I look at this blog, and I feel intimidated. Kind of funny, really - it's a blog about Disney and Star Wars, and I look at it and go, "I don't want to write in that. It'll take too long. I'll sound stupid. There's too much to say, and I don't have the time to care about it."
It's all a lot of excuses because I feel like I need to talk about something. But the truth is, I don't need to talk about anything. I ran my first half marathon, and I feel like I need to write up this big, long post about everything that happened. But I don't need to do anything. I don't owe the world anything. I only owe it to myself to remember that it was amazing. I smiled the entire time I ran. I ran 13.1 miles with a freakin' chest cold, and I was never more grateful for hot weather and 90% humidity in my life. I could breathe because of that weather, and I believe it contributed to me getting through. My homemade Rapunzel-esque costume worked perfectly. I got pictures with princesses before the race started. They had fireworks going when I was running into Magic Kingdom. They played "Back in the Saddle Again" when I crossed into Frontierland,
and I thought of my Mom and Dad and all of the years we've spent
together in Florida building memories. That made me smile even more.
And I got through. I'm officially a Disney Half Marathon princess now. Pascal and I made our way through all of those miles to cross the finish line with a smile on our faces, and it was worth every moment of training that I put into it last year. I found my nerd husband (who was having a good health morning that morning), and he met me with a single, bright red rose. He was so proud of me. He was beaming. He took my picture, and he showed me video of me in the home stretch. He was cheering loudly on the video. I never got the chance to see him even though I looked, but he was here, and he was so, so proud. It made me feel amazing.
Would I do it again? Yes, I would. But I think I'm going to wait for Star Wars because I'm assuming that at some point in the future, that half marathon course will run through Star Wars Land...and I'm not missing out on that.
It's back to real life now - at least for a little bit. It sort of stunned me when I looked at the calendar just a bit ago and realized we're only a little more than a month away from our trip for Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. That's insane! With everything going on in life (and believe me, behind the scenes, there's a LOT of crap going on), I kind of forgot all about it. Which means I also forgot all about all of my grand plans for costuming and starting early and whatnot.
Right now, I'm sitting here thinking I might not even bring a costume. That feels odd considering I've at least had one costume at every convention I've attended. So I'm still thinking it through and deciding how I feel as time passes by. Honestly, my attentions are elsewhere in life right now, and costuming or sewing or creation of anything just feels like work. I have enough on my plate, and the last thing I want to do it accumulate more work and/or heartache for myself. Add on to that the fact that I actually gained weight while training for this half marathon (oops), and I don't want to make myself feel bad about the fact that some things just might not fit. I accept that because, hey, I was able to run a half marathon and finish strongly. I don't need to get ahead of myself and undermine my accomplishment. I'll get back to where I was, but I don't want to subject myself to the pain of feeling bad because such-and-such pants don't fit, and omgtheworldisgoingtoendbecausei'mfat.
So I'm over here kind of in limbo - looking at costume upgrade and changes I could make to existing costumes, not wanting to spend the money because of personal challenges we're facing at the moment, wondering if taking this trip is a good idea, but knowing that ultimately it is a good idea, curious about how long it'll take me to get back into a shape I'm 100% comfortable with, debating whether or not I should eat another girl scout cookie because they're too darned good, hoping our friends aren't annoyed that we haven't reached out to make plans with them, and wishing I could just sit and rest and not have this insane run-on sentence of worries flow through my head 24/7.
The paragraph about is why I don't write here (or anywhere) hardly at all. I feel obligated or concerned, and I don't write with reckless abandon like I used to. But this entire post was recklessly written with abandon (and then a little editing at the end), so maybe this is what I need to do. Maybe it's just like training for that half marathon. Take your time. Make yourself strong. Remember it's okay to fail. Remember it's okay to amend your plans. Remember that life doesn't always work the way you want it to, but it does work, and you can work within it. That's what I want to strive to do. I want to strive to keep moving, keep working, and keep pushing forward.
At a particularly rough patch this winter, I wrote a note on a purple post-it and attached it to my monitor at work. Dated January 16, 2019, it reads: "I have the strength to keep going - mentally and physically. I've proven it time and time again."
