Friday 27 February 2015

5 Fandom Friday - Characters I would name my kids after



5 Fandom Friday is a weekly post hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week's topic is "Characters I would name my kids after." Obviously this is something the needs to be discussed with the baby daddy, but if it were up to me...


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1. Kaylee after Kaylee Frye of Firefly - Kaylee is such a sweetheart and from one of my all time favourite shows. Probably not going to go all the way with Kaywinnet though.

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2. Dean after Dean Winchester of Supernatural - Seriously, it's Dean!

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3. Janessa after Janessa of Skyrim - Yes I'm naming my kid after a completely optional video game character. Janessa is my all time favourite Skyrim follower and we've been through so much together that I would actually be pretty cool naming my child after her.

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4. Fred or George after Fred and George Weasley of Harry Potter - I love Fred and George so much. But I can't pick just one. I guess if I were to have twins!

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5. River after River Song of Doctor Who AND River Tam of Firefly - Totally doubling up on this one and hitting two of my favourite shows in one go. Although I double my boyfriend would go along with this one. Maybe if we get a puppy?


Thursday 26 February 2015

Clearly Funko Wants All My Money...

Funko seems determined to separate me from my dollars. They have so many figures that I want. Seriously, this is me being selective. I didn't even bother including Game of Thrones, since I want them all and was too overwhelmed to pick favourites!


Funko

Disney:
Genie
Jafar
Jack Sparrow
Pumbaa
Scar
Simba
Timon

Marvel:
Dancing Groot

Arrested Development:
Gob Bluth
Tobias Funke

Firefly:
Wash
Jayne
Kaylee
Mal
Zoe

Supernatural:
Dean
Sam


Are there any figures you are dying to get your hands on?


Wednesday 25 February 2015

WIP Wednesday: Poison Ivy #3



I haven't made as much progress over the last week as I had hoped, but this weekend was a bit of a blur, so that's probably part of it. But I'm trying out a new time management system, since my BF got a new job and now leaves 2 hours before me. Basically, I'll be giving myself 30-60 minutes in my sewing room every morning. I tried it out this morning and so far I like it (except for the part where my serger thread broke and now I need to re-gather a section, since the serger cut off the gathering threads. But the 3 main pieces (front, front lining and back) are now connected (only on one side, but still). This is progress! And hopefully next week it will actually look like a swim suit. Or at least be able to be turned right-side-out!

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Beauty Tuesday: Ipsy Feb 2015

Ipsy is my favourite beauty box subscription. For $14.95 a month, I feel like the items you get are pretty well worth it, since I think you could only get 2 items for that price in the store. I've tried a few others (Julep and Topbox), but I think ipsy is the best value.



This month I got:

Cargo Cosmetics lip gloss in Anguilla

Cargo is a brand I've heard of before and wanted to try, so I was pretty excited when this arrived. Unfortunately, I don't feel like it's a very flattering shade (and I have seen quite of few people on ipsy also complaining that it's not a good shade for them either). I think it kind of makes me look like I have no lips or maybe they have frostbite or something because they are weirdly pale. I'm going to try layering this over some lipstick and hope for a better result.


Model co blush in Peach Bellini 02

I like to add a bit of blush in the winter to keep me from looking too pale. I usually opt for a more rosy pink, but this colour has grown on my the longer I've worn it, so I will definitely use it when I want to switch things up a little bit.


Pencil Me In eye accent pencil in Amethyst

I prefer super soft and smudgy pencil eyeliners, so this one is a bit hard for me. That said, I like the colour and I think the sharpener in the lid is super clever.


Luxie Beauty Large Angled Brush

This brush is so soft! I really like it. I think the angle works pretty well and I'm happy to include this in my growing brush collection.


Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray

Honestly, this product is no something I will use a ton. My main hair concern is frizz, so volume is usually not an issue. I added this along with my usual frizz control rpodcut and didn't really notice a difference. The next day I used to some to try to refresh my hair, but it got a bit too frizzy and ended up in a ponytail. However, it does smell really good! I am going to use it as a heat protectant when I straighten. I think it's mostly designed for when you blow-dry, something I almost never do.



Friday 20 February 2015

5 Fandom Friday: Things I've Bought But Haven't Read/Watched/Played Yet


5 Fandom Friday is an awesome weekly post created by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick where blogger share a 5 item list each week so we can get to know each other better.

I know I'm a bit late to the party with 5 Fandom Friday, but better late than never right? For me, this one could have easily been a 100 Fandom Friday. Just sayin', I love to buy books. But here's my highlights.


5 Fandom Friday - Things I've Bought But Haven't Read/Watched/Played Yet


1.Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Steivater - I love this series (The Raven Boys) so much, but just haven't found the time to read the latest book. I can't wait though!

2. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis - Same situation as #1. I loved book 1, enjoyed book 2 and just need to make time to read book 3.

3. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - Yep, still haven't read the books.

4. Dishonored - I bought this one on Steam during a sale, but haven't had a chance to try it yet.

5. Diplomacy - I bought this board game at 50% at Chapters, but haven't wrangled anyone into playing it yet.

IF you also do 5 Fandom Friday, I'd love to check you out. Leave a comment or link below!

