critics and advice is more than welcome.)  I plan on posting most of them here as well so you can follow my progress.  

Past Favorites: Part 1

Hello there bloggers!  Still getting my blogging legs done so I thought that I would start out with a few getting to know me articles.  And since the main focus of my blog is about promoting my jewelry I thought I would begin by sharing a few of my favorite pieces I've made in the past.  I'm going to start out small with just three pieces to begin with a single piece every week or a top ten list of pieces either I've either made or are from my personal collection or that I desire with every fiber of my being to own or even a collection of vintage pieces.  Please let me know what you would like to see.  And with out further adieu lets get started.  

 Rose Winged Necklace

This one was a bit of a collaboration between me and another friend of mine as a gift for another friend of ours.  She came to me with the rose cameo and the gold heart and asked me to convert it into a necklace for our friend who loves all manner of pretty girly things.  It was a bit of a challenge at first because I wanted the rose to add to it without taking away from the centerpiece.  I came across these wings at a craft store a while ago and thought that it matched well with the gold of the heart pendent which I attached the rose cameo to.  The shell base came from a stack of colored shells that I was given.  (A good deal of what I use to make jewelry I either find, take apart or is given to me.)  The light pink of the shell was just enough to make the pink of the flowers stand pop out and added as a nice base I could attach the wings too.  I'm happy to say our friend loved this piece and still owns it today.  This was a fun pendant to do because of the challenge it presented and because of the opportunity to make not only one but two friends happy.  Making it one of my favorite pieces out of the many I have made.

Please comment and stop by my shop.  I'd love to hear from your and what you would like to know about me or my jewelry.

etsy.com/shop/FaybirdsFinds

Hello There!

Hello there.  My name is Fay.  I am a jewelry maker and lover of jewelry, Steampunk, tea, art and many many more things.  I am also a member of my towns local costumer guild and work full time as an electronic service representative for a credit union. I created this blog to both promote my growing jewelry business as well as share many of the things that I love.  I hope that you will find it enjoyable and follow along on this journey.

To start out I thought I'd begin with how I fell into Steampunk and started making jewelry:

Art has always been a big impact in my life.  As far back as I can remember I was learning to paint, draw, play with clay, beads or any kind of craft.  My Papa taught me to paint with acrylic and always had a drawer full of paints, pastells, crayons that I could express myself with.  I often received sketchbooks and paints and art kits as Christmas or Birthday gifts from my parents.  My mother also taught me to crochet and crosstitch just as my Mamaw had taught her.  My favorite kind of crafts were the ones that let me create something out of the simplest unwanted items and making them into something new and wonderful.  Possibly influencing my pack rat nature.

  When I wasn't doing art I was dressing up.  My mother said my favorite game when I was a child was playing pretend and wearing crowns and hand me down dresses that became beautiful ballgowns that I attended imaginary balls in.  My favorite part of dance class was the day that our costumes came in and I got to see all of the lovely outfits that came in.  My second favorite part was dress rehearsal and performance day when we got to wear these beautiful dresses and put on thick stage makeup.  Ballet also revealed to me one of my biggest influences: Miss Susan.  She was one of the dance teachers and everyday she came in long flowing skirts, beautiful antique tops that looked like something out of a history book, cameo's and flowered laced hats.  I was amazed.  I had thought that dress up was something that I could only do at home or for special occasions.  That it was a luxury I would have to give up when I grew older. And yet here she was, an adult wearing these beautiful outfits everyday that I thought could only be worn in movies or stories!  I wanted to be Miss Susan.  I wanted to wear pretty vintage clothes everyday and feel like a lady.  A goal that just recently I have begun to accomplish.

 My first experience selling something I made was when I was in high school and I sold some mosaic boxes I had made at our school art festival.  I loved the atmosphere of selling outside along other vendors.  After a while though I had to give up my boxes because college and work took up my live leaving me with little free time to work on these boxes that were just taking up space in my room. It wasn't until many years later that I discovered Steampunk and decided that I wanted to make some of the jewelry so I could wear it myself.  I was starting to slow down in work and school and jewelry was small enough I could take it with me to work on in spare time. After a while my mother, who had been selling beaded necklaces for years, insisted that I put a few of my pieces on her table to sell when she went to sell at a local craft market in town.  Before I knew it I was scrambling to keep the booth stocked and learning as many new techniques as I could.  It was after my mother moved to Tampa that I took over the booth at the market and creating my own official business soon expanding to an etsy sight and selling at a local craft store.

Then last year in 2014 out town decided to host Pensacon.  A comic and scifi convention that would be held in our local civic center.  The price of the booths were much more than my market booths had ever cost.  I was conflicted.  On one hand it was more money than I had ever invested and I had no clue how my jewelry would sell.  But on the other hand the convention promised to draw in a large crowd (including a large group of steampunks) and was something I had always wanted to try.  So I took a gamble, purchased a booth and asked my friend Kenzey if she wanted to help me run it in exchange for a free Con ticket.   It opened up a new world for me.  Not only did I sell enough to pay off the booth and make profit.  I met many wonderful people from fellow Steampunkers to vendors to groups like the Pensacola Costumer's Guild of who I am now a member.  I had a blast and made many new friends at the same time. (and a little money too.)

And now a year later with the support of my friend's family and fiance I have just completed my fourth convention and second year at Pensacon.  I am still selling at the local market and shops as well.  I have also expanded my merchandise to include toy wands, bottles, goggles and hats.  My friend Kenzey who attended my first con with me now makes super hero aprons and our friend Tess Barnett has joinded us for our last two conventions to promote her books.    I am still only just beginning this journey but I cannot wait to share all of the wonderful times to be had.

etsy.com/shop/FaybirdsFinds