Tag: steampunk

Steampunk Advent Calendar

As crackling fires and bowls of eggnog begin to fill our chilly nights, I wanted to share this stunning advent calendar created by mixed-media artist Amy Rozeboom. Rozeboom got the calendar itself from a local hobby shop, and the design elements come from Alpha Stamps, where Ms. Rozeboom is a member of the design team.

Most of the gears come from Tim Holtz and the papers are part of the Graphics 45 Steampunk Debutante line (I think I drooled a little bit on my keyboard when I checked that website out, I have a thing for paper). I’m excited to try something similar for Christmas 2012.

I’m torn as to what my favorite square is. I love the numbers in 21, the paper on 10, and the gears on number 8. Of course, the entire piece works together beautifully and I always admire people who can work in mixed-media this way. If this appeals to you, be sure to check out Amy’s website and Flickr photo stream. She’s got some really breath-taking stuff up there.

What do you think, readers? Got a favorite square?

Tutorial Tuesday: Steampunk Ray Gun!

Jen from Epbot is my lady geek blogging idol. You may know her from the insanely popular, frequently viral, Cakewrecks.

Check out this tutorial she recently posted for a super-awesome steampunk ray gun!

ka-pow!!

Steampunk Cthulhu

Who doesn’t love an adorable Cthulhu? SpookyPooky created this tiny (3 inch tall) Cthulhu stuffy for the One Tiny Stuffie swap over at Craftster. Her lucky partner’s survey said she liked “cryptids, sea creatures/monsters, anything a little unusual, steampunk, Neil Gaiman inspired…She also said she loves anything with a top hat and a mustache.” So Steampunk Cthulhu was born! I love that she added a mustache! You can see more pictures in the post, including his filigree-touched wings and the mini I, Cthulhu biography “written” by Neil Gaiman SpookyPooky made to go with it.

Steampunk Cereal Box Hat

This is absolutely brilliant! It looks like real wood, doesn’t it? Can you believe mieljolie made this out of cereal boxes? She made this for the “Day of Wrong” at her Renaissance Fair, since she decided to go with a Steampunk theme. She covered the cereal box (the brim is one piece-family sized Frosted Flakes) in paper mache and tissue paper, the painted it. The long scarf was inspired by the TV show Deadwood. mieljolie said if she makes another one, she’ll try to make it open at the hinges. I can’t wait to try something like this myself!


Giskin Anomaly Detector

Giskin Anomaly ContestIf you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting San Diego’s Balboa Park, you’ll know what a beautiful place it is. With its Spanish-Renaissance architecture and landscaped gardens, you feel like you’ve truly stepped back into another time.

It seems like I’m not the only one who feels that way. The Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC) recently launched an interactive cell phone game called Giskin Anomaly, to encourage visitors to fully explore the park’s historic treasures.

Guests can dial in to hear the adventures of two people who use a memory-sensing device (called the Giskin Anomaly Detector) to retrieve WWII-era recollections throughout the park.  

As part of the game’s launch, BPOC hosted a contest inviting artists to create a Steampunk-inspired model of what this fanciful device would look like.

San Diego-area artist John Hosford walked away with the grand prize. His intricate model, dubbed “Sir Tellabeem’s Tempress Mark II” took him over 80 hours to construct, involving cutting and dying the leather of the glove by hand.

Though there was only one grand-prize winner, the competition was fierce indeed. Check out the Flickr pool showcasing the winners, and the afternoon their costumed creators spent playing with the contraptions in the park.

A moment of full disclosure: I used to take karate classes with John and his siblings, back in the day. I knew he was a creative kid, so it’s great to see how his talent has blossomed over the years. Congrats on the win, John, and keep up the awesome work!