Sunday 30 November 2014

Lolita Level Up Revisited!

Recently while browsing my blog list I saw that Miuko over at Puppenschloss had completed the Lolita Level Up meme! I remember when everyone used to post about this, and I actually managed to find it saved on my hard drive, dated 21st June 2010! I had only just started to wear the fashion then (or whatever I seemed to think the fashion was haha!) and my level was "Resplendent Rufflebutt"! Let's see how far I've come since then! All the things that apply to me are in bold.

LOLITA LEVEL START!

You've been to egl.
You've posted on egl, without an onslaught of 'USE THE MEMORIES' and likewise.
You've bought a lolita mook.
You've picked a favorite brand.
You've ordered your first item.
You've worn a full outfit.
You've worn a full outfit out in public.
You've worn a full outfit and posted photos of it on the Internet.
You know what JSK, OP, and cutsew all mean.
You've bought your first brand piece.
You know your measurements.
You know your shoe size - in American, European, and Japanese.
You know who Mr. Yan is.
You know who Mana is. (+1 points if you know his band. +2 points if you know his brand. +3 points if you know why he's featured in every GLB. +4 if you have a shrine to him in your closet.)
You know who Maki and Asuka are. (+2 if you've met Maki and Asuka)
You've watched Kamikaze Girls. (+1 if you know the real name of this movie. +2 if you know who wrote the book this was based on. +3 if you've also read the manga or novel. +4 if you love the author despite his criminal record).
You own a wig. (+1 if you own more than 2.)
You own a pair of falls. 
You can identify lace on the spot.
You can identify an item's brand on the spot.
You can identify the year a dress was made by a specific brand on the spot.
You can name several different dresses or prints.
You answer stock photo requests.
You mod a lolita community.
You decorate your nails. (+1 if you wear fake nails. +2 if you make fake nails.)
You own a pair of a rocking horse shoes. (+1 if you know their abbreviation.)
You've made your own rose corsage.
You've made anything out of your brand dress's waist ties.
You've made anything out of a matching eco tote. (+3 if you were the first one to do it, you think).
You know how to apply false eyelashes.
You know how to pronounce shirring.
You know how to pronounce Moi-meme-moitie, or Metamorphose tempes de fille.
You know a reliable shopping service.
You bid on Yahoo!Japan or Mbok.
You've been to a meetup.
You've planned a meetup.

You've planned a meetup with catering or more than 20 attendees.
You've met up with lolitas while on vacation to foreign or faraway locales.
You've seen a lolita fashion show.
You've seen a brand fashion show.
You've modelled in a lolita fashion show.
You've modelled in a brand lolita fashion show.
You wear bloomers.
You know how to make bloomers.
You tell other people to wear bloomers.

You draw lolita art, write a lolita blog, or provide the community with some sort of creative services.
You've taken purikura in lolita.

You've decorated your room/house/apartment in lolita style.
You've listened to lolita music.
You've learned kana.
You've learned enough Japanese to read a magazine.
You wear or own circle lenses.
You've been called a princess by a young child.
You've dressed up a friend.
You've convert a friend.
You've been in media (television, newspaper, magazine). (+2 points if it's Japanese media.)
You've learned a handicraft, like jewellery making, embroidery, or sewing.
You've become a lolita mentor.
You've attended lolita events at an anime or multi-genre convention.
You’ve organized or presented lolita events at a convention.
You've visited a brand shop.
You've taken a trip to Japan!
You've dressed up and gone out alone.
You're prepared for inclement or colder weather in lolita (coat, parasol, boots, gloves, other climate-specific items.)
You've learned face contouring.
You've made a lolita valentine.
You've got a lolita pen pal or online lolita friends.
You have local lolita friends.
You know how to modify clothes that don't fit you.
You know how to dress for your body type.

You've been in a street snap.
You've been to multiple world locations of the same brand store (BABY Paris, BABY Tokyo, BABY San Francisco, etc.)
You've created a makeup/hair/sewing tutorial.
You've sold hand-created lolita goods.
You have your own lolita fashion line.

You've gotten a lolita haircut, style, or color.
You've mixed other street fashions with lolita.
You've thrown a lolita party/had a lolita wedding.
You've dressed your child/small children in lolita or kodona style.
You've successfully cross-dressed in lolita style at least once (boystyle for girls and girls' clothing for guys).
You've lolified or made sure all the contents of your purse are cute (wallet, lipgloss, keyring, etc.)
You have a lolita pet (small dogs, cats, rabbits, exotic birds, fancy fish) or have dressed/accessorized your pet (bows or pet clothes).
You've dressed your significant other or dated someone who dresses in J-fashion/alternative fashion.
You've read Alice in Wonderland. (+1 if you've seen the animated movie or other variations, +2 if you've seen more than one variation, +3 if you own more than one variation)
You've dressed as Alice or another Wonderland character in lolita style, or own Alice themed items.
You've made something from a Japanese pattern.
You've found, bought, or made lolita underwear (bras and panties).
You wear lolita daily, or have gone 7 days straight wearing only lolita.
You have lolita calling cards or business cards.
You play a lolita instrument (i.e., piano, violin, harp, French horn... well any instrument really.)
You can translate yen to your country's currency in your head. (+1 if you can convert other currencies you shop with as well. +2 if you read the news to know how the yen is doing.)
You've sold lolita clothing online (secondhand, egl_comm_sales).
Your article or entry has been put into the egl memories.
You take photos of your outfits/daily outfit photos.
You’ve posted to daily_lolita.
You own a petticoat. (+1 if you own more than one. +2 if you wear three or more at a time).
You’ve bought a lucky pack.
You keep a style diary or look-book.
You can put together an outfit made entirely from offbrand.
You’ve bought offbrand or non-Japanese brand.


