OMGLITZY: October 2014

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

October is one of my favorite months of the year! Spooky decorations, cooler weather, and another reason to dress up in costume! Halloween is in just a few days, and I’ve seen several of my friends post all month what movies they’ve been watching to get in the holiday mood. So here is my list of my favorite Halloween movies!

1. The Halloween Tree

This is my all-time favorite Halloween movie. I remember watching it as a kid and not only enjoying it immensely but learning, too. It was the first time I saw how Halloween is celebrated in different ways throughout the world. The main story of how the kids are trying to save their friend will pull your heartstrings, too.

2. Saw II

I’m not a big fan of horror movies. I actually can’t handle gore all that well. But for some reason the second Saw movie is one of my favorites. I still watch it with semi-closed eyes, though! I like how hey are all in a house together and each room has a different “game”. Out of the few Saw films I’ve seen this one stands out in my mind as the most exciting to watch. (Be sure to check out my makeup tutorial for Billy – the creepy doll from the movie!)

3. Edward Scissorhands

It’s hard not to include all of Tim Burton’s movies on my list, but Edward Scissorhands seems to be a very special film to me. The idea of a man with hands of scissors should come off as unnerving, but this films makes Edward appear more magical and soft than creepy or scary. If anything, it’s the rest of the town that makes your skin crawl which is exactly why this movie is so great. It’s beautiful and happy and sad and totally great for Halloween.

4. The Addams Family

Dun dun dun dun *clap clap* dun dun dun dun *clap clap*

“They’re creepy and they’re kooky; mysterious and spooky!”

Gosh this movie is so rad I almost stopped blogging just go watch it right now. The Addams Family totally embodies Halloween for me. Each character is so unique with mysterious personal characteristics! Put the whole family together in a wickedly awesome house and you’ve got one of the coolest families on the block.

5. Jeepers Creepers

I’m just as surprised as you are that Jeepers Creepers is on my list since I don’t like scary movies. But whenever it is on TV I can’t help but watch it. It’s a rather simple story, but jeez that monster really freaks me out. It’s one of the few horror movies that I actually like the ending of, too. And the song is just so catchy and fun to sing! “Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those peepers?”

Honorable mention:

Hocus Pocus, Underworld, Sleepy Hollow

You can’t have a Halloween list without Hocus Pocus! It’s a must-watch movie for the holiday. And Underworld is my favorite vampire movie. I would love to cosplay as Selene someday. Also, when I saw Sleepy Hollow in the theaters I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. Christopher Walken also spooked me quite a bit.

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So let me know in the comments what some of your favorite Halloween movies are!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Dallas Fan Days 2014

This past weekend was the October edition of Dallas Comic Con! It was originally called "Fan Days" but I just learned that they will be renaming their 3 conventions. (If you're curious – February's will be Fan Days, May's will be Dallas Fan Expo, and October's will be Dallas Comic Con) But anyway I will probably still refer to this one as Fan Days for now 😀

They had announced early on that Elijah Wood and the Phelps twins from Harry Potter would be attending! I immediately bought a premium badge because I knew I would want to meet them. They also announced Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Burt Ward and Adam West (Batman and Robin) but they all sadly had to cancel. There were still several other great guests from Indian Jones and The Goonies as well as some big named comic book artists. I am totally blaming the Ebola scare that happened in Dallas this month for the cancellations. Thankfully I think it's all under control now!

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Pinterest Favs #4

Here are a few of my favorite pins from my Pinterest board recently.

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This Merida cosplay by Diomira Keane is so beautiful!

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I really love this shade of blue! And that cut is super rad!

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I totally had all these Barbie toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals! It would be fun to try and collect them again.

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Shourei is an artist that has done several cosplays, makeups and illustrations, and I am so happy to have discovered her through this photo on Pinterest. A faun makeup would be really fun to try for Halloween!

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This Disney anime gal by Cartoongirl7 is adorable!

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Mario Kart 8 will be getting several new characters and tracks to play! I can’t wait to race with Isabelle, Link and Cat Peach! The first pack comes out this November.

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You can follow my Pinterest boards here! Be sure to share yours in the comments below 🙂

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Pixie’s 4th Adoptaversary

On September 24th, we celebrated Pixie’s 4th adoptaversary! Since I don’t know her exact birthday, we throw a party on the day she was adopted. Pixie’s adoption story can be read in this post here. I definitely recommend adopting an animal from a shelter because they bring you so much happiness!

She always tries to jump in my laundry hamper so I decided to buy one for her to play with.

She went right inside!

Here she is saying “THANK YEW I LUVS IT!”

“I luvs my new kitty cave!”

I also fixed her a special meal of turkey, salami and a few kitty treats.

“I can haz my dinner, pwease?”

She really enjoyed it to say the least! She licked the plate clean!

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I am so thankful to have Pixie in my life and hope to celebrate many many more adoptaversaries!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Tutorial: Princess Celestia Cosplay

In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Celestia is the co-ruler of Equestria alongside her sister Princess Luna. I had been dreaming of cosplaying Celestia for a long time because she is so majestic and beautiful. She has such a kind and gentle spirit and is a wonderful mentor to Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies. I love her pastel rainbow mane and golden armored accessories. So for this tutorial I will show you how I made my cosplay!

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OMGLITZY: September 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Texas Rangers Game 2014

Last week I went to a Texas Rangers baseball game! This was my third visit to a Rangers game but my first time to go with my dad. We are really big baseball fans, and he and I watch it on TV together all the time. I always told him that if I ever won the lottery I would buy season tickets for us.

We pulled up to the stadium and saw this cute noodle outside 😛

Once we got inside, we were given this free garden gnome and cinch bag. The first 15,000 fans received the gnome – it was one of the reasons we picked this night to go! I can’t wait to add him to my fairy garden.

We got there really early so we didn’t have to mess with traffic so the stadium was pretty empty. It was very peaceful actually.

Since we had time to kill, we decided to walk around. This was a view of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in the distance. Doesn’t it look like a spaceship?

We were excited to find the Captain Morgan Club because above it is where Rangers Live broadcasts before the games. Mark McLemore even came to the window and waved at us! He played for the Rangers from 1995-1999.

I also loved this giant piggy bank. Look at his little hat 😛

The best part of a ball game is the food. We had a few hot dogs and this huge pretzel!

Later on we treated ourselves to some dessert. I got a cookies n cream waffle cone and my dad ordered a root beer float.

This was a cool pic from behind home plate.

Our seats were further back behind third base, but we were still able to see and enjoy the game. I was so happy to have witnessed a home run by Robinson Chirinos and the Rangers won 2-1!

I had the best time and loved every minute of the game. Baseball is my absolute favorite sport! The season is over now, but I hope we get to attend more games next year. I’d also like to travel and watch a Chicago Cubs game with my dad some day.

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Do you have a favorite sport or team?

Thursday, September 25, 2014

One Direction Concert – Dallas 2014

A few weeks ago I went on an adventure to see the band One Direction perform! I became a Directioner after seeing the guys perform Story of My Life on SNL. I couldn’t believe how well they sang and the song really moved me. After that I bought all their albums and was instantly hooked. So when I first heard that the Where We Are Tour was making a stop in Dallas I just knew I wanted to get tickets. I was excited to see this specific tour because I had made a playlist of their setlist and had every song memorized!

The concert was held at AT&T Stadium which is where the Dallas Cowboys play football. I had never been to this stadium before so I left really early to avoid bad traffic. I was impressed with how well they had labeled the parking lots and had no trouble finding a spot.

While waiting for the doors to open, you could shop at the merchandise tent outside. I thought this was incredibly smart because you could buy everything you wanted and take it right back to your car and not have to carry it around during the show.

I decided to buy this purple and pink shirt. It photographed kinda dark but it’s really a pretty color, and I like that it says the name of the tour at the bottom.

This is from the very back of the stadium. I loved that someone on Instagram said “bow ties are cool” .. At first I was like huh? But the backdrop totally looks like a bow tie! haha!

Since I went by myself to this concert I had to ask a stranger to take this pic for me. Luckily the place was swarming with young girls with nice mothers willing to help ^.^

I saw on Facebook that my cosplay friend Emily Ann was also at the show! So I messaged her the section I was in and she came by to say Hello!

Photo by Elizabeth Villarreal

Since Emily had amaaaazzzzing seats I asked if I could post one of the photos she and her friends took. I can’t believe how close they were to the stage! This photo didn’t require any zoom at all!

I still had a decent view from my seat and was able to see the boys pretty well when they walked along the extended stage.

During one of the songs everyone turned their phones on and the whole place lit up like the night sky. It was truly breathtaking.

I really enjoyed how funny the guys were with each other. At one time Liam let the whole audience know that Harry sleeps with his hair in a bun. And another time Niall did a great Texas accent for us!

The stage itself was very impressive. They had a fantastic light show and small fireworks went off several times. I loved it when the stage extended up into the air because I could almost believe that maybe one of them saw me ^.^

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I realize not everyone is a One Direction fan, and I totally respect that. But please don’t say anything negative about my likes! I found that their concert was super professional and very entertaining. One of the best I’ve been to! It’s been exciting to watch this ‘cute boy band’ turn into some highly talented young men. They can sing SO well. And they truly never stopped thanking the crowd and looking around the entire stadium with awe. Now I am looking forward to their next album!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Anime Fest 2014

This was my second year to attend Anime Fest. The first time was in 2012 (you can view the posts here and here.) This is a very fun convention because it's similar to AKon but just a little smaller in size. I can tell it's still grown since my first visit, though. The hotel it is at is one of my favorites in Dallas – the Sheraton. I love the layout and location. Anime Fest had many guests in attendance including the band FLOW as well as several voice actors and game developers. The other best part of this con are the fan-run panels. I was happy to provide some prizes for the Disney Panel which is always a very popular one to attend!

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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Glitzy Geeky Confessions

Gamerwife invited bloggers to take the “Geeky Confessions” challenge so I decided to share mine with you! Be sure to head over to her page to visit the links from other bloggers that have opened up with their darkest geeky secrets :p

1. I’ve cosplayed a character I didn’t know

I had never seen The Clone Wars before cosplaying as Asajj Ventress. The story is that I really wanted to do a Star Wars cosplay but wasn’t sure who. I love the Star Wars movies and know who most of the females are in the films. I almost did Queen Amidala, but while googling more characters I came across Asajj Ventress and loved her character design. Having never seen the show, I decided to research her backstory and ended up really enjoying it. So although I had never been a fan of The Clone Wars – cosplaying Ventress turned me into one!

2. I’m not a Whovian

I’ve only seen maybe ..two entire episodes. I don’t dislike it, though. In fact, I attended Who Fest 2013 with my mom and really had fun. I think the story ideas and fandom are very creative, but as far as watching the actual show .. I’ll pass.

3. I love reading spoilers

I purposefully seek out spoilers for games, movies, and books. I frequently visit TheMovieSpoiler.com and read all the current movies as if they are short stories. And for certain TV shows I find it enjoyable to know what’s going to happen next. It’s like I have more anticipation and excitement!

4. I have a Twilight tattoo

This *should* be my most embarrassing confession. But if you know me then you know I don’t really give a frack what people think of my love for certain fandoms! So yep – I have a pretty big Twilight tattoo on my arm. I even entered a “Are you the biggest fan” contest to try and win a trip to be in the second movie. (I can’t believe I didn’t win.) I did make sure the tattoo was done so well that it doesn’t scream cheesy vampire romance. Most people don’t even realize it’s a Twilight reference. I still love it to this day.

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What are some of your geeky confessions?

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Happy Things #25

Most of these Happy Things pics were posted on my Instagram (@GlitzyGeekGirl) but they made me so happy they’re worth blogging about, too!

I’ve been playing the new mobile game Tsum Tsum and quickly became a huge fan. My local Disney Store had these Tsums for sale, too! If you play be sure to add me so we can send hearts. My Line user ID is GlitzyGeekGirl.

Pixie would make a great Tsum don’t you think? 😛 (Did you know Tsum Tsum means “stack stack” and the underneath side of the plushies are made for cleaning your phone’s screen?)

A few weeks later I went back to the mall and got these goodies from the Disney Store.

I also finally put together my Lego Cinderella Castle. I will need to take a picture of my castle and figurines to show you how I displayed them!

This photo is from Anime Fest in the food court area of the hotel. They have large prisms up in the ceiling by the glass windows so giant rainbows spread across the floor. I hope to have my Anime Fest post up next so be sure to check back for that.

My dad treated me to IHOP one day recently where I ordered this delicious omelette with pancakes and hashbrowns. Anyone else LOVE breakfast foods? I sure do!

And lately I’ve really been enjoying the products found on Zulily. They have different specials each day and feature a lot of great clothes, kids toys, and home decor. I loved the My Little Pony and Frozen event they recently had (I got an Olaf backpack and some Funkos!) And today is a TOMS shoes event. Signing up is free and their mobile app is very easy to use.

If you sign up please use my link!

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What has made you happy lately?

Friday, September 5, 2014

The Vampire Diaries: Dallas Convention 2014

Last year I had attended Creation Entertainment’s Vampire Diaries Convention and had one of the best times! (You can read about it here.) These cons are a little pricey but smaller in size and run incredibly professionally. It’s a lot more intimate setting and a better chance to see/hear/meet the guests. However, Paul Wesley canceled last year, and I was super bummed because I had already met Ian Somerhalder before. So I decided to go again to try and get Stefan’s autograph added to my poster!

I wore the shirt I bought at last year’s con along with my Salvortore ring.

The convention was held at a nice hotel and had these cute standees in the dealer’s room. Since I didn’t pay for a photo op with the fellas I decided this selfie was good enough.

There was some great Vampire Diaries merch for sale including t shirts, mugs, stickers, jewelry and hats. I didn’t buy anything this time since I already have 2 shirts and a hoodie … and tons of jewelry :p

I found my seat in the panel room to watch the trivia contest and auction then saw my face on the screen!!! If you used the hashtag TVDDallas on Instagram they were posting the pics of fans on the screens! How cool is that!

The guest list was great but most were only coming on specific days. Since I was only attending on Saturday I got to see Stefan and Damon and Haley (Phoebe Tonkin). Haley was a werewolf on VD and also on The Originals. I was bummed that I couldn’t meet Michael Trevino (who played Tyler Lockwood) because he was only attending Sunday. Oh well.

And here is Stefan and Damon!! I was so excited to finally see Paul Wesley! He was hilarious!! His character on VD is so serious all the time that it was a nice treat to see him more relaxed and make jokes. Ian Somerhalder was his usual “I’m so hot” self that he was kinda annoying to be honest. But the two together were great because they called each other “brother” and really seemed like good friends.

I couldn’t take any pictures while getting Paul Wesley’s autograph, but he was super super super super cute. Oh my god. He was so handsome!! When it was almost my turn I asked the lady in front of me if I looked okay then tried to remember to breath normally. I got to the table and he started signing my poster and I said how it was so nice to finally meet him since I missed him last year. He shook my hand and said thank you then I told him good luck at the Teen Choice Awards (which were the next day). Then I asked if I could shake it his hand one more time and he laughed and said sure. 😀 😀 😀

The Vampire Diaries will always be one of the favorite TV shows, and I think it’s the neatest thing that I’ve had the opportunity to meet several of the cast members. I only need Tyler, Alaric, Jenna, and Elena’s autograph to have my poster finished.

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Are you Team Damon or Team Stefan?

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Once Upon A Time Cosplay: Evil Queen Regina Costume

I am so excited to share with you all my Once Upon A Time cosplay of the Evil Queen Regina!!!

This cosplay is special to me because it's proof you CAN use a Halloween costume for cosplay! Anyone that says you can't is silly. Sure, I enjoy making a lot of my own stuff, but sometimes I just don't have the time or money to make an entire cosplay from scratch. I've used pieces from Halloween stores for several of my cosplays in the past. So when Costume SuperCenter contacted me about modeling one of their costumes, I couldn't have been more stoked!! Going through their gallery was a lot of fun, too. They have SO MANY to choose from for all genres and fandoms.

After narrowing it down, I finally chose the Elite Wicked Queen costume. I picked this because it's not something I would know how to make on my own. Evil Queen Regina from Once Upon A Time wears some exquisite dresses, and the time and money it would take for me to find patterns and fabrics would have been stressful. The costume came in a dress bag inside a well-packaged box.

**I chose a size Large – I'm 5'10 and about 145 pounds.**

More photos and lots of great details>>>

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Monday, September 1, 2014

Advertise on GlitzyGeekGirl

September and October are the best months to buy an ad space on my blog! My most viewed posts are my costume/cosplay tutorials and the number of views nearly triples in the weeks before Halloween.

I use Passionfruit for my ads – which is very easy to use! Visit my Sponsor Page to see the sizes and rates. And as a special bonus you can use the code SPOOKY for $1 off any ad size.

My prices are super reasonable and great for bloggers, artists, small businesses and cosplayers!

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OMGLITZY: August 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

North Texas Comic Book Show: July 2014

When I was asked to attend the North Texas Comic Book Show as a cosplay guest, I couldn’t have been more excited! I attended this event in January (you can read about it here) and loved the smaller size and feel. They have two large rooms full of comic artists, vintage toy sellers and other cosplayers.

When I arrived I saw my face on this giant poster and said WOW out loud 😛 This is also the convention I debuted my Steampunk Princess Leia cosplay. I couldn’t have done this costume without the amazing corset from Corset Story. You can read my tutorial for this costume here.

I brought along several prints and accessories to sell. A few of these are still available in my Etsy store.

I was happy to see quite a few of my friends in attendance. Here’s my good friend and fellow blogger My Geeky Geeky Ways!

Photo by My Geeky Geeky Ways

I even hosted a panel! I’ve been a panel guest one other time (at Animation Celebration) but I was joined then by 4 other girls. So I was really nervous to talk by myself this time. The topic was about basic cosplay construction. I made note cards and listed out the steps I go through to determine how to pick a character, what materials I’ll need and work well, and the best places I’ve learned to find them. The crowd was small but still had at least 20 people there! I loved that I knew most everyone and they all joined in the discussion. 🙂

I held a drawing to win a giant Spider-Man 2 poster and my friend Mindy of The Geeky Seamstress won it!

I also had some Punisher posters and my friends Jesse and Ricardo won them! Jesse’s PikaPool was great!

Courtney wore her Azula cosplay and brought along her fireball. I was excited to see this in person since I missed her at Comic Con!

Photo by Trevor Jaro Chambers

I helped out as a judge for the cosplay contest, too! This was so much fun and, all the contestants did a great job!

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The next North Texas Comic Book Show is in November.

Be sure to check it out because it’s awesome!!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Review: Gothic Lolita Wigs

The latest wig I added to my collection is the Classic Wavy in Deep Pink by Gothic Lolita Wigs. Most of my wigs are from Arda, but I loved the length and light curl this wig offered. I have never ordered from GLW so let me tell you a little about it!

This is how it came shipped. It came in TWO days!! I was so impressed with how fast their shipping was. It also came with a wig cap, which I think is great!! I lose mine all the time!

I gently took it out of the package to show you how they had stored it. It wasn’t tangled or flattened at all.

This was after I ran my fingers through it to loosen the curls.

The inside of the wig has adjustable straps and 3 attached combs to help it stay secure while you wear it. Arda has the straps but not these combs. I loved this addition! Someone asked if these would fit larger heads, and I think it definitely will. Arda’s might be a little bigger, but I didn’t think this GLW wig was too snug at all.

This is me wearing it in my bathroom lighting. The pink is gorgeous!! Though it is called “deep pink” it is definitely more pastel in color.

I teased the bangs just slightly so they would stay to the side better. The hair strands stayed smooth and don’t have a fake shiny look to them.

After combing it with my wig brush the curls had a lot of bounce to them, too! I love the length and fullness of this wig.

Here is a picture of it in the sunlight!

So overall I give Gothic Lolita Wigs an A+! The price is just right for this quality and how fast it shipped. I will definitely be ordering more from them!

Do you have a favorite wig company?

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I was nominated by my friend Ashleigh and Chris to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! To be honest, I didn’t know much about ALS before these videos had gone viral. It’s been enjoyable watching celebrities and friends get drenched, but more importantly I have learned about a disease that needs awareness. Please visit ALSA.ORG to learn more and donate if you can (I did!) This article by Bo Stern also gave me a lot of insight on ALS and what this ice bucket movement is doing for families.

I’ve nominated my friends Natalie Green, Jeremy of Cosplay With Me, and Cazz of Nerd Burger to take the challenge! 🙂

Monday, August 18, 2014

Pinterest Bubble Pizza

There is a pin on Pinterest of a recipe called “Bubble Pizza” that seems to always show up on my feed. (Probably because I follow so many pizza boards, lol) It looks like the original recipe came from YummyFoodDrink.com. I have always wanted to try making it since it looks super easy. So the other day I finally bought the ingredients to give it a try!

You’ll need:

Canned biscuits (I bought the jumbo size)

Pizza sauce

Pepperoni

Shredder cheese

A baking dish

and Pam

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 400° and lightly greasing your dish with Pam.

Spread the biscuits onto the bottom of the dish.

Then cover them with pizza sauce.

I added a ton of pepperonis, but you could use any type of meat or vegetable.

Finally, cover it with a hefty layer of cheese.

Bake your dish for 20 minutes or until the top is a nice golden color.

Since I flattened my biscuits my dish didn’t exactly look like “Bubble” pizza, but it still tasted amazing! It was like a cheesy pizza casserole. My family absolutely loved it. We sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top and plan to make garlic toast for next time!

The total for the ingredients only came around $14. It also reheated well for a second helping for us the next day!

I will definitely be making this again and trying new meats and vegetables with it. Let me know if you make this! 🙂

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

ScrewAttack Gaming Convention 2014

This year the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention was held at my favorite downtown hotel – The Sheraton Dallas. This is a smaller gaming convention that still packs a lot of punch. It’s guest list included Smooth McGroove, The Angry Video Game Nerd, the creator of Nyan Cat – Chris Torres, and the co-creator of Mega Man – Keiji Inafune.

I wore my Annie cosplay from League of Legends. After picking up my badge I immediately ran into another Annie, too! (You can read my tutorial for this cosplay here.)

There was also a lot of fun things for sale like shirts and apparel, Nintendo plushies, and vintage games.

