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Just working on some pretty sparkly things~
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Sunday, November 15, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
Lolita Blog Carnival: 3 Favorite Brands and Why
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This week in the Lolita Blog Carnival, we've been asked to talk about our favorite brands and why we like them. I think the answer to this question is always heavily tied to what aesthetics define Lolita for each person individually, as well as how and in what context they wear Lolita fashion. Because everyone has different tastes and different circumstances, we can see a variety of answers!
The particular aesthetic that most coincides with my personal feeling of being a Lolita is a sweet-classic feel. It's like tiptoeing the line between sweet and classic, where it is not too mature, but also still has a sense of elegance and demureness to it. While I adore looking at intricate prints, and I can appreciate the artwork that goes into them, a lot of my personal preference lies towards more solid-color designs or simpler floral and other all-over prints, rather than border prints. I also tend to prefer a more simplistic approach to accessories, partly because I prefer that look on myself, and also because I get irritated when I have too many objects hanging about me.
The particular aesthetic that most coincides with my personal feeling of being a Lolita is a sweet-classic feel. It's like tiptoeing the line between sweet and classic, where it is not too mature, but also still has a sense of elegance and demureness to it. While I adore looking at intricate prints, and I can appreciate the artwork that goes into them, a lot of my personal preference lies towards more solid-color designs or simpler floral and other all-over prints, rather than border prints. I also tend to prefer a more simplistic approach to accessories, partly because I prefer that look on myself, and also because I get irritated when I have too many objects hanging about me.
While I naturally tend towards a more toned-down aesthetic, the way I dress is also influenced by the fact that I consider Lolita to be part of my everyday wardrobe. While I do tend to go more elaborate for special occasions, meetups, conventions, etc., most of the time I'm wearing Lolita to do mundane things like running errands and going about the neighborhood or my apartment. Thus, I tend to put together my daily outfits with practicality (and sometimes speed of dressing) being primary factors.
With those things in mind, let's talk about my three favorite Lolita brands!
With those things in mind, let's talk about my three favorite Lolita brands!
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I am at heart always and forever an Innocent World girl, right from the beginning of my Lolita days. The brand aesthetic is exactly the balance of sweet and classic that I hold in my mind as my personal image of Lolita. My very first brand piece was a carousel print JSK from Innocent World, and it is still one of my favorite pieces.
I own a lot of pieces from Innocent World, and every one of them I would consider to be high quality. They use good fabrics with a nice feel and appropriate drape, and as far as I can tell the construction is solid. The printed pieces have crisp imaging, and I've yet to encounter any issues with running or color transfer.
Quality aside, what really draws me to this brand is the abundance of simple but elegant designs. Of course, as with any brand, they offer a range of very elaborate to more wearable pieces. But overall, they tend to have very clean and simple cuts with some frills and lace embellishments, but not so many as to be overwhelming. In general, I feel like their cuts and the shapes of their silhouettes tend to have a slightly more mature girly feel, which gives even their sweeter print designs still a feeling of elegance.
Much of my IW collection consists of solid designs rather than prints, but something that I really like about their prints is the "old fairytale book illustration" feeling that the artwork tends to have. It's not really so much sugary cute, as just rather charming and quaint. Illustrations along the lines of the original Beatrix Potter books, or Alice in Wonderland share that type of feeling.
The most representative piece of what I love about IW is the Viennese Waltz Frill JSK. The artwork is charmingly cute, but done in more muted colors that lend it a more mature feel. While high-waisted cuts can be childish, this particular shape retains a sense of elegance. The small frill details express a certain princessy or doll-like aesthetic, but are not so overly bold as to take away from the simplicity of the piece.
I own a lot of pieces from Innocent World, and every one of them I would consider to be high quality. They use good fabrics with a nice feel and appropriate drape, and as far as I can tell the construction is solid. The printed pieces have crisp imaging, and I've yet to encounter any issues with running or color transfer.
Quality aside, what really draws me to this brand is the abundance of simple but elegant designs. Of course, as with any brand, they offer a range of very elaborate to more wearable pieces. But overall, they tend to have very clean and simple cuts with some frills and lace embellishments, but not so many as to be overwhelming. In general, I feel like their cuts and the shapes of their silhouettes tend to have a slightly more mature girly feel, which gives even their sweeter print designs still a feeling of elegance.
Much of my IW collection consists of solid designs rather than prints, but something that I really like about their prints is the "old fairytale book illustration" feeling that the artwork tends to have. It's not really so much sugary cute, as just rather charming and quaint. Illustrations along the lines of the original Beatrix Potter books, or Alice in Wonderland share that type of feeling.
