Gold Tiara Steampunk Style

Just finished a custom tiara for a lady going to an event this week. She had a very specific date that is must arrive by. So there must be some sort of amazing steampunk-ie shindig taking place very soon. I will have to dig further to see what it is, cuz I want to go too. https://www.etsy.com/listing/129389766/tiara-clockhand-steampunk-noir-victorian?ref=shop_home_active

Steampunk Cthulhu Gentleman got a makeover!

My Steampunk Cthulhu Gentleman got a makeover! I was contacted by this lovely shop owner of Cthulhu Nation Motorcycle Cult. It seems that he is the organizer of a Motorcycle club that does a lot of charity work in Texas. Since his clubs name was Cthulhu Nation he thought my images would be a perfect fit for the redesign of their club patches. And he also wanted to make up some tee shirts to sell at charity functions they attend a couple times a year. Well, he had me at the word charity, and the request that my Cthulhu be remade with a monocle and swag bag all gentleman thief style. How could I possibly refuse that.

Lost Love Shadow Box

This shadow box was designed around the theme of lost love, and the torment one finds in that lonely lonely place of despair. The winged devil sits above the lost soul and taunts them for eternity with the object they desire most, love, symbolized with a dangling spiked heart. The object they all strive to have yet once they hold it in their hands can pierce their flesh if they aren't mindful of how to care for it. There is hope of course, because where there is love there is always hope, but for these poor souls the road will be long to find their way home again. The scene is surrounded by a wood box with an elaborate frame around the outside. Decorated with my own rendition of hell's coat of arms a winged skull, crossed bones, and a little wriggling maggot.

Burlesque headband and the creative process

I started this headband SUCH a long time ago. Probably two years ago. I knew exactly how I wanted the shape to look. It needed to be like a 1940's side sitting feather hat, but very burlesque in feel. The problem was I didn't quite know how to move forward with it. Every couple of months I would pick it up again. Look at it, love the shape, try it on, think about it for a little while more. Then put it back in it's little drawer to be worked on at a later date. I do this with a lot of projects that I just can't seem to get the right inspiration to complete the look I envision in my head. Almost like I'm waiting for a little imp to skip through my workspace and bonk me on the head with an epiphany. Well, no sign of the imp he must have been busy elsewhere. But then something amazing happened. I needed to make a Christmas gift for a dear friend of mine and the image of her wearing the headband Popped into my head. From that moment forward It's construction was a mystery to me no more. And I must say Nacreous Alchemy looks just as fetching in it as I imagined.

Steampunk Memento Mori Diorama

A little while back I woke up after a very deep sleep and realized that I had been dreaming about Dutch  memento mori paintings. Those huge thick heavy still life's of a large oppressive table with wilted flowers and decaying fruit. I think in my dream I was watching the fruit decay over and over again in a loop. Scary huh... Bet your glad your not in my brain. Anyway... It stuck with me all day to where I was getting really irritated at the Dutch and suddenly it hit me why does memento mori artwork have to be so damn depressing. Yes death is sad, but it my belief system loved ones will be there waiting for us with open arms and all my animals that have passed will be bounding about me. It's a day I sort of look forward to in a morbid way. So this is my version of a "Happy" memento mori. Banners, and streamers flutter behind the subject as if he is at a party. The skeleton is in his best party attire, top hat included, and he is even making it more festive with a pinwheel. Take that Dutch painters! Just try to usurp my dreams and this is what you get.

New York Commission for the Stage

This lovely lady in New York commissioned this piece to be a part of her stage show. She is a singer/song writer and wanted something very dramatic for her performances. Her idea was to extend the clock hands in one of my hair combs to twice their normal size, and then sprinkle it with all kinds of bling. I was a little skeptical that such a large piece would stay in her hair, but to my surprise once I finished it I realized it was just as sturdy and wearable as the smaller versions. Once it arrived to her home she let me know she loved it, and it was the perfect addition to her costume. In fact she loved it so much she took to waring it around off stage and it has become part of her signature style. This is why I love commission work. I would never have thought to go that direction with a hair comb, and because of her inspiration I did and now it opens up a whole world of design ideas to me.

Steampunk Victorian Masquerade necklace

Masquerade balls of the Victorian era inspired this necklace. A room thick with anticipation and possibilities. Quick stolen glances across a crowded room. Elegant rustling of stiff silk gowns brushing past, and dim romantic candle light making jewels shine wherever one looks. This is what swirled around my head as my hands constructed this piece.