As Han would say, "It's true. All of it."
Showing posts with label Rapunzel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rapunzel. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2019
Friday, November 9, 2018
The Training of a Princess
It's time to take over this space again with some Disney fun. Well, hopefully it's fun - can you call training for a half marathon fun? If not, then I think we should, and I'm determined to do my best to make it fun!
I've talked earlier in the year about this (check out the blog entry here), but we'll sum up the situation. When my Nerd Husband fell last January and broke his hip, I realized that life throws you curve balls no matter how old you are. You aren't excused from illness or hardship just because you're young. There is no time like the present to do the things you want to do because tomorrow you might not be able to do them. So I got a crazy idea - I was going to run my first half marathon.
I did my research. I asked for advice in my online running groups. I debated. I trained for 5ks and a 10k throughout all of 2018. And finally, I signed up for the Princess Half Marathon to be held in Walt Disney World on February 24, 2019.
My training was to officially start on October 23rd, but guess who came down with a chest cold on October 22nd? Yep. There's one of those little curve balls I talked about. So I decided to postpone the start of my training until November 6th. I'm two weeks behind, but I readjusted the training schedule to something I think works. I also knew it would be better than pushing it while I wasn't well. Starting anything while you don't feel good is a big de-motivator, in my opinion.
Speaking of motivation, I knew starting out the gate that I'd need to find some fun ways to spice up these training runs (because when I thought about it, running 10+ miles just really didn't sound like "fun"). I went to the Dollar Tree because that's my go-to place when I'm looking for cheap and fun ways to make a smile happen. I picked up a crazy amount of Disney Princess stickers, and a set of Disney Princess puzzles (4 mini puzzles in one package). I also picked up a few dry erase boards, some self-stick letters, and a couple packages of adhesive glitter paper.
Next, I knew I'd need some calendars for me to keep track of things on, so I went to the Disney Family website and found a printable calendar for November. It looks like they produce a new calendar page each month, so I'll have to keep an eye open.
The first thing I wanted was an inspiration board - a place where I could cheer myself on, write notes, and leave post-its. I used the largest dry erase board I had as well as some of the self-stick letters to create my "Run, Princess Shada" inspiration board. ("Shada" is a Star Wars nickname that was given to me years ago by some very good friends of mine, and it's stuck with me for almost 20 years now.) I still need to attach some string/yarn on the back so I can hang the board in a visible space, but I'm quite happy with it.
The next thing I knew I wanted was a little corner of my cubicle at work to be dedicated to my training. Let's face it - if you work full time, you spend most of your awake time at work instead of at home. That's where I knew I'd need to see motivation more than anywhere else. I took my printed November calendar and hung it in my cubicle along with a Disney Princess dry erase board (that I modified to a bit with stickers to reflect my favorite princess, Rapunzel) to help me count down the days until race time. I also printed and hung up a map of last year's race, along with a couple sheets of glitter Princess stickers that I could use to mark my completed training days on the printer calendar.
Let's talk a bit about this calendar because this is an unexpected find that I think will really help motivate me in the months to come. The fun thing about these calendar pages is that they seem to add little fun days along the way. Nachos Day was November 6th, and the 45th anniversary of Robin Hood was on November 8th for example. Both of those days were training days, and I honestly didn't think of incorporating the "themes" into my day until I mentioned it to my Nerd Husband last night that I thought it might be cool to watch Robin Hood on its anniversary. NH said, "We'll celebrate both themes tonight - nachos for dinner and watch Robin Hood." We did just that, and it was amazing. So I'm going to do my best from here on out to incorporate the fun days into my training days.
The last motivator that I came up with revolves around that group of Disney Princess puzzles I bought. I love puzzles, and I don't feel like I do them all that often because they always end up in the way while I'm working on them. But the few that I've complete and loved actually act as artwork above our fireplace on a rotating basis. Right now, there's a Thomas Kincade Cinderella's Castle of there, and it's gorgeous. Anyway, I digress... The Disney Princess puzzles motivator is going to work a little something like this.
