Ravenclaw Perfect Prefect

What I Wore:

Shirt: Target

Necktie: Clothing Swapped

Brooch: Universal Studios

Pants: Joe Fresh

Shoes: Ardene

Sorry for the crappy picture quality. I decided to test out taking pictures in our room again and the lighting in there is just terrible. I really prefer outdoor shoots but it is not always possible. Speaking of which, that is why I have not posted in a while either. My schedule has been insane again and I have had no free time to take outfit pictures or blog. I have barley had time to keep our apartment respectable (it wasn't for at least a week hahaha *embarrassed*) let alone go on the internet. Between working both jobs, making costumes for one, and making a dress for someone else and my Etsy shop there has been little relaxation time. Next month should be a little bit slower and I am taking some time off for our anniversary next week and then again in August to go up to my Aunt's cottage like we do every summer. I am excited for the cottage because I ordered some fatkini bottoms from ModCloth and now I just need to find some time to make the top section so I can wow everyone on the beach. I copied this awesome vintage bra top pattern from a friend and I want to make all the bra tops. All! 

In other news I finally made a Pottermore account and took the house placement test. I was always certain I would either be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, and it's official now I am a Ravenclaw. I am pleased by this. The description of the people who get placed in that house on the site made me laugh and was really quite apt. My favourite part was when it talked about how they let people in that house dress however they want and that they are often labelled as eccentrics. Luna Lovegood was always my favourite character in the series too, so I am feeling pleased with myself. In honour of taking the test Ia m posting my Ravenclaw themed outfit. I actually wore this yesterday and took the test today but *shhhh* no one needs to know. I am in love with how this look turned out even if the pictures are crappy. Conclusions: I am a nerd, I love Harry Potter, I still need to wear more lady ties.  

Costume Con 32

As I promised I am finally sharing the pictures from Costume Con 32, only a month after it happened. That's not so bad, right? Right? I am warning you this is going to be an image heavy post but it is going to be totally worth it.

Day 1 (Single Pattern Competition)

Day 2 (Sci-Fi and Fantasy Masquerade)

This group "A Clockwork Circus" won best in show for this masquerade

Day 3 (Around the Con and Historical Masquerade)

This was from the sci-fi masquerade but I didn't get good pictures of this group

"Miss Oz Pageant" this group won best in show for the historical masquerade

The figures on her hair piece actually rotated!

Golden Snitch

What I Wore:

Dress: Made By Me

Belt: Fairweather

Shoes: Ardene

Tights: Dollorama

Brooch: Universal Studios (Harry Potter Section)

Another nautical themed ensemble for you today. I wore this when we were driving down from Orlando to where my Aunt is staying in Miramar Beach. I wanted to get some nice shots of the outfit outside, but by the time we arrived it was too dark. These pictures were instead taken inside the room my sister and I were sharing for the duration of my visit. Sorry that these pictures are a bit out of focus, it was hard to tell on the camera and the lighting was kind of weird in the room. I absolutely love this golden snitch brooch. I bought it in the Harry Potter section of the park on the first day of our trip. In case you were wondering, yes Ia m a huge nerd. Like I mentioned before I have terrible luck with brooches. I didn't get a chance to wear this one until the Thursday of the trip (I bought it on Monday) and one of the wings immediately snapped off. My heart sank because I didn't think I would be able to exchange it since the store I bought it from was actually inside Universal. Luckily there are two smaller stores outside of the park entrance and I was able to whip in and exchange it without a hassle before we hoped in the car for the 7 hour drive to my Aunt's. I actually amassed a rather impressive collection of pins/brooches during the trip which I will be showcasing over the nest little while I am sure.   

 As you read this I will be flying in a plane out of Tallahassee airport and landing in Buffalo. My flight leaves at a stupidly early hour (7:20am, blagh) and we have to leave around 2:30am because there is an hour time difference (I am currently an hour behind Eastern Standard Time). My parents and sister are staying until the end of the week. Actually they are leaving Mirimar on Wednesday and driving to Atlanta for a few days. I am kind of sad because we didn't end up going to New Orleans, it would have been too much of a hassle, but the trip was still awesome, so it's all good. I will be posting my favourite pictures from the trip throughout the week so stay tuned if you want to see what I got up to while I was away! 

P.S. I got a haircut but you can't really tell in these pictures. There are two strands at the font that are longer than the rest of my hair. I am pleased with how my bangs turned out. It might be easier to make it out in other pictures from this week.

Ode to the 1940s

What I Wore:

Dress: Made by me

Sweater: Walmart

Belt: Reitmans

Tights: Ardenes

Shoes: Blowfish

Necklace: Zellers

I made this dress for my university honours thesis project. I was researching the effect of WWII on women's dress, and I draped this dress based off of an image I found to go along with my paper. This is what the original looked like (the one in the middle):

Source: Forties Fashion and the New Look

I ended up removing the shoulder pads in order to wear this dress as a regular piece of clothing because they made me look like a linebacker, but that is the only thing I altered.This project made me fall in love with the fashion of that time period. Before I did the research I kind of lumped the 40s and 50s together in my head, but I learned so much and am able to differentiate the two really well now. The look was practical, yet still elegant. It really is a fascinating period in women's fashion, with such a marked change in style from the 30s to the 40s. If you couldn't tell already, I am a bit of a fashion history nerd. Looking at this picture makes me want to make the green dress too, I love the pleats and collar. Ahh the 40s, how I love you so. 

Craft Time! DIY Comic Book Shoes

1. Amass an obscene amount of comic books. I absolutely loved Archie comics as a child (and still do) so I have a huge collection. Some of them are also my sister's and she did a pair of shoes too.

2. Collect the necessary materials. I used Golden Gel Medium (semi-gloss) and a large paint brush (not pictured). You could also use a matte finish or high gloss finish gel medium.

3. Cut out all of the pieces you want to use for your shoes. I found it best to use large-ish rectangular pieces for the base coat. We also cut out some "statement" pieces for a second layer.

4. Find a pair of shoes to use. It is best to choose ones that have a plastic/poly-vinyl finish. I found that if you use shoes that don't have a thick sole the comics near the base rub a bit. This problem can be avoided by using thick soled shoes, not putting the comics right to the edge, or sealing the base with rubber cement.

5. Apply some of the gel medium to the back of the comic strip.

 6. Line the strip up on the shoe, and then paint another layer of gel medium on top of it. Repeat this process until the entirety of the shoe is covered (or as much of it as you desire is covered).

7. Let the shoes dry for an hour or so. then you can choose to put some statement pieces on top if you like. I chose some standout images like people's faces and the titles from the comics. Let that layer dry for about half an hour, depending on how many you put on.

8. Paint a full layer of gel medium over the shoes and let dry. I put a pretty thick layer on mine so I left them to dry over night. If you so desire you can put another layer on the next day. If you want the comics to be really sealed in I would recommend doing a second layer. Let that dry for a few hours. Now would also be the time to apply the layer of rubber cement as mentioned in step 4. 

9. Ta-Da! You are all done and ready to wear your fabulous shoes out in public. Get ready for some oohs and ahhhs!