Katara Cosplay

It occurred to me that I never posted my Katara costume (or Pokemon Trainer) I made for Dragon*Con 2012.

Dragon*Con was fun. While it feels like great number of people took our photos, I found a mere perhaps four or five on the vast internet, which is a shame. I at least got my husband to work my DSLR for a photo of me. I will have to get a proper shoot or something another time for more views of the costume.



Fire Nation Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender

An adventure in applique, also.


I will probably invest in wigs for later endeavors, especially as my own hair is as unpredictable as the wind when it wants to be.

I am planning two more Katara costumes for the future, after my next big project.

Granny Squares

One of my current projects is a blanket. I haven't crocheted anything in a while and I've never made granny squares before. I have some yarn that's been sitting around for ten years (no joke) and wanted to do something, anything with it. The colors aren't even that great. Bright white, bold blue, bright red, and black.

I'm only about halfway done after a week of off and on work.

(My desk is a disaster)





That's all for now.

DIY Wedding Veil

Photo by Lindsey Friar Photography

I made my own veil for the wedding. If ever you've stopped in a bridal shop and seen the prices of some of their veils, you'd probably understand that I didn't want to pay as much for a veil as I did the entire dress. And really, it's something you wear for maybe 15 minutes, depending on the length of your ceremony, then ditch for the rest of the event. (As it is common to remove the veil after the ceremony and any photographs your photographer may hold you over for.)

I don't have any pictures from actually making it, so forgive me. The process is really quite simple, however. I'll try to explain it best I can, but I have a habit of muddling the explanation.

I already had plenty of lace that my mother's been hanging onto for years and years and years. Bolts of it. "Veil-y" material is pretty cheap, I bought a couple yards. Wasn't sure how much I was going to want (or how many times I was going to mess up.)

First, you're going to need one of these.

A wide one is good. That'll keep it more secure on your precious little head. I bought mine somewhere around the bridal section at Jo-ann. There were two of them in a pack. There are other ones at Hobby Lobby and the like, but they were short ones and made of metal. I didn't like those because I'd had a few metal wire ones before and they get bent all out of shape.

Then, you'll need these sorts of things...

You'll cut the material to the shape of the veil you want. I wanted a fingertip length veil, but two layers, although I wasn't concerned with wearing the veil over my face. (It could have, though. I just wasn't keen on wearing it that way. Something about not liking roots of traditions.)

I had a rough measurement from about the crown of my head to fingertippish and doubled that to account for two layers.

I cut out a rough rectangle that length and just "some" width. (I would best describe it as my width plus a little extra. That way it would drape around me. I know, totally unspecific. This whole thing was done by improvising.) The corners were rounded out.

I then cut enough lace to go around the entire perimeter of this rectangle. It was a lot. Just... a lot.

If your lace looks like this...

That is to say, has raw edges and things... You'll want to trim it down first.

Using a white thread..., although one could easily use a clear/invisible thread. I didn't have any on hand. ... Using a white thread, I just stitched the entire length around, attaching the edge of the lace to the edge of the veil. I got tired after going around it once, so I didn't finish like I planned to and do both edges of the lace. It looked fine.

After the lace was all attached, I folded it almost in half. Not evenly, otherwise both layers of the veil would be the same length. It's offset several inches so the top layer is shorter. I gathered it all up at the fold and ran a thread through it to hold it in place, adjusting it to the width of the aforementioned haircomb.

When attaching it, make sure you're attaching it to the TOPSIDE of the comb with the length of the veil hanging down in the direction all the prongs are pointing.

I left a slight bit of overhang at the top to fold over to completely hide the comb. Again, taking a white (or invisible) thread, weave over the veil and comb, around it, and between the prongs. Go from one end of the comb to the other, then back again for extra security.

I made this awesome illustration to show you how.

Once it's all secure, you're done! You could also attach beads or pearls or little flowers. However you want to embellish it.

It looks way longer than it seems.

Some detail of the lace.

Just to prove it can be flipped over the face, here's another:

Photo by Lindsey Friar Photography

A couple projects

Umbreon
Head, ears, tail, feet stuffed with polyfill, body filled with plushie beads. Hand stitched on the yellow detail cut from fleece. Felt eyes with acrylic paint detail. Hand-sewn nose.

