Saturday Steam 10/13/12

Probably the biggest steampunk news this week is a fabulous new batch of Disney goods.
Disney has been making forays into steampunk for a while now with their Mechanical Kingdom pins and Vinylmation toys, but I think this batch of goodies is the best yet:

Now, before you get TOO excited: these are small resin ornaments, not actual ear hats. (I can almost hear your cries of disappointment from here. Ha!) Still, aren't they fabulous? I love how the back of the purple one looks like the grate on an old fashioned stove, and the attached goggles on the gold one. According to the official park blog there will be seven of these in the set, and some will even light up! Sadly they won't be out until 2013, though, so my steampunk Christmas tree will have to wait one more year. (CURSES.)

 You can grab these two new steamy pins this November, though:

There are also new Vinylmations, but to be honest, I'm not a big VM fan. Hit the link up there if you want to see 'em, though, and many thanks to all of you who sent me the link!


MechaniCards are hand-operated kinetic sculptures that can be mailed like a large greeting card. I remember seeing some of these that Shelli sent over about two years ago, but since then they've added a few more designs:

I like the colorful versions best, and the new "Mandala" is particularly gorgeous:

The center iris opens and closes - you can see it in action here. The assembled cards range in price from $75 to $95, or you can buy DIY kits for a few dollars less. Pricey, I know, but they're each handmade and signed by the artist, so it's more like an art piece than a fancy greeting card.

Say, ever seen a steampunk quilt?

Well, now you have! 

This is Epbot reader Kelly (who lives in New Zealand, so you know she has an awesome accent) with her award-winning "Steamy Dreams" quilt. Isn't it fabulous? I love the circle of keys with the padlock in the middle - and the soft teal is so pretty with those browns and coppers!


I missed funding the Kickstarter for this amazing steampunk card deck, but I'm hoping they'll be available on the creator's website soon:

The Kickstarter for "The Deck of Extraordinary Voyages" raised nearly three times their goal amount, but it's easy to see why there was so much enthusiasm. These designs are gorgeous.

You can see more of the cards on the Kickstarter video here, and then watch the BentCastle website for purchasing news in the future. (If it ends up priced like their other card decks, it should only be about $10.)(And thanks to Mandy S. for the link!) 














And finally, gather round, because I have a fun little story to share. :D

 Remember Steampunk Boba Fett? You know, this guy?

Well, back in my Star Wars Celebration post you might recall that I said John Strangeway (aka Steampunk Boba) was "practically the patron saint of steampunk."

Boba has gotten a LOT of mileage out of that quip, to the point that complete strangers were identifying me at Dragon*Con as "the one who called John the patron saint of steampunk." Heh. And then artist Alexa Black went and made this fabulous stained-glass art print of "St. Fett", thereby ensuring Boba's head will never shrink back to regular size:

But wait, there's more!

Boba insisted on sending me a print as thanks, so I told him that he had to A) sign it, B) bless it, and C) kiss the print while wearing metallic gold lipstick. (OH YES I DID.)

So yesterday, John brings home this gigantic art tube from the post office. (Seriously, the thing was three feet long!) Then we extract a tiny 10X16 print from it, which gives us the giggles. Next we unroll the print, stare for a moment, and then burst out laughing:

Awww yeeeeeah.

Thanks, Boba.

Oh, and the artist Alexa is only selling a total of 10 of these prints - and for only $12! - so if you want to grab one of the remaining nine head over to her etsy store.

I hope that made you smile - and as always, if you see something steamy this week, be sure to hit me up on Facebook or Twitter!