I'm on Heroes of Cosplay!!!

Well, *I'm* not on Heroes of Cosplay...but my GLaDOS Hair Flower is!!!  

...and more importantly, she *rocked* it!

Please excuse me while I scream like a tween at a Beiber concert!!!

Heroescon 2013: Comic book nerds > political nerds

Heroescon 2013 blew my mind in a very unexpected way.  This is the show where I discovered that comic book nerds are more polite and decorous than the NC GOP.

I’m not going to get into ideology, although in the interest of full disclosure, I identify as an independent liberal. However, I live in DC, home to both political parties, and at least half of my friends are conservative Republicans.  Besides, let’s face it, Republicans are really just political nerds.  They love politics and their platform just as ardently as I do my X-men and Doctor Who.  I think everyone should be able to respect that.

So…with all that being said…

The weekend of Heroescon 2013, was also the same weekend the NC GOP was holding their convention.  AT THE SAME CONVENTION CENTER.

You know, there is a booker out there that is still cackling.

After a grueling 10 hour drive (should have been 7…thanks Tropical Storm Andrea, you’ve been a peach), I head to the hotel lobby elevator bay carrying two large bags and a small box.  There is a small line, but nothing too outrageous.  I politely chat with the people in line, one of them had on a terrific Star Trek shirt that I would have taken a pic of, if my hands weren’t full.  I get to the front of the line when an elevator opens up and I start heading to it, when a pack of young NC GOP delegates (they all still had their badges and ribbons on their suits and dresses), come into the elevator bay area, looks at the line, then looks at the open elevator doors, and ignoring the line, tries to cut in front of us to get onto the elevator that we had been patiently waiting for!

Before I could say or do anything, two fellow Heroescon geeks, step out of the line, block the NC GOP delegates’ way and very politely said “excuse me, but I believe these people were here before you”.

I just about dropped my bags along with my jaw. 

Comic book nerds, infamous for being socially awkward and gawky, was more polite and understood the basic social niceties better than a group of young NC GOP delegates?!?!  Was I in Bizarro world???

But there you had it, and that was the theme for practically every encounter I had with the NC GOP that weekend.  They prevented anyone from getting on an elevator while they drunkenly argued over who’s room they should go to.  They argued about some delegation seating snafu/upset in front of my hotel room…at 11:30pm (hey, *some* of us have to *work* the next day).  But I think my favorite incident was Saturday night, when I was wearing my vintage Alfred Sheenan dress, when a very nice GOP lady stopped me in the lobby.

“I love your dress,” she gushed. 

“Thank you so much!” I gushed back because hey, who doesn’t like to be told their dress is awesome, right? 

“Did you get it in JA-PAN?” she asked loudly

“Excuse me?!” I was sure I misheard her. 

“JA-PAAAAN.  Did you get the dress in JA-PAAAN?”

Fortunately, Paige and Maria grabbed me and dragged me into the elevator before I could say something decidedly inappropriate.

OK, it's a *little* Asian looking.  But still...please don't scream "Jaaa-paaaan" at me.

On the upside, practically every-single comic-book nerd we met that weekend was *awesome*.  Perhaps everyone was on better behavior because almost everyone I spoke to had had unpleasant run-ins with the GOP delegates, but doors and elevator doors were held open, people were kind and courteous, and well, it just made me feel so glad to be a part of a community that may get mocked on TV and in the media, but when it came down to it, geeks are just good people.

I was going to say something about the growth of Heroescon and how differently it felt being a vendor this year over last...but honestly, I think Paigey captured it perfectly.

Also, this was the first year that I didn't leave the con on Sunday night, so I got to attend the Dead Dog party!  You know I had a fantastically awesome time, when I didn’t think to take a SINGLE FLIPPING PICTURE!  Which is especially aggravating because I never took photo with my two favorite ladies – Vivian and SarahDyer!

I also got to meet the fabulous Lorraine for the first time in person
(OK, we might have met before...I'm terrible at these things)

Oh yes – and there was Mr Geoffrey the Photo-Gnome that we did pictures of all weekend long…but note...we never got around take one with all of us.  Total photo fail on our part, but again, seriously, the crazy amount of fun we were having made us forget...

See you next year Heroescon!

Discovered by Frauleinwunder Magazine!

OMG!  Frauleinwunder, a totally gorgeous German rockabilly magazine (but publishes in English), just featured my rhinestonepoker card flower in the latest issue “Must Haves” list!!!

I'm so ridiculously excited (ha! I'm *international* now)! Order your copy of the "Glitzer and Gloria" issue now!

*squee*

CCRG's PenULTIMATE Showdown!

HOLY SCHMOOLIES…this past Saturday, Paigey and I shared a table and vended at the Charm  City Roller Girls Penultimate Showdown!  And what a penULTIMATE showdown it was (yeah, clearly, I have no idea what "penultimate" means, but my! doesn’t it sound so amazing???)!!!

Besides the overwhelming support and awesomeness of the fans that came to see the show…the roller girls themselves were just…AMAZEBALLS and so much fun!!!  Totally uber glad that we especially designed hair flowers to represent each team!  WOOHOO!!!

