1/26/12:
I have added a new section to my Cosplay Page, entitled Other Work! This is the beginning of a showcase for the other craft projects, clothing, and costumes that I make on a regular basis. Hopefully, I can start chronicalling the gifts and other work that I make for friends, family, and here and there.

I will be cleaning up a few more pages in the next few days, but please enjoy the projects I have up so far!

1/10/12:
That's right! I've spent the last 3 days recoding all my Completed Cosplay Pages and changing the old Flash Viewer to Visual Lightbox! I'm really excited because this takes a ton of time and work off each new costume gallery I make. I have left the Planned Cosplay Pages the same for now since those will be edited when I've made the costumes. I do hope you all like it! The pictures may not appear fully expanded on monitors with lower resolutions, but the Lightbox viewer is much easier to see my pictures in.

As such, I have had the chance to edit some of my old pictures to make them better looking, and also to put in lots of new pictures that I haven't posted before!! So please enjoy and I'll be updating again soon with some updated links and a New Tutorial - Vinyl and Craft Foam Armor!

1/03/12:
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a happy start to 2012!



I wanted to usher in the new year by posting a new tutorial - The Paper Mache Amor Tutorial! I will be posting a few other tutorials here as soon as I've written them.

I am also ready for Katsucon. I have a few props to finish up, but since I'm not making any new costumes, I'm pretty much done! So, to bide my time, I'm finally sitting down and making a few dresses and other costumes I've been wanting to make for a while. I'll also be catching up on some reading, especially now that I've received "The Hunger Games" trilogy, and the first few "Mortal Instruments" and "Dresden Files" novels!

Aside from a brand new tutorial, I have also changed my Cosplay Page and separated my Completed and Planned Cosplay Pages. There are a few new Planned Cosplays, so please check them out! I have also rearranged my Links Page and added new banners if anyone wants to link to my site!



12/20/11:
   

Well, it seems the cosplay posts are going around, so I thought I'd measure up and post what I made for the year.



I had such a great year and I'm so glad you have all followed me throughout my progress! I have a lot of plans for next year, so please look forward to it. My next convention will be Katsucon, where I will be judging the Masquerade, and I will be re-wearing a lot of costumes for groups. Specifically, Quistis and Irvine from "Final Fantasy 8," Tethys from "Fire Emblem," Shana from "Legend of Dragoon," Nel Zelpher and Kureha. I hope to see a lot of you there! In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and I will be posting my newest tutorials next week!

11/28/11:
       
AUSA was wonderful. Again, I got to see a ton of friends and had a great time. My friend Pixie Kitty and I entered the Masquerade and won Best Overall Craftsmanship for our Shining Wind costumes! I am super happy with the award, and overjoyed that my friends Leigh and Jay won the Hawaii Grand Prize!! Thank you so much to everyone who enjoyed our skit - we had a great time performing it.

So, my next convention will be Katsucon in February. I have already decided not to make any new costumes for this convention, as I have way too many costumes from this year that I need to wear again! For now, I am planning to wear Nel Zelpher, Kureha, Shana from "Legend of Dragoon" with some lovely gals as Rose and Meru, Quistis Trepe for another large "Final Fantasy 8" group, and possibly Tethys for a Fire Emblem group. So there you go! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will look forward to next year.

11/15/11:
Anime USA is this weekend! I'm already so excited for this convention - it's my last con of the year and it's right in my backyard so I get to see a ton of my friends once more. I have two new costumes that I'm debuting for this weekend: Nel Zelpher from "Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time," and a surprise costume that I'm wearing to the Masquerade, so you'll have to attend Saturday night to see what it is!

Halloween was fun. My husband and I went to two Halloween parties - one at The Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring and the other at a friends house. The partaking of grog and mead and yummy foods occurred, and I got to see lots of friends and had a great time. We went as a 1950's couple. My husband went as a Grease/Cry Baby kind of guy with the greaser hair, leather jacket, and cuffed jeans. I wore a black with white polka dot halter dress that I made some years ago, along with my grandmother's pearls and vintage coral sweater, and a vintage 1950's square dancing petticoat. People were fascinated with that petticoat...they kept petting it!

I also have new Media Spots, updated Links and Schedule, and I will be coming out with several new Tutorials after this weekend, including "Paper Mache Armor," "Vinyl and Craft Foam Armor," and "Foam Board Weapons." These are the result of several costumes I've worked on this year and I've had overwhelming interest in the methods used for the armor pieces.

So, here's my costume schedule for AUSA!

