Paraphernalia

When I arrive in Oamaru, I'll need these things to see me through the Steampunk festival; a Centre-of-Gravity Determinator, and a Green-Light Accumulator for stimulating plant-growth in regions where coal burning is excessive.
With those two things, I'll be off to a flying start!

Hip-flask, punked

Have I done enough? This pewter hip-flask bought real cheap at a second-hand store looked like something that would fit nicely into the pocket of a gentleman-botanists morning coat. And it does, though to give it that steampunk patina, I added the copper dog-tags that have bided/bade their time for decades now, in an old leather doctor's bag under my bed. Now they're out and glinting tantalisingly in the light of day. The lid too has been flossed-up with the addition of a very old cut-glass side-light from an ancient carbide bicycle-headlamp.
But is it enough? Should I add copper tubes and other such gee-gaws? It's hard to know where to stop :-)

Two great cakes

We held a "Fair Trade" morning tea at the environment centre this morning, with coffee and tea produced under the Fair Trade banner and cakes baked by Julia. Here are those cakes. They were superb. Julia's a maestro. While I was there, Emma described the arrangement she's made with the newspaper for an article on Steampunk and the photo-shoot she's organised to capture some Victorian imagineers all garbed-up and ready to imagine. I'll have my suit finished just in time to smile for the dickey-bird and will post on that after Thursday.

Steampunk accessories

I've been manufacturing various 'points of interest' to accompany the Victorian garb that makes up the base for my Steampunk costume. Yesterday, I finished the walking-stick and the photo shows the tail-light addition to the simple oak stick I'd adapted for the purpose. The lens is especially appealing, I think, as it's of a quality that's not seen now-a-days. I've also made some jewellery! Combining an old bulb with thin copper sheet (wing covers) and two slivers of celluloid that I've cut into the shape of wings, I've made a fat beetle, preparing for flight. I'm pretty happy with it, not being a jeweller and all. I'll photograph the beetle and post that for those of you who share my interest in Steampunk jewellery :-) I'm in the city at present and have been searching-out bits and bobs for the 'sun-flower' brooch I'm making from the old copper dog-tags I collected in my twenties. Bought a whittling-knife too, so when the Oamaru festival is done and dusted, I'll be able to get on with carving my spoon...

Steampunk

Steampunk both attracts and repels me.
Mainly, attracts.