Giveaway Winner!

Hello everyone! Here's the moment you've been waiting for! The winner of the March giveaway. There were sixteen entries, and I used Random.org to choose the winner.

Without further ado, the winner is...

Hedgefairy!

Congratulations! Please email me at cat91151@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Now, I really don't have anything else planned for today. My big convention is in a week from today, and I am swamped with preparing to run main events, a big Lolita Fashion Show for charity, two panels (including a revised version "The Elegant Wardrobe - A Guide to Lolita Fashion" for those of you who were at Ohayocon), and I'll also be working at a charity tea party on Sunday morning. So I'm a bit short on time and brain space. I will be posting the last March "Coordinate Tuesday" next week, but I can't guarantee anything for next Thursday, as I'll actually be at the con by then. If you'll be at Tekkoshocon, then I'll see you there! If not, you should totally look at coming next year (or this year if you can swing it). Bye bye for now!

Coordinate Tuesday: A Very Merry Unbirthday!

Today is my birthday. So I thought I'd make a birthday-type coordinate for today. You could wear this outfit any day of the year, because while you have only one birthday, you have 364 unbirthdays! So I hope you enjoy this outfit!

Happy Unbirthday! by Cat91151 featuring leather handbags

Since every dress has the "upside-down cupcake" shape skirt, it seemed redundant to me to choose a cake-print dress. So instead I went with the present style. This type of dress decoration used to be really popular, but now it's not so common. It looks like a wrapped present with a big bow on top! I wanted to coordinate this dress in a unique sort of way, and while the grey x black x pink color combo is not uncommon, it's definitely not something I see every day. I used a lot of bows for this, to echo the big bow on the dress. The cakes charm bracelet is very cute, and it sort of pushes the coordinate into the category of sweet. I'm not sure whether you'd classify this further as bittersweet, but I could see that happening. Lots of bow accessories and it's done! I wish I could have that cake in the corner for my birthday cake, but alas no. But I like my cake, it has Hello Kitty on it!

On a different note today is the last day for entries into the giveaway drawing! I'll be putting the entries into a hat (for however many entries you make, you get one drawing lot) and drawing one. So you can still enter before 11:59 tonight! I'll announce the winner on Thursday! If you have any questions that you'd like to ask me, then feel free to let me know on my formspring. Bye bye for now!

Lolita and Pets

Just because you dress in Lolita fashion doesn't mean that has to be the only thing in your life! Many Lolita's only wear the style part time, for meet-ups and special events. Even if you're afull time, life style lolita, that doesn't mean you have to give up everything else. So if you are a Lolita, please don't feel like you can't have pets! Yes they shed, yes they can smell, yes they get into stuff. But if you care for your pets properly and you care for your clothing properly, I see no reason why the two can't go together. Here are some tips for havingpets and being a Lolita.

1. Put your clothes away!

If you leave your clothes lying out, cats will almost always be drawn to that pile of fabric. Cats love to sit on soft spaces. Your clothes are a perfect little kitty nest for them to snuggle into. Especially if they can smell your scent on them. Hang your clothes up right away, in a closet or wardrobe where your cat can't get to. This will cut down on the fur you get on your clothes, and protect them from damage.

2. Keep a lint roller with you

No matter how much you try, fur will end up on your clothes if you have a shedding pet. So get a lint roller to keep in your car or closet to get the excess off before you head out. Nothing is more annoying than having fur all over yourself and having no way to get it off. You can get sticky lint rollers at many grocery stores, as well as fabric stores and pet shops.

3. Try and keep your interests separate

I know there was some question as to whether it was appropriate to make little "lolita" outfits for your dog/cat. I think that's going a little too far with it. However, it could be really cute if you have a dog with a coordinating collar to your outfit. I don't think that's too much, and it doesn't harm the animal.

