Category: Arts & Crafts

Shadowhunter Stele Project

So I’m a fan of Cassandra Clary’s Mortal Instruments series. And my friend Scarlet and I are going to cosplay as Shadowhunters for Otakuthon and Comiccon. Woohoo! Well, one of the things necessary to a Shadowhunter’s gear is a stele. It’s a cross between a wand and a tattoo gun. Yes that’s just as awesome as it sounds.

As the description states, each Hunter’s stele is different and tends to reflect something of their personality. Instead of trying to replicate one character in particular, I decided to get creative and do my own Shadowhunter. As such, I mucked about with my crafting materials and made something unique.

I wanted it to be practical so I decided to build it around a sharpie marker so that we can touch up our Marks while at the convention.

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Continue reading “Shadowhunter Stele Project”

I miss spring

As winter drags on for the fifth month here in Montreal, it’s become just that: a drag. But after browsing Instructables I found a cute idea of putting paper butterflies over the radiator so that when the heat turns on, they flutter.

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The original instructable just had cut-out butterflies. But I happen to be origami-capable so I decided to do a Yoshizawa butterfly.

Oh spring, hurry up!

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Fairy Skirt for Five Bucks or Less!

Good news everyone, you might have a free skirt hiding in your house. With climate change being such a hot topic (pardon the pun), many people are finding out that the eco option is very often the economic option as well. With a little creative thinking, old, worn-out items can be re-used as something cool and inventive.

My wife and I both tend to wear through our jeans in the crotch and thigh area because of how much walking we like to do. While it might be cool to put a patch on a tear in the knee or hem, a patch on the crotch is really weird-looking. But I kept stowing away ruined pairs of jeans because the damage was localized to a very small (if unfortunate) place. So much perfectly good fabric!

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I’m a-frayed these are beyond repair …

If you have jeans that are in mostly good condition, or perhaps ones that just don’t fit right anymore, you might consider this little project and give yourself or your sweety a brand new skirt! It even has pockets for keys and wallets and such which few women’s garments tend to these days.

My wife now has this lovely petal-like skirt for when the weather warms up. (hint: Go away snow!)

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No sewing machines, no measuring, no problem! Let’s get started!

Continue reading “Fairy Skirt for Five Bucks or Less!”

Play-Doh & Updates

So I got myself some Play-Doh from the dollar store because I felt like having some childish fun.

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I made a flower.

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And a very unseasonal pumpkin.

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And a few other things that I didn’t bother to take pictures of. Man, that smell as soon as you open the little container … takes me right back to my childhood. 

In other news, I’m working on some boring behind-the-scenes stuff, which is why you haven’t been hearing much from me. Tinkering with cover layouts, working out the plot for the sequel, and organizing the thousands of files I have on my computer so I can actually find stuff when I want it.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good one!

The Treeless Tree

I love Christmas trees. I hate  having to store them. They take up an incredible amount of floor space. Don’t even get me started on hewing down a perfectly good tree just to serve as a decoration (and fire hazard) for a couple of months.

This year, I decided: Screw it. I am going to join the ranks of the unconventional tree decorators. 

I took a ribbon, a string of lights, a little Sol Invictus appliqué, some packing tape, and here’s what I got:

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20 minutes and 3 bucks later, bam, done. Happy Holidays!

Ninja Sore Muscle Relief – Tutorial

What’s this? He’s updating on a weekend? I know. It’s weird. This week has been full of all-night car trips, late writing sessions and the necessary sleep-ins at strange hours to compensate. Excuses, excuses. I shall make it up to you with weekend posts!

Here I present you with an adorable solution to muscle aches and pains from sporting activities or simply long hours at the office.

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Instructions after the jump! Continue reading “Ninja Sore Muscle Relief – Tutorial”

Dia de Los Muertos Skull Paint for Men

I’ve seen plenty of gorgeous sugar skull makeup and makeup tutorials for the ladies, but what’s a guy to do for the Day of the Dead? Don’t worry guys, if you want in on the fun of dressing up for this occasion but fear that putting flowers on your face might somehow diminish your manliness, you can put your anxieties to rest. It’s perfectly possible to execute a kickass sugar skull look without being in danger of people calling you “ma’am”.

This how-to is specifically aimed at guys wanting to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos or Halloween with a sugar skull look and takes into account stuff that a guy is most likely to have on hand without going out and buying himself a whole freaking makeup kit that he’ll probably never use again.

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Let’s rock. Continue reading “Dia de Los Muertos Skull Paint for Men”

How to Drow: Dark Elf Makeup That Lasts

EDIT: Fuckyeahdrow was kind enough to reblog this post for other Drow fans out there. If you’re interested in dark elves, go check them out.

So, I’ve talked about how use alcohol-activated paint in a previous post but I haven’t really touched on the rest of the process to getting a good dark elf look. Of course, the colouration of the skin is difficult for any costume that requires a big deviation from your usual tone. Anyone who’s done a Wicked Witch of the West, Avatar, or Hellboy costume, for example, knows the headache that ensues when trying to get paint to stay on the skin and not wander all over wigs and clothes and everything you touch. If you’re doing a Drow in particular, your makeup coming off on your lovely white wig is a particular concern.

Well, the good news is, there are solutions. I’ve found two that work particularly well. One is a water-based paint makeup job. The other is an alcohol-activated paint job. Both have pros and cons and I’ll go through both of them so sit tight y’all, this is gonna be a long one!

I should also mention, before I get started, that although these tutorials are specifically geared toward dark elf makeup, the techniques described are useful for many other kinds of costumes so feel free to browse through for anything you can use.

To begin, let’s compare the pros and cons of the water-based and alcohol-activated makeups.

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Water-Based Makeup

Pros:

  • Cheap and easy to find.
  • Easy to put on. (Brush or makeup sponge + water.)
  • Easy to take off. (Soap and water.)
  • Lightweight and breathable.

Cons:

  • Easy to take off. (Even when you don’t want it to.)
  • Not a viable solution for colouring hands.
  • Requires a fixing spray or other sealer.

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Alcohol-Activated Paint

Pros:

  • Easy to put on. (99% Isopropyl alcohol + paint)
  • Will not come off. (Except in areas with a LOT of rubbing. ie: palms.)
  • Viable solution for colouring hands.
  • Does not require fixing spray or sealer.

Cons:

Sugar Skull Face Paint

Hi guys! I had a lovely Samhain party this weekend and, as I organize the photographs, I’ll present them here for you to make use of if you so desire. First on the list, because I’ve been poked by everyone who’s seen it so far, is a post on the sugar skull makeup I did on my wife.

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If you’re looking for a costume for Halloween that is cheap, relatively easy to do, and also deeply meaningful, this is a good one to consider. Continue reading “Sugar Skull Face Paint”

The Spider’s Parlour

The decorating of the living room is finished! And I’m completely exhausted. But here are some pictures for you!

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My Slytherin robe and my snake, Pepsi.

 

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The coffin table.  Continue reading “The Spider’s Parlour”