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Sarafina writes,

I actually already responded to Sarafina's e-mail, but then I decided to go back and add visual aids to my thrift store shopping advice, which I think makes it more useful. Then I might have gotten a little carried away... so I figured I'd make the whole thing a post in the hopes that it might help someone else out there looking for a more formal steampunk look.


So with those caveats, here goes:


I'd start by looking for a vintage bridesmaid dress that you could modify or add to. Look for solid color jewel tones like a rich red, purple, blue, emerald, etc. (Although black is always classic, too.) Ruffles and full skirts are ideal.


Then look for a second full skirt in a complementary color, and pin up the dress to show the skirt underneath. (Or put the skirt on top - whichever works.)




You could also pair a blouse with full skirts instead of a dress, so keep an eye out for peasant-look blouses or high-necked Victorian ones.




If your skirts are short, then consider wearing some fun patterned tights: stripes are classic, as are fishnets and scrolly patterns.



Since a corset really does add a lot to the look, you might try DIY'ing an under corset/waist cincher like I did for my own steampunk costume:


All you need is a little vinyl, grommets, & shoe laces or ribbon to lace it up. Total cost is less than $10 - and the best part: no sewing required! Add the under corset on top of a good ruffly dress, and that's half your outfit right there.



Another alternative to a corset is a good vest buttoned snugly, or an extra wide leather belt.




Steampunk is mostly about the accessories, so once you have your foundation pieces grab lots of leather belts (or one extra wide one) from the thrift store, and play with layering them low on your hips. Hang things like pouches and little bottles and old keys off them for extra detail - but don't go overboard. Keep it a little more formal by sticking with two or three items, tops.



Also look for pocket watches (cheap ones are everywhere these days - you can get them on ebay for less than $5) which you can wear as a necklace or on your waist. If you're wearing a high-necked blouse, look for some fun jewelry or a lace handkerchief to pin at the neckline:


A little top hat or a pair of goggles is ideal for headwear, and fortunately the little hats aren't too hard or expensive to make. (There are tons of tutorials and free patterns out there - just google "tiny hat tutorial.") Feathers look great on hats or by themselves in your hair, too.







For your feet, leather granny shoes with low heels are perfect, or find some slim fitting boots.

Failing that, you can also wear regular heels and make simple felt spats to fit over them (look online for patterns/ideas) to give them a more Victorian look.

For a purse, look for a pretty embroidered or satin evening bag, or make a drawstring pouch out of a nice fabric and hang it from your belt. Because this is a prom, I'd leave the steampunk weaponry at home this time, so icks-nay on the modded Nerf guns and rocket packs and such. (Save those for your next convention.)



And, most importantly: HAVE FUN WITH IT! Remember to put a little "punk" in your steampunk: a bright color here, a crazy accessory there. Spend some time online looking at steampunk outfits for inspiration; that will be your best resource. (DeviantArt and Flickr are great for this.) You'll start to see how other people have pieced everything together, and once you break down all the layers you'll see it's not quite so daunting.



Ok, guys, so tell me: what'd I miss? Add your advice (and links to pictures) in the comments!

In my last craft roundup I mentioned that I wanted to find something small to display inside an empty lightbulb - and that was all the inspiration reader and artist Caroline B. needed! Check it out:


Caroline knit this tiny fish sculpture, and then used a bit of wire to carefully display it inside the bulb. GENIUS. Especially since the bulb looks like a floating bubble!

I'm trying to convince Caroline to put these in her Etsy store (she's concerned about shipping them, which is understandable), but in the meantime you can see more of her projects (tiny felt teddy bear, anyone?) over at her blog, Uniqart.


UPDATE: After all our positive peer pressure, Caroline has decided to hold a drawing to give away this cutie over on her blog! Just pop over here and leave a comment to enter - and good luck!

Here are more of my favorite shots from our day trip to the Virginia Zoo. I made sure to bookend it with the two cutest types of animals there, too, so don't miss the end:



Did you know some people have Fennec foxes as pets? And they can get along with house cats? Just sayin'. (JOHN.)


(I used to think meerkats were cute, until I looked at this one after looking at those Fennec foxes. Now, not so much.)

We chased this butterfly for several minutes, waiting for it to land. When it did, it only stopped for less than a second, so I'm *amazed* this shot turned out.








Those shots were all taken through glass, too; I just managed to block the glare with my own reflection.

I saved the best for last, though, so hang on to your socks, cute fans.

After hanging out in front of the red panda habitat for ages looking for the elusive little fella, we finally spotted him directly over our heads, fast asleep in a tree branch that stretched across the path:

At this point I made everyone stand around with me for nearly 20 minutes while I camped out underneath him, waiting for him to wake up.

Eventually, he did. Sort of. Just enough to yawn and reposition, which gave me this:

You guys have probably seen videos online of projection-mapping technology that allows places like Disney to project virtual reality light shows on to physical structures. The new Magic Kingdom show "The Magic, The Memories, and You" uses this to spectacular effect on the castle - so much so that I actually like it better than the fireworks now. (Hit the link to watch the show on Youtube.)

In fact, the MK show recently added the lantern scene from Tangled, and it makes me positively weepy every time I see it, it's just so stinkin' beautiful. [girly sigh] (And here's just the Tangled update, if you haven't seen it.)

Anyway, I just stumbled across a Samsung commercial over on LikeCool (another great site for procrastinating) that uses that same technology on a human face, and my mind is completely blown.

Before you watch, keep in mind that the model's eyes are actually CLOSED the entire time, and his skin is painted white. So everything you see - the expressions, the blinking, the clothing - everything - is a projection. SO COOL.

Hope you guys find it as fascinating as I do: