A Year In Review and Resolutions

While listening to all the banging of fireworks outside (no, it’s not time yet) I remembered the fact that I wanted to review the year 2010 and make resolutions.
This year has been a very busy one: so many things happened! Good things, but bad things too. I’ll stick to the happy and Lolita-related things here, if you don’t mind. ^^

Starting my blog! On the 4th of July I wrote my very first entry. How difficult it was to come up with a name for my blog! It took me ages to find something that satisfied me. And all those options for the lay-out! I got so confused I hesitated for a moment wether this had been a good idea or not, but I’m glad it didn’t stop me. I hope 2011 brings great articles on both my and other people’s blogs! I recently discovered I made a few mistakes with the options, so expect some heavy maintenance in the upcoming weeks. Maybe even a new lay-out..?

Going to Paris and officially becoming a Lolita! Going to Paris changed my life. I now know it is possible to fall in love with a place and I definitely want to go there more often. I will always remember it as the place where I became a Lolita. Not only did I visit Baby and AP, I also bought two head bows, a JSK and a skirt that I absolutely adore. I also made myself a promise which I fulfilled quite quickly afterwards. Paris made me feel like I was in a magical place that made dreams come true.

Eating macarons! Macarons = Lolita. That’s how I truly feel. And I love them. Writing about them makes me want them even more! I think they’re the most delicious treats I’ve tasted until now.

Ordering my first Lolita brand item! Although I was stupid enough to not buy that beautiful parasol at Baby Paris, I was lucky enough to be able to order it. Receiving a triangle-shaped package with a brand sticker on it felt so awesome! Unwrapping everything and finding the postcards and bag were major surprises that made me truly happy! Later, I ordered a pair of socks from someone on egl_comm_sales in Sendai, who got them from me from the actual AP shop. That package was great too receive too!

Getting my Dream Dress! Who wouldn’t be happy after buying your Dream Dress? I can now proudly say that I own the Starry Night Theatre pink JSK. It’s mine, and I’m so glad! I was able to fulfill my promise so quickly! Even looking at it fills me with joy! And it was my first purchase off egl_comm_sales.



Getting a (Lolita) pen pal! I have a pen pal! How awesome is that? I never thought I’d be able to write full letters to someone, but I love it! Receiving a letter that belongs only to you is great and I hope we’ll stay pen pals for a long time, even though we’ve just started! ^^

Becoming eighteen! Okay, I know it’s not really Lolita-related, but this year I officially became an adult, according to the laws here. It doesn’t make 2010 memorable, but at least a bit special.


This year, I decided to make resolutions too! I usually don’t go with that kind of stuff, but this year’s going to be different!

1.Lose more weight! I don’t have much to say to this. I just need to keep up the good work and keep my goals in sight, then I’m sure I’ll get to where I want this year! ^^ I also promised to write an article about my… interesting diet, so I cannot forget about that!

2. Graduate from high school! Although I’m terrified of exams, of course I want to do the the best I can, so I’ll be free from this terrible place called school. I’ve completely had it with everything and everyone and I won’t feel sorry once I’m gone. But to be able to go, I need to graduate of course. So I have to study hard!

3. Learn to spell the word adorable properly! It seriously takes me at least five times to spell it right. I like this word so much, I use it very often, but the spelling is just horrible! XD

4. Dress in full Lolita! Oh, how I long to fulfill this goal! Shoes and petticoat are on the way (I hope), but there’s no blouse in sight yet. But everything will come once and then you’ll be the first to know! How I can’t wait…

5. Join the National Lolita Forum! I haven’t joined the National Forum yet. I’d feel so stupid to join without even dress full Lolita at least once! But this year, I’ll definitely join!

6. Go to a place I’ve never been before!
Through the last two years I’ve developed a love for travelling, despite my homesickness. Now I want to visit places all over the world and this year I’ll definitely go somewhere far away!


I hope you all have or had a wonderful New Year celebration, with lots of gorgeous fireworks. Happy New Year to you all and see you in 2011! ♥

A Few of My Favourite Things: Snowdrops

My last ‘Favourite Things’ of the year! I’ve only just started this little once-in-a-month-article, but I am not planning to stop yet! ^^ Now, since it’s the last one of the year, I could of course, totally cliché, talk about how much I love fireworks and their bright colours, but I won’t. Don’t think I dislike fireworks, I greatly like them, but I don’t want to be too predictable all the time (I probably am already, sigh).

To be honest: I’m quite sick of the winter already. I know it only just started, but it really annoys me. I used to like the winter, hoping for snow, looking at the decorations in the streets and drinking hot chocolate. I used to have no problems with the cold weather at all, but lately all I do is running around looking for something that will warm me. The heater in my room only seems to know two ways: extremely hot or no warmth at all. The snow that started a few weeks ago still hasn’t melted away, so every little part of the street is slippery and scares me. I love snow, but my love knows limits. The houses are barely decorated and the worst of all: I’ve barely drunk any hot chocolate and I don’t even know why.

I want spring! Cycling to school in the sun without a coat, not too hot and not too cold. Wearing cute and colourful clothes, instead of ‘wintercolours’ as everyone calls them, but to me, they’re just plain and boring. Spring always brings the pink, yellow and green out! The smell of freshly mowed grass, the wind that gently blows, the birds that start to make their nests.
Yes, I miss spring dearly. And that’s why I chose for snowdrops for this month’s ‘Favourite Things’! Snowdrops announce the coming of spring. They find their way through the hard snow or soil to take a first look at the wintery world, after which they hang their heads down to tell the people the snow will melt and the green colour will return. Snowdrops are called ‘little snowclocks’ in my language.

The most beautiful part of this flower? When they’re fulled opened, they remind me of Lolita skirts. Snowdrop Lolita, anyone?

It's The Season For Love and Understanding

I want to apologize for my lack of updates these past days. The last time I wrote something was on the 11th! But to be honest: I haven’t really thought about blogging. I haven’t really thought about anything. While people enjoy their Christmaspreparations like shopping and decorating their trees, I’ve done nothing like that. I’ve had a pretty rough week, to be honest.

Last week, on Wednesday, my grandma passed away. Maybe you remember my entry in September, saying the exact same thing. In this case, it’s my other grandma, from mother’s side. Of course, we are all very, very sad. The funeral was on Saturday and the graveyard was covered in snow, which created a beautiful scene to look at. In the meantime, I got sick. Me. Sick! I haven’t been sick in ages! And when I say sick, I mean really sick: I had a high fever, a sore throat, I felt hot and then cold and I coughed my lungs out! Except for a bit ice cream, I ate nothing. I lost 1 kilogram in three days! Speaking of unhealthy weightloss...
I somehow dragged myself to the funeral, but my coughing and sore throat kept my away from my Christmas singingperformance that night, which I regretted enormously.
Right now, my family and I are in a Holidaypark to relax a bit, but we are all coughing and my mom seems to be sick too.
Well, in conclusion: I’ve had a pretty hard week. The relaxation I really need seems to come up slowly, that’s why I decided to keep you all updated.

Although Christmas is an American holiday, Europe seems to take it over more and more. Shops are decorated, tvcommercials tell us to buy that certain perfume, SeriousRequest (a Dutch initiative to collect money for charity) is on tv again, Christmassongs are heard everywhere and the whole country sends out Christmascards in large numbers.
I love Christmas. I think it’s the most wonderful time of the year (cliché ^^). Especially this year, with the early-fallen snow on the trees. Unfortunetaly, we don’t have a Christmastree here, but that doesn’t make everything less fun!
These past few days I’ve spent a lot of time with the family I usually don’t see often. We supported each other in this difficult time. I especially want to be there for my grandfather, who is the saddest of us all…
Today he visited us and stays over. It’s still this time of the year. The season of love and understanding.

I hope you all have lovely ‘days-before-Christmas’ and of course a delightful Christmas! Are you asking for anything Loliable? Are you expecting a pink-wrapped present underneath the tree? Or will your loved ones surprise you? Well, anyway: have a merry, Loli Christmas!

Bisous! xxx

A Princess' Birthday

Yesterday was my 18th birthday! According to the law here, I am officially an adult now! I can officially learn to drive a car, vote and drink heavy alcholic drinks.
Because I had to go to school, I woke up early, dressed in a pretty, warm outfit and went downstairs for presents! ^^ Of course my parents already gave me a present (my beautiful Starry Night Theatre JSK ), so I only expected a present from my brother, who gave me a cute ring with a glittery bow on it and a pocket version of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’. My parents still wanted to give me something, so they gave me the gorgeous Merry-Go-Round charm from Swarovski, on behalf of my just-passed-away grandmother. My mom also gave me a glass heart with a sweet tekst on it, so I was pretty spoiled after all. ^^

After that I went to school, where I discovered one of my friends decorated my locker with colourful wrapping paper. Some of my friend already gave me small presents, because I’m throwing a party after Christmas, way after my birthday. I got two blue photoframes, a ring, a cellphone strap and a necklace. The rest of the day was waiting until school was over, because that night would be the Christmas Gala!

My school organized a gala for christmas, right on my birthday! Now, how many girls can say they got to wear a beautiful dress on their birthday at a huge party and everybody else dresses up too? A few weeks ago I went shopping for a gala/singing dress and I found a gorgeous, long nightblue one.
Right when I got home from school, my mom attacked my hair with a curling iron (XD). It took her about two and a half hours to get it up, curled and sprayed. You wouldn’t believe how much hairspray she used. When I pulled out the pins at the end of the night, my hair just stayed in place. And I have a lot of hair! But I loved the way it looked! It really gave me a Pride and Prejudice feeling. ^^ (I have more pictures on my blog, mainly of my hair, because I loved it so much).
After that, we did my make-up and I put on my dress, ready for my birthday party…er… Christmas Gala.

The Gala was amazing! We arrived in cars, got out and inside a picture of us was taken. After that, we went to the great hall where an amazing live band was performing, so we never really left the hall. Many people told me I looked beautiful and I was even suggested for the ‘Most Beautiful Girl of the Night’ prize! I felt so amazing and pretty and my friends and I even got to dance on the stage (for the record: I don’t dance, so this was very special)! I rarely feel beautiful, so this was a very special night for me. I felt like a real princess!

Today we ate cake and my parents took me to a Japanese restaurant, where we ate delicious sushi and grilled food. When we got dessert, a couple of waiters started to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for me and put a glass with a fireworkstick in it in front of me. It was so cool!

I’ve had a very wonderful birthday, I think one of the most amazing ones I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely remember the day I became an adult (although it still doesn’t feel like it)!

International Lolita Day: '10 Winter Edition

Happy International Lolita Day everyone! ^^ I hope you all had a wonderful time! Don’t hesitate to tell me what you did, send a link or send pictures!

My day was not overly special, but I still had a wonderful time. ^^
I woke up at 8:30 am, my first words being: ‘Happy International Lolita Day!’ Outside it was snowing (maybe you’ve heard of the wintery weather in Western Europe?), but inside it was nice and warm. I made a bit more effort with my outfit than usual. I chose my favourite skirt, my second favourite skirt to put underneath it, warm black tights, a grey tanktop and a black vest and a big, black bow on my head. After cleaning up my room, I went to the local artschool for my rehearsal with the pianist for the performance on the 18th of December. While walking through the halls, I looked outside through one of the huge windows. Since the school is partially built above the water of a (fake) lake, you can look at the other side, but because of the snow, this wasn’t possible. The water was all frozen en covered in spots of white dust. It looked like a picture of a frozen ocean in a fairy tale book, it was so magical!

After the rehearsal, which went quite well, I walked back to the car. Because of the snow, everything was so quiet! For a moment, I felt like Red Riding Hood somehow (although my coat is black, and there were no forest or wolf XD).

