This is the video I have been so excited to share with you all – this one shows the Anna and Elsa cosplay my friend and roommate Eia and I made in action at Emerald City Comic Con!

We had so, so much fun waltzing around in our coronation dresses all day, and I think our shared favorite aspect of the whole experience was getting to meet so many little kids who thought we really were the characters from Frozen. We managed to capture a lot of that on camera, and it melts my heart every time I watch it.

We’re going to be compiling the best photos from the day on our brand new Deviant Art account, but those aren’t quite ready yet. I’ll keep you posted on when that’s available!

 

This past weekend was Emerald City Comic Con here in Seattle – one of my favorite conventions of the year. It topped record breaking attendance with over 70,000 people and went down in history as one of my favorite con experiences of all time.

I’ll be putting out another video soon with footage from the con itself and my thoughts on my first time cosplaying, but for now, here’s a haul video of all the sweet stuff I picked up in the vendor/expo hall. I’m a bit of a shopaholic when it comes to comic cons, so I went a little nuts. But I regret nothing! I just need more wall space for all my art!

What’s been your favorite convention purchase? I love supporting independent artists and most of the stuff on my walls is stuff I picked up from booths at comic con. Let me know what you can’t live without in the comments below!

 

Last week was ‘House Pride Week’ on Pottermore, and even though I don’t ever use the site anymore, I was still compelled to make a video for their event. I was, of course, a week late since I only found out about the whole thing via an @reply someone sent me on Twitter, but better late then never, right? I’ll blame it on my owl getting lost while bringing me information about the project.

Anyway, I made this video musing a bit on my thoughts about being sorted into Hufflepuff (since I’ve had three years to think it over) as well as giving some reasons as to why I’ve finally come around to it. Fellow Hufflepuffs will enjoy this video the most, but there’s a deeper message I think that can be related to by everyone. 🙂

Emerald City Comic Con is this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited! This is definitely one of my favorite cons of the year – not only because it’s right here in my backyard (travel is so easy!), but also because it’s just totally fantastic. I’m going to be speaking on a few panels, exploring Artist’s Alley, and trying out my very first cosplay experience! If you’re also going to be there this weekend and you see me wandering around – please say hi! I’m pumped to get to meet some of you!

I’m only moderately busy at this convention, which should hopefully lead to a good mix of relaxing/hanging out and running around to get to things on time. In case you were curious where I’ll be at the con, here’s my personal schedule:

Friday: Nothing! A day totally to myself to hang out, walk around, meet people and go to panels!

Saturday: This is my big cosplay day. My roommate Eia and I are going as Anna and Elsa in their coronation dresses, and I am equal parts SUPER EXCITED and… a little nervous. If you see me walking around on Saturday, please feel free to talk to me or take a picture. We’re so pumped about these costumes and can’t wait to show them off.

I’ll also be on the following panels:

Makeup For Geeks at 3pm (Room 2B)
The geek-beauty channel I’m part of (OneUpMakeup) will be teaming up with Espionage Cosmetics and Atomic Cosmetics to talk makeup! It’s going to be a good one, with creative giveaways and fun geek banter – if you’re interested in makeup or beauty tips at all, I highly recommend attending!

The Couple The Games Together… at 5pm (Sheraton Issaquah Room – GAMING)
I am probably the most excited about this panel – Joe and I (along with three other fantastic geeky couples we know) will be talking about the trials and tribulations of being a couple that games together. I’ve never been on any panel like it, so it should definitely spawn some fascinating discussion about gaming with your s/o!

Sunday: Another relatively open day, thankfully! However, I will be at one event you won’t want to miss if you’re a fan of my web series…

Job Hunters Screening at 1pm (TCC LL2)
Season 2 is right around the corner, so why not prepare yourself by doing a re-watch of Season 1 with members of the cast and crew? We’re also going to be showing the teaser trailer for Season 2 on the big screen, which we’re pretty excited about. The space doesn’t allow for an official Q&A, but if you stick around after the screening and we’ll be happy to answer your questions – but no spoilers!

 

I’m also interested in attending the following events and panels (though I have nothing to do with them in any way… just a fan!)

Friday:

11:00am – Intro to Costume Craft and Cosplay [Room: TCC 302]

12:00pm – Cosplay Is For Everyone presents: Ani-Mia [Room: TCC 302]

2:00pm – ECCC presents Eliza Dushku [Room: MAIN HALL (6ABC)]

5:00pm – Punk Rock Business: A DIY Model to Releasing Your Own Tabletop Game [Room: GAMING (Sheraton Issaquah Room)]

6:00pm – ECCC presents Cary Elwes [Room: MAIN HALL (6ABC)]

8:00pm – Welcome To Night Vale Live Show and Thrilling Adventure Hour movie Sneak Preview [Room: MAIN HALL (6ABC)]

 

Saturday:

12:30pm – ECCC presents Andrea Libman [Room: HALL A (611-614)]

5:30pm – ECCC presents Cree Summer [Room: HALL A (611-614)]

8:00pm – NERDprov: The Return  [Room: HALL A (611-614)]

 

Sunday:

10:30am – Welcome to Night Vale: Turn On Your Radio and Hide [Room: HALL A (611-614)]

11:00am – IDW: The Super Secret Cartoon Network Panel [Room: TCC 301]

12:00pm – Feminism & Gaming  [Room: GAMING (Sheraton Issaquah Room)]

1:30pm – ECCC presents Jeremy Shada [Room: HALL A (611-614)]

4:00pm – ECCC presents Karen Gillan [Room: MAIN HALL (6ABC)]

 

Only a few more days! If you’re attending the convention, let me know in the comments below! Are you cosplaying? What are you most looking forward to?

