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Category Archives: steampunk

Lincoln Steampunk Asylum 2026

Lincoln Steampunk Asylum 2026

Alice Strange on the Castle Stage

What a weekend! Not even rain could stop people coming out in their stunning outfits. I even had some furries and a fabulously soggy audience, braving the weather to watch me perform at Lincoln Castle!

Kitten Von Mew on the Castle Stage, Lincoln Asylum

On Saturday I went in my pirate outfit with bloomers that matched the lining of my frock coat. I made the hat myself a couple of years ago and it was the perfect ensemble for such a wet day.

The beard competition. Men and women were both invited up.
Nimrod and his wife always dress in the most incredible outfits. This year’s was especially breathtaking!
The audience enjoying the entertainment
You can almost see her cogs whirring, trying to think of next year’s outfit….
One of the many unique artisan stalls at Asylum 2026

It was great to see plenty of unique stalls in and around the castle grounds. I especially liked talking to the authors in one of the marquees and ended up buying a ‘penny dreadful’ which I am very much looking forward to reading!

There were not only Starwars Steampunks…
But a Star Trek group as well! Can you spot the Klingon?

Another exciting thing on Saturday was giving Paul Randall the hat that he commissioned! As some people may remember, I used to have a stall at the show selling unique hats! It was too much with singing at looking after Betsy, but every so often I get people ordering custom creations. I had already created a Joker hat for Paul, many years ago and he wanted an updated version! I was so happy with house this came out and enjoyed making the joker look like an old rusty theme park sign. Inside is a Bluetooth speaker, so that he can play music or a crazy laughter track through his top hat. The arrow has colourful lights that can flash or chase.

Paul and his Steampunk Joker Top Hat

I now have 3 more commissions to complete for next summer!

Sunday was a better day weather-wise and we started it off with some life drawing, before getting yummy food from the Indian food stand.

Life drawing at the castle
One of my favourites!

Unfortunately each person was only posing for 10 minutes, which was a bit too short for me. When wearing such great outfits, you need more time!

Who y’gonna call?

My outfit for the day was my Back to the Future inspired ensemble! The backpack is a flux capacitor with a Back to the Future 2 inspired Pepsi bottle, there’s a mini Pizza, western accessories as a nod to the 3rd movie and I made my bustle jacket out of 2 doctor’s coats. I stained them with tea and coffee and created real leather patches of which I riveted on.

As I was singing at the Wild Wild West dance that evening, I thought it was fitting!

Would you like a straw with that?
Such a great droid, made with projectors and other scrap!
Another gorgeous couple
My 11yo trying on a new accessory
Meet Smog the dragon! Such a wonderful sculpture!
Don’t worry everyone, I found the cake and it was amazing.

So that evening I was a little later getting to The Assembly Rooms as we had a MA-HOOOSSIVE thunderstorm over our campsite. Sheet lighting, hail and people being flooded out of their tents. Luckily I got to the venue on time, but no one knew about the storm as it skipped the city!

Kitten Von Mew and The Brass Brothers before the event!

The Country night was a fantastic challenge for both myself and The Brass Brothers; learning a whole load of new songs!

The energy of the room was great and people were practising line dancing before the live entertainment.

The Brass Brothers were superb and chose some great tracks. I got to join in on one of my favourite ‘I Wanna Do Bad Things With You.’

Sometimes seeing an empty dance floor in front of you is intimidating, but I soon found out that that doesn’t mean people aren’t enjoying themselves! In ‘Dead or Alive’ everyone shocked the life out of me by shouting out “I’M WANTED!!!” at the correct parts. I got so many wonderful compliments, it was overwhelming!!!! My final song had everyone up and dancing, so I couldn’t have wished for a better night! Yee-haw!!!!!

Miniatura Show – March 2023

Miniatura Show – March 2023

This weekend I had a wonderful time, exhibiting my dollshouse, steampunk diorama and hats at the Miniatura Show! Nestled between artisan sellers of furniture, teddy bears and food, I really didn’t think that my eccentric house would get so much interest and positive feedback! I was rather overwhelmed by everyone’s comments and reactions. It’s a very strange feeling when you create something that just stays in your house, doesn’t get seen by more than a handful of people…and then you present it to the world in a large hall.

The same goes for my steampunk diorama! I created it for the Hornby & Bassett-Lowe competition in 2021, but this is the first time that I have shown it to the public. Just hearing the giggles and gasps coming from the front of my stand was music to my ears.

I would like to say thank you to EVERYONE who came by and to the sellers that were so lovely and welcoming. A huge shout out to the 2 ladies who made me cry because of their kind words, not only to me but to the organiser. A complete confidence boost and they appreciated all the tips on using EVA foam! I even had a lady stallholder come up to me today and say “We’ve decided that this isn’t the Miniatura Show anymore, it’s the ‘What has Kitten got on her head today’ Show!”

It’s an absolute honour to say that I have been invited back to the show on 30th September/ 1st October 2023! I’m hoping that I can do a free workshop, where you can try out some of the techniques I use to add a personal touch to your projects. Stay tuned! If you would like to see more of my creations or even order your own bespoke headwear, then please visit my Facebook page Cogsmith’s Curious Creations.

Saltburn Steampunk Weekend 2021

Saltburn Steampunk Weekend 2021

Don’t look at me like that! I know I haven’t posted anything for a while and I’m so sorry.

Last weekend we travelled up to Yorkshire to a BRAND NEW steampunk event in the Victorian seaside town of Saltburn by the Sea.

What a hidden gem this place is! The buildings are beautiful and wait until you see the beach! It looks nothing from the cliff top, but once you have descended the many steps (the tram is not working unfortunately), you are met with a fabulous view of the pier and Victorian seaside buildings in red and cream.

There are wonderfully colourful beach huts to bring cheer to even the gloomiest day, mini golf and THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS I’VE EVER HAD!

At the top of the hill is a pretty walkway with flowerbeds called Marine Parade Gardens, which features a ‘grotto’ called Jack’s Castle.

Jack’s Castle, Marine Parade Gardens

There is also a metal statue of Henry Pease, who founded the resort. From the railway station to the pier, this entrepreneur has an amazing vision and not only succeeded in creating it, but wanted to make sure that lower-paid workers of the nearby mines could afford to holiday there. You can find out all about Henry Pease and his family here.

Henry Pease

So back to the main event! The entertainment, stalls and other steampunk delights took place at Saltburn House. The hotel was originally built in the late 1800’s by the Pease family as a convalescent home for their workers. It was later used to house a local school that had burned down and then used as a working men’s club for affordable 2 week breaks for its members. it now remains a working men’s club and and was a great base for the Steampunk weekend. With the main town, station, gardens and beach just a walk away, it was the perfect location.

Kitten Von Mew having a giggle with Sandie Burland and Bumblebee!
Kitten Von Mew singing at Saltburn by the Sea Steampunk Weekend

We met some wonderful people at the event and the locals that came to watch the entertainment we’re friendly, enthusiastic and welcoming! There were a fantastic selection of stall at the event, but annoyingly I didn’t take pictures of them!!!

I do have some other photos I need to go through on my camera, which also include other entertainers, so I will post them up ASAP.

An early Christmas present from Mr Mew!
Betsy’s stained glass rocket pack she wore on Saturday evening gained her a Cogling’s medal!
Mr Mew wore his much loved top hat, but finally had the excuse to turn it on!

Thank you so much to everyone who watched me perform and were so understanding about my poorly throat. We didn’t want to leave! I have been booked again for next year’s show, so I hope to see even more of you there. Much love xxx