24 Years Of Makin' It Weird

Listening to John talk to an A/C repairman outside my office door:


John: "You ever see Charlie & the Chocolate Factory?"

Me, looking up: Oh no.

Repair Guy: "Uhh, yeah."

John: "You know Augustus Gloop, the German kid?"

Me: Where are you going with this, John...

Repair Guy: "I... think so?"

Me: ::abandoning all pretense at work and turning wide-eyed toward the door::

John: "That's what I look like when I shave this off."

Repair Guy: ::silence::

Me: ::horror::

John, cheerfully: "Yep, I'm 47, but I turn into a chubby little German boy without the beard."

 

This has been Life With An Oversharing Extrovert, vol. 12.


Also I think this photo series is worth a re-share:

:D

In other John-related news, yesterday was our 24th wedding anniversary!

(This was from last week, I can math, honest.)

In true Yates fashion, we stayed home and worked on DIY projects: give-away pins and stickers for Dragon Con this weekend. Tonight we pack, and tomorrow we leave for Atlanta! Dragon Con is always the best anniversary celebration, can't wait.

If you're also headed to Dragon Con this week, I hope you'll join us at one of the Epbot meetups! We'll give you a sticker or pin, a hearty fist-bump, the secret to laughing at trees together... it'll be good times. The first meetup is Thursday night in the Marriott at 6:30pm, watch my Stories or the FoEs Go To Dragon Con Facebook group for updates.

And everyone else, stay tuned for alllll the fun Dragon Con coverage. We hope to upload daily videos on the Epbot YouTube Channel, so be sure to subscribe there to see them as soon as they drop, plus I'll be uploading silliness along the way in my IG/FB stories.

See you on the other side!

Witchy Chapeaus, Sailor Moon Jewels, & Oh Hell, Fall

YOU MADE IT TO FRIDAY, MY FRIEND.

Excellent job, let's celebrate.

 I even found the perfect party hats, handcrafted by EverCrumblyAndWitch. (Say that name out loud for a chuckle).

Behold!

Can confirm, my grabby hands would like to be-holding this. Heeeeeeeyo.

Or this!

These sweet witchy hats are magical, and come in so many gorgeous styles:

The mushrooms! Eee! Give Ever Crumbly a follow on Instagram to see more, or head to their website to shop.

*****

Speaking of magic, watch THIS:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OLGA | BROOCHES HANDMADE 💎 (@v.olga_arts)

OooOOOooooh.

Olga makes mostly Sailor Moon designs, but she also mixes in a little Harry Potter and even Star Wars with her beaded brooches:

Our Jungle Cruise Scavenger Hunt: Video Tour & How To Make Your Own!

Happy Friday, my boop-able bumbersnoots!

Now I know, I know, it seems like this party will NEVER END.

This is it, though, the last big reveal from our Jungle Cruise pun party! And I hope you'll steal some of these ideas, because they're a hoot.

 So, owl you ready to go on the hunt?

John and I spent the last several days making this video, so hopefully you can feel like you're here with the rest of our friends:

(Can you tell I picked the music? :D)

This is a fairly simple scavenger hunt, and most of it you can recreate yourself with only a few props and purchases. So c'mon, lemme walk you through it clue-by-clue, and show you how!

1) My favorite punny prop is definitely the butterfly display. This one is the most subtle, so it's easy to walk by without noticing what's tucked in the flowers:

Just a pretty little floral arrangement on this side, AND THEN:



I made this with a charger plate we already had, some old florals stuck in pink foam, and a plastic cloche cover from Dollar Tree. You can use an existing flower arrangement, though, and just add the butter.

The stick of butter is pink insulation foam that John stacked, painted, and wrapped in a (cleaned) butter wrapper.


 

It's surprisingly satisfying holding a fake stick of butter in your hand, y'all. As my friend Kristi wisely said, "You know someone is friend material if they're impressed with your fake stick of butter."

(I told John we need to make a bunch of these and sneak them into friends' fridges when we visit, for maximum harmless chaos.)

For the final touch I added paper butterfly wings to the stick of butter. Seriously, these magnetic butterflies have neverending uses.

2) The Jungle "paradise" cost $10 from Amazon, come in lots of colors, and have plastic dots that are easy to write on with pencil:

Lightsaber Rainbows, Flying Duck Orchids, & The Best Cosplay Mashup Of All TIME

It's Friday, you fantastic beast! You made it.