The most representative piece of what I love about IW is the Viennese Waltz Frill JSK. The artwork is charmingly cute, but done in more muted colors that lend it a more mature feel. While high-waisted cuts can be childish, this particular shape retains a sense of elegance. The small frill details express a certain princessy or doll-like aesthetic, but are not so overly bold as to take away from the simplicity of the piece.
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Baby's aesthetic tends towards the sweeter, more princessy side of the sweet-classic spectrum, but still captures the feeling I love. In particular, I am a fan of their non-print, floral and all-over print designs. My first Baby piece was the Blooming Snow White JSK.
While they do put out many print-focused pieces, especially more recently, they do a good job of balancing that with non-print designs and staple wardrobe pieces.
One thing that I especially like about their prints is that they often follow themes drawn from literature and fairytales. I always gravitate towards those subjects and find them very hard to resist. I am also fond of many of their older print designs, such as their Swan Lake print, Music Salon print, and their Alice and the Fawn print.
My signature piece from Baby is the Dessert OP. This is a design they've re-released almost yearly with minor variations in lace and details, and I would eventually like to have it in lavender, black, and pink as well. The design is cute and princess-liky, but not overly childish. The fabric is beautiful with a dot texture that adds interest, and the lace is beautiful and plush. It embodies my favorite aspects of Baby's non-print designs, in which complexity comes from details in the design (fabric, pintucks, lace, ruffles, layers, tiers), rather than elaborate prints.
While they do put out many print-focused pieces, especially more recently, they do a good job of balancing that with non-print designs and staple wardrobe pieces.
One thing that I especially like about their prints is that they often follow themes drawn from literature and fairytales. I always gravitate towards those subjects and find them very hard to resist. I am also fond of many of their older print designs, such as their Swan Lake print, Music Salon print, and their Alice and the Fawn print.
My signature piece from Baby is the Dessert OP. This is a design they've re-released almost yearly with minor variations in lace and details, and I would eventually like to have it in lavender, black, and pink as well. The design is cute and princess-liky, but not overly childish. The fabric is beautiful with a dot texture that adds interest, and the lace is beautiful and plush. It embodies my favorite aspects of Baby's non-print designs, in which complexity comes from details in the design (fabric, pintucks, lace, ruffles, layers, tiers), rather than elaborate prints.
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My third favorite brand is not strictly a Lolita brand. and as such most of their pieces are not designed with Lolita fashion in mind. In fact, they tend to distance themselves from Lolita, preferring to be labeled an otome brand. That said, because I do prefer something a bit simpler than some other Lolitas, quite a number of their pieces fit quite well in my personal Lolita aesthetic. Especially when practicality comes into play, and giant petticoats are not always appropriate, ETC dresses and skirts with a moderate petticoat fit in perfectly.
My favorite thing about ETC is their quirky prints, with sometimes unusual themes. Because they are not a Lolita brand, and don't really care to follow the goings-on in Lolita trends and such, they actually tend to stand out for me. For example, they don't usually line up with Lolita brands in terms of print themes, and the illustration style is also different. I would described it as part children's book, part old-timey fairytale. It shares that sort of antique charm that IW illustrations have, but usually brighter and more bold.
Another area where they stand out for me is with their really nice designs for wardrobe fillers and accessories. I always like their cardigan and cutsew designs, which would be perfect for everyday wearers in terms of comfort and being not too loud or outlandish. They also have very cute coats and hats, which I would very much like to own some of one day.
My favorite piece that I own from ETC is the Victoria Music OP. It has one of my favorite print themes, music! The artwork exemplifies the all-over prints they do, and the streamlined high-waist cut of the piece is one commonly seen in ETC's OPs and JSKs.
Of course I have pieces that I love from many other brands as well, but these three are my top three in terms of matching my own Lolita aesthetic as well as fitting into my wardrobe for wearing Lolita fashion on a daily basis.
My favorite thing about ETC is their quirky prints, with sometimes unusual themes. Because they are not a Lolita brand, and don't really care to follow the goings-on in Lolita trends and such, they actually tend to stand out for me. For example, they don't usually line up with Lolita brands in terms of print themes, and the illustration style is also different. I would described it as part children's book, part old-timey fairytale. It shares that sort of antique charm that IW illustrations have, but usually brighter and more bold.
Another area where they stand out for me is with their really nice designs for wardrobe fillers and accessories. I always like their cardigan and cutsew designs, which would be perfect for everyday wearers in terms of comfort and being not too loud or outlandish. They also have very cute coats and hats, which I would very much like to own some of one day.
My favorite piece that I own from ETC is the Victoria Music OP. It has one of my favorite print themes, music! The artwork exemplifies the all-over prints they do, and the streamlined high-waist cut of the piece is one commonly seen in ETC's OPs and JSKs.
