Welcome to Fire Lily Cosplay and thank you for visiting my website! I started cosplaying in 2004, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I really love making costumes, as well as clothing, and I'm always coming up with new and more ambitious ideas. I try very hard to remain true to the spirit of the characters I cosplay and recreate them as accurately as I can.
New Costume, Pictures, and Updates!
4/15/13:
I have a new spring costume to share with you all: Megurine Luka from Just Be Friends. I had a fantastic time getting some beautiful pictures among the local cherry blossoms, something I have always wanted to do, so I hope you all enjoy. I have added some new videos from Katsucon, Anime Matsuri, and a video tutorial to the Media Page, as well!
I am also going to be at T-Mode this weekend in Rockville, MD, as a Panelist and Cosplay Judge! The schedule is up and I am giving two panels: The Who, What, When, Where, & Why of Cosplay at 10:30pm on Friday, and Cosplay Armor and Weapons at 11:30am on Saturday. And if we do the Sunday Guest Signings again, I'll bring some prints along to sign and give away. I invite you all to come by and see what this great little con is all about!
I also have my cosplay schedule up, and here's what I'll be wearing:
3/29/13:
Wow. I don't think I've ever gone that long without updating my site!! It's been a crazy ridiculous whirlwind since the New Year, let me tell you!! I made three new costumes for Katsucon: Minerva and Ezio from Assassin's Creed, and Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8. All three did pretty well at the convention and everyone really seemed to like them! We had a great time seeing friends and meeting new people, specifically photographers and videographers like WhiteDesertSun, Andy Wang, Ger Tysk, Rene Hwang, and more!!
Shortly after the convention, I started on some new, very last minute commissions for KPop Group Waveya for their US debut at Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX, this weekend!! I can't wait to see how the girls look in two of my costumes! You can see more on Melty and Wedding Peach on their respective pages.
And now I'm starting work on three new commissions for April as well as my own costumes for Spring! And I'm happy to announce that I will be back at T-Mode this year as a Panelist and Cosplay Judge! Panels will be announced shortly, so please stay tuned!! I also have some new tutorials, videos, and pictures coming, as well! Lots of goodies in store for you all. If you want to see more frequent updates about my costuming plans and day to day goings on, feel free to follow along on my Facebook Page, and many thanks to those of you who already do!!
12/20/12:
It's Christmas time!! I've been very busy working on several new costumes for Katsucon, including Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8, Ezio and Minerva from Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Taurus illustrated by Sakizou, and I have more to work on in January! I've updated my Planned Costumes so you can see what I'll be working on for next year! I've also finished up another Costume, Command Performance Jem, and a New Commission: Nausicaa from "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind!" I absolutely love how this costume came out and I'd love to make one of my own at some point. My Commission Schedule has been updated, as well.
I also have a lot of new pictures that I have posted to their respective pages, such as Quistis, Irvine, and Lightning! Take a look at my galleries to see what's new. I have also updated my Convention Schedule for 2013 and I'm adding a con to my list: DragonCon! I've been wary in the past, but I think this may be a good year to see what Atlanta is all about. Plus, I've already been drafted into a Battlestar Galactica group as Caprica Six and I could not be more excited!
Also, I wanted to share with you all that I made 16 new costumes in 2012! Some are pictured here, but a few aren't. Next year is already bringing a lot more projects into the mix. I hope you all have a great Christmas and I will see you in the New Year!
11/27/12:
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving this past week! I flew down to Texas to be with my family and had a fantastic time! So I'm getting ready for Katsucon because I have a LOT of costumes to make for February, including outfits from Assassin's Creed, TRON, and more!
I finally got some amazing photos of my newest Silk Spectre costume from the Before Watchmen Series and I'm so happy to share them with you! I hope you enjoy, and I will be making another update soon with more Planned Costumes and a Convention List for 2013.
11/18/12:
Anime USA came and went. I actually got to help out Cosplay Guests Marty Gear and DizzyLizzy with their Cosplay Panels, and I was asked last minute to be a Masquerade Judge! All the skits were great and the winners were well deserved. I'm still getting pictures together of my Purple Dress Jem and will post those and Laurie Juspeczyk when I've edited them all.
Today's update is just a mini-update, but an important one. I reached 1,000 Followers on my Facebook Cosplay Page, and as a treat I've made the Foam Board Weapon Tutorial as a thank you! You can see it here: Foam Board Weapon Tutorial. If you are curious about my costuming plans and day to day goings on, feel free to follow along on my Facebook Page, and many thanks to those of you who already do!!
11/07/12:
I can't believe it's already been three weeks since New York Comic Con! It was a crazy fun time in New York, not so great a time at the convention. We went to see Sleep No More, which was freaking amazing and such an incredible experience!! I got to have 6 interactions with different actors and had an absolutely marvelous time. I'm already plotting a return to NYC for this show. We also saw tons of friends, had amazing food, met lots of great guests, and went to just about every fabric shop on 37/38/39th Streets.
Anyway, I had more fun to outweigh the bad, including getting Parasite Eve pictures in Times Square!! I also have a few pictures of my new She-Ra costume, and pictures of some new commissioned costumes: Xena and Yuna! I have a few photoshoots happening next week, so hopefully I can get more pictures of She-Ra, and some awesome photos of Laurie Juspeczyk as Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre! I got to meet Amanda Conner at NYCC and had a marvelous time talking with her and getting pictures and autographs. More on that to come. In more recent news, I hope that everyone in the New York/New Jersey/New England areas are recovering quickly from the awful storm we had last week. My thoughts are with you all, especially with this Nor'Easter blowing in - please stay warm and safe!!!
In convention news, I will be stopping by Anime USA for a little bit to see friends and help host a few panels, and I will be wearing Riddel Viper on Friday and Purple Dress Jem on Saturday! And again, I'm coming up to 1,000 Likes on my Cosplay Facebook Page and I have a little Giveaway! The 1,000th Fan gets a picture of three costumes of their choice and I will post up a new Tutorial as a thank you to everyone for your support.
10/10/12:
New York Comic Con is this weekend and we are leaving for NYC on Thursday morning!! I am so, so, so excited for this convention - I've been looking forward to it all year and now it's finally here! I have my cosplay schedule posted below:
Friday: She-Ra
Saturday: Classic Jem and "Command Performance" Purple Dress Jem
Sunday: Laurie Juspeczyk from "Before Watchmen" and Aya Brea from "Parasite Eve"
After NYCC, I have Halloween Commissions to complete (I am 50% done with those!) and November commissions to start on. I'd also like to announce that I'm coming up to 1,000 Likes on my Cosplay Facebook Page and I have a little Giveaway! The 1,000th Fan gets a picture of three costumes of their choice and I will post up a new Tutorial as a thank you to everyone! As always, many thanks to you for your support!!
9/23/12:
I had a photoshoot weekend a few weeks ago and got some amazing pictures of several costumes!! I also had an amazing backdrop of the Rosette Nebula that worked beautifully with my Fina costume and I'm very excited to share these lovelies with you. I also wante some glamour-type photos and made a very impromptu Amy Pond, Fashion Model cosplay, and the pictures are gorgeous.
I've been a very busy bee the past few weeks trying to get ready for New York Comic Con and working on commission orders for Halloween! Commissions are now booked through April 2013 and so far I'm really enjoying working on them (although I am really, really busy with them). If you'd like a costume of outstanding quality, craftsmanship, accuracy and detail, feel free to email me at firelily@firelilycosplay.com for information and pricing. I've also updated my Calendar on my Commissions Page: Booking Calendar for Commissions!
I'm also working on a new tutorial for you all: Foam Board Weapons! I'm working on some swords now and I'm finally taking progress pictures so I can share this awesome and easy method with you! Stay tuned, because I'll have my costume plans for NYCC up in a week or so. And while I'm there, I have tickets to go see the (in)famous Sleep No More that I've been hearing people rave about. I'm looking forward to this NYC trip entirely too much!
8/30/12:
I also have decided to open myself for Costume and Prop Commissions starting in 2013! It will be on a very limited basis (only 1 client a month) until I feel I can take on more projects. I am currently booked up until Katsucon in February. If you would like me to undertake a commission for you, please contact me at firelily@firelilycosplay.com for information and pricing. You may check my Commissions Page to see a Booking Calendar for Commissions!
