It's Over For Another Year.

Good Morning Lovelies!

Well I'm here a day or two late but still made it!

 I got distracted on Monday as Blondunicorn was pelting me with pics of Supernaturals most prized possession the Impala as they film behind us. My excitement was shown is extreme CAPS lock because you know if the car is there then one or both of the boys will be there. I guess they're not really boys right ?

Anyway I was distracted! I hope your Halloween was safe, fun and full of some kind of sugary goodness. I kind of miss that about my kids being all grown up except that I'm completely ok with not having to go trick or treating in the pouring rain so that I can raid my girls candy stash. I raided the stash at work though only to have for the first time in the 5 years we've lived where we are have more kids than we ever had show up. Usually there are none...wait last year I think we had a little princess. Every year I would buy candy and no one would come so I give it to my crew to eat but this year i bought none and had to give away my stash from work, go figure.

 Sadly you did not see my costume post because...there is no because I completely slacked letting other things get in the way but what's done is done.

Our Annual Halloween party went off without a hitch and the costumes were awesome.
You guys that already saw them on my Facebook...too bad look again!


These are the ones that won special prizes for their imagination and work that are being custom made for you.

Meet French KISS and the baguettes

photo courtesy of Megan Buzzard

From left to right meet Allan, Bean, Marvin ( whose real name is Armin but when he was introduced to us a few years ago we were drunk and Marvin he is now forever. ) and Handsome Dan. I love this photo so much it's the Wallpaper on my work computer!

A 24 hr work of art for this Naruto costume.

Good job Steven and it only took about 4 hrs and lots of ow's to get his hair to stand up like that and there are really so many uses for duct tape! You will be an awesome Cosplayer.

Blondunicorn did it with flair as a gypsy.

Now that Halloween is over, Bean is gearing up for the next holiday complete with sparkly and shiny things. After Remembrance Day I'm going to try and not hate the season so much and ease into it with preparedness and relative calm...

Who am I kidding?

If that happens someone needs to make me an award.

So have a great week!

See Ya
S

We Went, We Saw, We Bought Stuff!

Hello Lovelies!

I hope your Easter weekend was as good as mine was because Fan Expo was were I was! You know this already because my countdown started about 3 weeks before.

There was a constant buzz of energy on the way downtown. Me and the girls B, Sese and Blondunicorn hopped on the bus and took off to the city for a day of fun. The ride was almost torture getting there though, it's a ride I take everyday to work so I'm used to it. Lo on the other hand hasn't been on public transit for hmmm...I don't know over 20 years and she asked for a barf bag at one point. We get off the bus and I show them the Trump Tower that is causing all the problems they see in the news and really because there is no way to not see the looming building, it's massive! We split off from Sese and hit the first Starbucks we see because the wind coming off of the water is freezing.

After Latte's and a White Chocolate Mocha are in hand we brave the wind and head to the Convention Center. We get our tickets and on the way to the coat check we see Captain Jack and Loki having a wonderful conversation that made absolutely no sense because they were both in character. I have to say it definitely felt bigger than it was last year. So many more people to push yourself through and that brings me to ways to prepare for that kind of an outing.

First...take your 19 year old daughter with you.

Second...feed that kid while she has a meltdown about a $9 hot dog and swear to take snacks next year.

Third...follow said 19 yr old as she gets your pedestrian rage about 10x worse than you do.

Fourth...take your time as she elbows people out of the way creating a path for you and the newbie ( Blondunicorn ) to wade through.

Fifth...let that girl find all the shortcuts to get back into the convention so she doesn't have to walk all the way around the building to get back in after she's had enough people and wants to go outside in the first place.

She was funny to watch because she was so excited the whole time but needed to keep moving. We took in many sights and sounds, checked out celebrity panels I SAW WILLIAM SHATNER! Tyrese, Lori and Hershel from The Walking Dead, Stephen Amell and JOHN BARROWMAN and Carrie Fisher! Just to be that close to them was amazing for me!

There was a trio dressed as Loki, Thor and Heimdall as as they progressed around the room and they got separated all you would hear was "Loki! My brother!" and you would see 2 set of horns move with great speed through the crowd for a photo op like this!

And with that, this year I asked people to pose for pics and that wasn't something I would normally do. It's expected here though and highly encouraged.

I've wanted a Wonder Woman t-shirt since I was 9 and now I have one plus a Batman T along with a few prints from artists that I'll follow the progress of like Hugh Rookwood from Chozen Studios and Mervyn Mckoy from Paper Lab Studios.

You can check the Scenic tab above for more pics! Overall I had a great day and although I'm still learning about the Convention workings I have another goal next year to see more Q&A's and workshops. This was only the fourth year for Fan Expo and every year it should get bigger and bigger with help from those of us that have now committed to the yearly event.

Until next year FEV!

Have a great week!
S

A Good Monday? Parish The Thought!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

I know...what about Monday is Happy? For me...the sun is shining and it's supposed to be 14 degrees! 14 degrees in January! That is crazy just as the East Coast gets ready for what they are calling the worst winter storm by far. My thoughts are with you over there.

I hope your weekend was fabulously relaxing as mine was entertaining. Anyone who saw my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr posts this weekend would have seen that Touring Tony is in town.

For those of you that don't know the story behind him it goes like this...

Last Fall my brother from Atlanta asked me if I would do my niece a favour because she wanted to conduct a social experiment. He told me I would be receiving something (Tony...) and that I should keep him for a bit take pictures of him to post on Instagram and Facebook where he has pages and if you would like him to come see you then add Tony as a friend, leave your name and contact info in the inbox and someone will get back to you, just search for Touring Tony and see where he's been. After that he gets sent off  to someone else that will do the same. It took him a bit to get to me since he went from Atlanta - New Jersey-Arizona - Vancouver (Port Coquitlam) so the weekend was spent showing Tony in various situations with more to come. I'm having a ton of fun with it I have to say and hopefully in the end he ends up back in his home where my niece can read about his adventures in the journal that he has with him.

I seem to be the project helper of late because one of my pups Megan had a project for a course she's taking in Social Services work (hmmm Social Project...Social Services I'm sensing a pattern) that she asked a few of us to help with but when she comes in and tells you that you have a couple hours to pretty yourself up because she is going to Interview you and then take you picture I was left shocked and a bit dismayed as my kitchen was full of cookie and cake batter because I was on a baking mission. I did it though and in 20 mins becoming photo ready for the 3 1/2 mins of picture taking and interview questions that made me think about...how I think and why I think the way that I do. Let's see, what else have I got for you?

 I have a lot of irons in the fire right now with Fan Expo coming in a few months and trying to get my costume in order and starting the fabrication process, 2 Steampunk art projects, battling my inner demons and as well as trying to make sure I write and post CF every week and hopefully growing as I go along with that one...I hope...a true test of my resolve I guess eh?

It was also Peanuts 2nd birthday last Friday and the fact that 2 years has gone by already is crazy but I found out something really interesting and for a 2 year old he's scared of spiders! It must be because T is DEATHLY afraid of them and he's seen that she is because I have a big Halloween spider that hangs out all year long that he just noticed it this weekend and doesn't like it at all! With the explicit permission of his father who asked me to toss it in his direction and seeing the poor boy jump so fast and mimic squashing it we have definitely determined that he is scared of spiders and that made me laugh as he would have me save him from the fake spider repeatedly and smile but wouldn't get any closer than 2 feet away from it. I love that kid... I guess showing him the 2 tarantulas his Auntie B has would be bad right?

Ok with all of that going on I have a busy road ahead and need to remember how to sew! Not even that but adjusting the tension on my machine...which never works...and makes me want to throw it out the window.

Have a great week!
See Ya,
S

A Little Bit Of Everything Even Clowns...

Oh it's Monday again, although I posted last week on a Wednesday...I think anyway. Now it's Monday!

I'm surprisingly chipper today even though most Mondays are a stay away from me zone until I've had about 5 cups of coffee. Maybe the weekend rain helped before we go back to the hot temps making for a beautiful July.

Ugh...I'm even too chipper for myself to handle.

How were the last few days? Pretty good! Lazy yet productive not necessarily in that order.

