Sigh. Commission ...fail?

Sigh. Commission.. fail?

The steampunk insect here .. was a commission. Or so I thought.

It took many hours to make - just to get it right. But I've not heard from the person in over 10 days. I dunno if he thought it was too expensive (like under $100) - and it easily took around 10hrs to make. Plus materials. It isn't like I make a lot...

I'm really kind of disappointed.

It is always possible though.. something has gone wrong. Or he's on vacation.

so what do i do? Sell it or ...wait?

anyway.. I just wish I knew. He was very very keen and wrote a lot

and has been quite specific.

sigh.

depressed!

Steampunk Clockwork Jewelry - Insects & Bugs

I have been spending hours working on Clockwork Jewel Beetles and its driving me crazy! LoL. Seriously - there is something about hunching over bits of watches and gears and beetle wings...

yes beetle wings!
Ages ago I bought some Jewel Beetle wings - which is kind of gross - but still very very cool. They've been used for hundreds of years to make jewelry and in ... embroidery. They are this insanely beautiful chrome-green colour, and they are hard as heck too. I actually have to drill through them.

See, this is how the crazieness begins. Hunching over beetle wings til my shoulders creak with tension... taking it apart no less than 15 times. Drilling holes (in wings!) - finding out that for some reason the glues I thought would work - CHANGE THE COLOUR! eeek! buying the old glue - in general I use only a tiny amount of glue anyway on the wings --- after all who would want to cover up that gorgeous green!

Anyway, I keep getting New Ideas as I was making them. There will be 2.... One will be a commission and because I really want these things to come out perfectly, there was nothing to do but take them apart and redrill wings, tinker and tailor and redo them.

One clockwork beetle will go for sale on www.clockworkzero.etsy.com and one is a commission. I was contacted by someone who wanted me to make something like the one that sold (pictured above). Of course............. I can't just duplicate it (even if that were possible). Nope. Gotta improve on the design... gotta take it apart. Gotta try 12 different "tails".

In the end I hope I'll make $0.36 cents an hour. ;) And as I sit here writing - I'm thinking I could make another one. .

yup. there's someone crazy living in this house.

it must be The Cat.

Steampunk Jewelry - new work finally!

Steampunk jewely - finally some new stuff! lol.

This little piece is my snake goddess - steampunk meet goth!

I've been swamped lately and then had a sudden burst of creativity. It happens - I don't know if other artists feel the same way - but all of a sudden everything started coming together. I created 3 or 4 new necklaces... all steampunk. :D

I love making steampunk jewelry - and combining new and very old materials. I lucked out and found a few very nice pieces.

I've been absolutely stunned at some of the prices work is going for these days - some is quite cheap (but then you get cheap looking stuff). But MY GODS - some of it is so very overpriced that I almost fell over when I saw the Cheap Looking Stuff that was so very over rated. It was stunning.

I'm sure I'm opening myself up to some possible flames... but holy gee some of it looks....... terrible. But then I guess it is just my tastes aren't that common. I'm sure there will be some people who think my own work looks like crap too. :) heh.
maybe this is how old jewelers felt when they saw knockoffs and chrome and plated materials? Did they think, "omg who would buy that?" and "are you joking?" Come to think of it: my dad gave me the same look when I showed him my work. :D