5 Fandom Friday: My Favorite Fandom Accessories

January 30, 2015 Nina Penalosa11 Comments

Happy Friday, my little ponies! I’m super stoked about this week’s 5 Fandom Friday as it’s fashion related. Woo! To say it was pretty tough just trying to pick five of my favorite fandom related accessories is an understatement — I have sooo many baubles and doo-dads to choose from, so it was a ridiculous. #firstworldgeekproblems

I mean, I didn’t call my blog Le Fancy Geek for nothin’! Anyhow here are the ones I decided to feature for this post:

1. Admiral Ackbar statement necklace by Rockets & Rainbows

I don’t know why, but I just love Admiral Ackbar! Is it his name? The fact that he’s a huge piece of calamari? Or the fact that it’s so fun to say his infamous “IT’S A TRAP” line? Perhaps it’s all these things. But what I do know is that when I first saw this Admiral Ackbar necklace (made out of an old Mirco Machines toy) in Jennifer Landa‘s Etsy shop, Rockets & Rainbows, I knew I had to have it!

I also did an outfit post a couple years ago with it, you can check it out here.

2. Loki necklace by Trinket Slot

I made an immediate beeline when I spotted this Loki necklace from across the way at Trinket Slot‘s booth at Anime Expo last year! I love how it allows me to subtly show off my allegiance to Loki’s Army, and also the fact the helmet has a heart in it.♡

If you’d like one for yourself, you can get it here.

3. Chewbacca ring

I am sooo in love with this ring! I remember seeing a post on Pinterest with a Stormtrooper, Boba Fett, and Vader ring too, but no indication as to where one could buy such epic finger trinkets. RUGH! But when I went to Portland last year, I visited a store (can’t remember what it’s called, sorry) and I saw the same exact rings!!! It took me awhile to figure out which one I should get, but ultimately decided Chewbacca was the best choice. Plus I have a lot of Darkside swag anyway. Gotta keep balance in the Force, y’know?

4. Minnie Mouse ears

How could I not include an accessory from Disney a.k.a. my biggest fandom of all?! Mouse ears are so much fun, I wish it was acceptable to wear them everywhere besides Disney parks, conventions, Halloween, etc. Like, can’t I just come to work and be taken seriously while wearing them?

5. Hufflepuff infinity scarf

When my sister told me she was crocheting scarves for Christmas last year, I got all excited and ~~said~~ exclaimed, “I WANT A HUFFLE PUFF SCARF!!!” But she told me she already bought all the yarn she was going to use for everyone. Sigh. Come Christmas morning I found that she was already a step ahead of me. She even made a little one for Rory! I’m pretty sure if he put the Sorting Hat on, he’d be placed in Hufflepuff too. 🙂

What are your favorite fandom accessories? Lemme know in the comments!

Uncategorized

The Funday Post

January 25, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

The Funday Post is back! Let’s get this smorgasbord of links started, shall we?

♥ This woman took her dying pooch on a grand adventure (WARNING: Get tissues before reading)

♥ Actual text messages from an unbearable mother will make you appreciate yours

♥ I can’t get over Sir Ian McKellen teaching Cookie Monster about the word “resist”

♥ 23 inspirational quotes from Maurice Sendak

♥ 11 quotes on writing from Neil Gaiman

♥ Abbi from Broad City dancing to “Edge of Glory” nekkid is the best!

♥ Adorable moments with Winnie the Pooh

What are your favorite internet finds?

geek style · le fancy geek boutique

Sweetheart Necklaces added to Le Fancy Geek Boutique

January 25, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

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Hey my little ponies! I added four new necklaces to Le Fancy Geek Boutique, just in time for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day if you plan on celebrating with your girlfriends)!

These necklaces feature some of my favorite couples from television and cinema on heart shaped pendants including Turk and J.D. from Scrubs (probably my favorite of the bunch), Sam and Suzy from Moonrise Kingdom, Margot and Richie Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenenbaums, and Chuck and Ned from Pushing Daisies.