4. Your animal always comes first

No matter how much you love your clothes, if you are caring for an animal, that animal must always come first. That means that if your cat has a hairball on your dress, you do not throw the cat out on the street. If your dog is sick and you need money to pay for the vet bill, you may have to sell a few pieces to cover the cost. Having a pet is a big responsibility, and shouldn't be taken lightly. After all, it's a living thing, and clothes are not.

This might seem like a contrived article, but it's something I really care

about. I see so many people frivolously take animals into their homes, then throw them out for doing what comes natural to them. I personally have a dog and a cat. My dog's name is Cassie, and she's an 85 pound black lab. She sheds like no other, so I have lint rollers in my apartment, car, and at my parents house, where she lives. My kitty's name is Dusty, and we adopted her from the Humane Society. She was abandoned outside the shelter, and we were fortunate enough to get to her before any other family. She loves to sit on my petticoats, but I try not to let her. She's the cat over to the left, as well as at the top of the article.

If you're looking at getting a pet, think about adopting first. An adopted pet is just as good, if not better than an animal from a breeder. Many animals in shelters have to be euthanized because there isn't enough space for them anymore. By adopting a pet, you can save a life and give a sweet and good animal a second chance at life. If you're a lolita, don't feel like you can't have a pet, because the two are very compatible. I hope you liked this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Lazy Thursday

I had a midterm today. As a result, I have no more energy left to write a witty and interesting blog post. However, I do have an Alice coordinate that I was planning to use on Tuesday and did not. So I'll do that today instead.

Classic Alice by Cat91151 featuring hair bow accessories

This is an extremely classically styled coordinate. This is a print by Alice and the Pirates, produced in 2006. The print features recreations of the artwork from the Alice books along with the Alice and the Pirates logo. The print itself is quite detailed, the pictures can't do it justice. I coordinated this print quite simply with a formal blouse and cream shoes. The Alice themed locket really adds a whole level of classic-ness to this outfit in my opinion. The cameo-style jewelry brings the Alice theme to the forefront. Finally, the bag is a practical choice, as it can be used for school or as a purse.

I'm so sorry about this pathetically short post. I'll try to make up for it on Saturday, but I'm not making any promises. You can ask me anything at my formspring page and don't forget the giveaway will be ending on the 22nd!

Painting the Roses Red

Today’s coordinate is based off of the Red Queen of Hearts from the original Alice book. You know, the one who loves to chop off heads? Yes, my coordinate is based off of her today. You see, I was going to class and my boyfriend starts to hum the song that the card guards are singing. It’s currently stuck in my head, and thus today's coordinate was born.

The Queen of Hearts by Cat91151 featuring hair bow accessories

This was a unique coordinate to make. The dress is Angelic Pretty, but the blouse is from Moi Meme Moitie. Angelic Pretty is known for being a super sweet brand, while Moitie is known for being very gothic. Weird juxtaposition there, but this particular blouse is fairly plain so it works. She's the Queen of Hearts, so naturally all of her accessories have hearts on them. The shoes I chose are actually replicas made by An*tai*na. They have the suits of cards on the straps, which I think is pretty neat. The problem with them is that they can only really work in a card motif outfit. I'm rather proud of this outfit, the red and black color combo came out looking crisp and with sort of a weird style. I think I'll call it bittersweet. Many people think that sweet and bittersweet have to have pink in them, or a print, or an animal bag. But this can be called sweet too, right? I mean, there are heart pockets and bows on the bodice.

What do you think? Would you call this sweet or something else? The giveaway will be ending a week from today, so keep getting points!

Hobbies for a Lady

Many Lolita's will take up new hobbies as they become more involved in the fashion. There are some obvious hobbies that go well with being a Lolita, like sewing or embroidery. However, these aren't the only hobbies that Lolitas should limit themselves to. Sure, these are the popular ones, but there's so much more out there that can be lolified! So for a new twist on Lolita hobbies, check some of these out.

