A commercial interpretation of the Na'vi

Does anyone remember my prediction that people were going to want Na'vi costumes? If you don't, may I refer you to Movie Monday: Avatar (posted on December 14, 2009). I expected the geeks to want them, but apparently, it has reached more people than I had imagined.

First, let us all know what a Na'vi looks like:

James Cameron's Avatar (2009)

And now on to the costumes. First, there was Ben Stiller at the 2010 Oscars:

Ben Stiller, 82nd Academy Awards

But today, I was hit by how much people want Na'vi costumes. I was at the Shopping Mall and I saw an add for the temporary Party Expert that opens there for Halloween. On the add, amongst many other costumes, I noticed these:

Na'vi Jake Adult Costume

Na'vi Jake Child Costume

Na'vi Neytiri Adult Costume

(Everyone knows a Female Na'vi wears pumps to run around the woods!)

Na'vi Neytiri Child Costume

Of course, if you don't already have long, black, braided hair, you can get a Na'vi wig!

Na'vi Neytiry wig

Na'vi Jake wig

And since most of us have round ears, the prepackaged costume industry has thought of us by offering latex ears:

Na'vi Latex Ears

Actually, those might make nice Blue Fairy ears. I might get a pair (they are less than 10$).

Ocean Hellman as Queen Titania, Voyage of the Unicorn (2001)

There is also a "Jake" version of the latex ears and a Na'vi make-up kit, if you are interested in making (or purchasing) that costume.

Apparently, if you are REALLY into the Na'vi, you can even learn their language!

But back to the commercial costume: personally, my first reaction was "You have got to be bloody joking!". But I guess the leotard could be used as a base for a much better costume. I'm not sure it's worth the price, but that really depends on your budget.

Just promise me something: if you make a female Na'vi costume, don't wear it with heels!

Steampunk... Live from the Dollar Store

I've got Steampunk on my mind... And it is all Alyssa's fault. Firstly, she makes the most incredible Steampunk costumes I have ever seen; seriously, I've been Googling for pictures and surfing on DeviantArt for inspiration and I have yet to see female outfits as intricately detailed as hers. I am in awe of all of her Steampunk garb. Secondly, after I asked her to post a tutorial on how to make those Steampunk guns, she shared the following videos:

So of course, I wanted to make some right away. I went to the Dollar store and picked up two ray guns for 2$ each (what can I say, with the current economy, even the Dollar store has to up their prices) from the toy section. They make noise and light up, or at least the first one does, because I didn't notice before buying it that the second one's trigger was broken. I can't exchange it, but considering I don't really care about the noise and the lights, I guess it's a good thing I'm the one who bought the defective one, or else, it would have wound up in the garbage.

Future Steampunked Ray Guns

I wanted to get starting with the modding right away, but my local craft store, Omer de Serres, does not carry Rub n' Buff. As the closest Micheal's Craft store is about 3 hours away in Ottawa, I'll either have to wait until I go in November for the Oirechtas, and hope they have some, or I'll just order it from eBay. In any case, I can't work on them for the moment, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy doing so.

Another find on my trip to the dollar store was this Top Hat:

Dollar Store Top Hat

I have been looking at top hats sporadically on eBay for years, but they are rarely cheap. For a 2$ costume hat, this one makes a pretty decent base. I would change the ribbon and add to it, but I have to say, I really like it (my daughter loves it too, but she has a fascination with hats, so I guess she's not really impartial).

Gwenyver's new Top Hat

And I look cute in it too. I think I might go grab a couple more and start decorating them. These are great for any Victorian themed costume: Steampunk, Dickens, Satine from Moulin Rouge (2001), etc.

Oh, and if you don't like the Faux Fur finish, you could always cover it up.

The Costume Trunk: Top Hat Makeover

Alyssa also shared a link to this Top Hat Makeover Tutorial which uses my top hat as a base.

Right now, my goal is to slowly make a Smashing Steampunk outfit for Montréal Comic-Con 2011; since the 2010 edition is going on this week-end (and Data is there and I'm missing it - *snif*), it gives me a whole year. Can I do it? Or will I be rushing to finish on Labour Day Week-end of next year? Stay tuned to find out!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition

Today we had a nice Family outing to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition at the Montréal Exhibition Centre: that is my Sweetheart, my Daughter, Auntie Cici (Nancy-Raven) and myself.

Narnian Heraldry

I have to say right away I was quite disappointed in this exhibition. There were perhaps 4 rooms to visit and there wasn't that much to see in each. Many games for kids and facts comparing the melting frozen river of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) to Global Warming, but not as many props and costumes as I expected. And from what I hear, they did not have the entire exhibition due to lack of space. Hmm... Not worth 15$ per adult that we had to pay. But, since I was there, I took lots of pictures to share with you!

Baby and Daddy arriving in Narnia

After reading about C.S. Lewis and seeing some of his things, we entered the wardrobe, passed through racks of fur coats and arrived in Narnia a snow fell down softly on us. A lovely and magickal moment.

Of course, we spent the rest of the afternoon dusting ourselves and the stroller off of the fake snow, but still, it was a nice touch.

