Momocon. My friend really wanted to go. Like really wanted to go. I had already decided that I wasn't going to Animazement because of the drive and pricetag but I couldn't ignore my friend Matt's call to action, plus he offered to drive. We weren't sure what to expect overall and at panels it was like a really really chill DragonCon. The actual consensus from some of the cosplayers we met was that Momocon is their trial-run before D*Con and to that I say -

Who hasn't even started their costumes yet?!!?

T -94 days you guys!! 

We bounced from panel to panel starting with the CharDev: Storytelling Guild Wars II with the AreaNet narrative designers, a most amazing and hilarious panel on live-action anime (hilarious because I have now discovered operatic Japanese stage plays of just about every anime out there to torture/confuse/delight my friends with), wondering around the gaming area and the vendors, the craftsmanship costume contest, a blade demo, and finally, the culmination of excitement guaranteed to drive Matt and I back next year - the K-pop performance dance battle. Imagine it: 2 hours of intermediate to advanced to I'm-just-moving-my-body-to-this-song-I-like dancing by various youngsters to some of the most popular K-pop songs of the year. Oh yes. Matt and I have committed that by Momocon 2017, we will be fully outfitted in K-pop star dance gear and show up and steal the show. Obviously we are going to get really hardcore into learning choreography. But first, hip-hop dance lessons.

Will we be the oldest people there? Likely.

Will we be the most badass? Without a doubt. #goals

The craftsmanship contest deserves some talking about too. It was so so SO well run! With just a couple minor snags, I was just really impressed on how smoothly it went, and just how many costumes we were able to see. I guess I've seen too many poorly-run/overly-narrated/chaos-inducing cosplay presentations and I just appreciate it when it goes the way it's supposed to go, and it's a comfortable and enjoyable experience for the viewers and the cosplayers (they had a section of sears reserved JUST FOR THEM!).
After we debated going back on Sunday, some specific panels drew me back: "Costuming as a Business" with God Save The Queen Fashions, and "Cosplay Rigging" with SpaceLion Cosplay, and Abby ADOS. We eventually lost track of time in the vendor's area so we forgot other panels existed. Catherine Lewis from GTSQ Fashions is as amazing in person as you feel she is from following her page. I find myself in a similar situation to hers with my cosplay business and it was good to her how her costuming journey has unfolded. Is an industrial costuming space in my future? That's another goal, but first I really have to be more profitable at costuming than my other sewing job. #ThingsToAspireTo 

My haul included a tri-cat car mirror charm, a Jinx Fishbones blueprint print by Volpin Props (for my husbando), and a bra. With anime eyes. Yup. The internet and I thank you, radjunk.com. 
​
I have a bunch of pics over on my Instagram to check out:
IGN: sexyDEATHparty
See you at ConCarolinas 2016!

 We have to go back, Jack!

In honor of 4-8-15... 

Here's a special photo-post. 

Sometime in 2010 we had an epic LOST themed party for the premiere of the last season.
(I think. Maybe it was the show finale.) 

These photos have been sitting on my computer totally ignored and sad that no one gets to gaze upon their awesomeness. So here they are finally posted up for us all to reminisce to days when we were younger, skinnier nerds. Other for the younger and skinnier part nothing's really changed.

If you're not familiar, LOST is an amazing tv series that aired between 2004-2010 in which several people survive a plane crash on a mysterious and seemingly deserted desert island. Soon enough they figure out they're not alone, some weird flash-backs, flash-forwards, and flash-sideways happen, mysteries get solved that unfurl newer, more complicated mysteries. And DAMN was it good!


4 8 15 16 23 42...
4      8     15    16    23    42
4.....            8           15        16         23           42

4          8         15        16            23...            42



but what does it all mean?


The full album of photos can be viewed here (link goes to FB album)

Can you name us all? Highlight the text below with your cursor to see answers!
start highlight--->
From left to right, back to front: Jack Shephard, male passenger of Flight 815, female passenger, female passenger, Claire Littleton, Benjamin Linus, Danielle Rousseau, Richard Alpert,  Dr. Daniel Faraday.... it was a small viewing party m'kay?
<---end highlight

I am openly a Knight of The Button, and have written "The Litany Against Clicking" in the style of "The Litany Against Fear" from Dune by Frank Herbert. 

Recite this in times of weakness, and abstain from clicking to prolong the life of /r/thebutton
Be strong and vigilant, troops!

If you haven't been following, The Button is a Reddit April Fool's joke (or is it!?) and is now a social phenomenon taking the internet by storm. There are several schools of thought on whether they should click the button, when they should click it, whether they should click it at all, not clicking it on purpose, the list goes on! Several religions have sprouted surrounding The Button including The Church of the Holy O and The Grey Hopeful. Read all about it in the Encyclopedia Buttonica.

I am so excited to tell you all that I will be participating in an artist's showcase soon! Come out and check out SDP Designs & Cosplay and all the other RAW CHARLOTTE ARTISTS on January 15th at Tremont Music Hall!! 

What is RAW? Make sure to go to the website and poke around, there's lots of local talent to be seen and enjoyed from designers, musicians, artists, performances, and more! 

