Today we find some of our friendly FOE (aka Fans of Epbot) at their local Ren Fairs!
She winged her wings, y'all, and LOOK HOW PRETTY:
This is gorgeous, and clever! I've never seen anyone make flower wings before!
Here's the rest of Rachel's fairy look:
Oohhhh, I'm all about flower crowns and freckles. In fact I'd like everyone to wear giant flowers in the hair at all times, please.
*****
Meanwhile, at another Ren Fair, Raymond used my Phoenix tree-topper tutorial to make himself a fine feathered friend:
Jaw: dropped. That bird is on FI-YUR. And so beautiful!
*****
Shanon made herself some "new" jewelry from a 15th century piece of armor, and I am agog. AGOG I SAY.
A hauberk is the bit of armor that originally covered the neck, so this is DOUBLY amazing. Love love love it.
*****
I'm always torn at Ren Fairs between wanting to wear a full suit of bad ass chain mail and something over-the-top frilly, like THIS:
Valinda made this, you guys! (She also makes the most dreamy princess gowns over at Once Upon A Costume, go see!)
Just imagine that paired with a giant poofy skirt, a sparkly crown, and a pastel striped horse tail. Yaaaaasssss.
******
I think that's all the Ren Fair-ish finds I have right now, so let's move on to Lorna's rainbow cat dress.
You heard me.
RAINBOW CAT DRESS.
This is the same pattern Brooke used to make my rainbow swirl skirt from Dapper Day! The cat fabric is purrfect with it, oh meow gosh.
*****
It can be tough to be a geek who also loves interior decorating, but honestly I love the challenge - and I love watching you guys do it so well!
Case in point, check out the display Ruth Ann just made for her Harry Potter mini figs:
More proof that all you need is the right display to make your collections look AMAZING. The Marauder's map in the background adds so much; gives you something to focus on from a distance, which is extra helpful when displaying little things.
*****
As much as I adore all your crafts and costumes and pictures, it's this community that inspires me most - all the interactions and friendships that spring up. The other week I watched with utter delight as one of our FOE moderators, Stewart, took an international trip to visit a bunch of other FOE here in the U.S. They had a big party and force-fed him Twinkies (though I hear not much force was required) and played games and had random strangers join in the fun because FOE are JUST THAT COOL. Meanwhile I'm over here thinking how lucky I am to be a part of this group and get to watch this, even if it's from a distance sometimes.
There's even a hash tag, #FOEInTheWild (also #FOEsInTheWild?) for when you guys run into each other in the real world:
Every now and then I'll see a group photo of 6 or 10 of you getting together for a game night or a craft night, and I'm like, "Oh wow. These really ARE real people!" Which is pretty sweet.
I also get occasional glimpses of the Mod Squad - 6 Epbot readers from three different countries, plus John - hashing out how best to steer a group of 5,500+ people from all walks of life, and I count my blessings every day that I have nothing to do with it, lol. I just get to enjoy the results of their efforts like the rest of you. (Side note: Have you thanked a mod lately? Whatever the group, mods need more love.)
I also get occasional glimpses of the Mod Squad - 6 Epbot readers from three different countries, plus John - hashing out how best to steer a group of 5,500+ people from all walks of life, and I count my blessings every day that I have nothing to do with it, lol. I just get to enjoy the results of their efforts like the rest of you. (Side note: Have you thanked a mod lately? Whatever the group, mods need more love.)
That almost makes me feel guilty for getting to read posts like this:
Don't get me wrong, I'll still take the credit. I just have to share it with the mods. ;)
Then posts like this remind me we have actual rock(et) stars among us:
This post is almost a year old, but c'mon. HOW COOL IS THIS.
As always, everything here is shared with express permission, since Fans of Epbot is a closed group. (That just means non-members can't see posts; anyone who likes this blog is welcome to join.) I do my best to save all my favorites as they come through my feed, but if you'd like to make sure I see something - to feature here or just for fun - you can share it on the Epbot Facebook page, tag me in your post on FOE, or tag me on Instagram!
*****
Of course FOE is only a part of this readership, so thank you ALL for being here. I'm routinely told I have the best readers on the internet, and my reply is always the same: "Yes, yes I do." You guys are magic. Go spread that around today.
*****
Of course FOE is only a part of this readership, so thank you ALL for being here. I'm routinely told I have the best readers on the internet, and my reply is always the same: "Yes, yes I do." You guys are magic. Go spread that around today.
There's no place like FOE!! It's changed my life for the better in so many ways. <3 Thanks for inspiring it!
ReplyDelete@ B Teresa B Tropf: Hooray for the Parker Solar Probe! I went online to have my name on the probe, and I have a Parker Solar Probe patch! Brag all you want. It is well-deserved! :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Jen, the hauberk is a chainmail tunic. And I agree, Epbot people are the best!
ReplyDeleteGoogle Dictionary has that it originally covered only the neck and shoulders.
Deletehttps://www.google.com/search?q=hauberk&rlz=1C1PRFC_enUS596US596&oq=hauberk&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2535j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Not really, you have to go deep into the etymology to find that definition. The word hauberk is derived from the Old French hauberc "coat of mail," which itself is derived from the Frankish halsberg "neck-cover". (Source.)
DeleteI do Anglo-Saxon reenactment, and can confirm that a hauberk is a maille tunic.
Everyone’s stuff looks AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteFans of Epbot is my Happy place on the interwebz.
ReplyDeleteI always think of it as “friends” of Epbot instead of “fans” �� both are pretty awesome
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about FOE until just now and I'm totally down to join!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I saw that Phoenix in person at Faire and it is AMAZE-BALLS!
Kind of. Hauberk derived from the Old French hauberc "coat of mail," which itself derived from Frankish halsberg. It was halsberg which meant "neck-cover". (Source.)
ReplyDeleteI do Anglo-Saxon reenactment, and can confirm that a hauberk is a maille tunic.
Is it weird that I've been in the group since it practically started and yet have only commented on a couple things because I have no idea how to even connect to a bunch of people that seem to already know each other?
ReplyDeleteI get that; I often feel like an outsider in FOE, too, because I don't comment much and there ARE a lot of folks who are friends outside the group. I think you do connect by commenting, though, by asking questions of specific people and just generally showing an interest. It's easy to get lost in big groups, but I take comfort in knowing everyone there is welcoming and ready to talk; I just have to make the first move sometimes.
Delete