WIP Wednesday: Jafar (1)

As promised, here is my Work In Progress Wednesday for my Jafar costume.

Part one is the derpiest muslin I've ever made (including one made with entirely cow fabric from the clearance section). But if you look past the cute printed flannelette, I'm happy with the general shape and fit (giant shoulder wings make doorways fun). However, I'm now just waiting for my fabric to arrive to me so I can start sewing!

 Part two is the progress on the staff. I apologize for the terrible lighting, but I had a busy night and only managed to snap some pictures now at 9:30 pm. Sorry not sorry. Next up for the staff is some serious sanding, followed by paper mache (I've been collecting grocery flyers, since I don't get a newspaper).

Exciting Days Ahead

I've always been a competitive person and I like to set goals for myself, then reach them. That's why I've decided to really push myself out of my comfort zone.

I've signed up for my very first cosplay competition! Yep, I registered as a competitor at Edmonton Expo next month, where I will be cosplaying Jafar. I'm still very new to cosplay, but I figured what's the worst that could happen? I'm only entering in novice, but I've seen novice competitors at Calgary Expo that were insanely talented, so who knows.

The other crazy part? I'm not done my costume. Not even close! I have muslin created for the robe, but am waiting for my fabric to arrive. I have a start on the staff, but a long way to go on that. I haven't even started the shoe covers, undershirt and turban. Not to mention researching the best way to give myself a goatee.

But I still have almost exactly one month, so I should be fine.

But this also means I'll be starting up with WIP Wednesdays for the next 5 weeks while I create a competition worthy costume. Wish me luck!

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PS: They've announced a couple exciting guests. Stan Lee (who canceled from Calgary Expo this year) and Jenna Coleman from Doctor Who!

Back from Japan

Hello everyone!

I'm back from Japan safe and sound (despite the typhoon warnings right before we came home). We had a blast but oh my goodness it was hot there. This Canadian girl could not handle the high temperatures mixed with the high humidity.

We saw loads of cool stuff, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Highlights for each was visiting Meiji Jingu and Akihabara in Tokyo, feeding Japanese Macaques in Kyoto and the aquarium in Osaka.

I still haven't sorted through all my photos, but here a few teasers!

Meiji Jingu entrance

Akihabara

Feeding monkeys

Goofing around at the Osaka Aquarium

Update

 Hey guys,

So it's been a (long) while since my last post. I just haven't had a ton to say. In a bit of a rut I guess.

But I've been up to a few things. I fell into a dark game pit called This War of Mine. I have NEVER been half as invested in a game as I am in that game. When things spiraled out of control and I lost my last survivor on day 42, I was heartbroken. And angry, Either way, I'm trying again, but it's one of the most stressful games I've ever played.

In other exciting news, I'm going to JAPAN!! I am so excited! I'll be leaving July 8 and be coming home July 18. So a fairly short trip, but I'm so excited. I haven't been overseas in 5 years, so this trip should satisfy my wanderlust for a while. Plus my boyfriend is starting school in July for a solid 3 years with no summer break (accelerated program).

Also, starting planning for Edmonton Expo in September. I have tentative accommodations and tons to do on the two cosplays I'd like to make for the con. I want to complete both Jafar and Hannah from Rat Queens. So much to do, since I haven't started either.

Anyway, that's all that's all I have now. I promise to a better blogger in the future!

Work-In-Progress Wednesday (Real Clothes Edition) - Lady Skater Dress Version 0

No cosplay WIP today. I've decided to take a mini-break from costumes since I don't think I will going to any more cons until September. I really need to get more into amine so I can start going to the plentiful anime conventions in the area. I always feel so old around anime fans, since most of them are in junior/high school at cons.

It's not actually this boxy/frumpy in it's finished state (I hope)

Anyways, back on topic. This week I've started making a muslin of the Lady Skater Dress bodice from Kitschy-Coo. I really like supporting indie designers and I actually got this pattern as part of a past Perfect Pattern Parcel. Right now I'm just putting together a muslin of the bodice to check the fit with some old fabric before I dive into making a cute blue skater dress with my 'good' fabric. Although if this bodice doesn't need too many adjustments, I'm planning to try to add a skirt and make a dress out of it as well. I'm currently in the process of attaching the neckline to the bodice.