Use code GALENTINES15 to take 10% off your order of $15+ (good until February 14). ♡

If you plan on ordering some necklaces, be sure to place your order by February 7 to get it in time for Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day!

5 fandom friday · out & about

5 Fandom Friday: Conventions I Wish To Attend

January 16, 2015 Nina Penalosa7 Comments

This week’s 5 Fandom Friday prompt is about one of my favorite things: CONVENTIONS!!! I’ve been lucky to go to a few — some big, some small, and some multiple times — such as San Diego Comic-Con International, WonderCon (but only when it was in San Francisco), Anime Expo, Stockton Con, Sac-Con, and BookCon. One of my favorite things about going to conventions are all the artists and small brands. I remember when the Tokidoki booth wasn’t always flooded, and you could actually just go up to Simone Legno and say, “Hey!” Gone are those days. But still, I think it’s so cool to watch these companies and artists grow more and more each year I go! 🙂

SDCC circa 2008 when I was hella into Tokidoki

There’s a plethora of different conventions going on all year, and so little time (and definitely little money) for me to get to them! But here are the top 5 I’d love to go to one day:

1. D23 Expo

This is a definitive DUH. A convention dedicated to all things Disney? YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU. No need to further explain my extreme desire to go.

2. Star Wars Celebration

See explanation for D23 Expo, but replace Disney with Star Wars.

3. Gallifrey One

A convention dedicated solely to Doctor Who! Same explanation as #2, but this time replace Disney with Doctor Who. 😉

4. New York Comic Con

I’ve heard really great things about NYCC, and a lot of the people I follow on social media always post pictures every year and it just looks like so much fun!

5. Geek Girl Con

A convention that celebrates my tribe! I don’t remember how I heard about Geek Girl Con, but I remember looking into being a vendor a couple years ago, then deemed that would be a bit much since it’s all the way in Seattle. I’d love to just go as an attendee though and be amongst all my fellow lady geeks. 🙂

What conventions are you aching to go to? Lemme know in the comments!

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

geek style · tasty travels

Crown & Crumpet

January 14, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

Hey my little ponies! On Monday I headed to San Francisco with a few of my friends to celebrate my birthday at Crown & Crumpet. It’s an adorable little tea spot in Japantown that’s a definite must for any tea lover to go to! I passed by their original location a few years ago when they were still in Ghirardelli Square and made a mental note to eventually go there.

When making plans for my birthday, I decided early on that I wanted to have afternoon tea in the city with my girlfriends and dress up like Disney princesses a la Disneybound! How else would one go about celebrating the last year of their twenties? I ended up not wearing a princessesy outfit, but I still felt pretty damn fancy in my navy doe dress from ModCloth and t-strap heels.

As I looked up different places that served afternoon tea, I remembered Crown & Crumpet and promptly Googled it. Their menu seemed less pricier than most places, and their tea menu had a bunch of delightful sounding blends. I nearly ordered Alice’s “Drink Me” tea — a black tea with champagne and sugar crystals — but was told it had caffeine, so I opted for the fruity Snow White tea. 🙂

Crown & Crumpet has the most adorable decor too! The tables are lined with cheery floral table cloth and with little pictures of angels, Union Jacks, and tea cups. The walls were adorned with the cutest art, and there’s a large clock on the wall with antique tea cups and saucers instead of numbers. It says, “It’s Time for Tea” underneath it. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the clock though. Sorry!

Crown & Crumpet had some delicious food and treats as well. Jen ordered a slice of berry cake that came with jam and clotted cream, and now I want jam on all the cakes I eat from now on. No more frosting, just jam! Caitlin and I ordered scones to go with our tea, and they came with lemon curd, clotted cream, and raspberry jam (I think it was raspberry anyway) which I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since then. Why aren’t there any places closer to me that serve afternoon tea with all the English accoutrements like Crown & Crumpet?! WHY?!