Here come a bunch of my favorite finds this week to celebrate.

Did you know there are lightsaber meetups at Disney's Galaxy's Edge? I didn't! There was one last month, and look how pretty:

(@geeky.by.nature)

 The group that arranges the meetups is Galaxy's Edge Discord, here's a photo from their IG account:

SO COOL.

This is all fan-run, so give them a follow for future meetup dates.

*****

Also in the Stuff-I-Never-Knew-Existed category, this is called a flying duck orchid:

(Photo by Heiner Cuno)

They're native to Australia and are teeny-tiny, with blooms less than an inch long. You should also know I'm imagining a little purple bandana around one and humming the Darkwing Duck theme song.

Speaking of old cartoons, let's see if anyone else gets a kick out of watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dance-fight their way down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom:

Cartoon Shoes, Alien TP, & The Cutest Mini Moon Knight

Happy Tuesday, adventurers! I come bearing treasure from the distant wilds of the spidery inter-webs.

Also this photo of a yard here in Florida:

(pic by Sherry K, friend of a FoE.)

Just 'cuz.

:D

 

Starting with the latest custom kicks by the queen of cell-shading herself, Ginoza Costuming:

HEART-EYES

 

These are themed to the new Borderlands video game Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, which I can't wait to play with John. 

Even if you're not a fan of the game, though, who wouldn't want cartoon shoes? Here are more Brittani's painted:

 

You can see more - including Brittani's internationally acclaimed cosplay - at the Ginoza Costuming Facebook page. (Srsly, prepare to have your jaw drop. This woman's got SKILLS.)

*****

Because I'm a sucker for all things glowy and colorful, I bring you the creations of Fiore Di Luce, or Flowers of Light, in Milano, Italy:

My Google Translate isn't working, but I believe these are all handmade by a single couple, Elisabetta & Pier. From the process photos the lamps look like a form of paper fiber stretched over individual wire frames. Amazing.

Their lamps and pendant lights come in all sorts of fantastical floral designs, plus there are a few with butterfly wings:

STORY TIME: How My Brilliant April Fool's Joke Went Horribly, Hilarious Wrong

I post here on Tuesdays and Fridays, so when I mentioned to John that this Friday was April Fool's day, his eyes lit up.

"You should tell the Cake Wrecks story," he said.

"What?" I asked, horrified. "Why?"

"It's funny!"

"It absolutely is not."

"Sure it is! Tell them how it was so good, we fooled everyone."

"Yeah, and they hated us for it."

"Well, yes, but you can say it's how an April Fool's joke goes hilariously, horribly wrong."

"It's 'horribly, hilariously wrong' and you've been running this website for almost 15 years. I feel like you should know the tagline."

"TELL THE STORY."

"MEH."

:: 2 hours later::

Me, in front of the computer:

We've spent six years pretending this didn't happen, but sure.

We'd never attempted a real April Fool's joke before on Cake Wrecks, because people had a hard enough time believing most of the wrecks weren't pranks. Instead I usually featured illusion food for April 1st, like grilled cheese sandwiches that were really toasted pound cake:

(Vaughns Kimballs)

Or "cakes" made of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

(Food.com)

Those were fine, but a bit boring after a few years. I wanted to try something new.

If you're a looooong time reader of Cake Wrecks, then you know I have an occasionally wicked sense of humor. So for some reason back in 2016 - probably spurred on by ThinkGeek's always amazing fake product debuts, RIP -  I decided to rock the metaphorical boat. I wanted to legitimately fool people, in a funny, "gotcha!" sort of way.

Then I got an idea. An awful idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea.

Thirst Trap E.T., Behind-The-Scenes At Fraggle Rock, & Princess Bride Memes - Because It's FRIDAY, Dangit

Hiya, my splashy rain puddles of joy, how's your week been? John and I spent a stormy afternoon at Epcot today - which will be your yesterday - so I'm sitting with my feet up, drying my socks. We had a lovely, soggy time - our first visit since 2019! -  and if my photos seem interesting I'll pop them in a post for you next week.

