Voyages Extraordinaires - Adventures in Steampunk

   I can make art out of anything!

           Bold statement. I know....
                          but check this out.....
                                       
    I just made the most awesome "Steampunk" bracelet ever!

"Voyages Extraordinaires" by PyxeeStyx 

    I didn't intend for it be Steampunk. I didn't intend for it to be anything, really. I was just fooling around.......

                  I was just minding my own business when......

.....isn't that how all great adventures begin.
                        No, really!
     
  I have never done a wire wrap setting on a stone or a cabochon before.
    I have been seeing a lot of  Lisa Barth's work lately, with her book currently in the editing stages and all.
     I'm really inspired by her precision in wire wrapping. I can handle my wire, but perfect, I am not. I tend to like things a little bit on the wild side.

    I picked up a rock to practice on. Nothing special. Marble perhaps, but nothing of any value. It has a lovely neutral variegation to it.

 
     I began wrapping, Free-form. Not really sure what I was doing.
    Just going with the flow.
Building on it....
          Mandala style.
          Filling in the holes until it felt right.
     
                                 I Love how it turned out!

    I think it looks like cogwheels.

    I immediately thought SteamPunk!

    I've never done SteamPunk before.
        It's not my style.
I don't stock any parts for that.

    Where could I possibly get gears on a moments notice....
 
I dug,
      and dug,
              and dug,
                          Not much to work with in my jewelry box.....
    A ceramic art bead by Grubbi that worked well with the stone, a textured ceramic disc bead, and 2 small copper ball beads.
    I'm all about color, so neutrals are few and far between.

    So I got desperate.......
       I went for the tool box. Not much here either.
            What I did dig up......
   3 rusty bolts in different sizes, an old suitcase key, and a door plate off of my Armoire. I removed the hardware to paint, but the doors have been re-purposed, so the latch won't be missed.

    On to the fabric scrap bins......
      a snippet of braided leather cord, and bits of sari silk shreds.










It'll do!  

     
    I used oxidized wire, so it has a little "Industrial Chic" to it. 

   I turned the hardware into the most awesome toggle clasp!

 I gave all the hardware a good blast of flame to oxidize the metals. Then wrapped it with lots of Sari silk scraps to insure a comfortable fit and lend it some romance and Bohemian Flair. 

    The "Voyages Extraordinaires" bracelet by PyxeeStyx - Traveling SideShow . The title was inspired by Jules Verne book of the same name. A collection of his greatest works, including  "Journey to the Center of the Earth",  "Around the World in 80 Days", and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". A whole ball of grand adventures, all tied up in a pretty leather binding. 

    I'm an adventure junkie.... I've always loved old luggage. Something about imaging the trips that they've been on. That they somehow carry with them the energy of the many exotic places they've journeyed to. I've long collected them....and their stories.



    Reminiscent of an era, post fin de siecle Paris, when Jules Verne's dreams of flight have come to be reality.
     "Those Men in their Magnificent Flying Machines" are dazzling spectators with barn storming stunts. Sporting leather bomber jackets and and goggles as they take to the sky.
 

  Can't you just see those long silk scarves flowing in the breeze from open seated     bi-planes........        Oh, the Glory.





My great uncle, Donald Simpson ,my mom's, dad's, brother, flew a similar plane. He did stunt shows in his 1927 Curtiss Robin bi-plane. Painted bright red for spectacle of course. I was never lucky enough to witness myself. He passed before I was born. I've only seen pictures and heard many stories from Aunt Ida, who long outlived her daredevil husband.

Besides the lock and key toggle clasp, I think my favorite part is how the large bolt fits over the 2 small copper beads as a slider bead. That and how all these elements blend so seamlessly together. 

    Perhaps a bit of a biased opinion.....

but I happen to thing it's the COOLEST thing I have ever made! I hope that you agree. 

Just listed in my etsy shop. 

Thank you for stopping by. Please follow, to join us on the next grand adventure. 

Have an Extraordinary day!