Steff Metal

I know it’s been a week, but I took these before the Rocky Horror Picture Show hen’s night I went to last weekend, and totally forgot to post them.

I am wearing:

• white shirt with ruffly sleeves, Farmers
• satin slip nightdress, present from mum
• black dress, from Salvation Army op shop
• black shirt, from Salvation Army op shop
• black wool stockings, present from CDH-in-law
• Jeffrey Campbell boots, present from Mom and Dad metal :) (love you guys!)

I am meant to be Magenta, although I am more like “Magenta after she’s had her hair straightened.)

I am re-re-re-RE-editing my novel before it goes to the editor (hopefully end of March-mid April) and adding more paintings to the shop. What are you up to today?

Steff

What did you do on Sunday? I had the best day ever.

See? We did actually hijack a train.

CDH and I and 20 of our closest friends spent the day at Glenbrook Vintage Railway. Now, this may not sound exciting, but with 20 metalheads, anything can … and does … become automatically awesome.

I decided I wanted a steampunk-themed birthday party, to celebrate finishing (and possibly selling) my steampunk novel this year. As you all know, metalheads love to dress up, so the idea of pulling out the corsets and crinolines and bustles and fantasy goggles appealed to all our friends, who put serious effort into their costumes for the day.

Amy and Kelli rocking their handmade steampunk outfits

Amy and Kelly came around to our place earlier to get dressed. They made their steampunk outfits themselves, and had raided the local antique shops for their hats and watches and telescopes.

Gallery Serpentine corset

I'm on a train! (it's cooler than being on a boat)

I wore:

• black tulle skirt, $4 from second-hand shop
• black ruffled shirt, from Smoove, a present from friends for my last birthday
• Forest green corset, from Gallery Serpentine
• Pandora beads, including cute new Pumpkin bead from Jessocles and JP for my birthday
• Top hat, from Camden markets – with Essex badge and cameo broch on it.
• fingerless gloves, Glassons
• chainmail spike bracelet, gift from BFF linley from the US
• Leonardo de Vinci socks, from Sock Dreams (gift from parents – who rock!)
• Jeffrey Campbell boots (another gift from parents – who doubly rock!)
• studded SDP belt (from somewhere in Aus), Skull and crossbones belt (Supre, of all places!), eyelet clip thing from bondage pants, chains (from Glassons, years ago!), leather pouch from a pair of binoculars

Iris and Steff

Iris looked beautiful, as usual, and had her goggles made by a friend who creates movie props. They looked amazing.

Kelli, Aaron and Amy

Aaron looked like a dapper genteel serial killer. He made his glasses himself, including the laser sight.

You rang?

Liz in her steampunk costume

Liz had another awesome costume – she made her goggles and watch herself, and found her jewellry and her wicked camera (you cn just see it behind her arm) at an antique store.

Tarah and Tim in steampunk costume (beautiful photo by Ryan Fogarty)

Tarah – who I think must be one of the most beautiful ladies in the world - and Tim, looking quite dapper for a drummer.

Levi's got me!

CDH - the "running wild fan"

CDH came dressed as “a Running Wild fan”. He prefers to stand behind the camera.

Help!

If you want to have a similiar birthday, these tiny vintage railways exist all over the world. They’re usually run by volunteers and are quite inexpensive to visit. We chartered a carriage for the entire day for $250, which split between 20 people, turned out to be about $12 each, plus $1 extra for a jigger ride. The railway put some trestle tables in the carriage for us and we each brought a plate of food and drink to share.

Horns Up! \m/

We had heaps of fun taking crazy photos on and off the trains. The Glenbrook railway stops at the maintenance sheds for 10 minutes each trip, so we had several stationary trains to climb over as well. The other visitors kept stopping us for photos – and the volunteers thought us great fun.

So long! Do forget to write!

I’m going to have to think of something extra-awesome for next year to top this. Any ideas?

Steam up!
Steff

Guten Tag!

I wore this outfit to the old-timey theatre my husband discovered just around the corner from our house last weekend, and I liked the combo so much I wore it to German class this week, too.

I am wearing:

• red dress from everyone’s favorite alternative NZ shop, Smoove – a gift from the gorgeous Elizabeth
• black sparkly belt from a ValleyGirl skirt. I would much prefer a studded belt here, but I didn’t have one that sits up this high. I intend to remedy this forthwith. At least this one is black.
• Red and black striped skull-and-crossbones socks, from … um, I’ve totally forgotten. I’ve had them for YEARS. They have no heels but I can’t bear to part with them.
• black short-sleeve shirt, Salvation Army second-hand shop.
• Black workboots. My usual.
• Blue (I think) stone necklace from Indigo – a hippy shop with particularly wicked jewellery – in Hawke’s Bay. Mum brought me this necklace for my seventh form ball.
• Red velvet bag with jesters bells, a present from CDH, from the medieval market in Hamburg.

I am listening to Arch Enemy as I type, Doomsday Machine. Fuuuuuuk, it’s a good album. That perfect mix of death and melody. I love it.

you can "kinda" see my necklace here. I have to get better at taking these bloody photos

My parentals are coming to visit this weekend, yay! I have a few ideas for things we can do, and I can’t wait to show them our house and my studio and artwork, and maybe go to the old timey theatre and see Astral Forge play.

