The Latest Craze

Steampunk Jewelry

This is a pocket watch back bejeweled with assorted beads and baubles made into a necklace.

This necklace was made by my friend Linda. Glued on to the airline wings are the inside workings of a windup wrist watch. The circle below is a discarded  pendant. 

The latest craze in the world of jewelry design are steampunk jewelry. The designers cleverly combine antique components and brand new items, creating modern pieces with a  vintage flair.

The world of Steampunk is currently enjoying a renaissance.
In my mind there is so much more to Steampunk than cogs and old watch parts glued to rings and pendants, with the repurposing of these components there is an intrinsic appreciation of the skill and artistry of the past, particularly the Victorian era.

Securing old watch parts has become no easy task, as enthusiasts are snapping up vintage timepieces since contemporary watches are comprised mainly of plastic, making them irrelevant.

Sadly broken or less collectable watches were discarded, but with the Steampunk movement the intricate and beautiful objects of yesteryear have been given a new lease of life. On the internet I learned...  

Steampunk has a bit of an obsession with time. As such, watches of all types, including wristwatches and pocketwatches, are popular. In fact, clock parts are often used in the construction of individual pieces of steampunk jewelry. Gears and watch hands are used to decorate larger pieces. Old-fashioned keys are also very popular, as are bits of antique cast-offs, such as pill cases, thread cutters and tiny knives.

In order to reflect an antique feel, steampunk avoids the use of bright, new colors. Instead, favored colors are brass, bronze, copper and dark silvers such as gunmetal, brushed aluminum and titanium. Black and white are not popular; ecru, rich browns and shades of gray are much more common.

Steampunk jewelry is usually handmade and almost never mass-produced. Follow this link to see more ideas  

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=steampunk+jewelry+designs 

Perhaps this might be your new obsession

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Cheese and Vegetable Rice Casserole

adapted from magazine Ultimate Casserole BHG 2012

Ingredients:

• 1-16 oz. package frozen mixed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots thawed (or use 2 cups fresh ingredients just make sure carrots are thinly sliced)
• 1 package Virgo Yellow Saffron rice
• 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained or use kidney beans
• 1 small can of corn drained
• 1 small jar of roasted red peppers
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 cups of shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1-1/4 cups chicken broth low sodium

Directions:

• Preheat oven 350 and grease a 3 qt. baking dish
• In a large bowl stir together mixed vegetables, cooked, rice, beans, roasted peppers, corn 
• Stir in broth and cheese
• In a Cuisinart grate 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 TB. parsley flakes, 2 TB. melted butter
• Sprinkle on top of vegetable mixture bake uncovered 35 minutes