1. Gardening

This is probably something that you shouldn't do in Lolita. But gardening can be great! If you live in an apartment, you can grow herbs and flowers in planters on the window sills. If you have a yard, that's even better. I don't have any sort of green thumb at all, but I have a lot of respect for those that do. You can grow your own herbs and edible flowers to use in tea or in baking or cooking, a more common Lolita hobby. I'm dying to try a recipe I saw for Vanilla Lavender scones, but there's no lavender right now! Did you know that you can also make tea from all sorts of plants, like rose and fennel? It's really fun to try and make your own special brews out of things you grew yourself. Check out this website for more information on what you can use for tea. Make sure to do your research on plants you want to use so that you don't accidentally poison yourself.

2. Collecting

Many of us collect something. I know that some lolitas collect the clothes themselves. They'll collect the prints, the goodies that often come with purchases (Postcards, catalogues, bags, etc.), or even the tags off the clothes. Then there are those who choose to collect something that isn't directly related to lolita fashion. For example, I collect ball-joint dolls, only one of which actually wears lolita fashion. Miniatures are also quite popular.

3. Writing

Many lolitas write articles, poetry, stories, blogs, and in journals. But what I'm talking about here would be closer to having a pen pal. Having a pen pal can be a great thing for both parties involved. If you're a more mature lolita, it could be nice to take a newbie under your wing and show them the ropes. If you live in an area without any other lolitas, you can have some lolita friends this way. And you can even exchange small gifts, like handmade cards, jewelry, and sewn items. Cool huh? It also gives you an excuse to buy some cute stationary and use it!

I hope you liked this! I can't wait until spring is here so that the flowers will start growing and the sun won't set so early. I love to make my own tea from fresh mint leaves, it settles upset stomaches, is refreshing, and if you mix it with lemonade, it's really unique and tasty!

Versailles Rose Bouquet and Rapunzel Doll Dress

Baby the Stars Shine Bright has yet another set of reservation items up on their site. This time, there are two sets, the Rapunzel Doll Dress and the Versailles Rose Bouquet set. I'll be talking about both sets today.

Here's the first one, the Rapunzel Doll Dress. I have to say, I'm not a fan. It's sort of matronly in my opinion. I had high hopes when I saw the name, since just a few weeks ago they released the Scent of Rapunzel print. However, this is what I found. It also comes in black with silver and red accents, but there's no picture of this color. If I could see it in the black, I might be more interested. There's only the dress in this set, no accessories, no jumper, no skirt version. I really don't have much to say about this one, so I'll move on.

Now here's something that I'm interested in. This is Versailles Rose Bouquet. There are two jumpers, a skirt that isn't pictured, two hairbows, a bonnet, a tiara, a pair of socks, and a necklace. If I had the money right now, I'd be ordering this tomorrow.

It's $301 for just a jumperskirt, and I'd want the dress, hairbow, and perhaps the socks. It comes in off-white, pink, sax blue, red (an increasingly popular color), and black, so there's a color for everyone. What's interesting about this print is that each colorway has a different name. For example, the blue is called "blue moon," the black is called "black ice," and so on. If I were buying this, I think I'd go for either this blue version (above) or the cream. The print is delicate flowers, perfect for spring. It would work very well in classic, country, or even a more demure sweet coordinate. I don't like the bonnet though, I think it's kind of silly. That's the only piece in the series that I don't like. Also, it's almost $140USD!

Well, are you going to order from either of these sets on March 11th? I wish I was. In other news, Tekkoshocon (the con I work for) is coming up really soon! Are you going to be there? If you aren't planning on coming, you should check it out! Click on the website link and see if you can make it!

Coordinate Tuesday: Black Queen White Queen

This week's coordinate Tuesday I decided to do Kuro and Shiro versions of the Black Queen (she's actually the red queen, but in actual chess, it's a black piece. So for my purposes, she's the Black Queen) and the White Queen from Alice Through the Looking Glass. If you remember from one of my very first posts, kuro means an all black outfit, and shiro means an all white outfit. There's not a whole lot to say before I show you them, so I'll just get to the point.