I’ve written my two article posts for next week, and they are ho-ho-larious, if I do say so myself. Thank you for reading Steff Metal, because without you, I would feel pretty silly writing all this stuff.

Horns up to you, my friends \m/ Tschuss!
Steff Metal

I am bumming around le house. It is bloody hot here. The poor cat is just rolling on the concrete downstairs, mewing at me to put her out of her misery.

I make a face

I am wearing:

• black GLP skirt
• black hippy top with lace panels over tummy.
• Wacken wristband (always and forever)
• Egyptian amulet (dead man) and replica Saxon coin (Oxford, England) necklaces.

Oooh, I found an ancient book

I'm hiding!

I do so adore these coin necklaces – I have a few of them now – everyone knows how much I love ancient things.

Coins on chains

Many things are happening this week. Today I venture to the market and go back through my blog and correct every misspelling of “krieg” I can find :). On thursday Ryan comes over to drop off my brand new (re: secondhand) photo printer, so I can start making artwork prints for the Steff Metal shop. On Friday I am having dinner at Revive with a friend – it’s “S” week, so I get $4 off my meal, yay. On Saturday I am hopefully going to Paganfest (the Morrinsville one, not the Hamburg one, sadly) so I can wear my pretty medieval dress. On Sunday I am editing the seven thousand, eight hundred and twenty two things CDH found wrong with my novel.

A lady from Woman’s Weekly interviewed me about our wedding, so that will be appearing in an upcoming magazine. Fun!

What are you wearing and what are you doing today?

Steff

Today I am dressed up to go see “Where the Wild Things Are” with friends. It is stinking hot here, and I an trying to dress accordingly. The movie was good – a lot better than Avatar in my opinion. There were no straight cut good guys/bad guys. You left the theatre not sure if everything was actually resolved. It really made you think. It didn’t have a neatly tied=up happy ending, which I appreciate. Yes, it was a good film.

We had friends over to chill out afterward, and I’ve made an apple crumble and defrosted some lamb racks to make for the in-laws, who are coming over for dinner tonight. Eeeee!

And yes, I sorta, kinda understand that red and orange and paisley don’t really go together. I also don’t care.

I am wearing:

• Orange shorts from H&M in Norway
• Wacken shirt, from Wacken, Germany
• black military vest, boys deparment of Postie Plus
• Paisley necktie, worn as belt, from second hand shop in Hawke’s Bay
• black stud belt
• black eyelet belt
• Red and Black striped socks with skulls and crossbones, under steel cap boots.
• Necklaces: Thor’s hammer, and celtic knotwork. Cuff: skull, gift from friends
• Sword: all mine! Made by husband for our swords training.

What are you up to this weekend?

Steff

We’re going out tonight, to dinner and the movies with friends. We haven’t decided whether we shall see The Lovely Bones or Avatar. It is a surprise movie!

I have been listening to lots of black metal lately, so I tried to create a black metal-inspired outfit for tonight. I don’t wear makeup so I haven’t done any corpse paint, but I have even brought out my old 1 inch spikes!

Steff’s Black Metal playlist (and yes, I know some of these wouldn’t “technically” be considered Black Metal. Bite me.):

Behemoth – Evengelion
Blut aus Nord –
Emperor – In the Nightshade Eclipse
Bathory – Hammerheart
Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Bathory – Blood Fire Death
(in case you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit of a Quorthorn fangirl)
Mayhem – Die Mysteriis dom Sathamas
Ulver – Nattans Madrigal
Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Darkthrone – Transylvanian Hunger
Enslaved – Eld
Immortal – Pure Holocaust
Carpathian Forset – Black Shining Leather
Burzum – filosofern
Burzum – Hvis Lyset tar Oss
Storm – Nordavind
Summoning – Dol Guldur
Rotting Christ – Thy Mighty Contract
Rotting Christ – A Dead Poem

I am wearing

Bloodstock tee shirt
Black straight-leg pants (Just Jeans)
Black boots, Number One Shoe Warehouse
Studded belt, SVP, from Australia
Spiked and studded cuffs, various $1 shop stores around NZ
Thors Hammer, Wulflund, gift from a friend

What are you up to tonight? Have fun and stay kreig!

Steff

I have returned from the Hawke’s Bay, and I am wearing christmas presents!

I am wearing:

“Bogan Baby” tee shirt, made by my sister, featuring the world’s awesomest nephew (mine!) wearing a shirt I brought him from Wacken and looking totally kreig
orange shorts from H&M
Skully tights from Jessocles in Sydney. I loves them, thank you Jessocles!
work boots
lapis lazuli beaded necklace, from my Mom.

I’ve had a wonderful couple of days chillin’ with my family. We had 14 people over for Christmas lunch, and my mom managed to cook the most AMAZING Christmas spread (turkey, ham, THE WORLD’S BEST STUFFING, salad, potatoes, peas, bread, pickles, gingerbread cookies, pavlova, trifle (well, I made this, and it was yum), jelly, fruit and christmas pudding with custard. She did all this with minimal help and while still being involved in Christmas fun , which officially makes her the best mom ever.

