Christmas and New Years Update/Haul

Hi again everyone! hopefully you haven't forgotten about me u__u

My winter "break" has been so busy!

I'd like to start off by saying how thankful I am the holidays are over.

(I have more fun after the holidays during break than during them, too stressful and too many dishes)!

I'd like to show you some of my favorite things I got/bought/picked out for myself for Christmas ♪

Not exactly a Christmas gift, but something adorable I bought ♥ I put my keys in here so they're easy to find in my purse.

My new "everyday" bag ♫

Omnomnom

Candy Sugar ribbon + free candy c:

DSLR camera strap from Etsy

Strap for my Instax camera

Ta-da!

Photo albums for my Japan photos and Instax photos

Inside! (The left one is full now)

Small letter organizer and scrap book from Omoi Zakka

Cath Kidston mug and Calico Critter mouse family ♥

A crop shirt from Cotton On to go over my maxi dress c:

Bad photo of a very cute peter pan collar dress from Cotton On

Collar of a cute sailor sweatshirt from Forever 21

Lace headband and polka dot usakimi from Claire's

They had a buy 1 get one half off on hair accessories

Little did i know the brooch/pin/hair thing was actually on clearance for $2 from $12!

Wonderful fawn jacket from my boyfriend ♥♥♥ (From Forever 21)

In addition to Christmas activities, I also volunteered and participated in a Japanese street fashion show at my local Anime convention. 

Everything is vintage, off-brand and handmade

I made a Fur Fur inspired hair piece for my outfit

Photo by Keith Goode

I represented a (slightly couture) style of Mori girl during the fashion show and wore Lolita while I wasn't on Duty. Sadly I don't think I got any photos of those coords, but they aren't that different from anything I've worn before. I was surprised to see the amount of Lolitas there! Most of them ended up being in the fashion show too ^_^ I did spot a fair number of girls in Bodyline coords too. Speaking of that, the ATX Lolitas also hosted a Lolita 101 panel, which went spectacularly! The lovely Virginia (first row in the blue VM dress) provided wonderful handmade prizes for the audience ♫

More info, photos and possibly a video of the panel can be found here.

I saw some great cosplay too! I really loved this girl's original outfit based off of Sentimental Circus ♪

I also helped make an impressive Jenga tower at the Maid Cafe.

Of course, I got some swag too!

Ahhh arpakasso !!!

Chi's Sweet Home, Shaymin and Tofu-kun key chains c:

I make this face quite often

And this one after a large meal

Hi there!

Tofu-kun ♥

Happy Happy Clover shitajiki. Such a cute manga!

G&LB vol 40 ♥

I may or may not buy magazines for stickers...

BTSSB will be at Anime Matsuri!!! I want to go so bad D:

Wheh! Thank you if you stayed with my through all of that! It's been a hectic two weeks c:

Last Minute Gift Wrapping Ideas

I love gift wrapping and I wanted to share a few (last minute, I supposed) wrapping ideas and inspiration photos. My Christmas wrapping tends to be a bit more Mori than Lolita, to suit everyone. Hopefully it'll make it look like you spend a lot of time on wrapping your gifts ^o^

Firstly, here are a few things I did this year. I always wrap my stuff in kraft paper (unless it's impossible to wrap, then that's what gift bags are for). A more muted paper base makes it easily for decorations like berry sprigs or rich satin bows to stand out. Plus it gives gifts that nostalgic "brown paper packages" feel. 

For name tags, I cut out rounded rectangles from paper shopping bags (so they wouldn't curl) and stamped a pine cone spring in white ink, then wrote names on top with a thin ink pen. The string was twisted red and white thread that I got this a box of vintage ribbon and lace. If you're lucky, you may be able to find Christmas themed doilies (the ones I used have poinsettias printed on them)

Decoration ideas:

• Satin ribbons
• Lace
• Ric-rac
• Silk poinsettia flowers 
• Velvet ribbon
• Yarn
• Vintage hard candies (wrapped)
• Pom-poms
• Tiny bells
• Sheet music 
• Red gingham paper or fabric
• Draw designs with paint pen or ink pen (like bows and tree sprigs)
• Fake berry, pine cone or evergreen (or even real evergreen) sprigs
• Red & white "candy cane" twine
• Paper doilies
• Deco/washi tape 
• Tiny paper triangle garlands
• Small glittery ornaments

 I hope this was helpful. Happy wrapping!

