Christmas Redux Pt. 2 ~ Friends (aka Family No. 2)

In addition to my family, I also got presents for K- and Miss M. It's a running joke that they might as well be married, since they are such close friends and are together all the time, so I decide to get them matching travel mugs (they are also both addicted to coffee).

I was inspired by a travel mug I saw in CVS, but the mug itself was really really ugly, so I decided to just have my own custom printed. I found Tervis through a quick Google search, and they seemed to be reasonably priced and have no minimum order (I had no need for 100 coffee mugs...).

The design I put on them was text-only, so I can't say how nicely actual images print, but what I got was nice and crisp, and the mugs themselves were really sturdy.

To top off their presents, I filled K-'s with gummy bears, since he loves those, and I filled Miss M's with foldover elastic hair ties that I made myself. And then I drew them some bird-tastic cards so I could include a little note for each of them ^_^

I'm really happy that they liked the mugs, and hopefully it'll be something useful for both of them! I know at least the gummy bears and hair ties will be well used :-P

Christmas Redux Pt. 1 ~ Family

Now that Christmas has come and gone, and all my presents were safely kept secret until they were to be opened, I can make my posts showing off the things I designed!

For my family (mother, father, and sister), I decided this year to draw them all little graphics representing things that they enjoy and do. I then had those graphics printed on various things ordered through Zazzle.

For my father:

Printed on a mousepad and a mug.

For my mother:

Printed on a wall clock.

For my sister:

Printed on a notebook and a tote bag.

Everyone was really pleased with their presents, yay!! Overall I was really pleased with the printing quality, as well as the general quality of the actual items! The only really disappointing one was the tote bag. The graphic came out really fuzzy and with really bleedy edges, and I didn't realize how yellow the "natural" color option was, so it distorted the colors pretty badly. All the other items were great, and the printing was nice and clean!

Weekly Favorites #6

Modcloth Clear Agenda Flat ~ Who wouldn't want a pair of pastel saddle shoes? These would look super cute with a variety of styles, and could easily be dressed up or down as needed. Replace shoelaces with ribbons for extra frilly power!

(via Modcloth)

Modcloth Legit's a Beautiful Day Umbrella in Cream ~ I've been looking for a new umbrella that's a bit girly but still a practical (ie compact) size for carrying around daily. This one fits the bill, and I have a weakness for both ruffled edges and polka dots, so it's just perfect!

(via Modcloth)

Barry's Farm Owl Laptop Sleeve ~ Owls are cute, and every laptop or tablet deserves a nice sleeve for protection. These can be custom sized for a huge range of laptop brands and models, so that's even more convenient!

(via Barry's Farm)

Forest Girl Fans Floral Mori Pleated Skirt ~ Patchwork clothes always look so whimsical and comfortable to me, and this pleated skirt is a lovely combination of girly and country casual. The waist is fully elastic, so it's sure to be comfortable for a range of sizes.

(via Taobao)

LUSH Magic Wand Bubble Bar ~ Here's the magical girl item for this week... Bubble baths are fun, but they're 20% cooler if you can make pink bubbles appear with a pink magic wand! It even comes with ribbon streamers and a bell!

(via LUSH)

Happy New Year, and may your coming week and coming year be filled with wonder and joy!

[Outfit Post] Black and Red and Dotted All Over

This was a simple easy outfit for going to an appointment and then running a couple of errands. My love affair with cardigans continues, and I think I just might have to acquire a few more before winter is over. They're so useful for layering in any sort of outfit, and if they're patterned or embellished, they can really jazz up an otherwise plain outfit. I did learn from this day, though, that white socks are less than a good idea on a rainy day and if you're prone to bumping your knees on everything around you...

OP: Innocent World
Necklace: Kumacrafts
Cardigan: Cherokee Kids
Socks: Sockdreams
Boots: Skechers

[Lolita Blog Carnival] New Year's Resolutions for Lolita Fashion in 2014

I'm actually terrible at keeping resolutions of any sort; it's almost like making them curses me to fail. However, I enjoy making lists of things, so I thought this would be a fun one to do!

1. Sell pieces I don't really wear anymore.

I've been amassing a closet in various buying spurts over a span of 2 - 3 years now, in terms of main pieces as well as accompanying accessories. I'd obviously like to continue developing my wardrobe, but I have limited space in my apartment, so it would be good to filter out things that no longer fit with my current tastes.