Bean brought home 2 more snakes, like the other 3 weren't enough but they are pretty cool and one of them is the biggest one yet in the house and her name is Xena ( yes I used to LOVE that show ) and Damien not Damien as she says because she wants to change his name so he's DND to me now, so they reside with Dr. Kinky MD, Julius Squeezer, and Matilda ( Big Mama I call her ). Now though she is not the biggest one anymore, but come on B the Spiders are being neglected. Not that you should get more because your Auntie Lo might jump out the window and run screaming into the night and straight into the arms of carnivorous Squirrels. (Long story)

I spent time writing and editing yesterday and that felt really good because I've been neglecting that part of my life as new things I'm interested in, want to learn and explore in regards to costuming and fabrication. When you watch shows like Heroes of Cosplay and Face Off it makes a girl want to get messy. So crafting and playing with different mediums has been leading the way. My laptop got so much use yesterday that I think it had a stroke and needed a rest. I was almost scared when I went and turned it on this morning thinking that I was just going to see a blank screen but I didn't. It's all good.

Oh and to my boy Craig who posted a video of a guy in a terrifying clown suit that purposely scares the crap out of people with his creepy clown face and creepy music box. F**K You! That was disturbing and I hate you for it because after it started I COULD NOT look away and found myself screaming RUN and NOPENOPENOPE to everyone that encountered this guy in the video. You know what I want to see though...

The one person that didn't go running and chased that psycho down instead! You know turn the tables and see if he got scared. To see the look of shock on his creepy face would be awesome!

Where's that video?

Oh something new! I have a couple of sites I was asked to check out and one that wasn't but I will anyway because it was mentioned to me and I'm curious. That is super cool because they asked me which is also super odd because they asked me, whatever I'll go with it and I'm glad to. So besides all of the work I'm piling on myself it feels like I have 4 jobs.

I guess I do.

OK Guys have a good Monday and stay out of trouble or get into it and tell me about it.

See Ya
S

Monsters, Make-up and a Hotter Than Hell Canada Day

Yesterday was Canada Day!

As well as Holy Crap it's HOT Day! Maybe not as hot as the title but close enough.

With projected temps were 30+ and waiting for the scorching sun to frankly stop scorching me when I poked my head out the back door was a long and boring affair and then I remembered that I was asked to check out a website and blog about it.

So I did!

A few days ago while perusing Twitter ( my fave Social Media outlet ) I had favourited a tweet from @monstermagicmag  where I'm sure via auto reply they said thank you for favouriting their tweet. Linked in the tweet was a website www.constars.com   and they asked me to cruise their page.

There I would find places to submit fantasy horror videos, stuff from many Cons ( Comic Con, Wonder Con etc...) and games. So today I registered and logged in for full use of the site. Are also videos related to make-up artistry that I'm sure a few people that I know involved in that industry would love to see and would find useful. I saw many Cosplayers I recognize/follow too.

I'm a Fantasy Horror fan so you can bet I will be checking out many videos that can be submitted to them if you register and it's free!

 So @monstermagicmag I have bookmarked you and added you to things I like to look at and I'm sure I will have more to say about.

After taking that break and attempting to go out back again I noticed how quiet it was. We have a back yard that faces South so we get the sun all day and the deck get HOT. You can feel the heat through your shoes so walking on it barefoot is not an option but yet our 3 dogs are all laying on the deck ( there was shade available ) panting and drooling. As I'm shaking my head at the dogs I see the 3 cats are all ripping their fur out as they lay on the hot black shingles that cover my roommates Harley shed. Even as I tried to get them in the house for a drink of water or anything to lay in front of a breezy fan they just laid there baking, panting and blinking at me.

The thing with our house is that it's not too bad during the day but you want to rip your skin off at night. I'm one of those people that has to cover up with a blanket no matter how hot it is and then swelter. That's only the beginning! That was the first really hot day we've had yet and I saw almost full body sunburns, ( Sorry for laughing Lobster boy! ) because they were NOT protected.

After the sun disappeared behind a cloud for a bit it was safe to go outside and apparently catch the BBQ on fire and almost melt the table. Glad to say it wasn't me this time! After dinner and a couple of the kids went to the fireworks, it was quiet time in the house

I hope you had a good Canada Day and for my American family and friends I hope your 4th of July is awesome. For the rest of you wherever you are if you have days of celebration coming up in the next week I hope it's a good one!

See Ya
S

I Am A Fan of Fan Expo!

Hello Lovlies!

The title of this one says it all for me. I had so much fun! Keep in mind that Fan Expo Vancouver is smaller than any of the other Conventions and at the same time it was great to go to something at the start that will turn into something much bigger over time.

This was only the 3rd convention in Vancouver so far and I loved every minute of the day. There were so many people in costume as it should be and I'm glad I started here. If I went to Comicon as my first one I think my inner Nerd would have had a heart attack as it was she was swooning from the second we went through the doors. My Social Media outlets were all a buzz with stuff. I haven't been able to upload all the pics.

