Tea parties & preparations

It has been a fun couple of weeks. In the absense of a local lolita meet, Ari came over the other day and we had a super fun day gaming (and realising we were having incredibly nerdy game-related conversation for much of the time) and bowling, both virtually and in the tangible sense. 

Our tea party was delightful

 

Asylum 2013 is fast approaching and I've been planning for a week or so now. I have most of my outfits sorted out (all 4!) but they do need some minor tweaking. I need to figure out my hair and make-up plans and make a few adjustments but I'm on schedule. I didn't realise how organized I am about these things until a friend told me they weren't planning their outfits until a few days before - the thought is enough to give me a heart attack.


I'm also taking the next week to break in my new corset which is not a very fun endeavour as soon as I want to sit down in a relaxed position. Since the initial limit for breaking in a corset is no more than a 2 inch reduction, the modesty pannel just fits. It is however very pretty and good quality, and I got it for a steal so it's all good. 

I think that's it for now!

Whimsical picnics and magical shoes!

Ahh I'm very aware of how badly I've neglected this journal lately! I shall make no excuses because true or not they're never very helpful and talk about stuff that has happened of late! As well as having a birthday (I'm getting old. My bus pass will surely be on it's way in the mail any day now...) and starting roller derby and going on vacation, I have been up to a few interesting things...

This past weekend I went to a picnic meet up in Sheffield. It was a super fun time and the weather stayed mostly fine for us. A number of photographs were taken and I haven't seen them all yet but here are a few humourous shots post-picnic.

Curse the sky!

I also had a lovely day with my mother yesterday. I bought a book that has been in my que forever and she surprised me by buying me the most amazing shoes. Ever! When I saw these shoes I was instantly enamoured with them. I have dubbed them my magician shoes because to me they look pretty and spooky and enchanted. My mum spoils me...

I have also been busy with other bits and pieces. As well as crafting I finally got around to cleaning and slightly rearranging my projects/placetohordefabric/dressing room! It is now dust free! I am preparing to deck the room out with more wonderful spookiness for Halloween too - my black tinsel is never far away.

I believe that's about all for now. I must return to making copious amounts of coffee and umming and ahhing over possible future hair colours...

My kitty Mittens.

I am SO happy to have my kitty back - this photo is what my morning consisted of.

Basically a few days ago, I came downstairs and forgot to move the flower bouquet on to a high shelf. Half an hour later my cat comes in with lilly pollen all over her face and head. Lilly's are toxic to cats- I was actually freaking out and had no idea what to do. After wiping off as much as I could, my mum called the vets and we were told to get her there as soon as possible. When we got there the vet explained that if ingested, lily pollen can cause kidney failure in cats. She said Mittens would have to stay overnight as they treated her but that it was a good sign that we got her there so quickly. I was absolutely devastated - if something happened to Mittens it would have torn me apart. The vet contacted us to say she was peeing okay and that her first blood test was clear which was good news, but we really didn't know what would happen for another day. It was probably one of the most horrible and unsettling experiences of my life- the waiting was awful. The vet took her last blood samples this morning and said everything was fine and that we could pick up the little cutie. I AM SO PLEASED TO HAVE HER HOME. <3 The fact that she didn't ingest the pollen is the biggest blessing of pure luck I've ever experienced in my life. Even though it was an accident and anyone could have done it, this was a huge wake up call for me to be especially attentive to my kitty and take the best care of her I can. I'll never take Mitts for granted, no matter if she comes downstairs with my antique ostrich feather between her teeth again, she's so important to me and is a part of the family.

In less serious news, I am thinking of growing out my fringe. Now I have said this many times before and it hasn't happened; I've caved in at the last minute and cut it! So we shall see how this goes. I've been wearing my fringe in a twisted quiff-type-thing for a few days and it's super easy to do and looks kinda cute! So we shall see.

Weather here has pretty much reverted back to cold, rainy, cloudy and drab. I am so pissed about it. We've had such a rough and long winter, and now I just wanna get out the summer dresses and shelve the winter clothes. Sigh. It better warm up soon...

