2015 Year in Review

This year I've been a lot less active in the blogging universe than I have been in the past. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a productive year! I wanted to go ahead and round up some of my favorite memories from 2015. Off the top of my head I can remember lots of fun times with my family like going to baseball and football games, an art festival, the orchestra, and traveling around Texas. So let's jump right in and talk about a few highlights from the year!

Pixie’s Emergency Surgery

If you've been following my tweets, then you know Pixie had to go to the emergency vet a few nights ago. She had to have surgery done and is hopefully going to be feeling a little better soon. However, the vet bills hit unexpectedly. I set up a GoFundMe with more info on what happened and a way for Pixie's friends to send a few dollars her way.

www.gofundme.com/pixiekitty

Pixie and I appreciate any help. Even just happy thoughts!

Tutorial: Cinderella 2015 Cosplay

If you're like me then you totally fell in love with all the costumes in the new live action Cinderella movie! Lily James portrayed the princess perfectly! I knew right away that I had to have her dress in my life, but I was scared to take on such a project. Her dress is massive!! So with a little creativity I was able to recreate a version of that magnificent ballgown without breaking the bank. I realize I didn't make a 100% screen accurate cosplay and I'm okay with that. I still felt like a princess wearing this! I'm hoping this semi-homemade tutorial will help inspire someone else that might want to make Cinderella's gown. Enjoy!

Tutorial: Princess Anna Cosplay

Hi everyone! It's been way too long since I posted, and what better way to come back than with a cosplay tutorial! Halloween is right around the corner, and Frozen isn't going away any time soon so today I am sharing with you how I made my Princess Anna costume. I wore this cosplay to Animation Celebration last year and this past January I fixed it up a bit and took some better photos of it! I hope you find this tutorial helpful!

Giveaway: Galaxy Hair Bows from Inspired By Nerd

I’m very excited to team up with local geek girl and crafter Inspired By Nerd! You have a chance to win one of the two fabulous galaxy hair bows as seen in the photos!

“These are two galaxy hair bows from Inspired by Nerd. Inspired by Nerd is your go to for geeky/nerdy fandom inspired accessories and home goods. I offer hair accessories, ID wallets, a few plush items, blankets, towels, hats, and other items that are geared towards your favorite fandoms! TV shows, movies, video games, I’ve got ’em!”

See something else you love from the shop? Well Inspired By Nerd has generously set up a special coupon for GlitzyGeekGirl readers to use at check out!

“The coupon code is GLITZYGEEK for 15% off your total purchase from my shop!”

Visit Inspired By Nerd on Etsy and Facebook.

Entering is easy! Just follow these steps on the Rafflecopter widget. Two winners will be picked at random and each mailed one of the galaxy hair bows from Inspired By Nerd. This contest is open to US RESIDENTS only. Once the winners are selected, they will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Contest ends on 11:59 pm CST Saturday July 11, 2015. No purchase necessary. Good luck! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tutorial: Wonder Woman Cosplay Costume

She is brave! She is fierce! She is .. Wonder Woman! I chose to make a Wonder Woman cosplay to wear to the Dallas Comic Con (now called Fan Expo Dallas) because I wanted to wear a costume that was fun, colorful and a character I admired. I feel like no other comic book superhero fits that criteria better than Wonder Woman! So if you have ever considered making this cosplay for yourself here is my tutorial/walk through/guide of how I made mine!

Giveaway: Princess Peach and Super Mario Amiibos

Woot! If you like video games and you like toys then you are going to LOVE this giveaway!! I am going to hook up two lucky winners with a Nintendo Amiibo! A Princess Peach and Super Mario Amiibo are up for grabs in this week-long giveaway. 

If you don’t know what Amiibos are check out this handy link. These cute toys are useful for Nintendo games and also fun to collect! Rare and hard to find Amiibos are even quite high in price now. Personally I have enjoyed finding these in stores and especially look forward to the release of Animal Crossing Amiibos! So best of luck to all that enter and May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!

