Thrift Store Cosplay Day 17

August 17, 2017 | LizT.

Day 17: Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz

Aside from being the 17th day in my Thrift Store Cosplay series, it also happens to be National Thrift Store Day. And I didn’t even plan it that way! August was clearly the month that this series was meant to be in!

To celebrate this occasion, I had a couple adventures today.

Stop #1: First up, a tour of my local Goodwill. At BlogHer 17 back in June, I happened upon a Goodwill table at the conference and met Dominik, who is Goodwill Central Florida’s Volunteer Director. Dominik invited me to one of their WOW Tours and also to an Inspiration Breakfast they’re having in September (which I will share with you when it happens!) And today was tour day! I don’t know if they planned it to be on National Thrift Store Day, but it was quite fortuitous!

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about Goodwill. And rather than give in to the chatter or let that influence me, I thought the best way to find out more information is to go directly to the source and learn about the company from within. I’ll be bringing you a lot more blog posts on what I’ve learned and am learning, but I want to say this…I used to shop fast fashion brands and I could no longer feel good about that decision given the waste, potential for human trafficking elements in production and general knowledge of shady practices in a lot of main stream fast fashion companies (if you want names…I can give you names!) Goodwill is a company that is doing great things in Central Florida and I can and do feel great about supporting them and I will continue to do so as I learn more about the company!! You can check out my Instagram story today and see the whole thread of my day!!

Stop #2: After my fun morning at Goodwill I stopped at OMG Thrift because they made me their Selfie Star of the Week and I won a free $10 gift card. So I went to pick it up. And will probably use that pretty soon, as free money doesn’t stay in my wallet very long and I love shopping there!! Expect to see more about it in my Instagram story.

Stop #3: This morning, I hastily ransacked my closet for items to donate to Goodwill this morning, on National Thrift Store Day. Sadly I could only scrounge together 1 bag, because a couple weeks ago I donated 8 bags of stuff, so my closet was slim pickin’s. Not only that, I totally forgot to give it to the OBT Goodwill that I was touring this morning. So I had to add a 3rd stop to my Thrift Store tour today. I stopped at the Salvation Army to donate my measly bag of items. The Salvation Army is exactly 2 minutes from my work, so it was incredibly convenient to donate there. I usually try to divide my donations up and give them to Goodwill, Salvation Army and also my local Boys and Girls Club thrift store. You can’t go wrong with any of those options!!

With all that information for ya, it’s back to the cosplay. Here’s my Dorothy:

Shirt from Goodwill

Skirt from The Whirl and Twirl Square Dance Club’s Annual Skirt Sale

Shoes from Plato’s Closet

30 Days of Nerdy Hair – Day 16

September 16, 2016 | LizT.

Day 16 : Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz

30 Days of Nerdy Hair

August 29, 2016August 31, 2016 | LizT.

Guess what’s back tomorrow!!

It’s been a while since I’ve delved into the world of Nerdy hair and I have certainly missed it. It’s a hobby I never knew I was good and certainly wasn’t good at in high school despite desperately wishing I was back then. My hair was a menace in my younger years. A curly mop of unruly hair that I had no idea what do to with on a daily basis. Most days I wore it wet and continued to wet it throughout the day. Opting for the “I just got caught in a rainstorm” look. Very popular in the 90’s.

For those of you new to Nerd in the City, here’s a little back story. One day I was reading Shape magazine, as one does, when I came across the editor’s note. She wrote a piece about her hair and not understanding what to do with it. I could so relate! She said she decided to do something about this and challenged herself to 30 days of different hairstyles. Whether it was something as simple as a pony tail or as complicated as a side swept french braid, she was gonna do something different for 3o days to learn just what her hair could do.

I was inspired! What a proactive way to handle something that had plagued her and me for years! Me being me, I had to put a nerdy spin on it somehow and thus, 30 Days of Nerdy Hair was born.

This is my 6th series. And I’m doing things a little differently this time around. Usually it’s a mystery what I’ll choose from day to day, but I wanted to give you, beautiful nerds, a chance to join the challenge. I don’t know if you have trouble with your hair or are good at it. Either way, there are hairstyles in here that I bet you can do.

I’m posting all styles up front, so you know what to look for and if I can get on my game, I hope to do some tutorials as well so you truly can do them yourselves. Use the hashtag #30DaysofNerdyHair to join in and tag me directly @nerdinthesand on Instagram so I can see your wonderful creations. Feel free to use this as guidelines, suggestions, ideas and as always, please go off the map as often as you want to.