 And to finish this post, some food for thought...

Love you, little Mittens.

Musings and nostalgia!

Hi there little blog! Wow, I think this is my third fairly consecutive update, so congratulations to me! I'm just taking a break from painting my nails to write this little entry. Tomorrow I'm going to a lolita picnic with my local lolitas, so that should be fun! I hope the weather stays pleasant for us. We've been super lucky with the weather lately: I was hanging out laundry this afternoon (it's one of my favourite things to do in spring/summer, I don't care if that makes me a dork!) and the sun felt soo good on my back, so that's a good sign. I'm so happy it's getting warmer, it puts me in a mood one million times better than that of winter! I will upload any photos from the picnic in a later post.

Tonight I am home alone, and I've been working out like crazy lately so I'm going to treat myself- and my aching muscles- to a relaxing, pampering bubble bath and have a girly night in, complete with bathtime reading material and a clay facemask. If you've never used bath caviar before you are missing out- the candy kisses bath caviar by The Beauty Emporium is one of my favourites. It smells SO GOOD. 

I am so happy it's May, and I seriously can't believe it's only a month until my birthday! People always ask if you feel your age and I usually reply that I do, but I think turning twenty feels different. There's the usual part of me that's shouting "About time!" and can't believe I'm still a teenager, but then there's the other part that's kind of freaked out about the idea of leaving that phase of my life behind. Either way, it's inevitable and coming up fast, so I better get used to the idea!

I can't believe that this was my 18th birthday - it feels like yesterday!

Here's a shot of me and my inquisitive kitty from my last birthday which was especially memorable as my mum took me to Whitby for the weekend!

 

 

Well, all nostalgia aside, I'm definitely ready for my bubble bath now, so goodbye until next time!

Lolita corner: Milky-chan!

So, on saturday before Lucky-Con I picked up my new lolita JSK. It's Milky-Chan! I've wanted this print FOREVER and when I asked about it in the sales comm I only found one person who was selling this replica jsk. I'm pretty pleased with the dress itself, Milky-Chan is such a adorable mascot... 

 

The dress comes with detachable waist ties with adorable black heart buttons.

It comes with a large detachable bow for the dress and a barrette. 

 

 I love the print! The presents and little crowns are adorable.

The lace can be a concern for a lot of lolitas but the lace on this dress is actually really soft and nice quality, so I got lucky I guess! I can't wait to put together my first co-ord with this JSK! <3

Also, check out my super cute wrist cuffs I got at Lucky Con from Stocking Shock!

Yesterday I went into Lincoln and managed to get K-ON manga for the first time. Sadly they didn't have the number I wanted but since I watch the anime it's not like it'll be full of spoilers!

 Of course I have to use this super cute sweet lolita bookmark that my friend Ari got for me!

Well that's about all for now folks!

Lucky-Con 2013!

Today's post will be about my experience at Lucky-Con 2013! Enjoy!

                   My friend Ari (left) and me (right) in our co-ords for the con.

 

             

              My accessories: Ari took this shot after I bought the cute wrist cuffs from a trader at the con! They were good value for £6 - be sure to check out their online store:http://www.stockingshock.co.uk/

We were a little late to the con (my fault for having packages to pick up beforehand!) And when we got there we checked out the trader room. There were a lot less traders than last year which was a shame - although I'm sure my wallet was thankful! As well as Stocking Shock selling their cute handmade lolita accessories there was an anime/manga merch stall, a Japanese candy stall -Yay! I finally got strawberry Pocky! - a badge stall, an artist's craft stall, a photography stall and a trader selling awesome video game inspired footwear.

Ari looked super kawaii in her Bittersweet co-ord!

Yay, finally got my Pocky!

                                           

Quite a few people were in attendance at the con, here are just a few of them.

What time is it? Adventure Time!

 

 

 

 A great thing about the convention is that although it's small, run by a great group of volunteers and charges a reasonable price for tickets, all the money they make at the human auction ( a fun event where attendees bid for the company of the participants for the day), goes to the charity Aid for Japan, who offer respite and much-needed help to those who were affected by the recent Tsunami. Even now, years after the disaster many are left bereft of family members and many children were made orphaned in the wake of the earthquake.

