Mmm... Smells Like Christmas

With this year's rather disappointing lack of snow in my region, I've been looking for seasonal idea's to make up for it's lacking--in steampunk style, of course, since I'm crazy and obsessed. After a bit of derping around  on the aetherwebs, I've found these insanely simple instructions for these Victorian-ish clementine and clove pomanders on (of all embarrassingly un-steampunk places) Good Housekeeping's website.

Steampunk Cafe

The exterior

Not too long ago, I was wandering the city of Milwaukee in search of cool-looking old buildings, (What do you mean that's weird? Doesn't everyone do that? No?) when I discovered Alterra Coffee, and upon entering just about died from joy.

BEHOLD THE MACHINE! Erm, the sewage-pumping machine, that is.

The atmosphere of the place was incredible, all bricks and pipes and machines. Housed in an old Victorian pump house, this place oozed pure steampunk. By pump house, by the way, I'm not referring to a little shack that pumps toilet water. I mean that there's a giant machine that used to suck dirty water from the Milwaukee river and replace it with lake water. Though no longer functioning, the machine is still there for the purpose of looking awesome.
The bad news is that it's a small building in a fairly central location with good food and atmosphere--so parking and finding a seat is a nightmare. You have no idea how many times I've tried to go here only to find a line of cars battling over parking spaces.

An interior photo

Tesla Con Pics are Up!

Finally, I've attained photographic evidence of my voyage to the moon! I'm afraid these pictures don't quite do justice to the experience, but I'm not sure what would... Maybe you could listen to some dramatic music while looking at these pictures. Or maybe I should actually do my job and write about it.

The Violet Ray Cure (Depicted above and below), a device from the early 20th century believed to cure just about everything. In exchange for trying it out, customers at this vendor could get a dollar off any item, so I braved the scary-looking lighting bolts coming out of the end. Sadly, it failed to cure my head cold, but I got a good deal on a button with a picture of Nikola Tesla on it. 

Some of the many sharply-dressed crew members aboard the HMS Silverstar. 

Upon our arrival to the moon, we soon discovered that we were not alone. Fortunately, the Selenites were not only peaceful, but also rather charming and Muppet-like.

A strange sort of automaton called a Dalek. From what I've heard of such things, they have a tendency to exterminate any living thing nearby, but Alexia was brave enough to snap a picture when its back was turned. 

One of the many devices displayed at the Science Fair. Artist credit and additional information is posted on the sheet of paper in front of it. 

One can never have too many jet packs, you know. 

A vampire-hunter's crossbow, complete with a silver cross and a wooden stake. I seem to have misplaced the artist credit, so if anyone knows who made this piece of awesomeness I would be quite grateful. 

 A mechanical croquet mallet. Suitable for an all-out battle with a terrible enemy, or just a simple game of croquet on a sunny afternoon. This item is entitled The Effing Mallet by Captain Magnus Effing. 

A Victorian Christmas Feast

Since Christmas as we celebrate it today was more or less a Victorian invention, the modern steampunk has much historical inspiration to draw on. If you're a daring cook looking for something unusual for your feast this year, why not give some of these recipes a try? Be forewarned that I haven't tested any of these, so I can't give you any info on how easy they would be to cook properly.

As a bonus, here's a most amusing documentary on Victorian food, which includes a Christmas feast. Sorry about it being in parts, but I'm afraid that can't be helped.

I Like Trainz!

At this point I'm mostly just killing time while I wait for my sister, the only halfway skilled photographer between the two of us, to send the photographs she took at Tesla Con. Until then, enjoy this little collection of random crap!

So I woke up this morning thinking about trains for some odd reason, and started to wonder just what a steampunk train would be like. It's really quite embarassing to have to wonder about such a thing, considering the number of trains in my steampunk fiction, but really, why would trains, a symbol of steampower, not be so prominent in steampunk? They may not be as impressive as airships (nor as effective for piracy) but they were the primary form of transportion throughout the Victorian age. Thus, I decided to stop wondering and start putting together a gallery for your time-killing or inspirational purposes.