At home, I made chocolate muffins, covered in pink hearts, balls and sparkly thingies. You can see them on the picture, naturally. I have some more pictures on my Flickr-account. The muffins were very sweet, but very nice! I spent the rest of the day doing homework, although the baking took me quite some time! I’m not a kitchen princess, so I am a bit slow.
I also watched the documentary LoliGirls, featuring two co-bloggers I sincerely love, for the first time. I’m considering to do a review about it later (although I’m not the first one, I noticed). I also watched Lolita In Translation, featuring another co-blogger I adore, for the third time.

Right now, I’m listening to my favourite music while eating a muffin. It’s getting late, so I should go to sleep in a moment.

I hope you all had a wonderful Lolita Day! ♥

I also really want to thank Reagan from Her Curious Elegance for her sweet Lolita Valentine. Thank you so much! I’m so touched..! Thank you! ♥

Metamorphose, Changing Into a Little Girl

Even though I’m incredibly busy at the moment, I try to find some time for myself every day. Beside all the regular internet browsing I occupy myself with, I decided to try something new and refreshing.
‘But what could I do that I haven’t tried before?’ I thought, while scrolling through my Lolita folder, scanning over all the Angelic Pretty and Baby, the Stars Shine Bright pictures. That’s when I knew it!

As a Sweet-Lolita (-to-be, ahem) I only check out my favourite brand sites: AP and BtSSB. Some time ago I already decided those two to be my favourites, but what about the other brands? As a Lolita I think it is my duty to at least know how the other brand sites look, you may or may not disagree with me. ;) So in the upcoming weeks, or months, I’m going to check out the other brand sites, starting today with Metamorphose de temps de fille.

The first thing I noticed when I clicked the link on Google, is that I immediately get the English site. There is a a link, saying 'Planning to travel to Japan?' When I clicked it, I got information about their branch shop and their sale clerks. They don't speak very good English, but you can always ask them to call the woman that does. I must say that I really appreciated this: it shows they really care for their customers, on both the internet and in the physical shop.
I decided to check out their products and navigated to their Online Shop. A couple of big dots appeared, with clickable options. I chose ‘dresses’ and after that, ‘skirts’. The dresses are put into two long lists with clickable links, but I noticed that if you click one, all of them appear. At first this was a little confusing, but I got used to it pretty easily. The products are all single: you can get them in the colour you see. At Baby’s and AP’s site, when you click a product, the different versions of that product appear. With Meta, this is not the case: what you see is what you get. ^^ Some dresses were absolutely lovely! My personal favourites were the Blooming Garden High Waist Pinafore in yellow, the Perfume Bottle Skirt in white and the Honey Picnic Short Sleeve Dress in pale green.


The site also has a section called ‘Go! Go! Lolita-chan’. It’s a special section where you can click your country and see other Meta fans. I clicked my country and saw some lovely Lolitas!

My general opinion of Meta’s website is very positive! It’s easy to navigate, it’s fully in English and the clothes are very adorable! I’m very glad to see that they care about the communication with their costumers and the FAQ-section is very extensive. But I personally think they should take better pictures, to be honest. The simple white background and strange lighting can make the clothes look… I don’t know… a bit off somehow. But this is really my personal opinion.

Hearts: ♥♥♥♥/5

What Are Your Plans For ILD?

The time has come! Next week, on Saturday December 4th, it’s International Lolita Day ’10, Winter Edition! My very first ILD has an official Lolita (or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself).

For those of you who don’t know: International Lolita Day is a holiday that takes place twice a year, on the first Saturday of June and on the first Saturday of December. On this day, Lolitas all over the world do something special, from having parties to just dressing up.
I love it that ILD takes place twice a year! Here we have so little holidays, so any extra days make me so happy!

So what are your plans for ILD? Will you dress up? Go out and have fun with friends? Go to your favourite candy shop and buy your favourite chocolate? Or just stay home and browse the brandsites? I’d love to know! So if you want to share, please do! ^^
If you’re inspirationless, Victoria Suzanne of Lolita Charm has written an article about ILD, with a lot of great ideas to enjoy the day to the fullest! ^^ You can find it here.

My plans are very simple: I would love to dress up, but since I don’t own a blouse, petticoat (yet) and shoes (yet), I can’t. It just wouldn’t feel good. So instead I want to bake something, like cupcakes, topped with whipped cream and anything sparkling! ^^ I’m afraid I have to do homework too, so that’ll fill up the rest of my day, sadly enough. I still want to enjoy it to the fullest though! ^^

Have a lovely Lolita Day! ♥

A Few Of My Favourite Things: Snowflakes

Although it’s autumn, the weather here doesn’t seem to know it: the upcoming days are supposed to become really cold, even with snow and ice! These two get associated with a lot of negative things: slippery roads, accidents, busy roads, delays, etc. I, too, feel uncomfortable when thinking of this (I remember winter last year. I still fear the place I fell with my bicycle because of the ice).

But I just really, really love snowflakes! I just love the fact that each snowflake has a unique form, it's sounds so… I don’t know… romantic?
I remember that one day, a couple of years ago, it finally snowed. I stood outside and held up my hands to catch some snowflakes. Then, when I looked down to my hands, I was just in time to actually see the form of one of the snowflakes, right before it melted! To be honest, I have no idea if this was real or that I’ve dreamed it, but it was just so beautiful!

On EGL, Lolitas sometimes get called “a special, unique snowflake”. This is mostly associated with bad things. To be honest, I really like this phrase. It expresses how I feel about humans: we’re all unique and different, like those snowflakes.
Ok, that sounded totally Disney just now, but I do mean it in some way.

I really want a necklace or a hairaccessory with a snowflake on it, preferably sparkling! Or are there any Lolitaprints with snowflakes? I thought there weren’t any… I’d totally buy it if there was! ^^ ‘Sparkling Snowflakes’ would be a good name!


A bit off-topic, but I wanted to say this anyway: Thank you so much to Miss Lumpy, for mentioning me in your Underappreciated Blogs-post . I feel really flattered, thank you!

Loli Valentines: Anonymous Lolita Love

There are those days that you really need someone to brighten it up a little bit. I had one of those days today, but sadly I was home alone, so there was no one to cheer me up. I randomly browsed the internet and through some LiveJournals, I found Loli Valentines, a LiveJournal community dedicated to anonymously expressing love or admiration towards one or more Lolitas.
I already knew of this community’s existence, but to be honest, I thought it was only once in a year, around the 14th of February. ^^ To my surprise (and happiness) it turned out to be weekly!

