I didn't really want to clog up my costume progress post with this stuff, so it gets it's own post. (Although I was almost tempted to wait a couple of days before posting just so that way I wouldn't be doing a flood of posts all on one day. XD)
So, I finally had my interview for the D20 Girls and got my contract in. I am, however, rather scrambling to figure out what outfits to use since I had intended to have my cherry print halter dress made by now but had to put it off due to the usual issue, money. I've got plenty of everyday/casual wear, and I might be able to scrounge up something business and costume (I say might for costume only because I'm really not sure which costume I want to use) but I am at a complete loss for "eyecandy." And I really want an eyecandy outfit dammit. So I've been trying and trying to find something to use that is also within my budget but to no avail. I definitely want to get the pics done soon, even if my hair will by stupid for them since I'm not getting it cut again until closer to ECCC.
Which brings me to ECCC. I am pretty psyched about it since Adam Baldwin hasn't cancelled yet lol (anybody who has ever hoped to meet him at D*Con, like me, will get it). I just need his to finish my collection of the major 3 autographs I want from Firefly actors (already have Nathan's and Alan's). I may stop at Wil Wheaton's table again in armor since I know Pere has some more stuff he wants to get Wil to sign. Also, there's a super special awesome thing happening that is planned to happen there that I can't talk about yet other than to say there's a super special awesome thing. Trust me, I will be talking about it later lol. Pere and I went ahead and got a hotel room at the Red Lion since he'll have some more money from some jobs with his dad by then, and it saves us having to go back and forth on the ferry with our costumes every single day. We're also both working as official volunteers for the convention, so that should be fun or interesting at least.
After ECCC we're going back home for a week to visit my parents and go up to St. Louis with them to see the Star Trek Exhibition at the science center (also, I miss the zoo and art museum there so we're definitely visiting those). The break will be a much welcome moment for my brain to destress some like it did while I was there after D*Con.
Things will settle back into a more normal pattern after that with us working where/when we can, organizing donations for the non-profit, and generally killing time until Celebration 6. We keep hoping we'll have some sort of paycheck from the non-profit by then, but nobody really knows. Right now we're waiting on the IRS to give us a tax ID number so we can actually start collection donations. The Board of Directors still has to be sorted completely out, because, while some of us have been placed there are more people needed for other spots. At least the business plan is finished lol. At some point during the summer we hope to be moving back into the carriage house since, in theory, the people there now are moving out. So we should be able to get my stuff out of storage and be able to have people over to visit (in small numbers since it's more like a small one bedroom apartment only with no additional parking space so maybe one additional car can fit here otherwise we have to pick people up ourselves). I'm kind of looking forward to that since I really miss having my stuff not in storage, and frankly really hate having my parent's have to pay for that on top of everything else. (I always sort of have a mini panic attack whenever I go that I'm going to open the storage unit to find all my stuff gone.)
I guess that's most of the "real life" stuff for now. Most days are the same old same old. lol I hope, after ECCC and the April trip, that I'm able to get more costuming stuff out of the way.
Feb 21, 2012
Costume progress!
I swear I really have been doing costume work. I've also been really bad and kept lacking the motivation to update here, in large part because I haven't gotten as much work done as I really feel like I should have. Though scrolling back through my old posts I realize that I was a LOT further behind in updating here than I thought. My bad guys.
So, for the Early Crusader Beast Master. The large horns have been attached to the helmet, and I'm looking at some different ideas for the smaller horns and bone ridges (because I suck at sculpting). It is more progressed than the picture I have because I was trying to hold off on another picture until I had at least started the bone ridges and small horns.
I've gotten a new patchwork kama done for this one, which involved a small addition to the old kama half plus the new longer kama half. (A loin cloth has also been finished and all I need to do is attach the velcro so I can pull it all on and off as one unit.) It still need some weathering, but is assembled other than that. The new capelet I have no pictures of since I'm trying out the idea of having a fur collar on it but haven't gotten out to Joanns yet to buy the faux fur I need (also, holy crap it's $15 a yard so I need to really figure out just how small of an amount I can get away with).
I've gotten some of the misc. decorative baubles partially finished. The beads are going on more feather/bead danglies either for the belt or for the spear, but I need more shell/bone/wood beads to finish assembling them. I repainted an old resin claw since I'm looking at making that part of some sort of collar decoration. The beads and the claw have all been repainted with nail polish, a trick I learned from some over on the Twi'lek Celebration forums because it's not even remotely something I would have thought to do myself. (The round beads were painted with a deep metallic blue; the long beads were split between a mother of pearl and an opalescent purple/pink; the claw with black though the picture is before it was completely painted.)
