EPBOT

First up,  some eye candy in the form of over two dozen steampunk portraits by Rebeca Saray:

Even so, I found this before and after shot on Saray's blog to be the most fascinating of them all:

I could stare at stuff like this all day. Notice how she fixed the model's back roll? And added more eye liner? I'm in awe of talent like this! (Of course, the first thing I noticed was that the goggle lines on her face don't match the shape of her goggles, but that's just me being nit-picky. Heh.)

Katherine G. sent in this video, which she described as "charmingly dark." I'd say that description is bang on:

It's in French, so I have no idea what they're singing about, but the video has a nifty Burton-esque feel to it, plus a clockwork heart and some kind of Ent-like creature. So clearly you guys are going to like it. :D (And if any of you speak French, please post a translation in the comments for the rest of us!)

I've featured the octopus chandeliers of Adam Wallacavage before, but here's a new one:

 All of his chandeliers are gorgeous, colorful fun. Hit the link up there to see more.

For my fellow interior design lovers: 16 Submarine-Themed Rooms

 I was pleasantly surprised to see some new stuff here, like this room from an Extreme Home Makeover episode. I so wish themed rooms like this weren't seen as just "kid stuff" - they're so much more interesting, and show off so much more of your personality! (Thanks for the link, Kaitlyn!)

And finally, the coolest steampunk belt buckle I have ever seen:

(The consensus last week seemed to favor Jen's Gems, so I'm giving that a whirl. )

Can I just say how much I would have loved this when I was a kid? (Heck, would STILL love it?) Not to mention it helps teach the foundations of electronics, an advantage I dearly wish I'd had back then.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to report that the Roominate crew has already far exceeded their $25,000 Kickstarter goal, and with over two weeks still to go I bet they're going to at least double that amount. Still, head on over and show 'em some love; for $59 you can get one room & reel, and that includes shipping.

And speaking of girls who know their wiring, check out this gorgeous illuminated photo slide dress made by Emily Steel:

Last weekend I decided to clean out my jewelry stash, since it's once again grown beyond any semblance of decency or control. (I've been a cheap jewelry junkie since I was old enough to grab at sparkly things on chains. It's one of my many weaknesses.)

Anyway, as I was sorting through it all, I thought I might use some of these pieces to make a new charm bracelet:

Only one of these cost more than a few dollars originally - and that one I've worn to death - so I didn't mind taking 'em all apart for parts.

So, I harvested the bits I liked, re-wired a few beads, re-painted the top of the giant cupcake charm (it had yellowed with age) plus the red Munny charm and a couple of the tiny pink hearts.

A few hours later...


I'm especially proud of the painted Munny charm. I just used regular acrylic craft paint on it and the little plastic hearts, and then top-coated them all with clear nail polish, which looks GORGEOUS. You'd never know they were painted - and they match the pink rose perfectly!

(I also used white nail polish on the cupcake charm, with acrylic paint & more clear nail polish for the sprinkles.)

Here are some much better shots during the daylight:

I really like the way it hangs; chunky charm bracelets are my favorite. (And I just realized I'm dressed to match today - how's that for a crazy random happenstance?)

I think my favorite is the yellow gumball bead with the white bow on it. It's so Kawaii and cute!

I hope this inspires you guys to re-mix your own jewelry cast-offs. Remember, never throw old jewelry away! Always keep it for parts or give it to a friend or thrift store. Also, if you have way too many necklaces like I do, consider using the pendants as charms on a bracelet - that way you can wear more of your favorite sparklies at once!

On Saturday I went to my very first Maker Faire - albeit just a Mini one - where I realized there is SO MUCH cool stuff out there I still want to learn. Then we went to a cat show next door, where I realized - again - that CATS ARE AWESOME. (And I want to pet a hairless cat. I do. I bet they feel like warm velvet. Mmmmm.)



So.

If you've never heard of them, Maker Faires are a celebration of makers - DIYers, hackers, programmers, and other crafty types. At our little one here in Orlando we had a smattering of prop builders, artists, 3D printer programmers, model rocket builders, and other assorted scientists and geeky types. It was small - all housed in one giant warehouse at the fairgrounds - but John and I still managed to spend an enjoyable few hours browsing and chatting with the exhibitors.

