T-shirts

So as some of you know we hand stamp our t-shirts. We do this for a few reasons: first off I've never been taught how to do screen printing but when we learned about it it really just seemed like an awful waste of paint. And since wasting is pretty much sacrilegious in my mind, the way I do it just makes more sense. Plus then all I needed to buy was the permanent fabric paint. Also doing things by hand allows you a bit more freedom. Especially on things like my "Gear Me!" shirts ---->
Where the splotchy, fading thing is important. Though the doing every shirt by hand does make it a much slower process. But gives us a much more personal product. Even though we used the same stencils or stamps and same design every single shirt comes out a little different. Personally I think that makes it far more valuable!
But anyway what I'm really excited about is our new design for guy's shirts (and girls shirts too if they would like, of course!) My Mr. designed it all on his computer and then cut it out into a stencil. Picking out the right paints was a challenge and took us three trips to the art store and we still ended up mixing our own in the end. We are still going to darken up the skull a bit but here is the first test run. (though I do not have the back yet)

:D

So I will be working on kicking out some men's shirts today and then we can get them up for sale hopefully before our honeymoon. Our men's shirts are called "Gear Up" and that is printed on the back.
I also worked on a new girl's shirt. I made this design for one of my own shirts and I love it so finally got around to making it to sell. We call it "Growing Gears". The swirls are a stamp we bought from the craft store but all of the gears are from found objects which is my favorite way to work.

Where are the punks?

We will be in Orlando all week next week for our honeymoon that my dad is sending us on. I'm so excited. We will be staying at his company's time share condo and he is sending us to Disney World and all sorts of cool places. And heaven knows we really need to get away.
I really wanted to check out the Steampunk scene there. For whatever reason I was totally self convinced that there had to be a shop or a group or something there but my research has pulled up nada. Apparently there was a group but the last posting I can find was from 2 years ago. :(

Well anyway if anyone knows of anything around there please let me know.

We have Winners!

Huge congratulations to our 2 winners, miss Katrina Mills and mr. James Kilduff!! I'll be starting on their specially made clothes right away!

Thank you everyone who entered and everyone who helps get Live Steamy out there. The support and encouragement mean the world to me. The best and most honest form of advertising is still word of mouth. If you didn't win this one just stay tuned, we will do another Giveaway before Christmas! And in the meantime keep up with Live Steamy here on our blog, on our facebook and through our etsy store and help us spread the steamy love!

XOXOXO

The Difference Between Etiquette and Manners

So this topic may not have much to do with Steampunk art and creation but it may just be one of the most important ones can think of in general.
My siblings and I were raised to have proper etiquette. It was just the way it was in our house; we set the table a specific way, sat down to dinner together, were lectured on how to eat, taught how to walk, always said our please and thank yous. All the basics. But, as I said, it was always just how things were. I knew the how but was never really taught the why.
A few years ago I was working with a mentor. A very wonderful and brilliant woman. We had a conversation about etiquette and manners. I told her that I wanted to teach my (future) children manners and etiquette as I know it is so important but was still having trouble in the why. She told me something I will never forget- Etiquette is the learning of what to do in specific situations, such as: how to hold your fork and when to open a door. Etiquette helps us navigate our world, it creates societal rules and common codes of conduct. However, the far greater of these is manners. Manners, my mentor said, are how we show other people that we care about them. This was such an epiphany for me. And the more I rolled it over in my head the more I loved it! I do care about people on a large scale. I try to be a person that loves the world and shows it. I've always been quick with a smile and polite with hellos, and pleases and thank yous. But thinking of it as a way of showing others that I genuinely care about them as another human being was very powerful for me.
Etiquette and manners can go hand in hand but they don't always. One of my best friends hasn't the slightest clue the difference between a dinner fork, salad fork or shrimp fork but I have always felt comfortable and respected in her presence. She truly shows her care and appreciation for those around her. Meanwhile I have friends who were raised like little debutantes and they make every event look perfect and know what to wear and how to walk and can recite you etiquette straight from the book still being around them is nearly nauseating.
You don't have to study Emily Post to learn how to treat people with dignity and respect. We learn in kindergarten to follow the golden rule: Treat others how you would like to be treated by them. It's really not so difficult. Be kind, be aware, be a little more patient. Having caring manners improves your life but also the lives of those around you. Never forget how far our actions reach, how powerful a simple smile can be or the value of a trusted friend.
Yes, etiquette is important but far far greater than this is your manner.

The Tea Skirt

So a few years ago I bought an English vintage tea set off line. It is gorgeous!! But one of the cups came broken. This isn't the type of thing that is easily replaced. And I was a little heart broken. I couldn't bare to just throw it away so I came up with the idea to put the two tea cup halves onto a skirt. I found a dress at the thrift store that was very lolita with a soft, double pattern and lace trim. Though as a full dress it was totally wretched. So I got it chopped it up of course, sewed in zippers and all that but how was I going to get the tea cups on. I can't believe this project took me several years to finally finish. *shy face* But there was a lot involved. I had to find something that would cut the tea cups. Had to find a way to attach the tea cups and a way for the skirt to stay more or less poofy and full.  All in all this whole thing was a giant pain in my round rump! And I seriously do not know if I will ever EVER make a tea skirt again. This may very well be the one and only. But below is the photos of the different layers. (sorry they are sideways) :)

So it's all put together and finished. I'm so happy! It looks kinda funny here but I really think it will work so well for the Alice photo shoot in the cemetery. Wahoo! 

What Hell, What Life

So I'm totally convinced that weddings are absolute hell for everyone involved. But I want to start making gear for Steampunk weddings so I hope no future bride reads that statement. The ceremony was beautiful and my reception was too and the food was to die for. My love and I are waiting to take our honeymoon but wow, would I do anything to escape this after math, and I really really wish we hadn't opted to wait. But not to dwell, let's just leave all this at- I will post lots of pictures as soon as I get them- and not go on about it further.

It feels so so so great to be back in my art room (my mother and step-father were staying in it while they were here, not that I would have had time to work even if they weren't). My mother used to say that when I was little girl and would come back from visiting my dad I would go running around my room, hugging all my things and saying "ooohhh ooohhh ooohh my bed, my clothes, my toys, mine mine mine, oooohhhh." That is totally how I feel. Ooohhhh my space, ooohh my projects, ooohhh my supplies and junk and gadgets, ooohhh mine mine mine.

Today I'm back to working on my tea skirt for our Dark Alice shoot. And my husband (oh I love that, bwahhaha!) my husband is working on cutting the new stencil of his totally awesome design for men's t-shirts. Ta Da -->
Don't ask me why he's working on the floor when he has a perfectly adequate drafting table. But I can't really say much as I'm just about to join him and lay out the shirt to my tea outfit for pinning. Hey, we are artists, being resourceful comes with the territory and the floor is just as good a place as any I always say. ;)

Rain

I have always loved the rain. I think it to be the most inspiring type of weather. Sometimes the clouds are so heavy it as if they are suffocating, rain pours so heavy as if the sky itself was sobbing. Other times clouds are light and sun shines just a little ways off and small drops dance and jump over everything in sweet little mists. Rain can make or break the earth. Grow your garden in great health and beauty or drowned it mercilessly. Shine rainbows or keep you cast in gloom.
During this time of year in Savannah it rains nearly everyday. And not the sprinkle your windshield kind of rain but the you are out for two seconds and your soaked kind of rain. Sometimes its gorgeous and sometimes... like this morning, it depressing as hell.   Adding that to the fact that I'm not really sleeping due to wedding jitters. blah.
However, when asked last night what we will do if it rains on our wedding ceremony Travis looked at me so sweetly and said, "I will hold an umbrella over your head." Sweetest man ever! I love it. But still I seriously hope and pray that it does not rain on wedding day, or at least not while we are on the beach.

Don't Forget Our Giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are only two weeks left to enter our raffle. The prizes are awesome. One lucky girl with get one of our "Stitch in Time" clock skirts designed and fitted just for her! And one special guy will get a hand stamped "Gear Up" button up shirt made just for him! These two prices are totally great. So don't miss your chance to enter the drawing!!   

One Week before the Wedding!

Sometimes its still surreal to me. I will be a married woman in a week. This has been a long time coming. Everyone who knows me has always seen that what I want most out of life is to raise a family. I can't wait to have kids. But the years kept passing and I kept bobbing around, dating this guy and that and never feeling like I was getting any closer to the life I wanted.
You know whats funny though, when I first met Travis I was terrified of him. I insisted that I did not want to date him, I wanted only to be friends. He was so... real. And I had been living lies and fantasies for so long. But now here I am, the path, our path together has not always been easy but we have survived as a couple with flying colors. This is the real deal and I'm so glad he waited for me and that I waited for him. Aaww mushy mushy.

