Otakon Has Come and Gone!!

And Im experiencing, for the First Time, Otakon Withdrawl!!!
I had a Great Time and it was Even Better being with some of my Best Friends.
The Next Few Posts will be Pictures I took at Otakon for all to see.

Look for those Later on! :D

More like a Yard Fail!

So Much for the Yard Sale, my Stuff is more like "Please Sell me on Ebay" or a Forum.

In total I made 29$...not 30...29$!
Thats not gonna do ANYTHING for me haha!

I decided to Just Post Things on Facebook and Hair Extension Forum to see what will sell.

As For the Cosplay Sweatshop, It turned into what I hoped it wouldnt, a Party.
Fortunately for Me, I got my Gi for Haku started. And Cut up a Gi for Sakura.

Its the Final Countdown, Otakon is only 5 Days Away and Im not 100% Done Any costumes.
Pray for me? Haha!

My Random Update of the day!


Also...exciting News!
My Boyfriend has Been Working on his Sword for Zabuza, making it out of insulation Foam and It looks AMAZING!
He's so Talented!

Tata For Now! ^_^

The Yard Sale...and Ebay Blows

The time has Come for yet again Another Yard Sale...

This time its to supplement my lack of Funds for Otakon.

To Help myself Ive put almost half if not more of my entire wardrobe into the Sale. Including Tons of Band Tee's, Sweaters, Cute Blouses, Etc.

Along with that...Ive been collecting Carebears since Middle school and my Collections pretty Intense but the Time has come for me to part with all my Babies!

Cue the Tears and Anxiety!

:D

This is Me Downsizing my Life.
Its been in the Works for a While and Ive finally Broken!

Lets Hope I make a Pretty Penny! ^_^

In Other News: Ebay is Blowing my Life!

It Seems Many Sellers are Incompetitent to their own products and shipping prices.
I inquired as to the price for express shipping and if its additional on top of the original shipping, because with Otakon coming Im on a Tight Deadline, I needed it By Next friday, earlier if possible!
Last ime I checked there is a Big difference Between 20$ and 40$.
They responded that express shipping total 20$ so I was excited but COMPLETELY blown when the Invoice popped up saying $40.99!!!

Thank the Lord for Patience and Understanding that helped me get through the day!
Now I have 2 wigs on their way from Michigan and one from China.
An Exra $20 I didnt want to spend if I didnt have to!

On a Positive Note:
Thats one less Wig I have to Purchase for Future Cosplays! :D

Muah Happy Friday!

Nadia Progress

So I Guess Ill Start of With Nadia Progress Since Its Almost Complete!



Blue Water
is the Name of Her Necklace that I was afraid I would ruin if I tried to make it myself.
Online there are several Versions of it some more expensive than others and many more costly than others.
I got it commissioned by DeaStar and Im very Happy with it!
Its slightly larger than most of the ones Ive seen but I think itll show up Better in Pictures and adds a lot more Emphasis! :)

*Ignore the Silliness, I looked bad that day!*



Main Costume
I Finished the Skirt, and the Sash, and the Vest is Done but Im thinking about Remaking it.
There are a Few Flaws that are making me self Conscious!
Btw in the Picture the vest is only pinned together. Impressed? I am!

I Took a Little Creative Deviation when it came to her Shoes!
I Didnt like the Look of her Closed in Moccasin type shoes so I grabbed a Pair of Montego Bay Gladiators and added those instead! To Me it seems to suit Not only the Weather, but Her Style.

Wig
The Wig still needs help. I ordered a Shoulder Length Black Wig it has the bangs and everything.
I have to cut and Find a Way to Curl or Spike the Ends in a Manner similar to Nadia's but realistically!
That Will Be Taken Care of Sometime Soon! :)

Whats Left?
The Hair Clips just need to be glued to their backings. I made them Out of Sculpey and Acyrlic paint Yay!! :)
The Gold Earrings I got from my mom! Thanks Mama!! :D
I deviated from her plain Gold Bangles and went for intricately designed bangles That I found at Forever21 for about 6$ or 7$ a set.
As for her Neckbangles Im planning on covering some headbands in gold paint or material just so save time and money. And wearing them stacked on each other.
And Her Arm band I can do without but if I stumble onto a gold slap bracelet or armband similar to that I will definetly snag it up!! :D

I Keep Getting Distracted!

