Trying Something New At Leaky Con 2022

Halloo!

I'm still easing back into a full work schedule, so what better way than with MORE FUN CON COVERAGE?

John and I weren't even planning to attend Leaky Con this year, but they surprised us with Press passes - when we didn't even apply - and it's right here in Orlando. Can't say no to that! So we dropped in both Saturday and Sunday to do a little filming *and* flash portraits, as y'all requested.

Leaky Con is like no other con; it's tiny, super niche, and filled with the friendliest, most welcoming Harry Potter fans you could hope for. (They kicked off with an onstage announcement emphasizing their support for trans rights and all people, and happily that was reflected in the crowd.) The vibe is super relaxed, and with so little to do or see, nearly everyone is there to socialize and have fun.

(Risa Hale)

In fact this was the perfect test run for John's latest build, which allows us to film and take flash photos at the same time. By attaching a flash to the opposite end of his camera gimble, John can carry a flash in either hand along with the video rig, while I carry the DSLR. This lets us switch seamlessly from John taking video to me taking flash portraits, zero downtime.

Plus we look EXTRA profesh with all this gear, ha.
(Except John is trying to... twerk?... here, so not THAT profesh.)

Mixing portraits with video is a new adventure for us, and I love not having to choose between the two. Hopefully we captured the best of both worlds?

Tell you what, let's find out:

Eh? Eh?

This took us FOREVER, it's so, so much work. But dang, it pretty.

But wait, I have more to tell you!

The Celebration That Must Not Be Named, 2022

Last weekend was one of my favorite local fan events: The Celebration That Must Not Be Named. When Universal Orlando cancelled their official Harry Potter Celebration back in 2019, the fans took it on themselves to keep the event going, and so the "Uncelebration" was born. I think I may like the fan-run version better; it's smaller (but growing!), more close-knit, and focuses more on the community and making friends. The regulars I see year after year are some of the most lovable goofballs I know, they always inspire me to be just a *little* sillier, in the best ways.

(Photo by Nona Sandberg-Zierler)

Sadly I wasn't able to attend this year's Uncelebration, because John and I were helping a friend move. (Which was actually super fun, no regrets.) HOWEVER, thanks to my relentless internet stalking, I still have tons of highlights and photos to share! So let's gooooo.

The fan group that organizes the Uncelebration is the Central Florida Slug Club, and admins Melissa and Stephanie are the most welcoming, enthusiastic hosts you could hope for. Love these ladies.

That's actually admin Melissa Penatzer on the right.

You don't have to live in central Florida to join the Slug Club, so feel free to join me over there in fangirling over everyone's photos and posts, they're good people.


(photo by Nona Sandberg-Zierer)

D'awww.

... though I'll admit some are a little shiftier than others:


(photo by Diane Lewis)

Oh hey, I just realized Peter is even "missing" a finger. That's some excellent attention to detail!

  Here's Nona Sandberg-Zierler herself as the Gray Lady, one of the ghosts of Hogwarts:


... with a gorgeous Rowena Ravenclaw.

Then Nona's hubby was Nearly Headless Nick!

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:

A Haunted House Vending Machine, "Golden Ghouls", & Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Roly-Poly Fish Heads

I joined a Halloween Decorations group on Facebook last month, and the folks over there are giving me LIFE, laughs, and tons of inspiration:

(Posted by Joseph L.)

Goals for next year, John? (Look at the projected Slimer in the window!)

This Hogwarts castle is so incredible I thought it was Photoshop 'til I saw the build photos:

See the house behind it? That's how big this thing is!

And it lights up?!

If you're as instantly obsessed as I am, good news: you can find all the details (there are so many more!) and geek out over the build photos on their Facebook page, Diagon Alley Austin Halloween House.

John's going to have to stage an intervention, because I am getting IDEAS.

They're not all enormous and epic builds, though; sometimes we get delightfully silly fandom nods, like The Golden Ghouls:

That's a cheesecake in the middle, covered with plastic spiders. :D

The outfits are spot-on, right?

::snerk::

Go see all the detail pics on Hill Wk's original post.

*****

In the same spooky spirit I must show you this Dr. Demento hilarity posted by Michaela over on Weird Secondhand Finds : 

Watch The Robot Apocalypse With Bougie PB&Js

Top of the Tuesday to you, bots and tots. What's shakin'? Or jiggling? Multiple answers accepted.