Thursday 19 February 2015

TV Review: Marco Polo Season 1

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I started watching Marco Polo because of a friend's recommendation. He described it was "Game of
Thrones in Historical China" and I have to admit I can see the comparison.

The story starts off with young Marco finally meeting his father and uncle, who had been away at sea since before Marco was born. Marco accompanies his father and uncle on their next journey and ends up at the court of Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor. Marco ends up being abandoned by his family and would have been a prisoner of the Khan, except for his pretty words and excellent observation skills. Marco rises through the Khan's court.

I enjoyed the first season of Marco Polo quite a bit. While it wasn't as good as Game of Thrones, that is a huge shadow to be in. Marco Polo combined court intrigue with complex imperial politics. There is backstabbing, forbidden romance, social climbing, attempted assassinations and family dynamics. While it occasionally made me feel stressed out, this is common for dramas with me and just means I have to limit myself to two episodes at once and no binge watching.

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There is quite a cast of characters. My favourite is Hundred Eyes, the blind kung fu master. He is a bit of a cliche, but I really liked him as a character. My other favourite was Jia Sidao, generally the villain of the show. He is just the kind of character that you love to hate. Plus he had some weird thing with praying mantises, which was kind of cool. I also loved the casting they did for Kublai Khan. I think actor Benedict Wong does an awesome job.

The one part of the show that I didn't really enjoy was the Kokachin storyline. I just didn't understand the risks they started taking in the last part of the season and generally disliked the character, so it was hard for me to get invested in this storyline.

Overall, I would recommend giving Marco Polo a try if you have any interest in epics or political intrigue. I continue to be impressed by Netflix Originals, as I almost always find them interesting and well-produced.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

WIP Wednesday: Poison Ivy #2

I didn't make nearly as much progress last week as I had hoped. I'm going to blame it being Valentine's Day weekend, which lead to the BF and playing large amounts of Diablo III (season 2). Yep, that's how we roll.

Anyway, the back is assembled and attached to the front lining. The rest of the front (not pictured) will be attached next as soon as I get the ruching on the sides completed.


Saturday 14 February 2015

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Valentine's day can be a tricky holiday, since it is SO commercialized and tends to make those of us flying solo feel like crap. I've been lucky enough to not be single on V-day since I was 17. Basically, what I'm trying to say is whether you have a long-term person, a date or are flying solo this year, take some time to do things that make you feel good. You don't have to buy into the commercial side of the holiday (I like to wait and buy the discount cinnamon hearts on the 15th).

But I do think ladies should take Valentine's as a good excuse to get dolled up, whether they have a hot date lined up or not. I personally will be going to the grocery store and then coming home and eating pasta and watching tv or playing games. But damn it, I will look good doing it.


For this V-day makeup look, I went with red lips and pink cheeks, the two main colours of the holiday. I kept my eyes pretty neutral and added a fair bit of mascara (because that's how I roll). You could definitely add some snazzy red nails to complete this look.




Valentine's 2015

Wednesday 11 February 2015

WIP Wednesday: Poison Ivy #1

I've decided I want to start doing Work-In-Progress Wednesdays here on the blog. Each week, I will show off what I'm working on and the progress I have made. It's fun to share and I think it will also motivate me, so that I can actually have something to show each week.

This week I am starting off with my Poison Ivy costume. The main piece is actually based on an indie bathing suit pattern (Bombshell by Closet Case Files). I'm still in early stages so it doesn't really look like clothes yet, but there has been a ton of gathering to do, which isn't my favourite bit of sewing. But I'm almost ready to sew the back piece together Yay!


Monday 9 February 2015

Being an Office Geek

Sometimes it's tough to have a corporate job and the rules that go with it. My office has a rather strict dress code (seriously, no bare shoulders), so all my geeky tshirts sit folded in a drawer, just waiting for the weekend. But do not despair. There are still ways to infuse your workspace with hints of your favourite fandoms. Here are mine:

1. Lunch Bag


I almost always pack a lunch for work in an effort to try to save money and eat healthy(er). I've been at my current job 8 weeks and have bought lunch 3 times. I'm still on the lookout for a cool lunch bag, but for now I have a little TMNT pouch for my lunch money in case I decide to get something from the vending machine. Also, a huge thanks to Joie Fatale for gifting me this when I won her giveaway!

2. Geeky Mug


I drink a large amount of tea everyday at work. My work provides paper cups, but those are wasteful and not so great for the environment, so I brought along my Rainbow Dash mug from home!

3. Geeky Jewelry


This is one of my favourites, since it's a bit more subtle. Probably no one will notice and if they do, only another fan would recognize the significance. But you know and that's what's important.

4. Figurines

This one I don't actually have, since all my figurines currently live on top of my bookshelf. But others in my office do. My coworker has tons of multi-coloured ponies lined up beneath her monitors. I'm not sure what they are from, but they are adorable. Even one of my supervisors has Adventure Time figures on his desk!

How you personalized your workspace or daily outfits with any special items?