Shower Curtain Belle... an Actual Blog Post

This is a post so filled with awesomeness that it took me an extra *glances at calendar* uh... month or so to write. Also, it's really easy to say "I should write another post" then get completely busy doing tons of other things, and think "oh, that last post wasn't so long ago..." Before I know it, about a month has passed, and I'm looking at the calendar with that "how dare you change the date without my permission" look on my face.

I don't intend for so much time to pass between posts, I really don't. So in order to make up for taking so very long between posts, I'm going to try to make this one Extra Awesome. There's a minion involved, so that right there makes it way more awesome then the average post, but wait! There's more! There's also a massive ray gun* involved too!

Trust me, that and the title will actually make sense if you happened to be in Waltham on May 11th. It was the Watch City Steampunk Festival**, and being a fan of steampunk things, I had to go. This posed a problem though. One of the most fun things about steampunk events is wearing an awesome steampunk outfit and steampunking some weaponry. The weaponry I had tackled once when I made a mini ray gun for myself a few months ago. The outfit... EEK! I didn't have anything suitably steampunk! I didn't even have anything suitably Victorian really, beyond one coat*** and I needed something to cover the bottom half of my body.

In full on fret mode, I scoured the local stores looking for something I could turn into a costume, with no luck. There was a extreme lack of any clothing in my size that wasn't neon colored. The world decided to turn on its head that week, because generally, I have the exact opposite problem. Finally, if managed to find a simple skirt that was the right size, but not at all steampunk-y. It was five bucks at Walmart though, so it would work well enough as a base.

*Cue tweeting birds and rays of light falling on the curtain department at Walmart*

I bet the title is starting to make sense now isn't it? I managed to get some awesome curtains and some pretty shower curtains for super cheap, and decided I was going to make my costume out of that. I also bought all of the black tulle on spools in North Attleboro. Sorry to any brides looking for that color! I made the worlds biggest tutu, sewed the shower curtain into a skirt, topped it with the cheap Walmart skirt which I added ties to so I could make it more drape-y in the front, and made a bustle by taking an itty bitty dress I found at a thrift store, adding a bit of tulle and sewing it shut on the top and bottom.

My outfit wasn't complete though, I needed accessories! I had a ray gun already (it doesn't fire anything at all), but I needed something else. I had a monkey that I had already been working on for a photoshoot, so I decided to bring him along. Because, monkey.

Minion, the steampunk sock monkey!

So what does a skirt made out of a shower curtain look like? What about that giant ray gun?

Me and my Dashing Gentleman Companion!

Notice the AWESOME ray gun? It was almost as tall as I am, which isn't tall for a person, but it's HUGE for a ray gun! Valt modified it from a Nerf sniper riffle (yeah, they make those), and he also made my headpiece (which you sadly can't see too well in the photo), and the monocle on his hat.A friend of mine made my necklace.

Here's a better view, taken by another stranger:

At this point, world domination was assured, and Minion could spend sometime in the car.

I had never been to a steampunk event before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I certainly wasn't expecting to pose for so many photos! It felt like we couldn't go more than a few meters or so before someone was asking us to pose for them (this is how we got the photo above) or asking to pose with us.I think it's a given that I was the only one wearing a shower curtain for a dress and I was definitely the only one carrying a minion monkey around in a cage.

In fact, I ended up naming the monkey Minion by accident, because I had to carry him around somehow, and what better way than in the birdcage I was using to carry my things in (my cellphone, with its cute owl cover wasn't exactly the most steampunk things in the world).

Of course, I already have plenty of minions, so should anyone need a minion, he is available for adoption. He's good with a ray gun, quiet, and doesn't mind confined spaces. He can come with the bird cage, but really I just put him in there for show and wasn't intending to sell that along with him.

I think I'll have to end here, because while I have tons more photos of Minion, this post has gone on long enough.