Today I thought I'd share some cool stuff I'm watching and/or reading and/or eating, along with random photos from various Life Activities. Cool? Cool.

First, the movie John and I watched last night that I highly recommend:

The Mitchells vs The Machines

A family on a road trip gets waylaid by the robot apocalypse, and HIJINKS ENSUE. Super funny, extremely current with social media references and parodies galore, fabulously fun action, and heavy on the feel-good schmaltz - but not in a Pixar tear-jerker way, so we're good. I laughed out loud so many times with this one, definitely give it a watch on Netflix the next time you need some light-hearted laughs.

The Mitchells is made by the same folks behind Into The Spiderverse,  btw, so it has a little of that zany animation style. Less comic book and more story book, though. Also if they don't make a plush of the wall-eyed dog then I will RIOT. :p


Here's another way to add a little excitement to your evening:

Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds this adjective choice hilarious, because the people in line with me did NOT. Pthhp.

Also, really? A neck mask? Listen, I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but your neck looks awesome. Seriously. Save your exhilarating neck mask dollars for something better, like, uh...

Oh! These!

These were the snacks at our last Craft Night: three dollar wine from Aldi that everyone agreed tastes like a kids' juice box - but is somehow 8% alcohol so LOOK OUT - and Bamba Peanut Snacks from Trader Joe's, which taste like peanuts that have been transmogrified into Cheetos. Super weird, but good. And not too salty. Which could probably describe a lot of us here.

Kari, who brought the Cheeto Peanuts (Cheenuts? Peatos?) claims if you put both those and the wine in your mouth at the same time it tastes like a bougie PB&J, so there's your homework this week. Taste test and report back.

I'll have a proper update later, but John and I are still working our tails off most nights over at the rental renovation. Last night John was crawling around in the attic and suddenly slammed a screwdriver through the ceiling of the room I was in, so when people tell you the excitement fizzles after 22 years of marriage, don't you believe them.

Oh yeah, we keep it kooky.

Yesterday I set my phone down on the book I was reading, and it looked so pretty I had to take a picture. Which I needed my phone for, ha. But don't' worry, I made it work:

Book Looks, A Firey Puppet, & This Pink Puffball Turned John Into A Puddle

'Tsup, bots and britches?

Sorry, I was just trying something there.

So, hey! I'm back with more fun finds and cool creators - the stuff that's made me smile and kept me dreaming this week. I hope it does the same for you.

***

First up, Brittina of Book Looks by B is a makeup artist inspired by book covers, and this is such a fresh take I absolutely love it:

Not only do you get her amazing art, you also get some sweet book recommendations! Give Brittina a follow over on Instagram for lots more.

*****

Brianna Newsome has themed her entire house after Harry Potter, and y'all, it is MAGIC. Here, I'll show you just a few of her photos, so you can squeal with me:

A Honeydukes kitchen! EEEEEE!

Then she has an Herbology themed bathroom:

Magical Kitchen Makeover: Final Reveal!

I've kept you in suspense long enough - to the point that you've probably forgotten all about this project - so let's finally take a look at the mostly finished, Harry Potter-inspired, magical kitchen makeover!

(Btw, in this context "magical" = "super low cost," ha.)

(Also if you missed Part One of this kitchen re-do, go see it here!)

First let me remind you of the "Before:"

The kitchen was a glaring white box with harsh fluorescent lighting, bare walls, and roughly painted cabinetry. Completely at odds with the rest of the house, which our friend Dana has decorated like Hogwarts: heavy carved furniture, rugs, tapestries, and candles everywhere.

Our goal was to reduce the overall lighting but add more in the work areas, then add texture, age, and a little cottage-witch character by decorating with things Dana already owned.

Enough suspense, here's the "after"!

Ta-daaaa! 

(Sorry I only have nighttime phone pics; try to imagine this brighter and sharper, k?)

You can see it's much cozier now; the lighting alone made a huge difference in warming up the space.

The old lighting was cold and gave everything a sickly blue/green tint:

And those bare white walls weren't helping.

John glazed the walls to give them an aged plaster look, and we added faux brick vinyl to the bulkhead up top to make it more interesting:

Hard to see here, but John also built a wall shelf over the fridge to fill that awkward space.

