Lolita Blog Carnival : A DIY Gift Idea! (And Tutorial)

Hello Lovelies~

 LBC is going DIY this week and with the holidays right around the corner it's the perfect time of year to start pulling out your project book and pushing up your lacy wrist cuffs ladies and gentlemen.

This time of year can get out of hand, what with everyone is trying to out spend the other and the Jones's across the way putting up ANOTHER set of lights, we tend to get swept away and before we know it our purses at empty and we're to stressed out to think! Let alone wrap gifts or bake!

  But take a breath, grab a cup of tea and a hot glue gun, because I've got a simple gift idea that'll make crossing your friends off your holiday list!!!

This is a project for the shutterbugs out there! Or anyone with a handy camera or camera phone. Photos make great gifts! Be it a family photo you're sending to far away relatives, or a group shot with friends you want to share with the whole group so everyone will remember that time and place for years to come, it's a quick and inexpensive way to tell others you're thinking of them or that you miss them.

 But with the ease and convenience of digital photography, having real photos on hand is something almost novel. But I am a bit old fashioned and as much as I love my digital camera, I am often seen at my local walmart selecting pictures off of my sd card to have actual tangible photos of. $0.28 cents for a 5x6 photo in glossy or matte isn't bad at all!

Only....you can't just send a picture....well....you could. But Frames were created for a reason! You needn't spend a ton on a frame, we often spend more on the frame than we do the picture!. Instead run to your local dollar store and pick up a few frames and decorate them yourself!

 So here is what you'll need!

 - Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
 - Picture Frame
 - Lace
 - Ribbon
 -Various Decorations

I already had all of this in my craft box or laying about my house, so this didn't cost me anything, but all together, this project shouldn't cost more than $10 with lots of extra left over to do three or four more frames if you like.

                   If you have a plastic frame like I do, be careful with the temp. of your glue gun.

First glue down your lace on the outside of the frame

       Then glue down your ribbon to the inside of the frame. If you have seams, it's ok. You can cover them later with decorations.

I don't have pictures for how I decorated the frame. I was on the phone with my mum at the time I was gluing everything down. I made the bow myself and the buttons on the bottom are from Holly Tea Time. To add a bit extra, I attached large flat back pearls to the other corners and I think they really pulled the whole thing together.

              Add your picture and it's done! Ta-dah!!!

So there it is. My frame might be a bit more cute than you want to go for, but everyone is different and that's what is so fun about DIY, it's completely customizable and personal!

 Thanks for reading this week and I hope you'll check out the rest of the LBC family and their awesome DIY ideas for the holidays.


Sparkle Girl

Let's Go!

A Life in Disguise

Lemontree

Spider Sugar

Pop Princess

Make Lovely

Monochrome Sparkle

Dollhouse Diaries

Inspirational Photos - November

Hello Lovelies~

 A lot has been going on in my life these last few weeks. I lost my job, got a new one, and have been dealing with other personal issues that are still not concluded and until they are, I would prefer to keep them to myself. But I thought I'd share with you a few of the pictures I've found over the month that has kept my spirits up.

             This one says to me, 'There is Beauty and Grandeur in the world, and one day, you'll see it for yourself'.

            This one appeals to the OTT sweet lolita in me that will never see the light of day. All those layers would last for maybe one or two pictures before I stripped them off and they ended up in my purse for the day.

This one inspired me for the hair. It's a cute and different way to wear pigtails and a cute wig color to boot.

                                                 This quote is embroidered on my heart.



I hope you find these pictures inspiring! Thanks for reading!

Lolita Blog Carnival : 5 Themed Meet Ups

Hello Lovelies~

 I love hosting meet up, so this weeks LBC topic was right up my alley. '5 Themed Lolita Meetups'! Let's get right into it.



                                                       Teddy bear Picnic

How much fun would this be? Perfect for the late spring, early summer, or early fall, This meet up would be great for Lolitas who love plushies or who have Little Lolis ( children of Lolita).

 Everyone brings a favorite dish, a teddy bear, and a blanket. Then it's like a giant potluck with games and stories and pictures.