I’ll say it out loud: this made me so happy! So much love and kind words were expressed towards so many beautiful Lolitas!
This really made my day. I’ll definitely keep on following this community and who knows..? Maybe I’ll give some love myself too!

Baby's Fairy Fur Chou Chou

I just discovered this adorable ‘Fairy Fur Chou Chou’ at Baby Paris’s website (I couldn’t find it on the Japanese site). It’s so cute! It comes in white, pink and black. I have no idea if it’s useful or anything, but I want it! ^^

Wondering In Wonderland

I wonder a lot. I wonder every day and every possible moment. I wonder about the strangest things, but also about normal things. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, to be honest. Yes, sometimes I’m a bit too much of a dreamer, but I’m still down to earth. I think. I actually believe wondering makes me a better person. I even like the verb ‘to wonder’. In my language, we only ‘ask ourselves’, we don’t ‘wonder’.

Because I wonder so much, I wonder in chains of things. A ‘wonderchain’ could look like this:
I wonder what kind of weather it will be tomorrow -> I wonder what kind of weather it is in Paris -> I wonder what the Parisians are doing now -> I wonder if I’ll go back to Paris anytime soon -> I wonder if I’ll have money then -> I wonder if I’ll buy things at Angelic Pretty -> I wonder if I’ll buy things at Baby, the Stars Shine Bright too -> I wonder what the shopworkers are doing -> I wonder if I’ll ever work in a shop -> I wonder if I’ll ever make a lot of money -> I wonder if I’ll buy Lolita then… And it goes on and on and on.

Sometimes it tires me, especially when I lie in bed and I want to sleep. I have plenty of time to wonder then, since there is nothing else to occupy me. Thoughts race through my head, and I need to tell myself to slow down and try to sleep. The next morning I wake up and everything starts again.

My wonderchains aren’t always positive. They sometimes drag me into a current of negative thoughts, taking me further and further away from happiness. This is usually gone the next morning, since I always live ‘with the moment’.

Does anyone else have wonderchains like me? If you don’t, try it some day! Switch from one thought to the next that has something to do with the previous one. How far can you come? I once got from Picasso to sandals. ^^

The picture is unrelated. I just thought that girl looks so incredibly cute! I wonder who she is? I wonder where she got all those balloons? I wonder who blew the air into them? Who knows...?

Thank You!

I just discovered I officially have 30 followers! With this post, I want to thank you all for reading my blog!
‘30 followers, isn’t that a bit early to start thanking people?’
No it’s not! I am very flattered that people want to read my entries and opinions. Even the blogs I read when I just started are following me! I am so happy!

So, I hereby say: thank you all so much! <3

Internet Addiction: Why We Simply Can’t Stop

Today I realised something. I am addicted. Not just to chocolate, which I unfortunately can only eat on Saturdays, but also to something else: the internet. Up until now, it didn’t bother me so much, since I know I am definitely not the only one. But lately I began to realise a thing that I didn’t like: we don’t get addicted, we are made addicted.

Let’s just start off with how I came to realise I was addicted. From the moment the computer arrived in our house, my younger brother and I loved it. We played simple games like the Lion King and Disney Villain’s Revenge. When I went to high school, my parents decided I really needed a computer of my own. My father always worked for computer companies and still does at this moment, so we got new computers with discounts. My brother eventually got one of his own too, as did my mom, so we all had our own computer and we didn’t have to think of the others. I managed to keep doing my homework, without getting distracted. But through the years, internet grew, as did my computerknowledge (of course nothing compared to my brother’s, who is a computergenius). My interest in the internet became bigger and I started spending more and more time on it. But that was nothing compared to a big moment in my life: I discovered Lolita.

Wow, didn’t that sound sinister for a moment? But I’m serious. Every day, when I come home from school, this is my routine: I put on the computer, check my blog, check my favorite blogs, check their favorite blogs, sometimes check their Tumblrs, check Angelic Poodle, egl_comm_sales, Daily Lolita, EGL, Closet Child, Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Angelic Pretty Paris, Baby the Stars Shine Bright Paris and some of my favorite LiveJournals. This can take me more than an hour or even two! Even right now, I’m writing a blogentry, when I should be writing an assigment about a book I just read. Is this addiction? I think so. It certainly feels like it.

Now, you won’t ever hear me say that the internet is a bad thing. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I can look at other Lolitas, talk to them and ask them questions. Without the internet, it would be nearly impossible to buy Lolitaclothing, unless you travelled to Japan.

But something hit me a couple of weeks ago. I came home from school and put on my computer to start doing my homework. Somehow, the internet was being annoying, working for five minutes to only throw me off again. I was panicking a little: I had so much to do! I decided to do the homework that didn’t require internet first, when I realised I didn’t have any! All my homework had to be done on the computer! Then it hit me: I’m not even 18 years old and I can already say ‘When I was younger, things were so much better!’ When I was “small”, teens didn’t have to write huge assigments, because the computer wasn’t a part of daily life yet. The internet actually changed my complete life. I work incredibly hard to keep up with my work and I almost never have free time. I can’t enjoy my holidays, because of homework. And in a way, it's the computer's fault: teachers give us big assigments, because we can type and look things up, but it still takes hours to do it! We have to use the internet more and more. I even have to go to a website to check my grades, without even having seen the test I made!

This is also the case with many other things. Commercials tell us to visit a website, banks make us take care of our money using the internet, jobs require computerskills. We have to develop ourselves! They make us addicted, we have to. We can’t stop. There is no way. We are forced to being addicted.