8/21/12:
I've finally gotten back a good amount of pictures of my latest costumes: The Red Queen from "Alice in Wonderland," an original wa-loli design of Megurine Luka from Vocaloid, and Sonya Blade from "Mortal Kombat 2011."
I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do. I had a great time getting all these wonderful pictures with many talented photographers at Otakon. Now I'm looking ahead to just a few weekends for Baltimore Comic Con where I'm planning to debut a new costume: Laurie Juspeczyk as Silk Spectre from the new "Before Watchmen" comics! I was really impressed by her design and I'm excited to make this go-go inspired outfit. Plus, Amanda Conner will be at the con and I'd love to see her!
There are a few new Media Spots up on the Media page. Two of my costumes made it into "Cosmode: The Nation," and I've linked to two interviews I did for JapanCinema.net and MicCostumes.com. You can see them all here! I have also updated my Convention Schedule. I will have another update before the end of the month with more costumes for sale, so stay tuned!
8/4/12:
Otakon was a blast! I was saddened on Thursday night when that huge storm hit and it rained for several hours, but was glad that it didn't continue for the whole weekend!! I roomed with the wonderful Pixiekitty and NeonGenocide. Friday, Pixiekitty and I met up with some beautiful ladies for several photoshoots with MindFall, PopeCerebus, Sweet Sensation Photography, Blake of BentPic5, Elysiam Entertainment, Mike with Eleventh Photograph, and a few other awesome photographers! After absolutely killing our feet (and having eaten nothing all day and being outside for several hours), all us roomies went to change and then went to Houlihan's for a giant dinner with lots of friends (like MindFall, CaptainMiles, and Cupcake-rufflebutt, Tikki, James, Colt, Manda, Natalie, Matt, and Interstella5). The stuffed chicken was amazing yet again!!
Saturday, Pixiekitty and I dressed up in our Wa-loli Vocaloid outfits (Miku and Luka respectively), and met up with with MindFall and Sweet Sensation Photography for pictures and lunched at Jimmy John's, then changed into our Final Fantasy 13 costumes for another group meet up, this time featuring me as Lightning, Pixiekitty as Vanille, NeonGenocide as Snow, Ivan as our drive by Sazh, and Chibi-Nekos as our FF13-2 Lightning! We also met up with Ackson for some pics and video footage and I'm super impressed with his video! (You can see it here along with two new interviews). After the cosplay silliness, we all went to Kona Grill for more amazing food (and it was happy hour - half off food and drinks!!) and met up again with MindFall, CaptainMiles, and Cupcake-rufflebutt. Then it was back to the hotel for packing and then off to bed.
Sunday, I woke up early to squeeze in some photoshoots of Sonya Blade with M-Squared Photography, MindFall, and PopeCerebus. Afterward, I met up with a few friends at Michael Sinterniklaas' Q&A panel, then we went to the dealer room for last minute shopping, and then lunched at the Kona Grill (again!). Then it was homeward bound.
I appreciate seeing all the yellow costumes, ribbons and armbands in support of Aurora, CO. I carried a bunch with me and wore mine whenever possible. Let's keep supporting Aurora and bring the community together! I think I will be attending Baltimore Comic Con in September and plan to wear my old Sally Jupiter once more, and maybe something new...? Both incorporating yellow, of course.
It really was such a great time; off to a shaky start, but the weekend finished out with style. I'm still waiting for pictures to surface, and I will be getting those galleries up as soon as I can. But, for now, please have some moustache silliness!
7/20/12:
Today, the unthinkable happened. A masked man walked into a movie theater and killed many innocent people who were there to see their hero on screen. Aurora, CO, witnessed a tragic and senseless crime today that ruined many lives, and its effects are being felt around the world.
At Otakon next weekend, please join us for a weekend not only of fun and celebration of Japanese culture, but also in rememberance and support of those who lost their lives at Aurora. Wear a yellow ribbon or armband to show your support and respect. There is an emerging group, "A Light in the Dark," who will be passing out yellow ribbons and armbands to convention attendees. I will be wearing a yellow ribbon or armband all weekend, and I will be bringing a sign for pictures stating our love and support for the residents of Aurora, CO. I would ask all of you, if you are so inclined, to join us in rallying around our fellow citizens.