Daddy showing Baby that ice is cold

I don't want to sound (too) mean, but to Quebecois who get 6 months of winter a year, a wall of ice is not much of a thrill; most of us grew up on ice skating rinks either learning to figure skate or play hockey. In my opinion, they could have dropped the ice wall to make place for Aslan (he was one of the items for which they did not find space at the Montréal Exhibition Center).

Of course, I'm sure it was a hit in Jacksonville, Florida.

Tiny White Witch with her Daddy

She'll be ready to terrorize you right after her bottle

Nancy-Raven is loving this Queen thing...

By the way, please notice if you will that Nancy-Raven is wearing COLOUR (as opposed to her usual all black scheme). After going shopping with her for her birthday and pestering her about looking only at black pieces (without any bling please), she is actually following my advice and going for adding colour to her wardrobe.

Apparently, she has also been watching What Not to Wear and is now hearing voices when buying new clothes that tell her "Do you really want to be ordinary and invisible?". If the voices persist, I might worry, but for now, I'm just glad to see her trying something different.

Gwenyver, the self proclaimed North Witch (matching with the decor - what did you expect!)

The White Witch throne was a nice touch. Sure it wasn't the real prop (they would never have allowed us to sit on it) but it was cool (haha!) nonetheless. It was even cold to the touch to simulate ice. As you can see, we all had fun taking turns sitting on it and snapping pictures.

Nancy-Raven in front of the Narnian War Camp display

I know, I know, I promised you costumes. Geesh! You are so impatient little one. Here they are now:

Edmund's and Peter's Play clothes, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Susan's and Lucy's Play clothes, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Detail of Lucy's Play Dress, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Lucy's School Uniform, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Oh look, it's a Gymslip!

Susan's School Uniform, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Girl's School Blazer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Edmund's School Uniform, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Peter's School Uniform, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Boy's School Blazer and Edmund's Cap, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Edmund's School Scarf, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Peter's Battle Outfit, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Prince Caspian's Battle Outfit, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Miraz' Armor, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

A Bust of Glenstorm, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Of course, these are just an overlook of all the pictures I took (55 in total). To seen them all, visit my Flickr Gallery here: The Chronicles of Narnia - The Exhibition (August 21, 2010 - Montreal, QC).

Again, if you are interested in making costumes from any of the Chronicles of Narnia movies, I strongly suggest you visit The Wardrobe Door.

La Prairie Ghost Walk 2010

Last night we went to see Marie-Ange-the-Celt's annual Ghost Walk, Marcher dans l'ombre du passé, in her hometown of La Prairie, QC.

La Prairie and History Series by Marie-Ange-the-Celt

I love history, and Old La Prairie has some very nice sites.

La Prairie and History Series by Marie-Ange-the-Celt

The Ghost Walk is basically amateur theatre, but it is cute nonetheless, and Marie-Ange-the-Celt makes most of the costumes, on nearly no budget, so it needs to me mentioned here.

Unfortunately, I was running late and had left home when I realised I had forgotten my camera (I could have kicked myself). So the pictures here are either Marie-Ange-the-Celt's, or were taken last year, but either way, these are costumes I saw last night.

Skipping chores to dream by Marie-Ange-the-Celt

These two outfits are meant to be 18th century peasants. The patterns are not historically accurate, Marie-Ange-the-Celt says so herself, but the look is about right. The patterns were made by her and her co-worker and were based on images of the period. In any case, she whipped them up in a night each and they look descent enough!

MageKnightTerra as a Victorian Bather

Apparently, once upon a time in Victorian days, the St. Lawrence River came up much higher than today. To illustrate this, Marie-Ange-the-Celt made this outfit meant to be a Victorian bathing suit. It is far from accurate, but it gets the message across, AND she made two of these in one night.

Marie-Ange-the-Celt as a Victorian Lady

To play a Victorian character, Marie-Ange-the-Celt whipped up this outfit by mixing a white blouse with a laced bustier from a medieval store, an imitation shantung a-line skirt and a bustle and apron made of brocade she got in a fabric exchange at last year's Fall Harvest and based on Burda 1888.

Marie-Ange-the-Celt was also one of I believe three actors to play the role of the old Storyteller and you can see her here on YouTube (French only):

I do invite everyone to go next year; it's always a lot of fun. Just check out the Société d'histoire de La Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine's website for updates.

And next time, I'll think of my camera.

The Monster Gift

You may remember a Threadbanger video I posted a while back on how to make yourself a Monster Hoodie (see Costume Monster Hoodie, posted on January 16th, 2010):

Based on their instructions, I made one for my friend Stu. It was supposed to be a Christmas present, but we only got to visit this Week-End. So that is why I am only showing it to you now, even if it has been made for months. Stu was really happy with it. I can tell you that although it was horribly hot, he did not want to take it off.

Stu's New Monster Hoodie

For this project, I bought a hooded vest on sale at Walmart (can't tell you how much because the gift recipient might see it). The video suggests the use of felt for the teeth and eyes, but I had leftover pieces of Polar Fleece, so that is what I used. And of course, I used my sewing machine instead of fabric glue.

