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

Like a Circus, Like a Circus

This is a very late post but on 17th February I went to a meet to see a circus exhibition and eat crepes! Unfortunately, there was a double booking at the library (there was a convention on instead) so the exhibition wasn't on which was a bit disappointing but fortunately, the art gallery was right next door. I still had a great day out with lovely friends, met some new frilly faces and had an A Grade crepe at Crepe Affair!

I forget what this was called but it was V peanut buttery and V chocolatey - 10/10 would eat again!

So let's talk a little about my co-ord and aesthetics for this meet!

Since we were going to see a circus exhibition, I decided it was time to take one of my dream dresses out for a spin! 

It's not a circus print but I felt Venice Cat's (AATP Starlight Carnevale) fit the mood!

Here come my take on Venice Carnival aesthetics! I really, really love this print! It's so fabulous! On the bottom right are carnival cats! I need to find a way to wear this more!

A bit of self plugging with my Plague Doctor necklace there and I decided to wear BJD tights because I thought it went with the aesthetic? Well, regardless, I do know that they kept sliding so it looking like my knees were in a funny place haha! 

Fun Fact: it's because of these guys I call this dress Venice Cats.

JSK - Alice and the Pirates 

Blouse - Pumpkin Cat

BLD Tights - Lockshop

Socks - Primark

Shoes - Ebay

Accessories -  AATP( Headbow), Taobao (Black bow) & After Midnight (Necklace) 

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This is totally one of my dream dresses so i want to wear it a lot more. I wonder if I can find a really casual way of wearing it...

- Part Time 小姐

Review: Glitzy Wonderland 1212 Promotion

Way back on 10th December 2017, I  decided to treat myself to something from Glitzy Wonderland's 1212 Promotional Sale since I wasn't tempted by any Lucky Packs at the time. Rather than being random, there were a range of dresses you could choose from (you could also choose the colourway and size) and they would send you some OTKS and if purchased before 12th December you could also get some free ankle socks. 

I decided to buy Starry Sky Lolita Dress in size M since there isn't much black in my Lolita wardrobe. The measurements listed are JUST right but since the dress has shirring in the back, I figured there'd be a fair amount of extra space. 

The original price listed is $99 and the 1212 promo price I bought it at was $39 including free shipping (it's still $39 if you're interested). Converted, that was £30.19 at the time which I thought was STUPIDLY good for a dress, socks and free shipping. 

I had been informed that the handling time was 3 - 5 weeks and the items in the promotion would not be shipped until January and the shipping time would be 2 weeks which was fine by me. 

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After a rather long wait, my parcel finally arrived on 8th February 2018! Let's investigate!

At first glance, it is V pretty and I'm really glad I got it.

I'm a sucker for star, astrology and constellation themes and I LOVE the fabric! The gold is very pretty and striking and there's a bit of relief, it's not just a flat print. The feel of the fabric is also very nice and it's very comfy to wear. 

The lace trim also features little stars which is a very nice, V cute detail.

Unfortunately this is where there were some differences from the stock images. The bodice overall is V pretty and I like that the starry lace is used there as well and the little gold trims are a nice detail. 

However, upon closer inspection, the buttons aren't quite aligned correctly and you can still see the tailors chalk, marking their correct places - I fix!

The strap fastenings are also different. The button is on the outside meaning the strap would hang out and be visible - I fix!

 

The buttons for the waist ties are also different. While the star button it's supposed to have is more aesthetically pleasing, the round button will be easier to work with so I don't mind this difference.

Extra bits! Bow, waist ties and corset lacing - check! But where is the plain black bow with the long tails??? For such a simple bow and low price, I didn't bother complaining about it. 

Surprise time!

Not going to lie, I was the most excited to see what socks I would get (that's pretty sad to be fair ^^') and also not going to lie, I was like 'what are thooooose?' hahahaha! The baby pink lace ribbons on those black socks are so silly! I will probably detach them and add some black lace since miraculously, I no longer have black OTKS. The pink ankle socks are cute but I'm pretty sure this is a funny shade of pink that doesn't go with any of my pink Lolita bits and the faux leathery ribbons are a bit odd?

Final Thoughts

Despite all the little hiccups and the missing bow, I am pretty happy with my purchase and I still LOVE the fabric this dress is made of and am glad I bought it.

Fit: 10/10 - still a little space as predicted.

Price: $39 (free shipping) - a STUPIDLY good price really!

Communication: 9/10 - Long time between updates, emails replied fairly swiftly. 