2. Collect more simple headpieces.

Since I do wear Lolita on a semi-daily basis, I'm usually too lazy to deal with elaborate or fussy hairstyles. Unfortunately, very large bows/flowers/etc. don't look very good on plain hair >_< I'd like to accumulate (buy OR make) some more simple headpieces that I can wear with plainer hair.

3. Learn how to use clip-in bangs.

This is probably seems sort of random, but it's something that I've been thinking about for a bit. Now that I'm dancing so much, it's actually kind of a pain having bangs cut into my real hair, because they're hard to pull back cleanly when I'm dancing. I think the best solution would be to invest in a couple of good clip-in bangs (I'm thinking one blunt cut and one side-swept), and just grow out my own hair. This way, I can have the best of both worlds?

4. Develop a better petticoat collection.

I have quite a lot of petticoats, most of which are medium-poof at best. While I do have one that I like for more daily wear, I'd like to get at least one REALLY poofy one so I don't have to wear 3 or 4 petticoats at a time to get the amount of poof I want for heavier skirts or more elaborate outfits. I tend to get a rash on my waist from elastics as-is, and multi-petticoats don't help that.

5. Go to more meetups.

This ties into a more general life resolution I want to make regarding my socialization patterns. I don't think I'll stop being shy, but the last year or so I've really sort of isolated myself into my own world due to a lot of converging issues. But honestly, I miss hanging out with people, which only makes me feel worse. Since I always really enjoy Lolita meetups, I think forcing myself to go to more of them will really help me actually feel better about life in general ^_^

So there it is, my list of Lolita resolutions!

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Make sure to check out all the other blogs in the Lolita Blog Carnival who participated in this topic!

~ The Cute Lifestyle | Mary Hazelbelle | Her Lumpiness | Lace Teapot | Breiðholt | Lolita Glamour | Beyond Kawaii | New Vogue Children | Fire Extinquisher | Wearable Magic | Northern Star | Hello Batty | Ramble Rori | Jess Cosmic Delight ~

Merry Christmas!!!

I can't believe it's Christmas again already!! In the spirit of tradition, I recorded a Christmas-themed cover song again this year. I even went a bit fancy and put actual video of myself in it! So here it is!!

"Winter Bells"
Original by: Kuraki Mai
Cover by: Kyttyee

***************************************************

... in which I dance with my dear old friend Big Moo and do various other silly things on camera ...

I can't believe it's been another year already, and it's Christmas again!! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and all that jazz ^_^ I know I've been lax in updating here the last few months, and I have no excuse for that other than not having my stuff together enough.

I hope you enjoy this video, and here's to a new year, a fresh start, and hopefully being better at making more videos for you!

May the rest of your year be filled with love and pink ponies, and here's to a sparkly sugary sweet new year!

Weekly Favorites #5

As the weather started turning cooler this fall, I got really into scented candles. I'm not generally a huge fan of fragrances and such, as a lot of them induce super terrible headaches in me. However, I decided to put up with walking through fragrance bombardment to find the few nice candle scents and try them out. There's just something very heart-warming about a little candle flame.

My favorite one so far has been this one from Pure-Clean-Soy in the Pink Magnolia scent. I found it in the home section of Target. This is the first time I've used a soy candle, so I'm not sure if the lightness of the scent is this particular fragrance or because it's a soy candle. Either way, this candle gives my room a nice hint of sweetness and floralness when it's burning, but isn't overpowering. This is great if you like subtle scents or have a sensitive nose, but perhaps less good if something more in-your-face is desired for your room fragrance.

I definitely enjoyed this candle, and will be buying some in their other scents to try out. When I was test-smelling them in the store, all of the candles from this brand had a nice light scent, so I'm hoping I'll be pleased with more of them.

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Hope your coming week is full of warmth and cheer! Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and good luck with all the preparations! ^_^

[Outfit Post] A Pocketful of Cozy

Snuggly oversized sweater season!! Actually, it got super cold already a month ago, but sweaters feel even more snuggly now. I've been really liking the oversized sweater paired with sweater tights and a shorter skirt recently. Since I'm vertically challenged, skirts falling above the knee help make my legs look at least a little bit longer. That's probably the one thing I am less fond of Lolita for, because the skirts are all pretty long on me - usually 1~2 inches below my knee. I enjoy Angelic Pretty sizing (at least their more recent skirts anyways) because it's short enough to not make my legs look like nubs, but not so short as to be in mini-skirt range and thus outside the Lolita silhouette. I get that I'm exceptionally short though, so their trend towards shorter has actually been a bit of a bane for average and tall people.