The Black Queen by Cat91151 featuring wedding hair accessories

I made the Black Queen first. I wanted a more gothic feel to her, with just a touch of whimsy. I've always thought of the Black Queen as being the black kitten from the beginning of the story (If you don't know what I'm talking about, grab a copy of Alice Through the Looking Glass and read the first chapter). I used a slightly printed Moitie dress and I played up the print using a lace Metamorphose Temps de Fille blouse and some lace printed tights. The headpiece was something I debated over for a long time. I wanted something whimsical and yet quite gothic. I finally settled on this headband, but I'm not completely satisfied with my choice. However, I didn't want to choose something typical for Lolita, like a bow or a bonnet. So in that aspect, I think I succeeded. I couldn't find a bag that I like, and the Polyvore clipper was not working, so I couldn't get something from another site. I apologize for this.

The White Queen by Cat91151 featuring kate spade handbags

Now here's the White Queen. When I decided to do this set of coordinates, I knew I wanted to use this dress for the White Queen. I definitely went for a sweeter style with this one. It's very simple and demure, like I view the White Queen's character. Even though the coordinate is all white, I think the different laces, cuts, and fabric techniques really add a lot of detail and texture to the coordinate. Finally, I chose the bag to add a bit of elegance to the coordinate. I didn't want to choose something with a very typical shape, like a heart or a pony or a bow. That seems to be a theme with my coordinates these days.

Do you like these two coordinates? I really hope that the Polyvore clipper starts working soon, otherwise my next coordinate will be rather difficult to do. The contest is still going on! So comment, tweet, and coordinate away! If you have any questions, ask them here, and you might see them in an article!

Old Prints

I'm not usually a fan of older pieces. It's not that I'm a huge fan of the prints that some brands are putting out currently, it's just that I haven't seen a lot of older things that I could see myself actually wearing. But this print by Baby the Stars Shine Bright has really challenged my preferences for newer items. It was re-released in 2008, but I still didn't really like it. And then I found Taobao. I actually like Infanta's version of this print a little more than the original, something that doesn't happen too often in the Lolita world.

Evolution of the Alice Jumper Skirt by Cat91151 on Polyvore.com

As you can see, they basically re-used the same design from 2001 in the remake. I don't care for the lace on the top of the dress, or the fake bolero look. The empire waist version (third from the left) is alright, but those cross neck ties bother me so much when I'm wearing them. Then, there's the Infanta version. The pin-tucks on the bodice, the lack of white lace at the top, the subdued ruffle at the square neck line, I love it all. It's a lot more classically styled than it's inspiration, but it could still be coordinated as sweet or as classic. It's simply lovely, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Of course, that being said, I went ahead and used the original release skirt version for this coordinate. The skirt is really quite nice, it doesn't have too much going on, which makes it easy to coordinate.

Curiouser and Curiouser by Cat91151 on Polyvore.com

This top has been sitting in my Polyvore for awhile now, waiting for the right coordinate to come along and use it. I love the black, white, and Alice blue combo here, it's sort of got an airy feel to it. The spade bag brings the card motif home, as well as the spade earrings. Some simple Alice themed jewelry and a black Alice headband bring it all together.

So what do you think about this one? Are there any prints that you prefer the replica of? That's a pretty touchy topic in the greater online Lolita community now, but I personally think that replicas aren't always a terrible thing.

Also! I realized there are some mistakes and confusions about my giveaway. It is +1 for a tweet or Facebook (once only), +1 for a blog post (once only), +2 for a coordinate (once per week), +1 for a comment (once per post), and +1 for answering about your favorite Alice in Wonderland related thing. I have updated the original post with this, I hope everyone wasn't too confused!

Big Announcement! March Giveaway!

Hey everybody! So I'm going to try and hold my very first giveaway. I'm really excited about this happening. It's going to work on the points system. So you get points for doing different kinds of things.