Entering is easy! Just follow these steps on the Rafflecopter widget. Two winners will be picked at random and one mailed a Princess Peach Amiibo and the other a Super Mario Amiibo. This contest is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Once the winners are selected, they will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Contest ends on 11:59 pm CST Friday June 26, 2015. No purchase necessary. Good luck! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OMGlitzy! New blog! New name!

 

I’m excited to share that I have come up with a fun new name to go by – OMGlitzy! I’m still Glitzy and I’m still geeky, but I have felt like going by a different online handle for awhile now. I’m still going to update this blog with cosplay tutorials and giveaways, though. So don’t lose this bookmark! Since this site became cosplay centric and still gets lots of hits, I plan to keep it updated when I can. But my new blog www.omglitzy.com is going to be a little more random and a place for me to hopefully post more often without the pressure of making an epic post each time. What I mean is I started to feel like if I didn’t make a cosplay post with lots of photos, links, and information then no one wanted to read it. I didn’t want to clutter this site with random ramblings. I dunno, I am sure it’s just some weird blogger insecurity thing. But what I’m getting at is my new blog will be more laid back and easier for me to just chat about what’s going in my life!

 

I’ve already updated my Instagram and Twitter to my new handle – @OMGlitzy – but my Facebook and YouTube links will have to stay /GlitzyGeekGirl since they don’t offer name changes. I debated about how to handle my Twitch channel (since they don’t do name changes either) and ultimately decided that since I plan to stay pretty active on there that I would go ahead and make a new channel with my new name. So if you’d like to keep following me on Twitch head over to twitch.tv/omglitzy and give it a follow!

 

Thanks so much for staying interested in this blog while I’ve gone through some transitions this year. Coming soon here will be a Wonder Woman cosplay tutorial!

 

HUGS!!

What I’ve Been Up To

Hey everyone! It's been too long since I updated my blog! I think about it every day, but have just been busy with other new adventures lately. My blog was such a prominent part of my life for the last few years – it really has been hard taking a break from it. However, I would imagine most bloggers have to step back every now and then and give their brain a refresh. I'm ready to at least give you guys a little "What I've Been Up To" post!

Join Me on Twitch

http://www.twitch.tv/omglitzy

My favorite game right now is Guild Wars 2, and just a few weeks ago I finally invested in a nice webcam so I could begin streaming my adventures in Tyria on Twitch! It’s been an incredible way to become more involved with the GW2 community, and I love that I’ve been able to meet new friends this way! I recently mentioned I would be taking a bit of a break from my cosplaying and blogging. So figuring out Twitch has given me a new past time that I’m really enjoying! You can still expect some cosplays and plenty of future blog posts, but if you want to check out my Twitch stream and chat with me live definitely follow my channel! You don’t have to play games to watch.. you could just come by and say Hey or ask me anything! 😀 And if you ARE a Guild Wars 2 player then you can expect some in-game items and gold giveaways! I already gave out a precursor last week!!! I’m even planning something pretty big for when I hit 1k followers.

Anyway, I just wanted to update you guys on what I’ve been doing lately! My Instagram/Twitter/Facebook have all stayed pretty up-to-date on my other shenanigans so give them a follow as well.. my name is @OMGlitzy on everything :p

http://girlhero.net

And if you are curious about learning how to Twitch and stream your own games then head over to my friend GirlHeroLori’s blog. She has some Twitch 101 posts with lots of great tips on setting things up, what programs and plugins to use, etc. She streams as well! And if you have a Twitch already leave your name in the comments so I can give you a follow back!

Tutorial: Rapunzel Tiara

I've got a dream! I've got a dream!

It's to be a princess, of course! I had been looking for an affordable Rapunzel crown for quite some time but sadly could only find child sizes. So one night I decided to make the crown myself with whatever materials I had laying around.

 And to help other lost princesses I decided to make a tutorial so you can become royalty as well!

Giveaway: Insurgent Trivia Contest

Attention DIVERGENT fans!! I’ve teamed up with the folks at Summit Entertainment to give you a chance to win an INSURGENT PRIZE PACK! I am so excited about this because Divergent was one of my favorite movies and the book series is incredible. 

The next movie, Insurgent, is in theaters March 20, 2015.
This is your chance to win a DIVERGENT DVD and INSURGENT T-shirt!

“THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite.  Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.  Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.”

Official Website: http://www.thedivergentseries.com/ 

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivergentSeries 

Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/DIVERGENT 

Official Instagram Account: www.instagram.com/thedivergentseries

On to the giveaway!

Entering is easy! Submit your answers to the following trivia questions via the Rafflecopter widget. The more questions you answer the more entries you earn. One winner with a correct answer will be picked at random and mailed the INSURGENT PRIZE PACK. Currently, this contest is only open to US residents. Once a winner is selected, they will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Contest ends on March 20, 2015 at 11:59pm CST. No purchase necessary. Good luck! 🙂

TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1. When does Insurgent open in theaters in the US?

2. What city was author, Veronica Roth, born in?

3. What is the name of the director for Insurgent?

4. True or False: Ansel Elgort’s character’s name is Peter.

5. What three factions was Tris put in during the aptitude test?

6. Who is the leader of Amity?

7. Where does Tobias get his nickname, Four, from?

8. How many birds does Tris have tattooed?

9. What color do the Erudite wear?

10. Freebie entry for visiting The Divergent Series on Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cinderella Inspired Outfit

The new live action Cinderella movie comes out in a few weeks (March 15, 2015) so I decided to put together an inspired outfit. I always end up wearing jeans and a hoodie when I go to the theater… so this is one of those “what I would like to wear” posts! It gives me an excuse to browse fashion websites and hopefully inspire myself to dress up!

This stretch knit skater dress looks so comfy! And for only $15 from Forever 21 your wallet can rest easy, too. The signature light blue color is the perfect hue for our Cinderella outfit.

Cinderella’s classic puffy shoulders are cute and all, but I love the new look of the live action sleeves. To replicate the ruffled neckline I found this glittery fringe scarf from Wet Seal.

It’s all about sparkle and shine for Cinderella, and you don’t need a fairy godmother when you have the internet. Charlotte Russe has these fabulous blinged out glitter tights which are sure to turn a few heads.

A glass slipper may be the key to finding your prince charming so don’t leave home without these gorgeous metallic slip ons also from Charlotte Russe.

Keeping track of the time is incredibly important especially once it gets close to midnight. So don’t be a minute late with this stunning butterfly watch from Mod Cloth.

Complete your look with loose wavy hair and wearing this lovely butterfly headband from Claire’s.

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Are you excited to see the new Cinderella movie?

Will you be dressing up?

Glitzy Geeky Jewelry

They don't call me "Glitzy Geek Girl" for nothing! If there's one thing I love most it's jewelry! I've always been drawn to shiny and sparkly accessories. My collection has grown quite a bit over the years, and for this blog post I wanted to showcase a few of my favorite "geeky" jewelry items.

PAX South 2015

Since my first visit to PAX Prime several years ago, I have been anxiously awaiting my next chance to attend another PAX convention. When they announced a new location to their schedule here in my home state of Texas I couldn’t contain my excitement! I bought tickets as soon as they became available and counted down the days until the con.

It’s now been a few weeks since my visit to PAX South in San Antonio, but looking through my photos have brought back all the wonderful memories. I went to Prime by myself so I was really happy to go to South with my family. We are all first and foremost gamers. My mom and brother especially! So it was super special to be able and share this convention with them and nerd out over all the games and merchandise.

After the 5 hour trip from Dallas to San Antonio, we checked in to our hotel and walked next door to the convention center. To me that is one of the best things about PAX conventions is how they place the events in large centers around great hotels and fantastic night life. We headed straight in and to the Nintendo booth to try and grab a paper Majora’s mask souvenir. It was already gone for the day, but we did manage to get one the next morning!

Another great thing about PAX is the chance to try out new and upcoming games. My mom and I played the demo for Dungeon Defenders II and loved it! It was really colorful and interactive. I was so proud of my mom for trying out a PC game. She’s usually into console gaming. We were on easy mode but still enjoyed the gameplay and features. Plus we got a code for an early release and also a limited edition pin.

