Every Day of NaNoWriMo 2015

This was my 4th time doing (and winning) National Novel Writing Month. So for every day of NaNoWriMo 2015 I filmed a short vlog, here they all are. If you enjoy the video, consider watching the one I did from last year: NaNoWriMo in 2014.

New Glasses and Some Thoughts

I hope you like my new glasses, I won them from Jessica of Bookworms in Dresses. They are from a company called Firmoo and they came in a nice case with a keychain glasses screwdriver, so cool!

I've actually won a few other blog giveaways before so I think I need to give back soon and host some more of my own. What would you want to win in a new giveaway? A Nerdy Monster, button pack, etc.? I have some other ideas, and if you dear reader have something you'd like me to help you giveaway here, don't hesitate to ask!

Speaking of my Etsy shop, I really want to start working on some new products and that's one of my goals for the new year. In the mean time, tomorrow I'm launching a sale  for 15% off of orders that are $5 or more. The code will go live tomorrow! (check this Instagram for it!)

I'm posting this on Thanksgiving (and writing it the day before). I'm doing the cooking and hosting out-of-town guests and yet I still feel like this kid pretending to be an adult. Yet I'm 29, married, and living on the other side of the country as my parents. I don't know if I'll ever ditch this imposter syndrome (but maybe the fact I'm re-living my 14-year-old self is not helping.) 

I haven't gotten too personal here on this blog recently. That's for a few reasons, for one is it's really no ones business but there's also fear there of appearing too vulnerable. The truth is I've had hard time lately. The hard drive crash incident started it but it's probably a combination of things, being away from my family and friends being the biggest one.

Thanks for sticking around, reader, I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. I'll be going home for the holidays this December and I'm counting on that raising my spirits. So many highs and lows this year. Thanks, as always, for reading.

Thanksgiving: Thoughts from Places, Annapolis, MD

In which Thanksgiving is making my miss my family this year, but I'm trying to be thankful for what I have and the new home I've made here in Annapolis.
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I'm a NaNoWriMo winner!

I did it! It happened last night! I've written 50,000 words this month for my novel titled 'The Park Cats.' This is the 4th time I've done NaNoWriMo and it's gone, by far, the fastest this time. I can attribute part of that to the subject matter of my story, it's essentially CATS fan fiction with all of the copyrighted elements changed or removed. I've always written my CATS fan fiction as if they were actual cats roaming around a human inhabited world, much like the dogs in Richard Adams' book Plague Dogs. It's also similar to Erin Hunter's Warriors series.

I realize that there is still 10 days of the month to go and I don't plan on stopping writing, (trust me, my novel is in no way complete) however I will not worry about word count anymore and simple work on it for a bit each day. Here is a screen cap of where I'm at so far in this month:

I doubt I'll have this momentum if I attempt this again in a year, but it was a fun goal to always be ahead of the game for once (in previous years I tended to hit the bare minimum each day to complete on time). If I decide to keep working on my story beyond this month I know there are a lot of things I have to change about it. I'm hoping by the end of November I'll have a decent rough draft to share with friends, which is something I've never done before with previous NaNoWriMo novels.

Other things that have come out of this so far have been a re-read of the Warriors series which led to fan art searches which led to me drawing cat anatomy and logging into my DeviantArt page for the first time in forever. I'm also in the process of making my new CATS costume and I helped a friend sew plushie cats the other day...as we watched CATS. So...it's been a very feline intensive month for me, MagicCatJenny...how appropriate. 

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen | Book Review

I recently read both The Queen of the Tearling and The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen and I absolutely loved them! Below is my video review for both books (and my excitement for the third coming out June 7, 2016. Please let me know in the comments if you've read these books or not!

Cats WIP - MagicCatJenny vs Cats Costuming Part 2

I'm making a CATS costume again! Oh Everlasting, please let this work! Okay, so the Jemima costume I started and stopped about twice about 5 years ago is getting resurrected yet again. However, I have a real deadline now (Broadway Con in January) so progress is actually being made. I'm doing the Video/London style of the character Jemima, with a bit freestyle as well.

NaNoWriMo Tag Video

Here's my NaNoWriMo Tag Video, if you are doing NaNoWriMo then you are tagged! Let's be writing buddies! Here's my account.

Half-Way Jellicle

The makeup I did for my Halloween costume (a half-way Jellicle cat) was half-way as well. I used normal makeup as the base; foundation and bronzer. Then I used Ben Nye in black for all of the details. I then threw on some lipstick and set the black with powder and I was done! Simple and casual, perfect for a simple and casual Halloween.

Half-Way Jellicle - Halloween 2015

This Halloween was my first after moving to Maryland, so I did not have any old costumes with me nor did I have the funds to make an entirely new costume. I've been working on a new CATS costume for Broadway Con so I decided to use finished elements of that and my vintage CATS sweater to create a 'half-way Jellicle' costume. So 80s!

Marie Makeup

In December of 2014 I did some Cats styled Disney feline character makeup. The second one I tried was Marie from The Aristocats. She was a bit more in the Cats style than Simba was and I gave her a Victoria-like look. She turned out adorable!

Simba Makeup

In December of 2014 I did some Cats styled Disney feline character makeup. The first one I tried was Simba, my favorite Disney character. I tried style his makeup closer to the cartoon than actually going full Jellicle and I'm happy with how it turned out!

How To Prep for NaNoWriMo

What is NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and it is a fun event where participants try and write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I've done it 3 times before. In 2010 I wrote Gizmos of the Apocalypse (50,015 words), in 2011 I wrote I Was A Teenage Nerdfighter (50,048 words) and in 2014 I wrote Everlast (50,018 words) I am participating again this year and I have no idea what my story is going to be about...at all.

Blogging vs. Vlogging

I blog and I vlog. Sounds like the start of a poem. Vlogging started as essentially 'video blogging,' a trend from the early days of YouTube. You talk to a camera, about whatever. It's a style of video making that is still strong today and one I partake in. But the difference is that you can produce many other types of videos whereas on your blog you are always blogging. So it's more accurate to say that I blog and I make videos, some of them are vlogs.

MagicCatJenny vs. Cats Costuming

I am quite possibly getting back into the world of Cats costuming and I don't know what I'm doing. It's been 13 years since I made my last Cast costume and I've fallen out of touch with a lot of my old friends from the Cat fan community. So why am I even considering it? I'm going to Broadway Con in January and this might be my last chance to be a Jellicle at a convention where it make sense. I've talked out my frustration and the pros and cons in this video:

Found Favorites #26 2 spoopy 4 u

I made a Halloween button pack! 2 spoopy, creppy, a Buffy quote, and stay weird. Happy Halloween, nerds!

(via. Nerdy Monsters)

38 Times in Cat Makeup

Since it's October and Halloween is coming up I decided to make a video showcasing my history as a cat. I've been doing CATS makeup as a hobby since 1998. It's fun, creative, and makes me happy to become a Jellicle. Meow!

Adjusting - 5 Minute Free Write

5 minutes of free writing,  stream of consciousness, a trend I've noticed in the blogosphere. I've been tempted to take part and since my blogging schedule is in need of a jump start, why not? I've been living in Maryland for the last 4 months and it's not been an easy transition. My husband loves his new job and we are getting used to the location just fine. The hard part is being so far from my friends and family and the day to day life that I was used to. I knew it would take some adjusting but I didn't expect it to be as hard as it's been. Without going into too much detail, I've had some anxiety issues get stronger recently. I'm most happy when I'm around other people relaxing, but during the day I don't have that luxury. (Unless I start making friends with random people in coffee shops, but that anxiety is sometimes social anxiety so that's not going to happen.) So I tend to walk down to one of the many public shoreline parks in my neighborhood and meditate. It's not always easy but sometimes it really lifts my mood. Well it looks like the 5 minutes are already up, I hope that little slice of my life did not get you down. Things will be okay eventually, I know that, but if you've been wondering where I've been, that's where. Thanks for sticking around, writing makes me feel good so I do want to get back into it here. Maybe I'll do more of these...

My Cosplay and Costume History

Happy Halloween month! Things have been a bit slow here and there are reasons, but before I get into them I have a new video to share. It's: My Cosplay and Costume History When I started my YouTube channel I had planned to talk about costume making and cosplay a lot more than I ended up actually doing. So as inspiration to myself and to catch up my audience, I went through...all of them! If you'd like to see more photos and read about the process and experience of each costume, I have them all listed here. I'm not sure if this Halloween I have time or money to really make something really great but I am planning on making a few costumes for Broadway Con in January. (I really need to get working on those asap!!) I hope you enjoy the video and let me know which costume was your favorite!

Live Show! September 27th 12pmPST/3pmEST!

Hey everyone! I am going to be LIVE on my YouTube channel this Sunday, September 27th 12pmPST/3pmEST! I'm going to be talking about Small YouTubers and showing videos and I'm even going to have a guest! Tune in and if you want to suggest video/channel/guests for future shows, send those to our TWITTER: @YTTalkPodcast

A Year of TBR | Booktube

Belle, Cinderella, & Aurora | Disneybound Lookbook #5

Is a Second Channel on YouTube a Good Idea?

Is a second channel on YouTube a good idea? That's the question of the year it seems, at least it was the question of Business day at Playlist Live DC. Is the trend of having 'second channel' dead? Do viewers care anymore? Or is it just a poor decision to split your content up?

My Collection of Disney Pins

I've been collecting Disney Pins for as long as I can remember. That being said, I don't really have that many...at least not compared to most people in the Pin Trading community. I also don't trade them and since I'm not in SoCal anymore, I don't know if I'll ever get the chance. Here's my video of what I have collected throughout the years, if you want a closer look at some of them that I did not feature, let me know. I hope you enjoy checking out my collection!

Playlist Live DC 2015

I attended Playlist Live DC this September. It was my first 'YouTube' related even since moving to the east coast and it did not quite fill the VidCon shaped hole in my heart but it was an overall good experience. I was on a panel for the first time and met new people, so it was not a loss. Did I enjoy ever minute or think that the conference was without it's problematic moments, of course not. I go into more detail about the differences and how I felt in my video I made. (at the bottom of this post) Overall I'm glad I went and I hope the people I met are willing to reconnect in the future.

Lumberjanes | Book Review

Lumberjanes created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson is a comic series that I read in trade form. I loved it!

More booktube videos:
Reached Review | Bookshelf Tour

Found Favorites #25

This silver onyx thigh piece from Zephyr Jewelry is beautiful. I got my hair chains for my wedding from her. (Thanks Alyssa!)

(via. Zephyr Jewelry)

I'm debating trying out the color pin trend. These bee pins are adorable (...but maybe I'll make my own.)

(via. Modcloth)

This Monday (8/31) is the last day to get some of these soon-to-be-retired Jamberry styles! So many beautiful designs. *cries*

(via Jamberry)

You can now get the 'Consent Is Necessary' button on it's own in my shop!

(via Nerdy Monsters)

Link Love
◈I need to test out this 25 Best Inexpensive Restaurants in Washington now that I live here.
◈Kristina blogged about getting ready for Vloggerfair and PAX, I ca't wait to see her RWBY cosplay!
◈Something about seeing people dance and move like cats but sing a pop song that is just so weird and hilarious.


Happy Friday!

Who Inspires You - Video

Who inspires you? I'd love to hear your thoughts, let me know in the comments or on Twitter!
Click here to watch my introduction to filming myself every month for a year.

Hawaii Haul - Limiting My Souvenirs

In an effort to live more lightly, I was very careful with what I purchased on my honeymoon. I wanted enough things to remind me of the wonderful trip but not too much junk that would only be hard getting rid of the next time we move. So I had one major rule for myself, the item had to be useful. With that in mind, I think the few things I took home were all I needed. Here's my haul!

The first thing is a mango and papaya scented candle in a coconut shell. It's useful, smells amazing, and when it's used up I can use the shell to hold things. The shell necklaces wrapped around it were a free gift at the first cottage we stayed at.


The next things are these cute note paper pads. I use note paper often in snail mail and in my planner, and I could not resist the happy ukulele! The flower earrings I bought on our first day and I wore them to the wedding.


These next two images are favors from Franz and Tina's wedding, very special Hawaiian traditions, rare salt, and some little journals made from the pages of various books.


Lastly was the shirts. Jim and I both got one. We could not resist the rooster (they were all over the island)! Overall, it's probably the smallest haul from any vacation I've ever took but I think it's the perfect amount. The real souvenirs are the memories (and photos and video).