A fun way to make this meet up even more fun would be to have everyone try to incorporate a bear aspect to their outfit, Like a teddy bear ear hair styles or cute paw prints on their stockings.



                                             Under the Sea Tour and Luncheon

  I remember when I was little that 'The Little Mermaid' was one of my favorite movies. I've read the original book a dozen or so times and to this day, the most relaxing and magical place for me is an Aquarium.

Starfish, sharks, jellyfish, fish, creatures of the sea all in one place to see and marvel over. Wouldn't it be fun to dress in your favorite Mermaid inspired outfit with pearls and charms in aqua or teal, white chiffon that reminds one of sea foam....nails decorated with gold chains or marbled to look like the sea.

 Lunch after a tour of the Aquarium would be a light spread of delicacies of the fish like variety or sushi!




                                                       Secret Agent Loli

Dun dun dundundun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunana....dunana..dun dun~! That's right! You read that right! Or...that's how it plays in my mind...

 An afternoon of laser tag and the latest action movie out in theaters. Black and white are the colors of the meet. Mix the two together or show your true colors. Do you always want to save the day? or do you tend to be the 'One Million Dollars' type?

Do gooders in Black, Baddies in White. Mix it up or surprise everyone and be a double agent!

 A fun game to play during laser tag would be Telephone. One person has a the beginning line, and the first person they run into through the maze, they pass the line on, then that person passes the line onto the next person they run into and so on and so forth until the game ends. Then The winner gets to say the line out loud. No win, no loss, just fun!


                                                      Up in the Air

Go to a Hot Air Balloon Rally. The colors, the grandeur, the colors...did I say that twice? Lol I love hot air balloons. At the Rallys you can see more than 100 balloons, all with different designs, take flight and brighten the sky.

 Sometimes you can even find someone willing to give balloon rides! Gather your frilly friends and a corndog from a quickly set up booth and enjoy the magnificent site.



                                                    A Vintage Treasure Hunt

You know that thrill you get when you find an old Merry-Go-Round? or the tingle that runs though you when you find a wooden roller coaster? Why not map out all of the older amusement attractions in your area and send the coordinates to your girls via picture mail.

 Have them take pictures in each location to prove they were there, then rendezvous with them at the next location.

This meet up requires two hosts. and two groups of girls. One group will get to the next location and send the picture and the second. At the next location, you and your co-host switch groups and you get to lead the girls to the next location.

At the end of the day both groups meet for dinner or tea and everyone gets to share pictures and stories from their day.

This meet can also be done with antique stores or local tourism spots in your city.


 So those are my meet up ideas. I hope you liked them and give one of them a try. Thanks for reading!!!

If you liked my ideas, you should check out the ideas from the other wonderful creative bloggers in the LBC family.


Beyond Kawaii

Darkly Darling

Lets Go! : May Cause Cavities

Sweet Lolita Doll

Palace of Frills

A Life in Disguise

Paivanvarjon Alla

Lolita Cor De Rosa

Geisha Baby

Hello Batty

Creative Friends

Hello Lovelies~

 We all have amazing friends. My friends make their own cosplays, bake delicious sweet treats, and even make their own jewelery!

The friend I want to introduce ya'll to today is one of my oldest friends. She is absolutely incredible! Not only does she ride both side saddle and astride, she travels all over the world, and even makes her own clothes!

Look at the dress! She made this, I was so blown away that I had to show all of you!

She actually did the embroidery and floral cut outs herself. I want her to make me a dress like this ^_^ It's so adorable!

Not only did she make her dress, she also crochets and her afghans are......breath taking to behold.

                    Yes....she made these. My favorite is the pink one!

She has her own Etsy shop, go check it out, this girl is exceptional!

 ASIImagi

It stands for  'A Spur of Inspiration and Imagination'.

I'm lucky to know this brilliant and inspiring girl. I hope we stay friends for a long long time.

  

My Weekend at Anime Nebraskon 2012 (Picture Heavy)

Hello Lovelies~

 It's November my friends and this means it's time again for Nebraskon! I had a TON of fun this year. I didn't have an artist table, so I was just a panelist con goer this year. I went to Voice Actor panels, Cosplay Chess, and tries to make my way to various others while getting caught in the halls and having fun with friend I hadn't seen in a year or so.

