SakuraCon is one month away!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

As of today, its 31 days to SakuraCon 2014!! Everytime I think about it, I get more excited and more nervous. Excited because, well, its the biggest con I have the chance to go to and there is so much to do and see! And nervous because I still have quite a bit left to do!

Honestly, I'm a lot further along on my new cosplays than I historically have been at this point before SakuraCon. There is still a bit left to finish up, but we are in the home stretch! 

One thing on my mind a lot this year is my figure. My Morgiana cosplay is a bit more revealing than past costumes, but just a bit. And I'm pretty confident with my appearance, but can't seem to escape that nagging voice in the back of my head urging me to skip that milkshake and do some extra sit ups at the gym. I'll admit, I'm a wee bit indulgent  in my diet, and don't do as many sit ups as I should, but I think I'll really crack down these next 30 days. 

I know this is a short little post, but I like sharing my thoughts like this. It's nice to get them off my chest, even by virtual methods, haha. If you made it this far, thanks for stopping by, and I'll think of something neat to blog about next week!

-Alycia

Quick update: Recent cosplay tools

Hi everyone!

With SakuraCon quickly approaching, 38 days away as I type this out, I've been working pretty hard to finish up the cosplays I want to debut with Justin this year! Seriously, my crafting room looks like a tornado hit it. I know all the safe paths to navigate through my domain, but visitors beware! 

With each cosplay I make, there are definitely tools/ accessories that make a recurring appearance for the final result, such as wigs, contacts, or super glue. But with every new cosplay, there is always gonna be something new you need. These tools may be useful in the future, or you could use it once to finish your cosplay and then never touch it again.   Here is a quick pic of some of the tools I've picked up in the past week to finish this season's cosplays: 

So, here is the rundown, working from back row to front row. 

-A hair straightener- I need it to straighten  wig this year. Will I use it again? Highly likely.  

-A wig head, to hold my wig while I style it. 

-A power sander, oh yeeaaah! My father-in-law kindly bought this for me, and it will definitely come in handy for future projects. 

-Rub 'n' Buff, my magic go-to for metallic paint! 

-Colored contacts! Not only fun for cosplay, but fun to wear for occasional everyday wear. 

So thats what I've picked up recently! It may seem pretty mundane, but I get pretty excited about all this. 

Gotta get back to the grindstone, but I thought I'd let y'all know I'm still alive! 

XOXO, 

Alycia

Book Review: Dorothy Through the Looking Glass

Hello everyone! I can’t believe how long winter is lasting.  I was fortunate enough to escape for a couple days, to sunny and warm Oregon.  No joke, it was 50 degrees warmer than home, and sunny 90% of the time.  Then my welcoming party back home involved a blizzard and negative temperatures.  Ahhh, the “last best place.”

To make this harsh winter more bearable, I had the opportunity to read the latest installment of local author Ron Glick’s crossover series between Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.  This one, titled “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass,” is a delightful second installment to the first one, “The Wizard in Wonderland” (read my review here: http://heartandsoulcosplay.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-review-wizard-in-wonderland.html)

I have to say, I was hooked from the get-go.  Take into consideration the cliffhanger in the last book, and I was eager to devour this one.  Touching on a point I made in my last review, where I felt a little hesitant starting off, I was much more comfortable in this second book.  I felt much more familiar with this world, so I able to enjoy the novel right from the start without having to spend any time orienting my self.  

Something I’ve enjoyed about this series is the multiple points of views offered.  This was expanded further in “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass” by means of having a chapter in Toto’s point of view. I’ll admit I was disappointed that only one chapter was devoted to Toto’s view point, because it was so well-written, humorous, and with just the right dose of canine candidness.  It was a great way to draw in the readers attention, as this took place right in the first chapter.  It really set a nice pace for the rest of the novel.  And looking back now, it set up some interesting character development that clicks into the place throughout the rest of the novel.  

Now, I can’t really talk about some of my favorite parts without spoiling some pretty key parts, so I will be vague in my description.  This crossover holds so much potential, and I am not disappointed by the scenarios that Glick incorporates.  And with the introduction of a couple characters, including a crafty cat, the plot not only thickens but becomes even more perilous for our two protagonists and the worlds they want to save.  Again with a cliffhanger though! Right as I was intensely reading and all the puzzle pieces began clicking into place, I was once more led right off the edge of the cliff.  Now, it is all I can do to hang on until the next part of the series.