 Akemi Solloway works with the charity to offer help and trips to the UK for young people who are traumatised by the tsunami. She showed a video of a girl who she helped after she lost her parents and sibling, and it was nice to see the other attendees giving something back to the country who's culture they admire so much. The human auction made over £400 for the charity which, for such a small convention, is an amazing achievement. It really warmed my heart to see those who could bidding £20 or more during the auction. It's definitely money well spent.

 

There was some amazing cosplaying going on at Lucky-Con this year. A lot of people had put a ton of effort into their outfits - some even making them by hand- which is really nice to see, especially at such a relatively small convention. 

Check out this ingenious Steve cosplay from Minecraft.

Sorry for the incoming out of focus shots - my mum's camera is old and unreliable - next time I'm definitely taking my beast Fuji instead!

The above cosplay (Jack the Faun) rightfully won the handmade cosplay competition. The amount of work and detail that went into the outfit and the make up was incredible.

 A selection of Vocaloids and Hello Kitty were also in attendance!

                          Everyone in the competition looked fabulous, there were some really original character choices this year.

After all that, there was time for some delicious ramen. The noodle shop worked out really well and was a new idea for this year - I'm pretty sure all the noodles sold out! Hmm I could go for some right now actually...

The convention offers many events throughout the day, including the aforementioned human auction, video game tournaments, a quiz, talks on Japanese culture and hobbies, cosplay competitions, karaoke and a disco and much more. Lucky-con was a hit again this year, and I estimate that it's popularity and amenities will only grow in the years to come, and I hope to be there to witness it myself!  Thanks to everyone who helped put the event together, and I'll see you next year! 

Sayonara gozaimasu! 

Lolita review: Bodyline s256 shoes in Off White

Hello there! I'm back, today with a review of Bodyline's 256 shoes in off white (owh). In BL's shoe sizes I am a 27cm, so as soon as I saw the 256's had been restocked, this time with this additional size I quickly snapped up a pair, knowing they wouldn't last long! I was right - currently all the colours in this size except the off white are now sold out. Today I want to share my thoughts on the quality and look of these tea party shoes, and of course, the size accuracy!

 Tea party style shoes are very popular in lolita, looking cute and elaborate with details without having a super high heel that can become uncomfortable.

 The 256's have a cute bow on the side of the shoe and a ruffle detail.

The material these shoes are made from seems strong and does not look cheap or badly made - when worn the shoes feel quite sturdy, though understandably they don't have the same level of support and comfort a more expensive shoe would, but for the price they certainly pass the test.

 Bow on the back (Not detachable)

 Cute scalloping detail around the heel - the heel itself is black as shown.

The only real disappointment I have with these shoes is the scuff on the toe on one of them. I have tried to capture this but it is more noticeable in real than on the photo. I would usually complain about this but since the shoes are from Japan, paying to return them would simply not be worth it. I'm hoping I'll be able to buff this out but I know that's not too likely! Not what I expect from a new pair of shoes...

 Here are a few photos to show the off white colour - as you can see the shoes blend more with my off white cardigan (pictured right) more so than the bright white one. The shoes have a slight tinge of cream in their colour, which I think is more noticeable on the ruffle detail.

 

The shoes go well with my ivory meta dress (sorry for the blur!) but I personally think one could get away with wearing a white dress with these tea parties.

 So, there you have it! Overall, I would say these shoes are fantastic for the price, and I would recommend them for people who's feet are between 26/27 cm because the adjustable ankle strap helps secure the shoes for a more accurate fit. I have bought 27cm shoes from bodyline before, and they have been way too big for my 26.5 cm feet, so I would say these shoes are a more accurate measurement. 

Aesthetically they look very sturdy and well made, and I will be comfortable wearing these out for an extended period of time. The lack of a heel makes them more wearable and versatile for most styles of lolita - in short, for £26 this is a good deal. The only complaint I have is the scuff which certainly should not be there, but I'll have to forgive that this time...