Friday - Nel Zelpher, "Star Ocean 3"
Friday night - Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, "The Venture Bros."
Saturday - come by the Masquerade to find out!

       

10/26/11:
           
New York Comic Con was absolutely amazing! I had an absolute blast at the convention and in NYC. I got to see many a celebrity and get lots of autographs and pictures, too! Definitely putting this con on the books again for next year - I can't wait to see what they will have in store.

We got to New York on Thursday via Megabus and it was almost tragically delayed due to my luggage breaking and lack of parking at the Metro train station here in VA! But we persevered and made it to the bus with a few minutes to spare, then arrived on time to NYC and checked into our apartment before heading out to Times Square. It has changed so much since I was last there in 2000. That was before the World Trade Center and I was surprised to see that the Square is now closed to traffic and is much more relaxed! The TV screens have multiplied since then, as well as the shops. We ate at this awesome little sushi place called Aoki and had a great dinner.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all spent at the Javits Center getting pictures and autographs, going to panels, seeing all the craziness of NYCC and spending time with friends. I destroyed my feet with all the walking we did, but I am all healed now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had a fantastic time getting pictures taken - I spent 2 hours getting mobbed for pics on Sunday in my Silk Spectre costume alone! It was an exciting time, and we made sure to do a little tourist sightseeing on Monday before leaving: Rockafeller Center, St. Patrick's, 5th Avenue, the NY Public Library, Madison Square Garden, etc.

So, now it's on to Halloween and Anime USA! I'm making a new costume for AUSA - Nel Zelpher from Star Ocean 3. I can't wait to make Nel...she has been on my to-do list for a long time. I'm also planning to re-wear Nanai from Avalon Code. I can't wait to see what everyone has ready for this convention. I hope to make another update soon with more Media spots, Tutorials, and a new section for Commissions/Costumes I've made for others!

10/10/11:
New York Comic Con is this weekend and I will be there!! I am wearing a new costume, Dr. Mrs. Monarch's cheerleader outfit from The Venture Bros! I am still trying to decide what I'm going to wear on what day, but I think I will be wearing Dr. Mrs. The Monarch on Friday, Sally Jupiter from "The Watchmen" on Saturday, and Codex from "The Guild" on Sunday.

I absolutely cannot wait for this convention - I've been looking forward to it all year! I will hope to see a lot of you there - please don't hesitate to say hi if you see me! Meanwhile, I will be hanging out with lots of friends and doing some massive shopping/browsing/adventuring in the Garment/Fabric District and going to various amazing eateries that I've planned to visit. I cannot begin to describe how much I need a vacation like this...

8/19/11:
       
I've finally rounded up pictures of my Quistis and Kisala costumes and the Irvine costume I made for my husband. I'm so happy I finally got around to making these - they turned out beautifully and we had a lot of fun in them. I hope you guys enjoy!

Now it's on to NYCC and I'm only planning to make one new costume: Dr. Mrs. The Monarch's cheerleading uniform from episode 414, "Assisted Suicide." I'm planning to bring Codex and Silk Spectre along, as well, since I need to get more wear from them. I'm really excited for this convention, not because it will be more crowded or have more comic guests than any other con I've been to, but because we'll be in New York and I can finally get over to the Fabric District and check out all the amazing stores my friends gush about.

Also, Halloween is right around the corner! And to help you guys celebrate, I'm selling more costumes! Click the picture for more information and pictures of each costume. Shipping price will be determined by method of shipping and destination. Please email me at firelily@firelilycosplay.com for inquiries!

       

8/10/11:
       
Otakon was pretty good this year, albeit severely hot and sweaty. Thanks Baltimore for the 100+ degree weather!! The heat made me really irritable, especially since I was in armor on Friday and I was completely covered in vinyl and cotton on Saturday. But, we made the most of it and had some fun times anyway.

I got some really amazing photos that I'm still waiting to see from photographers, and I know they'll be here soon, but I really can't wait to share them with you all!! I'm so excited about our Final Fantasy 8 group and I got some great pictures of Athena and Kisala, too. Met a lot of new people: Hime No Toke, Avianna, Akuriko and Inky Link, and had a great time with many of my current friends. Thank you so much everyone for such a great time!!

I also got to meet Nobuo Uematsu at the Distant Worlds concert on Saturday night. I admit, I cried when they played Liberi Fatali at the beginning of the concert - I'm a happy and contented fangirl now. So, now that Otakon has passed, I can begin focusing on my costumes for New York Comic Con in October, plus something for Ren Faire/Halloween! I'll be posting more Otakon pictures as they become available to me, so please look forward to them!