I was, as usual, spoiled. My folks got us ACDC tickets and a new towel set. CDH’s folks got us English comedy DVDs (apparently it’s blasphemous I’ve never seen Porridge or The Two Rhonnies or One Foot in the Grave), and tickle me elmo gloves (Why, oh good lord why?) and a lovely dining room table so we don’t have to eat on the floor. CDH brought me a multi-colored drawer unit for my office (it’s seriously awesome and I’m enjoying filling it up with stuff) and a Hammer Horror book, my sis made us both Bogan Baby shirts. Friends gave us trinkets from England (skull pens and pewter tank statues FTW), a book on Greek cooking, an outdoor lantern and my new skully socks.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday so far. Mine is filled with writing and more writing. And then I take a break with more writing. But seriously, have awesome fun, whatever you do and wherever you are. Stay Kreig \m/

Horns Up for the Holidays!
Steff

Today, I am Gypsy Metalhead, ready for a day of lounging around the house, looking at the train shop with CDH, writing my novel, baking cookies and quiche, and going to a gig later. Even though I’m just lounging around the house I’m trying to come up with outfits that make me feel happy.

I am wearing:

3-tiered long green skirt, from the NZ Gypsy Fair
Orange gypsy bell ankle bracelet, brought by my awesome mother for my 21st costume (I was Cleopatra)
Black leather corset (also a 21st present, from a group of friends. The corset was originally attached to a hideous seventies-style tiered skirt, but we cut that off and HELLO AWESOME!
Eyelet strap (decoration from a pair of shorts) worn as a collar.
Egyptian Cartouche, Saxon coin and Egyptian medallion necklaces.

My ankle bracelet makes jangle jangle bells everywhere I walk. It’s awesome. The cat keeps trying to bite my ankle.

Ooooh, the buzzer just rung on the oven! I must go tend to the goodies!

Horns Up \m/
Steff Metal

I’m not looking very metal today, but it is a work day, after all.

The Foundation had a lovely thank you lunch for all the volunteers who work with us. If we didn’t have so many volunteers, we’d have to recruit TWICE as many staff members as we have now. That’s a whole lot of volunteering. So volunteers rock! We totally love you guys.

I baked peanut butter biscuits. I’ve been on a big biscuit baking buzz, lately. (I apologise for the aliteration. I know it’s horrible). You mix some wet ingredients, add some sifted dry ingredients, roll into balls, eat some raw mixture, and shove in the oven for ten minutes and voila! Cookiegasm. CDH’s favorites are uber chocolate chip (with three kinds of chocolate). My biscuits were all gone at the end of lunch, so they can’t have been too awful.

Anyway, here is what I wore:

Polka dot skirt, from Pagani (a little big around me middle)
black corinthian helmet t-shirt, from museum in Greece
black and red ankh socks, from Wacken Open Air
black pulp heels (these were my ball shoes way back in sixth form! And they still fit!)
beaded necklace from Hobro Viking Village in Dannmark

a closeup of my hobro necklace. The glass beads are modern, but the bone beads are over 150 years old. Made for me by a very tall, blonde and pretty danish viking lass.

And that is what I wore. I promise to do more metal fashion – I’ve been sorely neglecting that lately. What about you – what did you wear?

Horns Up! \m/
Steff

Every year my friends all get together for “Bogan Christmas” – a metal Christmas extravaganza of epicly kreig proportions. This year, we managed to outdo ourselves with the awesomeness of the party. There was the most fantastica array of food and drink and sweets and cake and ham (oh so good hammy ham) and ratatouille and cherries and sausage rolls and cobb loaf (courtesy of my friend Ryan, with whom I shared my super secret recipe).

So much food!

I LOVE this shirt - it reminds me of a Roman Legionaire

I was going with a slightly military theme. I love how the belts on the skirt look a little like ammunition. The skirt is actually not a skirt – it’s a pair of extremely short coulottes. My friends brought it for me as a birthday present last year. It’s awesome.

I am wearing:

skirt/shorts from Smoove in Auckland
black dirty dog sweater
black military-inspired jacket from Tripp NYC
black straight leg pants from Just Jeans
black boots
one black fingerless glove, brought from Glassons about ten years ago
black pearl beaded bracelet
lapis lazuli bracelet (brought by CDH in Seafeild in Austria)

Every year we play “the present game” which has earned quite the reputation as a bogan killer. We each bring a $5 present, put it in the centre of the cirle, and one by one everyone gets a turn to either pick a present from the centre of the circle, or steal a present from someone who’s already got one. If your present gets stolen, you can’t just steal it straight back, but you can either pick another present or steal someone elses. It’s br00tal.

This year, I wrote a little poem “the 12 days of metal xmas” and drew some pictures to go with it. This was hotly fought over, as was a box of pirate lego and a plastic sword and shield set. I got a vase with pink flowers on it.

metalheads give the BEST presents

mayhem surrounding the present game

I'm a ghost

It was an awesome night and yet another reason why I am super grateful to have such amazing friends.

What are your friends doing to celebrate Christmas?

Horns up \m/
Steff