NOTE TO ARTISTS: Since I stole used these images without permission, which I probably shouldn't do anyways, I will not object if you want your work credited more thoroughly or even removed entirely from the site.

A more or less traditional Victorian design, plus some extra shininess. By Arrarra on Deviantart.

By Peggy Chung Robert Simmons

I couldn't find an artist to credit for this, but I found it here.

According to Wired, this is an early design sketch for a monorail.

From The Paper Wall

To the Moon!

It was an arduous journey, but, after many complications, from stubborn robots to an outer-space collision with Santa Claus, I have at long last arrived on the moon!

Ah, pardon me--I'm afraid I got Tesla Con III confused with reality. It was that immersive. Even the signs for the bathrooms were themed. Likewise, the staff remained in character throughout the event--I was at one point approached by a doctor asking if I had any symtoms of hysteria--and the attendees naturally followed suit.

The voyage itself did not start until late in the evening, but there were plenty of amusements until then. I attended a panel on Victorian music, failed dissmally at a tea duel, (remind me to post on these subjects later on) and had a lovely dinner of fish and chips. At present, due to technical issues, I cannot post any pictures, but I promise to get them up as soon as possible.

Tesla Time!

I announce with great excitement that I will be attending Tesla Con in Madison, Wisconsin next weekend. Rumor has it that an expedition to the previously unexplored surface of the moon is being planned for the event. Naturally, a curious aethernet logger such as myself simply cannot resist the call of such scientific progress.

Having sewn a dress for the event (my first made from scratch!) and gathered a notebook and pen, I am set and ready to go.

Traveling with me is a relative of mine, the scientist Alexia von Linz, who hopes that the moon may contain new species of life yet unknown to mankind. The prospect of such a discovery would be of great excitement to an aether-journalist such as myself.

Naturally, I will be posting as preparations continue, and I shall take careful notes about our extraterrestrial travels. If I fail to do so, please bombard this page with complaints.

Three Tasty Bread Recipes

There are few things sadder about modern life than that spongy, tasteless bread that lines the shelves of grocery stores. The steampunk solution? Bake your own, of course! A few of my favorites are this simple crusty bread, and French bread. If you're feeling ambitious, try some sourdough. 
Let us begin the great bread revolution!

Jam Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

At long last I have returned! I must apologize for my rather long and unexpected absence, so I promise to do extra posts for a little while.
In any case, continuing with my food theme for this month, I have a recipie of my own accidental creation, which actually turned out pretty well. This cake is rich and heavy and simply wonderful with a cup of tea.

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar
                     1.5 cup butter
                     1 cup flour
                     1 cup mixed jams (Currant and lingdonberry are especially good together)
                     1 package cream cheese
                     About 2 cups of powdered sugar
                     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
                      Fresh fruit for decorative purposes
                   
1. Using an electric mixer Dr. Farliegh's Patented Steam Powered Mixing Device, blend the sugar and one cup of the butter. Keeping the mixer on, add in the eggs, jam, and flour, and blend until the batter is smooth.

2. Pour the batter into a well-greased pan and bake it at 350 degrees for about half and hour.

3. To make the frosting, blend the cream cheese and remaining butter until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract, and then gradually mix in the powdered sugar.

4. When the cake is baked and mostly cooled, spread on the frosting and arrange the fruit in a nice pattern on top. A bit of whipped cream around the edges gives it a lovely finished look.

Cookbook Review: Fuel for the Boiler

With Thanksgiving coming up here in the States, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate a fair number of this month's posts to the subject of food. The topic of steampunk food is one that I've spent many hours wandering the vast recesses of the aethernet in search of, usually with little luck. Needless to say, I was just about drooling in sheer joy when I discovered the existence of a steampunk cookbook, that is Fuel for the Boiler, compiled by Elizabeth Stockton.

