The Blue Box Cafe and Deli

Elgin, Illinois' Dr. Who themed cafe.

Tea Dueling at SWFL SteamCon

The first duel:





















The final match:

An introduction to Splendid Teapot Racing

Old Timey Announcer Guy and roving reporter, Wally explain Splendid Teapot Racing, using photos and videos from various steampunk events.

The 30th Anniversary of Steampunk Celebration

It has been thirty years since the term "steampunk" was first coined in a note to Locus Magazine in 1987 by author K.W. Jeter. To celebrate this event, on April 21st, the Tampa Bay Steampunk Society hosted an epic party at InVision Cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Escape the Clouds:






Phantasmagoria:









Many coloring pages to choose from:





Nerf Dueling:









Fabulous costumes:



















More fun with fire:






Clockwork Knotwork:












Tea Dueling:

The Temeraire Tea Party

I haven't done one of the literary tea party menus for a long time, but I was feeling inspired this week. I recently finished reading the 6th of Naomi Novik's Temeraire novels, Tongues of Serpents, aloud to Blaze and he's looking forward to getting the next book in the series.



Also, today is Blaze's 16th Birthday.

First gifts, then tea party!


The Temeraire series deals with the adventures of Captain William Laurence, a navel officer who captures a dragon egg from a French ship in 1805.



When the egg hatches and the dragon imprints on Captain Laurence, he must leave the Navy to join the British Aerial Corps and the reader is introduced to a world where dragons are an important part of the war against Napoleon.

Blaze chose chocolate for the cake, because the dragon, Temeraire, is a black, Chinese, Celestial dragon.

Chocolate cake shaped like a dragon curled protectively around three eggs and British flag shaped Walker's shortbread cookies.


Tuna salad sandwiches, lamb sandwiches, and spicy mushrooms on puff pastry:



The savory parts of the menu are based on things that Temeraire ate, with the exception of the eggs.

Dragon Eggs recipe: http://www.janbrett.com/dragon_eggs_recipe_and_coloring_page.htm



Menu

Chinese Style Beef and Broccoli Soup
Dragon's Eggs
Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Lamb on Rye Sandwiches
Spicy Mushrooms on Puff Pastry
Chocolate Cake Dragon
Union Jack Walker's Shortbread Cookies
Green Tea


SaveSave

Speed Reader, My New Teapot Racer

The new teapot racer started life as a Land and Water Rover by the Blue Hat Toy Company.

Blaze trying the car for the first time:



At the same time that I purchased the RC car from Marshall's, DH bought me a $6 Disney Frozen tea set. He's wonderfully understanding and encouraging about my silly hobbies.



I removed the stickers from the teacups and teapot, spray painted the whole set with black plastic paint, and then added some antique gold Rub 'n Buff. I replaced the stickers with tea related book illustration.

There are, also, teabag tags hanging from each teacup, with a tea related literary quote on each.

Even some of the clear plastic packaging from the tea set was used when I mounted the set onto an old music box, so that it would turn.






The idea of little wheels attached to the front bumper of the car to aid in going around curved ramps, was the genius idea of Stephen Chapman, who has dubbed it "the Chapman devise". I have created my Chapman devise using the wheels from a little monster truck that Blaze broke a long time ago, but never threw away.



Failed:
Those wheels were too big and got in the way of the tires. So, instead of helping the car to turn better, they stopped it from turning at all.
Smaller wheels would have worked fine, but there were none available.

Second failure:
I drilled a hole through the top of the chassis, so that I could mount a music box on it, but I didn't check to see what was under the plastic I was drilling through. It turned out the circuit board was directly under the hole and I damaged it. Now, the car won't go in reverse.



I have printed book covers and attached them to foam board to create light weight fake books. In case you ever decide to try this, I have discovered that foam board can be sanded, to even up the edges.

I now have a new car, identical to the one I destroyed.

One more time...



Introducing, my latest teapot racer:









This is the racer I will be taking with to the Steampunk World's Fair in Piscataway, New Jersey, May 13-15: https://www.facebook.com/events/1178157612204010/