In the open area you could play arcade games for free.

My favorite part is the console room where you can play against your friends and watch tournaments.

I loved this Sylveon cosplay!

Don’t mess with the Khaleesi.

These two girls were from Gears of War and looked amazing!

This was my second year to attend SGC. You can read about last year here. It was fun wearing my Annie cosplay again and seeing the convention grow. Gaming conventions are fun because I pick up so many Street Passes on my Nintendo 3DS! 😀

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Share Your Blog or Fav Blogs

“Nrrrd Grrrl” by Jessica Grundy – available on Etsy

Hi friends! This is kind of a different post than usual. I am hoping some of y’all can help me with updating my blog reading list!

Since I got a new computer, my bookmarks got messed up 🙁 So here’s your chance to post your own blog or one you like to read a lot!

These are a few of my interests:

Cosplay, comic cons, fashion, makeup, hair dye, cats, gaming, fantasy (elves, fairies, magic), book reviews, kawaii, DIY

What I’d really like to start reading more of:

*Disney – any bloggers that might live in Florida or California and have annual passes and post about their daily trips! Also, Disney inspired outfits and cosplays.

*Easy recipes – I’m trying to cook more often, but need lots of guidance. Any *really* simple cooking blogs for beginners would be great.

Even if your blog doesn’t fall into any of those categories, please post in the comments! I’d love to branch out more.

I’ve been trying to google search new blogs, but all I come up with are big named blogs with lots of ads. Thanks for your help, and I can’t wait to see what y’all post 🙂

~Glitzy Geek Girl~

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Happy Things #24

Here are some things that have made me happy lately!

I am an avid collector of My Little Pony merchandise, and the blind bags you find at Target or Walmart are no exception! I have several duplicates of random ponies so I decided to make hair clips out of them! I have a few that I might put in my Etsy store if there’s enough interest in them 🙂

Having duplicates doesn’t stop me from buying more ponies. I recently got this sparkly Fluttershy!

Here’s Pixie sitting in a tutu!

Owning a pair of Gunnar glasses has been on my wish list for awhile. When I saw they would be at Quake Con (which was a free gaming event) I decided to go and check them out. These were considerably cheaper since I got to buy them from an official booth and not online. I had LASIK on my eyes several years ago, and the bright screen isn’t the best thing to look at for hours. The glasses really do make things sharper, and my eyes don’t feel as stressed out now.

My Gunnar glasses get a lot of use out of them! I’ve been playing Guild Wars 2 a whole bunch lately. I kinda play sporadically. But Pixie loves sitting by while I battle dragons.

I played so much lately that I finally got my main character to level 80! I also earned my first title “The Sunbringer”! Ooooohh!!

My friend Krystal had a birthday/moving out party a few weeks ago, and it felt like a perfect time to wear my Hello Kitty dress. I got this from Macy’s last year, and it still had the tags on it!

I also brought these delicious cookies to Krystal’s party.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire was released several months ago now, and I had entered a few online contests to try and win a signed book and exclusive hoodie. Well, a few days ago this package showed up at my door! I never received an email saying I won, but I assume it was one of the many blogs that was hosting it. I didn’t win the signed book, but seeing the hoodie and rune tattoos gave me the boost I needed to finally finish reading the book.

You are probably looking at this photo and going “Huh?” Haha so let me explain! This is a bowling ball in my backyard! It’s something fun my family likes to find at garage sales and thrift stores. We put the bowling balls around our garden. They kinda look like giant marbles. We found this ball at the local Trade Days for only $5.

My last Happy Things item is this shirt I ordered from Amazon. I have no shame in admitting I love One Direction, and I’m super pumped to see them in concert in a few weeks! So I ordered this shirt to wear to the show. 🙂

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What has made you happy lately?

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OMGLITZY: July 2014

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Giveaway: Flying Packs Shirt

Flying Packs is a t-shirt company based out of San Francisco with a style any Californian would love. Being from Texas, I feel like we don’t get many original and hip shirts, so I was stoked when Flying Packs contacted me about their product! After reading their About section on their website I was immediately drawn to their motto “Don’t think outside the box, think as if there never was a box.” With a unique catalog of shirts to choose from, there’s no doubt males and females will find a stylish shirt to order.

I’m wearing the Flying Panda shirt in a size small and the fit was great! So many shirts run too small for my body type (I’m 5’10”), but I was so happy that the small fit just right. I paired it with a colorful undershirt and casual shorts – ready for a fun day by the pool.

I loved that there is no tag in the neckline, but rather a printed description. No itchy neck! Also, the shirts are 100% cotton and super soft to the touch. Do be careful when washing them, though, and use cold water to prevent any shrinkage.

I love my shirt so much that I want to share the greatness with you! One lucky winner will receive the black Flying Pig shirt I am holding in the photo above. It’s a size medium which will comfortably fit any guy or gal. Flying Packs also sent along several awesome stickers. And to sweeten the deal, I will be throwing in a signed cosplay print by yours truly!

Entering is easy! Just follow these steps on the Rafflecopter widget. One winner will be picked at random and mailed the Flying Packs shirt and my signed cosplay print. 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 Monday August 4. No purchase necessary. Good luck! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, July 28, 2014

Tutorial: Furry Ears

After watching the incredible Commander Holly make a Rocket Raccoon cosplay for SDCC, I was inspired to make some raccoon ears myself! I figured this would be fun to wear to the premiere of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I looked up pictures of raccoon ears for reference, but you could use this tutorial to make cat, bear, fox, or any furry ears!

What you’ll need:

A headband, wire, wire cutter, craft foam, fake fur, scissors, hot glue, Sharpies

1) Cut your wire to make two ear shapes on your headband. Then sandwich some craft foam around the wire to hide it.

2) Cut your fake fur a little bigger than the foam ears and sandwich them the same way.

3) Glue it all the way around with hot glue.

4) Gently color your fur with your choice of Sharpie. I started with black in the middle, silver around that, and then left the edges white. I would have liked to have added brown, but I didn’t have a brown Sharpie with me. 🙂

Keep adding color to it until it suits your fancy! I also colored the back of my ears to look striped like a raccoon. And since there is wire in the ears you can bend them! I cupped mine a little and folded one ear down more than the other.

Now you’re ready to guard the galaxy as one of the most fierce raccoons ever!

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These ears were so easy to make! I would love to make more in different colors. Let me know if you use this tutorial!

What animal ears would you like to wear?

Will you be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

AKon 25 – 2014

AKon celebrated it’s 25th anniversary this year at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. It’s one of the longest running anime conventions in the US. I have been 3 years in a row now, and this year I arrived extra early to pick up my badge on Thursday.

The calm before the storm! The hotel is beautiful so it was nice seeing it before it was swarmed with cosplayers. There are some amazing pieces of art throughout the building including a piece of the Berlin Wall.

This was about 9:30 am on Thursday and the registration room was already PACKED with people waiting to pick up their badges. It took me nearly 3 hours to get through the line. Next year I am going to pay extra to just buy my badge on site because that line was nearly empty.

Photo by The Geeky Seamstress (Ms Marvel)

After I got my badge that morning I went home to prepare for the masquerade ball that evening. I figured why not check it out since it was included in the badge price. It was fun dressing up in something more original rather than a cosplay. I wore a black skirt with a lace shirt and my black corset. I got my mask at the mall and felt very Victorian!

The next morning I put on my Princess Celestia cosplay and headed back to the hotel. My dad drove me and my mom since the parking was so expensive. We got there pretty early so my mom took a few photos of me in the courtyard.

Once the dealer’s room opened we made our way up and down the aisles. Anime conventions have some amazing merchandise. I prefer them over comic conventions personally. There’s just more of a variety of trinkets and treasures. Like this booth in the photo!

Last AKon I met Yaya Han for the first time. She even complimented my Fiona from Shrek cosplay. Her line was super long this year so I didn’t get to talk to her, but my mom got this good photo at her booth.

While walking through the dealers room I met this wonderful Princess Anna cosplayer! She looked just like her!

I also spotted Ejen from Cosplay in America. His next book will be coming out soon, and I can’t wait to see his hard work published!

The next day I wore my Sailor Ariel cosplay and met up with the other Disney Sailor Scouts. We had been planning this since February so it was awesome seeing it finally come together.

I’ve admired photographer Aperture Ashley and was so excited to have a shoot scheduled with her. She took this great picture of my Sailor Ariel!

Some of the loot I came home with from AKon was a Korilakkuma Kigurumi, Sailor Moon Moonstick, and a Sylveon postcard by one of my favorite artists – Octopie.

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I normally upload all my photos to Facebook, but since a whole days worth didn’t transfer to my new computer I won’t be able to make an album. If I figure out how to retrieve them I will update this post! 🙂

My next convention will be Anime Fest which is just a smaller version of AKon. It’s grown a lot over the years, though, so I expect it won’t be much smaller for long!

You can read last year’s AKon post here!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Healthy Hair Color Tips: Bleaching and Funky Colors

A question I am asked a lot is “How do you keep your hair so healthy?” Well let me first admit that my hair has been through a lot! But being a hairstylist that’s quite normal. We love to change our hair color often! It can take a toll on the strength and integrity of your hair strands. So over the years I’ve figured out what works best for *my* hair. I’m hoping this post will help others that might need some hair care advice, but remember everyone’s hair is different. I’ve been doing hair professionally since 2007, and I’ve seen firsthand the effects various dyes and products can do on hair. So definitely talk to your stylist for a professional opinion because they will know best!

For my own hair, I bleach the new growth (roots) with Wella’s Blondor and 40 volume developer. If I need to strip the color out of the ends of my hair I will use a lower volume that is not as strong. 40 volume on the ends of your hair is a bad idea! Sometimes I’ll wet my ends and shampoo it lightly then lather in some 40 vol bleach. That dilutes it a little and won’t be as harsh on your hair.

I typically let bleach sit on my hair for about 30 minutes under a shower cap. If you plan on doing a bright, funky color then you need your hair as light as possible and may need to sit longer. The best way to explain this is to picture a white piece of paper and different color crayons. The colors will be bright on the white paper, but if you took a darker piece of paper the colors won’t be as vibrant.

Once my hair is light enough, I rinse the bleach out with cold water (yes cold cold) and shampoo it with It’s A 10 Keratin shampoo. When coloring, I don’t use conditioner afterwards. This way my hair is more porous and the funky color will last longer.

Then I gently blowdry my hair until it’s completely dry and plan what color I want to do next. Lately I’ve been doing pastels. To make a pastel dye I squeeze a bunch of conditioner into a bowl. (I use any cheap conditioner since I use a lot of it. Just make sure it’s white. I used a blue one once and it didn’t lighten my dye.) Add some drops of color to your conditioner and stir. If it’s too light then keep adding more color until you like it. Here are some brands of color I use:

When you like the color in your bowl, start putting it on your hair. Always start at your scalp and work down the hair strand. Be sure to take small sections and completely saturate the hair. Funky colors will last longer if you really soak the hair in it. Then I put on another shower cap and let it sit for at least an hour. The longer the better! Most funky colors are demi-permanent, which means they don’t have any ammonia in them. They are not as harmful to your hair. Plus most of your concoction is conditioner and letting it sit on your hair for 1 hour+ is awesome. Your hair is so happy right now.

