10 Things I Love In January

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1. Carouskel, a print from spoonflower. I think I like the milk tea and the emerald versions best.
2. Dumb Ways To Die. I’m a bit late with posting this as the video has been around a while now, but it’s just so lovely (and maybe not all of you know it yet).
3. Glittery Tights. I never had tights this sturdy! The blue pair already survived the flying sparks on New Year’s Eve, and the gold one didn’t get a scratch from my hard landings during ice skating (you can’t say the same about my knees, albeit the deep purple was rather pretty…). Plus, they’re pretty.
   
4. Advice for Self-Timer Photos from Delightfully Tacky. I had a conversation with Liz of milktea bliss recently about how awkward it feels to shoot these, but I think the tips in this post are quite helpful.
5. DIY Firefly Jars. There’s a great tutorial over at The Briar Rose Blog, this looks so dreamy! And it’s more animal friendly than actual Fireflies, too.
6. Monster High Customs, a tumblr about exactly that. They look so awesome, some day I’ve got to try and make a mod myself.
7. Pinterest. Yes, it got me, too. It’s just a bit more accessible and better organised for inspirational pictures and links than “one folder to save them all”. If you want to, you can find me here.
8. Snow Again! We thought winter would never come back, but finally the streets are white again and I can make use of my scarves and mittens. We even had a field trip into the snowy woods lately. Lovely.
9. Moccasins. I’ve been seeing them over and over again on several blogs I read lately, and somehow they stuck with me. I’m pretty much in love with these Minnetonkas at the moment.
10. A Sense Of Structure: Steampunk Fashion Rules, an article by G. D. Falksen. While I am against strict rules in any way of personal expression, Falksen says explicitly that these “rules” apply to no one except those who want to follow them (see “rules are more like guidelines anyway”). Also, they encourage the reader to actually do whatever they want.

There’s a first time for everything – EuroSteamCon ’12

Just yesterday the very first EuroSteamCon ended. Marburg actually had the only “official” (read: listed) German event, but we all hope there will be more next year. The concept is fairly new to Europe where it is far more complicated to host gigantic conventions like in the USA albeit the distances are actually not as far in comparison.
Anyway, we had a nice picnic (everyone had expected the weather to be worse so nearly no-one was prepared to actually have the planned picnic, but we managed) – about fifteen Steampunks from all over Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia – and later went to the upper town for coffee and food that was not muffins.

Muffins I made. That’s spice-and-orange-plus-honey-oatmeal and cocoa-walnut-plus-honey-oatmeal.

You can have a look at everything that happened on the live blog (via Clockworker):

Day 1

Day 2

Sadly I only took a few pictures, and none of them are really presentable, I’m sorry.

Aaand yesterday during the meet-up I also got my copy of THIS:

This is sort of the German pendant to the Steampunk Bible – well, maybe the little sibling – written by the chief editors of the Clockworker and Daily Steampunk, respectively. It’s a nice summary of Steampunk activities, labels and backgrounds of the international and, more detailed, the German linguistic areas, and I had the honour of being one of the non-professional lectors.

I also had the honour of drawing this little fellow as an illustration of the Captain’s Steampunk boson theory. That’s so awesome, something I scribbled ended up in a real, printed book!

Did any of you attend a Steampunk convention, LARP or meet-up lately?

Sartorial Saturday: Back on Track & In Time

The alternative title I had in mind was “Watson Girl”. The new Sherlock Holmes picture is to start on Thursday before Christmas here in Germany, and I’m really looking forward to it!
I also wore this yesterday for the annual Pretend to be a Time Traveller Day, but I think it’s going to be one of my favourite everyday outfits for this winter, anyway.

Outfit Rundown:
- coat (below): Pimkie
- longsleeve: H&M
- T-shirt: Takko
- waistcoat: handed down (formerly C&A, I think)
- skirt: self-made
- tights: drug store
- gaiters: self-made
- shoes: Hanwag

Accessoires Rundown:
- hat: H&M (I think that’s going to be my new every day hat, I love it! Just bower-like enough for my first fulfilled Daring Deed from the new list!)
- bag: thrifted
- acorn necklace: self-made
- fork bracelet: artisan fair
- club/ ornament stud: Bijou Brigitte/ probably some Christmas market stall

I look a bit tired in this ambience shot, and I even curled out my face in the actual outfit picture because of the massive circles beneath my eyes, but I assure you that I’m well. Just a bit busy at the moment.
Anyway, I really like the spot where I took the pictures. It’s rather quiet there, with a beautiful view on the small lake and this giant willow (and it has a statue in just the right angle and height for self-timing), it’s not too far from my house, and you’re probably going to see it more often on outfit snaps in the near future.

P.S.: There’s still time to take part in my recent giveaway, if you’d like some of my illustrations, don’t forget to enter!

My Summer Holiday: First Impressions

As I mentioned before, I’m back from vacation. And you all know what this means. Photographs.

When I first went through the pictures I took I sorted them into two categories, Inside and Outside. The ones that fitted in neither of these folders and so were neither from the small world of its own of our hotel nor from the impressive deep forest we explored are those that I’ll show you first.

Trainstation and circumjacent gardens.

Magnificent carved birds.

Prettiest tourist information ever.

Beautiful buildings.

Into the woods…

Steampunk is everywhere,you just have to know where to look (in this case a distillery).

Or in jeeps, disguised as old locomotives. And yes, we rode that thing.

The Everyday Steampunk II

One of the absolute “essentials” (I’m in no way an authority at this field, so please don’t assume I’m trying to say that my opininon is somehow general. Just in case. Thank you.) of Steampunk as a fashion is the pocket watch. And I finally got myself one! Even two, to be more precisely.

