Wondercon 2013: Lessons in Costume Making and Germs

You know, as I look around at this dusty old blog, I find it to be pretty shocking I don't have anything labeled under "geeky" yet! Since I rebooted this blog not much of the nerdy/geeky activities that dominate my actual life have made onto the internet and I have come to the conclusion that I'm doing this whole thing wrong. Sure, I may have said that I wanted to make a blog to document my activities and have my friends keep up with me, but I think I was really half heartedly trying to make a blog that might blow up in Pinterest. Or get me sponsors. Or bring me notoriety in some way. What happens when you do something for others instead of yourself? This, my friends.

THIS =  long instances between posts because I was worried that nothing I did was interesting enough to blog about

THIS = posts about crafting (which I love) but none about geeky stuff, that's not me at all!

THIS = being a chore instead of a joy

Well this stops right now. I love to write and play games and eat and cook and make lists and ride bikes and from now on this blog will be a lot more of that. (rant over)

Anyway, you're still reading, yay! Last weekend some friends and I went to Wondercon. It was my first time and I've often heard that Wondercon is what Comic-con used to be like (makes sense as they are one company). There were tens of thousands of people, but I still found that it wasn't quite as much of a crush as PAX. I went to some great panels (and missed some great ones), saw some great cosplay, and generally left the con feeling really inspired. It's AMAZING to be in a place where everyone making and doing something creative or admiring those who make and do creative things. Incidentally, one or more of those amazing people also gave me a gnarly cold. I am writing this up only after a weeks worth of TLC! Anyway, one of my bucket list items is to cosplay at a con and I thought I would share just some of the sights one can expect to see. Lots of fabric, paint, cardboard, wigs, skin and enthusiasm!

-A

Fall Separates: Transforming Long Shorts into a Skirt

My sewing machine has been whirring away this season and I couldn't be more thrilled about it! Unfortunately for anyone interested in viewing this blog, most of the sewing I've been doing is more of the utilitarian sort. You know, those activities like hemming or repairing seams that don't really constitute blog posts but still make you feel really glad you did them because that dang pile of to-do garments was getting a wee bit monstrous? Yeah, those.

Anyway, part of the reason my to do pile is so large is because sometimes I will run across a garment at the thrift store that I just can't walk away from. Although I've reformed my ways (I swear! mostly!), my most common crime is to grab something with a print I really like and think about how to use it later. Enter these shorts.

Great print right? They are also in my favorite color (navy) and made of a great cotton/corduroy blend. But wow, these shorts are long enough to like, cover your knees (should one feel self-conscious about one's knees I guess). I originally wanted to make them into shorter shorts, but then I double backed and thought that I might take advantage of that length and turn it into a skirt instead. Less than an hour later I came back with this.

I might be biased here... but isn't that just SO MUCH better? Now it's an all seasons piece that is yes, a very versatile length! I'm very much looking forward to wearing it with tights and a cozy cardigan in the coming months. Have you ever bought something that had a flaw that turned out not to be?

-A

A Comission?

Hello again! I have very little idea of what kind of readership I might have for this blog, but just so you guys know, I'm rapidly approaching that age where everyone around me is getting married. I'm in no rush to get married myself mind you, but for me it means a lot of marking Saturdays off my calendar, wondering if it's okay to wear the same dress to a different wedding, and helping out poor brides when they come calling.

Today my dear friend Tammy got married to her longtime sweetie and a couple weeks ago she asked me for a "big" favor. Time was winding down on the wedding clock and she really wanted a"Here Comes the Bride" banner for her big day. I had never seen one before and apparently they are a thing now! Not that I mind things that are "things" of course. Weddings are just really different now than when I was growing up (probably because people I actually know get married now!). Anyway, I was totally game and asked her to send me some inspiration photos, then I was off!

I bought fabric, fabric paint, and stencils from the craft store and the rest were scraps I found in my stash. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and I think she was too! Her wedding colors were purple and silver, so I riffed off of that a bit. The best part about this project is that it forced me to dust off my sewing machine and now I'm ready for a whole cold season of tea and crafting. Who knows, I might even update this blog at regular intervals...

-A

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Today was one of those days. You know what I am talking about, a day where there was a perfect storm of boredom and availability of supplies that somehow results in the creation of brownies AND chocolate chip bar cookies. My hands just sort of acted on their own, honest! Anyway, as a word of advice, the new flavor of Ghirardelli brownie (Dark Chocolate) is a tiny bit orgasmic (no photo, those went too fast). But these chocolate chip bar cookies are chewy, decadent, and made my weekend feel extra special. Try them with a dusting of flaky sea salt (like me) or some chopped pecans (like future me).

-A

P.S. I'm trying out a new cooking section of the site. I hope you all enjoy it, not sure where it's headed!

Disappearing and Reappearing

While I will not presume that I have any sort of following on the internet, I will cover my bases anyway and excuse my long absence! It's all the usual reasons someone might not get a chance to blog (I started a new labor intensive job after being unemployed for over six months, I moved out of my parents home into a new place, I misplaced my SD card reader, all my free time is spent working on the house, etc.), and even though I missed it blogging, I hardly could scarcely tell how much time had passed! Needless to say, in the past few weeks there have been no arts or crafts or free time of any sort. There HAS however been some cooking and Living and Eating (the cookbook that we have decided to cook through). The new place is also gifted with a good amount of natural light and I got a little snap happy...see the results of my amateur food photography below.

It's been a long month, but I have to say that I feel very blessed that everything has basically gone as well as it has. I do have more things I want to show you but they are still works in progress. In any case, thank you for stopping by!

-A