Good evening! ✧✦✵🌟
So, again today, I don't have an actual tutorial, but I have some inspiration. Over the past year, I've gotten into the steampunk/Victorian sort of aesthetic, and I've made some jewelry and crafts to reflect that. I showed you my steampunk statement necklace in my
last post. So here's a few more things, and a quick rundown on how I made them. 😇
Dragon necklace
This isn't strictly "Steampunk" but it's heavier and more industrial look than I usually go for.
This is just a dragon pendant from Hobby Lobby, two lengths of handmade chain (18 gauge wire in silver and gold), and a leather string from Joann's. (And a clasp obviously!!)
I braided the chains and leather, attached the dragon at about the middle and called it good. The only problem I've had with this necklace is the chains start to slide down the leather and bunch up in the middle.
Mechanical heart charm
This charm was inspired the Lindsey Stirling song "Shatter Me". Specifically the line "Tired mechanical heart beats 'til the song disappears." So, I made a heart charm out of air drying clay, and once it was dry painted it gold all over. On the front, I glued small gears (from Hobby Lobby). On the back, I wanted it to look like the "mechanical heart" was starting to wear out and crack. I found that dragging a straight pin through the gold paint after it had dried would rip it and create an interesting texture. I thinned out some black paint with water and filled in the tears in the gold. Then, I hung it on a strip of leather and called it good. This is now one of my favorite necklaces- and one I get quite a few comments on!
Mini Victorian jewelry boxes
Both of these were intended to be steampunk at first, but as I worked I found I liked the more romantic and vintage look, so I omitted the gears and chains and what not. The first one was a jewelry box (the kind that the jewelry comes in). I didn't want to cover the beautiful gold box itself, so I decorated around it. I used gold leaf, rhinestones, lace, a lock and a key jewelry charm, and I also made paper roses based on
this tutorial. I felt I needed a centerpiece in addition to the roses, so I wrote the quote on a piece of aged paper. (If you didn't recognize the quote, it's from the Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring.)
The second box started as a setting powder container. I used mod podge, book pages, and aged paper to decoupage the whole thing; over that, I added a bit of gold leaf. Then I used buttons, jewelry charms and beads, and lace to decorate the top.
Steampunk jewelry box
THIS is what happens when I go nuts, and this was my first real steampunk project last year. I decoupaged an old body butter container with paper and book pages. I also smeared black acrylic paint around the sides to give it a sooty look. I painted the inside of the tub black, then started gluing anything and everything to the top. Buttons, gears, scraps of wires and strings, jewelry findings, and a handmade clock face. This is definitely one of my favorite projects from last year, and turned out surprisingly well considering it was a late-Sunday-afternoon-I'm-super-bored-what-do-I-do project!
I'm working on a tutorial for how to age paper right now, so keep an eye out for that.
Have a great day!!! See you around! 👻💢😉💝❤👾