I've spent a lot of time searching for boots for this version of the costume. The original version used black suede wedge heeled boots, which a lot of people apparently never noticed were wedge heeled until somebody asked about it. lol So, because I like the bit of extra height it gives me, I was trying to find some brown wedge heels that would work for this version (since I'm not doing the black undersuit like the original had). What I found instead, were these awesome boots at Goodwill:
Yeah, those are pretty much some internal wedge heeled leather boots. They are awesome. I seam ripped about in inch down the back of the calf of the boots so I could actually pull them all the way up (plus have them on over pants) so that part will be hidden with some armor on the back of the leg in addition to the shin armor. Because I didn't want white boots with the costume (especially not white boost with a random red stain on them) I looked into dying vs painting them and was talking into painting them by the guy I spoke with at MacPherson Leather. I have to say, I love this Angelus leather paint. The boots look 10 times better now, and I haven't even gotten around to the whole "armoring them up" part yet. :D
So, that's most of what I've been working on for costumes lately. I've made some half hearted attempts at starting the work on Kora's revamp, but a lot of my costume work is getting put on hold until after ECCC since I'll need to see how much money I'll have left that I can justify spending on costume parts. I've also been working on some scrap fabric card/dice/whatever bags that I'm now selling and have some more ideas for things to sell soon here. More bags will be up in a week or so once I get some more trim and ribbon from Joanns. Stuff for sale is currently only listed on my Bonanza page since I don't have the money to spare for an Etsy store anymore: http://www.bonanza.com/booths/Barghest1031
So, for the Early Crusader Beast Master. The large horns have been attached to the helmet, and I'm looking at some different ideas for the smaller horns and bone ridges (because I suck at sculpting). It is more progressed than the picture I have because I was trying to hold off on another picture until I had at least started the bone ridges and small horns.
So, that's most of what I've been working on for costumes lately. I've made some half hearted attempts at starting the work on Kora's revamp, but a lot of my costume work is getting put on hold until after ECCC since I'll need to see how much money I'll have left that I can justify spending on costume parts. I've also been working on some scrap fabric card/dice/whatever bags that I'm now selling and have some more ideas for things to sell soon here. More bags will be up in a week or so once I get some more trim and ribbon from Joanns. Stuff for sale is currently only listed on my Bonanza page since I don't have the money to spare for an Etsy store anymore: http://www.bonanza.com/booths/Barghest1031
Event Report: "The Phantom Menace" 3D Premiere
Small event but worth noting anyway.
Kibiri and I hit up the Episode One 3D premiere at the Pacific Place AMC theater here in Seattle. Peregrinus was with us, but the outfit he was been sewing was just barely not finished in time (seriously, if he had had a couple more hours it would have been done >_<). So guess that just means he'll have to premiere it at ECCC.
Kibiri was there as THE Jodo Kast, and I just went in my force user's smuggler outfit (which will eventually just be a plain old smuggler but I didn't want to rush finishing the chest box or helmet). We had a lot of fun posing for pictures with other patrons and theater staff, plus talking with the other hardcore nerds who were there. Kibiri also had the crowning moment of actually having somebody see his costume and NOT say "Hey, Boba Fett" but instead go "Jodo Kast!?!" lol
Kibiri and I hit up the Episode One 3D premiere at the Pacific Place AMC theater here in Seattle. Peregrinus was with us, but the outfit he was been sewing was just barely not finished in time (seriously, if he had had a couple more hours it would have been done >_<). So guess that just means he'll have to premiere it at ECCC.
Kibiri was there as THE Jodo Kast, and I just went in my force user's smuggler outfit (which will eventually just be a plain old smuggler but I didn't want to rush finishing the chest box or helmet). We had a lot of fun posing for pictures with other patrons and theater staff, plus talking with the other hardcore nerds who were there. Kibiri also had the crowning moment of actually having somebody see his costume and NOT say "Hey, Boba Fett" but instead go "Jodo Kast!?!" lol
Feb 4, 2012
Event Report: Ltd. Art Gallery Star Wars Exhibit Close and "Hughes the Force" Screening
Anyway, on Jan. 28 the Ltd. Art Gallery had the closing reception for it's Star Wars exhibit and had a screening of the fan film "Hughes the Force." This was Terentatek Clan's first real troop as a group, which was kinda awesome.
For those who haven't seen the fan film, you need to. I'm normally pretty picky about my fan films, but I loved this one, especially with it's references to other movies. Despite some technical difficulties, I'm pretty sure the screening was a hit with everybody present. I sadly had to dekit and leave shortly after that so I didn't have any time to spend talking with the creators or the actors, but they seemed nice. (My excuse - my hip had been acting up really bad the night before, so much so that I was worried about making it. It managed to last most of the night but was killing me by the time the movie started.)
