Fondue Pot for Food or Fun?

Have you ever had fondue?  Cheese or chocolate, it seems like a lot of fun!  Our May meetup took place recently and there happened to be a Gomaji coupon (like a group order) for a hotel chocolate fondue afternoon tea set at WestGate Hotel, so that's where we went!

It was my first time having fondue, so I was excited!  The theme this month was "open front" as in a dress with a placket all the way to the hem.  I've never been a fan of that style, so I didn't have any and had to make one at the last minute!  Still, it was fun and I think I like the simple style I decided on.  It also was my first time making a strapless JSK!

Headband, JSK, wrist stoppers: handmade

Blouse: Little Dipper

Shoes: An*Tai*Na

Photo by Amelie

LaForet Harajuku Virtual Tour by Kawaii.i

Japanese kawaii fashion and beauty channel Kawaii.i just posted a three-part virtual tour of Harajuku branch LaForet, and it is in THREE-SIXTY DEGREES so when watching, click and drag around to see various angles!

I thought this would be a fun and interesting tour for my readers.  If you find any point you would like to see more, you can pause the video and still click and drag around to see in 360 as if it were a 360 photo!


If you are planning to go here it could be useful to take a virtual tour first.  Technology is providing us with lots of handy tools!  Seeing the physical shops of certain brands I love really makes me want to visit =^.^=

Be sure to check out Parts 2 and 3 as well if you are interested!

Cyber Lolita at the Lolita Market

Lolita fashion may be pricey for brand name items, but if you can buy secondhand it's a good way to get a bargain.  Being able to see these items in real life makes it easier to see the condition of clothing, so I really enjoy purely Lolita-theme markets.  This one also included handmade items and took place at Flora Salon, which is a salon that allows anybody to experience a Lolita photoshoot.  They provide clothes, makeup, and hairstyles, and then take photos for you.

Leading up the narrow hallway was a line of boyfriends waiting on their Lolita girlfriends to finish their shopping ^-^  The space is quite small.

  I'd never been there before, and it was PACKED!  So I didn't take many photos inside because I didn't want to risk taking photos of anybody that didn't want their photo taken.  There were almost all Sweet Lolitas, some people in regular kawaii fashion, many brolitas, a couple men, and a couple Goths/Gothic Lolitas.  We're definitely a very sweet community.

Basically this times 10.  There were only ten vendors who could fit!

There were no "must have" dresses/prints for me (my wallet is thankful) but I DID score the LARGE Swimmer bag I've been wanting ever since I saw DORO and Laina have it in varying colors!

It cost me NT$1000 (US$30) which is pretty good because the original price tag is JPY2500 (US$23) so it's not much of a markup at all.

I also wore a new style for me: cyber-lolita!  My dread falls have been sitting in the closet for four years or so T^T  And this is the first time I've worn them in public, as I previously have only worn this style to night-school or for photoshoots ^_^;

Before heading out

With my new bag!! Excited!!

I also bought a handmade double-clip for Teddy from my friend's brand, M.S.Rose (on facebook)

Overall it was a really great experience.  Usually these types of markets have a ticket price, but this one was free!  That may be a reason it was so crowded, I suppose.

There are several Lolita pop-up markets in a few cities every year.  I hope to go to more of them in the future!

Do you have Lolita markets where you are?  What are they like?  I'm curious!  And if you don't have these, I hope something can be arranged in the future ^_~  Most of these are organized by Lolitas for Lolitas.

Recent Sewing and Other Projects

It's been quite some time since I've done a sewing post.  After dropping out of school I actually completely stopped sewing for about a year, taking on only a few commissions and very few personal projects.  Then, at the beginning of this year, I suddenly took a big style change, but did begin sewing and crafting again.  Here are some photos of things I've made so far this year!

First is quite a simple fishnet sweatshirt that I made for Ano:

Then I made some simple hair accessories.  The bat wing clips are available on my Storenvy currently!

 

I also made a kinda silly "monster" set of hair ribbons.  Haven't actually worn them yet.  They were a bit spur-of-the-moment!  When inspiration and motivation happen to strike at the same time, you don't hesitate!

 Then I moved on to more clothing items.  First is a spiderweb pattern tank top with a lace back:

 Then a couple of chokers.  The base is actually detachable bra straps!  They are from old bras, so I thought I'd repurpose them.  The inside is plush and soft and comfortable to wear; perfect for chokers!

Spooky skull moth thing

Crown

 Then I finally completed this old project.  It was originally going to be a kigurumi pajama, but I did not have enough fabric so I made it into a hoodie instead for Ano!

Then I made a spooky dress:

And you've seen this skirt in my last meetup post.

This jacket uses the same print in a different color, red.  I'm not completely happy with it because  it's quite loose-fitting.  I would have preferred a tighter fit to avoid looking baggy or chunky when worn, but the overall look I'm quite satisfied with!

Then I made another necklace on the whim.  I plan to add some decoration to the bears!  It's quite the statement piece, but I wore it out to ART2016 as seen in my post.

Finally, some custom lower lashes!  I've since added more gems in varying sizes to this particular pair.  Custom lashes is quite fun, though it's incredibly finicky to work with something so delicate and small!

That's all for now.  I hope to continue creating things as I figure out just what it is I want to do with myself.  It's quite anxiety-provoking to not have a plan for your future, isn't it?