This is my first post in the newly created Steampunk section. If you’re here because you stumbled onto this site from a web search, then welcome. Steampunk, however, is not the main focus of this blog. The blog is mostly about trying to find the humor in everyday life. If you have time check out the other stuff, great, but rest assured that if something is posted in the steampunk section, it will be about steampunk, and not just an attempt to drive traffic to my other stuff.
I’m fairly new to Steampunk. It started early last year, when my wife and I decided to do steampunk costumes for Labyrinth of Jareth, but I guess it was sort of inevitable that I would get into steampunk. First off, I love old stuff. I also love making things. I’m a big fanboy, although I can usually pass for mundane in polite society. Finally, I’ve always loved costumes, and Steampunk is the perfect way to combine all of these things.
I have some theories about costuming. I’ve never been one to buy a costume, per se. Most of the fun of doing a costume is putting it together from various sources, and I tend to find that the best things are the simple things. For instance, a four-dollar tube of mustache wax can go a long way to pulling a stemapunk outfit together. Also, as far as costumes go, I’m all about comfort. I like to take what in other contexts would be ordinary street clothes and make them into costume apparel, and a few trips to some good thrift stores, can get you half the way there. Then, there’s the props and that’s what steampunk is all about.
Enough rambling, last weekend, my wife and I went to ConDor, San Diego’s oldest continuously running Science Fiction convention, and this is the first time in years that my wife and I were able to attend due to scheduling conflicts. We got there at about 1:30 on Saturday, and after seeing dozens of people in costume, almost all steampunk, we decided to run home and put on ours. The result was that we had more fun at ConDor than we’d ever had.
Below are the better of the pictures we took. I didn’t want to take the time to make comments on each and every one them, but I’m adding the ones that stand out.
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- My wife Mary and I
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- This couple was in the Masquerade. I don't remember the presentation name.
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- Detail on the armor on the above
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- Details on the gauntlets
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- My wife with the girl from above
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- One of my favorites, and not just because she's cute. She said she had put this together about a day before. The goggles are ordinary swim goggles that she painted the edges with a metallic marker from Michaels. It's a great example of taking what might ordinarily be street clothes and turning into a great costume. The ribbon tie and garters on the sleeves are great touches.
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- Wanted to get the back of her dress and got her beau as well.
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- Should have framed this better, so that her was in the middle of the magnifying glass
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- Another entry from the masquerade; in her tray, she had gears and nuts and bolts as well as candy and cigarettes
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- Two separate entries from the Masquerade
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- I should of got pictures of his guns; this guy had great props
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- Halftime entertainment for the Maquerade, Steam Powered Giraffe
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- Nothing to do with steampunk, but great costume made with lots of twisted balloons
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have extremely enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I am going to be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write-up once more soon.