Miss Lucy's debut

Isn't it time you had a little more steampunk in your life? Of course it is.

Let's join Miss Lucretia "Lucy" Pettigrew, relaxing in the garden in full Steampunk Sally gear, shall we?

Originally I was going to set the watch face, surrounded by copper tubing, on her chest. But it just seemed a bit much. Then I remembered, hey -- I have a ball tea strainer that would make it look like a pocket watch!

A green tag from my stash contrasted better against the rest of her clothing color palette. That tag turned into the base for a necklace hung on a chain of safety pins.

You might remember I said Miss Lucy's a bit of a firebug. She keeps a match within easy reach, in a bottle at the end of another safety pin chain woven into her curls. (Not gonna be easy to explain that to the authorities.)

And the goggles... putting them together from rubber scraps was so much fun I recommend making your own.

Miss Pettigrew will be joining me at the Artists' Garage Sale in mid-June. So if you'll be near Everett, Washington next month, come see us in person!

Faux mercury glass: fake it when you make it

Finally, a dry spring day on one of my days off! Time to try out the faux-mercury glass tutorial I found via Pinterest.

Anna of Take the Side Street beautifully lays out each step, so I'll leave the details to her. I tried out the technique first on some vases, to get the hang of it before I attempted it on glasses.

Kids, if you're an impatient person, this game is not for you. You'll have to wait a few minutes between spray paint applications -- the agony! -- otherwise the paint runs. Oh, and you'll also need gloves.

No, really. Your aim is not as good as you think it is.

Also: gloves when you're wiping away the diluted vinegar spray to create the aged look. You could forget the gloves off, but if you like your manicure... well, take a look.

Whoops.

Still working to get things the way I want them. When I have another dry day to spray, I'll do more show & tell.

Have we been introduced?

Just thought I'd give a shout-out to a few new friends I met at Artfest:

Hey, it's the tutu lady! When Carrie Clayden isn't taking photos of people whirling in the tutus she makes, she's running Hip Chick Designs, and teaching at Art Is... in Benicia, California. Did I get everything?

You might've seen Jennifer Blevins being tortured by me and a few other friends at Sirens in Port Townsend. Don't worry, she's recovered enough to continue blogging at the Trend Spot (she gets to hunt for trends in our alterna-arts world).

And Emily Cline, whose new secret name I am honor-bound not to reveal. (Hint: it kinda makes her sound like a gunslinger.) Besides being ridiculously beautiful, she also helps women reconnect with their inner craftiness at Doodlebugheart.