Halloween Treats (Plus My Trick)

Halloween is one of the most fun holidays to me!! So here are some fun and easy food links for you all! I also included a devilish little trick at the end :P But I only suggest you try it on people you know won't mind!

Treats

Melted Witches
(Slight side story: I agree completely with her mini-rant on Halloween costumes in the USA! Halloween shouldn't be a time to see who can wear the least amount of fabric. I am super glad that costumes in Taiwan are still the regular "Disney Princess" or "Fairy" or "Minnie Mouse" type!)


Poisonous Parfaits
These are super easy but look awesome!


Twig Mini Caramel Apples a cute twist on a classic treat!


Brain in a Jar Cupcakes
It looks like that's a lot of frosting for the brain, but there is actually cake inside that too! ;)


Spiderweb Cake in a Jar


Sweet Acorns
Ultra fast and easy! Could be re-used for Thanksgiving and all other Autumn-theme parties too ;)


Pumpkin Pudding Ghosts
Super cute!!! Vegetarians remember to sub agar agar for the gelatin~


Ghost Cake for the slightly more culinary-ly talented! (I am pretty sure it uses the same technique as the heart cake)


Something Savory this way comes!


Coffin Spinach Dip

Tricks
When I was in grade school we got these National Geography-like "magazines" which were usually around 4 pages long. There was always a small section of "fun facts" like how fast a sneeze travels or how much blood our hearts pump. One of the facts that stuck with me was that "Apples, Onions, and Potatoes all taste the same. It is the smell that makes them taste different to us!"

OH REALLY? I have yet to test this theory (plus, I'm sure the textures would give them away) but this gave me a little idea called "Trick or Treat Apples"

Ingredients
*1 bag of apples
*1 big bag of caramels
*1 bag of potatoes
*1 bag of onions
*Something for sticks (popscicle sticks or twigs, etc.)
*Chocolate, sprinkles, nuts, etc. (optional)

Directions
1) Wash all your produce and peel the onions
POINT! You may want to trim your onions and potatoes into a rounder, more apple-y shape to be more convincing! Though if you use a lot of toppings, the shapes will be disguised

2) Melt your caramels in a stovetop pot or in the microwave. While they are melting, put your sticks into your apples and potatoes and onions

3) Coat all your produce with a nice layer of caramel, covering all the way up to the very top! Set down on some wax paper to cool and harden. You can repeat with a second layer of caramel if you wish

4) Time for toppings! Roll in nuts while the caramel is still warm, or drizzle chocolate and sprinkles on top! Crushed cookies also make for a great topping. Actually, it makes it incredibly sweet, but some people like it like that ;)

5) Mix up all your caramel "apples" so it is impossible to tell which is an apple, onion, or potato. TIME TO SERVE YOUR PARTY GUESTS!!!!

**Please Note** As with everything you find on the internet, trying this is at your own risk. You may or may not lose some friends over it ;D (but then those are lousy friends anyway). I do not suggest trying this on your neighborhood children. Their parents may be upset.

Originally I wanted to propose this idea to my manager at the cram school I teach at (I was drunk and on Facebook at the time) in order to teach the children the REAL MEANING of "trick or treat" but luckily I didn't ;D

In all seriousness, if you do try this, LET ME KNOW HOW IT WORKS!!! Do they really taste similar??

In This Town We Call Home, Everybody's Singing the Pumpkin Song~

How has school been going for everybody? ^________________^

That was my sneaky way of saying "Oh man I don't have anything interesting going on other than school and work in my life and that is not interesting at all!"

While I do try to keep my blog Lolita-orientated, sometimes I just want to post about other things. Like Pokemon. I just bought Pokemon Black and am addicted. I play it on the MRT (subway) all the time! The starter I chose is 水水獺/Oshawatt! And I have decided that I cannot let him evolve D: He is just too cute!

Which brings me to today's topic.... HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!!!


Image from Alice and the Pirates



Trick Cat by Alice and the Pirates

I actually think this skirt is pretty cute, but I wouldn't really associate it with Lolita if I had just seen it in a store.
The pants version looks like it would be a cute punk-ish outfit just to wear around, though!