Look where my dapper Victorian gentleman Cthulhu silhouette is now

One of my favorite websites The Cultural Gutter started an indiegogo campaign to raise funds for their operating expenses. They have such amazing writers, and I enjoy their articles so much that I had to contribute a piece of artwork to the campaign as incentive to keep the Gutter going. So of course I had to make a dapper Victorian gentleman Cthulhu silhouette to help their cause. He is called the Cthulhu Cultist on their site and at that donation level you will also receive a Cultural Gutter Membership Card, decryption key and your name emblazoned on the sponsor page. There are tons of levels of donation too, because even a dollar would help them immensely... A dollar donation gives you their "undying thanks for helping The Gutter stay online and your name emblazoned on the Cultural Gutter's sponsor page". Even just spreading the word helps out more than you know to keep such a wonderful organization on line.

Anna Karenina inspired necklace infused with Russian Victorian elegance and tons of crystals

I just finished my little tribute to one of my favorite books Anna Karenina. I tried to infuse as much Russian elegance, stolen glances, secret rendezvous, and sipped champagne by candle light as I could into this stunning necklace. My shop was BEGGING for some Russian elegance for such a long time, and finally I was able to appease it. In case you didn't know my shop is a very difficult entity to appease, but this has done it... well for the time being.

Tiara with Cog and Gear Steampunk Noir inspired Tempus Fugit

This tiara sold before I could even post about it. Thank you Griffith, Indiana! I has been one of my favorites for a long time. So much so that I didn't have the heart to finish it because I knew once I did I would list it and then it would be gone from my life forever. My only consolation has been that it is going to an amazing home filled with new adventures and plenty of important social engagements. My shop feels a little more lonely for it's absence so I will just have to get to work to make something new and exciting to fill the void.

Steampunk Ringmaster- Something wicked this way comes

Finally the Halloween spirit has hit me and this is what I produced. I am most proud of his top hat. I envisioned that in life he was a grand circus ringmaster. But now an elegant decoration in all his Steampunk circus finery. This little spooky guy now has a special place in my on line shop. I just hope he minds himself among my other creations.

My Love of Tiaras

A year ago the ladies of STEAMED! blog were kind enough to allow me to be a guest blogger. I wrote this article on my love for tiaras, and then got caught up in something else and completely forgot about it. For posterity sake I reprint it here so that I might never forget it again.

A love affair with tiaras

April 3, 2011 by suzannelazear

Today’s guest is Edanna of EJP Creations, makers of clockhand jewlery, including, my favorite, tiaras.  I own a bunch of her stuff.  (The gold tiara is mine.)
EJP Creations specializes in tiaras, chokers, earrings, necklaces, fascinators, and hair combs with a noir, and gothic flair. Creating body adornments with a hint of vampire elegance, a dash of Steampunk bravado, and plenty of Neo-Victorian sensibilities. Perfect for prowling the streets, haunting the clubs, or adding an aristocratic air to any outfit.

A little about my love affair with Tiaras…
by Edanna of EJP Creations
I still vividly remember the time I saw my very first tiara. It was love at first sight. I was probably 5 years old and flipping though a book of paper dolls of famous women through the centuries. I had looked at this book a thousand times before. Lady Murasaki always intrigued me in her flowing robes. Joan of Arc took my breath away in her gleaming armor. And then of course there was Queen Victoria the pinnacle of womanly grace dripping with elegance. But wait what was that… was something in her hair… and its making her regal features even more aristocratic! It looked like a necklace but was positioned like an angel’s halo. I pondered … What could this thing be?? I ran over to my mother hoping she would tell me what such a lovely and intriguing article was. The word poured from her lips into my ears … T-i-a-r-a. Such a captivating word. I quickly sat cross-legged in front of her eagerly waiting for her to tell me more. She then elaborated on this completely new world of ornamentation. There were Crowns, and bandeaus, diadems, and fascinators, combs, circlets, coronets, and headdresses. All sorts of hair adornments, it made my head spin! As she went on to explain it seemed to me that almost every time period through the centuries had a magical way of adorning the head in such a regal manner. It made me wonder why this wasn’t still in vogue for our time. The 1960′s gave us the last spattering of the tiara, but they were fashioned more like an elaborate headband. I was determined from that moment on. I had a new mission in life sparked by that little paper doll book. It would be my life’s work to pursue that mythical unicorn that is the tiara until its mysteries were mine.
The years passed, and I ended up going to college to study jewelry making, and metal smithing. Surely my questions about these magical circlets would be answered there. Unfortunately, they weren’t I was thwarted at every turn. One teacher even went so far as to laugh at my pursuit because… “no one wears those things anymore” my mind instantly snapped back with, “well maybe they don’t wear them because they aren’t available anymore, you ever thought of that!” It did cross my mind that the reason my teachers were so against them might just be because they couldn’t figure out how to construct one. Tiara’s might look easy to make, but it really does take some skill and engineering. Unlike a necklace they have to withstand much more wear and tear. Also comfort is key, and fitting everyone’s head is not easy. Lastly there is the issue of keeping it in place. Heads are round, floppy things and anchoring a piece of art work on it is not easy. Thus, I embarked on the lonely mission of teaching myself how to make one. There were oh so many late nights at my workbench. Drawing after drawing that were thrown into the trash can after spending hours making a paper mock-up only to have it fail. But then after a few months small successes started to emerge from my toils. And then finally the break though I had been waiting for. Shortly afterwards my first triumph! A finished tiara, victory at last!!! At that point I was so pleased with myself I decided to have a gallery show with nothing but tiaras made of sterling silver sheet and wire. It took me a full year, and a large proportion of my saving to make all of them. They were so well received that all the doubts about my mission melted away.
Graduation from school came soon after, and then the Steampunk movement wrapped me in it’s warm gear lined embrace. Whisking me away on countless adventures then placing me gently on Esty’s front door. After that the real work began. My two and a half year long odyssey of perfecting my neo-Victorian tiara line. Of course I make other pieces of jewelry, but the tiaras always have a special place in my heart. I still get the odd comment here and there such as, “where would you ever wear one?” I just smile and keep walking because I know once you have one there is an understanding that comes over you. Sure you might wear it out to a club or a formal occasion, but the real joy comes when your sitting at home on laundry day wearing your tiara in your jammies eating ice cream on the couch watching “Gaslight” or “My Fair Lady.” That is a joy those people will never know, and it makes me a little sad for them. Also, I must add that those same teachers who thought my passion was shear folly laugh at it no more.
~Edanna
http://www.ejpcreations.com/