Like the Title Says I post every so Often and Ive become Very Distracted!! :)
My Last Post was My Attempt at Ganguro/Yamanba Makeup--Fail.

Well its The Final Countdown!
Otakon is in T-Minus 9 days!--And Im Still Not Ready!

My Costume List is as follows:
Nadia- Secret of Blue Water (80% Finished)
Sakura- Super Street Fighter 4 Alternate (70% Finished)
Flareon- Pokemon Humanoid (10% Finished)
*Newest Addition* Haku -Naruto (20% Finished)

So Pretty Much Im Cutting it Close...

Not to Mention my Haku wig Has Yet to be Shipped From China! ^_^

Next Post: Photo Updates!

And the Progress & Money Problems.....

Begin!!!!



So with My Birthday, the Beach, and Otakon fast Approaching...Here come the Money problems as well!


Things were going well, I was budgeting and planning where $$ needed to be spent and on what-Mainly cosplay. But then a Wrench was thrown into the picture. My Boyfriends car got towed while were at a Mini StreetFighter 4 Tourney. Me being the Amazing girlfriend I am gave him the 100$ to get his car back so we could get home.


Its crazy How things work out right?! So Im broke.
Not to Mention There is a New boss at my job and Jeeze Louise she has no Idea what shes doing.
I dont get hours aka I dont get paid.
In Short my epic cosplay plans are slowly funneling down to nothing.

I need 64$ for registrtion
95$ for my hotel room
and Lotsa of other monies to finish my cosplays!

On a Good Note--I have all of the Fabric to begin working on Nadia and on Toad.
But Ive been lazy. My Gloves for Sakura have arrived, and Im just waiting on the wig now.

Random Picture post of the day:

My random Manba make-up attempt--I need to be darker to pull this off.
Ignore the wig, it doesnt go very well with my skin complextion with added makeup.

But that is all folks, till Next time, hopefully sooner and not months apart! :)

Where Have I Been?

Well I realized No one really looks at this and School and work were taking up more time than I had.

So I took a Very Long break from it all.

I got my Circles lenses and they were pretty awesome, But I had to visit the eye doctor months later to realize that my perscription had changed. Now I have Perscription green contacts. They arent circle lenses but theyre just as cool.

Circle Lenses [Celeb Blue]

FreshLook Colorblends [Green]

Amazingly...My Eye sight has gotten worse. Who would have Thought? Im in the process of getting glasses now and Im in the Need of some Newer Circle Lenses.

Along with that, School is Almost over and the Convention season will begin.
This Summer I plan on attending Otakon for the First time. My costume choices are:
Rikku (Thief)- Final Fantasy X-2
Toad- Super Mario Brothers (for SMB Group)
Sakura(Gym Uniform Alt)- Super Street Fighter 4
Flareon- Pokemon (for the Rave)

I Also am trying to attend Anime Usa for the First time in support of My Boyfriend. He is a Host in AUSA's Host Club! How much fun that Shall be! ^_-

Well Back to working on Rikku.
Ill be sure to Update with progress pictures! :)

BPM

...I Love these Guys

Ashley Johnson is a fan of

BulletProof Messenger

Create your Fan Badge

Asuka Wig

My wig for Asuka Just Arrived and I had to take Pictures!
The Color is Truely Amazing and so is the texture!
But it does look kinda strange since Im so tan!

Unagi Progress!

Progress Pt.2
Unagi: Popotan
(Humanoid)

In the anime, Unagi is a pet ferret that’s just kind of there. In one of the spin-off games "Unagi Fuku Warai, Unagi gets to be the main character leading you in mini games. After a certain point in the game You are allowed to transform Unagi into her Humanoid self.
I have never played any of the Popotan Games but I’ve watched the anime--The style comes off very child-like but the content is very mature!!

This project was taken out of my hands by my Grandma, So I just watched over the little details to see that the accuracy was on point. And to make changes as needed.

The Shirt/Dress
is the weirdest piece of clothing ever. I’m not really sure how to describe it. It has an asymmetrical off the shoulder neckline to achieve the droopy look. And when I wear it its kind of hard to keep up but it fits the character and isn’t too revealing it. Because it was Katsucon and its still winter, The main body is made out of fleece and the orange accents are plain cotton. For the bow at the bottom I was originally thinking of just tying the fabric at the corner, but after multiple tests it didn’t quite come out right. So my grandma made the shape of the bow out of fabric, and the fabric in the middle is sewn into the seam. Crafty Huh?!

