Shredder Cosplay Tutorial

TONIGHT I DINE ON TURTLE SOUP!

So last October I decided I wanted to make a Shredder cosplay to wear to the Dallas Sci Fi Expo in February! I chose this character because I am a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan. Since I wasn't sure how to make a turtle costume, I decided Shredder would be awesome! Also, I enjoyed making armor for my Fiona cosplay and wanted to try it again.

This is a fairly simple costume. Overall, it was super cheap for me since I used sheet foam for nearly everything. If you wanted it sturdier you could use Worbla. I've also seen it made out of cardboard and duct tape.

In this tutorial, I explain how I made the armor, helmet, tunic and cape.

WARNING – PICTURE HEAVY!!! 

Pinterest Favs #2

Pinterest and I have become very close pals over the last year. I pin quite frequently and find it so useful for organizing cosplay ideas, recipes to try, cool fashion finds, and cute artwork. There’s a Pinterest Favs post here that I did awhile back. So here’s #2 in this series!

How cute is this Myth Congeniality Skirt from Mod Cloth? There’s a matching top you can get, too!

I am in love with these My Little Pony leggings from We Love fine. These come in bigger sizes, too, which I think is great.

I googled the tag on this photo since Pinterest didn’t take me to a source and @Pants is Josh Mecouch who is a cartoonist for Mad magazine! He has other cool art on his website.

Beauty blog Phyrra had tons of other fantastic polishes posted, but I loved the colors in this one!

Pinterest is a great place to find Animal Crossing QR codes. I found this one by Raspberry-Jam-Heaven of Elsa from Frozen. There’s also a code for Anna’s dress on her deviantArt!

To continue with the Frozen theme, I totally said “awww” when I saw this picture of Olaf. The source is Instagram user @disney_life_for_me. I started following them right away!

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If you have a Pinterest please share your board in the comments so I can check them out and follow them! 🙂

You can view my Pinterest boards here. Be sure to check my “Likes” because I go on liking sprees sometimes, too.

GlitzyGeekGirl Etsy Store Grand Opening

The official GlitzyGeekGirl Etsy store is now open for business!!

My store has been something I’ve been working on for several weeks, and I am so excited to finally share the grand opening with you! I currently have cute 5×7 prints of a few of my favorite cosplays for only $5.00 that I will autograph for you at no extra charge. I also made 7 fantastic wizard wands to sell for only $10.00 each. Every order will come with a GlitzyGeekGirl sticker and button, too!*

You have your choice of Sailor Venus, Warrior Fiona from Shrek, Black Widow or Fionna from Adventure Time! These are high quality glossy photo prints in a cute 5×7 size. You can request me to sign it, too, for no additional cost! 

And for just $10 these wizard wands are currently available for purchase. I designed, handcrafted and painted each wand myself. Your wand will be completely unique!

Each order from the GlitzyGeekGirl store will come with a free sticker and button!

I plan on creating more geeky crafts so be sure to follow my store for news and updates!

Click here to visit my Etsy store 🙂

*Shipping and handling fees not included. Stickers and buttons are free with every purchase while supplies last. Shipping only available to US residents at this time.

Loot Crate Unboxing: January 2014

This was my first Loot Crate experience! Each month you get a box of goodies with a different theme of geek swag. The price is just under $20 a month. The January theme was “Launch” so everything in the box was kinda space related.

After seeing other people’s unboxing videos and pictures online, I noticed I didn’t get the Minecraft calendar. Pretty much everyone else did so I’m not sure why mine was missing.. especially since I didn’t get something different in it’s place. So I’m a little bummed about that.

To subscribe to Loot Crate please use this link – http://mbsy.co/lootcrate/1592413 -because they have a refer-a-friend program and it helps me out. They also post some discount codes on their Twitter. I saved 10% with the code EPIC.

I signed up for 3 months of Loot Crate. Even though I love the Funko Pop toy and the NASA patch, I hope the next box has more stuff in it I will use.