My good friend and fellow blogger Tara of the Geeky Hostess threw a “Galentine’s Day” party this past weekend – a day to celebrate your favorite gals, wear pink, eat waffles and exchange presents. It’s also a day to remember how great of a show Parks and Rec is, as Leslie Knope first coined the idea for this kind of a party.

We did a secret gift exchange (I got Pinkie Pie heart shaped mints and earrings and a big floppy pink bow), caught up on girl talk with “Table Talk” conversation starters, drank mimosas and rocked a little impromptu photo shoot on the photo wall Tara provided.

It was a fun and relaxing morning with great gals and I just wish we made time to do stuff like this more often! I highly encourage you to make time for the important females in your life this Valentine’s Day.

I wore a hot pink dress I found at Ross for $6, polka dot socks and pink tights from Target and my favorite heeled boots from Cathy Jean.

I personally love Valentine’s day, almost as much as I love a good instagram photo challenge. ModCloth is currently asking the Instagram community to participate in a love-inspired ModCloth Instagram Challenge. An excuse to take more photos of yourself, you say? I’m in.

I’ve posted the schedule for you to follow in the image down below! Just tag your photos with #modweekoflove and @ModCloth to share the things you love with the ModCloth community and the world! It starts Sunday, February 9th and goes for an entire week!

Happy Valentine’s Day! You can submit as many photos as you like, and they’ll also be giving out some prizes over the course of the week. I’ll be doing the challenge… let me know your instagram name down below if you’ll be participating as well.

I’ll be back soon with another fun Valentine’s Day inspired post! Hope you’re all having a great weekend!

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on them.

There’s a lot of really great improv companies around Seattle, so I frequently get the opportunity to check them out. It’s a completely different kind of live performance, and my favorite types of improv shows to see are the long-form ones based on a larger theme. I’ve seen a Final Fantasy show, I’ve seen one that emulated being inside a video game with movement tracking “game screens” behind the actors, I’ve seen one that took place on a doomed space mission – but this most recent one (by the Seattle Experimental Theatre) was Doctor Who themed. I wasn’t really sure what that was going to entail, but my friends and I of course bought tickets to see it together, making it a perfect Friday night outing.

The skirt is brand new; I got it from Forever 21 a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to look too fancy (especially since my dang ‘whoops I didn’t shower today’ sock bun really makes a person look dressed up!) so I paired the maxi skirt with a simple D&D t-shirt I absolutely love. Then I threw on my bronze Cathy Jean boots and a black hoodie and that was that! I’ve been playing around a lot with dressing up t-shirts, so this was an interesting study doing the opposite – dressing down a skirt and hairstyle.

The show was interesting. I had a good time, and a couple of my friends were in it, so that is always an added bonus. The premise was that there was an actor that played the Doctor, and a companion. The rest of the cast became either the good guys or the villains. They asked the audience for a location on Earth (we chose Paris) and a problem (lice). Then they made a Doctor Who episode out of it.

The best part of the show was the full sized beautiful Tardis they had on stage. The Doctor ran in and out of it all night (obviously) and waved a sonic screwdriver around and made all sorts of references to the show while still creating something new and unique out of the story. I think we might have been there on an off night, because there were quite a few things that didn’t pan out or didn’t make sense or were totally abandoned, but overall, it was still a very enjoyable experience. Improv is hard. I have no idea how those actors come up with all that stuff so quickly, night after night. I have the utmost respect for talented improvisers.

 

Unfortunately the show is now over, but if you ever see a themed long form improv show in your area, especially one based on something nerdy and fun, go check it out! They’re a lot of fun, especially if you can make it to multiple nights of the same show. I love seeing how different the shows turn out on various nights.

Have you been to any of these types of improv shows? What did you see? Let me know in the comments!

 

Mine and Joe’s birthdays are less than a month apart, so we decided to find a way to celebrate them both (with each other) around the same time, creating two fun-filled days of nonstop celebrating. It started with a surprise bloody mary and brunch early on Tuesday, organized by Joe. I used the outing as an excuse to wear my brand new dress from Forever21 and my favorite Bandmate Bootie in Red from ModCloth. Also pictured is my brand new iPhone case, which I love, from DandyCase on Amazon. 