The end where we entered had a robot arena, where kids were allowed to drive some of the 'bots around:

 Next to that, two larger robots were shooting baskets:


These toy robots were fun to watch: they can sit, stand, and walk on their own!


There were two or three excellent found-object artists at the Faire. Here's one of my favorite pieces:



A Klingon Bird of Prey! (I recognize the head as a tea ball. Your guess is as good as mine on the rest of it, though!)
 Then there was the adorable work of Robots Are Awesome:

 



This lovely lady was a fellow attendee, but she really stood out from the crowd:

I'm not sure if she's a steampunk fan or not, given her lack of gadgetry, but I do love that outfit!

Of course, it's not a Maker's Faire without a musical Tesla coil:

This was just a little one, but the purple arcs were mesmerizing, nonetheless. (And that purple balloon just happened to be floating on the opposite side of that banner - it's not actually touching the arcs.)

 For $3 you could buy a little pack of parts and solder your own blinking robot pin. SOLD!

The nice volunteer holding my pin for me was veeeery trusting. I also made a real mess of my solder: she had to fix it for me when my battery pack snapped off the second I finished. Heh.

Here's the finished pin:

 His eyes blinked red, but the battery died by the time we got home. Or maybe my solder just broke again. :D


This is a large metal and plexiglass sculpture. The colored lights changed over time - quite pretty.

The droid builders were back here, too, along with some familiar droid faces:



I don't think I've seen this little guy before, though. AND I LOVE HIM.


Back in the lighted area, there were a few crazy-talented prop builders:


This is all by Jason of Fireblade Comics. He does a lot of custom work, and I love that he displayed several of his props alongside the items he'd made them from:

John and I talked weathering finishes with Jason for a long time, and now I have some new ideas to try!

And finally, here are two of my favorite art pieces :

I like how the heart is emerging from hot coals - and the "thinker" pose on the skeleton is pretty rad.

Both pieces are by Aleric Art, and are actually on sale at Etsy right now, if you're interested.



So that was the Orlando Mini Maker Faire! Hope you guys enjoyed visiting it vicariously through me. Sadly I don't have any pictures of the cat show - some of those cat show people are a leeetle bit scary, and I didn't want to chance it - so you'll just have to imagine me and John and our friends Scott & Missy tip-toeing down the aisles and peering longingly into all the cat houses while their owners glared at us suspiciously. Hee.


Oh, and Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans! Today I plan to practice some more painting finishes on my current craft project and then finish the 1,500 piece jigsaw puzzle I've been working on for months. How 'bout you guys?


UPDATE: I've had a few of you comment on the robots in my first two pictures, and Katie K. was kind enough to send in some more information about this great program for kids and teens:

"After reading your post today about the makers fair, I simply HAD to write to tell you about the robots at the beginning of the post. As I intently scrolled down the page, I immediately recognized the bots in your pictures. Well, not those  ones specifically, but the program they're with. FIRST Robotics is an international competition that brings young people together in the name of, well.... robots. And geekery. FIRST has several programs for different age groups, starting at 5 years old or so.
In the first picture, with the smaller robots, is the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the second with the big one is FIRST Robotics Competition. But both of these are completely comprised of high school students, so those fabulous bots were built by kids 13 to 18 years old! I know more about the basket-ball shooting one, because that's the one I'm in, so I'll talk about it. Beginning in January, teams are given six weeks to design, build, code, and test a robot to complete a given task (given at the start of the build season). This past year it was a more complicated version of basketball. Teams are given a basic kit of parts, but are expected to make or buy anything else they need to make their robot run. Teams then compete at regional and (inter)national levels. So, yes, those robots (and their teams) belong at a Maker Fair.
I'll make a shameless plug here and invite you to tell any kids you know who are inclined toward making stuff to look up a team in their area. And teams can always use the help of adult mentors and monetary contributions. *nudge, nudge*"

Thanks so much, Katie!