Sewn a little. Dyed a lot.

Did I say DYE? 

Yes, thank you very much! I just did! And now, I can't leave the house without my hat on. Pfffft! 

I asked for a purple/lavender hair dye but it wasn't that successful. Though I like the result of my current hair shade, I still feel alienated because of that. I wonder why do people give you such rude stares when you have a veeery different hair color? DUH-UH??? Some even tried to make fun of my hair. Awful feeling is awful. -_-* One acquaintance of mine asked what did I do to my hair, obviously insinuating something else. I answered, "I'm trying to ruin it." And she said, "Oh yeah? Give me scissor then. Haha.." 

WTF??? 

I reminded myself again that rebuttal or even a nice explanation would be useless and time consuming.  Especially with stupid/ignorant people. What? Should I explain to them how all these have started and fill them with information that might make their brains explode? No way! Anyhoo, I am half used to being laughed at. They don't like me. So why waste my time making them like me? Right? Yes, thank you very much! 

On another note, PGLC's 2nd Anniversary is on Saturday and I am cramming (seriously) to finish my dress. As of now, I am 75% done. Just a little more push and it's all good. 

My sister took these photos while I was all consumed on my sewing.

Pardon my covered face. Derpy-derp it is. xD and yeah. TEH HAIR! 

I was working on the collar at that time. Now, that part is also done. I just have to attach the zippers and some other details of my dress. That's what I'm going to wear on Saturday. It's going to be my first time to wear pinkXblack. I'm nervous. Haha. xD

And THIS. 

The bow that I made as part of the details of my dress.

 This bow took me almost an hour to make. I think you can see why. However, I enjoyed doing it!~ I really feel a bit sad because the lace that I used is of limited quantity. If I had a lot, I could use it on the hemline of my dress. Aaaaaw... :[ 

*sigh* I can't wait for Saturday! I wish everything will be in order on that day. Will flood you with photos right after the event. I'm sure it'll be fun! I'll see you soon... ♥

Bows and more bows

Still remember my post about my first Etsy purchase? With the help of my dear teacher, it ended up like this:

I added some details and made some accessories. It was really stressful for me since I had to work on other important things recently and that I had no time to sew. :( 

And the accessories...

shoe clips!~

Yesterday, we had a shoot with a friend. I think she's going to use the photos for a magazine article. I'm going to wait for the photos so I can share them here. Good thing Jaja took some snapshots and emailed them to me today. But I'll blog about them laterrr...

Meanwhile, here's a snap of my shoes...

Anna Sui - thrift find! ♥

I'm sure I'll be seeing you later... ^_^

Forever a dream

Since I started loving Lolita fashion, I was almost crazy about the major brands like BTSSB, AP, Metamorphose, Mary Magdalene, Innocent world and the likes. I always check on their websites to see what's new or hot. I dream about purchasing from any of them one day. And imagining myself wearing such adorable coordinates and passing them on to my daughter just like some heirloom piece that I once owned. But then again, I'd quickly snap back into reality (which saddens me somehow) that I cannot afford to get one of these almost priceless pieces. *SIGH~ It really sucks to be broke... 

So, I said to myself to stop dreaming for a while and focus on making something for myself that would satisfy my cravings for Lolita dresses and such. And at least do something that wouldn't hurt my wallet that much. I gotta improvise. Then I learned how to sew. I learned how to make things that I never thought I could and would. Now, I don't ache that much but I know you would ask if I still yearn for brands. The answer is, YES! Of course and why not? xD From time to time I still check on their pages just to see what is new or whatever is on sale or simply to look for some inspiration. 

BTSSB recently released their new items for sale and only a few pieces surprised me. Some were just somewhat redundant or rather too much. Maybe it's just me. I'm just not a fan of anything OTT because if I have to choose, I would wear Lolita on a daily basis. So, I'd rather be more careful with my choice. I cannot pull off OTT types too. :( That's why the dresses that I have sewn were "safely" styled and could be worn regularly.

Going back to BTSSB's new items, I find these two dresses appealing. :)

Opera Bouquet JSK

Garret Scarlet OP

Very classic and elegant!~ PLUS I love the cut especially the Opera Bouquet JSK! The Garret Scarlet OP would be very nice for taller girls, I think. :)

Next up are these pieces from Alice and the Pirates... They're not part of the new releases but still I am bedazzled by the design and the fabric print. Look! 

Queen's Coach OP

Dance of the Black Cats JSK

If I am to own only one, I would choose the Queen's Coach OP. It's just so me! ^_^ The JSK is also something but the bodice part is a bit awkward. Maybe it's the shape of the sleeves. This would be very good for girls who have broad shoulders. But I find the print really fascinating! (I like musical notes so much! ^_^) I think Bodyline has almost the same print, right? Only this one from Baby is much detailed and of course whatever one can say - it's still Baby! :)

Even though I design and make my own Lolita clothes, I don't (and I won't) deny the fact that I still look up to these brands for inspirations and still dream about them. I might not be able to own one but I'd forever be thankful to them for inspiring girls like me. Owning one of their dresses could be forever a dream but who knows? *hahaha Perhaps, one day I could or would... 

