With the end of the holidays and the coming of the new year, I regret to report that I have fallen of on my creative activities. Part of the problem is that I have yet to replace the needle on my sewing machine. The rest is largely the result of the great deal of time I have spent studying the keeping of accounts in an attempt to further myself in my personal and professional endeavors.
note: This is to be read that I am back in accountant school and that some of my classes are demanding this semester, however coming right out and saying it seems so flavorless on a blog that is attempting a steampunk flavor.
I have, however been able to keep up with a few small tidbits, mostly little projects to occupy the spare minutes. I've been playing with a few ideas of combining natural and mechanical jewelry motifs for a while, for instance the necklace pictured to the right was one of my first pieces which combines a mix of gears and flowers. I can't say that my Birds of Paradise earrings have quite the same mechanical charm, but they were designed with the similar lavish intent. In fact the beaded 'feathers' are long enough to dust the shoulders of the wearer. The hardest part about eventually re-producing something like these will be finding the metal bird pieces a second time, although I'm certain something similar could be ordered should I decide to delve into further marketing.The hardest transition for me as an artist seems to be where I should leave off making goods for my own personal use and enjoyment, and when I should begin to produce (either through mass production or individual crafting) items that could be sold. Garments will be the trickiest, since the staples of my collection so far have been things that require careful and personal fitting. Minnie had an answer for me when we last discussed it, and her suggestion was that we start things off small with things that are sure to fit everyone. Advice that seems simple enough but does not leave us with a great variety of places to begin.
The fingerless gloves, pictured to the left, are going to be our solution. The pair shown here was made by Minnie (and is pictured being modeled by her). Gloves like these are quite versatile and something that every lady should own in several different colors (dare a say one for every outfit?). I intend to start producing them with remnant lace, both new and repurposed, however I would like to move into other materials such a velvet or leather to suit ladies of every occupation. Lets be honest, some of us just don't have dainty enough jobs to wear lace every day. In future posts, please keep an eye out for an 'order me' caption placed below the picture of an item to indicate that I am indeed offering it up for sale. If no given price is obviously stated in the post, then please assume the price will be negotiated upon request or interest in the item. With any luck this will be a project to fire the imagination and I can't wait to see what we come up with.
Thank you, as always
Djinni