Wow, this turned out into a bit of a heavy entry. I hope it’s not too much..? Oh, I apologize for my bad painting skills on the picture. XD I just needed a Lolita with computermouses to add some love! <3

La Vida Frills: My Personal Dream Contest

A while ago, miss Dalin of La Vida Frills started a contest, called ‘My Personal Dream’. I simply couldn’t resist to enter, but as always I’ve been procrastinating like [insert not very ladylike word]! Luckily, the contest ends tomorrow, so I’m not too late yet! ^^

I am not able to use either Photoshop nor Polyvore (I’m such an idot with those things, that’s why you’ll never see pictures of me photoshopped), so I simply used old school Paint! I started working and made four coords (I could’ve made much more, it was so much fun) and in the end, like usual, I couldn’t choose which one I liked best! Eventually, I had to pick one. May I present to you: Minty Milky Strawberry Berry!

JSK, socks, bows, jewelry, wristcuffs and umbrella are from Angelic Pretty
Blouse, bag and Musical Note necklace are from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes are from QutieLand
Why does this coord represent me?
I simply adore the Milky Berry JSK in mint. I love the combination of mint and red and decided to use those colours in the accessories. I chose to keep the strawberries in, because they’re one of my favorite fruits. I wanted an umbrella and a bag and was lucky enough to find two adorable combinations of red and white.I adore white blouses with short sleeves, especially a couple from Baby, so I added that too.
This was the last coord I made. I got a bit lazy, so I used full pictures instead of cutting them.

Anyway, since I like my other coords too, I decided to put them up too. Just so you can see them. ^^

Pretty Pink Circus Princess

Queen of the Milky Tea Party

Princess of the Roses
I think I should do this more often! Maybe a new series? 'Coord of the month' sounds pretty cool!

Amigurumi: Crocheted Stuffed Stuff

Taken from About Foood
Yesterday (and today) my friend and I had a sleepover at my place. Instead of pillowfights, snacking and talking until we fell asleep, we... knitted.

Ok, we didn't really knit, we did amigurumi. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting stuffed animals. The word is a combination of 'ami', which means crocheted or knitted and 'nuigurumi', which means stuffed doll (all according to Wikipedia, your best friend). It's a very popular form of art and it is ridiculously addicting. Am I not the kind of person that easily gets everything immediately, but even I understood pretty fast how it works. And it's really fun to do!

Because this crafty Japanese thing is on the rise, you can find patterns everywhere on the internet, from animals indeed, but also cupcakes, dolls and even chesspieces!
I am working on a pink chick right now and it's a very promising little project! ^^
My friend made me a cupcake last time and is working on a huge rabbit now! I can't wait to see it finished!

The cupcake my friend made me

Achieving A Goal

I can honestly say that I am very happy today, because I’ve officially lost more than 10 kilos (22 pounds) through dieting.

I will admit it: I started dieting because of Lolita. I was troubled by my weight for quite a while, but Lolita gave me the extra (very hard) push to start working on my appearance. Slowly I lost weight, doing it my -bit strange, but healthy- way (hence the apple on the picture ^^). And today, I finally reached the first number I have been waiting for, yay! If it goes well like this, I might look better in my Starry Night Theatre Jumperskirt on my birthday! I hope it so much (fingers crossed)!

Building Up My Wardrobe With Fantasic Socks

First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of entries. School and tests are blocking my inspiration and free time quite a bit. I know it’s my own fault for taking so much classes, but still: a girl needs to complain sometimes.

Well, between all the studying and practising for oral exams, I received a new package from Sendai, Japan! ^^

The girl who sold it on egl_comm_sales picked them up especially for me (yay)! They are so cool! I mean: Eiffeltowers + bows + sparkles + pink? Perfect! <3 I’m afraid that’s it for now. I have some articles in my head I want to write, but that will be after testweek (aka Thursday). Have a nice week, everyone! ^^

A Few Of My Favourite Things: Classical Keys

Everyone has those little things they really like. The song ‘My favourite things’ from the Sound of Music describes this in such a perfect way! ^^ I really like that song. Every time I hear it, I think I should make a version of my own, with the things I like.

There are so many little things I like, yet I’m not the kind of person who sees something good in everything. I am often very stressed, due to schoolassignments and tests and on those moments, nothing seems good to me and I forget the positive stuff. That’s why I start a little mini-series: A Few Of My Favourite Things, to talk about cute stuff I really like once in a while. This time: keys.

I’ve always had a thing for big, classical keys.
Keys are mysterious. What lock will they fit into? What secret lies behind the closed door? Will it be dangerous, or magical?
In one of my favourite books, the Secret Garden, a key is a very important object to the story. I highly recommend this book: it’s so beautiful!

I always wanted to hang a key around my neck with a necklace, but using the key of our storage wouldn’t really be a good idea (our bikes and stuff are in there). But yesterday, I was early for my musiclessons and I went into the accessoriesshop Six. And there, I found this beautiful, big key with a red, glittering stone on it! I instantly fell in love! The little flowers with the elegant design and the ribbon that’s wrapped around the chain are so pretty, I just had to buy it!

I would love to make a Lolitacoord with this necklace, but I think it’s more classical than sweet. But who cares? It’s so gorgeous!


So, are there any “peculiar” things you like? I would love to know about other people’s Favourite Things. ^^

United States Of Angelic Pretty

Angelic Pretty opening in San Francisco, USA!!
In November 2010, Angelic Pretty is opening its first store in the U.S.
The location would be in the heart of San Francisco, Union Square Shopping District!
Opening Novelty Fair and exciting events are being planned for the Grand Opening.
Detailed information would be announced soon...
Please come visit for a great shopping experience!!

www.angelicpretty-usa.com
info@angelicpretty-usa.com

O… My… God…
I don’t even live in Amerika, but I am SO EXCITED over this!
But why don’t I live in Amerika? T_T

Starry, Starry Night...

In my previous post, I mentioned I got my second package and I could barely keep myself from writing about it. Well, three days passed and I think it’s a good time now!

I know I write a lot about Paris and this time is no exception, so please bear with me. :) Maybe you remember that I wrote about visiting the Angelic Pretty story, where they had my absolute Dream Dress: the Starry Night Theatre One Piece in pink.
When I started Lolita, this particular dress caught my eye. In the meantime, I’ve seen a lot of dresses, but I could never forget the Starry Night Theatre. So when I had it in my hands in Paris, for a moment I thought my dream would come true.
Unfortunetaly, my dream fell into pieces when it turned out it didn’t fit me. I wisely decided not to buy the dress. Yet, I did buy the head bow, promising myself that very moment, that one day I’d buy my Dream Dress, but in JSK version.

