#corgibutt cosplay

Oh my gosh, I am SO excited to finally share this news with everyone!  My Dream a Reality Kickstarter is finally live!  You can check it out here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/23054026/dream-a-reality-1st-wish?ref=user_menu

Dream a Reality is a project I came up with in honor of my 4-year old cousin.  You see, during the Summer of 2016 Lexi was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma) and though she fought as hard as she could, she lost her battle in October 2016.  This was (obviously) and still is a huge blow to my family.  We hear about childhood cancer and how bad it is, but you never really understand that pain until someone close to you is diagnosed at a young age.

Lexi was a selfless girl, trying to cheer up other children that were in pain or scared while she was at the hospital for her own treatments.  What my goal is for Dream a Reality is to be able to give these children even just a few moments of not having to think about what they’re going through and really let them be kids.

My cousin, Lexi’s mother, had requested family and friends to donate money to The Rainbow Connection (http://www.rainbowconnection.org/) instead of bringing flowers to her funeral.  This kickstarter is for Wish 1 for Dream a Reality.  I will be using the funds raised to create Disney-themed items (oh did Lexi ever love Disney).  50% of the tag price of these items will be donated to The Rainbow Connection, to help send Michigan children suffering from life threatening diseases and illnesses on a wish trip.

In the future, I’m hoping to be able to add 2 more Wishes to Dream a Reality.

Wish 2 - costumed hospital visits to children

Wish 3 - monthly drawings for these children to win a custom made costume and gift basket

This project has been my baby for several months and I’m so happy to see it finally coming to light.

If you are able, please help me with this cause.  If you can, donate.  If you can’t, if you could reblog this point and spread the word, I would be just as grateful.

Speed Builds!

So, my mom asked me to make her a costume for the Ren Faire.  The top right picture was the reference image I found for her.  Though not fully complete yet, this costume has taken about 15 hours to make so far and I plan on making it my first of many speed builds.

I purchased very little to make this.  I purchased leather paint, eyelets and ribbon, that’s it.  The fabric, boning, leather and leather tools were already on hand.  I have just a little bit to go and once it’s done I’ll try to remember to post a final image with my mom wearing it!

This was my first time making an outfit for someone else @.@  I learned I didn’t ask for enough measurements.  Though the waist piece would bring in the bagginess, I found out I still needed more measurements than what I asked for.  My mom is SUPER petite so I was able to use my measurements to a point and my dress form is too big for me, let alone try to use it for her.

I wanted to use this piece as a speed build, trying to make a full costume FAST.  I cut out material a few days ago, but all the work happened yesterday.  I’ve just been finishing up the waist piece today (hemming and attaching the skirting).

This was a huge challenge, but a TON of fun (and frustration).  I want to start doing stuff like this a lot more starting in the new year (cause my current cosplay needs to get finished and the Christmas @.@)

My goal with speed builds: Make a full cosplay/costume over a weekend, though using no more than 24 hours to make it.

Buy as little as possible.  This will help me move out supplies and materials that would otherwise continue to just sit in my sewing room.

Skill level up!  I know I can make things quickly and I know I can have amazing craftsmanship if I dedicate time to it.  My problem comes with procrastination and this will help kill that.  My plan is to make each costume at the same level as something I would compete in at a convention (and who knows, I may even do that!).

So I decided that Braden needed some cosplays seeing as he’s /kinda/ the mascot of CorgiButt Cosplay.  I’ll be posting little updates like this to share the progress, or attempted progress I make on his armor.

Dream a Reality is finally officially announced!  This past Sunday I was able to officially post the project on my Facebook and since then I have been working like crazy to get the Kickstarter ready for launch! This project is in memory of my 4 year old cousin who lost her battle to cancer in October 2016.  Lexi was the sort of little girl, that while she was in the hospital getting tests done, would hear other children crying and go to comfort them even though she was in pain as well.  She was such a selfless little girl, a ray of sunshine for all to see.

Later this month I will be launching the Kickstarter for the 1st part of this project.  I plan on opening an etsy shop and 1/2 the price of Disney-themed items I sell there will be donated to a group known as Rainbow Connection (http://www.rainbowconnection.org/).  They work on “making dreams come true for Michigan children with life threatening illnesses”.  My goal is to one day be able to fund a child’s dream trip (usually about $5,000).

These kids go through so much pain, hurt and tests when they’re suffering from such illnesses and diseases and sadly, like Lexi, many lose their own battles far too young.  I want to be able to grant these kids even a few moments of happiness, bliss, something to let them forget, even for a little while, what they are going through and to just be a kid again.

I will be posting news as I can!  My current projected timeline is to post the Kickstarter on January 18th for it to end around February 18th.  I am hoping to open the etsy store March 18th, which is Lexi’s birthday.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and thank you so much more if you reblog this to spread the word!

So, it’s with a lot of joy, excitement, and nervousness that I finally get to share this!

Dream a Reality is a new project that I will be starting up in 2017 and it’s something very personal and near and dear to my heart.

This summer, my four year old cousin, Lexi, was diagnosed with cancer and on October 19, 2016, that beautiful little girl lost her battle.  The pain still remains and it will for sometime, but I know that Lexi wouldn’t want us to just sit there and be sad for her.  No, she was such a selfless little girl for even at four years old, fighting her own battle, she would comfort other children that were crying in the hospital because they were in pain.

Dream a Reality is a project inspired by Lexi. 

Walt Disney once said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world.  But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

Childhood cancer is something terrible that most people don’t think about; children shouldn’t have to suffer from such a thing and yet it can happen.  As Lexi comforted those in pain, I wish to do as much of that as I can and make that dream of not hurting, even just for a little bit, a reality.

This plan, much like a magic lamp, will eventually fold out into three different phases.

1. I will open up an etsy shop.  Disney-themed items will be flagged with the Dream a Reality logo, which means 50% of the price of that item will be donated to an organization called Rainbow Connections.

Rainbow Connections is like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, but is limited to Michigan children that are battling life threatening illnesses.

http://www.rainbowconnection.org/

The goal is to one day be able to sponsor a child’s wish trip ($5,000 on average) from the sale of these items.

2. CorgiButt Cosplay (my cosplay page) and friends whom are interested will make costumed visits to children in hospitals.  While I do plan on this starting as Disney Princess trips, I look forward to expanding that horizon.

3. Children that are eligible for Rainbow Connections can be entered into a monthly drawing.  The winner of that drawing will win a custom made costume as well as a gift basket.

I will be working to launch a Kickstarter beginning January 2017 to get the first part of this project going.  I’m hoping to launch the etsy store on March 18th, Lexi’s birthday.  As time goes on and my skill improves in both craft and costume making, I do plan on rolling out the other two plans (in phases).