I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of “Dorothy Through the Looking Glass” from Ron himself (thank you so much, again!) but if you are interested in owning a copy for yourself, go ahead and follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Through-Looking-Oz-Wonderland-Series/dp/1494861208/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1393558724&sr=8-3&keywords=ron+glick

Alrighty everyone, thanks for stopping by! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my blog posts and follow along with my thought process, haha.  Stay warm out there!

Stay tuned for some cosplay updates!

-Alycia

Video: Unboxing and Repair of Final Fantasy 7 Wigs

Hi everyone!

At the end of January, I figured it was about time to face the reality of what 10 months of storage did to the wigs Justin and I used for our Final Fantasy VII cosplays.  The ride back from Sakura-Con last year was a little bumpy, and out of fear of what the wigs may have looked like, I just stored them for a year instead of checking them out.

I decided to film the whole process, putting my potential woe and misery out on the Internet for all to see.  (Spoiler alert: it wasn't as bad I was worried it might be.) Go ahead and watch the video below, and let me know what you think!

-Alycia

Arts and Crafts: Date Night Jar

Hello again, everyone!

As we shake off the latest cold snap, it's hard to believe that Valentine's Day is just a few days away.  It may be because I am hopelessly in love with my husband, but Valentine's Day remains my favorite commercialized holiday.  Honestly, we don't need a special day to celebrate our love, but all the hearts, pink stuff, stuffed animals, flowers, and all the mushy stuff in the stores just gets to me.  And while I'm pretty mushy and lovey-dovey on a daily basis, having a time of year where I can get away with it in excess is pretty fun.

This year, Brenton and I agreed not to exchange gifts, but I couldn't just let the day pass without commemorating it somehow.  And what could be more ridiculously lovey-dovey than planning dates for the rest of the year?  Thats right, I made a "date night jar"! While we usually don't have any issue planning dates together, sometimes its fun to leave it up to chance.  Plus, the more pink, girly, glittery things I have in my possession, the better.

Need a last minute Valentine's day gift? Something that is heartfelt, sincere, and only requires one stop and some simple steps to put together?  Well, you better read on!

All materials were purchased from Joann's craft store.

What you will need:

• Pink and red scrapbook paper or card stock of choice (glitter is always good)
• Mason jar or hooked storage jar
• Ribbon and lace
• 2 sheets of alphabet stickers (I reiterate, glitter is good)
• Fine point Sharpie
• Scissors
• Date ideas (the hardest part, honestly)

Step 1:  Make the jar pretty!
             a) Add ribbon and lace around the top of the jar.  While I do like Mason jars or Bell jars, I just think they are a little over-used.  Just as classic and cute is the hooking jar, plus you don't risk losing the lid to the jar.  Tie your selection of ribbon and lace in a bow, or however you so choose.

              b) Add your alphabet stickers to spell out whatever you want on the jar.  With my red, glittery, cursive letters, I spelled out "Date Night Jar," "Love," and "Fun."  Most of the time, you will need two or more sheets of stickers to get enough letters of the proper case in order to spell out what you want.

Step 2: Cut out hearts!

      Using the scrapbook paper, draw out as many hearts as you have date ideas for.  I always start with a stencil, then I traced and cut out 12 red hearts and 12 pink hearts.

Step 3: Write down the date ideas!
     I said this earlier, but this was the hardest part for me.  I asked Brenton to throw in a couple ideas, and we finally came up with twenty four ideas to draw from.  Use a sharpie or whatever you want to write out your date ideas.  Then fold them in half, toss them in the jar, and thats it! After these last couple photos, I will show you the list of some of the date ideas that are in our jar.

Date Ideas:

Most of these our relevant to our interests and local restaurants, parks, etc.  But there are great generic ideas online if you search for "date night jar."  I tried to come up with a good balance of dates out and dates at home.  

1. Two hours of foreign language study
2. Program LED heart with Arduino
3. Sushi at Midori's
4. Install classic Mario Bro's emulator on Raspberry Pi
5. Eat Frugal's in car at a park
6. Action movie with mini pizzas
7. Walk to Sweet Peak's ice cream
8. Dinner at Brannigan's Pub
9. Watch anime and eat chicken wings
10. Quest together on WoW
11. Movie at theater and Frozen Yogurt
12. Cuddling and YouTube fail videos
13. Dressy dinner at Mambo's
14. Stroll around Lawrence or Woodland Park
15. Warhammer skirmish
16. Buy and play new board game
17. Ice skating or sledding
18. Skiing
19. Comedy movie and Chinese takeout 
20. Eat dessert first

Obviously, some of these are seasonal, like skiing for winter, and walking outside in summer.  So just throw the heart back in the jar, shake it up, and draw another date!