Also, HUGE congratulations to Hailee D. as the winner of my Scott Pilgrim Giveaway! Thank you to everyone that entered! This contest had the most entries ever.. so you guys totally rock! I already have an awesome prize lined up for my next giveaway so if you didn’t win this time be sure to check back soon. 🙂

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Are you subscribed to any goodie boxes like Loot Crate?

Giveaway: Scott Pilgrim Graphic Novel Complete Set

Are you a fan of Scott Pilgrim?? Ever want to cut your hair like Ramona Flowers?? Well here’s your chance to win a complete set of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels! One lucky winner will receive all 6 graphic novels in the Scott Pilgrim series! Entering is easy using Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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 Wednesday January 22nd at 11:00pm CST. 

Good luck everyone!

*Edit*: Just to clarify, these are not the color editions. I don’t even have those yet! But you do get the entire set of the original black/white comic 🙂

Review: Fresh Brewed Tee

I recently teamed up with Fresh Brewed Tee and have an exciting review to share! If you haven’t heard of them they are a family owned company that offers geeky/pop culture t-shirts. They stand out from other t-shirt companies because they make each design in a variety of sizes for any body shape!

I’ve had trouble in the past with other companies because their sizes were ill-fitting. The girl shirts were way too small, the boys were too big .. It was very frustrating! So I am super pleased to tell you that the quality of shirt that Fresh Brewed Tee offers is great! When I first received my shirt, I noticed right away how thick the material was. The design was also printed incredibly well, centered correctly, and won’t be fading anytime soon. I can’t tell you how happy I am that a woman’s size fit me, too. I am pretty tall (5’9″) and have a long torso. I usually stay away from ordering girl sizes because they are almost always too short for me. And the larges will be way too baggy! This shirt I am wearing in the photos is a woman’s large and fits me perfectly. It wasn’t too baggy at all, was long enough to look great with jeans, and the softness of the shirt was super comfortable. 

Plushies not included – But aren’t they cute! 😛

They have unique limited edition t-shirts that will cover any geek’s favorite fandom, and a design contest is available for artists to enter! http://www.freshbrewedtee.com

If you’re interested in purchasing a shirt from Fresh Brewed Tee then be sure to use this coupon code

 FBTGLITZYGEEKGIRL1

to save $1 when you order! It can be used more than once, too! Which is great since they regularly add new designs!

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Will you be ordering from Fresh Brewed Tee?

What shirt design is your favorite?

Ikkicon VIII 2013

Ikkicon is an anime and pop culture convention in Austin, Tx. It's always after Christmas and sometimes lands on New Years Eve. In 2012, I attended for the first time (you can read about it here.) It was a last minute decision, and I didn't really know many people. This year I was invited to room with my friend Mia Moore! I was looking forward to seeing her and the chance to meet new friends. The only thing stopping me from going was the drive to Austin. Last time I drove by myself and had a horrible time trying to park at the convention. I was hoping I could find a ride since so many cosplayers from Dallas usually go to Ikkicon. So I asked on my Facebook and was surprised how many nice people offered me a spot in their car! I rode down with Joseph of Chiaroscuro Cosplay. He and I have met a couple times at local Dallas cons. It was a lot of fun talking about cosplay and prop making on the drive to Austin with him!

When I got to Ikkicon, I had to wait in a long long long line to get a badge. I didn't pre-register, so my line had more people in it. I bet I waited close to 3 hours.

After I got my badge, I met Mia and her friends in our hotel room. It was thrilling to be around a group of friends, and I even looked forward to sleeping on the floor! Rooming with people at a convention was something I had never experienced before. It's something you have to try at least once! We all got along great, helped each other put on our costumes, and walked around the con together. On Friday, Mia was dressed as Luna Lovegood and I put on my Annie costume from League of Legends.

Book Review: Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

After realizing I only finished one book series last year (The Mortal Instruments), I took immediate action and decided to start reading right away. I always try to complete a book before I see the movie, and since Divergent comes out in March I knew it was a good one to start with. Overall, if you’re a fan of The Hunger Games then I am sure you will like this book. The Hunger Games was a little bit more engaging and drew me in faster, but I still couldn’t put Divergent down. I tried my best to keep this whole review SPOILER FREE! Nothing written here can’t been seen in the movie trailer.