Ok, enough with the flashbacks. Two months or so have passed. In the meantime, I got addicted to egl_comm_sales. I just love to check what people are selling!
One day, my eye caught a post that said Starry Night Theatre and I automatically clicked it. Then, pictures of a pink JSK, covered in cute little thingies appeared. The girl in question sold her SNT in pink for a (in my opninion) very reasonable price!
My eyes widened for a moment, but I immediately came back to my senses: I couldn’t afford it anyway. I walked downstairs and showed my mother the post, more or less to get it off me.
‘Why don’t you ask it for your birthday then?’ my mom asked. At first I thought she meant it as a joke, but then I realised she was serious! I immediately ran upstairs to email the girl and as kif it was still free.
After a while I go tan email back: there had been a person before me, who also wanted to buy the dress. The seller had put it on a hold for a week for the girl, but promised me to keep me updated on the situation.
Two days or so I had a nervous feeling in my stomach and I couldn’t really sleep, but then I realised I wouldn’t buy it. There would be another opportunity some other time. I hoped.
Then, that Friday, I got a new email: the buyer got a new chance. If she hadn’t paid before Tuesday, I would be the next person to buy it. Again, tow days of nervousness and sleepingproblems.
Mondayevening, I received this email:
Hello!
You'll be happy to hear that the last buyer was unable to make it in time, so the JSK has been passed on to you! =)
If you would be so kind as to tell me your paypal address, I'll send an invoice over right away.
Congrats~
I died of happiness!
I ran downstairs and jumped, danced and ran around (my parents gave me quite a strange look at first XD). Then the next part came: convincing my father. I hadn’t spoken about the situation to him, because I didn’t expect I would be able to buy it. Eventually, my father said yes!
Two weeks later, I received a wellpacked package.

May I present to you my absolute Dream Dress, the Starry Night Theatre JSK!

Isn’t it gorgeous? I can’t tell you how happy I am to own it! I love everything about it, from the lace to the buttons and from the details of the print to the golden edges. It’s just magical! It even has a built-in petticoat, so awesome!
I have to be honest though: it doesn’t fit me right yet. But now I have even more motivation to be a good girl with my diet! I can’t wait for the day I will fit into it perfectly!
I could talk for hours about this dress, but I won’t. Instead, here are some more pictures! ^^

Built-in petticoat!

I adore the lace...

The front with the cute hat and card pins.
Don’t you just love the buttons?

Details of the print. Isn’t the
girl wearing Carnival Applique?
Now, I’ll stop writing about this dress and start staring at it again…

For Rainy And Sunny

In my previous post, I kind off fell into ranting about the postal system here. I’ve calmed down in the meantime, of course. ^^ And luckily, my cold seems to have gone down again (after drinking tea and a lot of sniffing).

After I came home from musiclessons last Monday, I could finally open my package! It was a long, triangle-shaped package from… Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Paris!
After examining the package I somehow managed to find out how I could open it (it was really easy, just rip of the upper side). And what did I pull out? My brand new pink Rich Frilled Umbrella (for rainy and sunny)!
If you read my posts from July (‘juli’ in my list, -_-), you probably read about my Parisian adventures. If you just tuned in, I’ll summarizeFlashback
When I was at BtSSB Paris, my mom wanted to buy me a holidaypresent. I could choose between a head bow and a parasol/umbrella. In the end, I chose the head bow, but at home, I realised the umbrella had been so lovely too!
Back to reality
I decided, after I had earned some money with delivering mail, that I really wanted the umbrella after all. I checked that night if it was still available. Yet the next day, the site said ‘vendu’, sold. I was very disappointed, and mailed the shop if they could order one from Japan. I was happy to hear that they indeed could order from Baby Japan. After a month of waiting they received my umbrella and sent it to me. Now I have my own Baby's Umbrella from Japan, via Paris. Weird, isn’t it? ^^

The packing was absolutely lovely. It looked like a giant candy! Of course, there was a little Baby ribbon attached and they had put an AatP bag around it! When I pulled it off, I also found Baby’s Autumn Catalog and a postcard. I secretly hoped for the catalog to come with my package, but I never expected it to actually be there!

The catalog has two sides: one Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and the
other Alice and the Pirates
I am really happy with my umbrella! I love how it looks like a closed flower when I wrap it up. When it’s opened, it’s even more beautiful!

And today, I received a second package. I'll keep it a secret until tomorrow or the day after, but I am very excited about it! I can barely keep my fingers from writing it..!

Why I Hate The Postal Service

I want to start this entry with thanking the people that commented on my previous entry. Thank you so much! You have no idea how happy you made me! I really started crying from happiness that total strangers felt with me, thank you!

The past few days, or better: weeks, have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. Mostly sad ones, unfortunetaly, but luckily there was a little bright side too. Three ones actually, for I have ordered three packages: two from France and one from Canada (!!!). I won’t say what they contain, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. But let’s just say I am really looking forward to them!
I have no idea when or in what order they will arrive, so I was really surprised when I found a letter in the mail yesterday, saying the postman had been there to deliver one, but we weren’t at home. Normally, he would deliver it to the neighbours so I could pick it up, but this time he didn’t. This made me quite angry, because we usually take a lot of packages from the neighbours when they’re not home, but that one time we are not at home, they don’t take it. The letter said they’d try again the next day (aka today), so I wanted to make sure I’d be home this time.

Yet unfortunetaly, I really had to go away for two hours, so I asked the neighbours that live across the street if they’d be home those hours. They said yes, so I hung a note on the door, asking the postman if he could deliver it to them. Feeling happy I left.
Of course the package would be delivered in those small two hours. I didn’t expect anything else. When I arrived home, I found a new letter, saying the postman had been there again and we weren’t at home. Yet, he didn’t deliver it to the neighbours across, because me or my parents have to sign for it!
If he just said that in the first note, I would have stayed at home! Now I have to pick it up the next working day (that’s Monday, aaargh!) after 1 pm. Yet, like any normal teenager, I’m a school then until 4:15 pm, so I have no change to go and pick it up. I was very glad that my mom offered to pick it up instead.