With that said, here is my schedule for the weekend. I have three new costumes that I will be debuting! I am going to be busy with photo shoots and spending time with friends and loved ones. I hope to see you all there, and I hope you will help raise up Aurora, CO, into the Light.
6/26/12:
Anime Mid-Atlantic was a lot of fun this year! So many great stories to tell. Friday started off with Princess Aurora and Hall Cosplay Judging, where I got splashed with water and then had a fabulous time walking with a little girl named Evie (who kept saying, "You're a princess!" and wouldn't even let go of me when I was getting pictures...Disney Effect). After judging, I changed into Jem and gave my panel on Cosplay Armor and Weapons, which was fantastic and we had a great turn out, despite the incredible loudness of the karaoke next door ^_^
Saturday, I started off bright and early with Miss Scarlet in the Judging Hall with the candlestick...and with Mrs. Peacock and Yvette, too! We had a great time playing around in our "Clue" costumes and took some awesome pictures. After pictures and lunch, I actually went swimming in the pool!!! It was so nice to finally swim at a con after so many years of being too busy. After swimming, I changed into Lightning and went to the Masquerade, which had some great presentations, and then gave my panel on Corsets and Underthings, which also had a great turn out and I ended up talking longer than I though I would - I took up the whole 90 minutes!
On Sunday, we hung out at the Cosplay Info Table and helped tally the Fan Favorites winners and then caravanned home with our friends. This convention really was so wonderful and thank you to everyone who entered the contests, attended my panels, or just came to the con - I hope you all had as much fun!
Now I am working on costumes for Otakon. I am making 4 new costumes that I will be debuting: Sonya Blade from MK 2011, Pumpkin as illustrated by Sakizo, my Red Queen based on "Alice in Wonderland," and a surprise costume from Vocaloid! I will also be wearing Lightning again on Saturday for a "reunion" group with Pixie Kitty and NeonGenocide! I am already so excited for this convention - it is going to be amazing! I hope to see you all there!
6/14/12:
SUPER COSPLAY CRUNCH TIME!!!!!
We are planning to leave around 10am tomorrow for Chesapeake, VA, but I couldn't get finished with everything in time, so I'm going to have to bring something else instead of Dragon Keeper. Guess it's going to be Lightning. Yup, good old Final Fantasy XIII.
Also, yay for our hotel overbooking itself and having to upgrade us to a bigger hotel...with a pool!!! Maybe I can actually go swimming this time!
Here is my costume schedule:
Friday day - Aurora
Friday night - Jem
Saturday morning/early afternoon - Miss Scarlet
Saturday night/Masquerade - Lightning
6/12/12:
I want to thank you all for thinking of me and my father and sending kind words and thoughts our way. He got the breathing and feeding tubes out today and he is starting some light physical therapy tomorrow! Since he hasn't been able to speak for two weeks (due to the intubation), he sounds like Clint Eastwood at the moment, which I think he enjoys. He is cracking jokes and being very positive and for that I am truly thankful.
So, this Friday I will be driving down to Chesapeake, VA, to attend Anime Mid-Atlantic. I will be judging the Hall Costume Contest and I will be giving two panels!
Creative Cosplay Armor and Weapons - Friday 10:30pm, Workshop. "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."
Corsets, Bodices, and Underthings, Oh My! - Saturday 9:00pm, Workshop. "Do you admire corsets but don't know the first thing about making them? Do petticoats have you ruffled? Don't know how to get that slim and fitted silhouette? Look no further! Join Fire Lily for the basics to corsetry, steel and plastic boning, fitted bodices, petticoats, and other under things."
I hope to see many of you there!! I will be bringing my Miss Scarlet costume and an Yvette costume (for a friend) from the movie "Clue," Lightning from "Final Fantasy XIII," Jem from "Jem and the Holograms," and Princess Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty."
6/6/12:
I have been away from my computer for the past week. I have been in Texas because my Dad was in a really bad motorcycle accident on Memorial Day. His left femur and hip are broken, multiple fractures in the ribs, right collar bone and shoulder blade, a broken nose, two cracked vertebrae in the neck, and his spine was severed leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He had to have 3 MRIs to assess the damage to his spinal cord and see where the doctors could repair the spine itself.
