1. April Life Update

    April 30, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Journal by Kristina Horner

    Hello, lovely blog readers. I’ve been neglecting you and for that I’m sorry. However! I am not sorry for the reasons I’ve been neglecting you, which is a whole long list of fun stuff and projects. So rather than trying to break it down into a whole bunch of different blog posts, I’m just going to do an all-inclusive life update. Here are some of the things that have been taking up my time: 1. Cosplaying! Eia and I had a blast dressing up as Anna and Elsa at Emerald City Comic Con, and we’ve definitely caught the bug. We’ve been hard at work planning more costumes, getting our cosplay Deviantart account ready, and figuring out how this whole crazy community works. Expect much more fun us in the future on that front. tumblr_n37p4eeVr71qbyopio1_500 2. I was in LA! I headed down with Joe earlier this month and had such a great time hanging with friends – and the highlight of my trip was absolutely the day we hit up the LA Renaissance Pleasure Faire. It was great to jumpstart faire season early this year and it just gave me the itch to attend as many faires and festivals as I can in 2014. You can bet I’ll be filling you in on my adventures as the summer progresses. I can’t turn down another chance to hang out in costume for an entire weekend. tumblr_n4aqyb10yv1qbyopio1_500 3. A secret Adventure Time project with Cinesaurus. I can’t say much about this yet, just that when it’s finished it’s going to be AMAZING. I think the plan is to have it finished by VidCon, but I will keep you posted. tumblr_n3w6yoA9u61qbyopio1_500 4. Another secret project that will be announced tomorrow. Just one day of waiting, I promise! Keep an eye on my website for the details! 5. A total rewatch of all four seasons (and three movies!) of the original Sailor Moon from the 90’s. If you want to follow that adventure, make sure you’re subscribed to updates from my second twitter, MoreKristina. It’s been an amazingly enjoyable thing to do, which is a good thing, being that there’s nearly 200 episodes to get through. We’re about 60 in, so we have a ways to go! As usual I have a few new videos that have been posted since the last time I wrote a blog post. First up is my April Favorites video, featuring a lot of anime and television and misc. nerdy stuff:

     

    And my most recent new video – the TMI tag. This video has 50 questions and answers covering just about everything you never realized you might want to know about me:

     

    That’s about it for now… it’s getting a lot nicer here in Seattle so I’m feeling more motivated to be active. I’m hoping to use that energy for good and start roller blading again, or even dig out my hula hoop and start working on learning hoop dancing. I’m considering making progress videos, so please let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d be interested in at all! How have you guys been? Let me know in the comments, and also, tell me what sorts of things you like to do to stay active when the sun comes out! Have a great day and I’m hoping to start blogging a lot more frequently again, so thanks for sticking around.

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  2. Where I’ll Be at Emerald City Comic Con!

    March 24, 2014 ♥ Posted in: Geek Events, Nerd Topics by Kristina Horner

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    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?

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  3. Disneybound: Cruella de Vil!

    August 12, 2013 ♥ Posted in: Fashion/Beauty, Geek Events, Outfit of the Day, Travel by Kristina Horner

    While in LA last week, my friends and I attended “Disneyland Day” for VidCon – which is like any other normal day at Disneyland, except the park is swarming with YouTubers. Rather than donning my official gray VidCon tee like many others, my friends and I decided to Disneybound:

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    This was my very first time Disneybounding and I decided I wanted to go villain. I chose Cruella de Vil; mostly on account of finding these adorable polka dot shorts. The puppy earrings were actually just white dog earrings I found at Claire’s (by walking in and asking the girl working to “show me whatever dog stuff they had”) that I drew black spots on with a sharpie. I tucked in a slouchy red shirt, grabbed some other black and white accessories and wa-la! If it doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will!

    I never got a full picture of all my friends and I in costume, but we had among us a Dumbo, Christopher Robin, Scuttle, The Queen of Hearts and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. I love dressing up, so getting to do so, subtly, on a normal day is something I am all about.

    Who should I Disneybound as next? Or, if you’ve done it yourself, show me pictures in the comments section!

    Note: This post may contain affiliate or referral links.

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  4. Look #2: Medieval Faire Maiden!

    July 24, 2013 ♥ Posted in: Geek Events, Outfit of the Day, Travel by Kristina Horner

    As promised, I’m going to break down this year’s Renaissance costume, explaining the different pieces, where they came from, and what they mean. I’ve been attending Faires since mid high school, and the beauty of assembling a costume like this is that over the years, you can add a bit here or alter a bit there – and after awhile you’ve really built something unique and wonderful. The idea of putting together a costume in one year is daunting and expensive, but you can easily put together starter pieces and then add on each time you visit another event.

