I am happy to announce that I have come to a settlement agreement with Happy Sun Enterprises, after suing them for copyright infringement in August 2010.

Click to read the full press release on the settlement agreement.

While I can't disclose the terms of the agreement, I am very glad the whole ordeal is over, and that HSE will not sell their remaining cat ear products, which are substantially similar to my copyright protected cat ears. 

See comparison photo:

Sorry I haven't updated much, I did two cons back to back, went on vacation in Hawaii and then worked a solid week straight making products for this month's conventions: Anime Central and Fanime. I also have been flying here and there for Delta and got to visit Germany and spend a day with my mom, which was absolutely lovely.

I made a gallery of photos from Hawaii and will try to find time to do a write up soon. Click on the sand seaturtle I made to view the photos!

I also uploaded a few photos of my newest costume, DC Comic's Catwoman, on Deviantart. One of them even got a Daily Deviation which was a pleasant surprise one morning. I'll add a costume gallery for Catwoman on this site soon!

Miss Selina Kyle by *yayacosplay on deviantART

As for May conventions - I have Anime Central in Chicago this weekend, and Fanime in San Jose next weekend. I will have a booth at both conventions in the exhibitor hall, so come by and say hello. My booth# at Anime Central is 831. And at Fanime I will be at booths 308 and A3.

I just decided which costumes to bring to Chicago - will be dressing up as my Steampunk Madam on Friday and Pirate Sheryl Nome on Saturday. Since I have to work at the booth, these 2 costumes are easy to move in and I will be available for photos if you see me.

At the moment I am working diligently on a new costume, which is an original design that I've had in my head since 2004. It will be ready for Fanime and I look forward to doing photoshoots in it and running around the halls. :) Hope to see many of you soon!

Update on Japan donations:
I finally had time to tally up the final amount to be donated from my online store sales from the past couple of weeks. $495.26. Rounded up, I am donating $500 to the Red Cross for the Japan earthquake victims. Thanks to everyone who helped and ordered cute things. It's not a huge amount but any little bit helps!

Like everyone else, I am shocked and stunned at the tragedies that occurred in Japan these last few days. My heart goes out to all of the people affected and I'm relieved to know that my friends residing in Japan are safe. So many people have lost their lives, loved ones and homes and I want to do what I can to help. I am making a personal donation to The Red Cross, but I wanted to reach out to my friends and fans get as much support as possible.

So, from today until April 1st, ALL proceeds from sales through my online store will also be donated to The Red Cross. They have been on the scene since the earthquake hit and are sheltering thousands of people and providing medical care, food, water and essential items to those in need.

So if you're in need of a cosplay item, now is a great time to stock up for your upcoming event. Additionally, ALL proceeds from my print store sales through April 1st will also be donated directly to The Red Cross.

{jcomments on} I designed these Butterfly wings last year but never got around to taking photos of them. Today I took advantage of the sun being out, and Brian took some photos of me in them. I have added these wings to my Cosplay Accessories store. You can see more info and photos of the wings, and purchase them here! Each pair takes a long time to make but I am having a lot of fun putting together different color schemes and playing with the design of them!

I wanted to add that I had a great time at both Ikkicon and SacAnime, and thank everyone who came by my panels and booths. I really feel incredibly grateful and happy that I get to meet so many people and do something that I love for a living. <3
I've tried to stay busy through this week of being snowed in lol, so watch out for more updates and photos coming soon. 

{jcomments on}I've been up in the North Georgia mountains with family since Thursday and it has been an amazing Christmas weekend! I spent the first couple of days finishing my Ikkicon costume and making most of an impromptu Christmas themed anime costume, which I'll also debut at Ikkicon this coming weekend - I figure it's still close enough to the season to be valid, right?
On Christmas Day we woke up to a world in white, over 2 inches of snow covering the ground and more falling! It's been so many years since I remember having a White Christmas, and never one with this thick of a coverage. We went on a ride through the mountains and town and we took a bunch of snow pictures. After a late lunch it was time for presents!
I received some amazing gifts this year, feel really spoiled actually lol. I have a PSP to keep me company on trips now, gift certificates to buy new clothes with, a giant Stitch plush (I collect Disney's Stitch merchandise!) and an even bigger Panda bear plushie, monies, movies, clothes, a fur muffler to keep my hands warm erc. After opening presents we enjoyed a big Christmas dinner and watched Inception. I also worked on two smaller sized feather wings for customers yesterday.

Today Brian and I went on a ride through the snow on the ATV which was beautiful but very cold. As of now the snow is at 8 inches, and it's starting to get awkward to waddle through it. We're bundled up again to head to his grandparents house for another big Christmas dinner and more present openings. It's like Extended Weekend Christmas 2010! I will enjoy every minute of it and savor this relaxing time before all hell breaks loose for me in 2011 lol.

You can see some snow pics here:

 I've also finally got around to making a gallery for my Inara Serra costume from Firefly, made and worn to Dragoncon 2010. I'm so happy I finally got to dress up from one of my favorite TV shows.