Sunday, July 22, 2012

So I just bought materials for Serah and... another character

I went to Joann's the other day with a book full of 50% off coupons to buy materials for Serah, some jewelry making supplies (for shop items), and some fabric for... another character.  I'm going to keep that other character under wraps for now until it's time for me to debut it.  I'll just say that I love this character a lot and she quickly became a favorite.

I bought:

  • 1 1/2 yards of casa chiffon in light pink for Serah ($7.49)
  • 1 1/2 yards of basic combed cotton for Serah ($3.74)
  • 2 yards of violet casa crepe for another cosplay ($7.99)
  • 2 packs of black buttons for Serah ($1.80)


I bought a few other things but thanks to all of the 50% off coupons I had, it brought a $79 bill down to about $41.  If it weren't for those coupons, man!

Serah's turning out to be an expensive cosplay mainly because of the jewelry I bought from the Square-Enix store but I bought it mainly because I'm a collector.  I'm still kicking myself for missing out on Squall's griever necklace and it's out of production now (insert tears here).  The wig cost me about $35 on eBay which is worth every penny.  The quality is fantastic but it needs a lot of major styling to get it perfect since the ponytail wasn't exactly to the side.  It's the perfect color and it has a skin-part and that's what really matters.

I bought the lace for the skirt from a Taobao store and it needs to be dyed black but other than that, it's the perfect pattern!  The stockings were a gift from my friend and they came from Sock Dreams (they're the only store that sells them long enough to reach my thighs since I'm so tall).  The boots... I need to make covers for a pair of ankle boots I own since I've never seen a pair of already existing shoes that didn't come from an overpriced eBay store look like hers.  A lot of people use converse sneakers but to me those don't look right and don't flatter the legs when wearing thigh-high stockings.  I bought the tear-drop crystals for the bracelet and hair tie off of an eBay seller for pretty cheap but I still need to get off my lazy butt and actually make said accessories.

The only thing I can't really hunt down is fabric for the skirt... I've never seen a red plaid that came even close to the fabric of Serah's skirt so I'm going to have to custom print that if I want to be satisfied with this costume.  Gotta bite the bullet, I guess... I'll need at least 2 yards.  I have the pattern for the skirt already (thank you Joann's for $1 Simplicity pattern sales!) but I'll have to make my own patterns for the shirt and duster which shouldn't be too hard.  The ribbons for the back of my duster will be made out of light pink casa satin since I have that laying around from a Lina Inverse costume that is on indefinite hiatus.  It'll come in handy for something!

Total for this cosplay so far?  Somewhere over $400 mostly because of the earrings and necklace.  That price can be easily avoided by making your own or buying those two items off of Etsy but yeah.  Speaking of which, I'm going to try my hand at making Serah's earrings soon.  My friend plans on cosplaying as Serah in the future and she of course needs a pair of earrings.  Not sure if I'll attempt to make the necklace but the earrings look easy enough.  I'll start selling those in my Etsy shop depending on how hard or easy they are for me to produce.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Teavana

I love Teavana teas!  I never heard of the company until a friend started working there though.  I went to the Fashion Show Mall about a year ago or so and was surprised when I came in and she was on her shift.  We talked for a little bit (made it short because I didn't wanna get her in trouble) and she gave me a sample of one of their red teas.  Sometime later, she gave me a gift of some of their Earl Grey tea.  I loved it!!  It had a fresh taste to it with a hint of vanilla.  The texture of the raw tea is also a lot different from what I'm used to which was a pleasant surprise.  To prepare it, I used my coffee machine and coffee filter.  Best cup of tea I've had in ages.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Ariel bra shells for sale!

*UPDATE: October 2nd, 2010: I have a new and improved model here and the colors are now customizable

I've recently created a pair of shells for Ariel's bra from Disney's The Little Mermaid for costume purposes.  They can easily be attached to a bra with the holes on the sides or worn as is with some rope.  I suggest wearing them with a same-colored purple strapless bra just for a bit more modesty.  The assembly of the bra is up to you since not everyone's torso (frame) is the same width and not everyone has the same breast size.  The shells measure 6in. x 6in. and can be bought in my store!  I will be making these in different colors in the future as well as adding things like pearls and crystals to them, but for now they only come in the "Ariel colorway."


If you are interested in buying this set, click here to go to my store!

If you're interested in a custom styled Ariel wig to go with your shells, I can do that as well!  Visit my store for more details!