Myths of Our Own - Lads on Tour

This is a VERY late post - I have no excuses other than I'm rubbish at blogging.

Anyway, welcome to the first of a series of blog posts documenting my weekend away in Dublin for IREGL's event Myths of Our Own!

I'd like to think I'm an expert at travelling light by now, I had a cabin sized suitcase and a tote bag on me for the weekend. I'd have probably only needed the suitcase and it would only be about 80% full if I wasn't a vendor but alas I am and dearest Gone-chan let me put a selection of things in her suitcase. What a good egg!

Now, am I even travelling if everything runs smoothly? Of course not! We were met with a train mishap and a delayed flight!

Upon booking our flights, Gone-chan and myself had been allocated totally random seats and my row was supposedly fully booked. 

...

On the day it turned out I have the WHOLE row to myself!

Fortunately I can say that things went smoothly once we arrived in Dublin. The bus was easy and it wasn't hard to find our apartment. 

So upon getting off the bus to meet the rest of squad for the weekend, I came across THIS gem!

I have not been to Boojum since I moved back from Belfast so I was dead excited and thus this is where I got dinner! I got pulled pork in mine.

(For those who have never been to Boojum, it is an Irish Mexican chain and they make such a good burrito!) 

The rest of the evening involved chilling out with the squad, last minute ironing and prepping! My prep was mainly a case of doing my nails and glamorously applying the last of my favourite snail sheet masks - I saved it especially! 

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That's all for now lads, the post on the main event will follow shortly, I promise!

- Part Time 小姐

Let's Go Potterheads!

Remember that Slytherin dress I made back in May? Well yesterday I finally took it on an outing to DraigCon in Manchester! I don't remember the last time I was up to get a train this early and only managed to get my eyeliner done before having to leave the house - I'm forever an expert at failing '5 more minutes'.

 So the convention itself took place at The Printworks near Manchester Victoria and Chethem Library. I'd never been to The Printworks before and it turned out to be like an entertainment complex with a cinema and a wide variety of eateries. I thought it was really was quite accurate to what I would imagine a modern day Diagon Alley to look like and there were lots of photo opportunities!

It's been so long since I went on an outing with Sam, Claire and Emma! 

I can fly this guy with my provisional right? 

It's got to be Slytherin! A lot of people think I'd definitely be a Hufflepuff but I'm not going to lie, I'm not nice enough, my patience levels are near non-existent and I probably swear too much haha! I definitely have the ambition and pride of a Slytherin! 

What an aesthetic photo! I'm also sorry for the amount of times 'aesthetic' came out of my mouth guys! 

Dobby's sock collection point

During the afternoon we went to enjoy the orchestra which was really lovely! I don't really go to classical concerts but every time I listen to an orchestra I have such a great time!

We made a wizard friend at Chethem! 

The all important Butter Beer! Because did you even go to Harry Potter Con if you didn't drink one? 

The Whisky was pretty strong but I enjoyed it, especially the whipped cream! 

7/10 - would drink again if someone bought me one.

With Claire's future husband, Viktor Krum! 10/10 worth queuing for! 

Selfie and outfit shot spam!

JSK & Bow - Handmade

Blouse & Bag - Primark

Shoes - Dreamy Bows

Everything else - Offbrand

This is my first convention where it's solely focused on one fandom and I had a great time! I would definitely go to one like this again!

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Have you ever been to a Harry Potter convention? 

Who did you see there? Who would be your dream guest? 

- Part Time 小姐

Are You Dazzling Today?

So, remember that post back in March where I said I'd go back to sample more of the menu at Dazzling Cafe? Well here it is!

Mr Rachel came to visit me for a few days and for convenience, we decided to stay out in Manchester so this was an A Grade chance to take him out for the ultimate lunch date!

It was pretty empty when we got there which was a bit shocking since it was so busy back in March but that also meant we got seated really quickly and it was nice and peaceful. 

Time for super aesthetic drinks! I got the Dazzling Pink which is a very sweet ice tea and David got the Pineapple Soda - I knew he'd get this one and I am very pleased that I internally guessed right! (This is it pre-mixed, once mixed it is green like pictured in the menu.)

They had a £10 meal deal (includes an appetiser and a main) but the main reason I had decided to bring Mr Rachel here was to try the Honey Toast so we decided against getting so much food.

In the end, we both decided to get a Chicken Karaage with Cheese each from the appetisers and it was great! The chicken had a lovely crispness on the outside and was fantastically succulent on the inside! The melted cheese and seaweed flakes added a nice saltiness to the crispy fries. The flavours were SO good and the portion was actually very big for an appetiser and felt more like a meal. Good value for money though!

 

Drum roll please, here's the old Honey Toast! This is the same as the one I got back in March but out of the options, Mr Rachel most fancied the aesthetic of this one! 

He doesn't care for hazelnuts but I helped in that department. 