I think my favorite panel, that I didn't run, was Pokemon vs. Ponies. ... Oh lord. I was honestly surprised this panel didn't erupt into a brawl. By the end, it was hardly a debate any longer. Had someone sneezed wrong at the other side of the room there would have been chaos! It was awesome ^_^

 I wore pretty dresses all weekend and felt beyond beautiful the whole time! Here is what I wore....

Friday~

Dress: Baby, The Stars Shine Bright
Headdress: Metamorphose
Tights: JCPennys
Shoes: Alegria Shoes

I did my makeup in soft pinks to no over power or take away from the red dress. I really liked this outfit and while I don't wear red a ton, I might buy another piece in this color.

This is the newest addition to my Pullip family. She was given to me as a belated Valentines gift. She doesn't have a name yet, but she is the Angelic Pretty 'Starry Theater' doll. She is SO cute!!! I haven't introduced her to my other girls yet, but I know they will all get along nicely.

Meet Assa, the Assapako! (Creative, right? lol ) There was a dealer in the vendors room selling all kinds of then and this little one came home with me. I love him so much and now that I have one, it's gonna be like Poke'mon. I have got to get them all!!!  I was so lucky my friend got him for me. The vendor didn't look like he took cards, and I didn't have any cash.

My Mum liked Assa as well, so she decided to carry him with her in the straps of her Tripp pants. Assa doesn't seem to mind much ^_^

Here we are at dinner later that night. Assa is so cute! and he matched my outfit very well. I am so lucky I got him!

 I went a little picture happy at the restaurant, so here are some more pictures, just because I have them  ^_^

This is my friend Francis, isn't he hansom? it seems this year no matter what I did, I kept catching him off guard, but those pictures turned out the best!

This is my Mum, She dressed as a random cat girl this year, and no matter what I kept catching her off guard as well, but it's like the moment she sees a camera she does this, 'Oh God it's a Camera!' face and of all of the pictures I took, this is the cutest one. it really is rather cute ^_^

My mum has this strange habit of Photo Bombing. She doesn't mean to, but I swear next year I should dress her up as Waldo just to see how many photos we can find her in. Apparently, she can even photo bomb herself!

Saturday~

Dress : Baby, The Stars Shine Bright
Thights : HollyTeaTime
Shoes : Clarks
Necklace : AliceDoll

I love shots like this, I don't know why, but I seem to be able to take them half of the time.

Where we go!~ The pink stripe in my hair is removeable, but I loved the way it worked with the outfit and hair design.

Since I was being all princessy, Assa needed to be dressed up too.

This was an strange game being played when I arrived on Saturday. It seemed to be a more acceptable version of 'Ride that Pony', which I didn't realize at the time. I just wanted to run around in circles and play with everyone else ^_^

 It was great fun and if you ever get the chance to play I suggest it. Even if it is a bit dirty ^_~

Ahhhhh Nekomimi. The THING to have this year at the con. Here is my friend Francis trying on a pair and let me tell you lovelies....They totally work! Leave it to japan right? They are fantastic and I really really want a pair.

Strange shot to be sure. I was playing my new Poke'mon Black 2 game while waiting in line for the cosplay contest. Seemed everyone and their Assapako was playing either Black or White 2 so I got to play with lot's of people. It was awesome to make so many friends ^_^

 Sunday ~

Dress : Baby, The Stars Shine Bright
Belt : Vintage 80's
Necklace : Hot topic

This is the best picture of my hair from that day. I was so pleased with how it turned out ^_^


And finally.... pictures from the Lolita Tea party, which my Mum and I spent the whole weekend getting ready for!

We had about 50 people show up in the beginning and more show up as time went on. there are more pictures taken by the other girls and I will post them as I get them.

 What was served at the party? Well let me show you ^_^

Coffin Brownies and.....

Blood splattered cupcakes!!!!

 I loved making these and they were so easy ^_^ Though very messy as my stained skin can attest.


 This weekend was amazing and I truly loved every part of it!