A few weekends ago I participated in the Gardens and Gears Steampunk Faire at the Mitchell Park Domes. Attendance was double what it was last year, and I had such a good time!
In preparation for the show, I stitched up a few of my designs in what I thought were "steampunk-y" colors.
Here's my SDN15 - Dino-spine bracelet in colors I don't think I would have picked out. My friend Amy suggested them, and I think they look really nice.
Here's the other side:
I've had a lot of fun playing with the new Pip beads in my Double Decker Daisy bracelet. I'm even considering changing some of my kits to have Pips instead of dagger beads. For the first time, I experimented with colors not usually associated with flowers to give it a more industrial look:
One highlight of the show was this well-dressed man:
(I have to say he was "well-dressed" instead of "hot" so my husband won't get jealous)
It's a little hard to see, but he's wearing one of my inked vintage dragon dominoes on his fob chain. He had quite a hard time deciding which one he wanted and how he would wear it. I almost did a rush job to make a pin for him so he could wear it to an event the following weekend, but then he realized it would look great on the chain!
Here's a closer look at one of the inked dragon dominoes:
My dad found them at an antique store, and I'm so glad he did! They are very popular.
The weekend following the Gardens and Gears Steampunk Faire was the annual Spring Retreat held by the Loose Bead Society. It was a great weekend of beading, eating, laughing, shopping at Funky Hannah's, beading, and eating. I would say it was relaxing, but I stayed up far too late and got up far too early. I blame Amy. My number of hours slept at a retreat has decreased dramatically since she started coming a few years ago, and I don't regret a single yawn.
I was finally able to finish a few projects that have been languishing, but I also completed a few smaller projects.
Here's the completed teal SDN15 - Intertwined Pyramids that I'm teaching at the Bead&Button Show this June:
I had considered making it big enough for my mutantly-large wrist, but I decided against it. Although the color is pretty, I only have one top I can wear it with (not counting black or white). I have a lovely RED (I type it like that because it's so red it screams at you), and I'm going to make another bracelet with those and black seed beads to fit me. I have a few red tops, and it'll look great with a black one. I'm also going to make earrings.
The Society's President-Elect, Katy Hess, pulled me aside during the retreat to show me these earrings:
At the Milwaukee Bead Show, Katy picked up my postcard that had free instructions on how to make these Polka Dot beaded beads. She stitched a loop instead of stringing them on headpins, and I think they look so cute! I'm going to steal the idea of making that loop. That way I can make the beads with 15/0 seed beads instead of 11/0s.
In case you haven't picked up my postcard, you can get the directions for the beads and how to extend it to make a bracelet or necklace here. Feel free to pin it!