Tickets are on presale for 15$, and if you buy from this link www.rawartists.org/sexydeathparty it goes directly towards supporting my showcase space if you buy before midnight on January 8th. 
Tickets are 20$ at the door so prebuy, save some cash for a drink at the bar, and help me out! 

I basically grew up going to rock'n'roll shows at Tremont Music Hall, and it's absolutely blowing my mind right now that I will be there as an artisan. 13-year-old-me would jump for joy at how awesome this is. 

The dress code is cocktail attire, so dress to the nines!

About a week ago, I posted some questions to one of the costuming groups I follow in FB (specifically Game of Thrones Costuming on FB).  My questions were: Is fabric recycling a thing? What are some of the ways you all use to get rid of scraps without tossing them in the trashcan?

I'm no environmentalist, but I do feel a little sad and guilty throwing away tons of scraps, especially of gorgeous fabrics that may be on the pricier side. I  personally never have any use for them, and they are typically too small to make any other garment (except maybe doll clothes, but I'm not in that business) I don't have much leftover storage space since it's all barely containing the materials I do need, so I asked the hive costuming mind how they get rid of scraps without putting them in a landfill.

The response I got was amazing! A ton of people replied, and a ton of people had really interesting ideas, so here they are. What are some things YOU do? Please add in the comments!

• Donate them to local patchworkers/ quilters
• Use as filler for toys, throws, pillows and pet beds then donate to your local shelter! 
• Donate to a high school theater class or college
• Donate to a local theater with a small budget
• Donate to a child care center or Girl Scouts for art projects
• Save for practicing sewing techniques, stitching, and embroidery
• Make cat toys and small accessories like bows
• Your local recycler may have fabric recycling available
• Make a pin cushion
• Make a "bean bag chair" stuffed with scraps (it's like a GIANT pincusion!)
• Small and unusable natural scraps might be compostable (but check that the dyes are chemical-free)
• Make gift bags for Christmas gifts
• Donate to your local Goodwill or thrift shop in a bag labeled "fabric remnants" (I got rid of a lot of faux fur this way)
• Use as stuffing for bustle pads
• Actually make doll clothes
• Sell them online (a lot of people will have bags by the lb for free, and you only pay shipping)
• Make a rug
• Make a tutu
• Make a fabric banner and celebrate!

Well after the first official month of marriage now, it's about time I blog about my awesome wedding!

It got described by lots of people as "the Game of Thrones wedding." Once word got out that we had capes, it was kind of hard to contain, but there was no blood, no murder, no backstabbing, no castles or knights, and no political intrigue and no arranged marriages! (As far as I know...) It was nothing like what this amazing hardcore fan couple did with professional make up artists and costumery. Awesome though, right?!


My wedding actually was very centered around a Japanese theme with a few GoT nods. (More about the Japanese elements coming up in separate posts.) I couldn't decide so I had both; eat your heart out David Tutera! Once we made the decision that the groomsmen gifts were going to be some sexy sleek Kingsguard-inspired capes, it was only natural that they WEAR them and look BADASS in the ceremony! I was really just going for the badass factor here. It was hard to say no to cloaked groomsmen (although I did think about it... lol, just kidding.)

There were a lot of things that happened that weren't really traditional, because we really wanted to do this thing our way. And Mike and I are total nerds and we have a fantastic group of friends that are just as nerdy as us and indulge us in our quirks. That's where the "Kingsguard" capes come in. Probably the best groomsman gift ever, am I right?! My mom-in-law and her friend actually made them all themselves, and they did an amazing job. These guys look so magnificently epic! Just look at them! 

There was another nod to GoT with the "cloaking of the bride". Because I didn't want to be left out without a cape of my own. This was actually borrowed from my mom-in-law, and it was the cloak she's worn for her Melisandre cosplay!

And if you're wondering, the "Rains of Castamere" DID play! "Whaatt?!?!? Did anyone get slaughtered!? I don't understand! How could you!?" It began with our friend Shaun making a toast, and calling Mike the "king" or our group of friends. Next thing we know the eerily familiar song came on (totally planned ahead of time with our DJ apparently) and Mike and I exchanged looks for one second before all the groomsmen attacked him with nerf guns and he went down. The boys grabbed me and hoisted me away from the party. Honestly, it's all kind of a big blur!

Now, you must understand a little bit of an interesting Romanian tradition called the stealing of the bride. At some point during the wedding, the groomsmen steal the bride and take her away and hide her - at which point the groom must go find her and bribe the groomsmen. The bribe usually involves... alcohol (that's my understanding anyway!) The boys took me to another part of the venue where there was some alcohol stashed away, and after Shaun's toast was done and we all figured out what just happened, Mike bribed the guys with some shots of Fireball for my release back to the party. I had NO IDEA that they were planning any of this, much less incorporating this tradition, and it was all a very pleasant surprise, and very, very well executed! *ahem*

Here are a few more GoT related photos from our awesome photographer Emily Southern Star Photography! I am in awe of this awesome lady's skills every time I look through the entire album!

Next post... our Game of Thrones themed rehearsal dinner!

It’s my first attempt at vector art! I’m planning on using these to display my pattern that I created and used in making my costume. I am working on a printable PDF pattern to make available for download to sew/craft your own.

Vector art made with Vector Illustrator for iPad