The initial spine surgery require fusing the spine at the T4 and T5 vertebrae, with 6 rods to stabilize it. After the first spine surgery, Dad developed a blood clot at the surgery site that was preventing him from using his arms. The doctors took him to the OR for emergency surgery to remove the clot, and thankfully my Dad has regained the use of his arms, but he will need therapy to regain full range of motion. They had to fuse his entire upper back so he will never be able to bend over again, unless it's from the neck or torso. He has surgery to repair his hip tomorrow and I'm hoping it won't be too complicated - they have to put plates on the pelvic socket because it was crushed in the accident and they need to rebuild it.
After being in Texas for a week, I am sorry to say that I will not be able to finish my Red Queen costume for Anime Mid-Atlantic in Chesapeake, VA, next weekend. I just have too much left to do and I needed this past week to work on it. As such, I will be finishing my Miss Scarlet costume and an Yvette costume (for a friend) from the movie "Clue" for next weekend. I will also be finishing some work on my Dragon Keeper Court Outfit so that I can wear her again. I hope to see many of you there!! I will be bringing and wearing Jem, Aurora, Miss Scarlet, and my Dragon Keeper Court Outfit. We will be getting in on Friday, and I'm still not sure of my costume schedule, but I can't wait to see my friends and go to one of my favorite cons around.
I am also judging the Hall Costume Contest and I am giving two panels!
Creative Cosplay Armor and Weapons - Friday 10:30pm, Workshop. "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."
Corsets, Bodices, and Underthings, Oh My! - Saturday 9:00pm, Workshop. "Do you admire corsets but don't know the first thing about making them? Do petticoats have you ruffled? Don't know how to get that slim and fitted silhouette? Look no further! Join Fire Lily for the basics to corsetry, steel and plastic boning, fitted bodices, petticoats, and other under things."
4/30/12:
I can't believe it's already been one week since T-Mode - it feels like it's been a month! I had such a great time and saw so many friends and made some very good new ones and I'm still bummed out that it couldn't last longer. Thank you so much to everyone who came to my panels and to the Variety Show, and to the con itself! It was honestly the best convention I've had all year and probably one of the best conventions ever. If you didn't go this year, you sorely missed out, and I hope you will join us next year in Rockville, MD!
I have so many great stories from this con: getting mobbed by a high school class on a field trip from Indiana in my Aurora costume, getting pictures with two drunken wedding attendees (and getting my crown snatched off my head by one of them!), and getting a picture in Jem with a boy having his Bar Mitzvah that Friday and his father. Classic times and the memories are still making me smile.
Since I took last week off to prepare for a wedding (complete with surprise geese!!), I am now hunkering down and getting into super cosplay mode for my newest costumes for Anime Mid-Atlantic in June: Miss Scarlet from the movie "Clue" and a Red Queen costume from "Alice in Wonderland." My Red Queen costume is based on a design from a very talented artist on DeviantArt, and I am planning to cover it in a bajillion rhinestones, so I will be spending the next month of my life heat-fixing red rhinestones to this dress (about 16,000 or more!).
As always, I look forward to seeing many of you at Anime Mid-Atlantic and I hope you enjoy my work! I did hear that many of you liked seeing my progress pictures on my Facebook Page, so if you would like to follow along on my rhinestoning adventures, feel free to follow along!!
4/19/12:
I will be a guest at T-Mode this weekend, in Rockville, MD! I'd love to see this small family con grow some more, so please come by if you can!!
I will be giving two panels and judging the Cosplay Variety Show! My panels are:
Saturday at 12:30 - So You Think You Can Sew? A step up from Cosplay 101, this panel addresses more intricate details of sewing and cosplaying. 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.
Sunday at 11:30 - Cosplay Armor and Weapons 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.
I will be debuting a new costume at this convention: Princess Aurora from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty"! I will be wearing Aurora on Saturday and Sunday, and I will be bringing Jem on Friday.
I will also be joining AdrenoSol and LuluBird, the famous EVA twins, who are our main cosplay guests. Please come by and support them, along with our wonderful roster of guests.