The kitchen also includes a small dining area, here's the "before":

A Magical Kitchen Makeover

Quick note: We support trans rights here, and I completely understand if you've chosen to remove yourself from the Harry Potter fandom as a result of its author's beliefs. I also understand those like me who've chosen to celebrate the work apart from its creator. Wherever you stand, please remember to love each other, and be kind.

*****

Our friend Dana is a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so much that his entire house is Potter'd out year-round. His foyer is a mini portrait gallery:

...there are floating candles in his living room (which turn on automatically at night):

...and his bedroom is the Gryffindor Common Room, complete with a giant wooden 4-poster bed and wall tapestries: 

And it is all absolutely magical.

Dana is also a wand maker, and handcrafts beautiful styles with gemstones and jewelry findings. (Remember when John and I built a framed wall display for him?) So really, this style reflects a lot of who Dana is.

That's a long lead-in to say the one room in Dana's house that stood out like a sore (but brightly-lit) thumb was his kitchen. Let's get right to the "before" shots and our list of design challenges for the space:

Let's Stop To Smell The Hogwarts Castle

I just had one of those "Wait, it's Thursday?" moments - but in a bad way. Anyone else?

This week feels like it's slipping away double-speed, and if you're feeling the same then I have a little reminder for all of us: 

Sometimes when you're feeling really behind the answer isn't to speed up, it's to slow down.

So c'mon, let's stop and smell these pretty Hogwarts pictures.

Mmmmm. Smells like a sense of wonder and Iocane powder.

Definitely getting some whiffs of cotton candy here.

Or, if you prefer your angles - and your intellects - more dizzying:

This one's Angry Cotton Candy

Lemon drops. With a touch of cedar.

2020's Celebration That Must Not Be Named: Cornish Pixies, Puking Pastilles, & Pocket Hagrid!

 For 3 magical years Universal Orlando hosted the "Celebration of Harry Potter", a full weekend of Potter-ific exhibits and activities, before abruptly cancelling the event last year. We fans showed up anyway and had a grand time, but hoped Universal would officially bring back Celebration for 2020.

Here we are in the future, though, and Universal has still shown no sign of bringing Celebration back. But not to worry; once again the fans took matters into their own hands, and hosted their own!

It's called Un-Celebration or The Celebration That Must Not Be Named, depending on the group, and I almost like this version better than the official one. We basically had a mini Potter convention right there in the park, complete with games, costumes, and mingling with new and familiar friends.

 

These are just the Ravenclaws; there were too many of us to attempt a full group photo!

The CUTEST little Hedwig.

The Central Florida Slug Club organized this meetup, and Melissa - who helps run the group - even passed out a fun "Bingo" style game to get everyone mingling. This was brilliant, because it encouraged folks to approach each other and start chatting about things they had in common. I'm definitely stealing this idea for the future!

This is Melissa, btw:

(@mrp1220)

Ha! Do you recognize her cosplay? It's from a display in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes:

Weasley's Puking Pastilles!

John and I didn't really have costumes, but the night before I remembered our friend Sharyn had made us three crocheted badger hats for our Hufflepuff Slumber Party. So we grabbed our friend Karen and showed up as a Hufflehug of Hufflepuffs:

Dressed To The 9 3/4s 2019: Stepping Out For Universal's Potter-Themed Dapper Day

Last weekend John and I strutted our 'Puff at Dressed To The 9 3/4s, a fan-run event at Universal that's basically Dapper Day, only Wizarding World themed. You've heard me rave about this event for the last two years, so buckle up; I'm about to rave some more. :D

(I really love this shirt & skirt I found last-minute on Amazon, I'll link them in my Lists for you guys! They're both stretchy and SUPER comfy, but still flattering, I think.)

 

The official 9 3/4s meetup times were earlier this year, so we missed ALL of them, ha. Happily the weather was so nice that nearly everyone stuck around, though, so I was able to find plenty of dapper witches and wizards over the rest of the afternoon.

Cmon, I'll show you some of my favorites!

I know Aleta (on the left) from photographing her at Dragon Con, where her steampunk cosplays are the stuff of dreams. Love seeing her rocking blue and bronze - I know some Ravenclaws who will be happy to see this!

On the opposite end of the style spectrum, how about some Rockabilly Professor Sprout vibes?