For now, though, I found many ridiculous, cool, and ridiculously cool things to show you. Starting with this absolutely hypnotic tentacle collar by Casey Curran:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Casey Curran (@casey_curran)

I'm guessing you'll either love this truly, madly, deeply, or find it unsettling. Or both. (Both is good.) Either way, we need an Ursula cosplay with it, STAT.

Check out Curran's Instagram account for more other-worldly art and kinetic couture, it's a wild ride.

*****

Ah, here's something you'll all love: Tyler Harron, the production designer on the new Fraggle Rock, is a member of the fan group Jim Henson's Creature Shop. That's pretty amazing in itself, to have an IP creator hanging with the fans, but get this: Tyler has been sharing dozens and dozens of his behind-the-scenes photos in the group!

EEEEEEEE

I love that all the sets are real, not CGI. And the lighting. Wowie.

How badly do you want to be helping out on this set? (Dibs on Marjory The Trash Heap. I feel like she and Junk Lady would be two peas in a pod, ha.)

Tyler also shared build photos, both of sets:

And characters:

Doozers! I don't care who you are, you want to pinch those lil' cheeks.

SO FUN.

Click over to Jim Henson's Creature Shop to see the rest of Harron's photos - there are so many more.

 

I've only watched the first episode of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, btw, so I don't have an opinion on it yet. I loved the nostalgia blast, and it looks amazing, just have to see how the writing and stories go from here. How about you, have you seen it? Any thoughts?

*****

Now let's check in with one of my all-time favorite Facebook groups, Weird and Wonderful Secondhand Finds.

Marjorie found a Trojan cat, y'all.

A TROJAN CAT.

What a time to be alive.

Front view:

Pun Times With John: The Doc Oc Edition

I've been having a creative dry spell lately, so when these gloves at Dollar Tree gave me a silly idea, I decided to roll with it.

I grabbed a handful of polyfill ("handful," get it?), lightly stuffed the fingers, and hot-glued the gloves overlapping like this:

Then I joined the outside edges to form a tube:

... tucked the wrist parts inside:

... glued the top shut, and added a ribbon and googly eyes.

Boom badda bing, an octopus that has seen things, man.

:D

(I was aiming for cute with the oversized eyes, but definitely landed on the startled and/or horrified side. Um. Oops.)

For the green one I chopped off the glove thumbs and fashioned little ear flaps, ala the Dumbo Octopus:

My Favorite TikToks To Keep The Gloomies Away

It's Friday and my panic's up, booo. Probably just my hormones having their monthly Kylo Ren moment, but trying to explain that to the screaming ferret in my brain doesn't seem to help.

You know what does help? After taking the appropriate meds?

THESE TIKTOKS.
(If you don't see the videos after a few seconds try refreshing the page; sometimes they get stuck loading.)

@blueferret_cos If you’re at ALA come say hi!!! #encanto #mirabelcosplay #encantocosplay #disney #disneycosplay #bruno ♬ The Family Madrigal - From "Encanto"/Chorus - Stephanie Beatriz & Olga Merediz & Encanto - Cast

Bet you can't watch this just once.

@dustymdouglas prairie dog theatre 🎭 #shakespeare #romeoandjuliet #prairiedog #foryou ♬ prairie dog theatre - Dusty Douglas

You have your volume up, right?

@officialcinetv #snlsketch #impressions #impersonation #voiceimpressions #movieactor #snlfunny #foryoupage #comedycentral #comedian #comedy #rossmarquand #voiceactor ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

John sent me a bunch of these, btw, so he gets some credit. I only log in to TikTok a couple times a month, and every time I have about 50 forwarded links from John. (Forwarding funny links is the "flower and chocolates" of our time, am I right?)

I think I've shared Parkour Cat before, but it may be my favorite TikTok ever. I simply can't NOT laugh every time I see it. (I tried once, and strained something.) 

OWL BE BACK: That Time I Stalked My Friend With Gift-Wrapping

A few weeks ago, Karen asked Arielle to switch places at our dining room table.

"K, but why?"

"Because that OWL won't stop staring at me."

We all laughed, the two switched seats, and Karen said in exasperation, "Now these ones are staring."

Then Arielle pointed out the owl next to the apothecary:

And the one on the radio cabinet:

And right after I insisted the room did *not* have an owl theme, I realized there were 2 more in the wreath beside me.

