Favourite Words in October ’11

1. Luthier. An artisan crafter of sting instruments. A word that deserves beaten gold and colours resembling the light that falls to old stained glass windows.
2. Groomsh. Actually an orcen”gory battles” god from the Warhammer RPG system. I think it sounds cute and very much like shroom.
3. Polliwog. A very scurrying synonym for tadpole.
4. Nörgeln. To nag and niggle in German. I still rejoice over the fact that there is another quite bloody god from the Warhammer universe by the name Nurgle, which just sounds like nörgel anyway.
5. Nuscheln. German mumbling, but more slurry.

10 Adorables in October

Awesome pumpkin amigurumi by Teli

1. Listography, a program that distracts my to-do and other lists from the tag app on my desktop (which made the computer notably slower when overly used). It also generates possible list titles for you, it’s quite like blogging for the lazy when it comes to writing. You can find my listography here, and I’d love to see yours if you’ve got or make one!
2. The magic button, to be pressed here.
3. Mrs Winchester by Dog Ears, a dark, quiet folk song about the haunted house of Sarah Winchester. You can listen to it here.
4. M.C. Escher. I bought a note book with an Escher design lately, and my father used to have an artbook next to the armchair when I still lived at his place.
5. Drop Dead Cute. A very, very sweet blog, beware of toothache! Kawaii for Sexy Ladies.
6. Acorns. I found one that was perfect, without any flaws or crackles, exact the colour of my hair… and then Nocker bit it. I’ve got no clue why he did that, but when I picked it up again during our last P&P session, it had bite marks on it.
7. Schokoküsse / Chocolate Kisses. I was a bit baffled that there is actually no real English word for it, but I don’t care. I was never allowed to have some when I was little, but grown rather fond of them  during the last week (it wasn’t the first time, though).
8. Little Twin Stars. I don’t know what it is with me and kawaii stuff lately (yes, I could say “cute” or “sweet”, but that doesn’t capture it). I bought some reflectors with Little Twin Stars motives at H&M last week to put onto my “I’m such a serious student of archeology and don’t like pretty and girly and sparkly things ’cause that would be weak and childish” (that’s such bullshit, but actually the kind of people I’m dealing with most of the time there) bag when university starts again.
   To make things clear, I still don’t like Hello Kitty.
9. Pumpkins. Of course pumpkins! Sadly the people I have dinner with usually don’t like pumpkin everything, but maybe I’ll find a way to try some recipes anyway. LaForcenée has some nice ones (in German) in one of her recent posts, and of course there will be some kind of Jack O’Lantern for me, too!
10. Portal. Yes, the game. I’m horrible at jump-’n-runs, but I play them anyway. And I dare say I could perform worse. I’m not completely done with part 1 yet, but am really looking forward to part 2 already (And I love the turrets. They are so cute! Lethal, but cute.). Isn’t the credits song catchy (and make sure to listen to the second as well)?

Sorry for the outburst in 8., but I have to get this off my chest once in a while.

Sartorial Saturday: Mad Hatter Day

Of course it’s Mad Hatter Day.

Yes, I know my petticoat is showing (It ripped, I fear. Again.). I didn't know then, though...

Outfit Rundown:
- tricorn hat: Ludwigsburg palace souvenir shop
- blouse: H&M
- T-shirt: self-made
- skirt: self-made
- tights: green clothing shop
- lacy socks: H&M
- shoes: Danish Duckfeet

Accessoires Rundown:
- umbrella (see outfit picture): Lisbeth Dahl
- rocking horse necklace: I am
- club stud/ teapot earring: Bijou Brigitte/ Claire’s
- hair ribbon (see below): self-made with Coppelius button
- fork bracelet (not pictured): artisan’s fair

Thanks to Imp for taking these pictures! :)

Window without View

I built a pin board. The frame is over 150 years old and used to be a part of the old stable-turned-bike-shed that leaned onto our little white house and vanished to be replaced with the end of the world.

