How I'm Creating My Ideal Steampunk Outfit

I absolutely love Steampunk! Where the past meets the present, and the present meets the future. It takes Victorian fashion and adds steam powered tech to create an awesome mix. For my particular cosplay, I have chosen to go with time travel. If you are wanting to create your own Steampunk outfits, you have the pick a theme. Then work through each item that goes with it. I got ideas from seeing what others have made. This is one of my favorites! Pick a style that speaks to you. Create a Pinterest board even, so you can reference back to it.

I started with a purse, which you can check out here. I thought something simple would be the best way to build my crafting skills. I plan to add a couple more elements to it this weekend. 
Every great steampunk cosplay also comes with goggles.

Being that I wear glasses, I have decided that mine will be worn on the hat my Mom sent me.

But they had to be tricked out still. I still have one more element to add before I feel they are 100% complete. Something like this....

Then came the boots. I'm thinking there is still more I want to do to them.

Like paint the toes perhaps... But for now, the heels are rocking some gears.

My daughters, and even my sons, sometimes like to try and help. The baby likes to play in my craft supplies while my older daughter likes to sort the gears into groups.

It is one way we get to bond. I also use it to teach. Sorting and grouping is a concept she has learned, but can expand on. This is also how the kids gain an interest in being creative. My sons wanted to have their own steampunk goggles when they saw mine. So we designed and made some for them!

They play pretend with them. 

Not everyone is a crafter. At first, I wasn't. So I used some review opportunities to get steampunk costumes.

That is what sparked my interest in the genre. I started to realize how much more there was to it. Then I began searching on Pinterest. Talk about a huge movement! There are now shows and sub-genres to diversify in. People make a living on creating or "making" gear. They are called Makers. The more I dove into researching, the more I wanted to be a part of this community. And my cosplay is just how I do it :) 
My next project is to decorate the corset top my Mom sent as a gift. I'm going to add some decorations to it. Then I have to work on the skirt. I'm also wanting to 'punk out some toy guns we have. My goal is to have it completed by Free Comic Book Day/Star Wars Day this May. And I'm trying to convince my husband to get new pants for his Resident Evil Guard costume. That way, the whole family can dress up this time. It is a great bonding event for us.  

Are you a Steampunk fan? Sci-Fi? What gives you the greatest joy in your down time?? Let me know in the comments below!

Discouragement is only a state of mind

The sales business world is a fast-paced highway. One that we have to keep up or be left behind on. Whether you are working in an office or working face to face with your customers, you have to keep upbeat and ready to take to the fast lane. I’m used to working one-on-one in person with people. I can handle that with ease. Even though I’m an introvert, I can still find ways to connect and get over my anxiety of strangers.
My job is challenging me to step out of my comfort zone and learn to connect via phone calls and emails. There isn’t a face attached to the name. There isn’t always a voice to that name either. I’m calling complete strangers to talk about my services, but I have to do so in a way that benefits them and not me. Conflicted about this, I do feel. Cold calls are the worse. I’m calling someone who might know nothing about my company. I’m pitching them information about my services. 9/10 times, I don’t even get an answer. I get a voicemail. It’s impersonal, cold - just a machine. How do I tackle this one?! My supervisor and manager have been helpful in assisting me with coaching’s on a great script. Clearly and concisely, I can deliver my points and try to slip in something personal. But still. When you get so many voicemails, you feel like a recording. And then when those who actually answer the calls are saying they have no need for you and know no one else they can refer you to… It gets discouraging. You have to find the will to keep calling. To keep trying. To keep going after cold leads. After about 10 calls, I am ready to quit. According to a recent Dale Carnegie training I took, I have to have a goal. I also need an enemy. A reason to keep pushing forward regardless of what it looks like or what is said about what I do. I have a few tactics. I tell myself that these dead calls could come back fruitful in a month. Or I look at the pictures hanging on my cubicle wall of those I work hard to provide for. I have goals. To own a large enough home for my kids to have their own individual rooms. I plan to be financially independent so that I don’t have to rely on assistance from anyone, but can instead be the one giving to others in need. My enemy? Don’t laugh, but I use my ex-husband as my enemy. I tell myself that I will show him that I don’t need him, his money, and that I will never be some doormat to him ever again.
So back to my title. It’s a state of mind when you feel bogged down. You have to tell yourself you will succeed. That everything you are doing is going to work out for the better. Nothing you put your hands and mind to is failing. It is merely looking for that loophole to success. You can fall into a slump. But you better remind yourself to get up out of that rut and get back to work. Kick yourself in the pants or ask someone you trust to kick you. Otherwise you are bound to fail. Trick your mind into seeing the future you want and push on. Its there for the taking.