I can’t say it differently: I’m really pissed off! And to make things even better: this afternoon I got sick…
I should look up those tips on other blogs for sick lolitas…

Some Times Tears Can Express Feelings Easier Than Words

There are moments in life I really can’t express myself with words anymore. Only tears can do the job for me then. I had one of those moments this week.

Thursday, when I got home from school, I received very sad news: my grandmother had passed away the night before. The funeral is on Wednesday, and I don’t think I will be posting for a couple of days.

I have not the slightest idea if anyone reads my blog, but I just needed to write this down quickly. I really don’t know how to describe my feelings, so I’ll finish with a quote:

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Baby, The Stars Shine New

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright has a new wesbite layout! Did you see it already? I have to admit that I had to get used to it and I was startled at first, but I really like it now!
The sweet colours are a lovely add to the previous pink layout. And now you can go to both Baby’s and Alice and the Pirates’s sites easily.

Luckily, they didn’t change everything entirely: navigating through the site is still as easy as it always was, but now it has an extra colourful touch and a lovely wallpaper! Don’t you just love the kittens?
The new items can now directly be seen, instead of being clicked at first.
And did you notice that the icon for the bookmark you probably have in your linkinglist is now Baby’s logo? I just love looking at it!
I must say again: I really like it! I loved the previous layout, I love the new one too! ^^
So, what do you think of the new layout? Will you miss the pink one? Or do the new kittens appeal to you?

Taking A Bow For The First Time

Last Saturday was my friend’s 18th birthday and that had to be celebrated with a big party! There was sushi, cocktails, dancing and… a dresscode! Which I fully ignored.

The theme of the party was ‘Purple Sensation’ and we were supposed to come dressed in either white, purple or both. Since I, surprisingly enough, have absolutely no purple in my closet, I decided to wear a white skirt, white shoes and a green shirt (no pictures of my outfit, since it was totally not Lolita-related).
I have been wanting to wear my Baby, the Stars Shine Bright headbow for quite some time. I discovered, by the way, that the name of my bow is ‘Ribbon Roselyne’. How much more coincidence do you need? This bow must have been meant for me! :)
Anyway, I decided that my friend’s party would be the perfect occasion to wear my bow. I fixed my hair, picked out a matching necklace and shoved the headbow over my hair – only to not take it off until much later that evening.

I arrived first, as usual (I guess I am an “on time” person?), so the guests arrived after me. First my friends, who were all surprised by the size of my bow, since I usually wear smaller sized bows. Yet they all said they thought I looked cute, which made me feel more secure.
After that, the other guests arrived. I noticed a few ‘Oh my God, what’s that!?’-looks, but to be honest, I could care less about their opinion! I was afraid I would really feel bad if people looked at me as if I was crazy, but I totally felt the opposite. I love my bow, so go eat sushi or something people! ^^
I have to admit that, after a while, the bow really started to hurt behind my ears. This is actually quite normal, but I didn;t want to take it off. I’m glad I didn’t , ‘cause after a while the pain was completely gone! I just have to get used to it, apparently.

Later on the evening, the birthday girl’s father introduced me to a cousin and he said he really liked my bow! Of course, that made me smile and I thanked him genuinely.

The party was really nice, even though it was mainly dancing. And I don’t dance. I just don’t: I feel awkward while dancing. I much prefer watching other people. I did try sushi for the first time though and it was really delicious!

I apologize for the dark picture, but I made it after I came home, which was about 12:00 pm. I really like it though, I think I look quite ok on it (I’m usually bad at taking good pictures of myself).
I still doubt about how I should wear my bow: like on the picture or flat to my head. I prefer this, because then you can see the actual shape.
Maybe I should buy a headbow that’s on top of my head, instead of on the side.

So what do you think?
Oh, by the way, in a couple of days I'm going to order some stuff, so you can expect a few reviews in a few weeks!

Lolifying Your Life: Pimp Your Media

Every Lolita likes to add Lolita to her life. A lot of us like to deco our phonecases, mirrors, headphones and other utensils. If you don’t want to start big, why not start small and at the source: your computer. Here I can give you a few tips on how to start Pimping Your Media.

Wallpapers
The first thing you see when you start the computer (after you log in, of course): your wallpaper. I always feel a bit more happy when I see my favourite prints jumping off my screen. If you have a Lolita folder, like me, you can make your own wallpapers by simply putting pictures together in Paint.
You can also look for special Lolitawallpapers. I know that Angelic Pretty often has big advertisements for their prints. These are very suitable as computerwallpapers.
You can also visit guillaumes2 on DeviantArt (here) and check out his selfmade wallpapers, that include Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, Angelic Pretty, Putumayo and more! But before you save them to your computer, add them to your favorites and compliment the maker (we still want to be polite ^^).

Avatars,
Now, this isn’t very new of course. We all use avatars, on MSN, LiveJournal, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and all that kind of stuff. I thought I’d just give a link that contains quite some awesome Lolita-avatars, so enjoy.


Join clubs
On DeviantArt, there are numerous clubs for Lolitas to contribute art to. If you get accepted to any of those groups, you’ll receive a number of pictures, drawings, paintings and sketches about every kind of Lolita. If you really like something, you can easily save it to your own computer or to your DeviantArt favorites. Not only can you enjoy the many aspects of Lolita art, maybe you’ll also get inspired!

Some Lolitaclubs on DeviantArt:
Lolita-Lovers
Loli-Club
The-Lolita-Closet
LolitaLovers
LolitaFashion
LolitaClub

If you don’t want to hang in front of the computer all the time (or you want to add more sparkles to your life instead of to your computer), you can always pimp the things you’re going to use a lot.