Y'all know how I feel about this masterpiece so I won't swoon over it again. The only thing I will say is that it was a little bit of a challenge between the two of us ^^'

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Verdict 

Dazzling Pink (£4) - 10/10 would drink again!

I was curious about the name of this and the little star beside it on the menu and in the end chose it for it's name. It was a very sweet and refreshing iced tea with some lychee and rose notes. Was I dazzled? Yes!

Pineapple Soda - (£4) - 8/10 would drink again!

I don't usually care for pineapple but I tried a bit just because and found it pleasant and enjoyable. The only thing is you'e got to make sure you do a lot of stirring so the syrup is thoroughly distributed so the last 1/4 or so it's super dilute.  Mr Rachel may or may not rate it differently. 

Chicken Karaage with Cheese -  (£6.50) - 10/10 would eat again and again!

These were BIG appetisers! I REALLY enjoyed this, the chicken really was SO good and it was the perfect mixture of crispiness, tenderness and juiciness <3 The whole dish had great flavours and textures, so good, I loved it!

Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast (£10) - 10/10 would eat again and again and again!

This was still SO good though more challenging to finish between two, compared to between three. Compared to last time, it was maybe a *little* bit overdone so a little hard in places but the cream and ice cream helped.

Verdict - We are both 10/10 dazzled, SO dazzled!

Admittedly it was a little expensive for a lunch date but considering the place, aesthetics and how much we enjoyed the food, it was worth it ^^

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So here we go, I did Dazzling Cafe again and am still dazzled! 10/10 would STILL go again and try even more from the menu :)
Following this, we went on a date to Sea World Manchester at the Trafford Centre, it's been an A Grade date!

What's your favourite kind of date?

- Part Time 小姐

My Best 25 Year Old Self

I recently turned a ripe 25 and was on a bit of a 'treat yo'self' spree (I'm a real adult now folks!) *ahem* so met up with a couple of frilly friends to eat out in York!

After April's meet I was left wanting more from Ipukku Tea House so this was a great excuse to go back and try more of the menu!

I wanted to get new things but I couldn't resist and had to have the matcha white hot chocolate with ALL the toppings again. I regret nothing. Still a firm 10/10 - would drink again!

Have you really had Japanese food if you haven't had omurice??? I love omurice, as soon as I saw it on the menu I knew I needed it! Overall, a very solid omurice! The sauce was really nice as was the dressing on the salad. 8/10 - would eat again!

Just some cute sakura cookies for a light dessert. I was tempted by the melon Ramune but resisted since I'd had it before. These guys were yummy as ever, a great snack at 60p for 2! I only got 4, Persie put some of hers with mine for aesthetic reasons!

So that's it for the foodie aspect of the day! Rosie then showed us to some boba shops which I was SUPER happy about! I've not been able to get bubble tea in York since I was in 6th form (you do the maths!) so this really pleases me and I know I'll be back!

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A super mini meet but a meet still and what is a meet without outfity bits, right? 

Since this was a really last minute thing, I opted for a really comfy, casual and pink look! 

I didn't take an outfit shot so here's a 'bedinate'! 

(Like a floordinate but on your bed!)

JSK - ETC

Cardigan - ETC

Socks - Primark

Bag - Samantha Vega (this bag doesn't get to go out enough!)

Necklace - Angelic Pretty

Cake brooches - hadmade

And some close ups of my felt brooches! I wanted them to match the dress :)

I am a victim of mismatching pinks but that's ok! I will still keep trying to be my best kawaii 25 year old self! ^__~

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Does anyone else keep going back to restaurants in hope of someday trying everything from the menu?

 - Part Time 小姐

Kawaii Background Slytherin 0.2 - Fin

At the beginning of the month I started making a lovely deep green JSK for a Harry Potter convention. It is now nearly the end of the month and I would like to share the progress since then and the final thing because after approx 2 weeks (sewing on/off on my days off) I have finally finished!

A quick refresh of the design and concept if you've just stumbled across this post! You can see how the project started here > Kawaii Background Slytherin 0.1

I forgot to take pictures while constructing the skirt, sewing the pocks and zip and making the waist ties but here's the ruffle! I trimmed it with with black bias binding to tie it in with the black lace on the bodice.

The main reason it took me so long to finish is because I just couldn't for the life of me find any silver braiding or trim to go on the ruffle! U__U 

In the end I settled for the full width of the lace I had used on the bodice.

 It wasn't the original plan but at least it all matches nicely and I've used up all of this black lace and I kind of like that it now has a darker look!

(please excuse the horrible lighting in this picture!)

IA lot of the silver buttons I saw were nautical or military themed and to me they weren't really 'Slytherin buttons'. Eventually I found these bad boys! To double check I wasn't just dying to get some buttons on, I asked the sales assistant "Does this strike you as a Slytherin button?"  

