Cosplay Concepts

I secretly want to cosplay. I’m not sure if cosplay is the correct word for what I want to do, or if that is something more specific. But I want to dress up in something cute or fancy that people recognise on the street and maybe want to photograph and compliment me on.
At the limited number of conventions I have been to, I’ve always enjoyed looking at what everyone is wearing and their creativity and talent in creating such a costume. I wish I could do that.
A lot of the time, these costumes can be very sexy, very revealing and are worn by much more attractive women than myself. I can probably rule out any sort of super hero as they tend to show a lot of leg and wear something skin tight.
I’m thinking of ideas for what I could do. Something that is suitable for a larger than normal woman. Something that’s sexy but not too revealing.
My sister sent me a link to the woman who made a costume for Elsa the Snow Queen from Frozen. She’s stunning and the dress she has made is incredible. It worth checking out. Go take a look.
I could be a princess. In theory.
I did have a phase in my life where I did start making my own clothes, and I enjoyed it. So I potentially could make some sort of dress. Though I haven’t touched a sewing machine since i got married. Actually, I have touched one. When the couple who lived across the road from where I grew up both passed away, I was given their old sewing machine. So I did touch it to carry it into the house. But i haven’t even used it. And I really should.
This could be my new project.

Another project I’d like to try is these shoes.
I found a tutorial on how to do them here
I have a pair of white vinyl shoes that I wore on my wedding day, and haven’t been sure what to wear them with since. I would love to be able to get some more use out of them.
I wouldn’t usually describe myself as a crafty person, but maybe I am about to transform into someone who is.
I’d love to hear any suggestions on possible costumes that I could make and maybe wear to Comic Con.

Book Review: After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson

Are negative book reviews ok?

The Duffy Family claim their diamonds have been stolen while visiting the Esslemont’s for the Armistice Ball. Mrs. Esslemont asks Dandy Gilver to use her skills of snooping and gossiping to investigate this further. It is Scotland in 1923 and it seems a world vastly different to my own. I think a good book can make you feel included in these unfamiliar places, but for most of the book, I felt like a foreign observer.

I never really enjoyed the protagonist Dandy Gilver. My husband will frequently remind me that you don’t need to like the characters to enjoy a book, and while I partly agree, my distaste towards Dandy definitely impacted on my enjoyment of this book. The reason I picked up this book is because I love the concept of the ladies of the 1920s solving crimes. I thoroughly enjoy Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries on TV, though I’ve yet to read the books myself. Maybe my expectations were just too high. The only character I truly enjoyed was Dandy’s Lady’s maid who was so full of sass and pretentiousness, that I wish she featured more in this story.

Throughout the book, I always felt like I knew what was going to happen before the characters themselves. I would be expecting some sort of twist, because surely it can’t be that obvious, but pages later, Dandy and friends come to the realization that I had already had. The only time when something didn’t seem obvious was in the final chapter. I can’t even say what it is without some major spoiler alerts. But they make this discovery during the investigation and someone asks about the person connected to it, and Dandy just says “Isn’t it obvious?” and then the person she is with realizes as well. But I’ve never worked that out. If anyone has read it, please tell me the answer? Did I miss something during the book when I got bored and started skimming? By the end of the book, I don’t care who stole the diamonds, but I do want to know the answer to this question. I have tried google, and I haven’t found a confirmed answer.

I have read in some reviews that this series gets better as it goes along. Maybe the author needed some time to find her feet as she developed the characters, but I don’t feel the need to be part of this world again and will be giving the rest of the series a miss.

This book is the Mystery part of my LIterary Exploration Book Challenge.

Originally posted at LIterary Exploration.

You can buy this book at Amazon, or Book Depository