Monday, August 29, 2011

Twilight Sparkle Wig

Progress Report! I have 2 more working days before we leave for Dragon*Con. One major thing on my list to get done was Twilight Sparkle's Wig. I've been putting it off for days. I followed Kukkii-san's Tutorial for making wefts over on Cosplay.com. I bought two packs of Silky Straight Kanekalon in the closest colors in stock. Making the wefts was the easy part. I do advise taping them in place before sewing them to the tulle. It makes it so much easier and the tape can be removed. Styling and cutting the wig took longer than I anticipated. I had to sew my wefts in where they wouldn't easily be seen. This was tricky. Then I had to cut the wefts and bangs. I ended up having to heat my bangs with a blow dryer on a low setting to keep them from sticking out like crazy. Long process but good first experience. Overall I really like the outcome. I must say, if your going to use the Kanekalon for wigs, soak your wefts in a solution of luke warm water and hair conditioner. It will work wonders on this hair. Otherwise they tangle easy and can be a nightmare to brush out.

More progress soon. It's caffeine time!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Dalek Ball Process!


Weekend Process! I started working on my actual Dalek balls this Saturday. I bought 14 packs of these clear plastic spheres from Joann Fabrics. I may have to get more just in-case I have a wardrobe malfunction. :P My boyfriend sanded off the little lips intended for hanging. Once they were all finished it was time for some painting! I gave them coat of grey primer then I used a nice silver car paint. Its usually referred to as Diamond Dust. It has some really nice shimmer sparkle in the paint, instead of it being one metallic color.


Last I coated them with a clear gloss. There is a clear difference in person, but hardly noticeable in the photo. The one up front has been coated with clear gloss. The sparkles became so apparent it was like night and day. It made the overall paint job a bit darker, but it was definitely worth it. It now has a nice slick texture as apposed to a cold powder like touch.


Haha...I still have quite a few to gloss. It takes some time since they get sprayed one at a time to insure I get full coverage. I hope to post more progress soon. 9 more days till DragonCon!! WOAMG! CRUNCH TIME!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Dragon*Con!!!!


It's that time again! Dragon*Con 2011 will be here in a mere 16 days! It hasn't hit me yet that I have very limited time left to finish my panned costumes! I'm at the point where very day counts...so I cannot let myself waste anytime! It's difficult to get things done quickly when you work full time and try to keep a regular work out regimen. It doesn't sound like it will suck your time...but it really does. I've been working out like crazy this past month and half and I'm seeing very limited results. I was really hoping I'd see a change much quicker than I have been. Anyway, onto my plans!


Firstly, Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic. I joined a group for Dragon*Con so this MUST get finished! I have 5 others relying on me. It puts an extra bit of pressure but it will be well worth it once our group comes together :D The costume is based on a cosplayer dressed as Sheryl Nome from Macross frontier. I really loved her uniform and felt it was perfect for Twilight. I recolored it in photoshop and with feedback from the other ponies this was the end result. I'm a bit heavier than the gal in the photomanip, but I hope I can pull off this look none the less.


Next we have my Pink Dalek dress. Haha, everything must be pink with me. I drew this up last year after the con because I fell in LOVE with all the Dalek dresses I saw. I hope to have this finished this year...but Ponies comes first. So we'll see. I have all the fabrics and my boyfriend can help me with the electronics. If your not geeky and are curious what a Dalek is...haha...click here. Since I am no longer blonde, my Rose Tyler costumes are staying home. I want to represent Doctor Who since it's my favorite show on Television. And I think there will definitely be a Tardis there this year!!! 16 days and counting! Wish me luck!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Hair Salon Woes

This was an interesting weekend for me. It was time to have my hair redyed because I let my roots grow out WAY TO MUCH. I asked for a dark natural blonde much like this. Well, due the natural growth my hair had the ash blonde dye just didn't come out right. My roots were significantly lighter than the rest of my hair and I just didn't feel comfortable to keep it that way.