Agenda
You use your agenda almost every day! Wether it is to check your appointments or to write down your homework, you open it and go through the pages. Print your favorite pictures and stick them to the pages. Choose your absolute favorites to special dates, like birthdays, Christmas or International Lolitaday. Done! Your personal Lolita Agenda!

Because this is my last year of high school, I wanted to make my agenda extra special. I browsed my complete Lolita folder and chose my favorite pictures. Now I have an awesome agenda filled with things I like for every week of the year.

Inspirationbook
If you don’t use an agenda, or you don’t want one, you can always choose to create an inspirationbook. You can buy a simple notebook (mine was €1,99/$2,53) and fill it with pictures that make you happy or that inspire you!

These tips may seem quite simple, but I hope you enjoyed them anyway! ^^

Magical Macarons

I will admit it: I am lacking the inspiration to write something inspirational, so this time I’ll just write about… macarons!

"A macaron is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient."
Source: Wikipedia

Since I started Lolita, I always got the idea that macarons were an absolute must. So back in Paris, I tried the macarons from McCafé. I have no idea wether or not these were good macarons, but they were absolutely de-li-ci-ous!

Macarons can have many flavours, but the most common are: strawberry, pistachio, lemon, chocolate, vanilla and caramel.
I did read somewhere that there are rose- and peachflavours too and someone made a “Bueno” style macaron. I wonder if there are any blueberry- and raspberryflavours..?
Anyway, I can really recommend people to try one (or more of course) macarons. They can be expensive, but trying doesn’t hurt right?
Now I feel like getting macarons somewhere…

How to eat a macaron

The Price Of Beauty: Tokyo, Japan

When I first read about Jessica Simpson’s tvshow ‘The Price of Beauty’, I decided I wanted to see the episode about Tokyo, Japan. She visited Angelic Pretty! You bet I wanted to see that! But before I looked it up, I saw a commercial on MTV in my country, saying this tvshow would be aired here too. I chose to wait and watch it on my own tv with subtitles in my own language, so I wouldn’t miss a thing.
I had heard things about the episode that startled me, but I didn’t want to make up a judgement before I had seen anything. I must admit that I had seen the episode in Paris, France already, so I was a bit more prepaired for what would possibly come.

So yesterdayevening I sat down on the couch with a cup of minttea, ready for Tokyo!

In case you don’t know the concept of the show, it is as follows: Jessica Simpson, an American singer and actress, travels to different countries with her friends CaCee and Ken to find out about the different ideals of beauty. She talks to women about their beauty and looks for typical fashionstyles.

The episode started with the introduction of the ´beauty ambassador´, in this case miss Riyo Mori, a model and Miss Universe 2007. She told them some things about beauty in Japan and the pressure of the media.
After that, the three of them went to a Japanese spa, where they experienced some of the Japanse beauty treatments, like walking on rocks and being buried in sand for two hours.
Up until here, it wasn´t all that bad. But then, the first thing that upset me came.

The three went to a Geishaschool to experience being a real Geisha. Meanwhile, CaCee tells that ´Memoirs of a Geisha´ is one of her favourite movies. And yet they manage to ask questions that are answered in that very movie. Now, this isn´t a disaster or anything, but I thought it was quite stupid.
After their lessons, miss Simpson and CaCee were allowed to do a tea ceremony in complete Geisha-attires for two Japanese businessmen. Even though both girls claimed to have a lot of respect for the culture and thought the Geisha is the ultimate beauty-icon of Japan, all they did was giggling and acting like two stupid stereotype American girls. Both men were obviously shocked by their lack of respect, while miss Simpson found herself very funny. Both men were asked if they ever wanted to be served by these two Geishas again, and they both said no. Well, I cannot blame them.

After that, Angelic Pretty! Finally the part I had been waiting for (which came after the break of course).
The three arrived at an entirely pink store (what else did I expect? Nothing of course! :) ) where they met with the staff. When they heard this fashionstyle is called ‘Lolita’, comments like ‘saucy’ and ‘bad girl’ were inevitable. Luckily, nothing was said about the ‘other side of Lolita’ in the rest of the episode, which made me sigh in relieve. Though the way they referred to the style was mainly ‘Harajuku Girls’ (on the site even spelled as ‘Hirajuku’). I was very happy though, that they paid attention to the rebellious side of Lolita, which is often forgotten.
After that, the girls tried on some black and white outfits, but I have no idea which brand it was.
After that, a couple of minutes were spent on plastic surgery that is popular in Japan: making eyes bigger.

Then the most important part of the show (to me) came: the fashionshow to celebrate all the different looks they had seen in Japan. Maki and Asuka of Angelic Pretty were there to dress up the Lolitagirls too! Miss Simpson, CaCee and Ken dressed up in some of the different styles and walked between the models. CaCee wore some kind of purple kimono and Ken wore something Visual Kei-like, with very highheeled boots. But then miss Simpson came, dressed in a red-with-white-polka-dot Angelic Pretty dress. Ken had done her hair and make up, which was clearly visible, since she had a huge bun and typical Western catalogue make up that you see on models in the media that look like they’re dying. Oh excuse, that look ‘hot’. But that wasn’t what made my stomach turn.
Miss Simpson claims to have experienced what it’s like to struggle with beauty perceptions. She says: ‘What might be strange to some, is ideal to others.’ Because of that, I thought she would respect other people’s ideals.
But while miss Simpson stepped onto the runway, I already realised my hopes had been naive. She paraded like a runwaymodel, whereafter she pretended to be ashamed for a moment. Which she clearly wasn’t, for she lifted up her skirt to show everyone her bloomers and petticoat, in other words: her underwear. I thought it was horrible: Lolita is about beauty and modesty, and she simply threw that aside. She kept on pretending like she was doing some kind of cancan until the episode was finished. But oh, she felt so liberated and free!


I expected more of this episode. Of course I was very happy to see Lolita in the media in a more positive way and I can’t deny that I let out squeals of joy whenever I saw a Lolitadress/-bow/-pair of shoes. But yes, I did expect more. But well, what was there to expect anyway from a person that lets out comments like ‘You could tell a person’s personality by what they wore’?