Designs by Victoria

Friday Favorites!

2012-01-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

Old rose neck corset with black applique, by Serinde corsets:

Red Hat with Peacock, by HoneysuckleRose:

Weaved Glass Branch Basket, Organic, Abstract Vessel, by MorningLightGlass:

Hand sculpted ATHENA miniature corset necklace, by wickedgems:

Handmade Garnet Moonstone Brass Hammered Wide Cuff Bracelet , by SecretAura:

Hats and Spats!

2012-01-23T19:58:00.001-08:00

I started out the evening making some simple hat bands for our tophats, to go with our matching outfits. And then I tried my hand at making a pair of spats. Very happy with how they turned out, so much so that I will have to make another pair (or three or five), and describe the process. So expect a tutorial at some point!

Remember, every successful outfit is made by the accessories.

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Another new outfit

2012-01-22T19:32:00.001-08:00

I need more excuses to wear my vintage crinolines after all, don't I? I was lying in bed this morning, because for some reason I woke up at 6am, trying to convince myself there was absolutely no reason whatsoever that I should be awake and that I needed to go back to sleep, but my brain wouldn't cooperate, and instead it went off on costuming tangents. Why shouldn't the husband and I have matching outfits? (That's how a lot of my outfits begin, actually.)

I still have oodles of the brocade from which I made my husband's tailcoat.

I treated myself to this corset as a Christmas present to myself. The stripes are a bit darker than the brocade but it was close enough, I decided.

Started cutting out the pattern before church this morning, and finished sewing the skirt at about 6pm this evening. Paired with the corset and the vintage crinoline I bought last year, and voila!

I still haven't finalized the decoration for pinning back the front of the skirt yet. I've got some trim bows pinned in place for now, but may change my mind after a trip to the store this week. Will still also be making headbands for both our tophats as well. Oh, and by the way:

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Friday Favorites!

2012-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

Elisabeth the Virgin Peacock - sterling silver and gemstone necklace, by CleopatraKerckhof:

Vintage Gold Etched Fan Pendant - Asian Bird Designs, Double Sided, from YesterdaysSilhouette:

Steampunk Butterfly Embroidered Apron, by PolkadotOrchid

Feather, crystal, beaded headpiece, by ImaginariumApparel:

The Nefarious Dress, by Blacklickorish:

Matisse bracelet & earrings, from BritneyLin:

Frocking the husband

2012-01-15T17:16:00.001-08:00

I promised the husband a tailcoat. Silly me! I had planned on using Butterick 3648, but when I went to go cut out the pattern pieces for the jacket, I realized I only had it in the XS/S/M size. The husband has a 42" chest. I'm guessing I bought the smaller size because I was thinking about doing Victorian drag at some point. The pattern is out of print, of course! I made a trip to the store, and the only tailcoat pattern I could find is a silly costume-y one for Uncle Sam, but I worked with it, added lining, and actually came out with a piece that made both of us happy.

I used a champagne colored brocade that I scored at Goodwill last month when we braved the Day after Christmas sale.

I found a rich chocolate brown lining fabric that complemented the brocade beautifully.

Of course there have to be buttons!

And chain

So another step up in my confidence level of sewing things for people other than myself has been achieved.

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It's chicken soup time again

2012-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

I had described the process of making soup here, but hadn't included any pictures! I made more soup last night, and took some this time around.

How it starts out, with the whole raw chicken and veggies, making the stock:

After simmering, this is how the chicken comes out of the pot if I'm lucky:

If I get distracted and let it go too much longer, it completely falls apart, which makes fishing out the meaty bits a bit more challenging. And of course, this is Miss Nellie's favourite part of the process, as a bit or two usually falls off.

In between warming my innards with a tasty bowlful, I've been listing again! I realized I had four parasols that had never found their way into my shop, and I finished two new necklaces this week as well. Here's the first set:

Hand Embellished Ivory Battenburg Lace Steampunk Parasol Bridal

Steampunk Brass Gear necklace with Vintage Brass Chain

Red Black and Ivory Geometric Steampunk Parasol OOAK Ruffled Trim

Friday Favorites!

2012-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Heart Full of Love - Handmade Sterling Silver Heart Necklace Pendant - OOAK, by SCJJewelryDesign:

Mario the Hedgehog Knitting Pattern PDF, by Yarnigans:

Victorian Style Cuff Bracelet . Antique Silver . Fluorite Cabachon - Her Majesty, by JemsbyJBandCompany:

Vintage Hawaiian Lace Wedding Dress, Cream Lace Illusion Victorian Style with Train, Petite, from StelmaDesigns:

Filigree Victorian Bat necklace in silver stainless steel - vampire bat wings silhouette necklace, by FableAndFury:

Narwhal Plush - Dark Purple w/ Mustache, Monocle and Top Hat , by OstrichFarm:

Fairy Woods print 8 x 10, by TwigStudioArt:

Eggs and parasols

2012-01-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

I don't know how on earth the husband ended up on Martha Stewart's website, but he found this recipe a few days ago and strongly suggested it would make a good breakfast for the weekend. He was right. NOM!

Working on another black and purple parasol, with a floral lace overlay this time:

Realizing I'd better get dressed soon, as I have a sewing date this afternoon. A friend of mine and I are working on mockups for the original Star Trek female uniform. It is appropriately called a "Skant." Apparently, each episode, they raised the hem 1/4" until the censors complained. :o

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Friday Favorites!

2012-01-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

Austro Hungarian Bohemian Garnet Bracelet, from DresdenDollz:

Sherlock Hound 24 X 16 canvas wrap, features a detective dog dressed like Sherlock Holmes, by DogtownArtworks:

Storm Moon, by Belethil:

Versailles Angel - mirrored glass angel wings , by PamelaAngus:

Streamer floor length tutu skirt formal red black adult, by SistersOfTheMoon:

Glowing Pearl and Citrine torsade necklace, by CapitalCityCrafts:

Adventures in Jelly

2012-01-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

My contributions to all the holiday parties I've been attending this holiday season have been some of my homemade jellies, along with crackers and goat cheese, and they seem to have been a big hit. They're absurdly simple to make, too! I tried my hand at a merlot jelly first, and a pomegranate jalapeno variety as well. They both work off the same basic recipe:

4 cups liquid
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin

That's it for the wine! Whisk the pectin into the sugar, bring the liquid to a gentle roil, whisk in the sugar/pectin mixture, bring back to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes, can and boil in a water bath for 5-10 minutes. For the pepper jelly, just a couple extra steps. Split and seed 10 jalapenos (and 2-4 habaneros if you want extra kick) and simmer in the juice for 10 minutes, strain out the peppers, and then again, whisk in the sugar, simmer, can, boil, yadda yadda. I ended up doing a second batch after I blew through the first (each yielded about six 1/2 pint jars), so instead of merlot wine the second time around I used mead.

A cracker, smeared with goat cheese, and a dollop of gourmet jelly on top? Heaven!

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A set for me and two more pieces for the shop

2011-12-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

I made this set a few weeks ago, but finally got around to photographing it for myself. I got this Ice Resin pendant from a friend of mine a few months ago, and found it in one of my boxes as I was organizing the stash just after Thanksgiving.

The pendant has little bitty watch parts in it! You should check out the rest of her ice resin jewelry creations.

This set finally got photographed today as I was getting a couple of new creations ready for listing. First, a new necklace. What? More pearls? Yes. More pearls. I love pearls. So sue me.

Freshwater Pearl and Antique Crystal Wedding Choker with Silver Chain

And secondly, I didn't have enough of the purple spiderweb fabric left over to completely recover a second parasol, but I did have enough to cover half of a second parasol.

Black Gothic Parasol Purple Laced Silver Spiderweb with Black Lace

It was brought home to me again just how lacking purple is in the fabric and trim market. Don't suppliers realize how much people love this color? We need to stand up and demand more purple options!

Off now to start making goodies for our NYE and NYD celebrations. Big wishes for a wonderful new year to all of you, and stay safe, okay?

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Getting home safely on New Year's Eve

2011-12-30T10:21:00.001-08:00

Or any other night of the year, really. Here's a list of services throughout the United States that will get you home safely if you've been drinking.

Click on your state on the list, and then it's broken down by county.

Please, as the site says, verify whether these services are still operating in your area and what restrictions they may have BEFORE you go out!

Friday Favorites!

2011-12-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

OOAK fantasy creature by feythcrafts:

Nefertari Egyptian Wire Wrap Collar, by WireAritsansGuild:

Communications Bracer: Production Model by *Winneganfake on deviantART

Vintage signed Zoe Coste blue parure, Made in France, from creativegatherings:

Deck Officers Gorget. Made to Measure. Steampunk Collar., by POBDesigns:

New haircut and playing with a self-portrait

2011-12-29T22:36:00.002-08:00

I got another chopchop yesterday, and my hair is now shorter than it's been since I was still in single digits. I got a pretty good self-portrait shot in the mirror today, trying to capture the new 'do:

But what fun is a self-portrait when you haven't played with it?

