Dorothy Gale outfit on Polyvore!

I've been looking at this wonderful blog (which unfortunately hasn't updated in almost a year) that my friend sent me.  This author looks at old films and recreates great Hollywood outfits with a modern twist using Polyvore.  It's so cool!  So I did a similar one with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  She's done one too, but it's a bit too modern for me.  Obviously!

This one features two of my favourite brands: Victorian Maiden (the blouse) and Irregular Choice (shoes).  The dress looks a bit weird because I cropped the model out and it's still got her hands!
I know lots of people do these polyvore outfit posts, but I really enjoy them and thought I might do a few!

Stock photo found!!

A bit less than a year ago I bought a Victorian Maiden skirt off the sales community.  I couldn't find a stock photo of it anywhere and neither could the seller.  I just found one - in the weirdest place!

I found it on Gothicplus.com - it's apparently selling this skirt.  Except, when I read the description, it seems they're selling a cheap Chinese-made replica.  It says that it comes with corset lacing at the back - which mine doesn't have.  I guess the makers only saw this one stock photo of the front of the skirt.  Who knows if it has corset lacing?  It's called a "Black and White Retro Lolita Dress".

Here's the link to not-my-skirt on Gothic Plus.

Weird.  You can tell it's the true VM stock photo because a) it's my VM skirt, b) it's a VM blouse, and c) the backdrop is the same they always use.

So if you're planning to buy from Gothic Plus, I'd stay away from the clothes as all the photos are real brand stock photos, and they clearly have no idea what the back of the dress looks like.  The shoes they sell look like they're legit as they say what brand they are.  I like some of the Demonia steampunk boots!

I love this skirt.  It's totally wearable without a petticoat for a more casual look and it's still beautiful.  It's just the right length.  This is probably my most-worn piece of brand, and I haven't had it that long!

More lacy collars!

I've been sick in bed the past two days, so I spent some time refining my designs for my crocheted collars.  First thing I tried was putting glass pearl beads in there!  I'm really happy with this, it turned out lovely.  

It took me so long!  None of my crocheting hooks go through the beads so I had to use some fishing wire as a kind of needle-threader arrangement.

So they're in-between each group of trebles.

I did a white one a bit bigger, somehow it turned out a bit crooked at the edges?  Anyhow there's one more row than my other ones.

Yellow!  I like this yellow.

Neck view.

So this brooch is another hand-me-down from my Nana who died a year ago.  It's particularly precious to me, because it belonged to Nana...

And it was made out of a penny by my Pa!  It reminds me of both of my grandparents.  It's very special!  And pretty too :-)

Crocheted collars

My friend bought a lovely crocheted collar from a super talented designer at Hand Hook Yarn.  It cost her like $60!  But when I looked at it I thought... I could do that!  So she let me have a look at it and I made my own version last night (after two total fails)!  I also found a pattern for a crocheted collar on The Ongoing Project, but it's also different.

My version is not exactly the same (I couldn't figure out what she'd done in some places), but it worked out pretty well!  I wore it to uni today and got at least one compliment.  Other people complimented in the way that means "Chrissy why are you wearing such a pink thing".

It's actually NOT that bright a pink, the colour came out a bit wrong in this photo.  It's more of a dusky pink colour.  That's a brooch I inherited.  I thought a brooch fastener is much more versatile than a button because you can change it!  Obviously!

I'm starting a yellow one.

And this is a red one I made on the bus home.  It's red, I promise!  Weird lighting playing tricks again.

Me wearing my pink one in the bathroom.

This is what I wore to uni today - my spotty dress.  So maybe the pink collar is too much with this outfit!  Anyhow I'm pretty proud of how it turned out and I think it looks sweet.  I'm going to make this yellow one and then I'll see what other yarn I have.

If they turn out to be good, I might sell them at the Arts and Crafts show.  We had our first Committee meeting yesterday so I'm looking forward to it already!  How much could I charge for these?

So last night I went to see Weird Al again...

Weird Al Yankovic was playing at the Royal Theatre last night in Canberra!

 It was pretty hot yesterday - 27 celcius. This is what I wore: 

Dress: Camden Town markets, 

Shoes: Irregular Choice.  

Somehow I found a headband that matched exactly the fabric of my dress.

I printed out two copies of the photo Charles and I took with Al last time and wrote a letter to him on the back.  I wanted to give him one copy and get him to sign the other copy.

This time I went with my friend Kyle instead of Charles (for obvious reasons).  We arrived literally an HOUR early because I was so excited. 

Since we were so early, we bought merch before the show.  Kyle bought me Weird Al's new kids book (so now he's an acclaimed author AS WELL) called When I Grow Up.  I bought his Amish Paradise t-shirt because it is awesome.  Kyle bought The Saga Begins t-shirt.  ALSO AWESOME.

Okay so the show started and I was super excited.  It was everything I wanted it to be (apart from him not singing Everything You Know Is Wrong or Melanie) and the costumes were rad, the music was phenomenal, and the video clips in-between songs were hilarious.  Here are links to some of the film clips...

Alanis Morissette - Al's Joyride

Our Friend Dirt - from The Weird Al Show

Madonna interview - They only showed an excerpt of this but the whole thing is funny.

Titanic spoof - Again, only showed an excerpt

"Weird" - SO FUNNY

The encore was "We All Have Cellphones, So Come On, Let's Get Real", and then the REAL encore was The Saga Begins, complete with dancing storm troopers.  It was the stuff!

After the show we hung out in the foyer for about half an hour waiting for him to come and sign stuff.  Yay he did!  I'd been building it up in my mind for so long that I just kind of prattled on and forgot Kyle was there (sorry Kyle..).  I gave him the photo I'd written on and thought that was "really nice" and I asked him to sign the other one so I could send it to Charles in Sweden and he DID, and then I asked if he would sign the storybook for me and he said "of course" and DID, and then I asked if he's going to do shows in America in August and he said no, only in September, and I said I was going to Delaware to do a ragtime xylophone course and he thought that was cool.  Then we got a photo together!  Yays!  Sorry Kyle I guess I completely forgot you were standing next to me.  I was SO EXCITED AND HAPPY.  Then he shook my hand with BOTH of his hands and said "It was really great to see you again!"

YAYYAYAYAYAY

I giggled all the way to the car and grinned all the way home.  I'm wearing my Amish Paradise t-shirt now!  Now pics of my haul:

T-shirt front:

T-shirt back:

Book:

Book title page SIGNED:

I really like the book!  It's all rhyming and it's about all the cool things this boy wants to do when he grows up!  It makes me feel a little better about the fact that I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up - and I'm a lot older than 8 years old!

Old photo signed! He signed Charles' shirt!

Interesting Earrings Story!

So I was at work the other day at the music library, and a girl came up to the desk to borrow something.  I noticed first that she was wearing mismatched earrings that looked *kind of* the same but were obviously different.  I looked closely... and one of them I had definitely made, and sold at my church's Arts and Crafts show!  It was pretty much the most exciting thing ever.  But I had to keep my composure. 

 I asked her where she got her earrings.  She said she couldn't remember, but they were mismatched because she'd lost one of each pair and they'd gone reasonably well together.

Anyhow the truth came out and I told her I'd made one of them.  And then I offered to take it home and make her a new matching one.  So I did!

It was a really nice little run-in!

One dress three ways!

Today it was finally cool enough to wear this dress without worrying about sweating! I have a low heat tolerance.  I bought this dress a few weeks ago from the EGL sales community and have been dying to play around with outfits since.  It's by Juliette et Justine, and is called Fleur et Rose.

It is quite a long dress with an A-line shape, so it's not the puffy "lolita" silhouette but a much more demure, elegant shape.  I curled my hair :-)

First, a simple co-ordinate.  This dress is so pretty you only need shoes and pearls to make it work!

Shoes: Vintage, from a cute shop in Perth.  I love them, they're my sparkly ruby slippers.

This one is a bit teacher-ish.  Offbrand blazer and brooch, shoes from MaruiOne in Shinjuku (can't remember the brand).

I think this works quite well but is a little harsh with the black x florals.

Shoes: Betts

Gloves: Vintage

Bolero: ValleyGirl

Choker: Diva (I think)

The room is actually about to get new carpet in, and has just been painted!  So it's a good place to take outfit photos.

Cross posted to Daily_Lolita

Blouse making!

I am making a blouse.  The pattern is from Deco Alice a la Mode Summer 2009.  It's an Innocent World pattern.  Super cute with pintucks at the front and a nice small collar.

I have been running into a few problems.

This is the first blouse I've ever made, so I'm not familiar with how the pattern pieces look.  The blouse has 10 panels.  10!  Other blouse patterns I've looked have either 2 (back and front) or four (back, back side, front side, and front).  The front panels of this blouse have 3 pintucks each.  I've chosen some really cute cream coloured cotton with tiny purple flowers.

Problems: I can't read Japanese (although I can speak a little).  This means that both the instructions in the book and on the pattern pieces are unreadable.  I have to work out how to do it from common sense, indicative lines on the pattern, and looking at other blouse patterns (I have a few).  Why did I choose to make my first blouse essentially without instructions?

So I ironed and sewed the pintucks but it's so close to the edge I assume I must have done it the wrong way.  Mega confusing.  I also don't know how they do the sleeve cuff or inside collar or placket.  I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A BLOUSE.

I keep trying, but it's so depressing realising for the umpteenth time that I have to unpick something.