Posted in Articles

New YA Book Featuring the Cosplay World

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I’m not a book reviewer and won’t try to be one today, but I wanted to tell you all about this new book coming out.  My friend, Jennifer Castle, wrote it and it is amazing!

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Photos: jennifercastle.com

The basic synopsis is this: “Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It’s not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom’s emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. But it’s summer, and anything is possible…

That’s when Camden Armstrong steps onto the beach of Ari’s local swimming lake.

At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure, and shared sci-fi fandom. As Ari’s romantic dreams come true, she must unlock the mysteries of the very real and troubled boy behind her infatuation, while also struggling with her own demons, obligations, and loyalties.”-from jennifercastle.com

She asked me to give it a read and see if the cosplay world was correctly depicted.  I can say that it is spot-on!  I told her when I finished the book, “Your book gets me.”  Nerds are portrayed in a realistic and respectful fashion.  There’s no, “Let’s make fun of the nerds, aren’t they weird”, feel to this book AT ALL.

I also applaud her depiction of anxiety and depression.  There are characters that are dealing with depression in various ways, and I could relate to my experiences with it as well.  It is dealt with realistically and with respect.

I highly recommend this to the readers of this blog.  It is YA, so I’d say it is appropriate for 13 and up, but you know your kid better than I do.

Buy your own copy here.

Please peruse her website as well for information on her other works.  I read all three of her novels, and loved each one!  Here’s a link to her site.

Happy Reading!

Love, Kim and Scout

Posted in Cons

SDCC Countdown: 2 Months to Go!

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OK, try not to panic, but we only have two more months until SDCC, the mother of all cons!

I wanted to focus on some prep and planning for the countdown to help you all get ready.

Travel Plan Checklist:

  • Double check on those badges.  You have the barcode ready to print out or have it printed already and in a safe place?  Good, because you can’t get in without it.
  • Check on the hotel reservation.  If you went through the SDCC lottery, then make sure that the hotel has charged you for two nights as a deposit.  If not, there might be an issue with the room.  Call them immediately.
  • If you are dealing with the parking lottery, same thing, double check all the required deposits to make sure you are officially in.
  • If you are flying, check on those plane tickets and flight information.  Do you have your airport parking squared away?  Might want to go ahead and do it now.

Now that all the boring adulting is out of the way, let’s get to the real planning!  Are you cosplaying?  If so, then the countdown if officially on!

Cosplay Checklist:

  • Are you doing anything new?  Best get on that if you are!
  • Order any mail order pieces to your cosplay now so they will be delivered in time.
  • Start buying fabric, patterns, notions, etc. if you are sewing your own pieces.
  • Re-running a cosplay?  Then take it out of storage and try it on.  Does it still fit well?
  • If there are any repairs that need to be made to cosplay pieces, do them now.
  • Contact the other members of your cosplay group, if any, and make sure they are working on their cosplay.
  • If you need to ship anything to the hotel, then call that hotel and find out their policy for taking delivery of guest parcels.

For more tips for planning your best con ever, please visit crazy4comiccon.com!

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Photo: actionfigurepics.com

Hope to see you there!

Love, Kim and Scout

*Lead photo: thewrap.com

*Convention center photos: theitsummit.com and wikimedia.org

*Sign photo: actionfigurepics.com

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Outfit of the Day #12: Elhoffer Design Cap Dress

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For our 12th outfit of the day, we wanted to feature a dress I had made by the fantastic Elhoffer Design.  I really had no choice but to get this dress, honestly.  It is so beautiful, not to mention comfortable and functional (pockets!).

Some of my favorite parts of the dress, besides the pockets, are the hood, which is such a great detail!  The fabrics used are super soft and comfy, but keep their shape.  She made the dress long enough that I don’t have to wear leggings with it, which means I can wear this dress year-round.  The sleeves are also long enough and flattering.  The cut of the dress is also super flattering.  The dress is Cap bounding for sure, but the stripes and how they are placed on the dress really cinches in your waist in a great way.  Most of all, she is all sizes inclusive!

I accessorized with a brooch/pendant I got on Amazon.com and red Chuck Taylors from Converse.  Maximum comfort for going to see Civil War.  I got dozens and dozens of compliments on this beautiful dress.

Order this Marvelous (see what I did there?) dress from Elhoffer Design here.

Please check out some of her other designs below and happy shopping!

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Love, Kim and Scout

*All pictures not of me are Elhoffer Design

 

Posted in Articles

Captain America: Civil War

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In this post, Scout and I wanted to talk a bit about the film, “Captain America: Civil War”.

*Obviously, this post is full of spoilers.  We gave you nerds over a week to see it though.  You’ve been warned!

First off, we are both solid Team Cap and remain so after seeing the movie.  We both loved this movie so much!  It is right up there with the first Avengers, Guardians and Winter Soldier.  Best of the best of the Marvel Studios films so far.

We have not read the comic as of yet, but plan to in the future, fyi.  So these thoughts are all about the civil war in the MCU.