Verdict: 9/10 - would buy from Glitzy Wonderland again!

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All is forgiven for the sake of how cheap this was, like you really can't complain because you can't have total A grade tailoring for £30.19! I essentially got what I thought I was getting and even got a bit of a giggle from my daft socks!

Would definitely buy something else in one of their promotions. 

- Part Time 小姐

Review: In the Name of the Moon... It's time to get Lucky!

Back on 7th January I caved and bought the medium Sailor Moon Lucky Pack from aitaikuji.com and I received it last weekend so let's see if I managed to get lucky!

It came in a neat little package with an invoice and an 'about us' leaflet alongside the actual lucky pack. It is extremely red as expected!

The contents. There are 4 things in this lucky pack - good things come in pairs right? Let's take a closer look! 

Two very cute flannels! These are totally too cute to use, I will most likely end up keeping them as merch because they're so pretty!

It is time to live out my magical girl dreams! Though it's not one of Usagi's transformation brooches (let's be realistic, I'm not THAT lucky!) I'm really pleased with these! 

Final Thoughts

Overall a great Lucky Pack experience! Good service, nice neat packaging and lovely content!

Price: $25 + postage 

Verdict: 10/10 would buy again!

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I'm really pleased with my first Lucky Pack experience! How was yours?

- Part Time 小姐

Strawberries & Gingham - January Sewalong

I joined the Lolita Sewing Collective on Facebook and decided to take part in the monthly sewalong as I'd like to sew more this year. Hopefully it will help motivate and inspire me and help me cut down on my fabric stash - I have a LOT of fabric ^^'

Today I'd like to share what I made in January's Sewalong!

- An elasticated skirt
- An Alice Bow
- Neck tie
- Drop pendant

There's a lot of freedom in the sewalongs, you can make EVERYTHING or just what you fancy. I joined in a little late, uploading my design and plans on 17th January.

I've made elasticated skirts before so I added a ruffle hem, pockets and detachable bows to my skirt. I had originally planned to add a lining too but it turns out I didn't have the fabric for it so I omitted it since the aim is certainly NOT to buy more fabric!

My design/ attempt to use up some leftover fabric

I cut the pieces on 19th but put the sewing off for a couple of days. I sewed the main body, waistband and pockets on 22nd. Generally this was very quick and easy, especially since I'd already ironed the waistband ahead of time. The trickiest part was the pockets. I'd not sewn pockets in a while so ended up sewing the first one wrong - oops! 

I felt pretty good about getting so much done so I went ahead and made the bows too!

Ta-da!

I had to substitute the white ruffle with some cotton lace since I couldn't find any white cotton (who doesn't own white cotton???) but I think it's still cute and adds to the country feel. Brooch backs were added to the bows and wahey! My January Sewalong skirt was completed before the end of the month!

I'm really pleased with myself! Hopefully I'll be on the ball for the February Sewalong!

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So that's 1 fabric down! I still have a bit of gingham left but I might make a matching headbow. Any other suggestions for leftover fabric are welcome! 

Are you a fabric hoarder? Perhaps one day I'll do a share of whats in my fabric stash!

- Part Time 小姐

Winter ILD

Our Comm had a lovely afternoon tea with quiz and raffle for ILD!

The quiz featured 4 fab sections - anagrams (which I was rubbish at!!), true or false (I tried) Rachel vs Hannah (a print guessing game where Hannah and I happily let our cluelessness be exploited) and true or false #2 - Lolita Fuckery edition!

Our team came last as predicted (it did feature the two MOST clueless members of the comm, we WERE team failure) but it was all in good fun! 

Cute bunny ears won in the raffle and a fantastic penguin glass - a gift for letting my cluelessness be abused xD 

I feel like I reached my final form and I would like to do a quick show and tell of my Penguin Princess coord.

Dreamy Penguin by Haenuli was the star of the show! Seriously, this dress is the prettiest and most comfy thing and comes with three detachable bows.

Instead of a blouse, I decided to go with a wintery vibe with a fluffy bolero! This was made using a pattern from Otome no Sewing 2! It took my about 3 evenings on/off and two needles were broken in the process. Thanks sequins!

Accessories - The brooch is Mum's, the pom pom headband and penguin were handmade ( the navy bows came from the dress) as was the necklace and shoe clips!

Happy International Lolita Day all! 

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Bonus needle felted penguin pic! What did you get up to for ILD? 

Part Time 小姐