With each training session I complete, I "earn" one piece of the puzzle. I won't draw my pieces from the pile until the end of each week, so I can draw up to three pieces at a time. The pieces might be for any of the four puzzles, so that will be the tricky part. I'll have to collect my earned pieces, sort them out based on which puzzle I think they go with, and the final goal is to assemble them as quickly as possible. It's a bit of luck mixed with a bit of skill and a lot of making-this-up-as-I-go-along. I think it'll be a good time.
I'll be posting quite a bit about this on social media when I can because I think it has the potential for a couple of good things:
1) Make people happy. It sounds ridiculous, but honestly, I think my goal in life is to try and bring a smile or a laugh. It's the reason I do a lot of what I do or share what I decide to share. So if me making a silly face and talking about stickers makes your day, then follow along on my journey.
2) Make people believe they can do what they set their minds to doing. I realize we all have limitations and things that hold us back, but I do truly believe that we have a lot of power in our minds and bodies, even if they're "broken". I've personally dealt with a history of mental illness for a vast majority of my life. I know how broken your mind can feel. While I've not dealt with physical disability and I know I can't imagine the full effect of the situation. I know I've witnessed those who have dealt with it, and I've seen how broken their hearts can be when they can't achieve what they once could. That's heartbreaking. But I believe there are ways that we can work within a system and make things the best that we can make them. We might not achieve what we could if we weren't "broken", but I believe that having to work within a system designed to hold you back makes your stronger, wiser, and more determined. And it makes victory so much sweeter. I want people to know that and remember it.
While I'll be posting little blurbs on social media, I'll be keeping the bulk of my wordiness out of the limelight and leaving it here in my blog. I know I get wordy when I write, and that's no for everyone. But if it is for you, then it's here, and I hope it helps you in some small way, shape or form.
I've got this. I can do this. I know I can, and I believe I can. I'm nervous that I can't. There might be people who say I can't. But the small voice inside of me that rises up in dark times whispers to me, "Run."
I've talked earlier in the year about this (check out the blog entry here), but we'll sum up the situation. When my Nerd Husband fell last January and broke his hip, I realized that life throws you curve balls no matter how old you are. You aren't excused from illness or hardship just because you're young. There is no time like the present to do the things you want to do because tomorrow you might not be able to do them. So I got a crazy idea - I was going to run my first half marathon.
I did my research. I asked for advice in my online running groups. I debated. I trained for 5ks and a 10k throughout all of 2018. And finally, I signed up for the Princess Half Marathon to be held in Walt Disney World on February 24, 2019.
My training was to officially start on October 23rd, but guess who came down with a chest cold on October 22nd? Yep. There's one of those little curve balls I talked about. So I decided to postpone the start of my training until November 6th. I'm two weeks behind, but I readjusted the training schedule to something I think works. I also knew it would be better than pushing it while I wasn't well. Starting anything while you don't feel good is a big de-motivator, in my opinion.
Speaking of motivation, I knew starting out the gate that I'd need to find some fun ways to spice up these training runs (because when I thought about it, running 10+ miles just really didn't sound like "fun"). I went to the Dollar Tree because that's my go-to place when I'm looking for cheap and fun ways to make a smile happen. I picked up a crazy amount of Disney Princess stickers, and a set of Disney Princess puzzles (4 mini puzzles in one package). I also picked up a few dry erase boards, some self-stick letters, and a couple packages of adhesive glitter paper.
Next, I knew I'd need some calendars for me to keep track of things on, so I went to the Disney Family website and found a printable calendar for November. It looks like they produce a new calendar page each month, so I'll have to keep an eye open.
The first thing I wanted was an inspiration board - a place where I could cheer myself on, write notes, and leave post-its. I used the largest dry erase board I had as well as some of the self-stick letters to create my "Run, Princess Shada" inspiration board. ("Shada" is a Star Wars nickname that was given to me years ago by some very good friends of mine, and it's stuck with me for almost 20 years now.) I still need to attach some string/yarn on the back so I can hang the board in a visible space, but I'm quite happy with it.
