Share the Love! Stop the Hate!

In honor of the great man Martin Luther King Jr., everyone should do something out of love. Not enough people share or spread LOVE. 

So hopefully yesterday and from now on, many of you will battle against hate & take time to do something kind every day - even if it is a small as holding the door open for someone. Share a word of appreciation, even to those you may or may not completely understand or see eye to eye. if more people did this in cosplay & life, imagine the possibilities! 

No matter who you are or what you look like - we love you. No matter what you believe in, or are into - we love you. This goes for our personal & cosplay lives. 

Our one wish & goal for this year is to prove that love knows no bounds, & because we cosplay with love we hope to share in the love of as many different types, genres, fandoms, & worlds of cosplay. Because ultimately we're all just people who love to dress up. :)

This means that Sean & I will be attempting to attend cons & events of all different kinds - regardless of fandoms/genres/communities. We are blessed to have friends like you from so many different walks of life, and couldn't imagine our lives without each one of you.

And if you catch someone spreading hate, remind them that smiling burns more calories. 

- Lani & Sean

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015 - Maleficent Style!

Happy 2015! If you were ever wondering where my initial desire to “dress up” came from –wonder no more! Here is the Wong Family’s annual Holiday Picture/Card, honoring the movie “Maleficent”! 

Can you make out who is what character in the card? :)

My Mom: Maleficent / My Dad: King Stefan / Lani, Sean, Lil Sean: Blue, Red, Green Fairies / Valentina (lil Sister): Aurora / Andrea (Val's longtime GF): Prince Phillip 

Every year since I was little my parents began taking movies or current events of that year and using them as themes for our holiday/Xmas card shoots. From Dick Tracy, to Addams Family, to Pokemon, & more (all with a holiday spin). Originally all sets were PHYSICAL SETS where we built our backgrounds and drew additional characters into our scenes. Now, with us all living in separate locations & my basic skills/knowledge of photoshop, the holiday cards have moved in a new artistic direction.

Over the many years of having these annual shoots I’ve learned quite a few things that have helped/fueled my cosplay hobby/obsession. The main lesson being: “It just has to look good in the picture!” Meaning, don’t worry about the “functionality” of a costume or prop, nor worry if the materials make sense. If that costume/prop can be created with a broom stick, tape, glitter ribbon, and ingenuity – SO BE IT.

The topic of my family’s holiday cards is one I’m proud of & I look forward to diving into later (going to build a flickr photostream of all our cards), but for now I want you all to think about those you love – TRULY LOVE – and give them a call or a visit. This is the reason my family chose “Maleficent” as the theme for our 2014 card, because 2014 (even with its ups and downs) was the year of BEAUTIFUL MAGNIFICENT LOVE. For me...it began with the wedding of my life, marrying the love of my life. <3

Thank you all for your love, friendship, & support,

Lani Carissa Wong-Bassett

P.S. Yes, even though I married Sean, my family adopted him & Lil Sean as honorary “Wongs”. Lol

P.P.S. To those who have had moments of sadness during this holiday season, there’s only one thing to do – stay positive & love even harder than before. We have had our share of loss this holiday time, but are relying on the thought that with our love & the love of others we can make it through these sad times. If you need support we're here for you. Thank you to those who have been there for us, especially my awesome family.