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There are plenty of geeky pumpkin roundups online right now, but what about steampunk pumpkins? I went looking for steamy jack-o-lantern inspiration this week; here's the best of what I found:

 

These are both by Cmdr "Whiskey Nick" Triton. I love how he took the classic Jack-O-Lantern design and jazzed it up with just the right amount of rivets and metallic accents. Plus those hinged eyes on the right are too cool.


Or, for something a little (ok, a LOT) crazier:




Better Homes and Gardens has a roundup of no-carve "Junk-ins" with some neat elements. They're not exactly steampunk, of course, but there are still plenty of ideas to borrow. My favorite is the pumpkin coach:


Look at the tiny mice!! They're made of little gourds, nails, and upholstery tacks. Such a simple idea with such a huge pay off.

I also like this springy clock design:

I just realized the clock hands are made from old skeleton keys. Nice!

Of course, now I want to install a working clock in a pumpkin. It'd be super easy with a craft-store kit - and they're battery powered, so you don't have to worry about cords.

Or, if you want a ridiculously complex carving challenge, how about this clock design?




This "Junk-O-Lantern" is another that's more junky than steamy, but I like the idea of using wire spirals for hair:


Just use copper or brass wire for a more steamy look.


Steampunk author Cherie Priest bought this plastic pumpkin at a Wal-Mart years ago, so it's no longer available - but it's a great inspiration piece:

In fact, I wonder if this is where Triton got the idea for the hinged jaws on his two pumpkins. (You could use craft foam to form the overlapping jaw line, and thumb tacks or roofing nails for the rivets.)



Instructibles user Yami Guru modified those ubiquitous pumpkin candy buckets into steampunk versions. I like how he used tea strainers for the eyes:

And are those old telephone cords on the right? Clever! Hit the link up there for his full tutorial.


These two are actually custom toys by Steamwork Studios, but I'm loving the mismatched eyes and chest grates:

It's be neat to make a similar grate on the side of a pumpkin - you could use craft foam coated with metallic Rub n' Buff and held on with thumb tacks. (Plus now I'm thinking someone should cosplay a steampunk Headless Horseman for Halloween. Right?)

Space Boy Robot (who has some awesome robots on his site, btw) made this fabulous Jack-O-Bot:


I bet you could use candlestick pieces for the legs, or maybe old door handles or large spools. There are so many options when you're going to paint everything the same color!

Well, that's all I've got, my friends. Now, are you inspired? Good! Then go forth and steam up some pumpkins!! (And then send me pictures, 'cuz I want to see!)


UPDATE: Reader Amanda E. just shared her own pumpkin coach creation over on the Epbot FB page. Check it out:

 I love the more elegant hardware - and she made the mice! Great job, Amanda!

Hack-A-Day combined an existing Portal gun replica & levitating globe toy to make this:

- The Princess Bride turned 25 the other week (INCONCEIVABLE!) and a few lovely interviews with the cast came out to celebrate. Here's one with Cary Elwes (plus snippets from the rest of the crew), and a much sweeter one with Mandy Patinkin. (thx for the link, Sara W.!)


- BoingBoing posted a big roundup of behind-the-scenes Disneyland photos like this one:

What I wouldn't give for a picture riding the rhino! Sadly my own Skipper shenanigans never extended beyond playing "Dead Skipper" and climbing on top of the boat awnings for a spin around the ride. :D


- YESSSSS - Epbot reader Caroline accepted my challenge to attend Doktor A's show in New York City last weekend, and she even took pictures for me! Here she is with the man himself:


And if you head over to her Google Plus album you'll see more fabulous photos of the show like this one:

As full-face makeups go, this one's pretty simple, too! Especially for such a convincing illusion. When she closes her eyes I get chills - so amazing! (I have a whole face painting board over on Pinterest, btw, if you like this kind of thing.)