Tiara's and my move...

In case you didn’t know I've been moving for the last few weeks and I am just about finished. YEAAAAAAA!!! It has pretty much absorbed my life for the last couple of months with packing and all the drama that goes along with that. But now it is finally at an end. My studio is just about unpacked and then it will be back to work. I have had the privilege of working on a few custom orders during this time. They are just about finished, and I posted a picture of one of the pieces. As soon as they are completed I will open my shop to work on a few more custom orders. All the while I have had a ton of design ideas floating about in my head so lots of tiaras and necklaces are just on the horizon.

Steampunk TEMPEST!

Just packaged up a necklace I finished for the North Fulton Drama Club presentation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Which will be costumed in a Steampunk theme. I wish I lived closer so I could see it in person. I bet it will be AMAZING! Here is how they set the mood for the event.... Mark your calendar now! NFDC is proud to announce our Spring 2012 production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Opening April 27, 2012!

1893- The World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago … Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 premiers … Prospero, the Duke of Milan, is deposed, exiled and set adrift at sea with his infant daughter, Miranda … and his books …

1909- Ernest Shackleton’s expedition discovers the South Pole … The Grand Isle Hurricane devastates Cuba … Alonso, the King of Naples, shipwrecks with his crew on the shore of a strange, uncharted island …
And this is where our steampunk Tempest begins. Images of the performance can be seen on The North Fulton Drama Club's Flicker stream. Here are a couple other images of my necklace in action. Looks like such a lovely evening.

Appeasing the Government with a new Hair Comb

After too many nights sitting in front of my computer finishing my paperwork for taxes I am finally free to make stuff again. YAYYYYY!!! (((arms waving in the air like Muppets))) Here is one of many Hair Combs that were put on hold to appease the government.She is called "Nevermore."

Storm Headress

Guess who is working on a commission to make Storm's tiara from the X-men for a customer. ME! that's who! See my years of geekie-ness paid off. Here is a picture in it's very early stage. Here is what it looks like in the animated world.

My jewelry never looked so good!

Just an amazing picture of a necklace and hair comb I made. Such lovely model, and brilliant photography. Thank you SweetDelirium Jewellery for making this possible.

Antique Gold Hair Comb Steampunk Style

Just finished and I am SOOOO happy with the modification I made to my distressing technique. The antiquing on this comb looks so good in person. http://www.etsy.com/listing/89020950/cogs-gears-steampunk-gothic-hair-comb

Cogs on my Brain

I Just finished up a custom order for one of my favorite clients today. It's a cog hair ornament with an alligator clip in back. Painted three different antique metallic colors (bronze, silver, gold). She has a full head of long blonde dread lock so it's going to look just stunning in her hair. I'll have to remind her to take a picture.

Neo Victorian Wedding

I just finished up a custom order for a lovely woman in Washington, DC. For her wedding she wanted one of my hair combs in antique gold to match her dress. I was more than happy to accommodate her and she was ecstatic with the result, as was I.