Sweater: JC Penney
Skirt/Shirt: Target (Circo)
Tights: BonTon
Boots: Skechers

Drawing ~ Illustration Friday: Spirit

This week's topic: Spirit.

I decided to go with a J-fashion interpretation of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future from A Christmas Carol.





Copic Sketch + Prismacolor Fine Line markers on mixed media paper.

Drawing ~ Super Mommy

I love my mommy... because my mommy is a superhero! Or something out of a Mario game?

Copic Sketch + Prismacolor Fine Line markers on heavyweight sketch paper.

Weekly Favorites #4

I'm a sucker for things that aren't books but look like books. These Disney "Old Book" iPhone cases are just too cute! As much as I love reading, I think I love books because of they're books - the way they look, the way they smell, the way they handle... Book look-a-likes with cute details will always make my heart flutter.

(via Strapya-World)

Sailor Moon fever is running high, and I must admit I'm quite psyched too! New merch has been appearing like crazy, but none has appealed to me as much as this cute pajama set from Peach John! There's sailor senshi lingerie sets too, as well as more normal Sailor Moon-themed underwear sets.

(via Peach John)

These little flats are just absolutely darling, especially in the pink color. I always love a simple maryjane shoe, and the lace overlay with the ribbon just adds a touch of specialness to it all.

(via Modcloth)

I'm not personally a big follower of Doctor Who, but I have a best friend who is, and this awesome Tardis teapot caught my eye while I was shopping for presents. Tardis. Teapot. What more needs to be said?

(via Thinkgeek)

As a constant wearer of skirts and shorts (almost never jeans or pants), I'm always on the hunt for warm leggings and tights. These Uniqlo HEATTECH leggings are really intriguing, if they do in fact keep the wearer warmer than normal leggings, but have the same look and bulk. There are also tights made with the same fabric technology. They only come in a few solid colors, but that's really all that's needed for layering in the winter.

(via Uniqlo)

Here's to lots of sparkle and cheer in the next week!

[Outfit Post] I Dream of Alice

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two of my all-time favorite books. The wordplay! The levels of intricacy! Chess! Well, actually I don't really enjoy playing chess so much, but I enjoy that it was incorporated into the story in such a cute way. I love all literary prints, but this on is one of my favorites for sure, because it depicts Alice and the Faun. I don't think it's a particularly well-known scene, but I am quite fond of it, if not just because I like animals. It was such a sweet little segment in the story ^_^

Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Necklace: the pixelsmithy
Boots: Skechers
Socks: Sockdreams
Cardigan: Target
Shirt: Gap

Drawing ~ Illustration Friday: Pattern

I recently learned about a nifty illustration challenge site called Illustration Friday. I decided participating would be a nice way to motivate myself to draw more, as well as provide some topics outside of whatever my own brain comes up with. Plus, I really love all the artwork that other people have posted there, it's really quite inspirational!

This week's topic: Pattern

Drawing ~ Dancing in a Dream

When I can dance, and I mean really just dance, not worrying about technique or anything, it's just such a lovely feeling! And I have to remember that feeling when I'm struggling with certain steps, or technique issues, because in the end, that's why I love to dance...

Copic Sketch + Prismacolor Fine Line markers on mixed media vellum paper.

Weekly Favorites #3

#1 Wilton Dimensions® Giant Cupcake Pan

I've wanted a giant cupcake pan for the longest time, and I find the Wilton pans that I do own to be quite durable and good at the non-stick thing. So. Giant cupcake pan! I'm sure you could use it all sorts of other ways to make various cake sculptures of a non-cupcake sort too ^_^

(via Wilton)

#2 Wonder Rocket Houndstooth Check Cocoon Jumperskirt

Wonder Rocket is one of my favorite Japanese mori-girl brands. Their general aesthetic tends to be feminine but simple, which I like very much. And then they occasionally come up with something of a more unusual cut/shape, but I still love it. This cocoon dress is one of those <3 data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-bubble="" data-blogger-escaped-but="" data-blogger-escaped-cuter="" data-blogger-escaped-hem="" data-blogger-escaped-it="" data-blogger-escaped-makes="" data-blogger-escaped-me="" data-blogger-escaped-of="" data-blogger-escaped-skirts="" data-blogger-escaped-somehow="" data-blogger-escaped-think="">

(via Wonder Rocket)

#3 Wonder Rocket Retro Flap 2-way Bag

I cannot resist a cute bag, and I've been especially obsessed with satchel-style bags, so this purse fits the bill perfectly. It comes in some nice earthy/autumnal color combinations (this one is my favorite), and the dimensions look like a good size for holding necessary things (and the occasional netbook/tablet) without being too bulky.

