5:02PM - How I'm Surviving Winter.

It's 18 degrees in my computer room right now. I have Dark Heresy game tonight in the Queensland equivalent of a basement - the walled off bits under a house on stilts. It'll be as cold as a witch's nipple down there, so I've rugged up. I also aquired a new vest, so I went for a Victoriana-steamy sort of outfit. Illustrated below, for everyone else freezing to death at the moment, in light of our recent run of "Halp! Teh weather is molesting me!" posts.

( And now, for the bad photography! )

11:14PM - YES!

10:48PM - if any of you really love me out here in cyber land.....

12:12AM - Historic outfit inspiration

At a family reunion for my husband's family, I recently performed my standard survival maneuver: dive into safe topics (like genealogy and family history) to avoid tempestuous ones (like religion and politics). And so I spent something like 20 hours scanning old photos. I especially liked the skirt in the image below, and thought the outfit might serve as a bit of inspiration for those who want a historical flair without a corset. Yes, it's probably later than steam's "Golden Age", but what's a decade or two between friends?

My husband's great great aunt, "Aunt Erle," is the woman in the white hat. My guess is that this photo might be from around 1915, but I could be completely wrong. I really love her skirt, especially the straps that connect to the front panel. If anyone has a guess as to how to sew something like this skirt (or a closer guess as to the year), I'm all ears.

Click on the photo for a link to a larger version.

9:59PM - Need some inspiration

Thought maybe you all could help a girl out. Getting ready to get some more ink and looking for some inspiration. Looking to get some horror or zombie pinup type. More along the lines of say Vargas and not say Boris. You know cheesecake type classic pinup with a horror or zombie twist. I am open to more cartoony type stuff, but hoping to find more stuff along the lines of Vargas. Much will actually depend on the art itself as to whether or not I would consider it. Any ideas on where I can find some stuff?

9:21PM - Yay!

Went fishing for the first time today! It was AWESOME!!!! I've never done that in all my life and now I know what I have been missing all these years, (I'm dead serious)! Also....... Rachelle and I finally got to spend a July 4th together after 2+ years of dating, (for some odd reason something always came up). It was also - awesome! I like things that go boom-boom!!!

The awesomeness can not be measured! Oh.... I am also very drunk right now - I should pr0bably mention that. Wanna fight about it????? Tomorrow I go to THUDfest to see Ground to Dust stomp mud holes in bitches as well as all my DJ friends kick mega-ass 9000!

Omfg life is awesome! Sign me up fucker!

6:53PM - The success of failure

Making jewelry, I'm finding, is a lot like baking cakes for a living. You get to keep the ones that don't quite work out, and some of them you end up liking quite a bit. For example:

(1) This brooch. I've been working on it for a little more than a week, and I think it's awesome. Unfortunately, an adhesive malfunction (and my ham-handed attempts to fix it) ended up ruining the patina on the brass in a few places. It's nothing one would think twice about if they saw the brooch on someone else, but if someone were to buy it and examine it closely, they'd probably be pissed.

Instead, I'm going to hang on to it (yay!) and probably use it in my costume if/when I attend Steam Powered. Right now I'm toying with the idea of getting all of my ducks in a row and attending as a vendor. I'm also thinking it might be a kick to make it a road trip with my dad, who I think has been nursing a secret ambition to get back into crafting hisowndarnself.




(2) These earrings. There's an identical pair on my Etsy site, but this particular pair bears the mark of a losing battle with a drill bit on the reverse side. More cake for me!



********

And now for the ones that did work out, and which are for sale. Come on, you knew you couldn't get away without an advert =)

Buy at Faraday Bags at Etsy.

Tiny Little Gearrings	More tiny little gearrings
Bobby pins with dragonflies and freshwater pearls	An elephant hunter's monocle

9:30PM - For you to take and do , or just drool over

http://community.livejournal.com/victorianera/144490.html

I love the red dress in the last shot..


and a very very nice mens coat

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MENS-BLACK-VELVET-FROCK-COAT-GOTH-VAMPIRE-LARP_W0QQitemZ130234513279QQihZ003QQcategoryZ1059QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Some one who is not me grab it up!

9:03PM - Deadwood Costumes

I'm a big fan of the show Deadwood, and I think the costumes are really beautiful.
Thought I'd post some!



( a lot more here - image heavy! )

4:58PM - question for Belly dancer friends out here.....