To begin with, this is not going to be the most professionally organized and edited cookbook you'll ever read. Being compiled from an online forum, it contains the best and worst of the aethernet--great ideas, terrible grammar. Likewise, this is the first cookbook I've ever read which includes the phrase "stir the shit out of it."

Some of the recipes require hard-to-find ingredients (do they even sell buttermilk at the grocery store?) or imprecise measurements, which make them rather hard to prepare, while many others are both simple and delicious, and have become staple foods in my home. In fact, I ate macaroni and cheese made using a recipe from this book for breakfast this morning. Mmmmm... Nothing like a little mac and cheese with the morning tea...

Machine: A Steampunk Horror Show

"Machine" is a live steampunk walk-through built by two guys in a garage, which takes audiences into a time machine and on an adrenaline-filled romp through time. Sadly, the show isn't open to the public, but they did make a video for the rest of us steampunks to enjoy.
It's quite brilliant, especially taking into account the low budget--this is a product of ingenuity rather than money, and, judging by the video, it's far more interesting than the majority of commercial haunted houses. My only criticism is the use of such a cliche as Jack the Ripper, who seems to appear in every Victorian horror or mystery story ever written, but I was on the edge of my seat for the entire section of that video, so I can only complain so much.

Book Review: The Steampunk Gazette

A short while ago, I was wandering a local bookstore in search of some manga and having no luck whatsoever. I was about to give up and go elsewhere when I turned around to see the words "The Steampunk Gazette" just a short distance from my face, and thus, I reacted something like this:

Ok, so maybe this whole review was just an excuse for a meme parody,  but I simply couldn't resist.

In all seriousness, however, Major Thadeus Tinker's The Steampunk Gazette was quite the entertaining and informative read, covering steampunk from just about every angle in little one-paragraph blurbs. Beautifully designed as a Victorian-style newspaper, this makes a nice intro for a steampunk noob or just a collection of pretty pictures for those more familiar with the scene.
On the downside, all this lovely design tends to bump up the price a little. While twenty-five dollars is a reasonable price for a fully-illustrated two hundred page book, I get the impression that it's apt to be a regular installment featuring the latest steampunk news. If so, it seems a bit fancy for a regularly printed gazette.

Costume Tutorial: Eyepatch/Monocle Combo

To begin with, sorry for my recent lack of posts; I've been feeling a bit lazy ill this past week.But anyway, as Halloween approached, I couldn't decide if I wanted a monocle or an eyepatch. So I decided to make both at once! I wore this to a recent Halloween party, and got lots of attention for it...But that might have been because I was the only one to show up in costume...

1. Cut an oblong piece of fabric large enough to cover the area around your eye. I used faux leather scavenged from an ugly purse I found at Goodwill.

2. Find a round piece of slumped glass about an inch in diameter. Cut a hole in the leather that's just a little bit smaller than the glass piece.

3. Cut two more pieces of leather, each about an inch wide and long enough to go about halfway around your head.

4. Punch holes along the outer edge of the leather oval and down the center of the straps, each about a half-inch apart.

5. Take a long hemp cord and whipstitch through the punched holes around the edges of the leather. Use the cord to stitch the straps to the main part of the patch.

6. Glue a piece of fabric over the back to the patch to prevent the stitching and the ends of the straps from poking your eye. The fabric should be just slightly smaller than the main part of the patch, also with the hole in the middle.

7. Attach the glass piece over the hole. There are two ways of doing this. If the glass is wire wrapped, as mine was, you can run several pieces of thread between the wire and the hemp stitching to sew it into place. If not, a bit of hot glue will do.

8. Add a fastener to the backs of the straps. I used an elastic piece from an old laptop charger, but, lacking any of those, you could also sew on buckles, hooks, or even magnets.

