Material Girl

I went for lace, too, by the way. And for buttons (not the Coraline kind of them, of course).

Top down: 1. Some pretty nice border that I really have no use for but hang it over my bed… I need a four poster one ^^; 2. Small white lace for smaller ornaments; 3. New laces for my combat boots and matching ribbons to tie my hair up – it has indeed grown in length over the last years (I know that this is pretty normal, but you don’t really recognize it unless your relations tell you so); 4. Broad white lace I’ve fallen in love with at first sight for sock stoppers and other marvelous things. I fear I’ll need more of it. 5. Mid sized black lace for sock stoppers, too, and maybe the decoration of another headdress…

These are for an old plain shirt of mine that is going to be lolita-fied. It’d been hanging in my closet for years as I wore it for concerts back in my good old choir times…

This is going to be the button design for my Sailor Lolita dress (that I’ll share with you tomorrow). It also works as a seal for my correspondences, just like the following does, too:

There are some nice ones with a yellow stone inlay for more medieval purposes, too, maybe they’ll fit for Aeronwy… I didn’t tell you about her yet? Well, I’ll catch that up soon, I hope.

I caught a little cold, so I’ll wrap myself up in a nice warm blanket with a good book and woolen socks and have a cup of tea (or two), so

Good bye for now!

Woven Quarry

I went to buy some fabric last week, together with Jules. Searching for some cloth for my planned Sailor Lolita outfit I tripped over a rest of bluish grey corduroy. It’s not enough for the whole dress, but Jules came up with the idea of  plain black cotton panels at the sides, a thought that I really liked. I’ll get some nautical symbol designed buttons for it and maybe add a nautical star or two…

I also got me some inches of fabulous autumn- and halloween themed quilting fabrics (don’t ask me what I’m going to do with them, I don’t know either…). As I take part in the Halloween swap of my craft bulletin board they might come in handy:

And last but surely not least I found a incredibly beautyful linen under piles of other left-overs:

But now it’s time for me to curl up in my bed of dry moss and lavender petals as it is late and Jules is showing up tomorrow for our Lolita Double Feature.

Good night and sleep well,

Bonnie

Coraline

"She's as cute as a button in the eye of everyone who ever laid their eyes on..."

Maybe you can guess it – I went to the picture theatre yesterday to see the Neil Gaiman-based on film Coraline by Henry Selick and I took the Goblin, Jules and Bambi with me.

And guess what? It was GRAND!

I already knew the film, but only in 2D and in English. The German translation could have been better but I liked the cat’s and Wybie’s voices. Well, I’ve got a thing for Wybie anyway ^^. The 3D is pretty scary sometimes, especially at the end, but the beginning is quite special, too (especially when there’s a huge needle coming up to you… preconditioned that you sit on the right place in the whole cinema).

I can also recommend the website very much where you can let mice write your name, sew buttons into your eyes and see things… differently, it’s all creepy and dreamy at the same time… A thing that is present during the whole film. I also love the costumes – I’ll need a glow-in-the-dark pullover this winter – and the wallpapers (I use one of them at my desktop at the moment). The design is  – watch out for heresy! – way more versatile than old Tim Burton’s. At least that’s my opinion as I’m pretty fed up with the always-the-same designs of Mister Burton (I still like Nightmare before Christmas, though). For Coraline I’m waiting for the DVD to be in the stores (where the 3D version is included!).

P.S.: Did I mention that I have a slight crush on Wybie?

P.P.S.: Go! Watch that film!!!

10 Pleasures in August

1. Lilacs. They‘re still abloom in our castle’s garden, building a sweet-smelling save harbour for all the butterflies to land on it. I even got me some small branches for my room (remember the princess code: A princess should be given fresh flowers every day…).
2. Combat Boots. I just ordered some new ones according to the fact that my old ones are torn and even the screws in the sole are worn down… I know that combat boots are neither very princess-like nor very Lolita but I’ll wear them anyway. I mean… 20-hole steel-capped leather boots. What should I say more? (I even think that one can wear safety shoes with Lolita – and not only punk Lolita – if done right. I’ll prove that.)
   
3. Embroidery. I borrowed two books from the library, one on embroidery techniques in general and one on Hessian white-work and I can’t wait to get started!
   
4. Lace. Especially crocheted lace and white-work/ cut-work lace. My Lolita WIP is a great chance to use AMOUNTS of it (and that’s why I went to get some yesterday. I also need some knee-high socks for sock stoppers. Yes, that’s pretty weird, but what should I do with sock stoppers without socks to stop?)
5. Shakespearean Names. The quite unusual names that the Bard used in his works are often this stunning and have become pretty symbolic nowadays. Romeo & Juliet, Prospero, Caliban, Benedick & Beatrice, Sycorax, Oberon & Titania, Innogen and Cymbeline. I know that some of the names existed before, but their meanings that they have today they owe to William Shakespeare.
6. The Darkness. Sadly they don’t exist anymore (at least not as The Darkness), but still are one of my favourite bands (and who knows? Maybe they’ll be back one day). I even got me a black-and-gold patch with their logo last Friday. They did some really good glammy cock rock when they were still on “all the world” that “is a stage”. My favourite songs are Love is only a Feeling, Christmas Time (Don’t let the Bells end – yes, I know, it’s summer, but anyway), Girlfriend and the obligatory I believe in a Thing called Love. It wouldn’t hurt if more guys wore bell-bottoms…
   
7. Oriental and African Candy. Not only halva and nougat, but also candied seeds and nuts, puffed grains in all versions and spiced up cookies – especially with Moroccan mint tea. You can get these candies at medieval markets or on specific festivals. My mother brought me a small cornet of candied hemp seeds (no, not hallucinogenic ;)) from the Africa Caribbean Festival this weekend and I’m trying really hard not to eat them up completely today.
8. Splinterworld. Still my comic project number one and indeed, I’m DRAWING!!! I’m quite close to what I’d like to call “final looks” for the characters, at least I hope so.
9. Brass Colour. Well, as it seems, the  Steampunk thing is breaking through again.
   