Jolteon

Made this one back in January when my beau came down with a flu and I thought he needed a friend. The white parts are cut from a pair of old socks. :D  I had a terrible time with this because at the time, I didn't have any fabric scissors so cutting was just absolute hell. As a result, some pieces turned out funny - the face, for example, is a little derpy.

Original plushie design by: renegar-kitsune




"Bonsai Bag" purse

Canvas material inside and out; I love this thing. It helped me figure out zippers.

 

Pattern by Rae at http://www.made-by-rae.com/

Stamping again... sort of

Father's day is coming up! I decided to make cards for my father and my beau's father. I neglected to take any pictures of it, but it was okay. The main point is...


We got our wax seal set in today! I thought using wax seals on our wedding invitations would be something he would enjoy very much, so I convinced my fiancé (not so much "convinced" as mentioned it and he was all for it) to pick out a wax seal for us to order. We settled on a boxed set that came with two symbols and one filigree initial.

 

I just love the box. It came with two wax sticks, which I probably won't end up using. We also ordered a couple other wax sticks, which are made specially to fit in a standard hot glue gun.

I like the filigree on the initial seal, but I'm not sure I like the square shape simply because it's so much bigger. The fleur de lis is classic, and I liked the dragon. I feel like the other options for the symbol seals were subpar, in my opinion. I would have absolutely loved if there were one that was a gryphon, since there are several on my family's coat of arms.

It's suggested when stamping into the wax to slightly wet the seal, but the included instructions also suggested using a metallic ink. What do you know! I have some of that.

I tried it out. :3

I decided I liked it "naked" better. Fiancé agreed. AND SO! I finished making our father's day cards.

Information:

Wax seal set purchased from Nostalgic Impressions 

More Stamping and Things

Even though we still are not remotely close to the wedding, I find myself thinking about Thank You cards now. I wanted to do more rubber stamping with those to go with the invitation suites I am going to make, so I picked up a Thank You stamp to play with.

Though it was just quick playing around, with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My silver ink is kind of blotty it seems. I only remembered after using black that I had gold/silver inks, so I stamped over the black and it looks like some weird drop shadow. For my wedding thank you cards, I'd of course use a cardstock that matches our colors, instead of this dark red. The stamping I was just seeing how I could use up white space if I used 1/4 of the cardstock sheet instead of half as I did in the left card.


I added in purple to my boutonnieres though!

I'm probably going to remake my boutonnieres [and matching corsages, assuredly] with different ribbon because I won't be able to find any that matches the color I had for these and I need more than what I had. It's about one yard of ribbon to make one rosette and the spool I bought to play with was only three yards.

I did manage to stumble upon the wedding area of Hobby Lobby and found all the little bits and pieces for bouts and corsages and things. Little sparkly sprigs of happyface. I'm going to have to go back sometime, but I just can't decide what I want to work on first. I want to do anything and everything I can for my own wedding, because I want to put my own two hands to work on whatever I can. Except the cake. And dress. Those are the only two things I don't want to make. Maybe bouquets, too. I can't decide if I want fresh flowers or silk - I'm an immense packrat as it is, so either way...

Centerpieces, corsages, boutonnieres, appropriate gifts, invitations, thank you cards.... the list grows.

First Blood

There's some battle wounds, here. There's a spider living somewhere in or on my desk that keeps making appearances and has lost a few legs in the process every time I throw something at it. Also, first blood has been drawn so it's on now, wedding. You and me. Pinpricks are not friendly and, much like papercuts, have a lingering pain no one likes.

I'm still trying to just come up with ideas for things to work on this summer. I made some ribbon roses a few weeks back from some sort of off-white satin ribbon, then tried it with some purple organza ribbon I found I don't like quite as much. I want to try and make boutonnieres, which is proving a little more difficult than I first assessed.

Just killed the spider after weeks of waging war. Victory!

 Tonight, I finally did a little more than just the rose and tried to add the [technical term incoming] "stem thingy".

It's really more impressive in person?

I left a "tail" when making the rosette and improvised making the stem part with a piece of paper on my desk by folding it up, wrapping the tail around it and stapling it. I used a grosgrain ribbon in lime green and wrapped it around the paper stem-majigger. I also flipped it a couple times at the top in back for "leaves". I hand-stitched it all to keep it secure and came up with this mess. I don't hate it. I just want to figure out a way to work in some...thing... purple without over-doing it.