Perhaps... :)

Lolita Highlight: Coruscate Unique from Indonesia

Aside from shopping, another fun thing to do in Etsy is to meet people whom has the same interest as yours. It was indeed surprising to find out that there were a lot of Lolita related stuffs to find in there. And they are limitless!~ From kawaii fabrics to the daintiest ribbons and cutest buttons can all be found there! 

I am fortunate to meet one fellow Lolita based in Indonesia. Her name is Zu and she's the shop owner of Coruscate Unique. I soo adore her creations! ♥ Very detailed and unique! 

Her shop offers a lot of Lolita stuffs and one thing that caught my attention is this:

Elegant Black Shoes - HANDMADE!~

Aaaaw... Heaven knows I am crazy for shoes and this one's got to be in my rack someday! 

Oh well! Just like her creations, Zu is an adorable person too! Very friendly and humble not to mention that she's a very talented designer. Yes!~ She makes the dresses herself! Isn't that awesomeness to the core?!

You might want to check these dresses too---

Go visit her Etsy shop here.

And speaking of awesomeness, she also made this dress for an Indonesian female singer, Vicky Shu.

OMG!~

Oh! By the way, did I mention that she offers her stuffs for a very reasonable price? Yes, she does! 

So, for all the girls out there who loves handmade stuffs, check out her listings in Etsy and her Fan page on Facebook right here. Who knows? You might find your dream dress in her shop... :)

~♥~

Thrift finds

Soooo... I'm back again! 

Pardon me for I have to fulfill all my duties as a mom before I could really find a time like this. I have so much task to in my hand that made me choose to update this blog my least priority. I do hope you would understand that aside from making dresses and poofy petticoats and accessories, I also have to maintain the house and the kids. But that doesn't mean that I am not into Lolita anymore. I still am and will be for like, uhm, always? ^___^ 

Anyway, right now I just want to share with you my latest thrift finds from the thrift store nearby. I wish I could take photos of the place like most bloggers do but I don't think the owner would be pleased with the idea. It is a BIG place filled with really nice clothes, shoes and bags, mostly second hand but not really all. Like yesterday, I was able to find a new with tag Liz Lisa top from them. See? I am really lucky! 

Another lucky find is this:

An Anna Sui sandals! ♥

my size!~

not new but really good as new!~

This one, I forgot to share, is from one of my shopping trips in the city a few months ago. It fits my youngest daughter perfectly and is really making me cry because I can't pull off sweet pink dresses! T___T

a bit crumpled but still a pretty find...

I just feel very lucky!~ My friends would often ask how was I able to find these kinds of nice pieces and ask me for advice. But I don't really know what to tell them. I gave them a few hints but it's pure luck, I guess. And tons of patience! Maybe on my next posts, I might be able to share a few good tips for thrift shopping. 

See you in a few and thanks for reading!~ ♥

That one dress...

You may have noticed the gray dress that I was wearing in the EFL header pic. That dress was supposed to be for sale but I just couldn't let it go. It was made by my teacher and was based on my body measurements since any standard medium sized dress or any clothing fits me perfectly. And because we are planning to sell it in the first place, she used the smocking technique for the back part of the bodice, so it would fit medium built ladies with a little bigger boobs than mine. I just added the details to it so it would look complete and quite loli-ish. 

Ooooh! How I love its drapes! ♥

*Sorry for the not-so-nice photo... I forgot to remove the top hat head band before taking this photo. >.<

What I love about this dress is the side drapes on the skirt part. I added tiny bows to it to make it more appealing. ^_^ The bottom frills were minimal and the whole dress has a cotton fabric lining. It's edges were over locked to avoid fraying and oh! It's fabric is more like a chiffon, very suitable for the hot weather here. :)) Here's the detailed pic.

That bow on the bodice part is detachable. 

The bows, laces, flowers and top hat were all made and/or added by me. :) 

As for the top hat, I followed Jaja's tutorial on making a Lolita accessories out of a plastic bottle. BUT, the plastic bottle that I chose wasn't as sturdy as the one she have used. Mine was a thinner type of plastic bottle and it tends to melt easy. I failed to finish the complete set. :( But anyway, I was able to finish the top hat so, it's okay, I guess. xD Next time, I'll try to make another one using a different bottle, of course. :) 

I'm still thinking hard if I'd sell it or not. Or, maybe, I should just pay my teacher for her hard work on this dress. >.< 

By the way, Jaja have not yet released the whole photo set of this shoot. I will post more as soon as she release them. ^_^

Gotta go to bed now! See you around! ♥

Us!~ ♥ It was windy and my hair was a mess! ugh! >.<