Corner detail:

I love the old window knob where I can hang some of my necklaces.

Plus factors for this project:
+ it’s useful
+ it’s recycled
+ it’s multi-purpose as I can use the knob for some of my necklaces and the border decoration for storing earrings

Preparations Again: Mad Hatter Day

October 6th is Mad Hatter Day!

I already wrote about it two years ago and completely left it out last year, but here we go again!
Here are some (old and new) ideas how to spend this holiday:

1. Dress in rather unusual fashions (in normal standards) or at least something wonderland-related. Blazers and jackets could be nice, as well as knickerbockers, striped pants or victorianesque skirts (no problem here if you’re a Lolita). Speaking of stripes, this is the ideal day to mix any pattern you’d like. Have a look at the myriads of Mad Hatter interpretations made by artists from three centuries. Another point could be not to dress in neutral colours, at least not completely. Try to find accessoires that resemble something from the books, be it chess pieces, card suits, rabbits or caterpillars. Oh, or tiny tea dishes! Don’t forget your pocket watch.
2. Drink tea. Bring out your favourite china and complete tea arsenal, make one cup of each and have a tea-testing session. Invite your friends and/ or favourite stuffed animals and dolls and have a tea party with fairy cakes, sandwiches and cake.
3. Why not have a tea party in public? Get yourself a picnic blanket or sit down on park benches, in your school’s or university’s hall or your workplace’s cafeteria. Take your tea with you in a thermos flask and make a Wonderland-themed bentō with apple bunnies and card suit shaped sandwiches. Don’t forget the cake (as mentioned before) and take enough with you to offer some to a passer-by. Don’t bring your best teacups, go for something rather sturdy instead to prevent the breaking of china and hearts.
4. Wear a hat! Obvious, isn’t it. Decorate it with a pretty piece of thick paper with the writing 10/6 in this style and maybe some needles and pins. If you don’t own one, make one. Which brings me to my last point:
5. Make hats or headdresses. It’s Mad Hatter Day after all. Even if it’s only a paper hat, but you could also follow the many instructions for more fancy pieces. One of my favourites is the infamous Tim Burton’s Mad Hatter top hat from Threadbanger. My favourite German DIY community also has a wonderful tutorial for a tricorn. :)
   Small headpieces that look like tea cups or cake would be great, too, and why not go so far as to make a whole set of matching accessoires?

I hope you’ll enjoy your Mad Hatter day, and if you celebrate and make a blog post about it, leave me a comment with a link!

… And there was Light

A lightbox, to be precise. It’s even self-made.

It has no opaque film yet, but I’ll get by without that for the moment.

It needed a small personal touch. In the upper right corner.

Demonstration: It works.

 

Sartorial Saturday: Fairly Teal

I never noticed how the colours of my Love Nadia skirt and the velvet bodice are the same hue in different intensities. The way how the somewhat wild and piraty bodice loosens the cute of the skirt is something that is very me, and I think there are more outfits to come that have this mood to them.

I actually missed wearing Lolita during the last summer, but I think it’s always getting better when the weather gets cooler. I also need a new petticoat, this one isn’t as poofy as it could be anymore. Oh, and I hate tights, I’m so definitely switching to stockings! Which is just another reason to sew some new bloomers. ^^

This picture is a little bit overexposed, sorry. For more "real" colours, please look at the picture at the end of the post.

Outfit Rundown:
- shirt: Promod
- bodice: probably some LARP shop
- skirt: Love Nadia by Bodyline
- tights: drugstore
- shoes: Danish Duckfeet

Accessoire Rundown:
- felt flower hair pin: handmade by Teli
- earrings (rose/ bug): Claire’s/ H&M
- pocket watch: Promod
- fork bracelet: artisan’s fair

In case you were wondering: Yes, the title of this post is a somewhat lame pun with fairy tale.