The next thing I knew I wanted was a little corner of my cubicle at work to be dedicated to my training. Let's face it - if you work full time, you spend most of your awake time at work instead of at home. That's where I knew I'd need to see motivation more than anywhere else. I took my printed November calendar and hung it in my cubicle along with a Disney Princess dry erase board (that I modified to a bit with stickers to reflect my favorite princess, Rapunzel) to help me count down the days until race time. I also printed and hung up a map of last year's race, along with a couple sheets of glitter Princess stickers that I could use to mark my completed training days on the printer calendar.
Let's talk a bit about this calendar because this is an unexpected find that I think will really help motivate me in the months to come. The fun thing about these calendar pages is that they seem to add little fun days along the way. Nachos Day was November 6th, and the 45th anniversary of Robin Hood was on November 8th for example. Both of those days were training days, and I honestly didn't think of incorporating the "themes" into my day until I mentioned it to my Nerd Husband last night that I thought it might be cool to watch Robin Hood on its anniversary. NH said, "We'll celebrate both themes tonight - nachos for dinner and watch Robin Hood." We did just that, and it was amazing. So I'm going to do my best from here on out to incorporate the fun days into my training days.
The last motivator that I came up with revolves around that group of Disney Princess puzzles I bought. I love puzzles, and I don't feel like I do them all that often because they always end up in the way while I'm working on them. But the few that I've complete and loved actually act as artwork above our fireplace on a rotating basis. Right now, there's a Thomas Kincade Cinderella's Castle of there, and it's gorgeous. Anyway, I digress... The Disney Princess puzzles motivator is going to work a little something like this.
With each training session I complete, I "earn" one piece of the puzzle. I won't draw my pieces from the pile until the end of each week, so I can draw up to three pieces at a time. The pieces might be for any of the four puzzles, so that will be the tricky part. I'll have to collect my earned pieces, sort them out based on which puzzle I think they go with, and the final goal is to assemble them as quickly as possible. It's a bit of luck mixed with a bit of skill and a lot of making-this-up-as-I-go-along. I think it'll be a good time.
I'll be posting quite a bit about this on social media when I can because I think it has the potential for a couple of good things:
1) Make people happy. It sounds ridiculous, but honestly, I think my goal in life is to try and bring a smile or a laugh. It's the reason I do a lot of what I do or share what I decide to share. So if me making a silly face and talking about stickers makes your day, then follow along on my journey.
2) Make people believe they can do what they set their minds to doing. I realize we all have limitations and things that hold us back, but I do truly believe that we have a lot of power in our minds and bodies, even if they're "broken". I've personally dealt with a history of mental illness for a vast majority of my life. I know how broken your mind can feel. While I've not dealt with physical disability and I know I can't imagine the full effect of the situation. I know I've witnessed those who have dealt with it, and I've seen how broken their hearts can be when they can't achieve what they once could. That's heartbreaking. But I believe there are ways that we can work within a system and make things the best that we can make them. We might not achieve what we could if we weren't "broken", but I believe that having to work within a system designed to hold you back makes your stronger, wiser, and more determined. And it makes victory so much sweeter. I want people to know that and remember it.
While I'll be posting little blurbs on social media, I'll be keeping the bulk of my wordiness out of the limelight and leaving it here in my blog. I know I get wordy when I write, and that's no for everyone. But if it is for you, then it's here, and I hope it helps you in some small way, shape or form.
I've got this. I can do this. I know I can, and I believe I can. I'm nervous that I can't. There might be people who say I can't. But the small voice inside of me that rises up in dark times whispers to me, "Run."
Monday, August 29, 2016
Operation Orchid Changes to Operation Night Howler
Ohhh, life! Goodness, it's been a while, and I'm in desperate need of some "happy". I figured now is as good a time as any to give a little Disney update.
Our next trip is coming up very soon with a visit in October for our first ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this one. First of all, I love Disney. Second of all, I love costumes. There is basically no opportunity to ever wear a costume to Disney except for runDisney events and this Halloween party, so I'm super excited to actually be able to come up with something.
My first jump was a big one - I had landed my heart on making a Rapunzel dress because I love Rapunzel and - I'll be honest - I wanted to feel like a pretty princess. However, Operation Orchid has been placed on hold (despite the fact that I now have all of the necessary materials to make the dress - go figure). Instead of getting thoroughly discouraged, I turned back my brain and started working on a newer and easier to pull together idea. I needed something that I could easily thrift/eBay/craft/cobble together, and I wanted something Disney related.