The first one was from Xenos, originally meant to be on a key ring together with a lock and a lollipop emaille pendant, but I removed it and attached one of the chains I still had in my metal scraps box, together with a clip to fix it at my belt or the strap of my bag.

It may not seem very steampunky, but at least it’s a pocket watch, and a very unobstrusive one, too. I’m still thinking about modding it a little bit, maybe with some polymer clay, to have a more unique look about it.

The second watch is from Claires, meant to be a necklace, but since I changed the chain into a sturdier one and also added a clip I wear it in my pockets like the name implies.

I like the fact that it is filigree yet not too ladylike for a tomboy like me. Maybe I’ll find a brass-coloured clip one day, but until then the silver one will do. Plus, it somehow allows me to mix brass and silver jewelery alike.

And finally I finished my clock cushion project! Actually it was done some weeks ago but I had no time to take a decent picture.

Back from the City

I’ve been to Frankfurt again. Originally it was to switch my armoire from the unstable black wire-with-curtains light model to a smaller dark wooden type from the first half of the last century that kept catching dust in my mother’s basement. But as my father decided that if we went to get the closet on Saturday I could as well come with him on Thursday when he drove home from Marburg anyway, I had one and a half day to spend in the big city, too.

One of the worst things about my beloved fairy tale town is the lack of shopping opportunities. Even though I’m not much of a hoarder of clothes and accessoires I love to go window-shopping. Marburg sadly has only one not-so-unique H&M and neither Claire’s nor Accessorize, so I was thrilled to learn that in Frankfurt even a second of the latter had opened during the last months!

And this is (part of) what I brought back:

A cute tea-pot-shaped earring. Actually it’s a pair, but as I seldom wear two of the same pair I decided to use one of this cute tea pots to make a charm or necklace. The only thing I dislike is the harsh contrast of the muted pastel of the charm and the bright red of the ribbon above it, so I think I’m going to change it.

Another pair of earrings. They had a 3-for-the-price-of-2 sale at Claire’s, and I couldn’t resist! And yes, it’s true, I love chocolate! I think these will be great for the attire for my planned pâtissier Steampunk LARP character. When I told Jules I suggested that maybe the matching brooch would be nice for his Dorian Siskins (a character who’s a chocolatier, too). Even though it would be quite weird if two sworn enemies wore matching jewelery…

The last of the tree pairs is shaped like carved roses. Aren’t they beautiful? And they’re matching my wearable rose bouquets! The small spoon is new, too, to always carry it in my bags if I feel the urge to get me some mousse au chocolat or something similar.

My last purchase was a set of paper napkins with this really elaborate print of antique cutlery drawings, just in case I’ve got to hold a tea party some day. :)

Well, it was really nice to visit my old city again and I’m looking forward to April when I’m able to do this more often again due to my new university ticket. Oh, and I got me another something, too, but I think that’s worth a post of its own.

Presents from the Scoundrel

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Well, it was neither on the first day of Christmas nor was it a partridge in a pear tree, but an old cookie box filled with old things he knew I’d consider treasures and three volumes of a comic we both love.

When he came back to our fairy tale town after the holidays he had spent with his family, I had to leave the room for a few minutes after I gave him his presents, and he hid his gifts for me so that I had to search for them.

I love treasure hunts, and the first one was even found rather soon. It was an old, little bit rusty cookie tin box, adorned with pictures of medieval Nuremberg (where the original gingerbread that was delivered in this bin came from), a craftsman and his workshop and a pocket watch, as the craftsman was a clock maker.

My favourite picture from the gingerbread tin.

When I looked inside, I found pieces that other would call “trash”, but I consider it treasures. Old metal washers, a button, a small door bolt, a wrench, copper pipe parts and best of all, a heavy, massive old plummet.

I think I’ll fix the bolt at my old, crooked door to finally be able to shut it properly.

The second gift was way harder to find, as the three volumes of Elfquest perfectly blended in with my university files and folders.

Elfquest! How long it had been that I’d read about Cutter and Skywise, Leetah and Rayek and especially Nightfall and Redlance! Redlance the treeshaper is my Scoundrel’s favourite character and Nightfall, huntress and his mate, is mine. It was quite a coincidence when we discovered that we both loved this comic when we were younger and spent whole afternoons in our respective public libraries reading trough their adventures in the world of two moons and that even our favourite elves were one of the most unusual couples of the wolfriders (or “Manowar elves”, as Teli calls them).

Redlance and Nightfall.

I was really, really delighted, he couldn’t have thought of a better gift for me. And I’ll get a fourth volume of Elfquest for our anniversary. ^^

Oh My Goth, It’s Over!

It’s done. My first very own Steampunk LARP. And even though there were some flaws, it was a great experience. Plus, I met some really interesting characters – in time and out time.
I don’t have any photos yet and I just came home some hours ago. I didn’t sleep more than nine hours this weekend so far and there’s so much more to be done during the next week – get the new homepage (I’ll need a Satyr for this), collect all the pictures, clean up and so on.

I’ll tell you all about it when I get the photographs.

Oh My Goth, It’s Coming!

So, it’s Wednesday and the Steampunk LARP is on Saturday. I hope you’re not too confused that I didn’t write during the last days, but I’m really, really busy. I hope I’ll be able to post an update before I’m off to Darmstadt and a big adventure, but I can’t promise a thing.

I hope you’re all having a great time at the moment.

Love and a good night from

A tired Hedgefairy

The Everyday Steampunk I

Two days ago I started sewing my first pair of spats and today I finished them. They are part of my plan to “steam up” my wardrobe a bit. I admit that it is a little bit difficult to practise Steampunk in the everyday life without any cogwheels, but I love challenges.

It’s a kind-of-fake-tweed wool with cotton lining. I even made a stencil for a label.

I’ll keep that, definitely.

I think the next part of this series will be some quirky jewellery… We’ll see.