7/25/11:
I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been crunching for Otakon all month! I've made three new costumes which I'm debuting this weekend: Kisala from "Rogue Galaxy" on Friday, and Quistis and Irvine for our Final Fantasy VIII group on Saturday! I am so excited for this group - it's going to be so awesome!!

My husband and I are getting into Baltimore on Thursday night and can't wait to see many of the cosplayers coming from afar to visit Otakon. I'm also extremely excited to meet Nobuo Uematsu at the "Distant Worlds" concert on Saturday night - this has been such a dream come true for me! I can't wait to meet the man behind the music of so many video games that I love. Honestly, this Otakon is shaping up to be the best yet and I'm so thrilled that I get to meet so many new people and spend time with so many friends. I'll try to have pictures up as soon I get them processed after the weekend, because I am so proud of these new costumes that I want to share them with you all right away!!

As always, if you see me around, please don't hesitate to say hi - I'm always looking forward to meeting new people. Hope to see you at Otakon!

6/22/11:
   
Anime Mid-Atlantic was awesome!! I got to see so many friends and make some new ones, too! I had a great time giving my panels, though the Cosplay Armor and Weapons panel went much better than my Sewing panel - I think I got really nervous, plus my allergies started acting up and it threw me off. But it seemed like people had a good time at both, so that makes me happy.

Got pictures of my new costume, Nanai from "Avalon Code" by Nintendo. I didn't get to wear her for very long, but she is definitely now one of my favorite costumes! I do enjoy being a red-head! Also got to wear Marisa along with some awesome cosplayers from Florida, namely Negative dreamer and his friends, and with a local cosplayer Tohma. We got some great Fire Emblem pictures together and they ended up winning Best Craftsmanship and Best Master Performance for their skit in the Masquerade! Great job, guys!

Now I'm starting on costumes for Otakon - Quistis for myself and Irvine for my husband from Final Fantasy 8!! I can't wait to make these and have tons of fun with the rest of our group on Saturday, plus we'll be meeting Nobuo Uematsu that night at the "Distant Worlds" concert in Baltimore! Can't wait!!

Site Updates: New Links added, Schedule Updated, and general link clean up.

6/09/11:
Anime Mid-Atlantic is next week and I am so psyched!!! I am finishing my newest costume, Nanai from "Avalon Code," and it's so pretty!! I'm really proud of it and can't wait to wear her. Also, I'm hosting 2, count 'em 2, panels!!

"So You Think You Can Sew?" - Friday at 6pm in Workshop 1 (This panel was a huge success last year and I'm proud to be giving it again this year!!): A step up from "Cosplay 101," this panel addresses more intricate details of sewing and cosplaying. Do you need know how to roll a hem or overlock an edge without using a serger? Do french seams have you puzzled? Do you want to expand your fabric choices? Then this is the panel for you! Learn how to make your costume as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside and how to bring your cosplay construction to the next level.

AND

"Cosplay Armor and Weapons" - Sunday at 10am in Workshop 1: So, you are in need of armor and/or weapons for your costume? No problem! Join Fire Lily as she walks you through the basics of armor and weapon construction using materials such as craft foam, cardboard, paper mache, insulation foam, Paperclay, found objects, and more! Learn how to visualize your project and what materials to use to bring it life.

Here's my costume schedule:

Friday - Briar Rose from "Sleeping Beauty"
Saturday early day - Marisa from "Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones" with some lovely cosplayers from Florida!
Saturday late day/Masquerade - Nanai from "Avalon Code"
Sunday early day - Rei from "HighSchool of the Dead"

I'll also be judging the Hall Costume Contest on Friday from 7-9pm, and Saturday morning from 9-11am, and attending the Masquerade Saturday 6-8pm! I hope to see a lot of you at the convention - please come say hi if you see me!

5/25/2011:
   
I've added some new pictures to my Riddel and Reith pages, as well as added a few Links, Media Spots, and Tutorials. I'm also getting ready for Anime Mid-Atlantic, which will be June 17-19, in Chesapeake, VA. I will be debutting a new costume: Nanai from "Avalon Code"! I've been wanting to make this costume for a while and I can't wait to wear her. I am judging the Hall Costume Contest on Friday night and Saturday morning, and atteding the Masquerade. I will also be hosting a panel, "Cosplay Armor and Weapons," bright and early at 9 AM on Sunday, June 19, 2011!!