That evening we explored the rest of the convention center and checked out the Magic: The Gathering tournaments as well as some panels. I was excited to see my friend Mia Moore at the Women in Geek Media Panel!

The next morning I woke up really really early to get in line for the Guild Wars 2 panel. They weren’t letting people in the doors until 8am so my dad and I got there around 7:15am. There was already a line outside the building but once we got inside most everyone went a different direction than the main theater where the panel was to be held. So me and my dad and the two guys in front of us went straight to that queue and began our 2 hour wait until the panel started. Lucky for us we were awarded a Corsair Gaming Mouse for being one of the first 5 people there. I also got to meet two of Arena Net’s marketing team members and also cosplayer Sarah Cain who was dressed as a Guild Wars 2 character. The best part was seeing my face on the live Twitch stream. I was seated close to the front and in the center and my white hoodie and pink hair showed up nicely in the sea of black shirts. (See top right photo; I’m above his shoulder.) You can watch the stream here.

We spent the rest of the day collecting street passes on our Nintendo 3DS and then exploring some of San Antonio. My family and I ate at a great Mexican restaurant on the River Walk. Even though it was chilly it was just nice enough to be able to eat outside. Then we walked along the rest of the River Walk and found the The Alamo. I visited this once when I was very little but sadly don’t remember it. (How dare I not remember The Alamo!!) So I was very very excited to make up for it and take in all the history of this monument.

One of the best things about a PAX convention is all the free swag! I came home with SO many goodies! I bought a few of the collectable pins and adorable books they had and also a sticker sheet and patch. But literally everything else was free! I got Magic: The Gathering cards, the Majora’s Mask, lanyards, several coupon codes for online stores, and best of all a Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns shirt and pin!

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This was a very memorable trip and one I am happy to have spent with my family. I am looking forward to PAX South growing and becoming bigger and better next year.

Glitzy Geek Update

You may have noticed my blog posts haven’t been quite as frequent, but have no fear! I am still here! I figured since several of you might come by to check this I’d give a little update on what’s up in my glitzy geeky life. 

My blog began as a means for me to just express what was going on in my day to day life or stuff I shopped for and what not.. Then it blossomed into this exciting cosplay and craft tutorial hub! In 2014, I really went on a lot of great adventures to comic cons, concerts and other events. I feel like my blog focused on a lot of those things which is super cool because it’s so fun to go back and look at those posts.

This year, I plan to slow down a little bit on the cosplay lifestyle. I definitely would love to keep making things and dressing up, but I’d like to find a focus for my time and money somewhere new. That doesn’t mean I won’t make something or attend a comic con – because I definitely will! I love doing that! I just think I might try some new directions here and there.

The fun part is I don’t even know what that means! 😀 I actually don’t have much planned at the moment which is great because it leaves the door open for all sorts of opportunities. I have ideas in my head for blog posts that might be a tad more about some life experiences I’ve had (like being a cosplay guest, being a business owner, making friends on the internet) .. stuff like that! I just feel bad not posting a post with a ton of photos. I mean I’ve read blogger tips and most of them say don’t post a big wall of text. I don’t want my blog to completely change, but I do want to add some sort of new material to it.

So anyway that’s just some things that have been on my mind at the start of this new year. I do have a post coming soon all about PAX South in San Antonio and also a craft tutorial for my Rapunzel crown. As well as new giveaway prizes! Definitely come back soon for all those updates and more! I’m still here, I’m still geekin’ out, and I still love reading all your comments and getting to know all of you.

You can find me post pretty often on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, too!

Hugs to all! 

~GlitzyGeekGirl~

Holiday Haul 2014

This last Christmas was GREAT because I spent it with my family. I've been having so much fun over the holiday break that I am just now uploading some of my pics! So this post is a "Holiday Haul" to show you some of the amazing presents I received.

Tutorial: DIY Felt Cat Ear Headset

*Update!* I made some more cat ears live on my Twitch channel! Click here to view it!*

Today I have a super cute and fun tutorial for cat lovers and gamers! I wanted to make my gaming headset – the Razer Kraken – more kawaii so I created some detachable felt cat ears. This tutorial is very easy and requires no sewing! Check it out!