The Monster Hoodie's Sharp Teeth

I actually cut two layers of the teeth strip and used the zigzag stitch on my machine to assemble them together. Then, I fixed to the hood's opening by sewing over the original seam, making it as invisible as possible.

I see you!

For the eyes, I began by fixing the pupils to the whites with a zigzag stitch, than I fixed the eyes to the top of the hood, still with a zigzag stitch.

It was a very easy project to make. I'll have to make myself one eventually.

A Crown for Nancy-Raven

For her Birthday, Nancy-Raven had mentioned to me that she wanted to wear a crown. After all, as she put it, she would be Queen for the day! She showed me this crown from The Tudor Shoppe which she really liked:

French Royal Crown from The Tudor Shoppe

Unfortunately, I couldn't fit it in my budget as we were already getting her a somewhat pricey Espresso Machine (I know, boring, right? It was my Sweetheart's idea as she and he are both Coffee Aficionados, and she loved it, so I guess it was worth it... I'm just kidding - it was a great gift idea).

I still wanted her crown dream to come true, so as any Fairy Best Friend would do, I made her one.

Nancy-Raven's Birthday Crown

And of course, because of the recent heat wave, I was always too tired to do anything, so I waited until the night before!

I looked around on DeviantArt and Etsy for a good while looking for some inspiration. As I had a lot of different gauges of wire and plenty of beads for jewelry making, I went for a wrapped wire model.

Nancy-Raven's Birthday Crown - Front

Here is a list of the Materials I used:

• 14, 16, 18 at 20 gauge galvanized wire
• Pliers
• Red glass beads
• Black faceted plastic beads
• Faux tear drop pearl
• Sea glass piece found on the beach almost 20 years ago (I am somewhat of a hoarder when it comes to craft and costuming - I rarely throw anything away, to my Sweetheart's dismay.)

Nancy-Raven's Birthday Crown - Back

I am quite proud of the way it turned out, especially considering it my my first piece AND it was the night before (my fingers were so sore).

With Nancy-Raven, you never know what reaction to expect: she could have politely thanked me for the thought, but as it turned out, she loved it (which made me doubly proud).

Nancy-Raven wearing her Birthday Crown - Restaurant

She put it on her head as soon as she opened the box that contained it, in the restaurant...

Nancy-Raven wearing her Birthday Crown - End of the Evening

...and she still had it on when we left her parent's place (where we had delicious bite size cakes made at the Bakery where she works). She even drove her cousin's convertible from the restaurant to her parent's home with it on.

Nancy-Raven's Birthday Crown - A Photo Montage

Well Sweetie, I'm glad I could make your day (I know the Coffee maker had something to do with it too).

Codex costume

Some of you might remember last November when, thanks to Sciath, I couldn't stop singing "Do you want to date my Avatar?" (see The Guild: Do you want to date my Avatar, posted on November 6, 2010). If you've never heard the song, let me introduce you; if you have forgotten it, let me freshen your memory. And for the rest who love it, just watch with us:

So, now that we're on the same page, let's have a look at the main character's costume, Codex:

Felicia Day as Codex, The Guild (2007)

Not only is that costume super cute, Felicia Day looks awesome in it (forget what the song says about the game character being hotter than reality!).

Of course, it was bound to happen: someone else fell in love with that costume and made her own version of it:

Be Anything You Want Me To Be by FireLilyCosplay
Photographer: LJinto

No, this is not Felicia Day: this is Fire Lily in her amazing recreation of Codex' game costume. Here is what she has to say about it:

This costume was an absolute must for me. I saw the video "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?" when it came out back in August 2009 and I fell in love with Codex's costume. I was going to try and make it for Dragon Con, but we ended up not going, so I took my time with it and made this costume for AUSA in November.

Ah!! Codex is so adorable!!!! The corset is made from red corduroy with steel boning, front busk closure and a separate front panel that snaps on on top of the busk. It laces up with red leather lacing in the back and is adorned with gold bias tape and red jewels. The skirt is three circle skirts: one lining slip, one Casa satin and one sheer overlay.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? by FireLilyCosplay
Photographer: Anna Fischer

The top is ivory ribbed knit fabric that I sewed into a tank top, then overlayed the bust and shoulders made from Casa satin, craft foam, gold trim and jewels. That was probably the hardest part of the costume! The gauntlets are craft foam and Casa, with gold trim and lacing.

The necklace is a 6mm gold torque band purchased from Ebay, and I made the frames from gold vinyl and glued on all the rhinestones. The headband is also from Ebay, painted gold and adorned with jewels. The knee pads are red corduroy and gold lame with fleece filling. I used brown felt for the leg wraps, and modified a pair of shoes I already owned and sewed up the shoe pads from the red cord.

The staff was pretty easy, though it gave me a lot of trouble while in the making. PVC pipe, cardboard, red jewels, foam, a big clear ornament ball and lots of paint when into it!I am so in love with this costume!!!!!! I love every part of it and I'm so freaking happy that I made it! I can't wait to wear her more ^.^

I am impressed. At first (and second) glance, I cannot see a detail that is missing. It looks perfect. Who else has made a costume from The Guild? Please come forward so you can be featured here.