10. Faerie Courts. I like the idea of the seelie and the unseelie court of fairies and their inhabitants. I don’t know in which I’d dwell, but… I highly recommend MirrorCradle’s drawings of the courts’ queens ( just as I recommend all of her pictures).  Real fairy art. ^^
    

Pan Charming

The night before last night I dreamt of prince charming. We stood in a large, wild garden, the last rays of sunlight trembling over us, changing the day into dusk.

He seemed like he had escaped from one of these boy’s adventure books. Like a more grown up Peter Pan (I have to admit that I don’t remember if he wore tights). His lost boys were keeping watch, sometimes patrolling around like they were waiting for some threat, but he simply laid his arms around me, making me feel save again.

Sometimes everything went black and I fell to the ground when I tried to get around in the garden. I think that’s the part of a dream when you’re close to the awakening and floating between, seeing neither dream nor reality.

Then the dream switched it’s location to a weird but beautiful library. As I said before I was sure that my pan charming came from a book so I tried to find it again. The library was not the one here in town, it was a large, old wood-and-sandstone building with stained glass windows and high ceilings, endless rows of old-fashioned bookshelves, but at the same time quite twisty and full of small reading corners.

I woke up before I could find him.

This night was the first one since months that I slept quite good and woke up surprisingly rested.

Goth, I hope I’ll see him again.

Lolita Double Feature I

I’ve been a rare Hedgefairy so far this August . But I’ll be better, I promise!

Last week Jules and I finally decided to post a Lolita Work in Progress at our favourite bulletin board. The thought behind it is that if somebody is watching your project you’re more into delivering some new progress, something to look at, sooner than while working all by yourself in a silent chamber.

My first (and most urgent) project is a plain black basic skirt that I’m planning to wear at the Castle Courtyard Festival next weekend.

High waist, black cotton, frilly at the hem.

The other planned outfits include amongst others a Playing Cards one, a Brit Lolita ensemble, a twinning dress (together with Jules) and sports clothing.

The Chess Dress

Remember the red fabric I showed some posts ago? The one left over from my graduation dress? Exactly that’s what I plan to use for that outfit. The chessboard parts are not set yet, maybe they’ll be in softer light and dark browns instead of hard black and white, but this is something that depends on my local fabric store’s assortments.

I’m going to make the buttons myself out of shrink plastic with a chess piece design like this:

The headpiece will also be in a matching design:

Oh well. As soon as I find my measuring tape, I’ll start like

I’m a shooting star leaping through the skies

Like a tiger

Defying the laws of gravity

I’m a racing car(riage) passing by

Like Lady Godiva

I’m gonna go – go -  go

There’s no stopping me!

To say it with  Freddy Mercury’s words. ^^

Yes, I’m in a pretty weird mood at the moment.

Facts. Pictured.

Today I found a very nice little game on my favourite bulletin board, here it is.

DIRECTIONS:

- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture from the first page.
- Use this website to make your collage.

QUESTIONS:

1. What is your name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

So this is me in twelve pictures. I’d love to see your mosaics!

Fabric Avanlanche!

Well, I decided to inspect my fabric chest and to sort out what I could sew up in the foreseeable future.

Here it is.

That’s not all of the chest’s content, no! But the part that I have – more or less – plans for.

1. The black wool is going to be a stuffed toy morning star. Maybe a Christmas present? And some appliqués if I find the right motives. The white cotton will suit as doll skin or lining, while the striped one could be the base for some nice summer accessories. I’m going to use the blue cotton velvet for a stuffed toy for one of my youngest relations (sew those as long as they’re young, they wouldn’t want them at the age of thirteen…!) and at last that Black Watch tartan wool may make a pretty Tam o’shanter and some fitting small stuff.

2. The striped one is going to be bows for the Christmas gift wrapping. Impressive, but easy to make. ^^ The other two fabrics are still looking for a new form, the red one is left over from my graduation dress (just like the striped) and could make a nice Lolita dress… if I just had an idea what style to follow… Suggestions for “?” fabrics are welcome!

3. Some green and brown, quite rural I think. The dark green velveteen’s destination is still unknown while the felt will make pretty appliqués for my autumn wardrobe. The white organza will be some more roses – I already made several for my graduation outfit. They’re easy to make and look quite cute to ladylike. The tweed-like herringbone cloth at the very back will be used for spats matching the headpiece I’ve already sewn from it and maybe it will make some interesting stuffed toys, too.

4. Oh, patterns! I only know a purpose for that blue corduroy in the middle – a justacorps for one of the guys of my  – momentarily quite desolate, sadly – band.  Or some other blue-eyed prince charming who’ll cross paths with me. Maybe I could turn that chequered wool into a handsome steampunk-ish Lolita outfit? Help me!

5. The red-lilac striped cotton will be some corset-like top matching the skirt I’ve already sewn. The flowered light blue could be a very nice hat lining or a hat itself as does the dark blue striped.

Well, there’s a lot to do.

P.S.: The parcel from the Discworld swap arrived and imported the most loveliest knitted spats and a “Wee Free Men” skirt! I’ll show those things along with the content of the parcel I sent away yesterday as soon as it has arrived at it’s point of destination.