Also, every time my boyfriend sees this fabric, he says "turtleneck and chains."

May the Fourth Be With You - Favourite Links

So unfortunately, I didn't have time to put together anything for Star Wars Day. So instead, I'm going to feature some cool Star Wars posts I've found around the interwebs.

Check out Nine Things You May Not Have Known About Star Wars from Paper Droids. You might learn something.
Try some of these very tasty looking cupcakes from Nerdist.
Geek Mom shares 3 activities to hack Star Wars day.
What you thought this meant a break from cats on the internet? Geek and Sundry says think again!
Or go straight to the source on StarWars.com!

If you have a cool Star Wars post and I missed you, please leave your link in the comments.

Liebster Award

Wow! I've been nominated for an award! So exciting. Thanks for much to Gaby from Whimsy and Noir for thinking of me! Here are the rules, which I'm not going to be fully following.

1. Link back to the person who nominated you
2. Answer the questions given by the nominator
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers
4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees
5. Notify all nominees via social media/blogs

Because I'm not sure who has done this award/tag before, I nominae anyone reading this who hasn't done it yet. New questions at the end!


1. If you could travel in time, (to either the past or the future), where/when would you go?

If I could travel in time, I would go to every time I could think out. Dinosaurs? Check. Futuristic robot dictatorship? Check. But if I had to pick just one, I would choose my favourite fashion era, the 1880's.

2. If you had a million dollars to spend on whatever you wanted, what would it be?

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I would use my million dollars to buy an estate a little way out of the city. I would have a horse barn and riding arena. Honestly, where I live, a million probably won't cover it, but it would at least let me afford to live in a place like that. I'd also love to use some of the money to go backpacking in Europe again for a couple months.

3. Who is your favorite character from a book/movie/comic/tv show/video game and why?

Wow. This is insanely hard. I feel like my favourite changes on a daily (or even hourly) basis. But if I have to pick just one today, I would say Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time. I think she was one of the first book characters that I really connected with and fell in love with.

4. Do you speak any other languages?

Nope. I took french in school but have forgotten almost all of it. I wish I was multilingual though!

5. What is your DREAM job?

Costume designer. Getting paid to sew and make stuff sounds so amazing.

6. What is a skill you haven't learned yet, but would love to?

I'm just starting out learning some leatherworking, so that is sometime I'm excited to learn more about.

7. How did you get into blogging?

I just like the idea of being able to connect with people around the world with similar interests to me. I grew up in a small town where I generally kept my geekiness hidden because no one else would understand. I'm much more open about it now, but it's still nice to find others with similar interests and have a place to be open a share ideas. I've actually had a few blogs in the pass. The now defunct Pudding and Pie Fashion was a lot of fun, but I found fashion to get a bit excusing after a while, with a constant need to consume to have current content for a blog. I also had a brief sewing blog, that has mostly moved over only Fangirl Twirl as I started making more costume elements. Finally, I also run a book blog called Megan Likes Books.

8. Last song you listened to?

White Horse by Taylor Swift

9. Last movie you watched?

I haven't been watching many movies lately, so I think it actually was Safety Not Guaranteed. I mainly watching TV, so if we include tv shows, it would be Daredevil.

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10. Where would you travel to for an extended stay, if you could? (it can be a fictional place!)

Since I get to choose a fictional place, I would choose Diagon Alley. Then I get the awesomeness of the wizarding world (because I'm a bit old for Hogwarts), but I also get to hang out in Muggle London as well.

11. If you were a super hero, what would your special power and your name be?

If I were a superhero, my special power would be finding lost things, especially people's lost pets. My name would simply be "The Finder."

Here's the questions I'm posing for anyone who would like to play along:

1. What was the best vacation you have taken?
2. What is your favourite book series?
3. What is your favourite stand-alone book?
4. What is your favourite TV series?
5. Which fictional character would be your BFF?
6.  What is your favourite snack?
7. What is your favourite game?
8. Who is your favourite artist?
9. What's the story behind your blog name?
10. What's your favourite animal?
11. If you could change one thing in the world permanently, what would it be?