Summer of the Waffle

I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but somehow I ended up speculating on what would be the next food trend to follow fancified cupcakes and ostentatious donuts.

“Maybe waffles. Do you think waffles could be gourmet? Like will there be food trucks selling artisan waffles?”

Yes and yes, as it turns out.

There are now waffle trucks. And, here in Phoenix, there’s a waffle trailer that serves traditional Belgian liege waffles with the recipe, technique, and even sugar imported from Belgium.

The trailer is the latest venture of Chocolade van Brugge, the chocolate shop I was introduced to during the Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale. So there are all kinds of tempting topping options, including, of course, really good chocolate.

They’ve declared this The Summer of the Waffle and threw a party to kick it off, parking the trailer in Scottsdale’s Eldorado Park on a lovely May evening. Peixoto Coffee Roasters was there with big jars of iced coffee and cascara (coffee cherry tea) and their pour-over coffee setup. Hoot and Holler had organized the event and set the tables with beautiful flower arrangements.

We tried a mini waffle topped with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yep, that’s as awesome as it sounds. Our other mini waffle came with delicious dark chocolate, caramel, and more sea salt than I personally would’ve prefered – but I’m sure they’d lighten that up on request. I’d definitely order it again.

Peixoto did a decaf pour over for me, since it was late in the day. Ridiculously good. Did not taste like decaf. Phillip got an iced coffee, which he enjoyed (even though it kept him up). I like their iced coffee too. It’s my pre-CraftHack beverage of choice.

We got to meet and chat with the owners of both shops. Both are passionate about their craft and their ingredients. Both have come from other continents, bringing along their heritage and sharing a part of it with the Phoenix community.

Besides the waffle truck that’s a trailer, you can find Chocolade van Brugge waffles at their main location in Old Town Scottsdale, and they frequently do pop up shops in Downtown Chandler at Peixoto.

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Thank you to Peixoto, Chocolade Van Brugge, and Hoot and Holler for allowing us to be your guests at this event!

June 8, 2015August 24, 2015

Puppet Maker

We were waiting to cross the street at a busy intersection when a maniacal laugh came from the center of the crowd.

It turned out to be coming from Salacious Crumb, the small monkey-lizard creature you may have seen hanging out with Jabba the Hut in Return of the Jedi.

Actually, it was a Salacious Crumb puppet, created by fellow Star Wars Celebration attendee Ian Martin.

Ian made the puppet from Latex and attached a sound board to the bottom, so he could make him laugh or shriek. I believe he said this was the first puppet he’s made. Impressive.

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Jun 5, 2015 at 7:40pm PDT

If you can’t see the short video I posted above of Salacious Crumb in action, you can find it on my Instagram.

Also, check out Ian’s YouTube channel for more on how he made the puppet.

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June 4, 2015June 7, 2015

Constructing Costumes, Characters, and Time-Traveling Cars

At Phoenix Comicon, I attended 5 panels where authors, cosplayers, and time-machine builders gave advice about their respective crafts.

Character Clothing

Four authors and a comic book artist shared about the role clothing plays in their works and what to keep in mind when you consider how your characters dress.

1. What Are They Wearing?:

Is the clothing functional in the environment? If not, make sure the character feels its effects. –Travis Hanson

Try making the costume of one of your characters and wearing it for day. Feel what it’s like to move around in what they wear. Sensory input can really inform your writing. –Leanna Renee Hieber

Cosplay

2. A Beginner’s Guide to Foam Smithing:

New cosplayers often start working with foam, because it’s fairly easy to work with and cheap. If something you try doesn’t work, you’re probably only out about 50 cents.

Foam doesn’t have to be something you move on from. You can incorporate many different materials into your costume. It also uses many of same tools as Sintra and other thermoplastics. [Check out the Tools and Materials list in our DIY Armor post.]

3. Cosplay Like a Pro: Less Stress, More Fun!

You notice the flaws of a costume you’ve been working on but others won’t. They see the overall picture.

Remember the 10-foot rule: your costume doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to look good from 10 feet away. If someone wants to get closer than that, that’s when you suddenly have a panel to rush off to.

4. We are ALL Wonder Women! with Heather Ann Cosplay, Stray Kat Cosplay, and Whitney.

Even if you feel you don’t look like the character or aren’t sure about your costume, you can feel like Wonder Woman. –Stray Kat Cosplay

Watching Wonder Woman inspired little girls that
they could stand up for themselves and others. –Whitney

Time Machine

Oliver and Terry Holler used parts they found and made to turn a DeLorean into a far out Back to the Future time machine. With it, they have traveled to all 50 states to fund raise for a future Parkinson’s Disease cure (a cause close to my heart because of my cousin Allison).

5. Back to the Future: Adventures in a DeLorean Time Machine:

The great thing about making something yourself is then you can fix it.

Money comes and goes. Time only goes.