9. And it's done! By the way, if you can think of any clever names for this, could you leave a comment letting me know? I can't think of any. Whoever comes up with the best one gets an imaginary cookie. :)

Steampunk Haunted House

The Steampunk Haunted House is an interactive theater performance by Third Rail Productions--and it looks AWESOME! This year's theme is Then She Fell, a Lewis Carol-inspired romp through a former hospital. So it's kind of like that video game, American Mc Gee's Alice (remind me to play that and do a post on it later, it looks really cool), but in real life. I really wish I could go, but I don't think I could make it to New York and back, given the lack of vacation time in October.

Steampunk Town: Baraboo, Wisconsin

While the small population and faint scent of cow droppings may indicate otherwise, the town of Baraboo, Wisconsin contains a remarkable amount of steampunk. To begin with, it's the birthplace of that great bastion of whimsy and horror--the circus. The Ringling Brothers started out in a field just outside of town. While most local circus-related attractions are geared towards the very young and the very old, circus history is certainly something worth thinking about the next time you don a striped corset and mini top hat.

But the real steampunk is housed in Dr. Evermor's Art Park, a massive collection of scrap metal sculptures designed by artists Tom and Eleanor Every. The highlight of the park is the Forevertron, a massive futuristic sculpture made from recycled industrial machinery. I even got a chance to meet one of the artists, who are often on site. Although, at Lady Eleanor's personal request, I will not violate copyright by posting pictures here, you can find a few at the official site, and, to be honest, two dimensions really can't convey the sheer scale and detail of the artwork.

Scrollwork Ring Tutorial

A very simple ring that I designed for a jewelry making class, inspired by the ironwork gates of Victorian manors. This takes only a few minutes and supplies that can easily be found at a craft or hardware store.

1. Cut a length of wire (approx. 12 gauge) about 2 inches long. Exact length, of course, will vary depending on the size of your finger, so you may have to do some trial and error.

2. Use a pair of pliers to bend the ends of the wire into two spirals. To do this, curl the tip of the wire into a small hook, steady it with the pliers, and curl the wire around it. The two spirals should be pointed in opposite directions.

3. Curl the ring around a ring mandrel or other ring-sized cylindrical object that you find lying around the house. Gently pounding it into place with a wooden mallet will help it form a more geometric ring shape.

Home Office Designs

I really can't think of much to say about these steampunk office designs other than that they're really, really awesome. *sigh* If only I could have an office like this... But then, I'd probably never get anything done.

Skirt to Top Tutorial

I've had this skirt sitting around and collecting dust for a couple years, so I finally decided to do something with it. This was pieced together in a rather improvised fashion, with numerous mistakes, so please let me know if this tutorial makes no sense.

1. I started with an ankle-length velvet pencil skirt. It wasn’t exactly ugly, but it certainly wasn’t unique or steampunk. This needed to be fixed.

2. Cut the bottom third off the skirt. Hem the rough edges on the front, but keep the back as is for now.

3. Cut two strips of fabric, each about sixteen inches long, from the cut off bottom portion of the skirt. Hem all rough edges to make straps.

4.Sew the straps onto the waistband of the skirt. Trim the straps and the front of the waistband with lace.

5. Cut two pieces of fabric, each about 2x16 inches, and sew along the edges to make two long tubes. Sew these to the side of the top to make ties.

6. Take the remaining fabric and sew it to the back of the skirt, making pleats as you go. To make pleats, pinch the fabric, fold it over, and sew down the crease. 

Free Steampunk Ambiance: Industrial Revolution

My first attempt at mixing sound effects, initially done for something to listen to while writing, but you may use it however you want.

Book Review: The Agency: The Body at the Tower

Please pardon the copyright infringement, as I found it
necessary to include cover art in this review.

I picked up this book not realizing that it was somewhere (though I'm still not sure where--would it really have been too much effort for the publishers to put numbers on the damn books?) in Y.S. Lee's  The Agency series, so this review might not turn out as positive as it otherwise would, due to the fact that wasn't always sure what the heck was going on. The story centers around the life of a young detective, Mary Quinn, who works for a detective agency in Victorian London, kind of like a female Sherlock Holmes.