And thus Operation Night Howler went into effect, and I landed on the new, improved, and easier-to-manage idea of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia.
Because - let's face it - they're freaking adorable. And I love that pink plaid shirt with the sunhat look.
See what I mean? So, so cute! Okay, done with the cuteness. Let's talk details here.
I cobbled together an items list for each character, determined to check them off as I went. I've done pretty well, and I've even tracked prices - which is something I don't typically do when putting together a costume, really. I used a lot of saved searches on eBay - which is a God-send, and if you've never used it...use it. It sends all of my finds directly to my email each day, and I sort through them from there.
Nick Wilde
Green, hawaiian-ish shirt - eBay find - used - $12.16
Navy blue and red striped tie - eBay find - new (will also use for work) - $15.00
Khaki pants - personally own - $0.00
Belt - personally own - $0.00
Ears & Tail - will hand craft
Faux fur from Fabric.com and JoAnn Fabris - total fabric cost $18.74
Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own - $0.00
Hat to attach ears to - Amazon - $6.98
Total Cost: $52.88
Judy Hopps
Pink, plaid shirt
eBay find - didn't work out, too small - $7.48
WalMart find - $15.00
Jeans - personally own - $0.00
Ears, Headband & Tail - will hand craft
Faux fur, flannel, and headband from JoAnn Fabrics - total fabric cost $7.25
Other fabric, Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own $0.00
Gray wig - Amazon - $15.99
White sun hat - personally own - $0.00
Total Cost: $45.72
Turns out what I write down the prices of things, I freak out a little. Good times! But honestly, if I sit back and analyze these numbers, I don't find them that bad. These clothing items can share a "real life" purpose, as well - not just for a costume. So the only things that won't get used on a regular basis are the fabric bits - the ears and tails. I think I'm okay with that, and I think I'm pretty good with these prices. Goodness knows what you'd pay when you go to a costume shop for something. That can be scary expensive.
So my next job on this costuming adventure is to start crafting some tails and ears and things - a new costuming experience I have never undertaken. Fun times lie ahead!
Our next trip is coming up very soon with a visit in October for our first ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this one. First of all, I love Disney. Second of all, I love costumes. There is basically no opportunity to ever wear a costume to Disney except for runDisney events and this Halloween party, so I'm super excited to actually be able to come up with something.
My first jump was a big one - I had landed my heart on making a Rapunzel dress because I love Rapunzel and - I'll be honest - I wanted to feel like a pretty princess. However, Operation Orchid has been placed on hold (despite the fact that I now have all of the necessary materials to make the dress - go figure). Instead of getting thoroughly discouraged, I turned back my brain and started working on a newer and easier to pull together idea. I needed something that I could easily thrift/eBay/craft/cobble together, and I wanted something Disney related.
And thus Operation Night Howler went into effect, and I landed on the new, improved, and easier-to-manage idea of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia.
Because - let's face it - they're freaking adorable. And I love that pink plaid shirt with the sunhat look.
See what I mean? So, so cute! Okay, done with the cuteness. Let's talk details here.
I cobbled together an items list for each character, determined to check them off as I went. I've done pretty well, and I've even tracked prices - which is something I don't typically do when putting together a costume, really. I used a lot of saved searches on eBay - which is a God-send, and if you've never used it...use it. It sends all of my finds directly to my email each day, and I sort through them from there.