So that's my personal life but let's get back to the Steampunk eh? I'm really looking into this Steampunk Cruise. I absolutely love cruises and this morning I was dreaming of how wonderful it would be wearing my rag layered southern belle skirt while we go for a stroll around the deck, a lace parasol and delicate gloves, guided by the strong hand of my sweet sweet husband, who would of course be in his linen pants and vest. Oh dreaming of it puts me into such a flutter. And the evening dining, what wonderful gowns I would have occasion to wear! And that's just the personal side of it. From the business stance I imagine it would be a great boom to my work. Meeting all these wonderful people with interests akin to mine. Oh how lovely it would be. So now I have to do the nasty part, the money part. We have some time so hopefully we will figure it out. My only great fear is that the vendor spots will fill up before I'm able to through in my two cents.

This shot was from my bridal shoot. I had a little fun at the end and added some of my steamy gear. The hat, I most unfortunately did not make, the accent feather however I did. Picked up a few feather decorations at Michael's and I leafed it with gold. Added an antique charm and made it attachable. It's really rather lovely.

I'm so excited for my wedding!!! And what do ya'll think of my dress?!? I know you can't see its entirety here. I'll post lots of wedding pics, I promise. :)

Shine On "Firefly" Shine On

One of the ultimate favorites of most of the alternative communities that I have been a part of is Firefly. A show that didn't even run a full season on the Sci-fi channel and was later concluded in a movie that, though great on its own and a blessing as it was the gateway for Firefly's popularity, did not do the show a complete justice. The show by Joss Wedon is full of wonderfully witty one-liners, rich characters and an incredible universe. The creative teams that worked on Firefly, as well as all the actors, did an amazing job. The show is hands down one of my very favorites and something I watch over and over again.
We even named our shop Serenity after the ship.
But today, as I put the show on in my art room while I work, the theme song struck a deep deep cord.

Take my love, take my land
take me to where I cannot stand 
I don't care if I'm still free 
you can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black 
tell them I ain't comin' back 
Burn the land and boil the sea 
you can't take the sky from me 
There's no place I can be since I found serenity 
you can't take the sky from me 

Our world consistently changes around us. And all the unrest in politics reaches far beyond interest or moral lines.  The state of our economy, the over arching power of our government and the complete infiltration of corporations aren't just news articles and incorporeal issues. As River says in the movie, Serenity, "We are in their homes and in the heads.." The economic, environmental and societal issues are in our homes entirely.  The sheer disparity in our country is crushing when examined. And disparity, separation of the classes, power and wealth of corporations is only the tip of the iceberg, as it were.
I've noticed a great deal the undertones in many books, shows, movies and other media that has come out over the last few years. So many themes of world destruction and people seeking community and ways of survival. Shows like The Walking Dead where people are forced to bane together, be resourceful, live with care and fight for survival. These are the stories that we thrive on, full of inspiration, of hope.
A mentor once taught me that in all that you are doing there is something to learn. So I ask you this; pay attention next time to what your watching, reading, playing. Let yourself feel strong emotions or do some critical thinking. In the end analyze your reaction.
Today listening to the Firefly theme song I am filled with hope. "Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me"  (of course I can't fly off in a spaceship and become a pirate when I get upset at my government or want to leave my world, but I feel hopeful none the less and that is the point, and that inspiration is enough for today.)

Crazy Beautiful Life

Life in general is such an odd thing. We are always up and down, up and down. And we think that we know what will make us happy -oh if I only had this or fulfilled this goal I would be satisfied. But we are human and satisfaction even when gained is very fleeting and that's ok because it keeps us motivated. Sometimes even though I have such an amazing life I'm a bit down. And then suddenly the next day for no explainable reason I am jumping off the walls with excitement. Sometimes when I'm going through a really tough time and I reach the breaking point I go nutty and end up talking to a wall and crying in a ball in my bed and then sometimes I reach that breaking point and it's as if the sky opens and I feel free and light and released. These are feelings I seem to be unable to control or even count on. Sigh, life is such a very odd thing. And I'm rambling terribly.
I had meetings for the wedding today which is now... 11 days away!! Everything is coming together and its good, mostly. I hate that I'm such an awful procrastinator but I don't feel guilty about it for me I feel terrible for my sister, who is the biggest planner, executor, on-the-ball, type A personality I have ever known. She has done SO much for me for this wedding and I know my procrastinating drives her absolutely insane. :( But there are only a few more loose ends to wrap up.
However, for the first time in what feels like forever I am actually sitting at my desk alone in my art room. And aahhh... it feels so good.

Making more of those lace shoes. :)