3:48PM - The Fourth of July

For Americans, the Fourth of July is a day of special significance, as it has been throughout the relatively short history of the United States. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, during a very strong period of American patriotism and nationalism, American Independence Day was celebrated with great pomp and circumstance, even in areas that could not afford lavish displays. For Americans (in common with other nations that celebrated their own independence festivals), Independence Day was not about partying, drinks, food, or fireworks; it was a celebration of shared identity and history among countless people who would likely never meet, but who nevertheless regarded themselves as being part of a common community. Of course, along with this came politics, and with politics came speeches, arguments, and all manner of competing ideas, but these things marked the Fourth of July as a day of ideological significance to Americans; one which has in recent decades gradually shifted over to a good natured excuse to party.

What follows are a few images of the Fourth of July during America's age of steam. I hope when the time comes for other national holidays, our friends from other nations will do the same.

Yours, etc.,
G. D. Falksen




( And along we go... )

7:54AM - Women. In. Pants!

A great website full of dress reform pictures, mostly civil war on, but with some earlier. I know a lot of women here would like to keep with a rather period feel but keep it more utilitarian. Plus, i like pants!

the woman that hosts this page has done a tone of research (from what I can tell), and recreated an outfit quite nicely. Quite a few of the pictures draw from the book "Women in Pants". I also like the history of influences on 'women in pants in the western world' to show where it came front and give clues to construction.

http://dressreform.tripod.com/

a few of my favorites, ( after the cut )

11:38AM - ॐ Masquerade Ball at Gypsy Raven

Blodeuwedd




from Goddesses and Heroines Exerpt from Goddess & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan
[Used by permission.

This text is NOT included in the Goddess Oracle]
Arianhod, unwilling mother of the Welsh hero Llew Llaw Gyffes, laid a curse on him that he would never have a human wife. So two magicians made Blodewedd from nine kinds of wildflowers, among them meadowsweet, oak, broom, primrose, and cockle. The magicians piled blossom upon blossom to create "Flowerface.

"
The beautiful Blodewedd was also treacherous. She lived with Llew Llaw for a time. One day, though, she saw a band of hunters pass outside her window and, falling in love with one of them, plotted the death of her husband. Llew Llaw had a magical safeguard. He could be killed only under curious circumstances: in a bath by the side of a river, under a thatched roof over a caldron, while standing with one foot on a deer. Blodewedd set up those circumstances, daring Llew Llaw to stand in his only dangerous position. He took the dare and her hidden lover killed the king.


Blodewedd eventually was found out, captured by the magicians who created her, and turned into an owl. This strange legend, which parallels the Irish story of Blathmat and the Semitic Delilah, seems to record an ancient legend of the goddess, the clues to which are now lost. Some, like Robert Graves, see Blodewedd as a type of the May Queen, wedded ritually to the king who would eventually be sacrificed to her. Others see her as a flowery rebel, an image of women's opposition to patriarchal bondage. But it is also possible that the flower goddess of betrayal was simply the goddess of life and death, a form of the earth goddess who, like Ishtar or Cybele, both loved and devoured the living.



July 5 2008 Masquerade Ball at Gypsy Raven


free shakespeare, my masks and art, music, sideshow performance, stilt walkers, etc.!

2:00AM - Corsets

... and more.
I found some links to a couple of helpful sites I'd researched a while ago.


Great corsets and waist cinchers. They are a bit more Reanaissance faire style than Victorian. They're great though and well made. I personally bought two waist cinchers from this makers booth at a faire this year.
http://www.damseldress.com/

Same designer as the above link, but if you scroll down she has a bustle skirt. I think she may branch out into Victorian corsetry.
http://damseldress.blogspot.com/

Fabric!
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/static/fabric.htm

Vintage clothes for research.
http://thefrock.com/civilwar_page8_main.html

I hope this was helpful.

10:00PM - Costuming for Gathering

Now, as my completely victorian era costume is not yet finished, I decided to wear a blend of the ren period clothing and steampunk in the Gathering Of The Gargoyles costume contest ( I came in first place for original characters!)

So! someone was asking about the top hats I linked earlier.. aand here is a picture someone snapped of me in the costume right before the awards were announced

9:53PM - Female Warriors of the 19th Century

I found this interesting

http://www.lothene.demon.co.uk/others/women19.html

And yes I am researching a female military uniform *laugh*

9:23AM - New From Von Borg Industries

I present for your viewing pleasure, the Von Borg Industries Sonic Sledgehammer.

