Mailbag: Stranger Things Cross Stitch, POP Shelves, & the CUTEST Baby Mandrake EVERRRR

 You Epbot peeps make/do awesome stuff. 

Want (more) proof? 

I'LL GIVE YOU PROOF:

Pics by Amber's Photography

This is Keri M.'s daughter Hazel as a baby Mandrake, and she has just slain us all with TEH CUTE.

As the ultimate geeky cherry on top, this exchange happened in the comments:

This is why I love you people.

I almost hate to make anyone follow that perfection, but buckle up, me hearties, because I have more goodies to share.

First, Steph geekified her desktop:

And her shelves look even better than mine, thanks to that decorative tape edging. So good.

Hey, you know what else is good? GLITTER.

Yeeeeeeesssssss. 

Love it when you guys take one of my tutorials and make it so much more fabulous.

Speaking of fabulous, look how much better Carrie's POP dragon looks with a little aging:

So good.

 I'm mildly obsessed with cosplay that tricks the eye, so imagine my delighted squeals when Lori shared her hubby's Haunted Mansion "singing bust" costume:

HOW CLEVER IS THIS? 

To push the illusion further, you could make a "stone" pillar or column that either drapes from your waist like a skirt, or that rolls on wheels so you push it in front of you. Gah. So good. Now I want a barbershop quartet to do this and sing Grim Grinning Ghosts for me. :D

And finally, Stranger Things fans, prepare to run for your stash of cross stitch supplies:

GLOW IN THE DARK THREAD, y'all. This is genius.

And if you want to make one yourself, you can buy the pattern over at Jennie's Etsy shop. (She doesn't know I'm shilling for her, so let's all sneak over and yell "SURPRISE." You know, virtually.)

Oh, and a quick note re: the Fans of Epbot page: the admins have made it a private group now, which means anyone can still join, but once you do, only your fellow group members will see your posts/comments. This makes it a safer space to share and talk through stuff, though it's mostly still fun pictures and much-needed geeky silliness. 

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about making the group private, to be honest. Then Melyssa wrote this, and I was all in:

(Shared with permission)


Like I said, you guys do awesome stuff. Thanks for letting me be a part of it. <3 br="">

PHOTO TOUR: Orlando's Steampunk Chocolate Factory, Pt 2!

I know you've been waiting with bated breath for the final half of my photo tour, guys, so let's dive right back in!

Although you have seen part one, yes? EXCELLENT.

In that case, let's move on to the main dining area.

As you're led past the reception desk you'll pass under these stunning light fixtures:

The glass domes are filled with hundreds of strands of fiber optics, which give an oh-so-subtle twinkle that refuses to show on video, but is simply magical. I can't wait to go back at night to see them glow.

Don't be too dazzled, though, or you'll miss the chocolate laboratory on the right, complete with viewing window:

 No one was working in there at the time, but they have a few pretties like this on display.

Ahhh, but now the main attraction: the dining room. 

It's warm and sparkly and all industrial-tinged elegance back here. The glow of those Edison bulbs will wreak havoc on your photos, but the reflections off all the glass and brass is just breath-taking.

I never did find out what that sparkly gold stuff on the back wall is. Velvet? Silk? Star dust? Unicorn dander? Whatever it is, me likey.

These booths are separated by metal gridwork and enormous clear panes of glass, which help dampen noise and catch cool reflections:

 Plus check out that light!