Once it’s time to rinse I use cold cold water again and let it run until it looks clear in the sink. I don’t shampoo or add any more conditioner to it. I just gently towel dry it and then let it air dry quite bit.

When I’m ready to blow dry I first add a quarter size amount of It’s A 10 Keratin Serum. The keratin helps rebuild the strength in your hair after the bleaching. Then I blow dry with a vent brush and flat iron as normal. After that I add another dime size amount of It’s A 10 Keratin Serum to give it a smooth and shiny finish.

It’s important not to shampoo your hair too often. I probably only wash my hair once a week. The natural oils in your hair are great moisturizers for dryness. I swear I am not endorsed by It’s A 10, but it’s also what I shampoo and condition with in-between coloring! I used a lot of products at the salon I worked at, and it’s the one I liked most. A more affordable alternative is the TRESemme Anti-Breakage collection. I’ve witnessed it work very well!

Finally, be sure to get regular trims to take care of any dead-ends, and try to avoid too much sun damage which can fade hair color and dry it out.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know! 🙂

:+:+:+:+:+:

What type of hair products do you love?

Have you ever colored your hair before?

Monday, July 14, 2014

Review: Kuzy Keyboard Cover

My Mac desktop had seen better days so I’ve been saving up to buy a new one for awhile now. I finally upgraded and have been loving my new computer! One thing I wanted to take extra care of was the keyboard. I never used a keyboard cover on my other computer and with all the Pixie fur and Pop Tart crumbs around my desk I really wished I had. So I checked out Amazon and found that the Kuzy Silicone Keyboard Cover had over 1,900 reviews and a 4 out 5 star rating! At only $6.95 and free standard shipping I just couldn’t pass up this deal. It even arrived a few days earlier than Amazon had predicted and was in my mail box 5 days after ordering.

It came well packaged in a bubble wrap envelope. The cover is designed to fit most MacBook laptops and since the newer desktops have the same keyboard design it fit it as well. (My old computer had the keyboard with the number pad, which I admit I sometimes miss.)

The silicone is very thin and flexible. I laid it on top of my keyboard with ease and found that it fit snugly around the keys. I did have to smooth my hand over it to make sure it was stretched from corner to corner well, but this took mere seconds to do. I like that the silicone extends passed the keys, too. Like I said earlier, I eat a lot of Pop Tarts and other snacks while at the computer so I’m glad this will help prevent crumbs from getting stuck under the keys. The cover also comes off with a simple lift to make for easy cleaning.

The colors are exceptionally vibrant! I chose the rainbow design, but it comes in 20 different colors. I’m curious how quickly the colors will rub off after daily use. For now I have only noticed a few color splotches on some keys, and I had to get up close to even see them. Typing feels a little different, but was easy to adapt to. You don’t feel or hear the click of the keys as much. My fingers don’t seem to move the cover at all though, and I still type just as fast as I did without it. Only con would be that the light on the caps lock key doesn’t show up as brightly when it’s on, but that’s minor.

Overall, I am incredibly impressed with the quality and cuteness of this keyboard cover. The best part is that it’s so affordable! I can’t even imagine not using it now. It adds a great pop of color to my desk, and I can relax knowing my keys are protected.

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I want to mention that Kuzy in no way asked me to review their product. I found this on Amazon on my own and wanted to try it out!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Glitzy Geek Mail #1

I love the internet (a lot), but snail mail is so fun to send and receive! Here is some glitzy geeky mail an owl has delivered to me recently.

My Twitter friend @LadySquibbles16 and I have a lot in common, and we both enjoy tweeting about our love of different fandoms (most recently One Direction Oreos)! So when I received a package from her with a My Little Pony bag, Diana plushie, and a glitzy necklace I was ecstatic! Diana is modeling the gorgeous necklace, and Pixie loved meeting a new friend!

I’m so happy to be pen pals with Nerd Burger. We always have fun chats in our letters! And I especially loved the Harry Potter stickers and Frodo heart pin she included. I already put her pin on my jean jacket! You can see her other designs in her Etsy store. She also sent along a really cute comic about Mario Kart, and I love that she decorates the envelopes with fun stickers, too!

If you’d like to snail mail me or send a package I’d love to have a Glitzy Geek Mail #2!

Anna Lee

PO Box 1323

Prosper, Tx 75078

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Tutorial: Thor Cosplay

Photo by April Miller

For the Dallas Comic Con this year, I was asked to be in a Marvel vs Capcom group! I chose to make a Thor cosplay because he's one of my favorite superheroes, and I really like his new design. At first I had a hard time deciding how to tackle this. After brainstorming for several weeks I finally figured out a pretty easy way to make the outfit. I hope this tutorial helps anyone that may be interested in cosplaying as Thor!!

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy Things #23

Here are some things that have put a smile on my face lately!! 🙂

I ordered the purple macaron pillow from Squishables! It’s a lot bigger than I expected and is great for lounging around while reading or watching TV.

Pixie had a snuggle session with Pascal. They’re best of buds, aww!

I play Guild Wars 2 on and off again and laughed when I met this cute froggie the other day.

(For you, Ser Frog!)

A couple weeks ago I dyed my hair all over purple. There’s some pics on my Instagram (@glitzygeekgirl), but I thought it looked a little too dark. So I bleached it out and went with a pastel pink/purple! I added some more tone to it since this pic, too, and like it a lot!

Aren’t these rainbow sandals totes adorbz?! (lol) I got them at DSW, and the brand is Reef. Reef makes the comfiest sandals in the world.

I couldn’t find a source, but I loved this kitty wishing on stars.

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What has made you happy lately?

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Sailor Moon Fan Picks and Party Ideas

Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation / Via codenamesailorb.tumblr.com

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal starts this weekend and the buzz is sure growing! I can’t believe it’s already the 20th anniversary and almost the premiere of the new show! The slightly different character designs took a little bit of time for me to get used to, but after seeing our gal in action in the official trailer, I am definitely impressed with the manga look and feel. So to help prepare you for a Sailor Moon filled week, I’ve put together some of my favorite magical girl items and party ideas!

Brush up on your Sailor Moon knowledge by reading the story that started it all. The first volume in the manga series is only $8 at Barnes and Noble or you can grab the box set for $46.

Hot Topic has a great selection of Sailor Moon t-shirts, plushies, keychains and posters. I have this large fabric poster in my room, and I’m dying over this cute rubber bracelet.

I’ve personally ordered from Kuma Crafts and let me tell you this jewelry is so lovely you’ll want one of every style! It’s very high quality, packaged well, and shipped fast. Even though it says “pre-order” on the site, the jewelry is made quickly after you purchase it and ready for you to wear in no time.

Crissy of the Dainty Fawn has some beautiful slouchy crocheted Sailor Moon hats available in her Etsy store! I’ve had my eye on the Sailor Chibi Moon hat – it’s SO cute!

I purchased the new Moon Stick by Bandai Proplica while I was at AKon this year! You can get it here on Amazon with free shipping, too. It’s beautiful and something every magical girl needs!

Fiction-Food.com has an easy step by step guide for making Sailor Moon Waffles! I think this may be the greatest thing I’ve found on the internet, and I can’t wait to try making these.

And while you tune into Sailor Moon Crystal why not transform yourself, too? Michelle Phan, a YouTuber and makeup guru, has a great video tutorial for all Moonies to help us become our favorite heroine.

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I’m so excited to watch the reboot this weekend! You can find out more info on the show here.

Will you be watching the new Sailor Moon?

Do you have any favorite Sailor Moon merch or party ideas?

Share with me in the comments below! 🙂

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OMGLITZY: June 2014

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Cosplay: Choosing a Character

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is “How do you pick what to cosplay?” If you’ve never worn a costume before you may have asked this question yourself. It’s a great first step to becoming a cosplayer! A lot of people will answer “Just wear whatever you want!” I definitely agree with this, but with thousands of characters to choose from you still have to narrow it down somehow.

Reasons for choosing a character will vary for everyone. It’s actually quite a personal commitment to undertake, but nonetheless I wanted to give some insight to my OWN procedure for choosing a cosplay! This method may not work for all, but I hope it gives some ideas for deciding what criteria will be important to you.

Princess Zelda and Thor photos by Alan Tijerina

Choose a Genre

Pick something you love. It’s that simple! If you love video games then I am sure you have a special character you enjoy playing. Or maybe you’ve admired a certain superhero from Marvel or DC Comics. Some people even dress up as their favorite TV hero or heroine. I saw a Scully from X-Files cosplay once and totally fangirled! Cosplay isn’t limited to one genre over another. You can go with classic 80’s movies, childhood cartoons, or even an original character from a manga you might be developing. There’s a lot of creative freedom with cosplay, and the first step in choosing a character is deciding what you are passionate about. For myself, I love fantasy genres. So I’m really drawn towards characters with a medieval or magical feel to them. Once you find a genre you like the characters will speak to you, and you will enjoy your cosplay more.

Overall Look

This is the most important decision for me when I choose a character. I personally look for long sleeves, really cool hair or makeup, an interesting prop, and materials I’ll be comfortable in. These details help me decide if I’m going to enjoy wearing the costume or not. I prefer to cover my tattoos so that the focus is on the cosplay, and I love to wear long wigs. The props and materials are important to consider because convention hours can be long. A heavy sword, large wings or intricate armor may not be fun to wear after the 5th hour mark. I’ve also learned I am not a fan of wearing tight fitting bodysuits. So I am more likely to choose a character wearing a dress or skirt. These are just some things *I* look for in an overall look. So think about what makes *you* confident and the happiest in to have the best time in your costume.

My first comic con and cosplay!

Skill Level

No matter what your skill level is you CAN cosplay. You don’t even have to make it all yourself. A lot of people commission costumes. If you just want to have fun walking around a convention then do not worry about what others will think of your craftsmanship. However, if you plan to enter a competition there might be some rules to follow so be sure to read those beforehand. When cosplaying for the first time, I recommend wearing something simple. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Try doing a “closet cosplay” where you find items you already own that you can turn into a character. I did a closet cosplay of Ramona Flowers for my first con. It helped me get my feet wet and motivated me to put on something more detailed for the next event. Start talking to other cosplayers for advice and google tutorials (or check out mine here!) for sewing and armor making tips. Then you’ll be ready to pick a character with a more difficult design for the next time.

Sewing my Fiona from Shrek costume after long hours of making the props.

Budget and Time

Some costumes are going to take a lot of work. When you look at a character’s armor, body paint, or prop be sure to make a list of all the materials you think you’ll need. Trips to the hobby or hardware store can become expensive. Plan out how much money you want to spend on a costume. If the character seems like it may be out of your budget then you may want to choose a different design. A lot of characters have more than one outfit, too. So if you don’t have the supplies to make an entire Batman suit from The Dark Knight maybe you can make Adam West’s version instead! Also, be sure to look at your calendar. When are you planing to wear this? Is one week enough time to sew all of Cinderella’s dress? Will my wig arrive by then? Do all your research as soon as possible to make sure you’ll have all your pieces ready before you plan to wear it.

