Anatomy of a Steampunk Alchemy

Yesterday I finished up my first commission for an Etsy customer, through a new (or resurrected function) called Alchemy that allows sellers to bid on requests for handmade items. In this case, a steampunk necklace. My particular take on it incorporated a beautiful vintage button.

Here's what I started with: my buttons (yes, there must be a better way to organize) and a pile of watch and clock parts.



I segregated a number of pieces to play around with, and came up with a configuration I liked. The picture on the right shows the pieces just arranged together--no gluing yet. I uploaded this for the client to approve. (I don't think this step is strictly called for in the rules, but it seems like a good idea to me.)



Well, she loved it, so I finished off the piece (lots of stinky glue) and attached the leather cord. This took several days because of all the parts involved (eight different clock parts, plus I added an extra, thin button on the back of the celluloid one for stability). Et voila! I still need to clean it up a little, and Monday it ships.


I love this new feature on Etsy. It gives people a chance to get noticed whose shops otherwise might not be found; it inspired me to try something a little bigger and wilder than I might have otherwise (and this necklace looks pretty awesome on). And it allows people to purchase exactly what they want (we hope).