Should I figure out a "proper way" to do this, with replicable results, I want to make a full set - groom, best man (I doubt we'll go beyond into groomsmen), father of bride, and father of groom. I also want to make matching corsages for the lady counterparts, but that will be figured out later. Haha.


I did manage figuring out how I wanted my invitations done and the lovely lad agrees, so I'll be actually making those later on. Invitation, direction card, RSVP and matching RSVP & mailing envelopes lined in a pretty-pretty purple paper.

Stamping Adventure

Rubber stamping. It's not something I ever really dabbled with. However, I got the idea into my head that I would much rather make my wedding invitations instead of have them made. All the more tempting to try something I've never done, huh?

I managed to get out to Hobby Lobby this morning with my beau in tow, har har har rhyme. We (that is to say, I) looked at primarily the stamps.
----As an aside, Stampabilities/Paper Studio stuff is 50% off. That was double sweet.
I did a little "research" beforehand and decided to use just clear stamps, because being clear, I could easily see where precisely I was stamping. Picked up a couple interesting stamp packs and a giant acrylic block.. ....And ten different ink pads, because of the above mentioned sale. I picked up embossing powder too, but am at a lack for a heat gun (They were sold out today. Booooo!).

If you've never used clear stamps yourself, they're silicone (I think) stamp designs and you peel them off of the plastic sheet they come on. Then, you position it how you want it on a clear acrylic block. The silicone just adheres to the acrylic on its own, so you can peel it and change it around how you want to. After you're done, you just peel the stamp off, wash it with soapy water or stamp cleaner, and then put it back on the plastic sheet. I think they're pretty cool.

I spent most of the evening playing with my new toys. I stumbled upon a pretty neat sort of watermark-like effect that uses Pearl-Ex powder. I already had some metallic green Pearl-Ex from using it with my polymer clay, so it was great.

You need embossing ink and Pearl-Ex powder. You load up your stamp with the embossing ink, stamp the paper, and before it gets too dry, brush on some powder with a paintbrush. It's kind of like magic if you use a clear embossing ink, so the image just "magically appears" when you run the powder over it and it adheres to the ink.

Incidentally, the gradient in this photo is due to the reflection of my monitor on the Pearl-Ex. However, you can achieve something very similar if you brush on different colours of Pearl-Ex before the embossing ink dries.

I also found this cardstock I liked at Office Max, called "Stardust". It's flecked with little colored bits. I still have to find preferably a dark purple cardstock.




I just wanted to share. ^_^ I'm just glad I get to sink some time into making things soon.

Dead period

I moved in January and have not had the chance to do any crafting since then. The semester is almost over though, so I'll be able to jump into it full swing for the summer. I already have a lot of work cut out for me, because I'm also hoping to make plenty of things for my wedding.


But in the meantime, instead of studying for an exam...

Origami lotus flower

Yeah, it's that unfortunate time of the year again

I'm not a fan of "the season" - since it's people that ruin the whole thing for me. People everywhere, not minding people around them, being rude and impatient in stores. Parking lots. Check outs. Roads.


Alas, I still like to make ornaments - regardless of if I have a tree or not.

Little presents.

These are sort of fun. Made from felt, stuffed with poly-fill and some polybead things for like... beanie babies for some added weight.

Yay!

I'm currently doing some green ones and some gold/purple ones. ^_^

These buttons are gorgeous. And old.

I also whipped this tree up.

Polymer Clay - Boo's new hat!

Last year, I made a Christmas ornament for my boyfriend(fiancé) which was Boo (From Mario!) with a Santa hat.   See below(photos from before he was glazed :<) :

*cackle*

   I love him. He's great. However my fiancé's complaint is that his Santa hat is no bueno for the rest of the year! I agree.

He'll look absolutely smashing!

I'm already getting started on making some Christmas presents, so whatever. Boo will receive a dapper little top hat this holiday season.



For inquiring minds:  Boo is an aluminum foil core covered in polymer clay. While I didn't capture it in the picture, his backside does taper out into a tail. Hats have a hole run through them before baking big enough for the hanging loop to be strung through it and hold it on.

Costumery - Steampunk Goggles

I will attempt to explain in absolutely terrible detail how I made my lol-goggles.


Tutorials I've found on the interwebz:
http://mtani.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Goggles-Tutorial-105778289
http://fenris-the-red-wolf.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Goggles-A-Tutorial-91226763
http://raegar.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Goggles-168441815
These all looked great, but...