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Of course I have pieces that I love from many other brands as well, but these three are my top three in terms of matching my own Lolita aesthetic as well as fitting into my wardrobe for wearing Lolita fashion on a daily basis.
Please visit the other blogs in the Lolita Blog Carnival who participated in this topic!
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Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Autumn Woods
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With all of the leaves turning pretty colors, autumn is one of my favorite times of the year to walk through the woods. The mosquitoes and gnats are no longer around to be a nuisance, and there's just so much pretty scenery to look at and enjoy.
A+ and I took a bit of a wander together out on the lake outcropping near our apartment. It's a really lovely area with a lot of little paths going through all the trees interspersed with fields of flowers. I think the carpet of fallen leaves makes them especially nice to walk through.
The past week or so has quite a few windy days, and along with the general rotting season, there were a lot of fallen trees in the area. This particular tree fell in a very interesting manner, and is now precariously perched.
The main path goes through the middle of the peninsula area, but the side paths go much closer to the lake. It's quite pretty seeing it glimmering through the trees as you're walking.
The tree colors seem to vary in patches, with some areas being very orange, while others are very red. This area was particularly yellow, as far as the eye can see.
We took our walk just in time for sunset, which is always pretty to watch over the lake in any season.
It's also about the time when people start showing up to make use of the various firepit areas in the area. This one is particularly large and finished, which is nice, but I think I prefer the smaller ones that just have simple logs for seating. Those just feel a bit more rustic and woodsy to me.
On our way back, I spotted a brave patch of flowers still blooming in the mostly-withered fields. Don't they look so bright and cheery?
A lot of the trees that turned earlier are now bare, so the pretty colors will probably be gone in another couple of weeks as winter approaches. But winter has its own sort of beauty too! It's my favorite season, after all <3
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Friday, November 6, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Wintering the Garden
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As the nights have been getting colder, most of the plants in the garden have been succumbing to the frost. We've had a pretty good run for the season, so it was time to prepare the garden for wintering over!
Because the garlic was so successful last year, we decided to plant some more for this winter. Hopefully they'll grow as well as the last batch! We planted the cloves in the front bed, and simply pulled out or dug up the withered plants in the other beds. The chard was especially difficult to pull up. I had no idea they had such gigantic root systems. The first one I pulled out looked a bit like some sort of cephalopod with its long tentacles!
We left the peas still growing in the other front bed because they survive frost quite well and are still producing at this stage. It's actually gone back to being unseasonably warm, so I think those will keep growing for awhile yet. These late-season peas don't seem quite as sweet as the summer ones, but they're still delicious and crisp!
The last step was to just cover the empty beds with leaf mulch to try to keep the weeds from growing too quickly when spring comes around again. The raspberry patch in the back has gone a bit wild, so I think some pruning will be in order next year to keep everything in check. Weeding around spiky things is difficult...
Other garden plots around us have more cold-weather crops than we did, so there's still quite a lot of greenery growing in the general garden area. I'm always especially impressed by the bok choi plot that one of our neighbors has going on.
A lot of other gardens also have many autumn squash varieties ready for harvest. I love how cute the little decorative squashes look, although I wonder sometimes if they're any good for eating. Probably not, although these very round ones might have more edible parts than the spindly ones.
Even with the unusually warm weather, the leaves have been turning gradually. The colorful treescapes are among my favorite things about autumn, and it's so pretty living near wooded areas this time of year.
Because the garlic was so successful last year, we decided to plant some more for this winter. Hopefully they'll grow as well as the last batch! We planted the cloves in the front bed, and simply pulled out or dug up the withered plants in the other beds. The chard was especially difficult to pull up. I had no idea they had such gigantic root systems. The first one I pulled out looked a bit like some sort of cephalopod with its long tentacles!
We left the peas still growing in the other front bed because they survive frost quite well and are still producing at this stage. It's actually gone back to being unseasonably warm, so I think those will keep growing for awhile yet. These late-season peas don't seem quite as sweet as the summer ones, but they're still delicious and crisp!
The last step was to just cover the empty beds with leaf mulch to try to keep the weeds from growing too quickly when spring comes around again. The raspberry patch in the back has gone a bit wild, so I think some pruning will be in order next year to keep everything in check. Weeding around spiky things is difficult...
Other garden plots around us have more cold-weather crops than we did, so there's still quite a lot of greenery growing in the general garden area. I'm always especially impressed by the bok choi plot that one of our neighbors has going on.
A lot of other gardens also have many autumn squash varieties ready for harvest. I love how cute the little decorative squashes look, although I wonder sometimes if they're any good for eating. Probably not, although these very round ones might have more edible parts than the spindly ones.