(via Wonder Rocket)

#4 Avalon Code

My favorite type of video game is probably the good ole' RPG, especially if it has cute graphics! I came across this game recently (I think looking at cosplay photos or something), and wondered why I haven't played it yet, because it looks right up my alley. Plus, cute source for future cosplays?

(via Avalon Code Website)

#5 IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in "Je Ne Sais Quoi"

Sheer pink lipcolor strikes again! I know I recently pointed out the Dior Addict lipstick, but I think this one attracts me even more. This looks like a lovely sheer wash of pink, plus IT Cosmetics is a cruelty-free brand (by PETA standards, but not Leaping Bunny). I'm not a hardcore cruelty-free product advocate, but I am personally trying to shift toward more cruelty-free in my makeup and healthcare products, so this lippy makes me happy. Plus, the ingredients list looks good, and it comes in several other very pretty colors too!

(via IT Cosmetics)

[Outfit Post] Old Classics

With colder weather comes more chances to wear cardigans and cozy tights. To be fair, I wear those even in summer sometimes, but there's still something just so nice about cozy clothing juxtaposed with a chill in the air. I love me some cardigans, so fall and winter are my favorite seasons, clothing-wise. I love winter for many other reasons too, but the prevalence of cozy knitted things is a contributing factor ^o^

Skirt: Bodyline
Necklace: the pixelsmithy
Boots: Skechers
Cardigan: Target
Shirt/Tights: BonTon

Drawing ~ Thanksgiving Aftermath

Food is tasty! And food comas can be cozy, especially when accompanied by a steaming mug of hot apple cider ^_^

This is chronologically out of order from my previous drawings (since I drew this last Friday), but more befitting given real-life time.

Copic Sketch + Prismacolor Fine Line markers on heavyweight sketch paper.

[NaSoAlMo 2013] Final Update

Haha well... I have learned from this that my standards for myself are too high, and I work too slowly, to complete an entire solo album in one month XD

That said, I'm really glad I gave it a good go this year, and I've got an excellent start on quite a few songs that I do plan to actually complete in the future. So basically, I do want to complete this project, but a month is simply not enough time for me.

So I'll continue to post updates on how the composing goes, and maybe I'll have everything done before December of next year! ^o^

Weekly Favorites #2

#1 ~ Forest Fan Girls Starry Sweatshirt

This sweatshirt is so cozy-looking, and just makes me want to curl up in it with a good book. I especially love the faux-layering flannel detail on the sleeves, and the cutout applique design is just too cute. I really need more comfy oversized sweaters in my life!

(via Forest Fan Girls)

#2 ~ Modcloth A Tale of New Tights

Illustrated tights seem to be catching on now, especially with Japanese street fashions. Most of the time I find them a bit too busy for my taste, but these are just the right amount of ornateness, and remind me of the blue and white porcelain that I love so much.

(via Modcloth)

#3 ~ DreamV Lace Frill Blouse Cutsew

I'm always on the lookout for knit tops that I can wear with Lolita, and this one is just perfect. The frilled collar area makes it suitable both on its own with a skirt, or under a jumperskirt, since it simulates a blouse. While I don't mind blouses for dressing up fancy, I just find it more comfortable to wear something with a bit of give on a more daily basis.

(via DreamV)

#4 ~ Swimmer Heart-A-Flutter Jewel Compact

I swear not every post will involve magical girls, but this is in fact the perfect magical girl accessory! At least, I think it looks kind of like a compact that could transform me into a fantastical outfit at any moment. Swimmer makes the cutest accessories and knick-knacks, and I can never get enough of them! I personally like the white one best ^w^

(via Swimmer)

#5 ~ Forever21 Paris Charms Necklace

I love Paris, and all the little motifs (and cliches, I guess) that come along with it. And I just can't resist charms or pendants with the Eiffel tower on them, especially something like this with the cute little rose.

(via Forever21)

~ Have a frilltastic week! ~