The Edison Topper

This week, my dear friend Miss Breezy Carver sent me a request for a new summer hat. She's been wearing my Tesla Topper all winter, and I've been so pleased to see her in it in a number of snaps on the New Babbage Ning. Her request was to have a Tesla Topper but in white. However, rather than re-hash the Tesla Topper, I asked Breezy if there were any other inventors she would like to personify in top hat form. She gave me some suggestions, and so, the next day I began work on a new Tribute Topper devoted to the work of Mr Thomas Edison.

The hat itself is made of a silvery white damask, with a smoky lace band, with a tiny detailed rendition of Mr Edison's incandescent lamp glowing on the brim. With the addition of some vintage electrical flex, three copper buttons and a flourish of copper fuse wire, the new hat was complete!

I gave the hat to Breezy today and she was delighted, and, I too am very pleased to have a brand new Tribute Topper in the collection at Atelier.

Above, Breezy in her new summer topper, plus, Mr Thomas Edison, and his incandescent lamp: In 1879, using low current electricity, a carbonized filament and a vacuum sealed globe, Thomas Edison first produced a reliable and long lasting light source.

On the topic of topiary

Today the good people of Babbage (and some bad ones too) headed to Miss Llewellyn's wonderful garden for a May Day celebration. The green fingered among us, myself included, entered an inspired building competition with a topiary theme. To my delight, I came joint third place with Miss Blakopal. Here I am with some of the entries.

First place saw a battleship in bush form, that fires apples and has flowers in place of steam, by Mr Cleanslate. Second came Miss Andrew's fairy globe, and third, Miss Blakopal's lovely twirly conifer with lantern. I must also mention Miss Writer's alphabetty plant, and Miss Frye's glorious airship battle tree.

My leafy offering came in the form of a macabre little fellow, having recently beheaded his dear wife with the garden shears. This bizarre image came to me last week, and I quickly scribbled it down on paper before I started work with prims. Here is my sketch, the end result was very similar! I have Tyger to thank for the name 'A bush with death', but of course, only my nonsensical pen is to blame for the accompanying rhyme.