Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Autobot Cheerleader Costume

Inspired once again by my friend Rosemary, I decided I wanted to make my own Autobot cheerleader costume.  I put together and wore a Decepticon cheerleader costume at Bot Con 2012.


I added a Decepticon Insignia patch and matching legwarmers.  The cute gal to the right is my friend Rachel Coppersmith as a human Ironhide.  The Pic below is Rachel and I again.  As you can see, my badge covers my Decepticon patch, but you get the idea.  


This year, I wanted to put together a more modest cheerleader costume for my Autobot version, because Bot Con is one of the more smaller and family friendly conventions.  Although I do have another Autobot related cheerleader costume with a shorter skirt, I  at least wanted to make a cheerleader costume that included a skirt that maybe cut right at the knee to cover most of the thigh area.  In my opinion, wearing a costume that shows too much skin is not appropriate for this convention. With that being said, I am not against those  who choose to wear more revealing costumes or outfits that are more form fitting. 

Of course I have to go with the red and white color scheme for the uniform.   I bought a skirt in a larger size to make sure the skirt wasn't too short and a uniform top that wasn't going to be too tight. 





 There are so many styles to choose from when it comes to putting together a cheerleader uniform/costume.  Anywhere from midriffs, leotards, tank tops, sweaters, shorts, skirts, pants,etc.  They are available in all sizes and can be suited to fit ALL body types.  It's best to choose an ensemble that you feel comfortable wearing.  There are some negative stereotypes about cheerleaders that I think are complete BS, because traditionally cheerleading is an athletic activity which takes some athletic ability as well as some positive spirit.   Also,  it's a great costume idea for the girls to put together if they want to focus on their favorite transformer without wearing a Robot-like costume.  

I bought a large Autobot patch that measured around 10 inches.


I attached the patch to the white top and it seemed like a good fit.



The Pom Poms are always easy to find because they can be ordered online, or you can go to many sporting goods or toy stores to find them.


The pom poms for my Decepticon cheerleader I ordered online, because I wanted a particular shade of purple.

The outfit was a simple one to put together.  If I were to work on a cheerleader for a particular Autobot or Decepticon, I would add more detail that would illustrate the character more.



Saturday, May 25, 2013

Earrings and a Sunstone Pendant!

I'm having a busy weekend so far, but I did take this morning to make a few pieces.


I used brown ribbon necklace with this beautiful Sunstone pendant with brown undertones.  




Using black metal plated findings, amethyst beads, Chinese garnet beads and onyx beads, I put together some earrings. 




Here is the end result.  



With dyed red coral beads and onyx.......worked on a second pair.




The end result......with the square beads.




Pics are a bit blurry, need to get my camera fixed. More projects to work on this weekend.  Time to weed the garden!




Thursday, May 23, 2013

Telling the truth and saying no to people who claim to love you.



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If you have dreams and things you want to do, you have to say no to people who claim to love you sometimes.  It doesn't mean that you don't love them or respect them, it just means that you have to do what is right for you and your life.    If you gel with someone or a group that your family does not feel comfortable or agree with, you have to agree to disagree.   

I don't agree with everyone and I do not expect everyone to agree with me.  Most people pretend.  They pretend to agree with something or someone just to get along and get by in life.  They tell people what they want to hear instead of being honest.  They are friends with and tolerate people they don't like in fear of looking like the bad guy.  If you ask me, you are already the bad guy for being phony to that person you do not care for.  To me, that is more hurtful and disrespectful in the long run when the absolute truth comes out.  People think it's love when they lie and/or keep secrets to try to protect feelings, but it isn't.  People deserve the truth.  It's easy to not know where you stand on something when you are caught up in secrets and lies and when you are saying yes to things that you may want to say no to.

Most people love with condition. Most people keep people around them who are useful and mistreat those they cannot use.  They also mistreat those that pose a threat or those who openly express traits that they are afraid to express themselves.  Most people have their own version of the truth, thus making it their own personal white lie.  They love you because you do what they want you to do.  You may live life by the terms they feel comfortable with.  Your decisions pose no threat to their existence. This goes for spouses, kids, parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, lovers, colleagues or just about any human being that is a part of your life.  


