Sunday, March 31, 2013

My Falcon costume debut.......Easter Sunday at Wondercon 2013


I started my Falcon costume idea around 6 months ago.  I wanted to do an African-American superhero and Falcon was the first that came to mind.   Since I love the Avengers and the next Captain America movie is coming out, I wanted to make a Falcon costume since Anthony Mackie will be portraying him in the film.  (YAY!)  I started collecting the costume, bit by bit.  Gloves here, red jeggings there and I needed red feathered wings.   I already have a couple pairs of white boots and a pair in red that could have been used as well.


I do not have the patience and skill yet to make them, so I bought them online.  Cheap!!!  They weren't too big, but they were just wide enough for what I wanted.   


Since you cannot buy a Falcon costume yet, I knew I had to design one myself.   I went to Michael's to get materials for the red on the top and for the eye mask.  This is just a first attempt, so I figured I wouldn't stress about trying to make it perfect.    


I looked at back comics, pictures of toys and artwork for inspiration for my costume.   They have a few different versions of his costume on action figures and in comics. 


I did some rough sketching of this design and used sticky felt.   I wanted to test this with felt before I try to update this costume with actual red fabric.  The bottom of the top came out better than I expected. 


I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the big "V" or the red feathers on the white background.  I figured the "V" would be easier. 



The felt wasn't too sticky and I thought I would either stitch this on to the shirt or use the hot glue gun. 

I decided to use the hot glue gun, because it remembered how difficult it was to stitch through sticky felt.  Now if it was regular felt, using a needle and thread would be fine.  


For the eye mask, I didn't want a huge mask on the side of my face, especially in white.   Being a foundation wearer, I knew it would be uncomfortable and covered in make-up by the end of the day.  (Gross).  So I made it on a smaller scale and it was easy to take on and off. 


I started with a masquerade mask and glued white and yellow felt around it.  Again, I know the visor should go down the side of the face, but I usually tend to make my masks and some headgear for my costume on a smaller scale. 


I have more ideas for the boots, but I just decided to wear my white platform boots.  In the future, I am going to make white fringe boot tops to wear with the red boots I own for this costume.  





I wore this today at Wondercon.  Some people recognized this character, others (some wearing Captain America shirts) did not.  (HAHA!).   I plan on revamping and tweaking this costume in the future.  I may add a corset top, skirt or shorts, but I tend to like the pants the best.  













Friday, March 29, 2013

Earrings of the day

Maybe it was because it was late today that I started these pair, but it was a struggle for some reason.  Had to change findings and carnelian beads twice.   I started out with these oval, smaller carnelian beads with sterling silver findings and fish hooks.   I took out a few carnelian nugget beads just in case.



This worked for me, but I needed to add some spacers to the top.




 I started with hematite spacers, but they were too small and more space was available.


 As a result, I used the round onyx spacer beads instead and it worked out better.



The combo below seemed to work, but the silver was especially soft tonight, or maybe my triple chocolate latte I made was a little too strong, thus, the earrings suffered at my man-handling.


I needed to start all over.  The nugget beads were heavy and the smaller beads are more appropriate for projects using wire or really thin stretchy cord.   I decided to use, black metal plated  findings.  Sorry for the blurry pic.....I am blaming the caffeine tonight......


I took the carnelian nuggets and the onyx bead and put together a simple pair. 


The onyx accent in the middle made the most sense.  


The end result.  This will work for me......


Carnelian is a second chakra stone and is grounding as well as centering.  It is a stone for sexual and physical energy for women and is good for depression.    Some people believe this stone can aid in career success and prosperity.  In addition, it can enhance creativity and confidence.  I like the variation in colors which ranges from bright orange to coral to salmon to peach to a light brown. I think onyx is a great stone to add to just about any pair of earrings.   








Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Moonstone Pendant


I bought this sterling silver moonstone claw pendant from semiprecious.com and I love it!  It can work with a satin cord necklace or a silver box chain.   For this pendant, I am using a satin bead ready cord.


The easy result.....





Moonstones absorb the wearers emotions and encourages emotional balance.  Thus, it is a support stone that helps one adapt to emotional changes and eases conflict.  It is a good stone for sensitive people to wear as it guards the heart.     It is a great stone for women of all ages to wear.   Along with Rose Quartz,  Moonstone is great for fertility, intuition, luck eternal love and protection during rough times.   In addition, it balances the hormones, aids in digestion and relieves thyroid issues.   I actually prefer this stone to Rose Quartz.


Sources:

http://crystalhealingclub.com/crystalhealingblog/

http://www.gemstonesadvisor.com/gemstone-meanings/moonstone-meaning/

Monday, March 25, 2013

Earrings of the day


I have some faceted peridot beads left that I wanted to use with the onyx square beads I have.   I think it is a good idea to combine a heart stone (peridot) and a protection stone (onyx) together. 



The black metal plated findings and fish hooks compliment the stones nicely.  



Are the heavy?  Yes, but they need to be.  Onyx beads tend to be heavier and more dense than other gemstones.  Hematite has that same weight and density too!




I call these my heart protection earrings.   It has been said that peridot is great for cleansing the gall bladder and liver.   The peridot wearer protects the heart from jealousy and negative emotions.  Thus, promotes a loving and supporting spirit.    Green is the color of money too, so it is believed that this stone is a money and prosperity stone.   Onyx protects the wearer from negative emotions from others and blocks psychic attacks.         In addition onyx helps one release unhealthy relationships and peridot helps one stay grounded during this process.





Sources:

http://www.jewelrynotes.com/

http://crystal-cure.com/



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Apatite Bling!


These apatite pendants were ordered from England and they were larger than I expected.  As a result, they had to be on necklace ribbon cords, because the satin necklace cords I have are way too thin for these bling bling pendants.  



Both are a clear apatite stone and I assume they are synthetic.  They are still pretty anyway.  I am using the pendant ready pendant cords in blue and black.





One looked better with the blue ribbon necklace cord and the other apatite pendant looks more vintage, so I used the black ribbon necklace cord with the other one. 











As I have mentioned before, apatite aids in weight loss by raising the metabolism and curbing the apatite.  Yellow apatite apparently helps reduce cellulite.  Blue is the color of the throat chakra which represents peace, clarity, expression and truth.  It is in the thyroid area which explains why this stone represents weight control.  Also,  Haxworth explains that  "Apatite expands knowledge and truth easing sorrow, apathy and anger."   She goes on to explain that it helps the body absorb calcium, healing bones and rebuilding new cells! (Food for thought!  I learned something today!  All the more reason why I like this gemstone.!)  


Sources:

Haxworth,  Caryl, (2004). Charms of Light Retrieved From :http://www.charmsoflight.com/apatite-healing-properties.html