Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibit Second Edition

Finally Part 2 of the Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibit could open!!!  Find the first opening in two parts here and here for more photos of the interiors from the first visit.  The main part that changed was the art prints, which cannot be photographed.  I did also make a new wig for my teddy bear so I got new photos of her as well!

After the pandemic breakout and lockdown, we were unsure if the exhibit would even re-open.  They were offering refunds for tickets, but it would require you to turn in the ticket holder and Thank You card if you had it.  That did not seem worth it to Doro or me, so we chose to hold onto our gifts and just hope the exhibit would open again!!  Luckily, it did, so I booked a time slot quickly!  There were very few people there and masks are required as usual.

Caring for Velvet Shoes: an adventure with Vivienne Westwood x melissa Cat Paw Pumps

 Recently my apartment had a termite infestation.... and they got into my shoeboxes!!  A pair of my Vivienne Westwood Anglomania x melissa Caw Paw Pumps got their nest material on it which clung to the velvet flocking and even dissolved a part of the velvet.

As these are my first pair of velvet shoes, I contacted customer service to ask how to best clean the shoes and the email I received back said:

Dear [Sparklewolfie],

Thank you for contacting Vivienne Westwood RoW Online Store Customer Service.

We are sorry to inform you but we do not have official information on how to clean the product at the moment.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Customer Care team for any further information.

Sincerely,

Miguel

Vivienne Westwood Online Store Customer Service

Well, that is unfortunate {{{(>_<)}}} 
I am assuming it is because this is a collaboration series and not a purely Vivienne Westwood design.  Instead, I searched online and most sites seem to just be quoting each other.  The provided recipes of baking soda and water or lemon juice and the tips are word-for-word copies.  

Eventually I did find a shop that sold velvet shoes which had similar tips, but wasn't a copy-paste, and had more detail about knowing the TYPE of velvet your shoes are.  Unfortunately, I closed out the window without bookmarking the site and now I cannot find it again, but if I do I will link it here! 

Key tips I remember from the site include how cotton/silk velvet should be taken to a dry cleaner, while polyester/blend velvet can usually be cleaned at home unless the stains are REALLY bad.  They also explain more about the nap of the velvet and recommend brushing off velvet shoes after each wear so nothing has a chance to build up.

So, on to the pictures!  Warning: the damaged shoes image might be a little gross for some people!  The way the termite nest material is built sort of icks me out as well.