Tauriel Cosplay - Photoshoot Sneak Peek

Hey ya'll!!

Sooooo today was awesome -- I finally did that photoshoot as Tauriel I've been promising you guys!!! It was freezing cold, but oh so worth it. :D

I'm so excited for you all to see the pictures!! I'm currently editing them up and such, buuuuut here's a little sneak peek...

More pics to come soon!!! :)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Nails and Butter Pecan Cookies

Hullo, my lovely friends and followers!

So, yesterday was the first day of winter, and now Christmas is only 3 days away! :D

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love giving and receiving gifts, getting together with family and friends, and, most importantly, celebrating Jesus' birth. ^_^

Yesterday, to get into the spirit of things, I decided to do some "Christmas baking" -- even though there wasn't technically anything Christmas-y about the recipe... ;) I also did my nails Christmas style... nothing fancy, but I think they're cute. ;)

I made butter pecan cookies (recipe at end of post) -- which I hadn't made in years! I made them with almond flour and honey, instead of wheat flour and sugar, because, as some of you may know, I'm on a special diet, the "specific carbohydrate diet" (SCD), that doesn't allow me to have wheat, sugar, most starches (think rice, potatoes, corn), and a few other random things, because I have celiac disease. It's not life-threatening, but it is chronic and has been a trial for me.

ANYWAY, back to le cookies... :D

And the finished cookies! (They tasted amazing, by the way. :D)

And in case anyone wanted it, here's the recipe!

SCD Butter-Pecan Cookies
Ingredients:

- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the almond flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and pecans in a bowl.
3. Combine the vanilla, egg, butter, and honey in another bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
5. Drop heaping 2-tablespoon-sized portions of the batter about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.

Makes 18-20 cookies.

The Desolation of Smaug Midnight Premiere

THE NIGHT OF DECEMBER 12TH, 2013.

IT HAPPENED.

THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG.

In Walmart. xD

These are some pictures from the night at the theater, WHICH WAS SO MUCH FUN. :D :D :D There were quite a few other people dressed up, and the feeling of comradery was just great.

And the movie... STINKING AMAZING!!!!! SMAUG BEORN THRANDUIL TAURIEL LEGOLAS BARD LAKETOWN EREBOR MIRKWOOD DWARVES IN BARRELS EPIC FIGHTING TAURIEL/KILI/LOL AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH just everything pretty much. ^_^ So epic and awesome and AMAZING. :D :D :D I actually got to see it again yesterday!! EVEN BETTER the second time around!!! Ahhhhh just...wow. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR NOW FOR THE FINAL MOVIE OMG!!!! O_O

SOOOOOOO peeps...what about you guys? Have you seen it yet??? Midnight premiere? Dressed up? Thoughts on the movie? Tell me in le comments! :)

Tauriel Cosplay - The Final Update

Today is a special day.

On June 13, 2013, exactly 173 days ago, I wrote the second post on this blog. It was concerning my latest cosplay idea, Tauriel. I was then on summer vacation, and the first trailer for the Desolation of Smaug had just released.

"The idea began to form when the first official picture of Tauriel was released...I began to think how much fun it might be to recreate that costume and wear it to the midnight premiere of The Desolation of Smaug in theaters...So, I have officially found my next adventure. Becoming an elf of Mirkwood."

Over the course of those almost 6 months, many amazing adventures have occurred.

For one, this blog has grown to 18 posts, 8 followers, and almost 5,000 views. You don't know how happy and proud I am of that; it has been such a dream come true. I have always wanted to write a blog that people actually read. And I have you, all my wonderful friends and followers, to thank for that!!!  Secondly, I have [almost] completed my second dual-enrolled college course. It's been a long, and a lot of times hard, road, but has definitely been a great experience.  Thirdly, I started taking horse riding lessons again, at a nearby stable. I have always loved horses and riding, so it has been tons of fun getting back into that.

And last, but definitely not least, I completed my second cosplay: Tauriel of the Mirkwood Realm, from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

The creation of this costume has been such a crazy, difficult, long, fun, and, at times, plain maddening adventure. From finding boots to sewing leather, I learned so much and enjoyed every bit of it.  And now, that adventure is finally at an end. But the journey isn't over yet! We've still got NINE DAYS to go until The Desolation of Smaug midnight premiere, and the debut of my costume!!!  (Needless to say, I'm nearly hyperventilating from excitement. :D)

Unfortunately, I don't have any [good] pictures of the cosplay to share - yet! I'm hoping to do a photoshoot soon, and then of course I will post a gazillion pictures. ;)  Until then, here's a shot of the full assembled costume. 100% complete. ^_^

And one last picture, for Grace - the back of the leather bodice. (I'm going to use black lacing, though.)

Until later!

-AnElvenPrincess