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    This is my costume! I will start at the bottom and work my way up. So, on the bottom I have two complimentary skirts, both handmade. At the Faire these will run you about $50-70 each piece, but mine were handmade by myself, Liz and a friend a few nights before the Faire for more like $30, total. The bottom is a simple floor length purple skirt (Liz and I learned to hem this ourselves!) and the top is a neutral green skirt with three cinched sections to add texture and an interesting visual pattern to the design. Oh, and you can’t see this, but for shoes I am wearing basic brown boots.

    Next is my leather bodice. This is the one expensive piece of my costume, and I obtained it at the Faire last year from an extremely talented leather merchant. The bodice cost me $129, but as the central piece of this costume, it was a pretty worthwhile purchase. You can’t see this in the photo but the bodice laces in the back with a long leather cord and holds everything in nicely. The sparkly patterning on the front was what really sold me.

    Next is my simple leather belt, a necessity for any Renaissance costume. These generally cost anywhere from $30-50. From this belt hangs all of my “flair” – again, you can’t really see, but I have a leather satchel, a coin purse, a frog to hold a mug, a potion bottle, a magic wand, and a magnifying glass. In the back, not pictured, is a furry raccoon tail.

    Moving up, I have a simple off-white undershirt made for me years ago by my friend Liz’s mom. This is another staple of any Ren Faire costume – whether you use the blouse length style or a chamise, poofy sleeves are a must.

    And finally, the newest addition to my costume is the leather headpiece/tiara. I’ve spent many years looking for the perfect hat or head adornment, as I look terrible in both hats and snoods, but this year I finally found it. Sure it might have cost me $40, but for a piece I know I’l wear year after year, I’ll take it.

    Have you ever been to a Ren Faire? Do you dress up? If so, what’s your favorite costume piece?

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  5. Canterbury Renaissance Faire!

    ♥ Posted in: Geek Events, Travel by Kristina Horner

    This past weekend, my friends and I piled in the car and drove the four hours from Seattle down to Silverton, OR for the Canterbury Renaissance Faire!

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    Generally we go to our local faire in August, the Washington Midsummer Fantasy Faire – but due to a stroke of good fortune, I happened to pick a Fiesta Mission this month that instructed me to check out a Renaissance Faire. This was the perfect opportunity to see what other Faires go on in our area! In my searching, I found this one in Oregon  happening during the weekend we had available for the trip. So, knowing very little about where we were going or what it was going to be like, we donned our festive gear and arrived at the thicket of trees housing the Canterbury Faire.

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    This Faire was amazing! Not only was nearly everything shady (thank you, foliage of the Pacific Northwest!) but walking around amidst the trees and dirt actually made the experience feel that much more authentic. It was a bit smaller than the Faire we’re used to, but there was no shortage of incredible vendors, the food was delicious (love a good Turkey leg) and the people were so friendly and welcoming.

    My friends and I spent a good deal of time at Oberon’s, the onsite Tavern with a selection of beers, ciders and honey mead. The Faire itself closed at 6pm each day, but we found that the Tavern stays open well into the night. We headed back after changing into what I like to call “Ren faire garb phase two”, which means unlacing bodices and leaving utility belts of knick knacks behind. Clothed in only a flowy red dress, I returned to the Tavern with my party where we enjoyed a bit more mead than we maybe needed and befriended people with names like Talon, Spiral and Lord Rose.

    We also got our Tarot cards read by a lovely women who informed me that I have a guardian angel following me around.

    While Saturday was full of shopping and eating and exploring, Sunday was a day of hilarity. Liz was entered in a beauty pageant, I helped invent hybrid drinks at the Tavern and was propositioned to be a model of leather headpieces for one of the merchants, and Justin was employed as the bodyguard to the ambassador to the Queen. Thus we didn’t see him for hours. You think I am joking here, but I’m not. This actually happened.

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    All in all, The Canterbury Faire was a lovely event that graced my friends and I with a magical, medieval weekend. I so enjoy going to Renaissance Faires, because the people there are the kindest, most interesting and fun people you can meet. Also, there is nothing wrong with a weekend where costumes and role playing are encouraged. My costume carries no weapons yet features both a wand and a potion bottle – I like to image the person I’m portraying has a couple of dark secrets.

    I truly hope I can make it to another Faire this year, and I’d love to hear about your favorite Ren Faire experiences below! Also, stayed tuned for an Outfit of the Day post on my full medieval ensemble!

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