'Steampunk' Tips for Parenting

Hello! Welcome to my first blog on Blogger, I think.  I'm not fluent in Blogger, Google+ and other such oddities, so please be forgiving.

I've commandeered my daughter's LEGO table and its been in our living room, in place of a coffee table, for about a year.  Why? Mid-life crisis? Maybe, but mostly it is the source of creativity and truly joyful times spent with copper, superglue, buttons, different scraps of metal, and most importantly, my teenager.  We sit for hours assembling earrings, necklaces, pins, top hats and other 'steampunk' artifacts from a future that never was.  [She does hijack the tweezers, sharpies, etc. so this genre isn't completely without friction, however.]

This blog isn't 'what is "steampunk", since too much ink and trendy media is discussing this.  Instead I can share "steampunk" is a fun way to play dress-up with your older friends.  It is a book club, a movie club, and serious silliness.

My teenager got bored while next to a jingle bell, a very large nail, and other miscellaneous items.  She invented a metal flower and gave it as a holiday gift.  It looked like fun, so I tried it. [Now, I need to figure out how to attach a photo?]  All was well.  Tips: Don't Panic! When your fingers get stuck with superglue, gently put hand lotion in the area and wait a few minutes.  Amazingly, softness and patience are less painful than yanking your thumb and finger a part.

I'm not sure how our crafting grew so quickly, but thanks to Etsy and Ebay, we have a real habit now.  Thrift stores, rusty bottle caps, and regular trips to the craft store are routine.  Our profits are supporting our addiction and putting a little cash in her pocket for her favorite coffee shop stop after school.  Friends came over with fuses, wire, beads, broken lamps, and Nerf guns, keeping us well-stocked.  Metal flowers sold out! Wedding parties want them with personalization.  Here's one for a wedding in CONN.  The ceremony was in a historical train station!  The order was the highlight of our crafting-summer.

The woman who once was my toddler dressed up in goggles with friends, attended a steampunk 'con', and helped re-paint nutcrackers in an industrial Victorian fashion.  In fact, many were cyborgs, had lasers, and were missing normal limbs!

Now, she's in bed sound asleep.  I'm creating Treasury Lists, exploring Pinterest [If you haven't started, don't! It is a great way to lose an hour of your life, just like the torture machine in Princess Bride. Great analogy, right? It isn't mine; saw it on fb, sigh.]  Anyway, Wed Eclectic.com saw us on Etsy; I'm blogging for them.  So far they seem to be a group of determined small business owners who are trying to 'make it'.  The wedding business is a tough one, from what I've seen so far.

I've met science fiction authors of all types, including the 'father' of steampunk, Tim Powers.  I've reconnected with old friends who are proud of me for letting my daughter turn me into a nerd.  Lastly, steampunk reminds me to be a parent that doesn't panic. Teenagers are like supergluing your finger to your thumb!  I can't accomplish anything anyway, so I'll soften things up and be patient.

Thanks for reading!
All my best,
Dalynda Marie


My first Wed Eclectic blog:

Steampunk Wedding: Victorian with Vintage Science & Science-fiction

http://wedeclectic.com/2013/02/12/steampunk-wedding-victorian-with-vintage-science-science-fiction/