Steampunk New Year's Eve

What are you going to wear for New Year's Eve parties this year? If you're like me, you always reach for that same little black dress year after year after year. But then the jewelry changes every year according to the styles. And this year is the year of the statement necklace.

I made this amazing steampunk-style statement necklace just in time for the New Year's scene. It's much easier than it looks, and it has a famous Aleene's glue technique:

Burnt Brown Bag!

The butterfly with the houndstooth ribbon across it is truly burnt glue and a paper bag. It honestly looks like antique metal. If you've never heard of it, let me tell you about this crafty technique that's been around for years....

First, grab a paper bag from the grocery store. Cut out three 4 x 4 inch squares. Stack and glue them all together with Aleene's Tacky Glue. Trace the butterfly pattern and cut it out, and now you're ready for the craziness.

Light a candle, since the flame is part of the process. Cover the entire butterfly with glue. I'm talking a nice thick coating of glue on the top and the bottom and the edges. Yes, you're gonna get a bit sticky, but now grab some old tweezers to hold it.

Hold the glue covered butterfly over the candle and watch what happens. If you have the bag totally covered it won't catch on fire, but the glue will start to turn black and get wrinkly. I know, it's crazy! Keep going until the entire butterfly is black and wrinkled, and press out bubbles if they come up.

Then, gently rub the black soot with a tissue and let the glue dry. After that, I used my finger to rub silver rub-n-buff on it to make it look antique. A few crystals glued on the wings finished it off.

The rest of the bib necklace is a collage of trims, buttons, lace, and crystals all glued to muslin or any black scrap fabric, with Aleene's Fabric Fusion and then put together with grommets and chain. You can get the complete details on the iLoveToCreate website on the homepage, or on the Steampunk Socialite Necklace project page.

Don't forget to come see me at Pattiewack.com for more crafty ideas for the most wacky and crafty year ever!

Happy 2010!

Pattiewack