Yeah, okay. So while I wanted leather and metal, the whole nine yards (or at least four and a half yards would have been nice), I didn't have many things on-hand to futz with. I did however have a pile of polymer clay, some spray paint from my NERF gun repaint, and some old aprons and felt. ...And a toilet tissue roll. The heck did I do with this crap?

Pile of junk.

I cut two pieces from the cardboard roll the be the base of my eyepieces. Maybe an inch wide. I reinforced these with masking tape so they wouldn't be so flimsy, before rolling a sheet of polymer clay around the outside and trimming it to fit. (I ran the clay through my pasta machine so it'd be uniform.)
The fronts of the eyepieces still had to be made. I rolled out more clay and used something (in this case, an old salt shaker cap) to cut out circles from the middles, where I would later put in clear plastic for lenses.
Around the opposite edge, I poked holes through before baking where I'd later stitch.

Or something like that.

I don't care how the inside looked. Baked this per package instructions. Let cool, then applied a few coats of spray paint. I spent the time it was drying to dig around the house for some kind of fabric to use in lieu of leather.

This one was a huge ugly "No."

My wonderful mother however pulled up a pile of aprons she doesn't use for work anymore. Essentially black canvas (And an adorable red one I'm keeping) just waiting for me to decimate it.   I cut a rough "Whale" shape (As I saw it described in one of the aforementioned tutorials - I think that sounded adorable.) and trimmed it down how I wanted for comfort. I DIDN'T THINK THIS WAS ENOUGH THOUGH! It needed more color. I managed to dig up my old collection of craft felt. I cut a matching piece from it and put them together. I wrapped these two pieces around the now-dry eyepieces, and using the previously poked holes, I stitched (repeatedly) through the fabric and eyepieces to secure them together.

Like this.

Repeat for the second eyepiece.

I managed to find some clear plastic from some product's packaging. I cut circles from it to use for lenses and trimmed the edged down until they sat inside of the eyepiece snugly (from the inside. This is why I previously stamped out circles, leaving a place inside for the lens to rest).

As for the rest of the goggles' assembly, I used a scrap to join the eyepieces in the middle as a noserest or something. I cheated by using the adjustable strap from the apron as the strap for the goggles.



These look freaking goofy if I actually wear them on my face, but my main intent in making them was to wear on my hat.

HURR HURR HURR DURP DURP

Pokemon Overload. Maybe.

There is never a Pokemon overload.


I finished my Kanto gym badge set. All eight badges: Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Marsh, Soul, Volcano, Earth. They weren't necessarily hard. Rainbow was time consuming in that I had to mix all of the colors. Cutting Thunder's shape right sort of sucked too.

I'm thrilled with how these turned out, sans the whole hex vs octagon issue.

Next up was... My best buddy asked that in addition to the Bellossom plushie I made for him that he would like a Gastly to hang in his car. Hell, why not?

Say hi, Gastly!

I did not make the Pikachu - he was purchased. ^_^

I'm extremely pleased with how they have turned out and currently have four of them sitting here with me. I sort of like it without the hanging loop, but as they are ghost pokemon, I figure they need to be suspended somehow. The bodies are fleece, faces are felt, and poofs are tulle. Machine and hand sewn. Some hot glue for facial attachment.

Also, the Bellossom are all felt. Machine and hand sewn. Hot glue for the face and flowers. Skirt petals all hand sewn on.



I, some time ago, made a Gengar figurine for a friend of mine with promise that I'll one day sell it to him when I was ready to relinquish him. Darn attachment I have formed with him. Gengar gave me much grief when the gloss I used to coat him turned into a swirly orange weirdness, causing me to repaint him and purchase a different glaze. I love how the backside turned out. He stands easily and even holds a berry of some flavor.

Gengar made from polymer clay

This friend wants a Gastly as well, but .... What good is Gastly and Gengar if you don't have a Haunter?


Commence concept sketch.

bleh?

I nixed the tail and found out I'm terrible with anything that has a corner and needs to be turned out. .... That is to say, all of the spikes. They did not turn out nearly as spiky or large as I wanted. Also, I should have gone with the top mouth design instead of the bottom.

I mean, in short. This thing eats my head.

BLEHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I've since added the eyes, which are felt and hand quilted on but I don't even like that. It's going to be up to him if he wants the hat or not. If not, I'll probably rip it apart and change it up some. I'm not sure. The band around the bottom is too wide. Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.