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I have had to say no to loved ones, friends and family members.  Believe me, people think I'm a selfish and evil jerk for doing so.  People think I'm a not-so-nice person and even a bad person, by not doing what they would do.  I didn't marry the type of person I was suppose to.  I didn't chose the career path that certain family members wanted for me.  I don't have children of my own. (According to some family members, that makes me selfish, not even acknowledging my health history, after all, I apparently deserved to get sick at 18 years old.)  I chose college and an interesting career over working a dead end job.  I hung out with and dated people of different cultures than me.  They have told me they know what's best for me and begin to act unloving because I did not chose to do what they would like.  I was told I couldn't do things.  I was told I was not that smart or attractive enough to pursue what I wanted.  I was told I should be a music video vixen.  I was told I was a loser and that wouldn't amount to anything and should just settle for what I have.  I was told I was weak.  (Now, that's laughable).  I was perceived to be something I wasn't because I didn't act or think like the other women around me.  I was perceived to be something I wasn't based on my race and what I looked like.  I'm not the person they expected.  I was accused of being petty because I confronted people when they lied and gossiped about people who didn't deserve it.  Heck, who am I to get to the bottom of it and set the record straight when they want to keep spreading hate and their poison.   Certain family members were abusive and I just said no and walked away.   As a result, I was condemned for not taking any emotional abuse.  I was honest about how I felt and confronted those who aggressively disagreed with me or treated me with contempt for no reason.  Thus, I was a bad guy, because I just want to get to the truth and always asked why.  There is a reason for people's bad behavior or indifference.   I guess my big problem is that I really have a desire to understand and know the truth.  It's not a way to win friends and influence people, but it has been the only way I have been able to accomplish some of the things I want to do in my life.   I don't think one's friends, (who we choose by the way) or relatives should control any personal decision someone has to make.  So many people make decisions based on what other people think and want.  As a result, they feel unhappy, trapped and not true to themselves.   In the end, people really do what they want anyway whether they regret it or not.  In the races we run in life, people bet on the wrong horses everyday and put their faith in donkeys. 

It saddens me to see loved ones put their dreams on hold, or not pursue it at all, because of someone else.  It saddens me that I feel I need to defend myself with sarcasm because that is the only language that many people that used around me understood.  In the end, it's more selfish to hold someone back or resent someone for living their life on their terms.  All decisions have cause and effect.  Make the best decisions for yourself.     It's okay to love those who are not for you from a distance and it's okay not to go around people who are not supportive and condemning.   It's fine that they feel the way they do, but it's also a waste of their precious time to carry that burden of resentment.   It's okay to say no to spiteful and jealous people in your life.   It's okay to say no to those who bring up your past failures and point out your faults.  It's okay to say no to sabotage or someone talking shots at you. It's okay to walk away from people who say they love you, but at the same time tell you that you are not capable or good enough to live your dream.  So what if you make a mistake, fall, or do something hypocritical.  Work on fixing that and move on.  I am more inspired by those who do not need approval from anyone else and pursued their passion with integrity.   This is the person I want to be. 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Toy runs 5.18 - 5.19

Saturday was a good day and this weekend in general was great for toy hunting.  I found Blast Off at a City Target in West Hollywood.  They had the new Autobot discs there as well!  Blast Off was the last figure we needed to complete Decepticon Bruticus.


Notice my kitty Mashed Potatoes in the background.  He likes to go through all of the shopping bags that come in the door.  Below is a close up. 


Austin and I decided to visit a local Tuesday morning and cleaned their Kre-O stock out.  They had many Battleship and Transformer Kre-o sets marked down.  


The sets ranged from large to small and we decided to get them all.  Austin has been using all of the bricks for custom GI Joe sets that he has been working on so it's more of an investment.  


There were only two sideswipe sets and that was exciting to find those marked down.  You rarely see them the the close-out stores.  


The Devastator set isn't the Toys R Us exclusive, but there were three sets on the shelf.  This is a great find, because they were hundred dollar sets.  Tuesday Morning is the hidden gem of all of the discount stores.   :)



Friday, May 17, 2013

Autobot Earrings in various colors!

Well ...... I found more beads on Etsy last week and they arrived today!


I plan on ordering some in red soon.  Austin made a comment that the colors were goofy, but I'm a girl and I liked the variety of colors.  And I get it, I know the Autobot logo/insignia is suppose to be red.  (Unless it's shattered glass)! 