A very strange man and his assistant visited my Castle on a mission of some arcane import. I got caught up in his adventure and met some very strange creatures indeed. He had a device that was extremely versatile and powerful, so I asked to have a look at it and while doing so copied its layout and devined it's functions. However this Doctor, who was in a rush wanted his little tool back post haste. I thought to myself "it's all well and good to have an enhanced Screwdriver (why anyone would look at a screwdriver and think "Sonic, Yes it needs to be more sonic." is beyond me), but why limit your possibilities." So was born the Von Borg Sonic Sledgehammer.

P.S. the end lights up blue and makes an annoying noise.

6:30PM - First post, here's some fashion for the females.

Hello, all. I just made myself a brand spankin' new LJ account, specifically for my infatuation with Steampunk and the like <3 *bows* I only wish the character limit were more than 15, so I could use my real name, TheHighFlyingSkyPirate. It's saddening, haha =P

Any who! It's not EXACTLY Steampunk, but you could incorporate these into a Steam/Victorian look, perhaps?

http://gojane.com/23179.html
I'm not really big on the frontal design, but oh well. The back is laced up, it's quite cute.

http://gojane.com/23384.html
These are just GORGEOUS.. I may get them, oh my gosh D: It will depend on S&H, I suppose. I wish the "DRKBRN" what the heck ever, were in my size. I normally wear a size 9 shoe, but I should be wearing 7 1/2-8's. 9's are so comfy, let us hope a heel won't be too bad for me =]

http://gojane.com/22234.html
Hiking boots gone pointed heel? Haha. They're interesting. The quilted toilet paper look just isn't my cup of tea, however.

http://gojane.com/23807.html
The brass feeling buttons are the only thing that make me like it. It's kind of uggo to me, LOL.

http://gojane.com/23061.html
I'm not real sure about this.. It's a vest, the furline is removable. But the picture (or perhaps it's my screen?) is too dark for me to tell if I like it or not. But it's polyester, so that's lame.

http://gojane.com/24207.html
Probably doesn't belong here, but it SO reminds me of saloon girl meets Victorian. Oh my gosh *dies* If only it had lots of lace.

http://gojane.com/24596.html
This is so cute, and inexpensive! It would add a great touch to any outfit.

http://gojane.com/25864.html
You honestly cannot go wrong with this, Victorianwsque tank. Wtf, it needs to be cheaper *is not made out of money and won't have a job soon* El sigh.

http://gojane.com/23103.html
Not the best for Steampunk, but if you need some pants, can't find any suitable ones, and only have 20 bucks, I'd get these! Plus, I'm a whore for flare pants (the other ones were just ridiculous for Steampunk, though, so I didn't bother linking XD). They look like they may flare a bit, yay :]

http://www.wetseal.com/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=101&subCategoryId=180&productId=12401
All I can say is "do want". That would make my ruffly shirt amazing.


Sorry this is a long post, I don't quite remember how LJ works as it's been literally YEARS since I've used this thing, so if you could tell me how to make a LJ cut, I would gladly do so :] My first post is rather weak, and I know not everyone will agree on my picks, but it's my personal preference. But if you don't like those awesome boots I want to get then you have something wrong *laughs*

I will be making another poster later today, hopefully, in hopes of people helping me with my needs in modifying my accessories/clothing to be Steamy and sexy <3

4:01PM - Fashionable Instruments

The Chrono-Dynamic Microphone » Post A Comment 1 Comment(s)	<input ... > The Clockwork Guitar » Post A Comment 3 Comment(s)	<input ... > The Flintlock Bass » Post A Comment 1 Comment(s)	<input ... > The Tesla Powered Keyboard, V1 » Post A Comment 1 Comment(s)
<input ... > The Amberic Array Violin » Post A Comment 0 Comment(s) New Photo!	<input ... > Captains Hornpipe » Post A Comment 0 Comment(s) New Photo!	<input ... > Telsa Keyboard II » Post A Comment 0 Comment(s) New Photo!

11:11AM - 20% off shoes

Mostly women's (99%), and a lot of bad strippery stuff. But every once in a while there is gold to be found:
http://www.electriqueboutique.com/womens-shoes/Wedge-Knee-Boot/TINSEL-BRN.html

20% off your entire order, including sale items by using JULY4 at checkout. Offer expires Sunday,July 6, 2008 at midnight.

I've ordered from these guys a lot in the past several years, and don't have any real complaints. It's not super high quality, but it's like payless and other cheap shoe store quality, not awful. Returns are a bit of a hassle, but possible. Generally I give things away or re-sell without too much of a loss if it's not quite right. They combine shipping on shoes, so it's cheaper to get a group order together. Stockings and whatnot ship free with shoes.