Frill! Saturday

Saturday morning I woke hellishly early for a Saturday, wiping the sleep from my eyes at about 6:00 am. I had to get a big head start because I was helping Kendall and Savannah get ready, and we had to be at the hotel by 8:00 to get the VIP breakfast. So I wake up so very very early and try and sneak around as much as I can, do make makeup and hair, get dressed and by about 6:35 Kendall is up. So she takes care of what she can and I help her out.
I poke Savannah awake about 7:15 and she gets ready too. Now, with all this time you'd think we would be fine right? Wrong, we didn't manage to leave till 8:09. Oops. But, we got all we needed to done and we looked great! We went to the hotel and to the fourth flour to the VIP Con suite.

Lo, A room full of food and lolitas! They had tea, cereal, pastries and all kinds of stuff. It was really nice. We had a little less than an hour to visit before we the boutique allowed early VIP access so we had time to visit at this point. Everyone was very nice, but soon the time came to close and feverishly shop!

 There were a ton of brands in the boutique because brands had sent in stuff, but also a lot of people had sent stuff in as a consignment deal. There was BTSSB, AP, Alice Doll, Lily of the Valley, Automatic Honey had sent some stuff which sold out almost immediately, My Dearest Victoria, Baroque, Kinki Kitty, and a ton more. Innocent World was being pushed by Frill as a big deal too, having been sent some new releases to be included in the fashion show and to be sold, however they didn't want to put those on sale till Sunday because they needed to save them for the fashion show!

There was just so much stuff in the boutique and that wasn't the end of it! There were two other areas for vending too. There was a Dealers room where brands could sell their *own* stuff instead of relying on Frill to do it, and then the Artist's Alley. The Dealer's Room was really nice and had a lot more style to it, since the brands could do their own set up and design for their stall. There was even a vendor for men's fashion! That was really cool.
It's been really noticeable this year how much more effort has been put towards catering to the men's side of the con. There was a whole men's track of panels and games and what not, as well as a good bit of male attendance. It was really nice to see how everything was expanding to accommodate everyone!

A Wonderful shot of  I Do Declare in the dealers room

 Really, looking back on it, the main draw of the convention was the shopping. There were dressing rooms which offered us something lolitas don't usually get. The chance to see the piece on instead of hoping it'll work out! And there was so much variety too. Since almost all of it was indie designers instead of big name brands their was a lot more innovation and style that wouldn't be seen normally.
Yours truly certainly spent a good bit too much to be proud of Saturday and came out with some fantastic additions to my closet. Really, I only bought two big pieces, everything else was accessories and whatnot, which is what I really need. I am so awful about buying socks and hair bows and all the stuff that gives real variety to outfits. But I'm slowly remedying it!
After all our hectic shopping which we spent a solid 2 1/2 hours on, we headed over toy what is, since last years introduction, probably my favorite spectator sport of all time -- Tea Dueling! You can read and learn about tea dueling through their Facebook Page. Long story short, I am not a very good competitor. I lost first round. ;-; But my sister is a champ, she was runner up and only lost to the champion last year and this year she made it all the way again! Even more than that though, Kendall competed for the first time ever and won! Totally and completely kicked everyone's butts. Not only that but she got interviewed by a TV show about conventions and is going to be on TV!!

Winner!

 After tea dueling we wandered around for a bit longer and then we got lunch up at the con suite. They had a pretty nice service with sandwiches and salad and that kind of stuff. There was also some pretty cupcakes, which was a nice surprise. After alllll that we headed back down and went to a couple panels to pass the time and when the time came headed over to the room where lolita speed friending and petticoat persuasion would be.
Lolita speed friending is basically like speed dating but instead of romantic interest it's talking to people to see if you hit it off or anything. You aren't supposed to talk to anyone you already know, and you only have two minutes for each person so you have to go fast!
That was pretty fun, but afterwards was the petticoat persuasion game! I had never played before but it seemed really fun. The goal is to run around and get other lolitas to give you their petticoats, whoever gets the most wins. And guess who won? This girl! I at first was just going around the panel room but then I started running around outside and asking lolitas for theirs. What's even funnier is that as lolitas gave me their petticoats they started running around and asking for me too! It's like a formed an alliance, haha!