I hope you’ll try something new in September! For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, you might see the return of some favorites and I hope to improve on the past!

Sorry, gentlemen readers, this one is aimed at the ladies. But if you feel inspired to do a male version…hit me up! I’d love to see it!! 30 Days of Nerdy Hats perhaps??

Check out my whole Nerdy Hair journey HERE

5 Fandom Friday

April 10, 2015 | LizT.

5 Magical Items I’d Love to Own

I love magic! I believe in magic and I really want to be apart of the magical realm. Here are the items I most wish to wield!

#1 – A Wand

Duh! I want to go to Ollivander’s and find out what my wand core is made of. Is it Dragon heart string, Phoenix feather, Unicorn tail hair or something else heretofore unknown in the wand world? And what kind of wood would be used to craft my wand? Ash wood, Elder wood, Cherry wood, Rosewood, Walnut? My favorite spell is Alohomora (I even named my phone after this spell.) And to do said spell, I need my wand!!

#2 – Mjolnir

I’m not really sure what real world applications Thor’s hammer would have for me in my day to day existence. But I know that if it were possible to have one… I’d want it. If for nothing else than for it to be a pretty clear cut “Don’t Mess With Me!” This would be useful on the subways or walking on busy streets. You just don’t mess with a girl holding a magical Asgardian hammer. You just don’t!

#3 – Dorothy’s Slippers

I live very far away from a lot of loved ones, so these appeal to me as a cheap and quick means of transportation. Practical and fashionable… sign me up!

#4 – Aladdin’s Magic Carpet

Another fun mode of transportation. This one is a little more romantic than the ruby slippers, cause there’s room for two. Looking for the perfect thing to do on date night? Grab that magic carpet and take it for a spin. The possibilities are endless.

#5 – Lightsaber

Photo by Finkbuilt.com — Photo from Finkbuilt.com

Now, I think you know me a little better than that. Lightsaber belongs at the top of the list. It belongs at the top of every list! But it’s not technically a magical object. The crystal inside the lightsaber could be considered somewhat magical, but it’s more of a religious item that harnesses the power of the Force and therefore allows the Jedi or Sith who wields it to connect to the blade and become one with their weapon through the Force. But you probably already knew that!

What magical objects will you be standing in line for once they are made available?

Wizard of Oz Revisited

September 21, 2013September 21, 2013 | LizT.

Last night a friend and I went to see The Wizard of Oz on the big screen in Imax 3D. And let me just recommend, that if you have the chance to go while it’s in theters, you should go! It’s always been a visually beautiful film and the 3D element adds so much more.

I had a bit of a realization while I was watching it. And if you’re a child of any decade after the 60’s then you’ve seen this movie many times, as I have. I’ve seen it as a child and as an adult, but I guess I was paying closer attention last night.
And what struck me most was that Oz is merely a dream. Was anyone else aware of this sad truth?

My whole life up until this moment, I have believed Oz to be a real place Dorothy went to and got sent back from. Not merely a dream.

Perhaps somewhere deep in the back of my mind, where I hide all my grown up thoughts and inclinations, maybe I knew. It sort of made me sad to think of the movie in this different way. Almost like I finally came home from Neverland and grew up.

So I am officially rejecting this realization and am returning to Munchkinland where all magical things are still real. Like Wonderland and Neverland and Oz!!!
I much prefer to live in technicolor and to dream in black and white!

30 Days Revisited

January 9, 2013January 9, 2013 | LizT.

I sat down to plan out my 2013 goals, blogs, plans, etc. Starting with the hairstyles I want to do for my next 30 Days of Nerdy Hair.

It still a ways away but there are still so many great styles to explore from the movies. I may have already done one style from the beloved classic, The Wizard of Oz, but there are plenty more (and I don’t mean the wicked Witch!) and a new movie on the way, Oz: The Great and Powerful.

So think on some styles you wanna send my way and here’s a little return to Oz, 30 Days style!!

30 Days of Nerdy Hair

September 22, 2012September 26, 2013 | LizT.

Day 11 – Dorothy

Today’s inspiration is Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. A most beloved classic!!

The key here is the french braid. Now I have no idea how to teach french braiding. And not for lack of trying. To be honest, for the longest time, the french braid eluded me. Until one night I had a dream I could french braid and when I woke up I understood how to do it. True story!! The only problem is, doing it on anyone else is backwards to me. I can only french braid my own hair. Anyways, if you can french braid, then… Welcome to Oz.