I could ramble on more…but seriously, if you live in Maryland and within a reasonable (or unreasonable) drive from Baltimore…check out their schedule and get your butts to their next bout!  I’m already maniacally clearing out my schedule so I can go back and vend again (it’s great, because I get to sell my wares…and watch the bout from the table…it’s pretty awesome!)!!!

penULTIMATELY AWESOME (I really have no idea what "penultimate" means)

Hope to be back soon and see you all there!  WOOHOO!!!  GO CCRG!!!

The Sweatshop is in a MAGAZINE!

The Sweatshop is in the Spring 2012 issue of Playground Magazine!!!

Check it out (page 13 and 15)!!!

*squeeeee*

Oh Hai Interwebz!

I’ve been swamped the past few weeks!  It seemed that suddenly, the Magical Sales Fairy waved her wand and orders just started to pour in!

At least that’s what happened the last two weeks.  Which was totally amazing and awesome and I’m still doing the dance of joy over that.

But this week? 

This week, my still-yet-unpaid-but-I-really-should-get-on-that-before-she-wises-up-and-takes-her-talents-elsewhere “VP of Marketing and Design”, (and BFF…errr…VP-BFF?), Paigey, waved *her* magic wand, and made the interwebz notice the Sweatshop in the most amazing way possible!

So Monday morning, I was greeted with this: FashionablyGeek.com (whom I *adore*) doing a little shout out for my Human Centipede Ouroboros Fleece Hat…which is a weird thing to squeal over first thing on a Monday morning.  I mean, there I was - my bleary and half-awake self, desperately clutching a scalding hot coffee mug, and staring at my computer screen, thinking “wait…is that…MINE?!?”

If that wasn’t enough, a little later, FashionablyGeek.com decided to do the same with the GLaDOS Inspired Hair Flower (yes, the one that LIGHTS UP)!

Clearly, I’m through the roof with excitement…but my BFF (think: Don Draper with boobies and cuter accessories), wasn’t done yet…because the very next day, BOINGBOING.NET DID A MINI WRITE UP ABOUT THE SWEATSHOP!  OMGZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…I’m not going to lie…I may have peed a little in my pants.  Again.

So yeah…thank you EVERYONE (and especially to my crazy and awesome VP-BFF) for all the support!  I’m seriously overwhelmed and so giddy with delight and surprise that I don’t know what to do with myself!!! 

See what awesomeness you guys do to me? This was the 2nd load. 
I forgot to take pictures of the first round!

***EDIT*** SoGeekChic.com just did a little thing for the GLaDOS Inspired Hair Flower too!!!

Owning a Piece of History

After a year of procrastinating, J finally started working on our basement.  We had bought the house over a year and half ago, and the basement was unfinished and forlorn.  However with the new year, J found a new resolve and had been working on the basement steadily for several evenings after work. To expedite the work, he needed a sledgehammer to finish taking out the old walls.  So he headed over to one of our favorite thrift stores, ReStore, which is the retail store run by Habitat for Humanity.  Besides that J used to work for Habitat and that we strongly believe in their mission, the ReStore often has "upcycled" fixtures and tools at rock bottom prices, and of course, the proceeds goes toward Habitat.  Win win all around.

Although I normally adore going to the ReStore, on this day, I opted to stay home.  I have very little interest in demolition or home improvement work.  I have tons of ideas of what I would like done to our house…but the actual work…yeah, not so much.  Too much dust and grime and bugs.  Not a fan.  Besides, I had a ton of orders to get out (thank you fabulous customers for giving me an excellent excuse to skip helping J with the basement…heh).

I was merrily whipping out hats and hair flowers, and texting my BFF with ideas for new products, when J texts me a photo of an old piano.  No message.  Just the picture.

Tell me that seeing this on your phone wouldn't excite you too?!

Immediately, I call him, and J proceeds to read off to me the history of this piano.  As he’s reading, I’m running to my car (my shoes shoved into my purse in my mad rush) to get to the store ASAP.  In a nutshell, this piano was used in the Cotton Club in Harlem before it closed down in 1940 (yes, *the* Cotton Club – not the imitators that came after).  It was brought to DC to decorate the “salon” of a DC real estate agent, who then passed down to her nephew when she died.  The nephew in turn bequeathed it to his friend, who recently decided to donate it to a worthy cause…Habitat for Humanity…

As if the amazingness of the piano wasn't enough, it came with a killer story!

Now, J and I love many things.  We love vintage, and we have a deep passion for all things old Vegas and Mid-Century, but the both of us hold a deep and holy reverence to all things Big Band, Swing and Jazz Age (basically anything from 1920 - 1940). So this piano is a marvelous piece of history that coincides with our passions - it's like kismet!  And the fact that it was used in the Cotton Club…!!!  Needless to say, visions of Fats Waller and Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington using that piano had us writhing in excitement (I’m not going to lie, the ReStore staff was surreptitiously laying down newspaper under us in case we made a mess).

While J went to pay the nice ReStore staff, I was on the phone hiring piano movers, professional tuners, and looking up how to restore pianos.   

The much better and well written article about the history of the piano from the ReStore (the retail store for Habitat for Humanity) can be found here.

WOW…just…WOW.  Needless to say, I am head in heels in love with this piano, and I’m just giddy with excitement.  AWESOME way to kick off the new year!