The Buttons
on the Sleeves aren’t completely accurate--the character has 2 holes in her buttons but I only have 2. But I don’t see that as a Big problem, maybe something to fix if I decide to revamp the costume later. They are hand painted that lilac color that I had to mix myself--a lot of trial and error. The main Large button in the middle made from a very thin wood circle.

The Tail
Was my moms small part in helping with my first cosplay. It just plain craft fur, the brown sewn into the white, then sewn in a cylinder. Nothing is funnier than watching 2 women try to pull this tail right side out. It took at least 15 minutes to get it right. The tail is going to either be attached to the inside of the dress with a safety pin, or a button is going to be sewn into the dress so the tail can easily be buttoned on. My biggest concern was the two bells that went on the tail; I didn’t want to be that obnoxiously loud person at the con. The ringers inside were removed and the bells were strung onto the red fabric that was then sewn into the tail.
Thank you mommy!

The Ears
I originally made then out of clay it took me about 5 tries to get it right. Then after showing my grandma she took it upon herself to make a "better" version of them. The ones she made are lighter and are made from cardboard and the fleece used on the rest of the costume. They are lighter and the clips are durable enough to stay on the wig when I get it. I cant wait for that to come!

Lets See…what’s Left?!

The Wig
has been ordered and it’s the perfect length and style in my opinion. I’m glad its white and not the very light or silvery gray(now I know the correct spelling for the color!) that I keep seeing. The only alterations that need to be made is the cutting of bangs…seeing as how the wig has none.

[Speaking of which I think my bangs are uneven…O.o Maybe I should go to a hairdresser and get them fixed!!!]

The Ankle Tab
is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. After Looking for ways to make it on Cosplay.com and some suggested getting a rubber tube of some sort and gluing magnets into each end so that It can easily be removed! And the Tab that hangs off of it could probably be made with wire and cardboard of some sort!

J'ai Finis

Issues of a Cosplayer....

So for my first time cosplaying...I figured I had everything in order and wouldn't run into too many problems. Im that kind of person, I plan things out before they happen just to be on the safe side.

Well planning ahead doesnt always work! I order my pants for Asuka and yay they arrived faster than I thought they would! There in lies the problem...The shirt that Ive painted, is several shades darker than the pants. To compare: Put a red Apple next to a Red Tomato!

Also, Ive found that my pants(100% polyester) are nearly impossible to dye.
I have two options:

1. Find an Orange Red Shirt and Paint it.
   or...
2. Buy iDye Poly...Red Fabric dye, made specifically for Polyester.

The Day in the Life of a Cosplayer!!

As For the Contacts Situation-Ive Decided on the Celeb Blues by Neovision, only because they look more realistic. and Then comes the problem--I threw away my contacts boxes and those had my perscription numbers on them. I know the numbers in my head but the paranoid me inside, is telling me that it may not be right. (Though I know its right!)
Dun Dun Dunnn....to Buy or Not to Buy that ISSSS the question!

I think I will....while I have the time and money!

J'ai Finis

Circle Lenses

So Circle Lenses have become pretty darn Popular with regular people and Cosplayers.

I Myself have just recently become addicted to them...I have yet to buy a pair but Im thinking I might for my Asuka Cosplay; Seeing as her eyes are Blue and mine are Dark Brown!

The Only site Ive been on was: Eyecandylens
I dont know of Anyone who has used them before But I think I want to try it out.

My Top 3 Choices for Blue Contacts are:
1. Angel Blue by GEO
2. Celeb Blue by NEO
....Actually I only have a Top 2!
hmmm well maybe there is 3!
3. Blythe (Big Size) Blue by Barbie

Yeah All Excited for nothing haha!! I just want some reviews on their service and quality of atleast these 3 contacts.
Because First of all....I need contacts to see! I dont wanna be half blind or anything. Second off I have an Astigmatism and Id atleast like to have contacts that work around that. And Finally...I want bold color thats realistic to a point but not too dull!
Am I being too picky? I dont think so...Its my eyes we're talking about! :D

J'ai Finis

Random Thought....*VULGAR*

So I had a random thought while deciding on how my layout for this Blog.