I ended up with FOURTEEN petticoats all in all and felt like a totally fluff monster! The other guy had ten. It was really exciting, since I usually don't win things. I got a little bag with some goodies from the vendors for winning. But I'll be showing you those when I do my full haul post at the end.
When that wrapped up it was almost 5:00 and that was the time for the model call, luckily it was in the same room so I didn't have to rush anywhere.
Saturnight is a whole nother can of fish so I'll be making a separate post talking about it. I think I'll be going about it slightly differently. But that was Saturday! And wow was it fun.
Till next post. XOXO

Frill! Friday

Hello! It's done, Frill is over and done and now the Thursday after I'm finally writing about it. I'm going to take the con one day at a time to fill up more blog posts so I'm not leaving you guys hanging and also to make it so it isn't just one giant dump of photos and text. First on the agenda:
Friday
Friday was incidentally my last technical day of school though I didn't actually attend because I exempted my exams. Not knowing that when I booked the flight for us, I did a safe time of 5:50 departure, so in the end I had all day to get everything in order for packing and to get myself ready for traveling! I always believe in traveling in style.

I had rollers in my hair all morning long to make my hair curly for the day.

 Kendall, the friend I attended with, came over about 2:00 and we got all of our stuff ready and waited for Savannah to get home so we could get her stuff in. One we got everything packed we headed off to the airport! We chose one that was about one and a half hours away because it was significantly cheaper so we had to get going pretty fast. I didn't get a picture of my travel outfit or Kendall's unfortunately.
Not a whole lot that's interesting before we got to Atlanta haha.
There were two events planned for Friday night: The fashion walk at 7 and the pool party at 10:00. Since we didn't get in until 7:00 we missed the fashion walk. We needed food and whatnot. We went to this cool place called farm burger and it was very good. If you're ever in Decatur you should totally check it out. They even have vegan options!
So we got dinner and then had to go to a store to get me a bathing suit bottom because mine is gone!  ;-; And that didn't leave us a whole lot of time so we went directly to the hotel after that and to the pool. It was super cool seeing all the adorable bathing suits and girls having fun! A few girls even brought mermaid tails to swim around in!

(Photo taken by Robin Wesson)

 It was so fantastical, a perfect lolita pool party. Kendall, my sister and I, as well as a bunch of others, played with an inflatable ball and tossed it around and it was soooooo fun. It was a great ice breaker for getting to know everyone! The pool was even heated! It was really great.
That night they also had pre-con badge claim for VIP attendees. So we popped over and got our badges and our sweet loot that came with the VIP package. (I'll be making a post at the very end to show all the stuff I got including the items from my swag bag)
After that we headed home to try and snag a few hours of sleep before waking up at an ungodly time to get to the hotel the next day for free VIP con suite breakfast and the early boutique opening.

Prepping for Frill

Hello Hello!
I've been behind again guys. Boooooo. ;-; There's just so much to get ready for before Frill rolls around! "What is Frill?" some of you may ask. Well, Frill is the first American all Lolita convention. This past year was the first year and I was very eager to attend, reporting with absurd amounts of pictures, on the events and attendants. Suffice to say it was a really great experience and this year it's bigger and better!
They've upgraded from a community hall to an actual hotel, with multiple panels rooms going during the day, a few Japanese brands visiting and actually putting on a fashion show (Which yours truly has been chosen to be part of as a model, by the way) and bigger and better events all around.
I've been planning my attendance for the convention since Christmas when I purchased my VIP pack along with my sister, who is also attending. (It's June 1-2, in case you wanted to know) A few months later and my dear friend Kendall, whom has appeared in multiple posts of mine, decided to join, and a glorious outfit plan was hatched.
There are three times to plan for:
Saturday, Saturday night, and Sunday.
For Saturday, Kendall and I conspired to do coordinating outfits! (Which we also ended up doing on sunday too. Woops)
Cinnamoroll and his friend Mocha!
Cinnamoroll and Mocha are two not as well known characters from Sanrio, the makers of Hello Kitty, My Melody and others. Cinnamoroll had a TV show for a while apparently, though I never saw it and that's where all of his friends came from: Mocha, Chiffon, Milk, Cappuccino and others.
Taking into consideration how well adapted and recognizable the characters could be if done as a lolita outfit that isn't overtly costume, we picked Mocha.

You can see Cinnamoroll and Mocha here, mocha being the brown one with flowers.
I took my outfit that was based off Cinnamoroll, as you may recall:

Which I sketched out for posterity and to keep track of it in conjunction to Kendall's Mocha coord. From there sketched out Kendall's outfit design, which I often do for planned coordinates to get the full visual of how everything will looks. I wasn't trying to get perfect anatomy so some of the arms a might bit wonky. :x

We've done most all of our crafting over this month, from making Mocha's flower hair pieces to dying the lace for the wristcuffs. We even ripped out a few layers of a petticoat to make it suitable for lolita for her! Kendall will be wearing my brown baby scalloped jsk and a brown blouse she thrifted her self, among other things.

For Sunday we both ended up planning on doing more natural mori-girl/dolly-kei outfits. Mine leaning more dolly and hers more mori. No pictures for that one because I haven't managed to ink them, but I'll be wearing my Lady Rose jsk with a flower headband, and I had hoped a peignoir like this one but that's looking like a quickly fading dream unfortunately. But maybe I'll figure something out, fingers crossed!

Kendall will be wearing a white skirt and brown blouse with a flower garland of mine. Her look is really going to be pulled off by her amazing hair and makeup. Her hair is that of a god's and I am infinitely jealous of it. She also has super pale skin that looks really good with dolly blush, which I can't really pull of because it just makes me look sick since it blends in with my normal skin tone really naturally. Forever broken hearted.
Anyway!
We'll start packing this weekend and I am so excited. I've taken all my items to get dry cleaned and I'll be picking them up this week. I need to finish washing the items I have to hand wash and I'll be all together!

And don't worry, you'll all be getting gratuitous pictures of the convention. You won't get away from it, I've been too psyched for too long! I'll even try writing about my experience as a model if I can. It will certainly be an experience, but one I look forward to eagerly.
Till next time,
XOXO

My birthday!

So Tuesday was my birthday and I am now 17! Omg, young and old at the same time! It was a very casual night. My mother, sister, Kendall and I went out to a nice steakhouse in town and I opened all the presents I got from my aunts and mom and sister before we left and wow, what lovely presents. My mother basically bought me a princess kit, haha.

That would be: A Tiara, a porcelain ring holder, an adorable chiffon pink scrunchie with a bow, my favourite perfume- Coco Chanel's Mademoiselle, and rose scented bath salts. And not shown, I got a nice large clear side with white straps tote bag. I mean WOW, what an absolutely fantastic bunch of gifts. Thanks mom!
From my aunts I mostly got money, which I didn't mind a bit since I'm saving up money for Frill, but they were dear enough to send me a thing or two.

From one of my aunts was a really pretty box of macarons actually shipped from France!! (One is missing because I already ate it! ;x;) The flavors weren't listed but I tried one of each to figure them out and they were raspberry, pistachio, lemon, dark chocolate with raspberry, milk chocolate, and coffee!

 The other gift was a cute cake tester with a little tea pot shaped bead at the top. It's a long bit of metal you stick into the middle of the cake to see if the cake if done cooking. I love baking so it was a cute present.
-w-
I didn't get a picture of my outfit, unfortunately but I got a head shot of me wearing my tiara before I went to dinner.

It was a really nice birthday even if it was casual. I didn't get pictures of any of my other gifts but I received presents from my sister, my father, my grandparents, and some of my friends and they were all really really sweet presents and I love all of them.

Happy Princess Day!

May 5th is princess day everyone and I hope everyone had a lovely one!
My day was spent recuperating from my Junior Prom last night!I billed prom as part of my princess day celebration since it involved fancy dresses, high decoration, and dancing. I extended today though and I went out to a cafe for lunch with Kendall for lunch and spent the afternoon crafting flower accessories and watching movies. Big Fish is and always will be a great movie. Anyway;

 XOXO,
Kendall and Delano!

Spring Picnic Meetup!

Hello everyone!
This weekend I attended the local lolita group's spring picnic meet up, hosted by my friend Kendall. (I helped!)
It was a really nice meet up and for Kendall and I started at 8:00 the night before. We made up all the sandwiches and cupcakes and whatnot, though Kendall did way more than I did. She even made the bread for the sandwiches! The menu was Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream icing, turkey and cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, tea, lemonade, and croissants.
The next morning we got up about 7:30 to get ready, put together and what not. Since Kendall is new to lolita she doesn't have any clothes of her own yet so I put together outfits for both of us as well as my sister, Savannah, who attends the meetups as well.
Since it was a picnic I wanted all of our outfits to be springy.

For Kendall I did a more classical outfit since she likes that style and did it with a kind of mori twist to it; layering, ruffles, pearls, brows and natural colors. I was ver pleased with how the outfit turned out.
Boater hat: Taobao
Capelet: Vintage
Top: Offbrand
Skirt: Handmade from egl sales comm
Boats: Offbrand
Jewellry: All offbrand

Savannah is a very no fuss kind of person so I went with a simple coord. I went with my straw bergere hat for her because it shaded the face and was very much springy but since it was a bit more reserved and old fashioned, unlike boaters hats which match just about any age, I picked my red bustleback dress. I also liked the dress because the bright red reminded me of gingham tableclothes. The shoes are my riding boots and I chose them because they're very comfortable and good for the outdoors.

JSK: BTSSB

Blouse: Anna House

Socks: Offrband

Shoes: Offbrand

Hat: Vintage

When I was planning my outfit I knew one thing for certain, I was wearing that mini straw hat. I bought it last year at Frill and though I really like country lolita, I just have a hard time facilitating it. Never the less, I was determined! I took my other country-ish item, my strawberry socks (which were the first pair of lolita socks I ever bought like....4 years ago, and I barely wear them. ;-;), and made an outfit around them. The pink shoes and dress were the basics because they were the majority color, and I used that blouse to tie in the red in the strawberries in the socks. I wish I had more red to tie into the outfit though. :c
Blouse: Offbrand
JSK: AP
Underskirt: Candy Violet
Socks: Secret Shop
Shoes: Golden Pony
Mini hat: Indie brand of unknown origin

Once we were ready, we packed up our apocalyptically well stocked load into my car and headed off to the park to set up! We got there a good 45-50 minutes early and started laying out our food, and place settings. The weather was lovely that day too; We were under the shade, and there was a breeze. Kendall had bought the most perfect place setting for the picnic too! Since we had picnic tables available we set everything out.

The girls started filing in once the time for it to start rolled around. The first one to get there was a new girl named Caroline! We just had a huge influx of lolitas this past month or two, like 9 people. That doesn't sound like much but when there was about 8 people beforehand its a big jump!

Caroline was an absolute sweet heart. She was so quiet and really just a nice person. It was great to meet her! We kept having to remind her she could go and get food and things. She was nervous about getting up!

Then Erin showed up, she was new too! She made her own skirt and was just getting into lolita. She looked super cute.

Then Angel showed up, and she was super adorable. Angel likes to keep herself a little more private so her face is covered in the pictures. Either way she was presh to death.
We all ate our food and then we took pictures, which I've used so far for everyone's pictures but we also took doubles to match everyone's styles up!

The two classic ladies!

Country Bumpkins. >u<

After the gratuitous pictures we all got together for a game of croquet! I own a really lovely cherry wood set and Kendall asked me to bring it along for the meet up. Kendall won last time and she won again this time! Two time champ!! I was doing really well till the end, and then I fell behind. ;_;

Serious business.

It was such a lovely day and a lovely park. You can see the fields behind us.

Then things got intense...

Shockwave!

Face of a Killer. HA!

 Hadoken!

Oops! It's ok guys, there's enough petticoats to go around, I swear!!
Till next time guys! <3

Procrastination, Practicality, or Just Plain Poor {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Source

Hello Hello!! Before I get into today's prompt I just want to point out the updated layout for Monochrome Sparkle!I have moved my about me to its own page after basically destroying it for the sake of reducing side scrolling so go check that out! Learn all about my crazy life.
Anyway, today's prompt is "Why don't I wear lolita more often?", which is as good a question as any. Unfortunately there's not any big important reason. The fact of the matter is I just don't have a big enough closet to wear it any more than I do and even beyond that I just don't have the money to improve and maintain a larger closet for the most part.
I take close care of my pieces either hand washing or dry cleaning them, the latter of which is fairly expensive and while my parents DO help me quite frequently with the fees, almost always in fact, there is pacing to consider. I don't want to bleed my parents dry!
I have about seven jumperskirts and two skirts. That's it. And while I coordinate them very well and with a lot of different items there's not enough to really wear more often than I do, which is fairly often anyway! I dress four times a week at least, so it's not like I'm skipping out most of the time.
On top of that, I have to worry about wearing out my dresses. At which point I should tell the sad and short story of my first brand dress:
I once bought my first jumperskirt from San Francisco's BTSSB store and I loved that dress. Incidentally, it was my only jumperskirt for more than a year and I wore probably once a week! And I wore it into the *ground* by the time I retired it, it was covered in tiny stains, the lace was yellowed, and there were tiny rips along the seams.
The moral of that story is, if you wear a dress too often you basically slowly destroy it, and in an effort to avoid that myself with my current closet I have to take care to not wear my dresses to often.
So in essence, the reason I don't wear lolita more often is I'm not to the point where my closet can facilitate more than what I currently wear.
Till next time!

Why I wear Lolita? {Lolita 52 challenge}

It's just like the title says this time around, why do I wear lolita? I haven't done one of these in a while because I haven't posted in a while.  But that's the prompt, and boy what a loaded question. I've actually thought about this a lot ever since I read a questionnaire a couple years ago about lolita. As soon as I read it I really knew the answer-- so, what is the answer? This answer is a few parts.

Lolita is part of who I am. It represents part of me.

I started lolita at a very young age, around 14, back when I didn't really have an identity for myself. The existential question "Who am I" would have hit deep if I had considered it in between contrived stanzas of poetry and bad deviant art uploads. So, when I found lolita, along with some other things, I felt connected and grew around it and into it. Not so much artificially selecting myself for lolita traits but instead just growing in knowledge and experience relevant to the culture around lolita. Everyone grows up with cultural influences that shape them, people who participate in band, high academics, plantation society. Mine happened to be lolita.

I love the way it looks.

What more can I say? I don't know why, it's just part of me. I adore the look. The supreme girliness and unabashed self appreciation that goes into wearing lolita. I also like the fact that its technically an alt fashion and is really weird and out there.

The community is relatable and connecting.

While the lolita community has a lot of draw backs to it, the drama, the cattiness, it has a good side too. It brings together people from many walks of life and allows me to meet new people. And beyond that I feel like I belong. I fit in somewhere. It's hard to say that because everyone is encouraged to strike out on their own but honestly, people need support, people to relate to. That's what the lolita community does for me. I can ask advice, and talk to people, have things in common with people everywhere from Scandinavia to Japan.

So basically, lolita is just right to me. I didn't think about why when I did it, and now I only think why because I'm asked. It's ineffable and it's my fashion.

Oh geez guys, I AM BEYOND TARDY!

Ahhhhhh, I haven't written in like ever. ;-; I've been really caught up with trying to do ok in school (This princess is one nasty procrastinator) as well as just generally been busy with things. Last weekend I went to my first concert which was a big deal, and I've entered the running for senior class vice president. I try and keep up with my friends and all. Honestly, I haven't even spent enough time on myself! It's a travesty. BUT! But, but, but, next month is May, and that means A. last month of school before summer vacation B. THE MONTH OF MY BIRTHDAY C. the last month before this year's Frill Convention.
For those of you who don't know what Frill is (Or missed my gratuitously long picture post on it) Frill is the first American all lolita convention. Last year was the first one and this year is MUCH MUCH bigger. They've scaled it up to an actual hotel and have a huge amount of things planned compared to last year. I'm very excited to see how it'll grow as I've been following it since day one as best as I could.
This year Frill is June first and second, which means holy frick it is really really close. Heehooheehoo, deep breaths. I'll make a post later about my outfit plans for Frill if you are interested, this post is just a catch up.
Besides Frill, like I mentioned, is my birthday! I'll be 17 (ah, I'm so young) on May 7th. >u< I don't know what I'm doing for it this year; I can't do much because of what I'm planning next year. My mother and I talked about it before my LAST birthday and agreed that I could have a Masquerade ball for my 18th birthday so I'm trying to have really low key birthdays until then so I can spend more money on it! Haha.
I'm also thinking of making my Vice president campaign very....me. So up the glitter, pastels, and cute characters. I figure if I try and be very formal and political about it it wouldn't be an accurate representation of me. But who knows, things may change!
Anyway, this post was just to remind you all I am not, in fact, dead. I'll try to get better about posting. ;_; Boo.
To make this slightly more interesting, here's a couple outfits of mine from the past month or so!

Outfit Rundown:

Skirt- Made by a seamstress I can't remember the name of. :x

Shirt- Sweet loot from my concert attendance
Belt- Offbrand

(Not pictured: shoes and tights- off brand)

Cinnamoroll inspired outfit!

Jumperskirt- Glitter Trump from AP

Blouse- Antonio Milani 

Shoes- Golden Ponies

Tights- offbrand

Hair stuff: assorted lolita etsies

Apron- special commission

Anyway, Talk to you again soon guys!

Lolita Transformation!

Hello hello!
Recently I've been displeased by the lack of lolita content on youtube, partially because I just want to watch so much all the time and I've run out but also because there's just not all that much! So I've resolved to help contribute some (also because I like making content). I've made videos in the past but they were a good long while ago and I really just have not wanted to do any because I didn't have editing capabilities. I do now though and boy do I love it! This is my first new video and it's a classic as far as lolita videos go: A Transformation video.
Enjoy. <3

Off To The Races!

Here in North Florida the changing of the seasons can be indicated by a few things; 1. bipolar leaps in weather (37 low, 79 hi, I'm looking at you) 2. The sudden explosion of Crimson Clover and those tiny little yellow flowers, you know the ones and 3. The Red Hills Horse Trials.
The trials are a prominent event around the area as it leads to international competitions and some years has been a pre-Olympic event. The official site has this to say on the Friday through Sunday event:
"EVENTING is one of the fastest growing equestrian pursuits in the world. Riders of all ages and abilities can compete. Developed from cavalry competitions during the early 1900s, it is the ultimate challenge for horse and rider. It tests their partnership and athletic prowess in three disciplines: the grace and harmony of dressage; the rigors and thrills of cross-country jumping and the power and pageantry of stadium jumping."
&
"Tallahassee--Florida's capital city--is the site of the Red Hills Horse Trials, an annual United States Eventing Association Area III event. Named for the sloping terrain and rich red earth known as the "red hills" of north Florida and South Georgia, the Horse Trials features a challenging cross-country course newly updated and designed for 2013 by Scotland's Hugh Lochore."

I've been going every year since I was very young, first out of a sense culturing by my parents, then by a affinity for horses and events, and now by tradition, appreciation of riding, and the significance of the event....and maybe some half asleep Derby-esque dream of high society. I feel no regret!

The day that I visit is the day the horses run cross country and it's my favorite event without a doubt. Everything is very fast and interesting and the jumps are really wonderful as well as it being in natural terrain so it's a scenic piece as well. There are shops and food vendors as well, however. One particular hat shop visits every year and I love them. I wore one of their pieces this year, in fact. My outfits are always pretty elaborate for the event;

 I've been dressing up for it for a few years, since I've really been able to, on principle as well as geez, its an excuse to dress up. Who wouldn't take that? But that aside, it's a big event and maybe not Derby levels or anything, but its very prominent so I take pride in dressing appropriate for the height of the occasion, even if everyone else is sporting shorts and t-shirts.

Last year was a big deal for me, I had my picture taken and ended up in the city's newspaper! The photographer had approached me because of what I was wearing (I'll give you two guesses), interested in the fact I was so fancy looking, haha. It was so strange, all my friends and family and friends of family were calling me about it or messaging me on Facebook. It was really surreal for just a picture!

The same thing happened this year, though the picture didn't end up in the newspaper, which I don't mind. But I actually had more people take pictures of me. X_X Plus someone interviewed me, and boy did I screw that up. I forgot all my words which is so weird because I usually have no issue talking to people. Ah well, it happens. It was flattering either way.

If you ever are passing by the North Florida area around march you should definitely look into the event and try to attend. Its an experience for sure.
Till next time!!

Bringing back the Sunday Drive

Not a challenge prompt today! I know, shocking. But I have something I experienced that I need to share, and that is the Sunday Drive.
For those of you who don't know, the "Sunday drive" is a concept which was particularly popular in 1950's America in which, on a Sunday, you got into your car in some relatively presentable clothes and just drove through town or the country side. sounds kind of silly doesn't it? But last weekend I got a bad itch to move and see things and that is just what I did. Armed with a cardigan, my keys, and my phone only, I hopped into my car and set out into the roads around my father's house.

Assuming you don't make a point to know all the little details of my life (Even if it is fab) let me explain, my father's house is about 10 minutes out from anything resembling a suburb or town and 30 minutes on the interstate away from a respectably sized one. So, long story short, old houses, dirt roads, and trees abound. Everywhere.
I let my dad know I was going on this drive, to which he offered advice on what roads to take. And I should say, I've lived at this house my whole life, part time after age 6 and I knew the area pretty well but not well enough to be acquainted with all the little roads so I was quite open to his suggestions. After learning his directions, I set off, eager to go somewhere or do something other than surf tumblr.
I gotta say guys, I expected it to be pleasant but it was so much more than that. It was so many things I needed to have the time to do. Let me explain;

It was time to spend alone with my thoughts and with a clear head. Driving occupies your hands and enough of your brain to not be bored but little enough for you to still think naturally.
I turned the radio on scan, stopping it wherever I heard something that I thought interesting. It was a time to do things without any pressure or assurance. You just make decisions based on what you feel like.
I didn't have anywhere to be or anywhere to go. It was cathartic for me to be able to decompress and not rush anywhere or have to hurry around. I could go as slow or fast as I felt like without stressing.
I stopped whenever I saw something I was taken with because it was a back road and had little traffic. A few times I actually pulled over to the side of the road to pick flowers or rabbit's tobacco.
It was really just a time for me to breathe and think and move and not worry about the consequences of any of it. It was freedom for a while.

So what to do with this information?
Go on a Sunday drive yourself. Here are some tips:

• No distractions. If you can leave your phone at home and just take a camera all the better. This is time for you.
• Don't let guilt get you. If you want to pull over on the side of the road to pick some flowers, damn sure do it! Don't let the idea that you shouldn't or other drivers will think you're weird doing it stop you. What does that matter anyway, you're not breaking any laws.
• Don't have a return time. If you set a time to be back home then you'll constantly be concerned with getting back by then, detracting from the experience.
• Have a map or a GPS. This way, you wont be worried about getting lost or having to stay on main roads. Have a fall back on so when you go adventuring it wont matter, because that's an important part of this-- impulse. Follow whatever you feel like, just mind your blinkers.
• Have a way to document. A camera is good, or a camera phone. Don't get to caught up in recording everything though!
• Look for dirt roads and countryside. Driving around town is nice, but it can be a bit restricting. Stop lights, traffic, loud noises. Ditch that and find some back roads with trees and maybe some cows if you're feeling really frisky. No stop signs, little traffic. It's great.
• Dress for the weather. Yes, you're in a car, but don't think you're going to be the entire time. If you find something amazing, get the hell out of the car and investigate! These things are things you shouldn't be missing just because you're "supposed" to be on a drive. This is all about you uninhibited.
• If you want to scream, or beat a tree with a baseball bat, or do cartwheels, do it! This is your time, and no one is going to get you in trouble for doing what you want to (so long as it isn't private, watched property. Ie. You can get away with smashing a tree in a huge forest type area or the back of a field. Not so much in a suburb....well, if it's not your tree)

That's it. Go forth. Drive

My heart belongs to... {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Hello Hello! Took longer on this post, so sorry. I'm trying to be a better blogger!
Today's prompt is "Your favorite brand" and probably the easiest so far! I have always had a special place in my heart for one brand in particular, no matter how much I love other brands. I'm siding with Momoko on this one; Baby the Stars Shine Bright has my heart.

So, what makes Baby my top pick?

 

• BTSSB's creative leanings: Whether it's the old school style or the rococo and extravagant OPs they just seem to know me so well. They have really wonderful design ideas and tend to leave prints to Angelic Pretty most of the time
• Serious attention to detail: Every piece Baby puts out, almost without fail, has multiple types of lace, careful construction decisions and things you would just never notice without being up close. They pick great materials to start with and end with great designs to tie everything up!
• Kamikaze Girls: Seems nebulous? Kamikaze Girls was one of the most formative things for me as a Lolita getting into the fashion and is still one of my favorite movies. Fight Club and Kamikaze Girls...heh. And as anyone who has seen Kamikaze Girls can tell you, Baby The Stars Shine Bright is basically 1/3 of the plot! It's eternally tied and in turn I have attachment to it as well.

• Older style: Being more ornate and less decorated in comparison to AP I find it appealing. I really do love the more monarchical feeling. It's not all Hyper sweet but instead a more verbose sweet. If that makes any sense!
• Versatility: Maybe Baby is more demure and less kawaii, but that doesn't mean that's all it can be. The last thing I really love about Baby is that their clothes can be as stated but can also be hyper cute, or classic, and possibly, on a full moon, even gothic! So much opportunity is important for me since I have a very low closet turn over and its really something I pay attention to.
• Sentimental Value: Baby was where I bought my first JSK from, and my first brand piece. I took a trip to San Fran when I was younger during the beginning of my Lolita life and it left an indelible mark for certain.

So in conclusion, Baby has my heart forever and I don't care for a cure.
See you next time!
(All pictures taken from Baby's San Fran Blog)

Am I an Economist or a Lolita? {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Good day (And I mean it is a good day), and another prompt. Today's prompt is "my wardrobe turnover" which is...uh, I'm not quite sure? I think its supposed to mean how many clothes do I go through? Like the exchange of new clothes and old clothes. The throwing out and taking in? Sounds kind of like I'm talking tax returns and net sales income. Haha. BUT! It's a prompt so I'll guess what it is and roll with it.

The fact is I am 16. I'm 16 and I don't have a job. I get 25 dollars every other weekend as my allowance and money from presents for like Christmas and my birthday, etc. So all of my dresses have been saved for for a good long while in order to buy. Some only took a few months, others took a full year or more. With that in mind, I don't have much of ANY wardrobe turnover.

 I've been reduced by three items my entire duration. One was a gift I passed down to my friend who was getting into lolita- my first item to her first. The second was my first brand dress and I ended up....finishing with it (?) because I wore it into the ground. It was faded and yellowing and had quite a few stains on it and it was just done. The last was a skirt which was just too small for me and I tried to wear but couldn't do it comfortably, so I sold it to my friend. In conclusion, I have minimal if any turn over. Seriously. All my items are purchased because I LOVE them. Full on adore, choose them and think about it for months while I save up for them.

I also only take in like one or two dresses a year. Three if its like a blow away year. At the moment I own two skirts, and around 8 dresses. In five years of being in lolita. That breaks down to like two items a year. Of course I get other items too. Accessories, socks, bows, fabric, all that jazz. But big items? Two a year. 183 days and one item. 

I'm not complaining too much though. I love every piece in my wardrobe dearly.

That being said- I'm always looking to increase my quarterly intake. Winkwinknudgenudge.

Till next prompt guys!

Your Heart, Your Head, and Your Hat {Lolita 52 Challenge}

Hello lovelies! Today's prompt is "Favorite Thing to Put on My Head" and that is a damn good question! Do I say bows, like most lolitas? Do I say cake, because, come on, cake! Or do I say flowers?

Two Guesses?

How about none of these!

I'll be the first to tell you, I am a hat kind of girl. There's something so potent about wearing a really on your head hat. Hats can have historical significance. They can change the entire feel or aesthetic of an outfit. Just a switch from a top hat to a wide brim hat (A la Carmen Sandiego) can turn you from the mad hatter to Irene Adler!
Personally, I derive a lot of inspiration from historical fashion and hats are a great great way of really feeling that inspiration. I recently got a psuedo Bergere hat as a gift. I had been pining away for a while and someone was kind enough to get it for me, which was so sweet. I *LOVE* this hat. Aside from being springy and unusual, it also was very popular among the french aristocracy when they would visit the countryside. If you couldn't tell from my other posts, I am a rococo nut. I really love the aesthetics of it, so this was too perfect.

(My lovely hat)

I currently own two berets, the bergere hat, a british riding hat, a boater hat, a BTSSB bonnet, a mini tricorn, and a few others I honestly cant remember! I dont wear them nearly as much as I'd like to because mostly I got to school and they're pretty anti hat, plus bows are more versatile, but when I do it really just brings the outfit to a new level.

Well, that's about all I can ramble about hats for now, so until next prompt; Bye!