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Thank you to Phoenix Comicon for providing media passes.

May 24, 2015March 27, 2020

DIY Armor: Tips from cosplay experts

“Making costumes is addictive. You never just do one costume. It destroys your life.”
–501st Legion

I went to a couple of fascinating back-to-back maker panels at Star Wars Celebration. They shared tips that would be useful in all kinds of craft – even if you’re not into Star Wars.

The panels were given by two groups.

501st Legion: make/wear Star Wars “dark side” costumes (Darth Vader, stormtroopers, etc.)
Mandalorian Mercs Costuming Club: make/wear armor-clad bounty hunter costumes (Boba Fett). Four members constructed armor for a panel audience volunteer in just 40 minutes (!)

Like Justice League Arizona (who I’ve mentioned before), members of these two groups build their own costumes, often make free appearances for charities and other good causes, and are passionate about what they do.

Getting started

501st Legion:

Don’t do a complicated metal costume like Boba Fett for your first costume. Do a soft costume.

Mandalorian Mercs:

You can get everything you need to make your armor for under $50 – tools, Bondo, gloves, etc. But know what level of tools to buy and when to spend less. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on good tools, if you’re able to.

Safety

Mandalorian Mercs:

- Wear gloves. Hot glue will burn you and will not stop burning until it cools off.
- The most dangerous thing is an X-ACTO knife. That’ll cut through you faster than a hot knife through butter.

Sizing for Costumes

Audience question: How do you adapt costume templates for people who wear larger sizes?

Mandalorian Mercs: Use optical illusion – black fabric, extra flanks, etc. Adapt templates to fit your body. People don’t all have the same proportions, especially women. Get up close with a friend, who can help you get your exact measurements. Armor must be molded to your body. I don’t think anyone else could put on my armor.

501st Legion:

It’s better to have slightly less accurate armor that’s proportionate to you. You don’t have to stick with on-screen measurements.

Mandalorian Mercs:

Make a duct tape dummy for a perfect cast of your body you can use to create a costume sized to fit.

1. Put on a t-shirt that’s one size too small.
2. Duct tape around yourself.
3. Have friend cut it off down the back.

Materials and Tools

Audience question: Does costume material have to be the same as the original?

501st Legion: No. It comes down to the finish. If a piece is painted well, you can’t tell what it was made from.

Mandalorian Mercs:

A dremel set is one of the most important tools. It makes plastic look like metal. However, it is extremely messy. It goes so fast it can eat into your armor.
The best place to find expanded PVC board, a.k.a. Sintra is a sign shop. [I believe Sintra is what they used for the armor-making demo. –TCJ]
You can get Bondo at Walmart. It comes in large container that should last a long time. Do not glob Bondo on. Use rubber spatula to smooth on small bits.
Krylon paints dry quickly and last. Don’t mix them with Rustoleum, because it won’t cure. Some people prefer to airbrush.
Primer is like the Velcro to help your paint stick. It’ll last longer.

501st Legion:

Use rare earth magnets when working with metal that you can’t clamp down on. Just don’t accidentally glue your magnets to your armor!

Sourcing

Mandalorian Mercs:

Costume pieces may be incorporated from found items, seemingly random things like a battery cover from a palm pilot. We like go on what we call “scavenger hunts”. You’ll never look at the thrift store or dollar store the same way.

501st Legion:

It’s funny how our costume obsession has increased the price on random and ridiculous stuff on eBay! 3D printing can be a cost-effective alternative.

Final Thought

501st Legion:

Sometimes we get too obsessed with details and have to remind ourselves: “Just relax. We’re just plastic spacemen.”

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Thank you to Star Wars Celebration for providing media passes.

May 18, 2015

Clever ways to organize craft supplies

So my craft stuff had gotten a little out of control. I went looking for ideas on how to corral it, and I thought I’d share some of my faves with you. Because I’m guessing I’m not the only one with art or craft supplies run amok.

1. Multi-purpose craft room – I love the way Alexis (of Persia Lou) incorporated space for various types of craft, work, and for her kids to entertain themselves all in one room!

2. Repurposed containers – Put vintage finds you love to use as storage!

3. Convert a hutch to a sewing space!

4. Craft supply shelves – Matching glass jars give even a mishmash of supplies a uniform appearance a and allow you to see what you’ve got.

5. Craft closet makeover – one couple transformed a closet into a welcoming workspace.

6. DIY birch branch brush holder – Drill holes into a piece of branch to hold brushes, pens, or other tools.

7. Repurpose an old ironing board as a place to hold spools of thread.

8. Art journal cart – This IKEA cart is a great place to keep journals and supplies. And it’s mobile, so you can have a workspace anywhere in the house.

9. You can see the same rolling carts used for other types of supplies in this studio. Also love the 3-tiered metal lazy Susan!

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Photos via respective sites.