Carousel Cafe Back in Action!

I am happy to announce that Carousel Cafe (also available in the Links section of my sidebar) is back up and running!

The current listings are all located in MN, USA and my mom will help ship them out. They are from my Spring/Summer collection 2010, so the prices are very low right now (30-50% off) to help clear out the old merchandise!

Soon, I will add the new products, starting with bloomers and bloomer packs, so bookmark the page for updates!

Any suggestions or ideas for what you would like to see are much appreciated

Inspiration vs. Imitation in Lolita Fashion

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"
How many times have we heard that quote before? While this may be true of superficial aspects such as coordinates, styling, makeup, hairdos, etc. when we are talking about design or selling, imitation suddenly become theft. Artists are quick to claim ideas as their original work, and point fingers at similar pieces as being stolen.

In a world as small as Lolita, ideas seem to overlap and spread quickly. How many versions of Paris Window, Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, Trump Suits, Mermaids, etc. are there? It is true that all these big brands still manage to sell out their prints and everybody has their favorite version of each motif as seen in this fun poll here and here. Brand replicas are widely bought, with the argument that the Brands are not suffering financially from the replicas anyway.

What about the small, indie brands and Western brands? When somebody is trying to make a living with their own two hands designing, drafting, sewing, redrafting, and sewing some more, is it still OK to copy their designs? What about being inspired by another designer? Obviously, everybody gets inspiration from SOMEWHERE, but when does inspiration cross the line into imitation?


Inspiration
a) a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
b) the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
(from dictionary.com)

Oftentimes, a piece of art, a beautiful dress, a swatch of fabric, a fancy trim, or a certain photograph captures a feeling that inspires you to create something of your own. Your mind races and you catch your breath - you want to make SOMETHING from this, though you are not quite sure what yet. Jot some quick notes about what's racing through your mind before you lose the ideas!

Inspiration gives you ideas. It gives you creativity, and lets you run with it!

Imitation
a counterfeit; copy
(from dictionary.com)

Do you find yourself flipping back and forth between looking at your own design and somebody else's? When you place them side by side, do they look like they were done by the same designer? Is there anything distinctly different between your design and the original? Are you looking only at one image from one designer for ideas? If many of these apply to you, be careful, you might be making a copy!

My advice when you find this happening, is to leave that design alone for a while. Work on something else or look at some other pictures for inspiration.

What if you are on the other end of the Imitation Trap? See one of your designs being sold elsewhere? Before you get all up in arms and message the thief, first look at the design. Is it a general, common design? Could it be coincidence? Many cuts and designs are commonly found, especially in a fashion with as many rules as Lolita.

If it is a unique design and obviously copied, try contacting the seller politely to ask them not to use your design. Many times people are willing to comply if you simply ask because they don't realize the damage it can do to an independent designer when their designs are ripped off. If they are NOT willing to take down their imitation, try to get the word out about your original in a calm and organized fashion. Throwing a hissy fit is not going to win you any more fans and will only make you seem petty and desperate. Hopefully consumers will be willing to support you as an independent designer and seamstress :)

Tiana's Kitchen~Pizza Cones

FAKE SWEETS! And we're not talking about jewelry here. Today I am going to share one of those recipes that isn't even really a recipe - Pizza Cones

Like any pizza recipe, you can put whatever you want on it, but it makes me feel special to write this up as a recipe. It is really just a different method of making


I came up with this idea after getting a pizza cone at Taipei Zoo last year. It is a handy way to have pizza you can carry around with you. Using a thinner skin makes an interesting crispy texture and the tomato paste prevents as much sogginess.


Start with a crepe skin or tortilla (I added some onions on it)


Add 3Tbs of tomato paste

Tomato paste work better than tomato sauce because it does not slide around and get as messy. Also the flavor is stronger, so you can use less!

Add toppings (I used enoki mushroom, onion, smoked salmon, and cheese)

The enoki mushroom imitated the cheese texture, so I did not add as much cheese, making this pizza healthier!

Toast


You can either cut and eat it like pizza


OR you can roll it up into a cone


Tuck in the bottom a little bit (fold up the end while rolling) like a burrito to prevent fall-out in case you did not manage to make a perfect cone ^^;


This can be made in advance, pulled out of the fridge and toasted prior to eating. You only need a napkin to wrap around the cone and wipe your hands and mouth with. Less mess, less cleaning, more yum!

I have thought of making these and rolling them like crepes to bring to a picnic. Tasty, customizable for different tastes, and minimal mess. It would require a larger oven to make many though!

Tiana's Kitchen~Cat's Eye Coins

"I want to fill myself only with sweet things"
~Momoko Ryugasaki, in Shimotsuma Monogatari/Kamikaze Girls

Sweets dominate in the Lolita Kingdom. Cakes, cookies, macarons, parfaits, ice cream, etc. take over tea parties and show up in prints. This may have been fine and dandy for Momoko, but I am sure that the rest of us need a little more nutrition than Momoko's bento provided:



Cookies, canned fruit, and candy hardly constitutes a healthy meal! Today I am going to show you how to make a nice snack that is sweet but still has nutritional value.


Cat's Eye Coins


Ingredients:
1 banana
1 TBS Peanut Butter

Directions:
1) Slice your banana in half lengthwise


2) Fill the center with peanut butter. It may feel hard to spread because of the slickness of the banana. My advice is to put a big glob of peanut butter on the banana, then start pushing from the top of the glob to spread it out. This way, the base doesn't have to move at all



3) Don't worry if it is not neat, because now you put the banana back together! I like to squish it a little to make sure everything sticks



4) Wrap your banana in cling wrap or wax paper and put it in the freezer to freeze. When you feel like having a snack, take it out, unwrap, and slice into coins




Meow~

You can also slice them into coins and then re-freeze for later. The frozen texture of the banana is a lot like ice cream, and the peanut butter adds a creamy, rich flavor. Feel free to experiment with other fillings (Nutella, anyone?) and have fun with it!

Banana is full of potassium, but also fairly high in sugar, so I don't recommend this snack more than once a day. Peanut butter is a good source of protein and healthy fats, but fairly high in fat and calories. As a snack or dessert, this is a good balance of treat and nutrition. I am enjoying some as I write this post!

Enjoy, and stay healthy!

Sparkle Stitches~ Bloomers lvl2!

Have you mastered the Budget Bloomers? Want something a little fancier or more challenging? Welcome to level 2, Bloomers with a Ruffle at the Hem!


Today I will show you how to make bloomers from the same 1 yard of fabric, but with a little ruffle on the edge, how cute!

First, cut out your pieces just like regular bloomers. Now, you need to learn the lvl2 skill of... MAKING BIAS TAPE!!!

It is not that hard, I promise But you can always just buy pre-made bias tape if you don't feel like making your own.

BUT for the brave challenger, here we GO!

Take some of the scrap fabric from cutting out your bloomers. Bias is at a 45* angle to the selvage. The easiest way to find 45 degrees is to draw a 2"X2" box on your fabric with the selvage as one of the sides of the box. Connect two opposing corners of the box, and it will be 45*! Extend that line until you reach the opposite edge of the fabric. Now draw parallel lines at double the finished width of your bias tape. So if you want a 3/4" finished width, draw the lines 1.5" apart.



Stitch your bias strips together into one long strip, iron flat the seam allowances, and fold in the long edges to meet in the middle. It is easier to just show photos


A completed bias strip


Showing the edges

A bias strip will not unravel, so it is useful for binding edges or as a casing.

Next, determine how wide you want your ruffle to be. Add your hem allowance, and draw a guideline at the top of the ruffle


The blue line is where I will put my elastic

Put your bias strip on the line you just drew and pin in place




Pin at the line

Stitch the bias tape on both folded edges so you are left with the short ends open. Turn up your hem allowance, press, pin, and stitch. It is much easier to hem now rather than after elasticizing. Thread your leg elastic through and secure the ends.



Finish the bloomers just like the basic Budget Bloomers. Sew up each inseam (I like to tack the seam allowance open at the elastic line), turn one leg inside out and put it inside the other leg, sew the crotch line, turn down the waistband, press, pin, sew, and thread elastic. Then you should have this:



And worn:



These lvl2 Bloomers take a bit more time to make, but are still relatively simple and just a bit fancier. I would probably sell these for $15 if you are looking to sell your own or buy some from me ;)