Rant, Rant, Cosplay Rant...

I was doing good, then not so much. With the posting that is.
Well I found something to rant about for a bit. And it has been driving me crazy these past few weeks.
Portcon Maine's Masquerade. Specifically the craftsmanship portion. It has been run by the same group since before I have been going- back in 2006, and I just don't understand them.
In 2009 I entered my Maka Albarn from Soul Eater costume. I spent days on the skirt. I wanted it to be the very specific black plaid so I made it. Cut black strips and sewed each stripe on. It took FOREVER! Then I made my first button down shirt with modified sleeves, made the vest, and fully lined jacket- oh the skirt was lined too- and made the boots as well. The only thing I did not have a hand in was the wig (commissioned from Elise) and the tie-store bought. I was only a novice then so I was pretty impressed with myself. It was the first thing I had tried really hard to impress with. Well I got nothing in craftsmanship that year. Lost to a guy who sewed 2 store bought suits together to make a 2 Face from Batman costume. I did get Best Skit with my group, so it was all good. My friend Rivith entered her Death the Kid from Soul Eater in to craftsmanship that year as well, and she made a suit and hand weft-ed the stripes into her wig and she got nothing either. The next 2 years I entered with large groups and we got Best in Show Craftsmanship in 2010, and then they bumped us up and gave us 2nd place Masters Craft. So then we competed as Masters at Anime Boston in 2012 and got Best Overall Craftsmanship.
So that brings us back to this past Portcon Maine. I was alone again this year. So I decided to do Q from [C]. It is a fairly new series, but I haven't seen a lot/any cosplayers for it. So it would be fresh for them. Heck they take original designs into the competition so what the heck. I made it in 2 days. Finished every seem and hem, dyed a wig, wired feathers together and made horns from scratch, as well as my first time using body paint. So I thought I had a shot at some craftsmanship award. Well I did till judging.
Walked in the room, they said- "Oh you must be some kind on Pokemon!" After I told them no, they had no interest and rushed me around then out. Hardly glanced at my reference images, and then- this is the part that gets me- one judges flipped down my top hem and said "Edges are finished, but not French seemed." WHAT?! I said "Um, actually they are." And flipped up the bottom so they could see the triple hem and French seems on the sides. Seems are when 2 edges of fabric come together, not on the top or bottom- that is a hem. I thought these judges knew what they were looking for. They always stress finishing every other year! I know it was a simple design so I took care to make sure everything was perfect.
Well in the Masters category someone got bumped up (thought she was already in masters...) to take 2nd place- and her bead work that they were gushing about was falling off as she walked up the stage. It was a lovely costume- but the rows of pearls were just hot glued on. And the girl who won first was someone I have seen around and does fantastic work, She had an original design. Best in Show went to a guy who did some amazing armor. The said that there weren't a lot of Masters entered so they bumped some one up. I hate to sound like an elitist but, please. I did a hula hoop and chain flag routine and my costume never busted a seem, and my paint didn't smudge.
The biggest issue was that original designs and recreations are together. How do you judge accuracy on an original design? You can't. I think they are great costumes, and do deserve a good look at, but need a separate judging section. So I expressed this on the forums and the head of judging says it will all be together since this is a geek culture convention not just Anime. Okay, not my point.

They say they follow the Northern Lights Costuming Guild guidelines. I will have to take a look at these- but will have to look it up on my own time since they don't have them posted, or have a link to them.

Well in the end I guess its all okay since I have walked away with an award of some kind every year I have entered.
Not to sound stuck up-- most of the awards are shared with a group, I only have 2 individual awards.

Q from [c] The Soul and Possibility of Money- Control

Made for Portcon Maine 2012

Ice Cream Cake!!! -as seen on Omnomicon.com-

A family friend runs this amazing cooking blog, omnomicon.com, and posted a recipe that she found in a vintage community cook book. Its a fabulous semi home made take on cake mix cake. She recommended it to me when I was making cupcakes for my sister's baby shower and they are so delicious I have not made a cake different since.

Cupcakes made and arranged by me in April 2011 for my Sister's Baby Shower.

Best thing about this recipe is- no measuring required because you use a box cake mix!!!!!

The recipe given is for chocolate cake and you use chocolate ice cream, but I have also done this with gold cake mix and vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake mix and mint chip ice cream.You will need:
1 box chocolate cake mix (or any other flavor)
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened (again, any other flavor)
3 eggs
1 c water

 First scoop the ice cream into a bowl and set aside to soften. If you need to pop it into the microwave for a few seconds that's fine too. Just don't go over 10seconds- You don't want it to be soup, just soft.

Preheat oven to 350^o. Grease pan, then dust with flour ( Or for a extra chocolate kick use cocoa powder) or I use baking Pam.

Beat all ingredients together for 4 minutes. And after the 4 minutes it will look like, well melted ice cream.

 Pour into pan and bake 45 minutes. 

Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, a thin icing, whipped cream or the frosting of your choice.

This cake was made for a cake walk at my works Fall Festival, so it ended up looking like this:

The Cut

This past July I had my first significant hair cut in about 4 years. My sister (who is a cosmologist) took about 13/14 inches off in a ponytail- and then another few for styling.
I recently realized I didn't have pictures from 4th of July weekend on my external hard drive and then realized I had never put them on my computer from my old memory card. Well this was the weekend I cut my hair so I had some pictures- and whenever I stumble on pictures of my long hair I miss it. I'm glad I cut my hair, it was cooler- temp wise- and easier to take care of, but sometimes I miss all the fun things I use to do with it.
I donated my hair to Locks Of Love. I did the same thing in 8th grade.

 Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. For more information on this organization and to learn how you can help go to http://www.locksoflove.org/

Fun Find- Nutcracker!

I love to go to GoodWill and wonder around the home and kitchen stuff. There is so much interesting stuff!! I like wondering around consignment shops too- and I have found some great stuff there too, like this great find:

 Found in a shop less than 2 miles away from my house! It was $25- and its more than I would pay in GoodWill, but it was so unique, vintage and I just had to have it! I was in the shop looking for items for my sister's baby shower, we did a Victorian Safari Tea so this piece was perfect.
A few months later I was in the local GoodWill killing some time while my pictures were being processed and I stumbeled on this bad boy:

Oh what strange torture device is this? Well its actually a nut cracker platter!!! I know right?!  I love having a bowl/platter of in shell nuts out at the holidays-- or anytime its just a little harder to find in shell nuts after January for some reason.

You can use it as I have pictured, or the better way is not to put the nuts on the platter- but use it to catch all the shell. Or both as I did for Thanksgiving this past year.  I love this piece not only because its unique and fun, or because it was only $1, but also because my mother has terrible hand pain and weakness at times and its very hard for her to use the standard nut crackers that you squeeze in your hand. I get my love of nuts from her, so now she can enjoy cracking her own nuts! (you can take that as you will)

Yes I Do It

At my last job for some reason I was embarrassed to talk about it. I don't know why, its nothing to be ashamed of, I mean a lot of my friends do it. I even met some of them because we like to do it together. I talk about it a bit at my current job, but I find them to be a bit more open. So here goes-

I am a Cosplayer.

What did you think I was going to say? I am a bit, just a bit, of a geek? Nerd? I don't really know the proper term. I'm not super smart or into technology, so that seems to rule out nerd- but I don't really know a lot about comics and video games, so I'm not a typical geek? I know I enjoy anime, and some comics and video games. Mostly I enjoy pop culture or my own kind of it. Then I like fabricating the costumes to wear around at other gatherings of people with similar interests to converse and entertain ourselves in some fashion. So ya, conventions. I have been going to conventions since 2003- so that makes this year 10 years- wow. The only things I have been doing longer is go to school and be alive! Part of that makes me sad, and that may be my parents talking threw me. So many other "important" things I could have/ should have been doing. Also it seems a little sad to say that such a large part of my life was occupied with cartoons. But then in saying that why have I done it for so long?  Hmmm, good point parents! Why do something that you don't have to do? Because its fun! Simple. If I didn't really enjoy it I would have stopped years ago. I only feel like I really started to get serious about it after I graduated with my BFA. It has gotten pushed back a little over the last year- what with going back to school for a masters and getting a "real job" but I find it lets me focus on a few important projects rather then just throwing stuff together. I also have rediscovered my love of competition!
So with this being the 10 year mark for me I have a few special projects planed. And I can't say for sure how long I will be doing this, I will say as long as I find it fun I will keep it up. Cosplay has not consumed me, but it is a part of me and I should stop being embarrassed to bring it up or talk about it. I mean there are far worse things I could be into, right?  So as part of my vow to Peter Pan never to grow up, working with kids and attempting to live a little threw cartoon characters is how I choose to do it.

I saw people making posts like this on a popular web sight. It asked to post a picture of your first, most recent, and current favorite of your cosplays. So here is my currents.

It Came From Under The Sink!!

Did anyone else read The Goosebumps books? Well that's a silly question- of course others did, it was a wildly popular series. Still is. Are new ones even still coming out? I loved those books, had a ton. But when I was in High School my younger cousin fell in love with the series and my Grandmother told him I had a bunch and he asked me for them. What did I do, I gave most if not all to him.
Anyway I was reminded of all that because I wanted to make Shepperd's Pie and when I went for the potatoes I found this!!!!!

And all I could think was "It Came From Under The Sink!" And that is a title of a Goosebumps book. Even though I don't keep my potatoes under the sink, and it was little egg aliens not potatoes in the story.
Oh how things from the past end up showing themselves again.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne ?

Ah that famous song that nobody really knows the words to- except those opening lines. So should old acquaintances be forgot? How old is old? Is it just for the people you don't keep in touch with anymore?

New Years Eve 06-07