Huh.

And those are just the ones in my dining room.

"Can I sit anywhere in your house without an owl staring at me?"

****

Fast forward to the next week when I had a spare 45 minutes before a friend's holiday party, and I got an idea. An awful idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea.

FoE & Tell: The Vader Zoom, Monster Food, & Kroger Browncoats

I'm here with another reminder from Fans of Epbot that your geeky family will always - ALWAYS - support wearing Darth Vader masks to important Zoom meetings:

YESSSSS.


We'll also encourage you to play with your food, and eat monster meals.


How cute are those lil' cheeseburgers??  John & I've watched the first 5-6 episodes of Monsters At Work, btw, and it's good! Definitely recommend.

This makes me want to start themed meals for movie night again. Remember our mashed potato pill bug for Emperor's New Groove? Ahh, good times.

*****

Meeting fellow geeks in the wild is one of my favorite things, so I love this post from Kristi:

Tell me this didn't renew your faith in the 'verse just a bit.

(I've been tempted to print up cards with my contact info to leave on extra geeky-looking cars before. I figure that would freak people out, though, so I've resisted.)

*****

Sneaking in a little holiday treat:

Leah, I desperately want to see your completed Cottage Core Cryptid Tree. PLEASE POST PHOTOS.

Are any of you planning unusual themed trees or decorations this year? John and I are discussing something new we want to try, so I'm excited. And on a completely different subject, do any of you know where I can get a small, safe-for-indoors smoke machine? :D

Speaking of trees, look at THIS:

Let's Open The Ghostbusters "Mini-Puft Surprise" That Lives Up To Its Name

Listen, I really love Ghostbusters.

That's it.

That's the only explanation I have for this.

 

 

 

("Goo bag" is not something you get to say often. Goo bag goo bag goo bag.)

A Hufflepuff Wedding, Tangled Lady Knight, & The Labyrinth Family Cosplay To End All Family Cosplays

Happy Friday, my pumpkin-spiced pretties! It's a gray, rainy day here in Orlando, which I love, but the rain also knocked out our power, which I don't. John and I just spent 10 minutes driving around a Wal-Mart parking lot, trying to get close enough to mooch some wi-fi, hah. (John IS inside buying groceries, so I feel less mooch-ish. [Moochy? Mooch-inary?])

Not that I'm complaining; I have the pitter-patter of rain on the car roof, cold a/c on my face, and a post full of nerdy loveliness to share.

So let's do this.

First up, event planner Hannah Hester teamed up with photographer Christine White to create the most STUNNING Hufflepuff wedding shoot:

This is gasp-worthy gorgeousness. And look at the wands!

You know I'm not subtle with my fandoms, but when it comes to weddings I can appreciate a little restraint. You definitely have to look twice to catch all the Hufflepuff-y touches in this shoot, but that adds an extra thrill of discovery, right?

Swooning over the vintage mix of golds and soft yellows.

So perfect!

They included touches of honey: a honey cocktail and honeycomb design on the wedding cake:

Dragon Con 2021: The Funniest Cosplay You Missed

What, you thought just because I wasn't at Dragon Con this year I wouldn't have any cosplay roundups?

P'ffft.

P'FFFT I SAY.

 I spent most of my free time this last week relentlessly seeking out and saving the funniest, punniest, and overall best of the best cosplays to share with y'all, which has been such a blast.

Let's start off strong with the most popular fandom all weekend: Loki. Dragon Con's famous Marriott lobby was actually featured in the show, so you knew folks were going to have a field day making their own variants, right?

Well never fear, because it looks like the Time Variant Authority is here to prune both Totoro-ki and Ky-loki:


(via tjblackburn 81)

Ky-loki, y'all. C'mon. GIVE IT UP. 

Ahh, but wait, I think I can do you one better. In fact, this may be the punniest cosplay of the whole con this year. I'll give you a sec - can you guess who this is?

(via August Blake)

Did you guess?

Look again. Now?

She's the Delta Variant, y'all.

I'm not sure if that's a wink or a wince, Tom, but really, either works.


I also have to show you this adorable Miss Minutes:

(via tjblackburn 81)

The mask! The clock purse! The TVA belt buckle! I hope she wears this to Disney's next Dapper Day.

Now the coolest TikTok pruning EVER: