Shamans and Fairies, Oh My! (an update on our Scarborough Costumes)

So, we picked up our tickets for Scarborough Ren Fest last weekend, and we’re planning on making it to opening day (for the first time!) this weekend. I’ve been working hard on finishing our costumes, and, fortunately, my mom agreed to make Tom’s peasant pants, so I could concentrate on the other stuff.

Now, they’re not your typical renaissance festival costumes, exactly. Tom is going as a shaman/green man combo, and I’m going as a dragon fairy. There are nods to renaissance attire, but they’re in no way meant to be historically accurate.

I finished Tom’s “breastplate” (for lack of a better word.) It went from this:

… to this:

I embroidered Nordic designs onto a pleather-y fabric (it’s felted on the back, which I hope will be comfortable for him to wear all day.) There are runic compasses, symbols for guiding you to a specific outcome or trait, and a border design I found online. I’ve hand sewn on faux fur trim, and leather fringe and trim, and added moss and acrylic paint for a lived-in look.

I also made antlers/horns from Sculpey clay to add to his headdress. I painted the antlers with various colors of acrylic paint, and sealed with Mod Podge. Then, I attached them to their own cord to be worn underneath the band of the headdress, which I cut holes into for the antlers to “grow” out of.

I tried out some makeup looks for my dragon fairy costume yesterday:

I plan on dyeing my hair purple before Saturday, hence the purple eyebrows. I still need some practice with using fishnets to produce a “scale” effect on my skin, but I like the way the colors coordinate with the headdress.

To view more photos of our costume pieces, go to this post. You’ll find more of my fairy costume, and some other in progress and inspiration pics!

Gentle hugs,

Chelsea

Are you going to Scarborough Faire?

Click to visit SRFestival.com

Next month begins one of my favorite times of year – the time we get to go to Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX!

This year, the hubs and I are dressing up. (In past years, we’ve dressed in costume, but not every year.) My guy’s going with a green man/wild man vibe, and I’m finishing up the dragon fairy costume I started making a couple of years ago.

Here’s the hub’s inspiration:

Luckily, between my mom and I, we happen to have a plethora of furry and leather trims and fabrics to use. I’ve made a couple of “found object” necklaces with things I had lying around. Now, I’m working on creating a headdress.

I didn’t want to pay for a bird skull, so I created one from some black Sculpey and whitewashed it.

Wire wrapped beads and arrowheads on leather cord make manly, rustic jewelry.

Here’s my costume so far:

My version of a rag skirt, with silk, taffeta, tulle, lace, and other fabrics. It has a bit of a bustle in the back to allude to a “tail.”

I’m also finishing a little choli vest to wear (and secure the wings,) and a matching utility belt for the essentials. I can’t wait to test the makeup! I’m going to try to create “scales” using fishnets as a stencil.

Reversible cropped vest with lace up front and sides.

Follow our Costume List Pinterest board for more inspiration on these and other costumes we plan on creating! 

Click this makeup inspiration image to go to our Pinterest board.

Are you dressing up for a fair or festival this year? Share in the comments!

Gentle hugs,

Chels

A magical, happy new year!

Happy new year, everyone!

I know that for most of you with chronic pain, this is a hard time of year. Whether you live in a place where it’s very cold, or in a place like Texas, where it can’t decide if it’s warm or freezing, the weather is probably wreaking havoc on your body, and I’m sorry. It’s tough. I have very little energy right now, accompanied by lots of aches and pains, as well as some digestive issues, but I’m keeping my eyes on spring. (Granted, the rain won’t be much better, but the warmth – oh, the warmth!) So, as usual, I’m trying to stay occupied.

I decided a long time ago that if I was going to make resolutions, I had to be serious about them. You know how it goes – good intentions, road to hell … Anyway, this year, I decided to make some goals for myself along with those general resolutions, because sometimes calling something by another name gives it new life. Also, goals have a deadline, and resolutions tend to have a general “I have a whole year to get this done, so why start right this second” kind of attitude.

My goals for 2013:

*Being active regularly instead of sporadically: find a fitness class by the end of January. (I’ve already accomplished this one! Starting Hula Hooping classes Jan. 19.)

*Better mental health through those things and COUNSELING. Find a counselor before the end of March.

*Intellectual and creative growth – taking classes, watching more documentaries, reading more, and branching out musically. We’ve already kicked off the new year with quite a few documentaries. One of my best friends even asked me to make her a list, which I think I’ll blog at a later date. The goal here is really to not be hyper-concerned about cost. I’ve passed up so many great learning opportunities because I felt guilty about the money.

*Downsizing our “stuff” and selling, donating, or freecycling. Be done with this before the end of April. This is something I do multiple times a year, but since we’ll be moving in May, I have to give myself a deadline for this one.

*Save each month for our new “holiday” account, so that money isn’t as tight at the end of this year/beginning of next year. Also, I’d really like to make gifts throughout the year to cut down on costs.

So, that’s it, along with the general continue to live cleaner resolution I made a couple of years ago, and have continued to take baby steps with since. Let me tell you, I am a sweet-a-holic, and it’s not easy to make it through the holidays without overindulging in desserts. Our blender broke last week, so I took it as a sign to get a better blender, which will hopefully encourage me to make healthy smoothies more often.

Along with my goals, I’ve been brainstorming and creating costumes for this year. If you’re totally confused – “Halloween is so far away!” – my hubby and I like to dress up for the events we enjoy attending. Scarborough Faire, our local Renaissance festival, is in the spring, so I’ve already started making my costume – a dragon fairy. Honestly, I thought my google search for “dragon costume” would gain more results, but apparently there aren’t that many DIY dragon costumes out there. So, I’m using my imagination to come up with my character. Here’s what I have so far:

You know the creepy dinosaur from “Jurassic Park” that spits black goo? Ok, forget the black goo. Remember the frills on the side of his neck? Ok, these fit over my ears, and give the illusion of frills.

My version of a rag skirt, with silk, taffeta, tulle, lace, and other fabrics. It has a bit of a bustle in the back to allude to a “tail.”

The frame for my dragon-like wings. I’ll use the same fabrics I used on the “frills.”

I can’t wait to work on my horns, ears, and talons! I’ll also be making my first attempt at a corset … stay tuned. There’s something so gratifying about making costumes from scratch. It’s also nice to know that I have plenty of time to finish, and don’t have to rush around at the last minute like a crazy person.

What are your resolutions, goals, and projects for the new year? Whatever they are, I wish you success!

Gentle hugs,
Chels

Too tired to write. Here are some pictures for you.

We had a good (exhausting) time at Scarborough Faire yesterday:

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Gentle hugs,

Chels

 

Hi, I’m a geek.

My husband likes to work out. I mean, he reeeeallly likes to work out. He lifts rocks and logs and scales walls and things like that, and it give him this crazed satisfaction.

I make stuff. All kinds of stuff, but especially costuming (cosplay) and making props and acessories give me the same type of crazed satisfaction.

Tom and I are going on our yearly trip to the local ren faire, Scarborough Faire, at the end of this month. When I checked the site for special events, imagine my elation when I read there’s going to be a costume contest! Not just any renaissance costume contest, though, but a time traveler costume contest. This means anything from Dr. Who to steampunk time traveler. Now, I love Victorian and Edwardian style, but I’ve never really done anything steampunk, though I’ve admired it from afar (drooling.)

So, that’s what I decided to go with, because I’m crazy and I like a challenge. So far, I’ve made my skirt, a couple of pairs of goggles, a mini tophat, put together our outfits, and started on some weapon props and a wearable time machine.

If you’d like to learn how to make the mini tophat, you can check out my other blog, Buy Me Love. It’s all there, with pictures and a step-by-step tutorial.

If you just want to oggle my goggles (I couldn’t resist,) here’s some DIY eye candy for you:

Mini Tophat

 

Baubles and beads on the back of the tophat.

 

Guns and goggles!

 

Tom's time machine repair goggles.

 

Tom's costume. I changed the buttons, and added a heart at the breast of the vest.

 

For quick, inexpensive costumes, using mostly things we already had around the apartment, I don’t think they’re half bad. We hit up my favorite thrift stores to find the skirt I’m using, his scarf and belt, went to the dollar store for swimming goggles, and Wal Mart for the knockoff “Nerf” guns. All in all, we spent less than $25. The rest of the stuff we found in our toolboxes and my and my mom’s craft rooms. (For instance, the “bolts” on the goggles are actually furniture tacks with the tack cut off. Tom did that part.) Believe it or not, the tophat is a plastic cup and a circle of wire covered in fabric. I can’t wait to wear it all to the faire! I’ll post pictures of the finished costumes later.

Gentle hugs,

Chels