The Story: When a construction worker falls--or, perhaps, is pushed--from St. Steven's Tower, Mary Quinn, disguised as a laborer, is dispatched to investigate. But before long, she finds herself entangled in the mystery not only intellectually, but also personally.

The Good Stuff: The historical details. The author's descriptions are brilliant--portraying a thorough, all-senses-included view of the setting without interfering with the story itself. Reading this book is about as close to walking the streets of Victorian London as a modern person can get without a time machine.

The Bad Stuff: This didn't really feel like a mystery to me. The heroine spends more time thinking about her personal life than she does about the murder she's supposedly trying to solve, and she's never really in legitimate danger until the last ten pages or so. I also think I could have connected more with the characters. The point of view quite frequently shifted with no warning, and the supporting cast was so large that I had a hard time remembering which one was which. Keeping track of James, Jones, and Jenkins was hardly an easy task.

The Overall: In spite of how long the Bad Stuff list for this is, I rather liked it. I probably wouldn't recommend it for readers who don't have any particular interest in Victorian London, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that most of the readers of this blog do. I intend to read at least the first book in the series, once I figure out which one that is.

Industrial-styled Lamp Made From Old Books

This picture isn't mine. Please don't sue me. 

I'm not sure I could bring myself to destroy a stack of books like this, even for the sake of art, but I have to admit that this tutorial looks pretty cool and remarkably easy.

Assorted Pictures

 I needed a quick post, since my life has been boring lately, so I found some old pictures that I'd meant to post but never got around to. Locations: 1: A mansion in the Minneapolis area. 2-5: The Museum of Science and Industry 6-7: A museum in Portland, Maine

Homemade Soda Recipie

While people today normally associate sodas with the mass-produced cans of mysterious God-only-knows-what that we buy in grocery stores, its history goes back much farther, to the Victorian Era drugstores and soda fountains. Rather than being purchased from large corporations, sodas of that era were mixed from soda syrup and seltzer water. In the attitude of steampunk, I'll post this surprisingly easy recipe for making your own syrup at home.

Flavoring can be achieved using either fresh sources--fruits, herbal tea, and ginger all work quite well--or by using extracts such as vanilla or orange.

1. Fill a saucepan with water. The amount of water you add will amount to about half the volume the finished syrup.

2. (Optional) If using fresh flavoring, put whatever fruit or herb you're using in the water and boil it until the water becomes thoroughly colored from the flavoring.

3. Add in sugar to make the total proportions 1/2 sugar and 1/2 water. Heat this mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved.

4. If using an extract flavoring, add a few drops of flavoring.

5. If desired, add a little bit of food coloring to the syrup.

6. Unless you intend to use all of the syrup right away, add a little cream of tartar to keep it from hardening.

7. Mix together about one part syrup to three parts seltzer water. Enjoy.

A large number of flavoring ideas can be found at this site.

Book Review: The Orphan of Awkward Falls

I've decided to add book reviews to this blog occasionally, since I've just read a really good book and I can't think of anything else to write. This is my first one, so it's probably going to be really awkward. The Orphan of Awkward Falls, by Keith Graves, isn't strictly steampunk, since it takes place in the modern day, but it does feature a robotic butler, a murderous insane asylum escapee, and a plethora of mad scientists. 

The Plot: After moving to the small town of Awkward Falls, twelve-year-old Josephine Cravitz expects her      life there to be dull--until she meets her next door neighbor, Thaddeus Hibble. Thaddeus is a brilliant but reclusive tween who enjoys performing bizarre experiments  in the basement of his decaying mansion. Upon discovering that Thaddeus in the intended victim of a mad cannibal, Josephine is determined to keep him safe--even if it means risking her own life in the process. 

The Good Stuff: It was mostly the title that made this book leap off the shelf at me. I mean, really, can you think of a better title than "The Orphan of Awkward Falls"? A good title is often a sign of a creative author, and this one does not dissapoint. While it features a whole slew of Gothic archetypes--mad scientists, boy geniuses, cloning, decaying mansions, etc.--the clever and lightly satirical details of these things make them feel as fresh and unpredictable as they are familiar.  

