For those of you who didn’t know, my car is still dead. We found out what it was. The friggin’ camshaft. If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry, I do and that’s what’s important. Suffice it to say that it’s a very instrumental part to the car that assists with it’s general working-ness. The camshaft is more expensive than the whole car, so the car may be getting junked. Which sucks because it was a good car. 
Time will tell.
So the other day I made a few try-out Shinra lapel pins out of printer paper printed with the Shinra logo (thank God I have a fairly high-quality printer), and covered in hot glue. They turned out okay (I apologize for the crappy picture, my camera phone sucks):
What I want to do is make real versions of this - the lapel pin, cufflinks, and tie clasp (and anything else I can think of), with the paper glued to high-quality foil or other sturdy backing, and then hot-glued onto pre-made polyester resin. For the cufflinks I was thinking I would only use the diamond in the center, whereas with the lapel pin and tie clasp I would use the whole square.
The lapel pin I would put on tie tacks with butterfly clutches, and the cufflinks, clearly, would require blank cufflink findings. The tie clasp could actually just be a barrette of the correct color. And I’ve already designed “Shinra ID Badge” graphics as a gag a long time ago that were actually quite cool.
I want to be a Turk for Halloween, but more importantly, I want to make my three best friend “Turk Kits” for Christmas - a lapel pin, tie clasp, set of cufflinks, and ID card (and anything else I can think of - I’m totally willing to accept ideas! I’m thinking of doctoring up cheapie Nerf guns to make them look real-ish but plastic for the full Turk effect) all in one purty little box. Can anyone think of anything else that would be cool for a project like this?
Edit: Cally suggested sunglasses. I could do that, I think, and it would look rather neat if it came out properly. HMMMM!
Another Edit: I just came up with the idea to make personalized neckties. Ties are super easy to make and I could also include little cute “Shinra Electric Power Company” tags.
For those who may be reading this from Square-Enix: These are intended for PERSONAL USE ONLY. I WILL NOT BE SELLING THESE AND IF I DO IT WILL BE FOR SHIPPING AND MATERIAL COSTS ONLY, NOT FOR A PROFIT.
It’s been forever. I’m sorry.
However, I have been doing stuff, just to practice, and I’ve also been excitedly waiting for warmer weather.
Because now that it’s getting warmer I can get the materials to start playing around with resin. Booyah! I can’t wait, honestly. It’ll be awesome.
In the meantime, here’s a picture of something I did just for shits and giggles a few days ago:
That’s right. An origami throwing star, painted, with MATERIA on it. XD I used a hot glue gun to make the materia; I plan on continuing to practice and make them more round and materia-looking, because mini-origami shurikens with materia in them would make the world’s most ADORABLE earrings and jewelry. I would actually wear jewelry like that. It would be epic win.
As you guys have probably noticed, I have been not-here lately. This is because of a series of unfortunate interruptions from real life, both mine and other people’s. I apologize.
On the plus side, I’m considering making some Shinra gear so that if all else fails I could go to a convention as a random Shinra employee. 
That will be relatively easy to manufacture.
Plus, I already designed the badge ages ago.
I have decided that before I make my white mage costume, which will be ridiculously easy (I haven’t found the right fabrics but when I do it’ll come together nicely), I want to make a steampunk outfit.
I sketched out a design and it’s more steampirate!punk, but I think it’ll work out good for me, considering my body structure. It’ll probably involve learning how to work leather.
So I went to Jo-Anne’s today at great personal expense and tragedy.
Actually, I just had to beg my dad for a ride because our car is still broken. Anyway.
I got some acrylic paints and craft foam and a sheet of posterboard. I tested out the craft foam and found that I can get good shapes out of it, and that it paints well if finished properly, but that acrylic paint, while awesome, sucks for painting on craft foam. I knew it would, but I hoped….Oh well, at least they were on sale.
Anyway, while I was there my eye caught the most gorgeous, amazing, beautiful find ever: Jo-Anne branded thin brocade fabrics in Asian-themed patterns. I found a black fabric with a dragon and roses pattern across it in red that would be GORGEOUS on Christina for her kimono, and it’s reversible so I could feasibly make the obi out of it too. It’s ridiculously expensive in my world ($7 a yard), but cheap in the fabric world. I’m going to wait until Jo-Anne has a fabric sale and buy the shit out of that stuff. Oh yeah, baby.
After poking around at a few sites I think I’m going to attempt to recreate the Rosso the Crimson crotch-grate out of craft foam. I’ll let you all know how this turns out.
Also, I ordered part one of the Propmaker’s Compendium. I want parts two, three and four ASAP, but money is an issue right now. >.< Some day….
Google is getting oddly apt with the ads they put into my gmail account pages. It linked me to a really bad cosplay site, where you can buy really bad cosplay costumes at horrendous prices.
Their White Mage costume from FFX-2 (Yuna) pissed me off so badly that I think I’m going to make one of my own. I’m not going to make a page for it, I think, because it’s going to be so freakin’ easy to make the general costume. I might actually have all of the fabric I need at home (I love my habit of buying remnants at fabric stores on a whim right now). As soon as my husband wakes up I’m going to dig around and see what I have.
Mill End is having a going-out-of-business fabric sale up in Reno. I’m thinking I might head up there ASAP and get lots of white fabric. Just wondering where the fuck I can get the boots….I’ll check Wal-Mart. The staff will be really easy.
Reference picture:
Unfortunately, I was unable to go to work today because I have a tooth infection that swelled up my throat to the point of being unable to speak. It also gave me one hell of an earache. So no plastic other than the one sheet I got, and no foamcore at all. Sad.
On the flip side, I’m doing some research on the maiko costume. I want to make it soonish, and Christina still wants it. I got a broken bracelet with some fake jewels in it from a vendor at the convention. I can make the hairthings with it.
Some notes: Why can’t I find any really good information about maiko undergarments? If anyone has any links, please let me know.
I really don’t want to make the geisha-style footwear. I think I can probably cheat and make regular geta on two platforms…Mikey has a jigsaw I could use.
I should probably make a fan accessory….I’m pretty sure I can make one for relatively cheap.
I need to find out how to tie maiko obis. Sheesh.
I’m thinking a geisha wig would be the best way to go…I should ask about styling wigs on the cosplay community I belong to. Done.