- And finally, if you're as much of a new Sherlock fan as I am, then these next 57 seconds are going to destroy the way you see Benedict Cumberbatch forever. But in a goofy, hilarious kind of way.

UPDATE: Sorry, guys, but I decided to take down the video link. Someone pointed out that it might be from a questionable source and not intended for public viewing, which made me feel like a creep for pointing people to it. It's still on Youtube, of course, and there's certainly nothing bad about it - just a little goofy dancing - but I'd rather err on the side of caution, just in case. Again, sorry!

I was going to review four books today, but as usual I got too chatty for my own good. :D So here are the first two:

I've wanted to read this since I spotted the short teaser included in the Archaia Anthology, so when I saw Janet Lee at Dragon*Con a few months back, I decided to pick up a signed copy:



As with the Archaia teaser (which was actually a bonus section not found in this book), I found the art of Return of the Dapper Men to be utterly captivating, and the writing to be...well, something of an enigma.


It's definitely a kind of whimsical, steampunk-ish fairy tale, but the story carries itself in a way that made me feel like I was always just missing something important. In the foreword Tim Gunn mentions you'll want to have a dictionary and Google handy to look up all the various "puzzles, riddles, and anagrams," which got me all excited, but then I couldn't figure out which puzzles he was referring to. Which made me feel like an idiot. I pored over every page, seeking out hidden Easter eggs or visual puns, but the only thing I spotted was a copy of Othello in a room with a black-and-white dotted rug:


Putting aside my dismal sleuthing skills, the story itself was still charming. In a world divided between children and robots (there are no adults), a human boy and a robot girl form a friendship, and then face the return of the Dapper Men: men who fall from the sky and set about reinstating time itself. The story kind of makes sense. The ending, less so.

This is a hefty book that you'll want to take your time with, but more for the visuals than the writing. Overall I think I'd recommend it more for art lovers than for those looking for a modern fairy tale.

Which is the perfect segue to our second book today:

Life has been mildly derailed over here the past several days by a family emergency, but happily no one has died, and our last-minute house guest & hospital visits wrap up today. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with posting, so thanks for your patience, guys!

And to tide you over for now, here's another peek at John's Halloween costume:

Did I already confirm he's dressing as DreamFinder? If not: he's dressing as DreamFinder. We dyed both the wig and beard ourselves with alcohol inks, and I've been working on cutting & styling them. (You're not supposed to use irons on synthetic hair, so those clips are holding some curls in place. I've also used roughly a gallon of hairspray so far. Good thing John doesn't smoke. Ha!)

Here they are right after dying:

At one point we had theses hanging on a stand in the front driveway to dry, and I remarked that if this didn't worry the neighbors, nothing would. ("Honey, the house with those hermits who stay up all night has scalps hanging in the front yard. I think it's time to move.")

We're going to be at Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom on October 26th, btw, so if you're going to be there, too, be sure to look for us to say hi!

And this was my little mini-project for our relative in the hospital:


It's not much: just a pretty makeup bag filled with all the stuff I wish *I'd* had the last time I was in the hospital:

In addition to basic toiletries, I also packed things like fuzzy socks, earplugs, tinted lip balm, hand wipes (for when you can't leave the bed to wash your hands), and aromatherapy lotion. (The one thing I did have during my hospital stay was some lavender lotion, and I remember the smell being unbelievably comforting during the worst times.) We also gave her puzzle books and a mini DVD player with headphones.

And to wrap up this random update of randomness, take a look at the heavenly view inside my fridge right now:


John's sister - who is a phenomenal cook - has been staying with us the past few days, and this morning she made me homemade whoopie pies. (WOOT!!) I may have had one for lunch. And I may have asked her to stay forever. :D

(The sad thing? Our fridge really is that empty. Cooking is as mystifying to me as sewing.)

K, I have an overflowing inbox and a pesky cake blog to attend to now. Back soon!

UPDATE: One of you asked for a more pinnable version of my hospital care bag, which I thought was a great idea. So here 'tis: