If you see me at a convention, please call me Heather. A little secret about me is that I get nervous when people call me Tenshi IRL ^^;;. I'm 25 years old, born and bred in Las Vegas, and a recent college graduate (Studio Art). I work as a graphic designer.

I started cosplaying in 1999, when my grandmother made me a Sailor Star Jupiter costume for Halloween. That was my only costume until I learned how to sew in early 2001. I then made my first two costumes for my first anime convention, Anime Expo 2001. Looking back on it these years later, I now know how bad those costumes were -- but at the time I was just proud of learning how to use the sewing machine :).

Since that date, I have made over 30 costumes for myself. (No, I can't believe I've made that many either ^^;;) In 2003, I also began making costumes for my friends and family. I really love making costumes for other people, because I think it makes me a better costumer. One of my biggest challenges is trying to fit all the sizes and shapes of my friends!

I think I'm best at fidgety little detail work. I really like to curl up in a chair with beading or hand embroidery, and zone out while listening to Animal Planet or Discovery Channel. I'm not a very energetic person, and that's probably why I like tasks like that so much! Another of my strengths is patterning. My mind naturally thinks in very mathematical and geometrical ways, so I use that to my advantage rather than using patterns. My biggest weaknesses are procrastination and wig styling ^^;;.

It is very difficult to pick a favorite costume. If I had to pick one costume based on how well I think I made it, I would go with Fire Kimono Sakura. I spent months and months on that and Syaoran, and I think the time involved shows in the finished product. However, my favorite character to cosplay is Sailor Uranus/Tenou Haruka. That's probably obvious, huh? Haruka is a character I loved from the first moment I saw her on screen, and Sailor Moon cosplay is just so much fun to do!

I occasionally compete in Masquerades (mostly Anime Expo), but I also run them! My boyfriend and I have been co-coordinators of the Anime Vegas Masquerade since its inception in 2004. We try hard to treat our contestants with care and respect, and we are proud to say that Anime Vegas has one of the best venues around for its cosplayers!