He said yes and agreed that they had some kind of Celtic serpent quality. That's good enough for me so here we are!

Lastly I made the bow (this will probably go on a 2 way clip so I can attach it to the beret like in the original design) using the green on the front and black on the back to *match the waist ties.

* I didn't have enough green, that's the real reason why the bow and waist ties are black on the reverse ^^'

And here it is! My 'Kawaii Background Slytherin' dress is complete and ready for DraigCon! FYI, DraigCon is near the end of July, I'm so on the ball with this that even I'm a bit shocked at myself! 

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Thanks for reading and I hope it's not been too painful following the work in progress of this dress haha - I learnt a lot from making this and I'm really proud! 

I'd love to know if you're ever made/ worn something Harry Potter inspired! 

Until next time!

- Part Time 小姐

Kawaii Background Slytherin 0.1

At the beginning of this year, I decided to go to DraigCon (an Harry Potter Con) with some friends in July. There will be guests including actors, hair/ make-up, etc as well as food other magical bits but ALSO! This is an A Grade opportunity to play dress up! 

Now, I could just go representing a regular student of my house but why do that when I can put together a Slytherin lolita co-ord right? 

While I feel I  possess the ambition, pride and resourcefulness of a Slytherin, I am also 200% a background Slytherin so this is going to be a kawaii background Slytherin look!

Slight change when working out a pattern. This is based on a pattern from Otome no Sewing #6 but the back is ore like the back on my 'Venice Cats' JSK because I wanted a shirred back and side zip. 

Here I've got: 

2.5m green cotton - the weave and texture of this makes me think of school uniforms!

1m green satin lining - this will make the process twice as long...lol!

Black polycotton - this is a leftover and will be used to make bias binding.

Elastic (40p bundle) - for shirring.

Black Lace - another leftover.

Zip

I will also need 4x silver buttons and some braided trim but I've yet to locate those. 

Sew together the bodice in both fabrics - make sure you know where the panel of shirring and zip will go.

TIP: make sure your pieces are the right way round! You will save time, unlike me!

Sew the casings for your elastic. I had 5 channels in the end. Thread elastic through and sew in place. 

I added some 'rouleau loops' for corset lacing (it's not on the design but I added a little too much seam allowance so this will allow me to make it a bit more fitted) using bias binding because alas, I have forgotten how to make them properly - oops!

I also added some black lace to the front for a bit of detail. 

This took me a LOT longer than it should have because of silly mistakes (so check your pieces before you sew) but all in all, I'm really pleased with the outcome and how neat it looks!

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Have you ever worn/ made a Harry Potter/ Hogwarts themed lolita co-ord?

- Part Time 小姐

Starting to feel a lot like Spring!

Uh-oh, really not all that good at keeping on the ball here but admittedly, I've been juggling a lot with sewing, work and Mandarin class but I've finished my exams now and I've ALSO finished making my first OP so let's talk about that!

Here are the initial designs! I wanted to keep the construction fairly simple since it's my first time making an OP so I went with the third design, partly because the lace on the bust makes me think of the Innocent World OP I bought but doesn't fit right U___U

And here she is! My first ever OP!

For this project, I bought 2m of gingham and used a pattern from Otome no Sewing 5. Since this doesn't have shirring, I added 1.5cm seam allowance - just in case. 

Close up of the bodice. The pattern I used has princess seams which I much prefer to sewing darts. It was a little plain with just the lace so I added lilac ribbon which can be tied in a bow. This also helped cover the raw edges of lace, making a cute scallop.

I'm really happy with how the sleeves turned out! I think I've conquered my fear and will now be happy to make dresses with sleeves! I ran out of tulle lace so used a cotton lace to trim the sleeves. I also used this for the hem.

I also made bias binding for the first time to make a casing for the elastic because I forgot to buy some (duh) but it was actually quite easy (I used the hack with the pins) and good for using up leftover fabric. Another proud moment! :)

I made good use of my ruffle foot for the waist and lace on the hem. The hem is approx 220cm and is really nice and full! 

Here is it lads! I put a zip in a dress for the first time in a VERY long time and it wasn't traumatic! I used to avoid sewing zips if I could because of some very traumatic experiences T__T another sewing fear conquered! :D

I also lined the bodice! I've not slip stitched a lining since my placement in bridal and it too me a lot longer than I remembered. It's not perfect but I did it! 

And MOST importantly, pockets!!! There are two pockets in the skirt!!!

And finally, a worn photo with a petticoat, showing the accurate colour! The bodice is a little big so I will maybe add either a ribbon belt or detachable waist ties and I will reduce the size a little for my next project!

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Overall it took 4 weeks on/off from the design to the finished dress but I'm V pleased with how this turned out and that I conquered all these sewing fears! I can't wait to make another OP! Does anyone else have sewing fears? What do you try to avoid when sewing?

- Part Time 小姐