First, color correction:

Then, desaturation and aging:

And then I decided I didn't like the complete desaturation, so I added a yellow tint back:

Maybe someday I'll recreate this with a antique camera!

Two new necklaces!

2011-12-29T17:54:00.001-08:00

I have a few pieces left over from the vintage necklace that resulted in this piece:

Black Cinnabar with a Twist

Some of the link loops had broken off of a few of the pieces. They're so nifty, though, that I've been trying to decide what I can still do with them. Well, today, I figured it out:

Victorian Necklace Vintage Silver Charm Blue Glass Beads on Sterling

That's a classic Victorian style, but the vintage bit gives it a slightly more modern twist, I think!

I've also had a necklace idea playing around in my head for a few months. I saw a piece at a local antique mall, from the late 1960s or early 1970s, and while I loved the style, I hated the materials. I have never been a fan of what I've always called the "scrambled egg" variety of amber, the bright yellow opaque kind, and that's what this necklace was made of, nuggets of this variety with brass chains. I've been thinking ever since that it would have looked so much better in crystal and silver. So here it is:

Rock Crystal and Vintage Chain Choker Silvertone Adjustable Length

More purple parasol fun

2011-12-27T18:59:00.001-08:00

I tried something different with my latest parasol, creating a faux lacing pattern on alternating panels, in between sections covered in the sheer purple fabric with the silver spiderweb pattern I used on the previous piece. It was mainly a thrifty necessity, as I didn't have enough of the remnant left to do all 8 panels, but I've been wanting to try something like this for some time now, so it all worked out, right?

Again, I'm hampered by color balance in photographs. I either get a blurry shot that is almost true to color, or a focused shot with the flash or sunlight where the purple turns cobalt blue. Blurry it is, at least for now:

I do now have a couple of yards of a bright purple lace, so I'll probably be doing another iteration or two in this color combination in the near future.

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More Christmas fun

2011-12-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

Last night we made cookies for Santa. Instead of making regular chocolate chip cookies, we decided to try to mold them with cookie cutters. Much hilarity ensued:

Of course, they had to be decorated:

And we underestimated how much the cookies would spread when cooked:

They were still tasty!

There was much to be unwrapped:

The husband surprised me with a shiny:

And we are replete on our traditional Christmas breakfast of cheesecake and mimosas. Cheers!

!

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree is a bit influenced by my particular color preferences each year:

Even up to the angel at the top of the tree:

We're all set for Christmas. The pumpkin puree I made back in October and froze is thawing, there is a huge ham in the fridge, and wonder of wonders all the presents are already wrapped!

So Merry Christmas from our household to yours! May it be everything you hoped it to be!

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Merry Christmas to Me!

2011-12-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Normally I let the business buy me a Christmas present each year, but this year things have been a bit slow, so instead I'm letting the business make me a Christmas present! I found these gorgeous roses, and made myself a shiny collar for the holidays:

It's adjustable in length, but I like it sitting right across my collarbones.

It's strung with silver and red glass beads - my favorite color combination!

Now for an occasion to wear it....

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Purple Spiders fly!

2011-12-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Well, purple spiderwebs, actually. I spent the last couple of days working on a new parasol, after finding a yard of fabric in the stash that I'd bought a few Halloweens ago and deciding I should put it on a parasol. I started with a new ruffled parasol, black satin, and covered it with this fabric, a sheer purple with a silver spiderweb pattern on it. Added some purple ribbon, black Venice lace, and some black and purple sequined trim, and voila!

The color purple is one my camera does not particularly like, it seems. Even after trying to tweak the colors in photoshop, I still couldn't get the true royal hues to come through.

I think I may have enough fabric to do one more, but I'll have to come up with some different trim options, as I only found one suitable trim from my source this time! Why, oh why do fabric suppliers not realize that purple is such a hot commodity?

(This one isn't listed anywhere, because it sold in less than five minutes after I posted an image of it to my facebook page, by the way.)

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The Ice Queen's Wedding Necklace

2011-12-13T17:56:00.001-08:00

Perfect for a winter wedding, a combination of two different sizes of faceted clear glass beads, modern crystal points and antique aurora borealis faceted crystal beads, with variously shaped pieces of opalite, or opalized glass, all hand-wrapped in sterling wire.

The Ice Queen's Wedding by *dbvictoria on deviantART

I've been trying to decide what to do with the three pieces of glass that are at the centers of the three inside sections of the necklace for ages, and finally inspiration struck last night!