Angelic Pretty SF Review

For the past few months, I had been drooling over this lovely Petit Beurre Angelic Pretty pass case. I thought that it was an inexpensive and useful alternative to many of the other items from the series (basically I couldn't afford or justify buying any of the other items) :c 

I saw that the colorway I wanted was sold out on the San Francisco website and effectively gave up because I didn't want to pay exorbitant shipping costs from using the Japanese site. With a bit of hope, I contacted Japanese English shop asking if the San Fran shop possibly had anymore light brown versions in store (as directed to by an EGL member). They replied that I should contact the San Fran shop directly (which I forgot to do....oops). Anyways, to my surprise, about a week later, the San Fran shop called me and informed me that the Japanese shop told them that I was interested in the light brown colorway and that they had received one in their most recent shipment! Firstly, I cannot express how grateful I was that they remembered me ;A; how thoughtful! While I was on the phone, the San Fran staff member informed me that she was adding the colorway to the San Fran shop website as we spoke. Still moderately surprises and very gracious, I thanked her and purchased it the next day!

Long story short, I have it not and it's amazing. Thank you Japanese and San Fran shop staff for being so thoughtful and helpful. This was my first direct Angelic Pretty purchase and it will certainly not be my last!

Shipping was $13, a little steep in my opinion for such a tiny item but I believe they only use flat rate shipping (along with a tracking number and non-optional $1 insurance). 

The store shipped the day after I payed and it arrived in about 3 days (not including Sunday).

 

The shop included a small flyer from the store (the paper card was in the pass case) 

The pass case is a good size and has a study & long chain with an easy to use lobster claps. There are two card slots and a small zipper pouch, but it should get the job done. I think this is much cuter that the Vera Bradley pass case/pouches that are popular in America right now.

Overall: 

Customer services: 6/5

Shipping: 4.5/5

Product: 5/5

Thank you again AP!

First Lolita Meet-up

I recently attended my first Lolita meet-up! It was a little strange to meet so many girls who liked Lolita fashion and I could talk to without worrying that they would not understand xD

We had a wonderful little Christmas party including lots of yummy food, silly games and fun gift exchanges ♥

I wasn't able to get an outfit shot of myself, but I wore my Innocent World puppy jsk with a beret/bow, black cardigan and brown boots. (I'm in the back row on the far right).

There were two gift exchanges; one was a Secret Santa and the other was a small "White Elephant" exchange where participants are allowed to steal others' gits. 

My Secret Santa liked roses, dark colors and anything vintage ♥ I got her a make-up pouch, tiny rose note cards/envelopes, orange ginger soap and a rose & pearl choker.

I recieved a cute lace headband and mori-style owl hair pin from my Secret Santa c:

Hoot!

For the stealing gift swap, I (stole) a pair of handmade pearl earrings and cute Korean stickers. I originally got a lovely handmade crocheted flower headdress, but that was stolen twice around the group! My gift was a large antiqued skeleton key key-chain, which was stolen by a Gothic Lolita.

So cute ♪

I had a lot of fun and I can't wait till our fashion show and Lolita panel during an upcoming anime convention! I think I will be walking in some form of couture Mori-girl : >

Christmas Card Exchange

This December, EGL hosted a handmade Christmas/Holiday card exchange. While I was silly and forgot to take a photo of mine before I sent it, here is the lovey card I received.

Thanks Madam Neko ♪

December Lifestyle Ideas

From We ♥ It

• Make a cute holly or winter berry brooch and pin it to a warm scarf or lapel 
• Deep reds, chocolates, forest greens and creams are the most wonderful colors for winter 
• Buy a pair of cheap mittens or earmuffs and lolify them with cute little bows, faux fur trim, lace or even tiny bells
• Make a list for the month of December of something you are grateful for every day
• Coordinate an outfit based off a holiday story or character, such as The Nutcracker, The Little Drummer Boy or Rudolph 
• Make festive peppermint tea! Brew peppermint tea and use a candy cane as a stirring stick
• Keep a watch out for Lolita brand novelties on the sales comm, they can make great gifts!
• Need a dish for a holiday gathering or potluck? Why not make a dessert based off a brand print? Try Triple Tart (AP), Memorial Cake (AP), cookies from Wonder Cookie (AP), a tart from Chelsea Rabbit (IW) or cupcakes from Merry Making Party (AP). There are so many possibilities!
• Stuck inside with nothing to do? I recommend watching Pan Am (avaliable on Hulu). Although it's not Lolita, it's got plenty of vintage glamorous goodness~
• It's a busy time or year, but try your best to send cards or letters to friends and family members. Even if they aren't holiday cards, its nice to hear from others during the season (and who doesn't love mail?)