The blending of humor and horror was fantastic. Quirky characters and dark humor provide spectacular comic relief throughout the story. Some of the horror elements might have been done a little too well, considering that this is a children's book. While kids in their late preteens to early teens should be able to handle it, there are numerous gory scenes that could frighten some younger children. 

The Bad Stuff: The pacing in this book is downright weird. Nearly all of the mysteries are solved about halfway through, while the next hundred pages or so are filled in with well-written but too-long action scenes. I like fast-paced writing, but this early climax made me feel as though I'd been cheated out of time with the plot and characters. 

As much as I loved the characters, the portrayal of their personalities sometimes felt a bit forced. Some of the dialogue was exaggeratedly slangy, and just came out sounding goofy. The narrator would often state things about the characters that had already been shown through action. For example, he at one point writes that Josephine is nosy and curious immediately after a scene where she is caught peeking through a neighbor's window. All these bits of info really do is damage the suspension of disbelief.

The Overall: Although the few issues with this book were fairly large, they did little to distract me from the immense fun that this book is. Even though it's a kids' book, I had great fun reading it as an adult, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author. 

Afternoon Tea Recipies

If you, like myself, are not lucky enough to have any awesome little cafes withing walking distance, you'll probably have to end up baking your own food, or *gasp* going without. To prevent your next tea from turning into a disaster, I've found this fantastic list of recipes. 

Electro-Swing Music!

I stumbled upon this genre while wandering around on Youtube a while ago, and my bass-player self went into a joyous frenzy at the idea of remixed swing music. Moreover, it's based around the eclectic blending of old and new that lies at the heart of steampunk. I've posted a large and rather long mix as an intro, but if you're looking for more, Parov Stelar, Caravan Palace, and Groovejuice are all excellent electro-swing bands.

Nikola Tesla = Awesome

That is an irrefutable fact, as proven by this cartoon in the Oatmeal. Is it weird to be a fangirl of someone who's been dead for over half a century?

DIY Jewelry Hanger

A simple jewelry rack made from some screw-on hooks and a wooden coat hanger. I really wish I'd found this tutorial earlier: http://www.ispydiy.com/2012/07/diy-collaboration-hanger-jewelry-holder.html.

Easy Mini Top Hat Tutorial

 Having received a surprise invitation to a convention in less than a month, I found myself in need of something outrageous and awesome to wear, and fast. So of course I went for a mini top hat.
I ended up getting caught up in the creation process and taking fewer pictures than I should have, so please let me know if this makes no sense.

You will need: An empty cereal box
                       A disposable cup
                       A hot glue gun
                       Some fabric (I up-cycled from an old shirt)
                       A ribbon


1. Cut two circles, about 1.5 inches larger in diameter than the disposable cup. Glue the two circles together to make a sturdy base for the top hat.








2. Cut a piece of fabric around the cardboard circle. Place the cardboard in the center and fold in the fabric so it wraps around both sides of the cardboard, with the gathering point in the middle. Glue it into place.

3. Trace the open end of the cup onto the cardboard. Cut out the resulting circle and cover it with fabric using the same method as in the base.













4. Cut a large rectangular piece of fabric and wrap it around the cup so that the sides are covered. Glue the bottom of the fabric-wrapped cup to the top of the base.















5. Glue on the top portion of the hat. Tie a ribbon around the point where the base and cup meet to hide any drippings of glue, and, if desired, adorn it with feathers, pins, or whatever else you'd like.

6. Glue it to a headband, ribbon, hair clip, etc, to keep it securely in place. It also makes a nice decoration for a steampunk-themed room.

Surprise Steampunk Fashion!

I came across these banners while waiting at the Keflavic International Airport in Iceland. I'm not quite sure what the steampunk theme has to do with the airport, but I'm not complaining, certainly.