*The ray gun shot Nerf darts, I can't be trusted in the vicinity of an actual ray gun.
**The festival was May 10-12th, but we were only there one day. 
*** I have a deep love of coats. I buy coats the way some people buy shoes. Also, I'm always cold. *Looks at heater set to high*

News from the World by THE Ninja Muse

Greetings, Monkeyville blog readers! This is your roving guest Monkeyville reporter, THE Ninja Muse, coming to you from my dining room where Boris Monkey and Voltaire Monkey are currently recounting their vacation to the wonderful state of Vermont, where they experienced things in two weeks that most monkeys wouldn’t experience in an entire lifetime.

Boris, the newest addition to my Monkeyville flock of monkeys showed up at my door three days before leaving for vacation and he was promptly packed in the suitcase for traveling. It was then decided that he needed a travel companion, someone who had been around for a while and could show Boris that traveling with me wasn’t scary and that he wouldn’t get left behind. Plus, it’s scary to be on your own in a new place, isn’t it? So Voltaire bravely volunteered to come along to be Boris’s travel buddy. Into the suitcase he went. Secretly, he was glad to go along, because it’s been so hot here that Ninja Muse Monkey has been a little whiny and Voltaire was a bit tired of hearing it.

Boris and Voltaire weren’t too thrilled about being packed up in a suitcase, but unfortunately, it was just the safest way to travel for them. When your limbs are sewn on, you don’t really want to take the chance of getting an arm or a tail caught on something and yanked off. Luckily, the Monkeys understood, which was a Very Good thing, because they were trapped in the suitcase for three days before they were allowed out!

Finally, after three long days, Boris and Voltaire came out to play! They were so thrilled to be out that they hopped all over Ninja Dad and wanted him to pose for a picture with them. Ninja Dad laughed at them, and at the photographer, but was a good sport about it. 

 

After posing and grinning for the camera, Boris and Voltaire scampered off to see what kind of trouble they could get into.

The boys found a frame and decided that they wanted pictures of themselves to commemorate the trip, complete with nature-like surroundings.

And after taking the boys’ photos, I tripped over a hole and rolled a little, managing to capture the occasion with a picture.

  

Then Boris and Voltaire decided they wanted a silly picture of themselves, so they chose the outhouse as a background.

 
There’s something to be said for the power of suggestion, in Voltaire’s opinion.

While Voltaire was a bit indisposed, Boris clowned around, waiting for his pal.

Then, Boris found a bug! He was so proud of finding his first ‘wild animal’ of the trip! It’s a leaf bug!

Voltaire met up with Boris again just moments later and the two of them shared a giggly moment. I wasn’t allowed to peek until they were ready. When in farm country, do as the hayseeds do!

After that, the boys wanted some quiet time to reflect on their first day out of the suitcase, away from the socks they rode with.  Doesn’t Boris have the cutest tush?

After some rest and relaxation, it was time to chop some wood! Oh no! Monkeyville monkeys don’t have fingers! How can they hold an axe? Boris was insistent that he could do it, but luckily, Voltaire knew better, so being the sweet Monkey he is, he offered to hold the wood.

 Just like Voltaire thought, Boris was just a tad too short to reach, so chopping wood was out of the question for these guys.  They did cheese it up for the camera a little, though!

  

Whew, even just preparing to chop wood is hard work! It’s time to make some iced tea and cool off in front of the fan for a little while!

By then it was starting to get dark, so it was time to light the gas lamps. Boris offered to do that, since he wasn’t able to chop the wood. Even though Monkeys shouldn't be playing with matches, he wanted to help and he was careful. 

Now that there was light, Boris and Voltaire could see to start writing out postcards.  “Dear Ninja Family…”

Then they had some time to play a few hands of cards. Voltaire taught Boris how to play Gin Rummy, and then Boris taught Voltaire the subtle art of losing.

Finally, it was time to wash up and go to bed. The boys poured the water into the basin.

And then it was time to end the day! Good night, lovely blog readers!