RESULTS

Adorable Admirer (lvls 1 - 20) You've started studying or liking lolita but haven't taken that leap of faith yet. Good luck!
Resplendant Rufflebutt (lvls 21 - 40) At home within the land of the rufflebutts and spilling frills from every edge.
Victorian Maiden (lvls 41 - 60) A classy lolita of taste and experience, who knows her way around the lolita social set.
Starry Celebrity (lvls 61 - 80) On page six of the lolita world, you've risen to the ring of the upper crust.
Pretty Princess (lvls 81 - 100) Lolita royalty, truly versed in the ways of the lacey ones, the lolita princesses have achieved a special level of enlightenment.
Ultimate Lolita (Boss Fight!) (lvls 100+) Wow, you've gotten over 100 levels? You're the ultimate lolita with unlimited hitpoints. That's actually a little scary...


Well, if I've counted correctly, I have 82 points, making me a "Pretty Princess"! My aim now is to become the "Ultimate Lolita" and finally be able to say I made it to the boss fight!

I hope you enjoyed this silly little post! Does anyone else remember taking this quiz? I'd love to know your results if you decide to do it as well! Thanks for looking, and see you next time 

Thursday 20 November 2014

10 000+ Blog Views, 34 Followers, and a Few Life Updates!

Hey everyone! Just a quick little post this time.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who checks out my blog because it has now surpassed 10 000 views! I also have 34 followers... it's not a lot but honestly, it makes me so happy that anyone at all is enjoying this blog! I appreciate every single comment, and I'm so grateful to have you guys follow me!

Updates wise... I have had very little time for blogging as I'm at the crucial stage of being a mere two weeks away from finishing my degree. It honestly can't come soon enough! I'm a bit sick of mentioning it now, and I'll be glad when it's nothing more than a distant memory. It has eaten up the majority of my free time, caused me immense stress, and been ultimately unrewarding. Still, I figured out what I actually want to do with my life instead, so I guess I gained that from it. 

I can't wait to be able to have time to create more blog posts, but more importantly work on my indie brand. It's in its baby stage still, but I remain hopeful I can really make something out of it if I work hard enough. 

My most recent achievement is getting a domain name and web host, and creating a little website for my indie brand! It's not super amazing and flashy, but considering I was using trial and error alone (let's face it-- I'm no web designer!) I am pleased with how it turned out. 

I find November to be a very challenging month. It's constantly dark, it gets super cold, and there's the added stress of figuring out what to get family members for Christmas. I can't help but get depressed every time this month comes around. This time, I've been doing my best to fight the blues by thinking ahead to more positive things on the horizon. Soon I'll be deciding how to approach the next stage of my life. It's both scary and exciting at the same time. I have been in education since I was four years old. What is on the other side?! Well, it's time to find out!

A recent casual uni coord featuring a handmade-by-me hair bow and collar! The skirt was a handmade find from the TPC event, Frock On. 

Thanks again to my lovely little group of followers, and I hope you will continue to stick around! 

Monday 3 November 2014

A Beautiful Autumn Day

Hey everyone! I thought I'd do a small update about a nice day I had recently.

So, Friday 31st October was Samhain/Halloween. I didn't have any specific plans for that day (the Halloween-themed lolita meet wouldn't be until Saturday) and I didn't even get round to decorating my house. This didn't matter so much, however, and I ended up having a truly magical day anyway.

My partner, who I'm in a long distance relationship with, was spending the weekend with me so when we got up on Friday morning and found that the weather was warm and sunny, we knew we had to make the most of the day! I had just received a lunchbox I ordered from Amazon so it only seemed sensible for us to go on a picnic!

We didn't pack anything too interesting... just ham wraps, yoghurt, cookies and pains au chocolat... but it was fun preparing it anyway!

We went to a local park, and admired the autumnal scenery and watched a mother pushing their child on the swings. Only a few people were around and it was very peaceful.

After we were done eating, I decided I wanted to get an outfit picture while the weather was so nice. It was actually my partner who spotted the perfect backdrop, in front of a tree whose leaves were an array of vivid colours which somehow matched my outfit very well!

Gorgeous photography, don't you think? I could never have done this with my usual self timer!
I wore a modified Miss Selfridge dress over a black top and Peacockalorum wristcuffs. The boots are by Red Herring. 

I think I enjoyed using that lunchbox a bit too much but I haven't had one since I was in primary school and they are infinitely useful! I really want to put stickers on it and everything!

After that, we decided to have a look around some local shops. I absolutely love exploring the small businesses because they always stock interesting items.

This shop in particular had such a dreamy atmosphere! There was a ground floor level, and then this large loft space of homewares. I was tempted by a patchwork quilt but it was old and fraying so I decided to put it back just in case I find something better elsewhere. I loved all the cute tins, pretty plates, and various ornaments.

By the end of our shopping trip I had somehow amassed a couple of unexpected finds.

A deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and a Time Turner! Very spooky that I was able to stumble across both in such a sleepy town. The book was found at Oxfam and the necklace was in a vintage/used homewares type of place. What a result!

That evening, we decided to watch a bit of Harry Potter, and had the yummiest fish cakes for dinner.

It was one of the best days of my life and I'm glad I got to spend it with my favourite person :3

What did you get up to on Halloween? I'd love to hear about your weekends in the comments! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time