"So, you are in need of armor and/or weapons for your costume? No problem! Join Fire Lily as she walks you through the basics of armor and weapon construction using materials such as craft foam, cardboard, paper mache, insulation foam, Paperclay, found objects, and more! Learn how to visualize your project and what materials to use to bring it life."

That's right! You have questions? I've got some answers and show-and-tell! We'll be covering everything I've learned about how to make armor and weapons/props out of traditional crafting materials, including things like spears and staves, swords, shields, armor of various sorts, etc. So please come out and join me if you can!

5/05/2011:


I've made another tutorial: The Fabric Gradient Dyeing Tutorial. Please check it out!

In other news, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Fashion Show was a success - thank you so much to everyone who came out to participate and to those of you who supported us and Anime USA! You can see the videos here: Part One and Part Two, and the pictures here: AUSA Sakura Matsuri Fashion Show.

My next convention will be Anime Mid-Atlantic on June 17-19, in Chesapeake, VA. I will be judging the Hall Costume Contest and wearing a new costume - Nanai from "Avalon Code"! I will be updating again before the convention with more specifics. Hope to see you all there, and have a great Cinco de Mayo!

4/08/2011:
       
Tekkoshocon was wonderful! I had a great time judging the Craftsmanship Contest (aka Hall Contest) and attending the Masquerade! It was a great show and everyone did an awesome job on their performances and costumes. I also had a fantastic time with friends and got some amazing pictures.

This Saturday, April 9th, Anime USA will be hosting a Fashion Show at the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the 12th Street Festival Stage at 4pm. Around 30 local cosplayers, including me, will be participating in it - please come not only to see us, but also to support Japan! Workers will be taking donations at the festival itself and on the festival website: National Cherry Blossom Red Cross Donations. Please, please give what you can, especially in light of the newest earthquake on April 7th and continuing efforts to contain the nuclear power plants.

After this weekend, I will be working on costumes for Anime Mid-Atlantic and Otakon. I'm really excited to make some new costumes, especially since I'm making a few I've been planning for a long time! It will be nice to finally bring these costumes to life!

3/26/2011:
Tekkoshocon is next weekend and I'm almost finished with my costumes! I'll be debuting two new costumes: Rei Miyamoto from "High School of the Dead" and Xenobia from "Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete." I'll also be wearing Jenny from the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter." You can catch me judging at the Hall Costume Contest Friday and Saturday or at the Masquerade Saturday night.

I would also like to extend my deepest sympathies and love to the country of Japan, and all the outlying Pacific areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th. I was up watching the news as it was happening that night and I am now so hopeful to see everyone in Japan banding together through this terrible ordeal and truly showing us the meaning of goodwill. I have donated money through American Cosplay Paradise's Membership Donation Drive as well as through the Japanese Red Cross, and I will be helping out at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC on April 9th. Anime USA will be hosting a Fashion Show at the Street Festival Stage at 4pm that I and several other local cosplayers will be participating in - please come not only to see us, but also to support Japan! The Red Cross will be taking donations at the festival itself and on the festival website: National Cherry Blossom Red Cross Donations. Please, please give what you can! And if you can't donate any money, please consider donating your time or support to disaster relief drives or even online!

Also coming up is AnimeAid, a joint effort by Anime USA and Katsucon. They are planning benefit nights at local restaurants where a portion of the sales will go to the Red Cross, and there is talk of a one day Flash Con with all proceeds going toward disaster relief in Japan. Please check out these websites for more information: Katsucon, Anime USA, and Anime Aid. So, whatever you decide to do, please help support Japan through one of the worst natural disasters in history. Send money, supplies, even prayers and a smile! See you all soon at Tekkoshocon and the National Cherry Blossom Festival!!

3/01/2011:
       
I cannot believe that Katsucon was just last weekend! It feels as though it's already been a month past. I had such a great time this year and had two new costumes to debut: Athena and Riddel Viper! Thank you to everyone who said hi or came by the Masquerade!

I'm now turning my attention to Tekkoshocon in Pittsburgh, PA, and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, in April! I'm making two new costumes for Tekko: Rei Miyamoto from "High School of the Dead" and Xenobia from "Lunar: The Silver Star Story." Also, I'm helping Anime USA by participating in and wrangling cosplayers for a Cosplay Fashion Show at this year's Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC! If you are local and would like to participate, please email me at questions@firelilycosplay.com with your information and some examples of your work!

Site Updates: New Links added, Schedule Updated, About Me Updated, New Planned Costumes, and general link clean up.