Steampunk

Science fiction captivated me from a really young age, and I loved alternate history stories. The Victorian era is ones that I also found very interesting, inspired in part by Jacqueline Wilson's The Lottie Project. (Though steampunk isn't just Victorian.) Still, I had never really thought to put the two together, so imagine my delight when I discovered a whole subculture devoted to re-imagining the past, complete with costumes, etiquette, machines and creativity.

It was only around four years ago that I discovered the steampunk movement, and I adore it. There are a heck of a lot of people who are just in it for the look, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I find the alternative history thing as a whole just infinitely more satisfying. Finding a look you like is great, but I love the fact that this whole thing comes from such a creative place, and you're really missing out if you haven't explored it properly. And there are far too many people snooty about getting the look right (as with many subcultures), which can be very expensive, and just isn't the point.

For those of you who have missed the steampunk thing, there's an informative page about it here ---> EtherEmporium. It makes me a little sad that there are so many people "into steampunk" who don't really know anything about the literature or the history behind it, because it really is fascinating, from a creative point of view. A bit of a bumper blog post today, as I really love this look. ^_^ While cogs and keys are the staples of most steampunk jewellery, I've tried to stick to genuinely hand-crafted steampunk gifts (may also include cogs).

 ~♥~ STEAMPUNK ~♥~

         

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Dragons

Being Welsh, I've always had something of a penchant for dragons. I remember myths and legends being told to me when I was a little girl, about the mountains being sleeping dragons, their hoards of gold inside, transforming into beings with glittering scales and needle-sharp talons. One fantastic children's book about dragons, and one of my favourites, was the wonderfully written and illustrated Jane and the Dragon which, I just found out from googling it, is now a children's tv show! Hooray! (Though books win hands down). I love the wings of dragons, their tails, their beautiful eyes, and I really love the way that they can be created in so many different ways.

This is one of them. ^_^

Here, we have a selection of beautiful dragons, from the ridiculously cute to the proud and noble. A great gift for someone who has a love of fantasy or is of Welsh heritage.

~♥~ DRAGONS ~♥~

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Geckos

I adore geckos. I love the way they pitter-patter across walls and ceilings, their blinky eyes and big toes, and possibly most of all, how they fight spiders. Spiders are evil, and geckos are their adorable nemeses. Nemesis? Anemonies? Ememies, let's just say enemies.

I have a gecko tattoo on my back, partly because of my love for them and partly because I had it done to celebrate the end of my teaching year in Viet Nam, where geckos ran all over the place. I know it's a tattoo a lot of people have, but while I would hate to think of myself as having done something just because other people think it's what I should be doing, I think it's equally stupid to stop myself from doing something I genuinely want to just because it's been done before. And I genuinely I love my little tattoo. She's called River. The twenty minutes it took to do seemed like about two minutes, though a very intense two minutes. My Dad gave me some excellent advice when I was 15 that I used when making my tattoo decision. He said if you really want something like that done, then think about it for two years. If you still want it done after two years then you'll probably be alright with it for the rest of your life. If you change your mind, it's probably not the best idea.

These geckos are amazing. I love how these gifts really capture the movement and wiggliness (sure, it's a word) of the gecko, and some of the colours used are really beautiful.

~♥~ GECKOS ~♥~

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Retro Games

My love for video games began on the SNES, with Illusion of Time. I loved the graphics, the colours, and the beautiful way that the story was written. You know it's a good story when it involves a little pink pig coming to rescue you from a dungeon your father (who is sort of also a flute [which is also your first weapon]) built before being bullied into saving the princess and setting off on a crazy quest in this alternate universe where a bunch of the wonders of our world exist on the same continent. How can you not fall madly in love with that? ^_^ 

Anyway, seeing as this blog is partly based around the things I personally like, I definitely thought I needed to have a geeky video game post. However, this proved a little more difficult than I had anticipated. Typing in a combination of games, video games, retro games, etc, usually landed me no more than about three pages. Very cool pages, with some very cool stuff, but very little there. Seems like folksy is still quite heavily considered a bit of an up-market handcrafted place, but I think there's a definite gap in the market for nerdily nostalgic jewellery and gifts.