Nick Wilde
Green, hawaiian-ish shirt - eBay find - used - $12.16
Navy blue and red striped tie - eBay find - new (will also use for work) - $15.00
Khaki pants - personally own - $0.00
Belt - personally own - $0.00
Ears & Tail - will hand craft
Faux fur from Fabric.com and JoAnn Fabris - total fabric cost $18.74
Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own - $0.00
Hat to attach ears to - Amazon - $6.98
Total Cost: $52.88
Judy Hopps
Pink, plaid shirt
eBay find - didn't work out, too small - $7.48
WalMart find - $15.00
Jeans - personally own - $0.00
Ears, Headband & Tail - will hand craft
Faux fur, flannel, and headband from JoAnn Fabrics - total fabric cost $7.25
Other fabric, Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own $0.00
Gray wig - Amazon - $15.99
White sun hat - personally own - $0.00
Total Cost: $45.72
Turns out what I write down the prices of things, I freak out a little. Good times! But honestly, if I sit back and analyze these numbers, I don't find them that bad. These clothing items can share a "real life" purpose, as well - not just for a costume. So the only things that won't get used on a regular basis are the fabric bits - the ears and tails. I think I'm okay with that, and I think I'm pretty good with these prices. Goodness knows what you'd pay when you go to a costume shop for something. That can be scary expensive.
So my next job on this costuming adventure is to start crafting some tails and ears and things - a new costuming experience I have never undertaken. Fun times lie ahead!
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Operation Orchid (or How Shada Intends To Become A Princess)
I have a lot of crazy ideas that never come to fruition - this is true. I have more fabric in my stash to make random costumes of craziness that come to me on a whim. I currently have enough fabric to make Leia's ceremonial gown probably twice, as well as a fabric for a costume for Morrigan from video game "Dragon Age". I even have parts of these costumes that are completed! Shoes for Leia, a skirt for Morrigan that's been drafted and cut and sewn together and looks awesome.
But they sit. Leia has sat for years - I can't even begin to tell you how long. It's embarrassing, really, when I think about it because it makes me sound like I'm unable to complete any projects. I know this isn't true; I finished a Leia Endor gown in about a month or two before Star Wars Celebration the last time. So I'm capable of working and completing an outfit. I guess I just get sidetracked by real life.
Which leads me to where I am now - with grand ideas and pretty fabric but sidetracked by life.
We've been dealing with a lot going on, honestly. It all hovers around the not-so-great things in life like hospitals and sickness and death and medical tests and recovery. I shudder when I think about it. So since this blog was created as a positive outlet for me, I'm going to try and set that aside right now and focus on the really cool ideas and things that have happened lately.
The best is Operation Orchid.
I didn't even know this project was going to have a cool behind-the-scenes spy-mission type name, but now it just makes it even better. I have a good friend of mine to thank for that, and us both being Once Upon a Time fans just made it that much cooler (if you can say this is cool). So some backstory before I get ahead of myself here...
Utilizing the Annual Passes of Awesome, the Nerd Husband and I have a trip to Walt Disney World planned for October. We'll be attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) while we're there, and it's the one chance that adults have to actually go to the Magic Kingdom in a costume. I love any excuse to pull out a costume, so this just made me horribly happy. The Nerd Husband and I had some conversations about possible costumes, but I recognize that cosplay is not the NH's "thing". He's good enough to go along with my crazy hobby and let's me suck him into it now and then, sure. But he really lets me lead on these adventures.
I spouted off a few ideas, but nothing huge:
- Rey in her Resistance Outfit and Poe Dameron (or maybe just his jacket because that's cool-looking)
- River Song and the 11th Doctor (really, we already have these costumes, but I would have wanted to make a new River dress - the green one - the impossible one)
- Rey and BB-8! (he made a face at this one - an "are you crazy?" kind of face, so I dropped it)
- Random Jedi (both of us)
- Leia dress and Random Jedi
- Marian Ravenwood and Indiana Jones
- Regina the Evil Queen and Robin Hood
I probably had a flurry of other ideas, and I couldn't settle on a darned thing. Once Star Wars Celebration was announced for April 2017 (I guess that's something else I have to talk about), that kind of pushed my Rey costume plans forward for that con. I could completed River Song, I think, but that wasn't really Disney. I wanted something else.
The Once Upon a Time idea was good, but I wanted to try and stick to the easier side of the Disney costume rules which "discourages" floor length gowns. I could put Regina and Robin in normal clothing, sure, but what's the fun in that? So that went out the window. Heck, if I was trying to stick to that rule, it kind of knocked quite a few things of my list, even when I started going through the lists of the princesses.
Until I ran into Rapunzel. Whose skirt does not reach the floor. And I went OMGFANGIRLSQUEE.