Joe knows me so well – I saved Tuesday night for whatever he had planned, but he told me to leave the morning open instead (because he knew I’d love breakfast food and bloody marys even more). He was right.

His birthday party was next (which I put together) and it included a homemade game he pretended to roll his eyes at but I think he secretly loved it. I was quite proud of my creation.

My only regret is that I didn’t take an “after” picture. Not a single person even got close. It was a facial hair travesty, believe me. Overall it was a relatively low-key birthday, but I think everyone had a really great time. Good friends, good food, games, and music – sometimes the best parties are simply the ones where all of your favorite people end up in the same room. I’m so thankful to have the friends I do and I’m glad I have Joe to share these important moments with.

 

Welcome, blog readers, to the Camlann Village Experience. What is Camlann Village, you ask? Well, only the quickest way to be transported back to 1376, to rural life in England. WHY would you want to experience rural life of the fourteenth century? Um, fun, obviously.

Last month my friends and I donned our warmest Renaissance gear (mind you, we go to Renaissance Faires usually in the general sweltering range of ninety to on hundred degrees, so this was no easy task) and piled in the car to head out to Carnation, WA, to the medieval living history museum known as Camlann. It’s a 501 non-profit educational corporation and it’s also the coolest place you’ll ever go. It’s also delightfully weird.

Let me preface this review by saying there is no technology of any kind allowed inside Camlann Village. This place takes itself TOTALLY SERIOUS with a capital “Thee”. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the owner felt a little twinge when patrons come in wearing glasses. That picture at the top of this post is so strange because we were literally asked to go outside to take it. In the rain. At night.

So, Camlann Village is open for various over the course of the year and their restaurant, the Bors Hede is open year round. We, however, were attending one of their choice Medieval Feasts, an event I recommend to all. This particular feast was of the Yuletide persuasion; myself and Ariana had been before but none of our friends had. Forty people sit around a large circular table set up in the basement of the restaurant to enjoy a three course meal served on trenchers – round slabs of bread used in the stead of a plate. If you eat your trencher, you’re out of luck for the remaining three courses of the meal. Also, there’s not really any silverware. I truly wish I could have taken a picture of this for you, but you’ll have to use your imagination here. Just like we’re back in the 1300’s! There was no way I was risking taking my phone out down there. I don’t for one second doubt they had some sort of medieval torture room for technological transgressions.

I would say about half the people in attendance dressed up. For the rest, there was either a costume rental area or the knowledge of sticking out like a sore thumb. No, I’m joking – it’s totally fine to not dress up, but it really does complete the experience.

The food was awesome and perfectly period appropriate. The queen of course got to taste everything first, and then dishes were passed around to her right and left after she deemed them worthy of our meal. We alternated between sawing into a whole boar, sampling strange almond puddings, and sneaking seconds of the delicious fenberry pie. My personal favorite was the almond fritters. There was spiced wine poured between each course and I found it delightfully strange as well that whole spices were given out to cleanse the palette near the end of the meal.

Of course no banquet feast is complete without a show, and the mid-course entertainment was surprisingly good. We had minstrels and storytellers and strange instruments I had never heard of before. Most of the entertainers and drink pour-ers didn’t take it quite as seriously as the guy who runs the place – but in a good way, in a “we’re all experiencing this strange thing together” kind of way. I got a few winks. Right after noticing my cup was filled to the very top. Score!

In conclusion, going to Camlann Village is one of my favorite things to do with a group of friends around the holidays. I can’t speak for everyone, but I love putting myself in vaguely strange and unusual situations, and the Yuletide Feast doesn’t disappoint. You will feel uncomfortable, you will eat things that look strange, but overall you will have an amazing night you’ll never forget. And at the end of it all, I promise, you really wont miss your phone all that much. Because strange as it is, it’s nice to just experience things every once in awhile. Don’t get me wrong: I love me some phone pics to commemorate everything I do, but I’ll have the memories of Camlann forever either way.

It’s that time of year again, folks… the PROJECT 4 AWESOME! As a dedicated nerdfighter, this is one of my favorite projects of the year and I am so stoked for everyone to see the video I made for it. I feature a different charity each year and this year I chose to finally talk about a personal favorite… National Novel Writing Month.

I’m gonna be hanging out in the live stream for most of the next 48 hours, and I should also be hosting it later on tonight or tomorrow when John and Hank need a break (or to like, sleep/eat). If you’ve never heard of P4A or never participated yourself, please go check out the Project 4 Awesome website, donate at the indiegogo page (there are so AWESOME perks, including a handful of UNCUT SHEETS of Jetpack Unicorn that will be going up soon!) and watch/like/comment on as many videos with this year’s thumbnail as you can.

We can get so caught up in the holidays and shopping and gifts that it’s nice to have this annual reminder that we can use YouTube as a force for good, bringing real humans together to donate money to things that really matter to us as a group. I am so proud to have been doing this for seven years and I can just tell this will be a P4A to remember.

Did you make a P4A video this year? What charity did you choose and which are you voting for on the site?