And Who would have thought, but it was about Facebook and Myspace.

This is my take on Myspace & Facebooks Popularity:

Myspace is like Masturbation--you try it out for the first time. Its like nothing youve ever felt before so you become addicted or just greatly enjoy it. Everyones doing it for their own reasons why not you too?!

The masturbation starts out dull, then slow gets better as you work at it. It gets good, now its great! You hit your climax (We're talking about myspace, get your hand out of your pants!) and it just goes donwnhill from there. It ends in the blink of an eye and youre done.

Then one day you Meet a guy or a Girl and you get a taste of the Real Thing(Facebook)--You never want to go back to masturbation(Myspace) every again!

Funny way of looking at it but it makes sense and made me laugh!!

J'ai Finis...

Blog Thinger....

So Ive apparently had this Blog for some time, but hadnt used it.
Im not much of a blogger and Im not really sure I have much to say but why not have fun with it.

Katsucon 16--Washington, DC

Is on the Horizon...My First Convention and my First official Cosplays. Ive heard good and bad stories from my friends but I dont mind waiting till after the convention to make up my mind. "Why go if otaku's annoy you?" Someone asked me one day, and my answer to that was simple-- I love to dress in costume and the Idea of costume design.

So the challenge has been taken on to come up with 3 cosplays in less than a month. I had not realized what I was getting into until it was too late. The idea of cosplay is very inexpensive, the actually hobby of it....will have a person scrounging for every penny they own. Not to mention it is addicting. But with a little Friendly peer pressure....and Im on my way to finishing 2 of 3 costumes.

Progress PT.1

Asuka: Neon Genesis Evangelion
(Pinky st. Version)

In the Anime, Asuka is 14 years old and from germany. But shes seen as being both German and Japanese. She is designated as the 'Second Child' and pilots the Evangelion Unit 02. The design on her shirt is pretty much the same design as the Plugsuit she wears when she piloting the EVA.

There is also the Rei Pinky St. Figurine that goes with this One, She is the Blue Haired Counterpart. And her cosplay is being done by my friend Makeba.

The Shirt
is all handpainted by myself with a couple of different fabric paints. The orange is my favorite-screenprinting paint. I didnt know what I was getting into with this but after a couple patterns and fidgiting with things I found something that worked and its looking great. The only thing left to do is pant a couple small things on the back.

The Wig
took forever to find. I couldnt decide between a straight with or a curly one. But Its like some stroke of genius and I started finding all of the bargains and better looking wigs and things! I decided on a curlier Pumpkin red wig that I found on ebay for only 23$. I cant wait to get my hands on it. Also turns out it can be styled with heated hair tools at a very low setting, so Im gonna try that to loose up the curls a little.

The Pants
just gave me trouble altogether. Makeba and I wanted our costumes to match seeing as how we were cosplaying together but at the same time didnt have a lot of money to spend! I finally found a budget friendly idea. Instead of 40$ USC Prachute pants, I looked around some more and found some Urban HipHop Dance pants for 20$. That put a smile on my face!

The Shoes

were bought at Payless and were painted red with some red fabric paint and black acrylic for the rubber soles. It was a pain in the but to do. I couldnt decide what parts of the fabric I wanted completely painted, then going back to the soles and making sure i hadnt missed anything. I purchased them a half size too small because the store doesnt carry half sizes. Damn my genetics for making me a 10.5!!! I may go back and get the size 11 just so that walking around the covention wont be so painful XD!!

The Backpack

she wears cant really be seen in the picture, but she has one. And that is in the making. Ive never sewed anything like it so its going to be a bit of trial an error and a learning process. I think im ready to take that on! Theyre shaped like triangles, oooor the little japanese Rice Balls (Oinigiri)
Like this little guy right here---->

And the Thing

in her hand, after tons of research and geekdom I discovered that its a "speared angel." Or in detail: it is an 'Angel' or Monster that her EVA goes up against in battle. and the 'Spear' is actually the Knife that her Eva uses in combat. Woo!!! But thats not being made....atleast not anytime soon!

But thats all for now of Costume 1 of 3.

Check back later for updates to this costume and for updates of the others!

J'ai finis...