 This is pretty exciting for me, because I wanted to make Autobot earrings in different colors.  Sure, I know I should make some red ones, but I want to make ones in various colors to start out with.  Plus, I need to purchase more beads for Autobot necklaces, because I used my red Autobot beads that I had as pendants for necklaces.


I was trying to figure out the best way to make these and I decided to keep it simple.  A few pair have onyx beads attached and one pair has sterling silver findings. 



I used black metal plated findings for all of the pairs except for one pair and I cut them down to size.   These beads are not as large as they look. 



The white Autobot earrings have the sterling silver findings.  


Here are the results, I promise the red Autobot earrings are coming soon........








I like the purple ones, but I am biased, because I love purple.........








Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Toy Runs on 5.14 & 5.15


Generations toys are hitting all of the close-out stores again!  It's always exciting to find toys that you have been looking for.  Austin and I have been looking for Grimlock for months and we have heard that people have been spotting them at the close-out stores.  Not in our area though.  In fact,  Target, Toys R Us and Walmart have had some slim pickings with the Generations figures.  


However, browsing at Target last night, I found four Autobot discs, Rewind, Sunder, Eject and Ranhorn.  We already bought Blaster and this was really unexpected.   






They are 9.99 at Target.  I figured, we had better get them now than used at a Bot Con for an outrageous price. So I scored.  People can laugh all they want, it's excited to find a toy that is hard to find that is rumored to be hitting the stores. 

After work today, Austin and I decided to visit our local T.J. Maxx and Ross.  It was a bust at Ross, but here is the score we found at T.J. Maxx:


Austin was stoked about the green bricks in the Combat chopper set and it was cool to find another Prowl!  The Kreon will be listed at our Ebay store!  Transformer Kreons always sell!  We use many of these spare bricks for Austin's custom creations.  All in all, it was a good day! 






Sunday, May 12, 2013

Spring Cleaning Part III

As this month begins and the clutter is driving me crazy, I have decided that more needs to go.  This is tough, because I live with a collector that doesn't like to throw things away.   I feel weighted down, so I'm doing the best I can to get rid of the things that I am allowed to.  Starting with clothes that are too small or too big.  Time to go.  Even if it's a cute  concert or pop culture tee.  If it will never fit right again, I am not going to hold onto it.   Below is what I first see when I open my closet door and this doesn't even show the shoe rack that holds 60 pairs of shoes that is on the other side of the door.  Look, I'm already practically embarrassing myself, because it's a mess and I need to do some serious reorganizing.  This will take some time.



But before I tackle my closet, I am working on my linen/tolietries closet, which is full of hair products that I've inherited from my mother.  My mom is a hair product junkie and since we have both gone natural, every month she is trying something new, then passing it on to me if she doesn't like it.  I do appreciate the products, but it has gotten overwhelming.  The good news is, is that I don't need to go shampoo shopping for about a year or two.

Here is the before:

I know, crap is all over the place.  


The Progress:

Getting all the shampoo and conditioner separated from everything else.  Getting all of the leave-in conditioners and gels set apart as well.  


I have nail polish, cotton pads, soap and shampoo hidden in the basket as well. 


Basket two?  Same thing, but this includes brushes, castor oil, Argan oil and maybe coconut oil???


And After:  I can find stuff again and it's a little better, but I still need to work my way through all of this stuff!




Monday, May 6, 2013

Autobot Accessories! Pendant Necklace and Scarf


I bought these chalk based beads off eBay.  They didn't have many available and I have six beads total in different colors.  It would be neat to make earrings, but these beads feel a bit heavy for that.  


This was not as easy as it looked, I used extra hoop findings and metal pieces.   I was going to make two, but I only had time to make one tonight.  I plan on making more necklaces in all different colors and I hope to be done in time for Bot Con.   I hope to make a few pairs of earrings too!




I added a black plastic bead at the bottom and just used one pendant bead for the necklace.




I have been working on a scarf on the loom for a while now.  I have extra autobot patches that I intended to use for this scarf.  The result is below.  It took longer than usual and I was happy that it at least came out pretty even. 





I hope I have time to start a Decepticon scarf this month in purple and white.......