Yes, I know this is a really short and kind of sparse report, but there's usually less to talk about when it's small things (no matter how much I enjoy them) than when it's conventions.
Jan 2, 2012
It's New Year's Eve Revolutionizing Time!
Well. Not quite. It's well past New Year's Eve, but I do so love Red vs Blue and have been wanting to quote that for a while now. This seemed like a good chance.
I think my biggest goal this year (aside from my usual job hunting which has just sort of become background noise for me it's been going on for so long) is to drop about 40-50 lbs by the end of the year. Not really looking to tone right now (though that would come in time if I had the money to pursue all the activities I used to do), just drop the fat I've gained. Would really like to lose about half that by Celebration 6 so I can look awesome in a mystery costume (no, not the ISB. . .that's long since no longer my mystery costume). I know it can be done; whether or not I achieve it is something else entirely.
I sort of ended this year researching another costume I've wanted to do for a while. The Flame Handmaiden from Episode One. I was curious to see if I could get it done in time for the 3D premiere. The good news is, I could. The bad news is, I could if I had several hundred dollar to throw away in about a months time. :/ The cheapest option for fabric (that looks good, not the crushed stuff that I've seen some use as a cheap way to do it. . .sorry, but I don't think it looks good at all) is about $17 a yard. And I'd need enough to make that whole gown. Plus two different colors of dye since I have to do the yellow fade then the orange fade. That's not even touching the red sash and undershirt/hood. So, it's still on my list, but is definitely not something that is going to get done before the 3D premiere. (On the bright side, I found some shoes that I think will work at Goodwill already.)
Costume work has been very sporadic. I fully admit I've had a hard time getting motivated as of late; I've been far more motivated to clean and sort my stuff (which I did get accomplished, mostly). Plus SWTOR came out, so I've been trying out all the classes. Have to say, I'm really enjoying it so far. It's enough like WoW that it's easy for me to pick up, but enough not like WoW that I can enjoy it without going "man. . this is like WoW" all the time. There are definitely some glitches still, though I'm lucky that all I've encountered are some cinematic glitches. I also keep meaning to get on my alts on other servers and level them for the guilds there, but without fail each time I get ready to get on those servers are either full or heavy. (This internet is tricky enough that I don't trust it on "heavy" servers.)
So, that's pretty much it for the end of the year. I promise I'll try better to keep things updated as we go into the new year.
I think my biggest goal this year (aside from my usual job hunting which has just sort of become background noise for me it's been going on for so long) is to drop about 40-50 lbs by the end of the year. Not really looking to tone right now (though that would come in time if I had the money to pursue all the activities I used to do), just drop the fat I've gained. Would really like to lose about half that by Celebration 6 so I can look awesome in a mystery costume (no, not the ISB. . .that's long since no longer my mystery costume). I know it can be done; whether or not I achieve it is something else entirely.
I sort of ended this year researching another costume I've wanted to do for a while. The Flame Handmaiden from Episode One. I was curious to see if I could get it done in time for the 3D premiere. The good news is, I could. The bad news is, I could if I had several hundred dollar to throw away in about a months time. :/ The cheapest option for fabric (that looks good, not the crushed stuff that I've seen some use as a cheap way to do it. . .sorry, but I don't think it looks good at all) is about $17 a yard. And I'd need enough to make that whole gown. Plus two different colors of dye since I have to do the yellow fade then the orange fade. That's not even touching the red sash and undershirt/hood. So, it's still on my list, but is definitely not something that is going to get done before the 3D premiere. (On the bright side, I found some shoes that I think will work at Goodwill already.)
Costume work has been very sporadic. I fully admit I've had a hard time getting motivated as of late; I've been far more motivated to clean and sort my stuff (which I did get accomplished, mostly). Plus SWTOR came out, so I've been trying out all the classes. Have to say, I'm really enjoying it so far. It's enough like WoW that it's easy for me to pick up, but enough not like WoW that I can enjoy it without going "man. . this is like WoW" all the time. There are definitely some glitches still, though I'm lucky that all I've encountered are some cinematic glitches. I also keep meaning to get on my alts on other servers and level them for the guilds there, but without fail each time I get ready to get on those servers are either full or heavy. (This internet is tricky enough that I don't trust it on "heavy" servers.)
So, that's pretty much it for the end of the year. I promise I'll try better to keep things updated as we go into the new year.
Dec 21, 2011
Event Report: Ltd. Art Gallery, Star Wars Exhibit Opening (12/8/2011)
The Ltd. Art Gallery over in Seattle has a Star Wars art show going until early 2012 (I can't recall the exact date they said so I don't want to misquote), and they sent a request to Garrison Titan to have people show up for it. I, having just spent D*Con wondering why there weren't many art galleries with pop/nerd art, jumped at the chance. And I am so glad I did. The owners are awesome, it was a really fun event (despite the couple of people that almost gave me "drunk late night D*Con" flashbacks lol), and there is so much there I wish I had the money to buy. Really, I think everybody needs to check them out and buy stuff. Because everybody needs more Star Wars art.