Ice Queen Necklace Close-up by *dbvictoria on deviantART

December Birthstone

2011-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

There are two choices for birthstones for December babies: blue topaz or turquoise. I lean towards turquoise for my daughter, but we'll see what she picks for herself when she gets older.

Topaz is a silicate mineral, and a very hard stone, having a hardness of 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. It can still be split by a hard blow, however, so care must be taken while wearing this stone.

Sterling Silver Ring Bezel Set London Blue Topaz, by Jewelry24Seven:

Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Usually grey or yellow turquoise is irradiated to produce a deep blue color.

Sky Blue Topaz Wire Wrapped Oxidized Necklace, by SilverSmack:

Topaz is also the suggested anniversary gemstone for the 4th, 19th and 23rd years of marriage!

Baby Stella Blue Topaz, December birthstone, sterling silver star necklace, by metalicious:

Turquoise got its name because it was first brought to Europe from Turkey in the 16th century. It was cherished in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures, but is most known for its usage by Native Americans in the Southwestern USA and in Central America.

Turquoise and Rice Pearls Necklace on Sterling Silver, by dbvictoria:

Turquoise ranges in color between many shades of blue and green, with even some yellow shades to be found. Blue shades are caused by the presence of copper, green hues occur if the turquoise forms in areas where there is a high aluminum content, and the yellow shades occur rarely in deposits with zinc.

Turquoise Teardrop Earrings on Marquis Shaped Sterling Silver Earwires, by NightSkyJewelry:

Turquoise is a relatively soft stone, so care should be taken not to scratch or chip your turquoise jewelry. It is only ranked at 5-6 on the Mohs scale. Sometimes softer stones are stabilized with an infusion of epoxy resin, which preserves the stone from wear. Natural stones acquire a patina or luster from the oils in the wearer's skin, to which stabilized stones are immune.

December Birthstone Necklace - Turquoise with Coral & Sterling Silver, by RoughMagicCreations:

Whichever stone your December baby prefers, there are a multitude of choices available for him or her!

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Friday Favorites!

2011-12-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

A quickie tonight, as we just got home from a Christmas Pops concert. I am approaching being in a holiday mood.

Red & Green Monster Holiday Stocking, by girlgoth:

Alien Bug Head Pin, by spiderwings

Eye of Cthulhu Stick Pin, by clockworkbeetle

Cooking safely

2011-12-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

When you're cooking meats, if you don't cook them thoroughly enough you run the risk of making yourself and anyone else you're feeding sick. Recommended temperatures for different meats are 145°F for whole meats, 160°F for ground meats and 165°F for all poultry.

There are a bunch of different thermometers you can use, but I prefer the old fashioned kind.

Their accuracy can be affected, though, if they're dropped, or if they're not used for long periods of time. That's easily corrected, though. Test their accuracy by immersing them in boiling water. They should read 212°F, like the thermometer in the picture above. (Unless you're at a high altitude, and in that case the boiling point will be lower.) If they don't read 210°F, they can be easily adjusted by turning the screw under the dial.

Also, when checking the temperature of your cooking meat, make sure that you insert the thermometer at least 2/3 of the length of the stem into the meat. That means if you're cooking chicken breasts or burgers, you need to insert the thermometer in the side of the piece. And you're cooking a roast or a whole bird, make sure the thermometer isn't touching the bone, which will be warmer than the rest of the bird.

Happy and safe cooking!

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Support small businesses this holiday season

2011-11-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

Watching some of the news reports for Black Friday, I was quite happy to be ensconced on the sofa next to my daughter, with a cup of steaming hot chai and a kitty lying across my chest purring her furry little heart out. This year, again, I'll be making presents, canning, and buying handcrafted gifts from other small businesses.

Tomorrow is becoming known as Cyber Monday, and there are many places other than large chain websites from which you can purchase items online!.

I'm running a sale for the holidays - 10% off my Designs by Victoria shop on Artfire. Enter the coupon code "10-THANKYOU" at checkout to receive this discount.

And guess what? I've got even more new goodies posted for your perusal!

Bloodstone Earrings on Sterling Silver Earwires:

Order of the Nautilus Seahorse Grey Faux Pearl Steampunk Necklace:

Brass Flower and Black Onyx Earrings:

Sunshine Earrings - Orange Glass on Sterling Silver Earwires:

Key to a Hidden Door Steampunk Necklace with Pearls and Sterling Chain:

Moss Agate Briolette Earrings on Sterling Silver Earwires:

Cobalt Blue Sparkle Earrings on Sterling Silver Earwires:

Orca Earrings - oval glass beads on silver earwires:

Brown Pearl Y Necklace with Pewter Celtic Knot on Sterling Silver:

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