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Lead photo and this photo: Marvel Studios

What we loved about it:

  • The overall message of friendship and that friends are the family you choose
  • Vision’s Ward Cleaver wardrobe (it will never not be funny)
  • The humor sprinkled throughout
  • The anti-bromance of Bucky and Sam
  • That blue beetle
  • Steve finally, FINALLY getting a kiss
  • Bucky and Sam’s reaction
  • Clarity on how The Winter Soldier “works” (the trigger words and that he is not in control of his actions). I really needed to see the old Buck to understand Cap’s side of things
  • Cap stops a helicopter from taking off with the power of his biceps!
  • Cap’s arms, seriously deserves another mention
  • Ant Man feeling up said biceps (we’d all do it, admit it)
  • Ant Man/Giant Man (“I believe this is yours, Captain America!”)
  • New Spidey (adorbs)
  • Everyone got their moment in this film without overcrowding anything
  • Wanda’s new uniform (that corset tho)
  • When Bucky steals a motorcycle
  • Red Wing
  • Tony figures out at the end that he messed up, big time
  • Tony Stank

OK, seperate mention of Black Panther!

  • His suit and claws and that helmet with the little ears, OMG!
  • Everytime he was addressed as, “Your Highness”
  • His assistant, “Move or you will be moved.”  She better be in his solo movie, just sayin
  • His panther feet
  • His classiness in general
  • He’s a badass, plain and simple
  • He’s looking after Bucky
  • He took the high road with the bad guy

What we didn’t like (we know these things had to happen, but still gave us feels):

  • Peggy passed on (I know she was 100, but still!)
  • That Stark just cannot stop messing up everything around him, to the detriment of the Avengers (come on, dude!)
  • That it was The Winter Soldier that killed Stark’s parents and not some random Hydra Agent
  • Stark screwed things up with Pepper (I know girl, you tried)
  • Rhodey not getting with the program by the end.  Heck, even Tony figured out that he screwed up royally

So, what did you guys think of the movie?  Let us know in the comments!

Next time, I’m going to talk about my new Elhoffer Design Cap Dress that I wore to opening weekend.  Until then, Kim and Scout will return…

Love, Kim and Scout

*All photos from film: Marvel Studios

Posted in Uncategorized

Outfit of the Day #11: Han Solo

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For our eleventh outfit of the day, I went with everyone’s favorite nerfherder, Han Solo.

I saw Episode Four when I was nine years old.  I liked Han immediately, even if I had no idea what having a crush was.  I had one nonetheless.

My first outfit is a great uniform dress from Her Universe.

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I’m wearing a 3X in this dress as this dress tends to run small.  I’m a size 18/20.  It is super stretchy and includes sleeves, which I love.  No need to layer with a sweater or anything.  Just throw on some boots and you are good to go!

The second outfit features leggings from Gold Bubble Clothing.  I wear these constantly!  I absolutely love the fit that Gold Bubble has with all of their pieces.  The details are great and the construction and spandex they use is durable and fashionable.  They also pass the bend over see-thru test.  Yes, even their white leggings!  I’m wearing an XL.

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For everyday, I pair these leggings with my trusty boots and some black and white tops very Han-ish.  I also wear my Falcon necklace from Hot Topic.

These leggings are also featured in my Han Solo cosplay.

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Here’s hoping this will awaken your fashion force!  See what I did there…

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All pro photos by Justin Davidson Photography.  Book him here.

Love, Kim and Scout

Posted in Articles

Fashion How-To: T-shirt Surgery

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I’ve been talking about t-shirt surgery for a while now on this blog.  So, I figured it was high time I showed you how to alter a shirt for yourself.

To express my dismay for the worst son EVER, I got this shirt:

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T-shirt is from Jordandene.  Get it here.

I got the unisex shirt in an XL.  I’m a size 18/20 for reference.  As you can see, the neckline is way too high for a girl.  It is unflattering and uncomfortable.  The rest of the shirt fits great and is super-soft, but that neckline tho.

So, time to surgically remove that collar.  I like to cut the neck out asymetrically, so one side is more open than the other.  Then I wear a bra with straps that are color coordinated.  Kind of Flashdancy, but I’m an 80s child after all.  If you want the sides to be even, just mark the shirt that way.

Step One: Wash and dry the shirt.  Even if it is super soft already, go ahead, so the cuts will be where you want them.

Step Two: Get a pair of fabric scissors.  You can get these anywhere, but keep in mind that once you have them, keep them as fabric only scissors.  Don’t use them for anything else.  Fabric scissors need to be super-sharp and cutting anything, especially paper, dulls them quickly.  You need to be able to make precise and clean cuts.

Step Three: Put the shirt on and in a mirror, look at where you want the new opening to end.  Now move your finger in about a half inch toward your neck.  Make a mark here with a marker.  Mark the other side.  Reason you move in a bit is the neckline will stretch a little.  Be cautious here.  If you find the opening is too small once your done, then just cut a little more.  If you cut too much from the start, your stuck with it.  Better to be cautious.

Step Four: Lay the shirt out flat on a table.  Use the scissors to make a tiny snip on the mark on one shoulder.  Then put one scissor blade into the shirt and start to cut towards the other mark.

 

Step Five: Flip open the section of shirt you just cut.  Like this:

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Step Six: Now you have a guide to cut the back-side of the shirt.

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Step Seven: Give the neckline a GENTLE tug.  Try it on and see if you like it or need to do a little more trimming.

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Here’s my finished project:

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Post any questions you have in the comments.  Also, send us some pics of your creations!  Scout and I would love to see them!

Until next time…

Love, Kim and Scout