Myself, Kibiri Foxx, and Kraysh showed up in our mando gear, and three other 501st people showed up in their kits (I do know their names, but I don't know how they feel about even their forum names being posted in my blog. . .Kibiri and Kraysh can at least find me and swat me upside the head if they want me to remove their names lol).
We had a couple people taking pics, but here are some of the ones I like that Pere took (since he used my camera and I don't like reposting other people's pictures without being able to link back to them. . .and I've honestly not got those links handy).
Myself, Kibiri Foxx, and Kraysh showed up in our mando gear, and three other 501st people showed up in their kits (I do know their names, but I don't know how they feel about even their forum names being posted in my blog. . .Kibiri and Kraysh can at least find me and swat me upside the head if they want me to remove their names lol).
We had a couple people taking pics, but here are some of the ones I like that Pere took (since he used my camera and I don't like reposting other people's pictures without being able to link back to them. . .and I've honestly not got those links handy).
Event Report: Portland Comic Book Show 2011
On November 13th I went down to Portland, OR for the Portland Comic Book Show. First troop I'd done since D*Con, and I already had the excuse of going down to visit my brother. *chuckle* 'Sides I figured it'd be fun to go a convention with him since he's had to miss out on a lot due to his helicopter training (btw, he just got CFI certified recently :D ).
It was, in a word, great. I didn't stay kitted up for very long, but that was partially because I realized I couldn't even kneel down to dig through some of the Star Wars action figure boxes several of the vendors had out. XD Seron Clan of the Mandalorian Mercs officially inducted Andy Mangels as an honorary member of the Mandalorian Mercs. I'm glad to have met him, especially as "Twin Engines of Destruction" is probably the only comic that has stuck with me since I was a little kid. (I, um, do feel kind of bad admitting that it initially stuck with me because I saw the cover up on the wall of my local comic shop and it just stuck with me so much that I hunted for that comic cover until I finally found a copy in the back issues section of the same store many, many years later. . .2008 or 2009 actually.)
Pere managed to score a signed trading card of the character based of Andy Mangels thanks to his obsessive encyclopedia mind of Star Wars knowledge. lol Don't have a picture of that, but it was amusing to watch him and the others standing around wracking their brains trying to remember the character in order to get the card.
Anyway, I sadly didn't have my brother's steampunk jetpack done in time (the foam didn't set up at all at first. . it mostly collapsed and didn't get hard until days later so we've got to put some more in before we can finish it). We still had a lot of fun; I picked up a new pin for my SRS sash, a new pin for me in general, and found the K-Mart exclusive Jodo Kast figure for Pere. Afterwards we headed over to Voodoo Donuts since, while I've had donuts from there I'd never been, and I've been telling Pere we needed to take him since, well, pretty much since I moved to this coast. lol (Needless to say, he's now kind of hooked on them.)
So, now that the typey typey is over with, here are some of my favorite pics that Pere took:
It was, in a word, great. I didn't stay kitted up for very long, but that was partially because I realized I couldn't even kneel down to dig through some of the Star Wars action figure boxes several of the vendors had out. XD Seron Clan of the Mandalorian Mercs officially inducted Andy Mangels as an honorary member of the Mandalorian Mercs. I'm glad to have met him, especially as "Twin Engines of Destruction" is probably the only comic that has stuck with me since I was a little kid. (I, um, do feel kind of bad admitting that it initially stuck with me because I saw the cover up on the wall of my local comic shop and it just stuck with me so much that I hunted for that comic cover until I finally found a copy in the back issues section of the same store many, many years later. . .2008 or 2009 actually.)
Pere managed to score a signed trading card of the character based of Andy Mangels thanks to his obsessive encyclopedia mind of Star Wars knowledge. lol Don't have a picture of that, but it was amusing to watch him and the others standing around wracking their brains trying to remember the character in order to get the card.
Anyway, I sadly didn't have my brother's steampunk jetpack done in time (the foam didn't set up at all at first. . it mostly collapsed and didn't get hard until days later so we've got to put some more in before we can finish it). We still had a lot of fun; I picked up a new pin for my SRS sash, a new pin for me in general, and found the K-Mart exclusive Jodo Kast figure for Pere. Afterwards we headed over to Voodoo Donuts since, while I've had donuts from there I'd never been, and I've been telling Pere we needed to take him since, well, pretty much since I moved to this coast. lol (Needless to say, he's now kind of hooked on them.)
So, now that the typey typey is over with, here are some of my favorite pics that Pere took:
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