~♥~ RETRO GAMES ~♥~

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Piano

I learned piano for several years when I was younger, from the ever-suffering Wendy. The problem I had as a child is one of the same problems I have as an adult; I am very self-aware. This meant that if she asked me to play something, and I knew I couldn't without more practise, I simply wouldn't. I also had a fantastic ear for music, so would often ask her to play it first and then mimic her movements. It was years before she realised that I couldn't actually read any of the music. I still can't, nearly decades later. The closest I can come is deciphering it: sitting down for ages and working out exactly what each symbol and note means. I know all the chords and notes and absolutely love music, but the highest grade I currently have for piano is Grade 3, because I just can't sight-read. I've recently been given my own piano (!!!) and hope to get considerably better at playing and reading music.

This selection of awesome piano gifts really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to find such a creative range of items on folksy, and the vinyl piano clock in particular stood out as being an great unique gift for someone interested in music. The rest of the pieces are also incredibly cool (music always will be) and fit a variety of price ranges.

~♥~ PIANO ~♥~

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Feathers

With feathers being a popular choice for festival wear, and feather accessories in steampunk on the rise, there are a whole heap of beautiful feathered oddments and ends to be found on folksy. Often in rich browns and silky greys, natural feathers can blend really well with a toned-down autumnal wardrobe, while bright dyed feathers can bring a bit of colour in.

I love feathers, shimmery peacock colours especially, and have picked these sellers out not only for the feathers they have chosen, but the very pretty way they've put them together. These would make an excellent gift for someone who doesn't stick to the shallow end of the trendy pool. Yes, I just used that awful metaphor. Enjoy!

~♥~ FEATHERS ~♥~

 

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Cakes

I'm quite an unorthodox baker. I know that various combinations of flour, butter, eggs and sugar tend to make delicious things. I rely more on my nose than by the recipe books, which I don't tend to use for more than just ideas for things to make. If something smells good, have a check of it. It's probably done or nearly done. I've also got a shelf full of sprinkles, chocolate chips, fudge pieces, butterscotch chips, various colours and flavourings, cooking chocolate, jams, spices, etc. I chuck in the flavours I want, and a combination of Things To Make Cake With, and voila! I might end up with a giant cookie when I meant to make little biscuits, or a sponge when I was going for brownies, but whatever happens when it goes into the oven usually tastes pretty nice when it comes back out again.

This selection of cake-based gifts would be great for someone you know who loves baking, and even better for someone with a sweet tooth. I absolutely love all of these pieces, though if I had to pick a favourite, it might be the doughnut earrings as they just look incredibly realistic. :)

~♥~ CAKES ~♥~

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Owls

I think I got my love of owls from my Grandma, who had several owly things. Paintings, pens, magnets, everyone knew she loved owls and so she always ended up with lots of owly gifts. :) This is a tactic I have started to employ myself as people never know what to get me for my birthday, and I now have my own owl collection of owly things. Even though owls remind me of my Grandma and that she's sadly no longer here, it's still nice to have that connection. I miss her very much.

These pieces here are a great mix of the way that owls can be represented in arts and crafts, from a fun cartoon depiction to a specific and realistic portrayal of owly loveliness.

~♥~ OWLS ~♥~

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Robots

I've always loved robots and technology, and I love the way that artists nowadays are personifying their robot creations. Each robot can have as much or as little of a personality as the artist chooses, and it's really interesting to see how each individual chooses to portray their robots.

~♥~ ROBOTS ~♥~

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Poker

Just like it says at the top there, this blog is about the many varied and wonderful things that I come across on folksy, the site where you can buy beautiful handmade things. For those that don't know folksy, you can find it here! I absolutely love the idea of it, of people who are good at making and creating things being able to make some money from it when they otherwise would have no outlet. I've made friends on folksy and bought a few lovely things, as well as running my own beady charm jewellery shop there. All in all, it's a great place to shop for individual gifts, and you can know that you're supporting an independent business.

Seeing as I'm starting a poker blog at the same time as this one (you can find that here), I thought I would stick with the theme and put together a compilation of the niftiest poker-related gifts and such that you can buy on folksy.

~♥~ POKER ~♥~

 

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