+1: Commenting on my posts (once per post, no spam)

+2: Sending in an Alice-themed coordinate for Tuesdays

+1: Fan art. I kind of want a cool logo for here, so if you draw me something lolita related or Alice related, I'll be sure to use it!

+1: Writing about this giveaway in your own blogs (Link it to me here or email me about it, once only)

+1: Writing about this blog/giveaway on Twitter, or on Facebook or what have you (link it to me here or email me, once only)

+1: Answering this question: What’s your favorite thing about Alice in Wonderland? Is it a particular character? Is it a whole book (Alice in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking Glass)? Is it one of the movies? A play? Why is it your favorite?

For every point you get, you get an entry into the drawing. I'll be drawing winner(s) on March 22nd. You can only answer the question once, but you can get one point for each comment (one per article, only ones I post from now on), and one for each coordinate you send in (one per week). If any of this doesn't make sense, feel free to ask me about it and I'll try to make it clearer.

So what's the prize you ask? Well, it's this! A hardback spiral bound notebook!

It's really cute! It has lines inside and would make a perfect diary/journal, idea book, or whatever you'd like! In addition to this book, you'll also get a matching pen to write with! I may be announcing some other prizes if I can get my hands on them, so look for more announcements! I hope you are all as excited as I am about this!

March Theme! Alice in Wonderland and Coordinate Tuesday: Sweet Alice

Yes, it's March. Finally, the snow is beginning to melt, the birds are chirping, and it's warming up outside. March is one of my most favorite months, because it is the beginning of spring and everything begins to turn green. The daffodils begin to sprout up and it starts to get warmer outside. As you all know if you've been reading my most recent posts, this month is Alice month. Why Alice? Well, why not! Alice is practically the mascot for Lolita fashion. The style can also be called Alice style in fact. Alice is prevalent in all aspects of Lolita culture, from the clothing itself, to the book (written in the Victorian era for children I might add), in our tea parties, sweets, and even in boy styles! I decided to make this month Alice month also because I just finished re-reading my Annotated Alice book, which has inspired a lot of my coordinates recently.

Alice in Wonderland by Cat91151 on Polyvore.com

So this is the collage for Alice in Wonderland. As you can see, there are a number of dresses on there. That's because Alice is such a popular motif these days, especially in classic and sweet styles. Card motifs are also very popular, you can see by the two pairs of shoes featuring suits of cards on them. There's a whole brand called Alice and the Pirates, which is named for Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Alice themed jewelry is very easy to get now due to the Tim Burton version of the story premiering last spring. We call bows like the Metamorphose one above the clock bag Alice bows. That light blue color that some call sax or saxon blue can also be referred to as Alice blue. Disney makes a lot of Alice items for children and adults, like the bag at the top in the middle. Even though she *technically* isn't a princess, she's very special in Lolita and in our hearts.

Now for coordinate tuesday. I hate that these last two months have started on Tuesday, making the posts extra long and weird to write. Thankfully, April begins on a Friday. However, I'll be working at Tekkoshocon that Friday, so the theme post won't get done until Monday probably. But that doesn't matter right now. Here's this week's coordinate!

Sweet Alice by Cat91151 on Polyvore.com

I went with the Emily Temple Cute dress from the theme collage. This was something new for me, I've never worked with their stuff before. I love this version of an Alice print because it's a little quirky compared to others I have seen. I pulled the black out from half of the card suits and the red out from the other half. I went with hearts as accessories, from the cards also. Then of course, the Alice bow. This one is quite simple and downplayed. I think it's sort of complementary to the simple lines of the jumper and the cardigan. This coordinate sort of came together really quickly. Which is rare for me to have this be so easy. Usually I spend upwards of an hour making everything look perfect, but this one took less than half an hour.

So are you excited for Alice month? Maybe you aren't yet, but I have a big announcement for Thursday that's sure to get everyone excited about this month! If you've got any questions for me, you can always let me know on my Formspring. Alice coordinates are fun to make, so if you'd like to whip one up and see it here, you can email me at cat91151@gmail.com. Let me know what you think!