Divergent Faction Button Set by The Geek Studio on Etsy

Divergent is the first book in a series of three by Veronica Roth. In a nutshell, it’s the story of a 16 year old girl that lives in a unique government setting. There are five different factions that each person lives in. When you turn 16 you have to decide if you want to stay with your family in the faction you were born into or change to a different one and leave your family. For Tris (the main character) her simulation test that is supposed to tell her which faction she’d fit in well with doesn’t give her normal results.

Fan art by pebbled via deviantART

The book starts off a little slow. You don’t get too personal with Tris right away. She basically just describes her normal routine in her faction Abnegation. This faction values selflessness and results in a boring life for Tris. You do get a taste of her questioning her lifestyle. So you wonder what choice she is going to make about her faction.

Fan art by nikaworks via deviantART

Eventually, more action starts to happen. Most of the book is about the faction choice she made. It made me wonder if that was going to be the highest part. Well I was wrong! A major wrench gets thrown into the plans, and just when you think things are going well for Tris she learns new secrets about the government. After I got to this part I really HAD to know what was going to happen.

Fan art by nickelbackloverxoxox via deviantART

Alongside the action, a love story also blooms. I enjoyed how it was portrayed because it left you wanting more. Tris has grown up around little affection, and I liked seeing her character develop into a woman that is curious about her feelings. The guy she likes (his name is Four) is depicted as strong, brave, and sometimes menacing. However, we get to see his weaknesses. His vulnerablitiy
 makes him seem real, and you end up liking him even more because of that.

Photo from Entertainment Weekly

The ending picks up pace very quickly, and you’re left on the edge of your seat. I’ve watched the movie trailer a couple times now, and I’m excited to see what scenes they keep. It’s got enough grit to it that I am sure guys will enjoy it and enough spirit that I know girls will, too. I actually know a few guys that read the book and said they liked it. So this story should have something for everyone.

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I already bought Insurgent and Allegiant, which are the next books in the series. I will probably not write a review on them since I don’t want to spoil the first movie for anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if I read the last book by the end of the week!

Watch the trailer for Divergent here and order the book here.

Have you read Divergent?

Will you go see the movie?

2013 In Review

Holy cow! I did so much in 2013!! One of my favorite things about blogging is the chance to look back through old posts and re-live those experiences. There’s no way I could pick just one to be my favorite.. So here’s a list of some of the things that made my 2013 awesome!

Travel

I never thought I would go to Disney World.. and now I’ve been there twice! Thanks to some flight vouchers, my Dad and I were able to visit Disney World again this past spring and see the newly built FantasyLand 🙂

Other amazing trips I went on:

–Houston/Galveston

–Las Vegas

–Seattle

-Austin (I went to Ikkicon this past weekend!)

Conventions

Last year I got a taste of what convention and cosplay life was like. And this year I really ran with it! My favorite convention of the year was the Dallas Comic Con and A-Kon. They are the biggest local cons, and had a lot of good artists and media guests. The best part is seeing all my friends in their new costumes!

A few of the other conventions I liked:

–MLG Dallas

–All-Con

–PAX Prime
– Dallas Fan Days

Photo by: Eli Luna

Photo by: SeadaemonPhotography

Cosplay

Cosplay has been a new hobby of mine that I just can’t seem to shake. I’m totally addicted! It makes comic and anime conventions so much more fun. My favorite part of cosplaying is creating the outfit. In just a year, I feel like I’ve grown as an artist. And I definitely owe it to all my cosplaying friends. I feel so inspired by them and really love how encouraging the community is. My favorite costumes from this year were Arwen from The Lord of The Rings and Fiona from Shrek. It was hard to pick, but I remember feeling super happy and excited to put these outfits on.

I wore 10 new costumes this year! Here’s the list:

-Asajj Ventress

-Arwen

-Fiona from Shrek

-Evil Mary Marvel

-Sailor Venus

-Annie from League of Legends

-Black Widow

-Legolas

-Luna Lovegood

-Fionna from Adventure Time

Favorite Books

I’m trying to remember if I read anything besides The Mortal Instruments series, but I don’t think I did. I’m a little sad I didn’t read more.. but at least there were 5 books in this series. I loved them all, and I can’t wait until the next one comes out in 2014. 

The TMI series consists of:

-City of Bones

-City of Ashes

-City of Glass

-City of Fallen Angels

-City of Lost Souls

Theatrical Release Poster: Walt Disney Studios

Favorite Movies

I don’t get to make it out to the theater for new releases too often, but this year I managed to see a couple! My favorite was definitely Thor: The Dark World. I wrote a review about it, and now I’m considering making a Thor cosplay! The movie was a good mix of action, humor and romance.

Other movies I saw that I loved:

-Wreck It Ralph

-The Avengers

-Warm Bodies

-The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

-Frozen

Note: I know for a fact I am going to LOVE The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, but just haven’t had a chance to go see it yet!

 Favorite TV Shows

The Vampire Diaries is still on top of my list of favorite shows. It’s really the only one that I watch live. I will not make plans on Thursday nights because that’s TVD night! I was lucky enough to attend a Vampire Diaries convention this year, too.

Other shows I am hooked on:

-Game of Thrones

-The Big Bang Theory

-Glee

-Sleepy Hollow

Favorite Songs

Growing up I listened to music constantly. All kinds, too! And that definitely hasn’t changed. This year my top played songs were very eclectic. Paramore’s “Still Into You” takes the crown! I love this song and video so much!

My other favorite songs of the year:

-One Direction – Story of My Life

-Demi Lovato – Lightweight

-Lindsey Stirling – Song of the Caged Bird (I saw her live!)

-The Killers – Here With Me (I saw them live this year, too!)

-Katy Perry – Roar

Favorite Games

Animal Crossing: New Leaf wins this category so easily. I never thought I could be addicted to a game other than EQII. I love hanging out with my villagers, buying new outfits, and participating in the holiday events. It’s just the cutest game ever!

Of course I’m still addicted to:

-EverQuest II

-League of Legends

-Pokemon X

Favorite Blogs

Now that my blog has been around for over a year, I have had the pleasure of getting to know other bloggers! Cazz over at Nerd Burger has become a great friend, and I love seeing her posts about new comics, geek fashion, and watching her videos. She even cosplayed for the first time as Carrie Kelly and looked fantastic!! I also became closer to Mia Moore, who lives just down the road in Austin, Tx. We got to meet up a couple times for conventions this year. I love talking cosplay, anime and movies with her!

Other blogs I can’t live without:

–The Nerdy Girlie

–GirlHero

–LeslieIRL

–A Bit of Geek

–Dallas Fan Girl

Goals for 2014

-Go to San Diego Comic Con. This is like the con of all cons! It’s really hard to get tickets, so I’m hoping my application for a press badge is accepted!

-Get better at making props for my cosplays. I use a lot of cardboard and foam. And I’d really like to challenge myself by using new materials.

-Be more active (who DOESN’T put this on their to-do list?) But seriously, I sit at the computer a lot.. like a whole lot. I’d like to do more activities outside.

-I never made it to the Dallas Aquarium or Arboretum which was on my list for 2013. So I definitely HAVE to do that.

-See more movies. This sounds like a silly goal, but I’d like to go to the theater for new releases more often.

-Reply to blog comments. I’m putting this because I am really bad about replying. I absolutely read every single comment on my blog, Facebook, Instagram, etc … But I tend to check them on my phone and tell myself I’ll reply to it when I get to my computer. I appreciate everyone taking the time to look at my posts, and I would love to interact and become a better friend! I can be super shy, and a big goal of mine for 2014 is to become more social. On AND off the internet.

So let’s all raise a glass (Coke Zero in mine) and celebrate the end of a great year and the beginning of an even better one!

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What was your favorite memory of 2013?

What is your biggest goal for 2014?