Image from Alice and the Pirates

Angelic Pretty also whipped up a more Lolita-esque witch outfit:

Images from Angelic Pretty

Individually, it would be easy to work the pieces into other coordinates, so you can get more use out of them! The little witch hat (which is adorable!) is the only one that looks more costume-y (and possibly the arm warmers) but pointed hats were totally in style in the 15-16 century with the ladies~ (Haha I am taking Western Fashion History...)

Additionally Angelic Pretty is having a Halloween Fair! I can't read that blog post, but it looks cute anyway :P

Last year for Halloween I simply went as Hime Lolita and told people I was a princess. Halloween is definitely not a big thing here in Taiwan :( Only nightclubs (the ones popular with foreigners, anyway) seem to host events. This year I decided to actually make a costume!

I will be... NOT A LOLITA!

Because sadly I cannot attend the Lolita Halloween mask-themed meetup on the 30th - instead, I get to take a test at 9:30AM!! And then go on a class field trip! ^_________^
O_Q

Instead, I will be... A DINOSAUR!

And if I have time, I want to make Oshawatt, too :P
The cram school I teach at is hosting Halloween events on Thursday and Friday and I think it'd be cool to dress up as 2 different things :) I hope the zippers I ordered get here in time!

I have also been trying to convince my classmates at college to wear costumes on the 31st, which falls on a Monday this year. So far, everybody thinks it would be fun, but is afraid to be the only one who does it ;_;

What are you going to be for Halloween? Does your country even celebrate it??

Here's a very attractive photo of me to help you get into the spirit of spooky!

Photo from a mini-meet with one other Lolita for 10/10, Taiwan's birthday (happy 100th!)

And on another note, would random "daily life" type posts be a plus or minus to this blog? I mean things like posting about Pokemon or interesting things I learned in school (since I am studying fashion) etc. A lot of idols post just FOOD PHOTOS and I still like to see it, but I know not everybody wants a billion updates all the time :P

Sample Sale! Ribbon and Lace Wonderland

Quick shameless self-post to let you all know that I am having a sample sale!

I'm selling the items from my line for SGMS2011.
Please note that they are in MN right now so will be shipped by a friend (cheaper shipping in the U.S. yay!). Also, because it's a SAMPLE SALE so everything is 1/3 off!

Bloomer Salopette: Normally $90 now $60
Photo by Nic Abrego
The rest are under the cut!

Ruffle Skirt Salopette: Normally $120 now $80 Photo by Nic Abrego
Blazer: Normally $60 now $40 Photo by Nic Abrego
One-Piece Dress: Normally $140 now $95 Photo by Nic Abrego
Tiara: $20
JSK: Normally $100 now $65 Photo by Nic Abrego
Blouses (2 white 1 black): $30 each

All clothes fit Bust: 34-36" Waist: 28-30" and are free hip size


Regular items are available on my Etsy Shop!

Thanks for looking!

SGMS 2011 Fashion Show Review

School Girls and Mobile Suits fashion show happened on the last day of September, but I haven't gotten the official photos yet, which is why I have not posted about it :P There ARE runway photos, but I was hoping to get the individual outfit shots to post!

EDIT: The article has since been edited (though with no formal redaction or apology for the misinformation) and she actually changed the wording on her critique of my line after I left a comment on her blog. While it is marginally better, it still comes off as an un-researched and rather unprofessional piece, in my honest opinion.

Today Blasphemina, who ran the show, linked to this write-up on L'Etoile Magazine about the show. I was not present at the show so I am not sure if she actually asked any of the designers anything about their lines. She got a bunch of information wrong, is quite harsh in her judgement of everybody except Blasphemina's line, and wrongly accuses KMK of using ready-made patterns. FOR YOUR INFORMATION, Kaitlyn and her MOM, Sheridyn, make all their patterns by hand, as should all designers.

The critique on my line (well only two looks) was sort of half-ok half-trying-to-be-condescending I think... but I shall let you be the judge of that~ I am including the remaining two photos from my line under the cut!