I went back for a toner and I guess Ulta's idea of a toner is semi-permanent dye. Which is not right at all. A toner tints your hair and is only left on for 10 minutes tops. A semi-permanent dye is well...a new hair color. I should never have switched salons...that's what I get for trying new things...I end up a brunette. :\ I really, really do miss my blonde hair. *sigh* At least the color doesn't look bad...its just gonna take some getting used to.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Yes Mr. Batman Sir!

I don't know who to credit for this art, but it's awesome and I could not help myself. So, yes Mr. Batman Sir! I am working on my art! haha!

Friday, August 12, 2011





It's that time of year where I become immersed into costuming, so I figured why shouldn't my inspirations reflect that as well. The costumer above is Kamui and she's got a production blog here about her costuming works in progress. I also follow her facebook updates. She takes on some serious challenges with her costuming and seeing her WIPs motivate me to not be afraid to try new things. I've picked up quite a few techniques from the things she's posted. Thanks Kamui, you inspire me to experiment and push my creativity with costuming. :)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Exciting Weekend!


I'm back from AFO and I'm really happy with how my costume turned out. :) I took my time on it and made sure everything was to the best of my abilities. I arrived at AFO late and wasn't able to sign up for their contest during the hour allowed. So I decided to be there bright and early Sunday to see if maybe they had cancellations. Despite some unexpected drama I was able to secure a spot. So to pass time a good friend of mine was nice enough to take some photos of me and boyfriend. He was a good sport and was my Naota for the day. :D I have decided that this will be my last summer Florida convention. It's just to damned hot outside especially if your wearing winter wear.


The bass is built to scale and was made by a friend of mine. It has a few actual guitar pieces on it which helps shape the illusion especially from a distance. It's quite heavy though...significantly heavier than an actual guitar. So as a prop goes its kinda impractical. I am hoping another friend of mine can clean it up and make a mold of it. Then it would be a lighter plastic rather than wood. We'll see what he's got time for. Either way it won't be done before Dragon*Con.


The contest was good experience for PariahCon and I'm glad I was able to get a spot. I was so surprised and happy when my name was called. I placed 2nd in the intermediate division. It was my first contest ever, so it really made my weekend.

I'm so proud of how my Haruko turned out! If you are curious about my costume breakdown, you can read full descriptions over on my Cosplay.com page. This costume will definitely be coming with me to Dragon*Con!! Depending on their Cosplay Contest time, I'm planning to enter that one too. 22 more days until Dragon*Con and I've got so much to finish!! Wish me luck!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Costumes and AFO!


It's been a long couple of weeks. I've been working on Haruko for about a solid 3 weeks now. Whether it be sewing or searching the bowls of the internet for costuming pieces I've been working on it quite a bit.


My vest is complete! I used Simplicty pattern 2341 and added a few mods to it. I added quite a bit of lenght and the small sleeves. The collar is a bit tall, but I like how it turned out considering this is my first jacket. If I feel the need I will re-do it before Dragon*Con. The black lines are actually hidden pockets. If you dabble in costuming, you know pockets are essential. You can see the outline of my phone in the pocket, but I don't mind. I'll put on the side covered by the scarf :)

My gloves were a very pale yellow color when I purchased them. (Auction photo, I wish I had taken one myself) I liked the shape and decided I would dye them. I mixed rit dye sunshine yellow and tan. 2 tsp tan to 1 tsp yellow. I ran out of tan from testing the dye combos otherwise I would have liked them to be a tad bit more brown. All in all, they are in the appropriate color spectrum for Haruko and that's all that matters.

Next on my plate tonight is updating my boots. The white boots I purchased are good for Haruko but were to small around the cylinders to fit me. So I sewed an extra panel into them. Tonight I will put tops on them to make them taller and more accurate. AFO is this weekend. So expect at least one more update this week before the con. :D