(Hufflepuff At The Beach)

Eeeee, SO CUTE. I want this whole outfit, but mostly her shoes! (My yellow Chucks are too lemony-bright, I need this shade.)

Here's another fellow 'Puff wearing her wand like a hair stick(!!):

 I love her vest. Actually I love all their vests. Vests rock, we should collectively be wearing more of them.

I'm getting some Viktor Krum vibes here with the fur collar:

FOE & Tell: Hoopy Froods, Sock-Hopping Tribbles, & Gondor Calls For Aid

It's been too long since I shared some of my favorite FOE finds! (That's Fans of Epbot, btw, a fan-run Facebook group.) I find new favorites all the time, but it takes me a while to compile everything, and then John hunts down everyone a month or two later to ask for their permission to share here. So prepare to ooh and ahh, laugh a bit, and of course judge me for how old some of theses posts are. ;p

 Bahaha! Yes, yes she does.

(Psst, Erin, next you should "accidentally" send her a jetpack and some steampunk clothes!)

*****

When Kelli found an adorable little whale statue at OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware, I think?), she knew EXACTLY what to do:

... name him Arthur and put a tiny pot of petunias on his head.

(The little flowers are from Michael's.)

This is a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference, in case you're lost. I highly recommend reading the books if you haven't! And I know it's been a while since Kelli posted this on FOE, but if any of you happen to see this whale sometime, please, grab it for me! I'll pay you back. See, I'm turning 42 next year, and, well... NEED.

Which reminds me, Shanda just inspired one of my next Cricut projects:

Now there's a hoopy frood who really knows where her towel is. Bravo, Shanda!

*****

Warning: after you see this next post from Morgen you may have to fight some Extreme Crafting Urges:

A few details: 

 

 Eeeeee!! C'mon, who else wants to make tiny dioramas on tiny golf ball planets now, ala The Little Prince? ::raises both hands:: I hope you're displaying this under a little glass cloche, Morgen; I feel like that would set it off beautifully.

*****

Megan and her friends made their own Star Trek Sock Hop dresses, and I can't handle the cute:

Jen's Gems: A Crafty Hogwarts Bed, The Kardashian LIbrarians, & DIsney Magic with the Dora Milaje

Here's an older gem that crossed my feed again today:

Paper Smaug, made from the pages of the Hobbit!

 That's by FarTooManyIdeas, featured on Laughing Squid

*****

Some librarians from New Zealand got together to do a thing, and it's pretty much the best thing ever:

via ElectricLit

Bahahaha! I think they're even sitting on giant books!

*****

One of the members of my local Slug Club, Gabriela, shared the most INCREDIBLE upcycle for her son Cash's bedroom, and you've gotta see this.

She started with an old Thomas the Train bed frame:

 ... and transformed it into the Hogwarts Express!

I KNOW RIGHT?! So many Kermit flails over here.

I was about to ask Gabriela if I could share her pics with you guys, but then last week she got her own feature over on Inside the Magic! Sweet! So just head over there for finished photos of the whole room, like this:

She made a train tunnel wall! THIS IS AMAZING.

And you guys, that's a real dog. Cash has his own Fang! (Cash's parents are going to dress him up as Hagrid this Halloween, can't wait to see that.)

*****

Get ready to call me a liar, because see this lightsaber built by Alexander Jones?

It's made of cardboard.

No, really! Here's a process pic as proof:

I think the trick is using that metallic paper and/or metal tape; it's INCREDIBLY convincing. Go see Alexander's post on the RPF FB page for more process photos. (And if you're like me, get ready to have an intense desire to build a paper light saber. Dang.)

*****

And finally, this Hayes Family Vlog shared by Backstage Humor comes with it's own squad of happy onion ninjas. You have been warned:

From the Hayes:

**Malia has an autoimmune condition called Alopecia that prevents her from growing hair. She is a perfectly healthy little girl otherwise. We use our fun character interactions to promote the idea of positivity, self love, and awareness for Alopecia**

There's so much good in this video, but mostly I'm in awe of  T'Challa and the Dora Milaje! They are incredible: so in character, nailing the accents, like they walked right off the screen. And then little Malia's excitement at meeting them! Ah! My heart is full.

I hope these filled up your heart, too, peeps. Now tell me, what's the sweetest thing you've seen online this week? Share your links in the comments!