Convention Specifics

If you will be attending an anime convention then you might want to wear an anime cosplay. Or a comic book character to a comic convention. Now remember: This isn’t a rule at all! I actually see a wide variety of cosplays at every convention I’ve been to. But one thing you might want to consider is the type of guests that might be at the con you are going to. When I met Billy Boyd (Pippin) from The Lord of The Rings I chose to wear an Arwen cosplay. Or when I met Tom Felton I wore Luna Lovegood. By choosing a character specific to the convention theme and guests, you’re more likely to run into other characters from that genre, too. This makes taking group photos especially fun! I also recommend looking at the weather. If you’re going to a convention in the summer, then you may want to choose a character that isn’t in full armor or heavy body makeup. If it’s in the winter you might not be warm enough in that Slave Leia costume.

Lord of The Rings cosplayers I met while at Sci Fi Expo 2013

The most important thing to remember when choosing a character to cosplay is you can be anything you want! Gender, height, weight, race and age – none of that should matter when you cosplay. Your options are limitless. Pick a character you love and have fun!

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So these were just a few of the things I personally consider when I choose a character.

What specifics do you look for?

If you haven’t cosplayed before, but want to, which character would you like to make?

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Tutorial: Fairy Wings

This year for the Scarborough Renaissance Festival I decided to dress up as a woodland fairy. I had never made fairy wings before, but this YouTube tutorial by Emily Autumn was SO helpful! I basically followed every step so I recommend watching it. In my tutorial I have posted photos of my progress and added a few tips so you can become a fairy, too!

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Friday, June 20, 2014

Cosplay Etiquette: Cosplaying the Same Character

Today on the blog I am curious what some of y’all may think of a topic regarding cosplay! So I want to ask a question and have it open to polite discussion 🙂

What is the proper etiquette for cosplaying the same character as someone you know?

Here’s my backstory for where this is coming from: I have a list of characters in my head that I would love to cosplay someday. The list has grown fast and changes quite a bit. However, there are a few characters that have stayed on the list for quite awhile and simply haven’t found their time to be made yet.

So the other day a really talented cosplayer posted a character they want to cosplay. Well it turns out to be one that I want to do as well! This got me thinking – what is the proper etiquette for cosplaying the same character as someone else?

My first reaction was “Well now I can’t do it.” I’m still a newbie at this.. and the other cosplayer is an amazing veteran with super crafting skills. These are some of the thoughts that went through my head:

– I don’t want to look like I’m copying.

– I don’t want people to compare mine to theirs.

– I will compare mine to theirs even if I don’t mean to.

But the more I thought about it the more I realized most of those reasons were insecurities on my end. First of all, no one owns a character. In the end we are all copying. That’s exactly what cosplay is! You pick a character from a video game, anime, comic, etc and straight up “copy” the design. Part of the fun of cosplaying is recreating the look.

As far as etiquette goes I think it’s best to talk with the other cosplayer if you know them personally. Let them know you want to do a character that they’ve decided to do as well. Then ask them how they feel about it. This way you won’t jeopardize your friendship. Now if you don’t know the other cosplayer at all then I wouldn’t worry about trying to reach out to ask them to see if it’s okay. If you google the character you want to do you may find that 20+ other people have done that same character. It would be near impossible to track them all down to ask permission. So just go for it and create your cosplay in your own artistic way!

Now, there’s no stopping people from comparing or passing judgement. The cosplay community is pretty nice and welcoming, but there’s definitely plenty of trolls that sneak their way in. My best advice for this is to just ignore it. Even if you are the ONLY person to cosplay a character people are going to compare you to the original design. Try not to read the negative comments and if you accidentally do then just be a duck and let it roll right off your back. Because you’re fabulous no matter what they think.

You CAN control whether or not YOU pass judgement. If you are wearing the same cosplay as someone else then do your best not to nitpick the details. It goes two ways: don’t think that they are better than you just because they used different techniques or materials, but also don’t think that you are better than them either. Remember that we’re all just celebrating our love for a fandom.

When I am at a convention and I see someone dressed up as the same character as me, I actually get really excited! You know why? Because that means we both have a common interest. We love that character! It’s a great way to make a new friend.

So my final tip for cosplaying the same character as someone you know is: Don’t copy the cosplayer; cosplay the character! Always put your own creative twist on it. Make it your own! You’ll be more proud of your work that way.

:+:+:+:

So let me know what you think in the comments!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Harry Potter Appreciation

With the news of Diagon Alley opening at Universal Studios on July 8th, I had the urge to go through my photos for all things Harry Potter. I am a huge Potterhead and have been ever since the first book was released in the US in 1998. Let's talk about that story first! (Lots of photos ahead)

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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Dallas Comic Con 2014

My favorite convention of the year is the Dallas Comic Con. It's one of the largest in Texas, and I always look forward to seeing my friends here. The convention was held at a larger venue for the first time, too. This had its pros and cons. It was nice not having to wait in line outside in the heat. It also meant the lines inside were managed better since it was mostly all on one floor. At the old convention center, people were getting stuck on the *single* escalator and missing panels because they couldn't get upstairs!

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Monday, June 9, 2014

Giveaway! Sailor Ariel Starfish

It’s been too long since my last giveaway so I am really excited to finally share with you guys my next prize! For A-Kon 25 this past weekend – I dressed up as Sailor Ariel in a Disney Sailor Scout group! I made some super cute starfish accessories for my costume and now you have the chance to win one for yourself!!

I am giving away a handmade real knobby starfish exactly like the one I wore for Sailor Ariel. I made this myself and will let the winner choose if they would like it as a necklace, brooch or hair clip.

Entering is easy! Just follow these steps on the Rafflecopter widget. One winner will be picked at random and mailed the Sailor Ariel Starfish. 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 Monday June 16 at 11:59pm CST. No purchase necessary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! 🙂

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Pixie the Lazy Kitty

It’s time for some Pixie pic spam! I take a lot of photos of my cat Pixie – I mean look at that face?! She’s so cute and silly. But most of all she’s really lazy.

Lately I’ve been finding her on my pillow when I wake up!

Even though there’s a box just for her behind her.. she preferred to check out this basket instead.

One of Pixie’s favorite things is plastic sacks. (I always supervise her when she’s in one for safety reasons of course.) I think she loves the sound of the crinkle!

After a long day of doing absolutely nothing, Pixie crashes on the couch.

Sometimes I crash on the couch, too, and Pixie loves to snuggle!

And when I’m at my computer desk, she’s not too far away. Pixie feels nice and cozy in her kitty castle.

:+:+:+:

I hope you enjoyed this Pixie pic spam!

Do you have a pet you take a ton of photos of?

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Maleficent and Aurora Outfit Inspiration

With the new movie in theaters now, I decided to recreate the original character clothes for an everyday style.

Here is my Maleficent and Aurora inspired outfits I made using Polyvore!

Dress from House of Fraser – $33

Shoes from ASOS – $42

Raven necklace from Etsy seller ADelicateWorld – $34

Green dragon ring from Etsy seller Spookyisland – $12

Purple and pink scarf from Bluefly – $28

Cat ear hat from Accessorize – $37

Jungle Red lipstick from NARS – $26

Dress from ASOS – $91

Light grey TOMs – $48

Crochet flower bracelet from TopShop – $20

Bird necklace from Amazon – $23

Purple ombre scarf from Bluefly – $30

Black headband from Amazon – $4

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These outfits came out so pretty! I love the subtle nod to the classic Disney characters.

Are you going to see the new Maleficent movie?

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OMGLITZY: May 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

Free Comic Book Day 2014

This year for Free Comic Book Day (May 3) I dressed up as my favorite female comic character – Ramona Flowers!

There are several comic book stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but I decided to visit Madness Games & Comics. It’s one of the biggest stores in Texas!

This is only one third of the store, and there’s usually rows and rows of tables for Friday Night Magic. They moved those out for the day to make room for the free comic books, artist Matthew Warlick, and two celebrity guests: Judge Reinhold and Mark Dodson (who voiced Jabba the Hutt!)

While waiting in line for my free comics, I found the droid I was looking for!

I picked out 5 new comics, but was sad that the Avatar issue was already gone. I did get a Guardians of the Galaxy comic, though!

After I picked out my comics, I met Judge Reinhold! He was in Beverly Hills Cop, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Santa Clause.

On my way home, I took off my Ramona Flowers’ wig only to reveal more Ramona hair! I love how nicely short hair fits under wigs.

:+:+:+:+:

Did you celebrate Free Comic Book Day?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Tutorial: Faux Corset

If you've ever looked up high quality corsets then you'll find that they are also high in price. I wanted to attend the local Renaissance festival as a fairy this year and pictured a corset to go with my outfit. I decided to use what I know best – craft foam! Sheets of craft foam are so cheap (like less than a $1!) so if I messed up then I wouldn't feel too bad about it. This tutorial is quite simple, but you will need some basic sewing knowledge. The corset itself doesn't actually squeeze your waist. It's more like a belt to be honest. But I think it gives a nice Renaissance look without the uncomfortable feeling a real corset has.

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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Short Hair and Loving it

Having long hair was a goal of mine for many years. I wanted it long like a princess! But in reality I almost always wore up in a ponytail to get it out of my face. The length also made it more difficult for me to color it. So I’ve been toying with the idea to go back short. One night after I washed it I grabbed the scissors and just cut the tail off. My philosophy on this was if I “ruin” the length then I’ll *have* to cut it short! No turning back! I am SO glad I did it. It feels so much better to have it short and thinned out now. It’s also so easy to wear wigs for my cosplays. And the best part was it cut my drying time in half! I’m pretty happy with pink right now, but I want to experiment with more colors soon. 🙂

I cut it all myself but I don’t recommend trying this at home! I have been doing my own hair for over 10 years.

And here’s a picture of the color I used. It’s RAW’s Fuschia Fatale mixed with a lot of conditioner to lighten it some. I let it sit for an hour or so on my head then rinse with cool water! 🙂

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Happy Things #22

Things that have made me happy lately!

On Record Store Day (April 19) I lined up at ZT Records early in the morning so I could grab this limited edition Scott Pilgrim Video Game Soundtrack on yellow vinyl! They only had two of them so I was super stoked to get one!

I found out through my friend Laura of Dallas Fan Girl that Veronica Taylor (who does the voice of Ash Ketchum) would be at her university signing autographs! This made me happy because it was a free event. Veronica’s Q&A panel was also very cool! She was a great speaker so definitely go see her if you ever have the opportunity.

McDonald’s had My Little Pony toys in their Happy Meals recently, and I was on a mission to collect them all! I am bummed they didn’t make an Apple Jack, though. Why leave her out? 🙁

And as a heads up the next toy collection McDonald’s is going to have after the Spider-Man ones is Pokemon! Gotta catch em all!

For Easter my Mom and Dad got me mini cupcakes and the new Disney Magical World 3DS game. This game is SO fun! It’s a lot like Animal Crossing, but there isn’t any penalty if you miss a few days of playing. (Like the villagers don’t move out on ya without warning.)

Also on Easter, my mom surprised me with an original Katwise recycled sweater! These are hard to come by so I was bouncing off the walls when I saw it. The colors are so vibrant in person, too. I am already looking forward to the fall so I can wear this all the time!

There’s not a lot of empty wall space left in my room except for behind my bed. I was hoping to find or make a cool headboard, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. So instead I got this awesome flag poster (it’s fabric-like) of Sailor Moon from Hot Topic!

And have you heard the news about Sailor Moon? You can watch it on Hulu now!!

There is a fancy schmancy local magazine called D Magazine that took photos of several cosplayers at Dallas Fan Days last October. They released it this month to help spread the word about the Dallas Comic Con. It blew my mind to see my Legolas is in this! I am so honored!

And here is a sleepy Pixie having happy kitty dreams! 🙂

:+:+:+:

What has made you happy lately?

Monday, May 12, 2014

Tutorial: Disney Mickey Hair Clip

When I visited Disney World, I noticed several little girls wearing these beautiful jeweled Mickey hair clips. I asked one of the mothers where they got it since I hadn’t seen them in any of the gift shops. She said they were given to them at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Unfortunately, you have to be 12 or under to get your hair done there, and they weren’t selling these clips separately.

I searched online stores and eBay for them but came up with nothing! I read on one message board that you can find them at Disneyland. Well since I probably won’t be making it to Disneyland any time soon I decided to make one myself. ^.^

Edit: I made this several weeks ago, and this website says they have some in stock now! But if you don’t want to spend $35 then you’ll love my easy Mickey Hair Clip Tutorial! 🙂

The first thing I did was draw the shape onto a sheet of white craft foam. I cut it out carefully then painted it pink, blue and green.

Next, I glued down jewels on top of the corresponding colors. For some reason I didn’t have blue jewels the same size as my pink and green so I had to use a size bigger for them.

After the jewels have dried well, position an alligator clip to the back. Try to make sure you can’t see it from the front.

Now you can create a magical style of your own! Perfect for any fairy tale. 🙂

If you make a Mickey hair clip please share it with me! 🙂

Saturday, May 10, 2014

30 Day Disney Challenge – Days 22-30

Here they are! My final answers to my 30 Day Disney Challenge!
Previous answers can be read here, here, here and here!

Day 22 – An underrated movie

Enchanted

I think they did such a good job bringing a fairy tale to life!

Day 23 – A movie that makes you laugh

Lilo & Stitch

Everything Stitch says and does puts a smile on my face!

Day 24 – A movie that makes you cry

Day 25 – Your favorite scene from your favorite movie

The lantern scene in Tangled!!! ^.^

Day 26 – Saddest death

Ray from The Princess and The Frog

Omg I was a wreck when he died!!! I cried so hard!

Day 27 – Your favorite quote

“Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind… or forgotten.”

– Lilo & Stitch

Day 28 – Your favorite theme park

Magic Kingdom

I’ve been there twice! 🙂 (photo by me!)

Day 29 – Your favorite theme attraction

Hollywood Tower
I rode this multiple times because it was SO FUN! I remember watching the movie with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst and just wishing that I would get to visit it someday. (photo by me!)

Day 30 – Your favorite theme park show

The Enchanted Tiki Room

I love singing along with the birds! It’s such a cute show! (photo by me!)

:+:+:+:

Let me know your answers in the comments! 🙂

Thanks so much for playing along with me 😀

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Animation Celebration 2014

Animation Celebration was a 3 day convention in Lewisville, Tx where I was invited to be a guest! I made several wizard wands, starfish necklaces and ordered extra prints to sell at my table. Last year it was called Brony Fest, but this time they expanded their genre a bit to include some great names like Kevin Conroy (the voice of Batman), Steve Cardenas (the Red Power Ranger), and cosplay guests Nicole Marie Jean and Destiny Nickelson.

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Tutorial: The Little Mermaid Ariel Cosplay

I'm sure you've all noticed I'm quite a big fan of Disney Princesses. So it surprised me when I realized early this year that I had not done a single Disney cosplay. Luckily I made up for it quickly by making my Jessie costume with my friend as Buzz. But I still felt unsettled that I hadn't done a princess! If you follow my Instagram then you know I have done *two* now! So it is my pleasure to share with you my first Disney princess – Ariel in her sight seeing dress!

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OMGLITZY: April 2014

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

G33K3: The Con

G33K3 (pronounced “geeky”) was a new convention in McKinney, Tx. It was quite a bit smaller than others, but that’s great because it was only $10 to get in! Although it was a 3 day convention, I only went on Saturday. I still had a really fun time!

I decided not to wear a costume, but that gave me the chance to wear some fun clothes for a change.

Batman shirt – ThinkGeek

Batman leggings – Hot Topic

Black skater skirt – Wet Seal

Pink checkered shoes – Vans

Legend of Zelda earrings – Ragin’ Gauges

When I walked in I was shocked by how many vendors were there!

The selection of items was incredible.

I was excited to see my friend Long Le with a table full of his handmade D20s!

Another booth had these amazing trinkets for sale.

My friend Geline hosted an armor making panel, too. It was SO informative! I learned a lot about Worbla and craft foam.

Several people were in cosplay, including my friend Enasni Volz. She also had handmade charms for sale at her table.

Fangirls: Dames of the Round Table is an all female video cast you can watch on Sundays on Deep Ellum Air. I enjoyed seeing Taylor and Natalie at their table!

Photo credit: Cosplay With Me

This photo was taken by Cosplay With Me of Morgan as Rapunzel and Krystle Starr as the Pink Panther! I wanted to share how cute their costumes were!

:+:+:+:

I hope this convention happens again next year because it was very well run. If they would advertise a little bit more then I imagine more and more people will come out!

Do you prefer bigger or smaller conventions?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

30 Day Disney Challenge: Days 14-21

So I am definitely not allowed to do 30 Day Challenges again!! As much as I liked answering the questions, I was not very good at keeping up with posting the answers >.< Sorry about that! So here are my quick answers to numbers 14-21. I have 22-30 typed up already so I will post it in a few days. 🙂

Day 14 – Your favorite kiss

Aurora and Prince Phillip

Day 15 – The first movie your saw

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Day 16 – Your favorite classic

Peter Pan

Day 17 – Your least favorite classic

Fantasia

This movie kinda spooked me as a kid.

Day 18 – Your favorite Pixar film

The Incredibles

Day 19 – Your least favorite Pixar film

Brave

I enjoy this movie, but I think they could have done a little more with it.

Day 20 – Favorite sequel

Toy Story 2
Because Jessie!!!!

Day 21 – An overrated movie

Pirates of the Caribbean

The first one was pretty awesome but the sequels didn’t live up to the hype for me.

:+:+:+:

If you’d like to see my answers to the previous days look here, here and here. Also, please share your answers in the comments! I love to read what y’all pick 🙂

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tutorial: Jessie from Toy Story Cosplay

YEEEEE HAAAAW!!

I'm super excited to share with y'all a root tootin' fun cosplay! It's Jessie from Toy Story! I was inspired to make this costume after my friend Garrett mentioned he wanted to build a Buzz Lightyear cosplay. Jessie had been on my dream list, and I think she looks best when paired with other Toy Story characters. So Garrett and I chatted about it and we both got to working on our costumes! I was so happy with how they turned out. Garrett looked amazing as Buzz! Also, huge thank you to Neither Noir for taking this photo of us. If you'd like to view all of my photos from All-Con then check out my Facebook Album.

Now onto the tutorial!

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Glitzy Galaxy Gem Giveaway!

I have traveled through space and time to create one of kind jewels I call Galaxy Gems! To celebrate the addition of these magical new pieces in my Etsy Store I have one to give away to a lucky winner!

You have a chance to win the Galaxy Gem Necklace featured above named the “Supernova”!

Entering is easy! Just follow these steps on the Rafflecopter widget. One winner will be picked at random and mailed the “Supernova” Galaxy Gem Necklace. 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 Friday April 25 at 11:59pm CST. No purchase necessary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

New Hair! Hot Pink & Half Shaved

A few weeks ago I talked myself into cutting my hair into a pixie cut! I just have A LOT of hair and it’s ridiculously thick and wavy. I have had it short before but I wanted to go extra short this time. Another reason I want a pixie cut is because I love to color my hair frequently. With the length it takes WAY too long and too much hair dye.

So I grabbed my clippers (or buzzers) and a 4 guard (size of the attachment) and went to town! I wanted to keep the top kinda spiky so I piled it up into a pony tail to cut later and shaved the sides first.

Well after I did the sides I kinda looked at it and liked it! I thought.. Hey I might as well rock this for a day or two before I cut it all off.

I think the real reason I liked it is because it reminded me of Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender 😀

If I was going to leave the cut alone then I knew I still had a big job ahead to color it. This was after one bleaching and kinda looks like a My Little Pony tail!

Since it was still purple and kinda yellowy I decided to bleach it again so I could have a total change.

I mixed some RAW Fuchsia Fatale with a lot of conditioner and applied it to dry hair. Then I let it sit on my hair for an hour.

After an hour I rinsed it with COLD water and let it air dry since it’d been through a lot! This is what it looks like down .. it’s like you can’t even tell I shaved half of it off!

And here is what it looks like straight.

Most of the time I wear it up in a pony tail .. Like Sokka! 😀

It’s already grown out a bit now.. So one of these days soon I will be coloring it again. I know I will eventually cut it into a short pixie, but for now this is fun and different.

:+:+:+:

Have you ever shaved part of your hair before?

Sunday, April 13, 2014

30 Day Disney Challenge – Days 7-13

Whoa! I got really behind on my Disney Challenge .. sorry about that! Here are my answers for Days 7-13 🙂 Please play along by telling me your answers in the comments!

Day 7 – Your favorite sidekick

I like Tinkerbell because she’s so resourceful! It’s like her mission is to help others. I would love to have her as my sidekick.

Day 8 – Your favorite villain

Captain Hook is one of the best villains because part of you really wants to like him! Pirates are just so cool and even though he’s supposed to be evil I think he’d be a fun friend to have. 😀

Day 9 – Your favorite original character

I’ve loved Stitch since I saw it when it was released and have snuggled with a Stitch doll every night ever since! He’s got the best personality and is such a unique little guy.

Day 10 – Your favorite song

My favorite song is easily “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid. I can sing every line and it puts me in such a great mood! It was also my favorite part of the new Little Mermaid ride at Disney World.

Day 11 – Your favorite love song

“I See the Light” from Tangled is so sweet and moving. I’ve been a fan of Mandy Moore for a long time, and she puts so much heart into her performance.

Day 12 – Your favorite villain song

I enjoy Ursula singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” because of her upbeat attitude about it. It’s very evil of her!

Day 13 – Your least favorite song

My least favorite is “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. It’s kinda awkward so I always skip it when it plays.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Heart of Texas Comic Con 2014

The Heart of Texas Comic Con was the first convention where I was invited to be a cosplay guest! I was super excited to travel out of Dallas to Waco, Tx for a weekend to spend with friends, fans and celebrities! This was the first year for this con, and I was honored to be asked to join other cosplayers as a guest and help judge the costume contest.

Since attending a convention with a booth is a little different than just going as a fan, I had to really prepare ahead of time. My friend Miranda over at A Bit of Geek asked me some questions about my experience as a first time exhibitor. Check out the interview here for all those details!

I chose to wear Legolas on Saturday since Manu Bennett was in attendance! He plays Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit.

My table was in the cosplay/fan club room. I brought cosplay prints and wizard wands to sell. I also gave out free stickers and buttons.

One of the coolest things was seeing my face in the program! I even had a guy ask me to autograph this page. Above me is Mariedoll. She is a very famous cosplayer and was super nice! She and Annaka Vader joined me in judging the costume contest.

This was my view from the stage during the contest. The crowd went from wall to wall!

I had a difficult time judging because all the contestants were really great. We narrowed it down and these were the top three winners.

Back at my booth the crowd on Saturday was very large! The dealer’s room was packed so I was glad to be in the open room so I could take pictures with fans easier.

Several of my friends came down from Dallas, too, including my friend Brandon! He surprised me with a custom made Asajj Ventress lightsaber hilt! I couldn’t believe it! I hope to make another Ventress cosplay soon so this is really great. Thanks again, Brandon!

On Saturday Manu Bennett had a Q&A so I stepped away from my table to watch some of it. He was so friendly and chatted with several members of the audience. (On Sunday I found the courage to go up to his table to shake his hand and say Hello, too!)

After the convention closed for the evening, my mom and I went to the mall. I saw this flyer at Hot Topic and had to snap a pic! Hot Topic is one of my favorite stores, and it was cool to see a flyer for a convention where I am a guest at!

On Sunday, the crowd was a little smaller. There were still a lot of people, but most were in the dealer’s room. My friend and fellow cosplay guest Krystle Starr found an empty table so we asked if we could share it in the busier room.

I wore Black Cat all day Sunday and let me tell you I will never wear this again! The mask, boots and corset I had on were so uncomfortable.

My favorite new friends I made were Dim n Wit the Fairy Brothers! They were so cheerful and were having a great time dancing with everyone.

It was a lot of fun being at a table for a change. I was able to chat with fans and tell them about my cosplay tutorials on my blog. I ran out of business cards which is a good sign! Overall my experience was amazing. The convention staff was super kind, and I enjoyed seeing a con from a different angle.

I also want to thank everyone that bought a print, wand or jewelry piece from me! Getting to meet you guys was my favorite part, and I am so grateful for all the support!

:+:+:+:+:

To view all my photos from the convention check out my Facebook album.

The Heart of Texas Comic Con has another event this fall. So be sure to follow them for updates because their first one was a huge success!

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OMGLITZY: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

March Madness 2014

Hey everyone! Sorry it’s taken me so long to update! I had a BUSY couple of days lately! This past weekend was Animation Celebration, and I worked all week on some new cosplays. I plan to type up full tutorials, con reviews, and other posts soon. I just need to organize all my photos! The month of March had a convention nearly every weekend! So I am a little backed up. For now.. please check out my Facebook and Instagram! I posted a lot of photos from the weekend there as well as progress pics of my outfits! 🙂 Also, don’t forget to enter my autographed Divergent poster giveaway. It ends tonight! Hopefully soon I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled blog posts. Thanks everyone for always being so supportive! You guys rock 🙂

Here’s a peek at my table from Animation Celebration! I made my Princess Anna cosplay in four days!

And I wore Ariel on Sunday to the convention! I will give details soon on where I found each piece of this cosplay. The hair bow was made by the talented AngiViper!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Dallas Comic and Pop Expo 2013

Dallas seems to have a comic, anime, toy or gaming convention nearly every weekend lately. Sometimes there are more than one at a time! Well in early March I attended the Dallas Comic and Pop Expo. It was held in Richardson, Tx at the Richardson Civic Center. This was their first year, and I would say it was a success! I only went on Saturday, but I was very excited to meet Nicholas Brendan. He played Xander on my favorite TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Pinterest Favs #3

Here are a few things I have pinned and liked on my Pinterest lately!

Black Milk Clothing has a TON of awesome leggings and dresses that I would love to spend my life savings on. These mermaid leggings have been on my wish list for a long time. The purple ones are sold out, but you can still buy the green ones in select sizes.

This Beyonce “Single Ladies” Nintendo crossover is too cute! The artist is Princesa Daisy.

Pinterest usually has good links to the original source, but when people pin from Tumblr you lose the credit sometimes. I try not to post things that don’t have a source, but this image was too cool not to share. It reminds me of Nerd Burger! 🙂

I loved this photo of Twig the Fairy! The local Renaissance festival is in a few weeks, and I have felt inspired to make a fairy outfit this year. I will hopefully have some awesome wings to share with you guys soon. 🙂

OMGGGG when I saw this I nearly fell out of my chair! Pekoe is a cub villager in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and is just about the cutest thing ever. I don’t have Pekoe in my town, but she’s welcome to move in anytime 😉 This lovely art is by Nevirra.

This gave me a good chuckle! Because it’s totally true! I’ve yelled at my computer screen a few times while gaming. Gamer girls can be feisty. This art is by Emikova.

:+:+:+:+:

Here is my Pinterest if you’d like to follow!

Feel free to share yours in the comments so I can follow back 🙂

Friday, March 14, 2014

Tutorial: Adventure Time Fionna Cosplay

If you’re a fan of Adventure Time then I am sure you’ve thought about wielding your own crystal sword and bunny hat! So this tutorial is for you 🙂

I found all of my supplies at Walmart. The hat, however, was purchased at Hot Topic. It looks like Fionna’s is sold out online but they still have Finn’s for sale. There’s also a lot of great hats for sale on Etsy!

I bought an XL shirt and took it in on the sides. This way it would still be extra long. I am holding it with my hand here. I also shortened the sleeves. The skirt is actually a dark blue tank top. I cut it in half and hemmed it to make it into a skirt.

This sword was in the toy section at Walmart. It’s made of foam. I cut the top and added some extra styrofoam to rebuild the point. I used some styrofoam to make the little square gem at the bottom, too. Then I wrapped it in masking tape and spray painted it. The tip looked kinda wonky, though, so I decided to re-cut it.

I shortened the point to give it a little better shape. Then I just re-taped it and spray painted it again.

The backpack took a little more effort. I didn’t use a pattern at all. I completely made this up as I went.

So first I used a bowl to get a basic shape.

I cut out four half circles – 2 of each color.

Then I laid them on top of each other and stitched the edges together. But make sure to leave the straight part (where I am pointing) open!

For each strap you need one rectangle of each color.

I stitched one color at a time then combined them.

Then I used stuffing to make the straps look thicker.

Be sure you add a button to the outside!

I did a terrible job attaching my straps to the backpack so don’t zoom in, but you get the idea here!

Finally bend your backpack around so you can sew it together. I put more stuffing into mine since this isn’t a real backpack.

Tada!

And the back!

I originally made some socks using little girls stockings and paint, but they were awful. So I found these at American Apparel. They come with three blue lines so I just folded the top down to hide the top line. And since my shoes didn’t have a black strap across them I slipped a black rubber band on my foot!

My wig is from Arda Wigs. It is a Luthien in Titanium Blonde. I bought this to use for a different costume, but it worked well for this, too.

This print is for sale in my Etsy shop!

Edited this blog post to add this pic of Pixie as Cake! Since people always ask me “Where’s Cake?” Lol

This is my friend Krystle Starr as Princess Bubblegum! We filmed a fun video together you can see here.

:+:+:+:+:

Which character is your favorite from Adventure Time?

Let me know if you wear this cosplay!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Divergent Dallas Red Carpet + Giveaway!

I recently reviewed the first Divergent book and read the next two in the series within days. I became an instant fan so when I found out there would be a Red Carpet event from the official Divergent Facebook page I immediately sent in an email to see if I could get a press pass. The event featured Miles Teller and Jai Courtney who play Peter and Eric in the movie. Fans had the chance to get their autograph and then see a pre-screening of the film!

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Thursday, March 6, 2014

Music Spotlight: Erutan

My favorite genre to geek out over is definitely “fantasy.” I have always loved anything magical, mythical and mystical. It’s why I choose to mostly play MMORPGs like EverQuest 2 or dress up as an elven warrior or princess. While browsing through YouTube videos tonight, I found an artist named Erutan. I am kind of shocked I have never heard of her before. Her music is enchanting and fits right in with my playlists. The best part of discovering the song “The Willow Maid” on YouTube was witnessing the whimsical tale through a moving collage of art. I have listened to her whole album “Raindancer” on iTunes now and equally enjoyed it. But I do recommend you watch the video to experience the story first hand. 🙂 Another favorite of mine is her cover of the song “Come Little Children” from the movie Hocus Pocus. Erutan had created a Kickstarter to help produce a physical copy of her album, and I am so happy that she’s gone way over her goal. Very well-deserved!

Photos by Alan Tijerina

Perhaps the timing of this discovery was meant to be for me. I will be my favorite elf this Saturday! I am wearing my Legolas cosplay to the Heart of Texas Comic Con in Waco, Tx. I’m excited for the chance to meet Manu Bennett who is Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (@GlitzyGeekGirl) to see my posts from the weekend. This is my first time having a table at a convention and being a costume contest judge, too!

:+:+:+:

Who are some of your favorite “fantasy” musicians?

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

The Little Mermaid Musical

Last week I went on an adventure to downtown Dallas to see the Broadway musical production of Disney's The Little Mermaid! My dad saw an ad for this in the paper, and I immediately bought tickets since they were selling fast. This event was put on by the Dallas Summer Musicals for their 74th season. They are the largest producer of theatrical entertainment in the Southwest United States. Before the performance they said it typically takes them about 12 weeks to prepare for a show, but this one was completed in only 3 weeks! That included all the costume designs, set building and rehearsals. The quality was not compromised one bit because this musical was a beautiful production of epic proportion!

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OMGLITZY: February 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Loot Crate Unboxing: February 2014

I didn't make an unboxing video for this Loot Crate box because I wanted to open it right away! A couple of my friends got their boxes a day earlier than me and said my picture was in the magazine inside this month's box! I wanted to see it for myself so I dived right in!

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Purple and Green Hair

I finally told myself it was time to try green hair! I've done turquoise before, but have been a little nervous to do green. I didn't want it to look like pool water. I am very happy with how it turned out! Here's some info on the process I used to achieve this look.

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Valentine’s Day 2014

For Valentine’s Day this year my parent’s surprised me with lots of chocolate goodies!

Also, the day before we went shopping at the mall, and I picked out a few toys. ^.^

I have had my eye on Rapunzel’s Lego Tower since it was released!

I wasn’t expecting to get Cinderella’s Castle, too, but my mom got it for me! It looks beautiful! Also, under Pixie are my new Rapunzel and Ariel towels from the Disney Store.

Later that day I put the Tower together. It was a lot of fun and didn’t take me as long as I thought it would. There are so many pieces in these things!!

Here is look at the inside. It comes with paint brushes, a frying pan and even Pascal!

Surprisingly, I don’t have a lot of Disney decorations on my shelves so I am excited to put this on display. Cinderella’s Castle has more pieces so one of these days when I have time I will put it together, too!

:+:+:+:+:

It was a peaceful and fun Valentine’s Day. I enjoy spending holidays with my family 🙂

What did you do for Valentine’s Day?

Thursday, February 20, 2014

DIY: Rapunzel Bulletin Board

I have been using a plain brown bulletin board for many years, and it finally occurred to me that I should paint it! I decided to give it a Rapunzel inspired look. This only took me about an hour to do and was so easy and fun!

Supplies needed:

Bulletin board

Paint of your choice

Paint brush

Newspaper

Notecards

Glue

Glitter

Jewels

First, I laid out some newspaper so I wouldn’t make a mess. Then, I used notecards to stick around the frame so I wouldn’t get paint on the cork board. Next, I painted the frame with metallic purple and sprinkled fine glitter one it while it was still wet.

(Tip: Put a phone book under your bulletin board so it won’t stick to your newspaper after you paint it)

I picked out jewels to match Rapunzel’s colors which are purple, pink, yellow and gold (orange)

Then, I would put a dot of glue on the frame and stick my jewels to it.

You can put how ever many jewels as you want. You could also use little stickers if you don’t want to mess with glue!

After I let my frame dry over night, I hung up my bulletin board and pinned some of my favorite things to it!

:+:+:+:+:

Have you ever taken something from boring to fabulous?

Let me know what you’ve remodeled!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Dallas Sci Fi Expo 2014

This year for Dallas Sci Fi Expo I dressed up as Shredder from TMNT and decided to film some of my adventure! Last year's expo was one of my favorite cons of the whole year. I was really looking forward to attending again and seeing all my friends!

The guest list was quite impressive. I recognized all of the names and was surprised by a few of them. Karen Gillan who played Amy Pond in Doctor Who was there along with Richard Dreyfuss who was in Jaws. I was most excited to see Stephen Amell who stars in the tv show Arrow. Sadly, I didn't get a VIP ticket this time so I decided not to wait in the 2+ hour lines to get any autographs.

The event was still a lot of fun. I stood by Karen Gillan's table and she waved at me as she was leaving. I also saw a few of the Face Off contestants and took pictures of the Blues Brothers mobile. The only Q&A I was able to get into was for Stephen Amell. After I walked the cosplay red carpet I hauled butt upstairs and waited in line for a hour for a *chance* to get into the Q&A room. Thankfully I made it in right before he came on stage. I just finished season 1 of Arrow on Netflix, and I LOVE it! I am so glad I was able to at least see him talk.

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Friday, February 14, 2014

For My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! I will be spending the day with my most beloved friend and companion – Pixie Doodle. She's even cozied up in my lap as I type this (Aww!) I absolutely adore her and can't imagine my life without my true love. Thank you, Pixie, for all the snuggles, nuzzles and purrs. I'd like to dedicate this post to you!

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Monday, February 10, 2014

Happy Things #21

I just got back from Sci Fi Expo so I’ll be working on that post soon. For now here are lots of happy things to share with you! (Click on the photos to see them bigger.)

I have been working on decorating my room since I moved. Here is my makeup desk! I painted this myself and was using this in my salon. The moon mirror is from my room growing up that my parents thankfully kept. I love it!

I also love this colorful corner next to my bed. I think I might mount some shelves on that wall where the bulletin board is so I can put more toys and stuffed animals out. 😛

I am really late posting this but here’s a glimpse at some of the fun things I got for Christmas.

I found this Shredder Funko Pop! toy at the bookstore while at the mall. I would love to have all the turtles some day, too!

My hair is ridiculously thick and since I’ve been growing it out it’s really getting out of hand. I don’t think I’m ready to cut it yet so instead I bought some scrunchies to pull it up! These are so comfy to sleep in and add a pop of color to your outfit.

My mom taught me how to crochet when I was young, but I couldn’t find my crochet hook. So the other day I bought a new one and got some yarn! I learned how to make a flower from this YouTube video and attached a hair clip to the back. These Disney Princess inspired flowers and starfish rings are listed in my Etsy store!

It was about this time last year that my dad and I began planning our trip to Disney World. So I think that’s why I am on such a Disney kick right now. We probably won’t be going back this year, so instead I am decking myself out in Disney gear. I got these awesome Little Mermaid leggings at Target for only $15! I even bought the movie on Blu-Ray and have already watched it twice.

When I found out one of my favorite tattoo artists Matt Van Cura was in town I knew I had to get something from him before he left. A couple years ago he tattooed my Harry Potter themed tattoo. It’s one of my absolute favorites. So I knew I could trust him to do an awesome job again. I got Ariel on my leg and am blown away by how amazing she came out. I love her so much!

This fun photo was taken at my friend Krystle Starr’s house. She and her fiancé needed some people to help film a video for All-Con. I had so much fun dancing and being goofy with all my friends! I went back a couple days later dressed as Ramona Flowers to film some more. You can watch the video here.

My dad got tickets to a Dallas Stars hockey game for Christmas! I was so excited to go with him. We had pretty great seats and ate a ton of food. We were even featured on the big screen for a few seconds! I was happy the Stars won that night, too!

Pixie has been just as silly as ever. I love her so much =^.^=

The second picture is an app called Comic Touch 2.0. Maybe I’ll make a Pixie comic series!

:+:+:+:+:

What has made you happy lately? 🙂

Friday, February 7, 2014

North Texas Comic Book Show

About every 2 or 3 months there is a small comic convention show called North Texas Comic Book Show. I have seen many of my friends attend it so I decided it was time I check it out.

My friend Sean dressed up as Hawkeye, and I went as Black Widow. This was Sean’s first time to go, too.

The show was held in a smaller hotel near downtown Dallas, but had two big rooms filled with vendors.

In the rooms you could find vintage toys and loads of comic books. There were also quite a few artists to meet.

I found several good deals here, and would like to go back to see what treasures I could find next time.

There were a handful of cosplayers in attendance as well. This is Enasni Volz as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She won the costume contest!

Photo by SCNS:Live

I’d like to dedicate this post to Chris Skiles. He is the cosplayer next to me dressed as Darth Nihilus. His costume played a sound recording of the character’s deep booming voice. While we were standing by each other during the costume contest I asked him what the recording was saying. He whispered to me that he wasn’t really sure, and we both laughed together. I know it was a very small moment, but it feels like yesterday that I shared it with Chris.

He was very active in our local cosplay scene, and I had the chance to see him at several other conventions. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that Chris passed away this week. He was only 30 years old, and I learned that he was also an Air Force veteran. At the Dallas Sci Fi Expo this Saturday several of us will be honoring Chris by wearing a white ribbon on our costumes. I didn’t know Chris well, but I have been touched by the opportunity I’ve had to meet new people through cosplay. My heart goes out to his friends and family.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Meet the Sponsors: A Bit of Geek

Hey everyone! I’m excited to share my first “Meet the Sponsors” post. If you’ve checked out my Sponsors page you’ll notice that anyone who purchases a Large Ad will be introduced in a blog post as well. A Bit of Geek is an incredibly fun and informative site that I am sure all of you will enjoy learning more about! Miranda has provided us with some info and links about A Bit of Geek. I was able to meet Miranda at PAX Prime so I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her and her colleagues as a sponsor.

~GlitzyGeekGirl~

A Bit of Geek started as a hobby outlet back in May of 2010. I’ve always loved to write, journal, and document, but more than that I love to share with other people! I would ramble on over on my LiveJournal and Myspace, but after parking it on Facebook I lost the ability to blog. So, A Bit of Geek was born! Over the past (almost) four years now I have been working on growing my little corner of internet. I have moved from blogspot to independent hosting and encountered a lot of problems. I now have my feet mostly planted in WordPress and I expect more changes this year as I continue to mold A Bit of Geek to my ideal website! Early in 2013 I invited three other writers to join me to help expand the available content and add diversity to A Bit of Geek’s voice. The four of us write in harmony about video games, board games, music, comics, crafting projects, TV shows, funny lists, and more. We updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

Readers can expect game reviews, personal opinions on industry trends, informative write-ups, lots of pictures, top ten lists, art videos, the occasional tutorial, our experiences at geeky events, and a whole lot of talking about the things that we love. We encourage and enjoy feedback on our articles as well as on our Facebook page! Getting a discussion going is one of our main goals and is certainly one of my favorite things. The future of A Bit of Geek includes more crafting projects and tutorials, more frequent video content (art, funny, and miscellaneous), a product or two for sale, and more giveaways for our wonderful readers!

A Bit of Geek can be found all over the web. We have a presence on YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and even a Pinterest and Google+ page! We are most active on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr and are happy to answer questions.

To get a taste of the A Bit of Geek experience, here are a few articles that I think really show us off!

Video Game Character Spotlight: Kratos –

Just one in a delightful series from Tom where he gives a fun and detailed rundown of a video game character.

It’s a Mario Party! –

A photo journey of my nephew’s 6th birthday party.

10 Super-Important Supernatural Things to Discuss with your Significant Other –

A hilarious list of very serious questions from Rachel.

A Night at the Zelda Symphony –

A complete retelling of my magical night.

The Importance of a Good Soundtrack –

Zach gives a talk about the key role that music plays in our games.

Staff Picks: Top 5 Video Games of All Time –

A challenging and hair pulling list that Tom forced us to write, but now you all know us a little bit better!

And if that’s not enough, here are the two most recent videos that we’ve posted!

Grumpy Cat Stop Motion Paper Sculpt

Rachel and Miranda react to the end of S04E05 of The Vampire Diaries

Thanks for checking us out! We hope to see you in the comments sections 😀

-MJ

Monday, February 3, 2014

Meeting George Takei

A couple weeks ago the Dallas Comic & Pop Expo held a pre-event signing with George Takei! Madness Comics hosted it and they had a great turn out. George was in town to narrate the Sci-Fi Spectacular performance by the Fort Worth Symphony. I enjoyed hanging out with my friends Krystal and Sean as we browsed through the comics while we waited. George was very polite and excited to meet everyone.

This was my outfit for the event. My Nyan Cat hoodie is from ThinkGeek and my Batman leggings are from Hot Topic.

I didn’t mind waiting in line at Madness Comics because it is a really awesome comic book store. It’s huge! It used to be a Chuck E Cheese. Also, it was Friday so there was Friday Night Magic going on, lots of people to chat with and so many cool things to buy.

Dallas Comic & Pop Expo is a convention I’ve never been to. They were giving out 10% off ticket coupons, and I wish I had used it before it expired because Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is going to be at this convention!! I might just have to try and go to meet him.

George chatted and shook hands with everyone. I was glad they allowed photography at the table so I could snap a few shots.

Here are my friends Krystal and Sean with George. This was the official photo Sean paid for.

Here I am with my freshly autographed Star Trek photo. I am excited to add this to my collection!

Another fun thing about this event was getting to meet the creator of Nyan Cat! Yes you read that correctly. It turns out Christopher Torres lives in the Dallas area! He was in line to meet George, saw me wearing my brightly colored jacket and came up to say hello. Then he gave us some Nyan Cat stickers and buttons! I don’t know if I was more excited to meet him or George Takei! lol

:+:+:+:+:

Are you a Star Trek fan?

OMGLITZY: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

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!!!

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

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!

:+:+:+:+:

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.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

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.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

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. 🙂

:+:+:+:+:

Are you subscribed to any goodie boxes like Loot Crate?

Thursday, January 16, 2014

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 🙂

Monday, January 13, 2014

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!

:+:+:+:+:

Will you be ordering from Fresh Brewed Tee?

What shirt design is your favorite?

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

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.

CLICK TO READ MORE »

Sunday, January 5, 2014

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.

:+:+:+:+:

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?

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

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!

:+:+:+:+:

What was your favorite memory of 2013?

What is your biggest goal for 2014?

PAGES

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Monday, October 20, 2014

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

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