Shanice, Jen, and myself all ordered the tricolore sandwich and they were really nice about letting us add on chicken and substituting cheddar for mozzarella. Caitlin got the chicken pot pie and Jen damn near stole it from her because she thought it was amazing! Our waitress also overheard us saying it was someone’s birthday and brought a little cookie dough flavored cupcake with a candle, and had my friends sing happy birthday to me. 😀

Afterwards, I asked the manager (or perhaps she was the owner…?) if I could take some pictures inside their private party room for the blog and she was more than accommodating! I mentioned to her that I had heard about Crown & Crumpet from passing by their old location a few years ago, and she talked to me a bit about how they ended up in Japantown and that they hope to open another location in downtown San Francisco.

I’d definitely love to go back to Crown & Crumpet and try a different tea and get more scones (and a slice of cake)! You guys don’t understand, those scones were SO. TASTY. And that jam! Oh my goodness.

dress: ModCloth (no longer available) // cardigan & hair pin: H&M
shoes: American Rag // necklace: c/o oNecklace (buy here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here)

geek style

A Wish List For My Birthday

January 10, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

R2-D2 suitcase // Keiko Bonlook glasses
The Little Prince pullover // Duffy Bear purse // Totoro dress
Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman //Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Hey my little ponies! My birthday is on everyone’s least favorite day of the week: Monday. But I have the day off, so it won’t be so dreadful (at least I hope it won’t)! A few of my friends and I are going to dress up and head to San Francisco to have tea at a cute little tea shop to celebrate. I’m super excited!

I threw this little wish list together for funsies, I’m not expecting to get any of these things from my friends or family. In fact, I’m probably going to buy myself that Totoro dress by Her Universe if it’s still in stock at Hot Topic when my Hot Cash becomes active. Hopefully they’ll still have my size in stock! I’ve been waiting for this dress to come out ever since I saw pictures of it at Her Universe’s fashion show at San Diego Comic-Con. 🙂

What’s on your wish list?

5 fandom friday · Uncategorized

5 Fandom Friday: My Favorite Things About Winter

January 9, 2015 Nina Penalosa4 Comments

I was born and raised in the central valley of California, and still live in the Golden State. As many people know, Californians don’t have a “real” winter season. But I do want to note that when I lived in Daly City, it was like living in a perpetual foggy haze all year round! No sun. Very fog. Such depress. Wow.

Anywho, in other parts of California we do experience “cold” weather during winter that allows us to bundle up. Sometimes there are mornings where you may find the windows of your car covered in thin sheets of ice, and scrapping them off can be a bitch. But having snow all over your car? Driving in snow? NO THANK YOU. How do you people who experience real winter weather do it? HOW?!

We’re extremely spoiled over here, especially the Californians in SoCal!

This is basically how I felt when I was at Disneyland during the evening:

But it was stupid hot in the afternoon! Oh, California. You’re so strange.

Alright, now that I’ve established the lack of actual “real” winter weather I experience in my spot of the ‘verse, here are my 5 favorite things about the winter season:

1. Tea all day, everyday

I love myself a good cuppa. I’ll drink it even if the weather is deemed “too hot” to drink tea, but during winter it’s perfectly fine to have cups and cups of it! Lately I’ve been drinking this really yummy white pomegranate tea by a brand called Revolution. I found it at Ross for $3. Score!

2. It’s actually cold

Fall is my favorite season, but California has a hard time getting with the program. It was still stupid hot in October. I mean, 80 degree weather in October? What is that? HORRIBLE. AWFUL. UNACCEPTABLE. That’s what it is! So when winter comes, it’s absolutely lovely.

3. Bundling up in winter accessories

I prefer cold weather, and by that I mean I love overcast skies with a gentle breeze where the days are between 50-60 degrees and the nights are in the mid 40s. It’s my favorite! I’m still able to wear my tights with dresses (because eff pants), and layer on a jacket over a cardigan or sweater. Plus beanies and scarves are fun and sometimes necessary to wear. When I’m having a bad hair day, I love the fact that I can throw a cute knitted hat on and go to work. It makes life so much easier!

Winter also allows me to wear my everyday Robb Stark (Game of Thrones) cosplay (pictured above), complete with faux fur paw scarf. It has pockets lined with fleece too. 😀

4. Boots, boots, boots

This seems more like something that would be on a “My Favorite Things About Fall” list, but I LOVE boots. I’ll even try and wear my cowboy boots during the spring (bearable) and summer (terrible), but with winter it just gets colder and more appropriate to wear boots! Plus I got these G.H. Bass boots on sale at their outlet store in Livermore on New Year’s Eve and they’re made for wide calves. If you have wide calves like me, you know the struggle is real when it comes to shopping for boots.

5. Sales all over the place!

Every store seems to have a sale because of the end of the holiday season and the New Year. I’m a self-proclaimed shopaholic, so of course this is on my list. Haha! 😛

How’s winter where you are? Are you spoiled with a California winter like me, or are you freezing your tail off in the snow? Lemme know in the comments!

out & about

All Hail the Birthday Woman: Jenny Lewis ♡

January 8, 2015 Nina Penalosa7 Comments

On this day, thirty-nine years ago, the world was blessed with the presence that is known as Jenny Lewis (or as I like to call her, J.Lew). In case you’re not aware of the majesty that is Jenny Lewis (OMG WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW WHO SHE IS?!), please allow me to fill you in! She’s a former child actor (The Wizard, Troop Beverly Hills, etc), was the lead singer of the now defunct indie rock band Rilo Kiley, sang back-up vocals for The Postal Service, and she’s one of my absolute favorite musicians of all time! I mean, why else would I be writing a blog post about her on the anniversary of her grand debut to earth?

I list Jenny Lewis as one of my style inspirations too! Nine years ago I brought a picture of her to the hairstylist I used to go to in high school and said, “I want my bangs to look like hers.” And my forehead has hardly ever seen the light of day since. Also, homegirl has been rocking a pant suit lately that looks like the stuff daydreams and My Little Ponys are made of, and looks like a complete badass while doing so. <– this is where I’d insert an emoji of the two hands that look like they’re meant to be saying “PREACH” or “ALL HAIL” if I could, but I can’t because there’s no option for that on WordPress. – shrugs shoulders –

Aforementioned pantsuit can be seen on the cover of her album The Voyager and promo pics for it. Or if you look at all the pics in this post, it looks like the backdrop of the stage, her guitar, the cloth on the keyboards, and whatnot.

I got hooked on Rilo Kiley 11 years ago when my sister and her boyfriend gave me a copy of Take Offs and Landings for my birthday, and my love for the band and Jenny grew from there. Rilo Kiley and Jenny’s solo work were an integral part of my college career. “Breakin’ Up” was my anthem after I finally got over my first boyfriend in my early 20s, and again more recently as I’m getting over my last relationship. That song is ridiculously infectious, heartbreaking, and empowering! Some people listen to Beyonce for that kind of thing, but I have J.Lew (and Sara Bareilles, but this post isn’t about her). 😛

Anyhow, I’d listen to Rilo Kiley and Jenny’s solo projects while on the bus, in between classes, while I was doing homework, etc. Since I studied creative writing, some of my pieces were heavily influenced by her albums Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue, and some Rilo Kiley tunes.

Rilo Kiley disbanded before I ever got a chance to see them live, and I’m still crying on the inside about it! Despite the fact that Jenny toured often and always had a show in San Francisco, I was never able to go. RUGH! It was always a case of having no money, no one to go with, and no way of getting back home (Daly City buses always ran too early). Without fail, the shows would sell out immediately once I figured I could go. I came to the conclusion that I was just never meant to see her in concert and begrudgingly accepted it.

Thankfully, that changed last October! When I went to San Diego to visit my sister, I planned it so that I’d be there the same week Jenny Lewis would be at the House of Blues, and the show was miraculously not sold out yet! Needless to say, it was the BEST. SHOW. EVER. I was up on the second level and saw these girls down in the front row losing their shit — they were singing along passionately, reaching their arms longingly towards Jenny (I felt so bad for that poor security guard that was standing in front of them) — they were pretty much an outward reflection of how I was feeling on the inside. She opened the show with “Silver Lining” and I was seriously about to start ugly crying. It was like, “Holy shit. THIS IS HAPPENING!” And when she sang “Acid Tongue” and “A Better Son/Daughter” … ugh! She sounded like a sad little angel that just had their wings ripped off. <– I mean that in a good way. She’s just so brilliant live!

Hopefully that won’t be the only Jenny Lewis concert I ever go to, but if it is I’m quite content. <– no, but seriously, that really better not be the last J.Lew concert I go to.

Happy Birthday Miss Lewis! And thanks for everything 😀

PS: Are you a Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis fan too? Lemme know in the comments section so we can fangirl together! Or if there’s a band or solo artist that you love oh so dearly, tell me about ’em.

all pictures were taken and edited by moi

5 fandom friday

5 Fandom Friday (or Tuesday): New Years Fandom Resolutions

January 6, 2015 Nina Penalosa11 Comments

It’s obviously not Friday, but I wasn’t able to do the last 5 Fandom Friday post since I was galavanting around Disneyland. Weeee! Since I’m stuck at home with a case of the sniffles (booo) and a noggin that won’t stop pounding (more booing!), it’s the perfect time for me to catch up. The prompt from last week was to share “fandom” resolutions for 2015. I was a little stumped on coming up with 5 different resolutions relating to the fandom world, but I managed to figure out a few!

So without further ado here are my fandom resolutions for this year:

1. Re-read the Harry Potter series/read more in general

I’ve been meaning to re-read the Harry Potter series for quite some time, and I definitely want to buckle down and get it done this year! If only I knew where the hell I put my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. RUGH. I feel like I read a lot more in 2014 than I did in 2013, but at the same time I don’t think it was enough. This year I’m going to follow this reading challenge guide by Pop Sugar that my sister sent me on Pinterest. I’m going to kick things off with Steve Brezenoff’s Guy in Real Life.

2. Cosplay at a convention

I stepped out in a femme Han Solo cosplay at SDCC last year for about, what? 3 hours? My friends Megan and Jen worked sooo hard helping me realize the design I had in my head, but when it all came together I didn’t feel completely comfortable or confidant with how I looked (it had absolutely nothing to do with the holster Megan made, or the skirt and vest Jen sewed because all those things turned out rad as hell!). My hair flattened in the humid San Diego weather and the bra I wore (the only neutral colored one I had that wouldn’t show underneath my white top) made my boobs look odd. I don’t even have a picture of me wearing the cosplay, so here’s my Mabel Pines Halloween costume! This year I’d like to revisit the femme Han Solo cosplay or maybe do a retro Snow White or Wonder Woman.

3. Go to more conventions

This might be tricky since conventions can be pricey. Sure, some may have a decent fee to buy a badge, but once you hit the floor and see all the booths with all the amazing geeky knick-knacks, all bets are off! I mean, budget? What budget? No, I’m kidding. I always tend to [barely] stick under my budget.

I have a Sunday badge for SDCC and a pass for Anime Expo (not sure how that’s going to work out travel + money wise since SDCC decided to bump their festivities a week after Anime Expo this year (Tina Belcher groan), but I’d definitely like to check out some cons that are closer to me to cut on some expenses like Big Wow ComicFest in San Jose or Wizard World in Sacramento/San Jose. I would love, love, LOVE to go to the Star Wars Celebration in April and Disney’s D23 Expo in August, but I have a feeling that’s probably not going to happen. wha- wha-whaaaa

4. Look into shows people keep telling me to watch

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I don’t remember what show I had just finished binge watching a year or two ago, but I remember lamenting on Twitter about how I didn’t know what to do with my life since there weren’t any new seasons of whatever to look forward to, and Amanda of Prim and Propah suggested that I watch Arrow…. which I have still not gotten around to watching. Sorry, Amanda! Fast forward to last month, my sister kept telling me I needed to watch Arrow ASAP. And apparently our cousin Nicole watches it too, so because of that they’re both telling me I have to get on it. My sister even showed me a montage of gratuitous workout scenes featuring Stephen Amell to encourage me and oh-mah-gawd… fans self. You can watch it here if you’re curious.

I can’t think of any of the other shows that have pretty huge fandoms that have been suggested to me by friends because I feel like Arrow keeps getting shoved down my metaphorical throat. I’ll get to Arrow eventually. It’s on Netflix, so I have no excuse!

5. Get back into toy photography

8 years ago I was really into taking “artistic” pictures of my toys, particularly my Blythe doll Tigerlily — many have said she’s my little doppelgänger. 🙂

I used to be OBSESSED with Blythe dolls, but then I realized that the money I was spending on doll clothes and accessories could’ve been used to buy clothes and accessories for myself! They’re also a bitch to lug around. Anyhow, by no means did I/do I consider myself a great photographer, but I used to have so much fun taking my toys out while I went on little excursions with my family or friends despite the random weird looks I’d get as I’d shoot away. And I thought I took some pretty cool pictures if I do say so myself! I still take pictures of my toys every now and then and tend to have a couple in my purse at all times, but it’s usually just a quick thing to put on Instagram. I want to actually take the time and do photos the way I used to.

Do you have any fandom resolutions for this year? Let me know in the comments section!

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

out & about

It’s a New Year Afterall

January 5, 2015 Nina Penalosa7 Comments

Happy New Year, my little ponies!

I know we’re five days into the new year, but I hope 2015 is treating you kindly. I think I may have gotten a little bug from traveling, but despite the fact that I’m having a hard time breathing through my nose and feel like I’m gonna collapse whenever I get up, I believe I’ve had a good start so far!

My family and I headed down to SoCal on New Year’s day and I ended up getting to go to Disneyland that evening with my sister, her boyfriend, and my cousin and his wife. Disneyland is one of the only places in the world where I don’t care if I’m a third wheel, let alone a 5th wheel. Plus I ended the first day of the year with a churro and hot chocolate. 😀

I’m super happy that I was able to go while all the Christmas decorations were still up. Disney during the holiday season is my absolute favorite! I also got to celebrate mine and my mom’s birthdays a bit early at Goofy’s Kitchen for breakfast. I’ve always wanted to do a character breakfast and it was THE BEST — despite the fact that they only sing “Happy Birthday” to kids and not adults. I mean, agist much? But that’s okay, two cast members at the park later called me “Princess Nina.” 😀

OH! And the bananas foster’s crepes at Goofy’s Kitchen… ERMERGERD. I had three because they were that deloycious. <– I should really be a food critique.

My sister told me Goofy’s Kitchen was a lot better than the character breakfast at Carnation Plaza inside the park, soooo if you’ve never had a character dining experience at Disneyland and plan to do so go to Goofy’s Kitchen! It’s so much fun because Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Minnie go around while you’re eating and you can take pictures with them. Sometimes they like to mess with you too; Dale stared at me for the longest time while I was digging into my waffle and Pluto kept putting Ryan’s (sister’s boyfriend) tiger hoodie up. And Minnie was dancing like she was up in ‘da club.

– le sigh –

Good times. Good times.

We also got to meet Baymax and Hiro from Big Hero 6 before they left the park for good (I think their last day was today). It was definitely worth the 1 hour wait to meet them because I got to hug Baymax AND do a fist bump with him. I wanted to cry tears of joy because he was so utterly adorable! Yes, I’m going to be 29 next week. Yes, these kind of things bring me to tears. 😛