I do wish I had been more comfortable with asking cosplayer or 30 for a photo though and next year as well as being one ( I'm really going to try and make that happen ) I'm going for broke. Some of their costumes were just amazing and inventive except the really bad plastic bag Batman.

Oh and the Steampunk! I almost went to Steampunk heaven, the clothes the jewlery all of the other stuff! I even bought a 50 calander that looks like a... I can't even explain it kind of like a clock but not really. I'll post it later and give kudos to The Attic who had a table there that I didn't want to leave.

The pics of it will be posted on my Instagram and Tumblr. Tabs are at the top.

I think I stalked Robert Englund for over an hour. He was one of the only celebs that sat in his booth regardless of whether he had autographs to sign or not and chatted away with fans. so I stood directly in front of him and stayed there! Paige got a picture with him and I thought she was going to die. Sese got a picture with her Cosplay idol Jessica Nigri and she is super cute.

There was so much going on and so much to see and all I kept thinking was Comicon is much bigger than this...I... have... to go.
For now though I'll focus on what's in front of me, making things better as well as worthwhile and making my dreams come true.

Everybody needs some of that right?

See Ya,
S

Growing Up Is Hard To Do.

Hello Lovlies,

I spent most of the weekend not feeling well and it's typical because the weather was amazing. You know, it was warm enough and so bright out that your eyes just couldn't adjust to it because they've been in the dark, grey and hooded due to rain and grey sky's for the past few months. I noticed alot of picture taking ( My Instagram exploded )and smiling happy faces. Ok...well...a few smiling happy faces and some faces that wished they hadn't gotten out of bed that day.

Watched Bean, Allan and Jeremiah make dinner and BBQ for about 6 hours. In their defence they had a lot of food and a tiny grill to work with but they made it work. Everyone seems to be geared up to get things done this Spring/Summer. I've been asked for Passport applications, the two youngest are getting their Official ID because they will both be turning 19 soon and legal ( That's trouble ), BlondUnicorn is getting ready to insure her Harley for the riding season and I have to do something that I've put off for almost 16yrs...get...my...license. This is the last time, if I don't do it this Summer I'll never drive.

No...I haven't done it yet.
Never really needed to. Transit was my friend and could never fit a car, and insurance, and gas into the budget.
Did take the road test once and failed only because I ran a yellow light...twice...I thought I was too close to the intersection to stop! The instructor said "stop anyway I'm a witness if you get rearended"

Ok then!

First though I get to re-write the learners exam, should be good I got 100% last time and when you've taken the test as many times as I have I think it would be questionable if I didn't get them all right. So back I go again and will book my road test as soon as I pass the learners exam. Drive the crap out of BU's car and pass.

Fan Expo is coming this weekend and I heard that we'll be having FREEZING rain!!! What a way to tease us Mother Nature! Hopefully Sunday will be Sunny Day because I'm going! Just confirmed by Sese and Steven! Sneaky Buggers.

They're lucky I'm not crazy into Cosplay.

We'll that's it for now.

See Ya
S.

To Go or Not To Go...To Fan Expo Vancouver!

Hello Lovlies!

So Easter Weekend is approaching soon on Apr 20 and at the same time that weekend is Vancouver's Fan Expo and on top of that 4/20 Day so I'm assuming there will be youngins ( well younger than me maybe some older ) filling the streets not only in their fav character costumes but also in a green hazy cloud that will blanket the city.

I have a question though! so if you a family that celebrates Easter on that Sunday and your kid is a pothead where do you foresee your child being that night? Dinner with the family or 420? How do they get out of it? How would that conversation go?

Back to Fan Expo so the lineup includes...so many Fav's!!!!!!

BRUCE CAMPBELL
ROBERT ENGLUND
LAUREN COHAN
MORENA BACCARIN
CHARISMA CARPENTER
ELIZA DUSHKU

That's only a few! Freddy in person though! EEEEEEEEE!


So much more!!! I haven't even touched on the video games, Anime so much more!

It may not be as big as Comic Con but it's out tiny piece of that world and every year it gets a bit bigger!

Wait why am I undecided about going?

If you want to check it out the web info is below,

Ok guys! It's been fun.

See Ya
S

http://www.fanexpovancouver.com