This was the look she deemed "showed some style"


Ruffle Skirt Salopette


Hime OP

Photos of all the lines from SGMS 2011 can be seen on Nic Abrego's Flicker set here

While I am disappointed in the lack of petticoats for my looks (it would have cost far to much for me to purchase and mail 3 petticoats) I am generally quite happy with my line.

Oh, and the JSK look that L'Etoile said looked like something "a frumpy Lolita-lover would wear to her office job" was indeed my "work-appropriate Lolita look" for Lolitas who had a bit of a more lax dress code (probably office work) who wanted to wear Lolita, but couldn't go all decked out in layers of ruffles. So despite the "put-down" I would actually call that a huge success!!

This is the first time I have actually gotten public critique, and I am disappointed that the writer appears to have not done any research and just spewed whatever she thought (plus some misinformation) as fact.

Do I like every single line that was shown at SGMS 2011? No. I don't. My favorite was probably [damn]aged. There were choice pieces from almost every line that I liked, and of course some that I didn't.

My Personal Opinion on the Lines (based only on photos I saw)
Laura Peyton~
She tried to do a Lolita line, but went too short on the skirts and had some bad lace choices (deja vu! We've all been there!) Overall, it's not terrible and the "baby bonnet" looks fine from what I can tell :P L'Etoile should do some more research on Lolita before deciding bonnets are "infantile"

Theresa Winge~
I have no idea what style this is, so I guess I can't really give much of a critique :P The Hello Kitty fabric does seem to remind me of pajama pants, though :o But since I was not there in person, I cannot quite tell what the fabrics used actually were

Irregular Pearl~
Kyri's Goth-y style is pretty cool and I usually like what she makes :) This line was a little hit-or-miss, but there are a few really cute/cool pieces in her collection!

Carousel Cafe~ That's me!
FML LACK OF PETTICOATS is my first thought. I love the blazer and salopettes the most! I'm biased because this is my line, no lie D: It's my style!

Deborah Block~
Judging based just on the photos, I don't think her line totally "fell short" as L'Etoile Magazine put it. While her line doesn't look quite as cohesive, it isn't some train wreck of horror either!

KMK Designs~
" construction and fabric can make all the difference from taking subculture fashions out of the realm of costume and into fashion" is what L'Etoile said, implying that all previous lines looked like costumes...? Hm. KMK is not quite my style, but they do make lovely dresses for Halloween, weddings, formal events, etc. As for L'Etoile saying " Some pieces were so 1940s Vogue that I suspect they were made from vintage patterns" my only reply is, "confirm your suspicions by ASKING the designers before publicly posting." Who woulda thunk? :o

Hitomi K of [damn]aged~
She is NOT from the U of M. She graduated from St. Kate's. RESEARCH, PEOPLE! Anyway, as I said before, I pretty much love her line :D She's my favorite!

Samantha Rei of Blasphemina's Closet~
This line is a hugely different style! As always, I pretty much love all the fabrics and stuff she used XD
The long-pants romper is my favorite look. It's clean and I like the color pairing! The little white dress I think could also be nice for daily wear~
The other two looks I personally don't like as much. The Star Wars-looking top in silver with the armor-ish skirt feels a little off, but perhaps if the two were not paired together it would look better?
Lastly, the han-bok looking dress has THE MOST GORGEOUS FABRIC ever! And actually, I think that dress would look lovely if it was worn by a model with smaller breasts as an empire-waist dress. I am not sure if this was a last-minute model-switch or something, but with the waistline above her breasts, the model ends up looking larger than she actually is. I still like that dress ^^;

The same article is also posted here. I did post a comment on the L'Etoile Magazine blog, but it needs to be approved before it shows up =__=

Sorry for such a HUGE post!!

I have also updated my Etsy shop to include some of the things from my new line! They can be ordered in any colorway :)

How do you feel about all the lines after reading L'Etoile Magazine's article? Which ones did you like? Which ones don't you like (and why?)
I'm curious to see what all my readers think!!