Until next time, 

-Alycia

Morgiana's Headdress, Revisited

Hi there, all!

I hope things are going well for everyone! I've been pretty good myself.  Working full-time is getting to me a bit; I have so many crafting and cosplaying plans, but between working, working out, and keeping up my "adult" chores, I find myself with only an hour or so a night before I have to go to bed and start it all over again.  I'm getting better with time management, but some nights its so easy to just want to melt into the couch and veg out after a stressful work day.  Some days, I really miss college, but I know that being a full time student can be just as taxing as working full time.  So what do I do to cope? Resort to crafting, of course!

I made another addition on my headdress for my Morgiana cosplay.  As you might notice from the pictures below, there is a cute little poof of hair that stands up from the headdress:

Now, my original plan was to pull some of the wig I was wearing up into a tiny ponytail to make the "poof," but then I thought: why not make something that will always be consistent?  Because frankly, pulling a bit of hair into a ponytail is a pain in the butt, and the results won't always look the same, and it could slide out at any time.  The solution? Read on ;)

First, I needed something solid to build from.  Thats where some styrofoam comes in.  I made approximate measurements of how wide and tall I wanted the poof to be, leaning towards the smaller side to make sure I had plenty of room for layers of hair.  Once I cut the block out, I trimmed it down into a oblong-ish shape.

Next, I covered it with a layer of scrap fabric so the hair would have a more even surface to stick too.

Then, using wefts I purchased from Arda Wigs, I layered hair over the top of it.  Similar to rolling of a skein of yarn is the best way I could describe it.  I designated one end of the poof the "top", and so to best emulate a natural poof of hair, there are multiple layers, held together with Tacky Glue and Hairspray.

The bottom half of the poof looked really messy because of all the glue, so I made a little ring out of Wonderflex and Rub'n'Buff, glued the hair to the inside, and glued it around the ring I had already made into the headdress.

The sickly yellow lighting in my craft room doesn't do it much justice in photos, but trust me, it came out a lot better than I was expecting it too.  It is super stable, and will be consistent for the future of this costume!

Thanks for reading, everyone! I love getting feedback, so feel free to leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter, @whimsyAly

Until next time,
Alycia

Arts and Crafts: Repainting an Old Mirror

Why hello there!

How is it going? Sticking to the resolutions you made? Personally, I'm pretty on track with mine.  Although, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself when it comes to making goals or resolutions.  I like breaking big goals down into smaller steps that make it seem more achievable.  I'm also a big believer in rewarding myself for completing a goal; for example, I have some stretches I'm supposed to do for my back health.  If I do those 10 days in a row, I let myself buy a new book or something little for myself.  A fun way to keep track of this is a sticker chart-- as childish as that sounds, its encouraging to see the progress I've made.  Plus I just really like stickers ;)

A little painting project I worked on recently is putting a fresh layer of paint on a mirror I picked up a couple years ago.  It is a super cute mirror, as you'll see in the pictures.  I don't have a place for it yet in my little apartment, but I hope to display it someday.

This is the mirror before I put any paint on it.  Please ignore my attire in my reflection, haha, it's just my tiger kigurumi pajamas.  The paint was in fairly good condition, but around the edges there  were some parts where the paint had chipped off.

 All I did to the body of the mirror was throw a layer of ivory acrylic paint.  Next, some yellow in the middle of the flowers and around the inner edge of the frame, right next to the mirror.

Then, some pink on the flower petals! I do love pink.

Finally, I decided to add some shine with gold leaf at the top of the mirror.  As you might recall (click here if you need a refresher,) I don't get along with gold leaf.  This little episode proved no different, but I persevered.  It turned out okay, but I think I would have rather used a metallic paint.

Here is the final result!  I think it turned out pretty cute.  I kept the colors pretty mild because I wanted it to be able to fit in with most decor.  Plus pink is a color I will never tire of!

Have you done any artsy or crafty things lately? Share with me! I love talking about crafty things, not just cosplay-related things.  

Until next time!

-Alycia