For the most part, I am not a Disney princess fangirl. Not that there's anything wrong with the Disney princesses, but I didn't connect with any of them, really. However, Tangled quickly became a favorite of mine, and on some weird note, I connected with Rapunzel as a character. Here was a girl who was naive and knew it, but she wanted to change it as best she could. She was scared to do so, but she did it anyway. She waffled back and forth about whether or not she was right or wrong, and she fought for the things she believed in. She took the good with the bad and hurt and cried and suffered, and then finds where she belongs. I guess I liked that.
So my brain went, "Hey, why not Rapunzel?"
I responded, "But I don't want to wear a ginormous blonde wig in Florida in October."
My brain said, "Hey, she gets her hair cut at the end of the movie. It's cute and it's brown and it's short."
I thought about it, and I gave into my brain. That was how the Rapunzel dress came to be the next project of choice.
With any costume, you spend more time in research and search-for-resources mode than you do in the actual construction - I swear to you. I've looked at more blogs, random Deviant Art pages, screen cap sites, and message boards than I can found. I searched the dark corners of the internet for fabric stores. I downloaded pictures on my tablet, my phone, employed my mother-in-law accidentally to help me out, and this project just sort of blew up and took over. Granted, I let it - because it's exciting to work on something pretty for a change.
However, my research turned up kind of a bust when it came to the fabric arena. I ended up purchasing a quilting cotton that I liked color-wise for the bodice, but it's cotton - I'm not sure how that will look, honestly. So it's not even really officially a start. The colors on this costume are just insanely impossible to match because you don't know if they're pinks or purples. They're neither and they're both, and it's as frustrating as herding banthas (I imagine).
After searching JoAnn Fabric's, two local thrift stores, and a hole-in-the-wall sewing shop I found, I was still empty-handed on fabric. I'd done numerous online searches to see if other bloggers or cosplayers had mentioned where they'd purchased their fabric or what color or anything. Nothing. Sigh. Until one day...I did a search on a whim. I was tired and was giving up. And there it was: Writer, Cosplayer, and Digital Artist - Julie Hall.
I have no idea who Julie is, but I want to make sure this lady gets credit because boy, did she ever help me! Thank you, Julie - from the bottom of my geeky heart. She pointed me in the direction of Hobby Lobby which had the exact color of poly satin I had been looking for - Radiant Orchid. My nearest Hobby Lobby is a bit of a way from me, and with everything going on I knew I wouldn't have a chance to get there for weeks. I could purchase it online, sure, but I really hate not being able to see the fabric sometimes.
So I employed my friend M. We'll call him M because it's safe, and it makes him sound sort of mysterious - like he should be in a James Bond movie or something. M lives on the side of town maybe 2 minutes from the Hobby Lobby, so I thought about it a bit and then I sent him a message.
Me: Question for you. Do you have plans to visit your Hobby Lobby anytime soon? *insert long search explanation here*
M (without hesitation): I can totally go tomorrow morning. What color are you looking for?
My friends are awesome. They just are.
The next day, I get a text message at 9:02 in the morning from M: "I'm on my way to the Lobby. Operation Orchid is now in effect!!" M later sent me pictures - with flash, without flash, described the fabric as best he could, and even searched in the clearance bins for matching thread (though there was none). He even brought a coupon to cut down on the already pretty cheap price of $4.99 a yard.
I bought 4 yards - grand total of $12.88. That's some good shoppin', in my opinion, and Operation Orchid was a success. I haven't figured out if just that part of it should be called Operation Orchid or if this whole project should be - I think I'm going to make that the title of the whole costume, though. I just absolutely love it, and it feel so Once Upon A Timey.
I won't get to dig into that fabric for a while, and I won't be able to go out and search for any coordinating fabric for a while, either. Again, real life (and not the good kind) is creeping in on me, and I just have to face it for a while. But hopefully this good stuff will be waiting on me when I get back.
I just realized I used the name Shada in the title. Do you remember who Shada is? It's Me! I haven't explained where that nickname came from, but that's another post for another time. Until then...you just get a little reminder of a little something I posted ages ago. And now back to your regularly scheduled program...
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