Even with the unusually warm weather, the leaves have been turning gradually. The colorful treescapes are among my favorite things about autumn, and it's so pretty living near wooded areas this time of year.
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Friday, October 30, 2015
Happy Halloween 2015!
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Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all have lots of fun, lots of scares, and lots of delicious candy!
"Happy Halloween"
Original music and lyrics: Junky (http://twitter.com/Junky_Box)
Original choreography: まなこ / Manako (http://www.nicovideo.jp/user/16546526)
~ COVER ~
Vocals and dancing: Kyttyee (http://www.youtube.com/KyttyeeChii)
Artwork/Animation: Kyttyee // Papillon de Nuit
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Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Bathrooms Can Be Cute Too!
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The bathroom in our apartment is rather barebones in terms of built-in organization as well as space in which to put extra shelves or other storage items. As such, there was really no good place to put extra toilet paper rolls within easy reach. While that is fine as long as one maintains awareness of imminent toilet paper shortages, it is somewhat less than convenient, especially if there are guests or people who aren't used to our particular bathroom arrangement.
In order to remedy that, I decided it would be pretty easy to just make a toilet paper holder that hangs below the actual toilet paper dispenser, and perhaps also serve a bit of a decorative purpose for brightening up the bathroom. And... voila!
It was simple to make, consisting basically of two identical rectangles of fabric sewn together into one very large tube with one open end. With the tube turned the right side out, I then folded the open end of the tube down a bit to create a neat edge for closing it, and top-stitched all the way around the now-rectangle. I actually used four pieces of fabric for better stiffness, but that could also be replaced with interfacing on just two pieces of fabric.
This very large rectangle I then folded in half, and stitched a line down the middle of it to divide the space for two rolls of toilet paper.
I then sandwiched two lengths of grosgrain ribbon folded in half between the two sides of the top area of the folded rectangle, then closed off the top with a couple rows of stitching, also securing the ribbons to the rectangle. Those are the ties for attaching the whole thing to the toilet paper dispenser.
It was super quick, and increases the convenience of the bathroom as well as being cute and polka-dotty!
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Wednesday, October 21, 2015
A+ Mittens
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I was determined to make him the best mittens I possibly could, even though I had never knit mittens before. Many of the patterns I found were unsatisfactory due to either sizing issues or a displeasing shape. I am personally not at big fan of mittens that turn out pointy at the top, and really wanted to find a pattern that would give a more flat or round finish.
After much searching through many knitting books and the internet, I finally came upon this wonderful "Easy Warm Mittens" pattern from HJS Studio. The shape is exactly what I was looking for, and the "pattern" is in fact more of a lesson on how to design a custom mitten pattern, which is great for sizing!
Once I started, each hand took me about a day of knitting on and off to complete. Here's one hand one, with the other in progress:
And now both mittens are done!
I stuck to a simple stockinette stitch for my mittens, and single color, so nothing too complicated to deal with in the increases and decreases. If I find some suitable yarn, I might decide to knit some more pairs for myself or friends/family in more interesting patterns!
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Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Whipping Up a Quick Bow
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I recently had a photo session for which I needed a neckbow, similar to what one sees in some Japanese school uniforms, or in nanchatte uniform fashions. It was on such short notice that I couldn't really order one in from an online shop, nor did I really wish to pay for the shipping. Besides, bows are one of the easiest items to make with some basic sewing and patterning knowledge.
I made mine by referencing an existing detachable bow from one of my JSKs, just to make sure I had the right structural basics for the shape of bow that I wanted. Specifically, I wanted the top half of my bow to be looped, while the bottom half or "tails" should have only a single layer.
After some quick midnight cutting and sewing, I made a rather presentable bow. For easy wearing, I just whip-stitched it by hand to a length of white grosgrain ribbon that I could then tie around my neck.
This was so quick and easy to whip up that I think I might start making more bows! Given more time, I would probably have made a proper neckstrap that buttoned in the back, and could even be adjustable, so that's something to work on for any future neckbows~
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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny... Sweater
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A colleague of A+ recently had a baby daughter, and I find it really fun to knit tiny people clothes, so I was really excited to make something for them. I had a stash of some variegated baby yarn along with some extra Caron Simply Soft in pink, so I decided it would be fun to make a raglan cardigan. I knit this following the Daisy pattern from Knitty, which was very straightforward and easy to follow, assuming you're familiar with basic stockinette and increases/decreases.
I think it turned out pretty cutely, although I sort of wish I had used a more structural yarn for the neckline. At least now I know for the next time I knit a sweater-type garment involving Simply Soft.
Now I just wish there were more babies around that I can knit little hats and booties and mittens for! I would especially like to make THESE. Baby Miis!
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