Blades and Sweet Chai Latte

On the third day of Christmas my best friend went with me…

…ice skating. Because I love ice skating. And then we had dinner. Because we both love dinner. *

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My mother prepared chai (and mini caramel waffles) for us to take to the rink, which is incredibly retro, by the way. Sadly I forgot having Jules take a picture of my outfit, but as you can see, I’ve got a new red dress, and I love glittery tights.

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Jules, pondering over his salad.

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collage made here

I’d made goulash for dinner on the 25th, and my mother made her delicious salmon crème. Both things match well with tortillas, so we had wraps. Also, you can see my first bumbling try of adding handwriting to a picture here.

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More chai!

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Me, with pasta. And another new dress in the background.

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Dessert that I didn’t eat at all because I was so stuffed from all the wrappery goodness.

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I hope you all made it into 2013 safely. I had a great time watching the fireworks from one of the highest spots in town.
By the way, if you’re interested in what we listened to during dinner on the 26th, have a look at the music by Chinese Man, a terrific team of DJs producing a great mix of electro swing, hip hop, raggamuffin and dance hall.

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* And ice skating makes hungry.

They Call This Christmas Where I’m From

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Merry Yuletide to all of you!

This is the return of light into a world full of darkness, so celebration is due. I’ll be back in a few days with a post about Jules’ and my annual Holiday dinner, and until then I’ll let the season be merry and bright and I hope you do, too.

A Makeshift Princess Yuletide

My holiday were divided in three parts: I spent Christmas Eve down at my grandmother’s place together with my grand-aunt and my mother having rather usual and not so very festive dinner, on 25th I had Yule Breakfast with my mother after which we went for our traditional walk, which was a little more like the holidays should be with two sorts of cake for breakfast, boiled eggs and tea, but the most awesome and appropriate part of this year’s Christmas was when Jules and I celebrated together on Boxing Day our style.

Jules arrived in the afternoon (sadly Ludwig couldn’t come to accompany Hollis, as he was otherwise engaged), so we decided to take our tea first and then have the gift giving. As mentioned in the post title everything was a little bit makeshift – from the decoration to the choice of the table cloth to even my skirt wich isn’t really finished yet but I had to wear it!

Or whole table and setting had something of a children’s make-believe or pretend tea party about it, and we fully embraced this A Little Princess style.

As we went on to the gift-giving, I gave Jules a T-shirt with a glittery green ドラマ おしましょ! (jap. dorama oshimashiyo – Let’s make drama!, an idea by the Scoundrel) print and two packs of sequins to complete it to his liking (that’s why there isn’t any picture yet) while I got wonderful orange-yellow-ish striped arm and leg warmers with amber embellishments from him (no picture yet, too). As most of the time with Jules and I the things fitted the taste of the respective other quite well, and I was relieved to see how much he loved the shirt! He even bragged about it in the most cute and adorable way to Scoundrel when the latter called later in the evening.

We retreated to the kitchen to prepare our dinner and even had the starter – puff pastry squares with grated cheese – there. Our main course was a rural (given that my mother’s house could be seen as my country cottage ^^) combination of cob slice omelette and button mushrooms à la Provence au jus de vin rouge et citron, not so bad for makeshift, especially when you know how to make your menu card fit your mood.

Our dessert was a crème of yoghurt with ginger honey and cob nuts again…,

… and then it was time for christmas crackers! Jules had never had one before, so it was some kind of a must. My mother used to make them herself when I was little and I continued this tradition yesterday.

the inner life of my cracker

Jules with his crown.

I had grabbed the tastes-like-diabetes “Best Friends” key chain unicorns during Jules’ and my trip to town on 23rd. The glitter was something I had in my really small craft stock at my old room, as well as the cardboard for the crowns and the marbles. Makeshift again, but nevertheless incredibly fun. Maybe I’ll even manage to get the crackers ready in time and with a bit more design to them next year!

I hope you had equally great holidays with your friends and families and made it well through the ranges of dinner, biscuits, puddings and pies.

Two Holiday Outfit Inspirations

Disclaimer: Usually I’m someone who doesn’t post twice a day. And originally this post was meant for yesterday, but I was too busy to finish is, and anyway, it’s the holidays, and about everything is special during these days. Oh, and I tried to incorporate all brand names in the text at first, it’s horrible. You’ll find the polyvores when you click the respective pictures, which is far more convenient.

I haven’t done a Porcelain Sunday in ages! Well, today won’t be one, but there are inspiring pieces and matching outfits, so it is pretty much the same. Two of my very favouite holiday pictures, and very different ones, too.

Barbie in The Nutcracker

I love the original ballet. I love Tchaikovsky’s music. I love the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann. But I must admit, the version I hold dear most is – right – the Barbie picture. It’s not animated that well and has an incredible amount of not-sticking-to-neither-tale-nor-ballet, but so incredibly sugary and sweet, a very depiction of the Sugar Plum Fairy herself. Whenever I’m sad and need comfort that feels like a marshmellow but without the calories, I turn to this movie.

1. Dress: With the Sugar Plum Fairy theme I decided to go for something between Classic and Sweet Lolita. The dress represents the more classic and festive side. I also wanted to go for hues of plum instead of pink in contrary to the movie. The dress has a nice mid-19th -century feel about it thanks to the bell sleeves and the flap at the back (the original story was written at the beginning of the century, though). Also, the skirt looks quite light due to the pale colour which also is a notion and quality we associate with ballet costumes.
2. Blouse and Skirt (and Corset): I chose the blouse mainly chose it for the rich, reddish plum colour. While the classic version of my Sugar Plum Fairy interpretation balances the parts of blue and red equally, the more sweet take is more on the red side. The Skirt is Alice and the Pirate’s Twilight Circus, a print that I like quite much. It shows stage performances (kind of) without turning directly to ballet. In relatiom to the Barbie picture I’d link the motives to the sweets-inspired supporting characters. The corset I put in mainly as an additional piece and another block of colour to the blouse. I think it’s pretty and I already used it back in my Ero Lolita Matching Monday.
3. Headdresses: The alice band with the large round lace piece which in my head belongs to the classic side strongly reminds me of another Tchaikovsy ballet, Swan Lake (there’s a Barbie adaption of this, too, by the way, but here I’m more of a Princess Tutu fan ^^), where the leading lady often wears a headdress (on both sides of the head) made of white feathers in a rounded shape (a bit tangled, this sentence, isn’t it…). Plus, it looks like something sweet covered in layers of cream to me. The oldschool headdress was a choice of heart in this case, I just like the style.
4. Tights: Lacy ones, but striped ones would have been great with these outfits, too. The main point is to choose something light and sugary.
5. Bag: It’s far too expensive even for Lolita, but I liked the shape so much. Something shaped like sweets could be nixe, too, and again it’s a pastel pink/ plum shade.
6. Shoes: The fur-trimmed rain boots with Art Nouveau artwork are meant for the dress, while the Neosens 20s style shoes are for the sweet version. Of course it could be the other way as well, but I liked the contrast of the pale blue of the low Ludwig heels with the more red-toned rest of the outfit. It also matches the bolero jacket I thought nice with the plum blouse.
7. Accessoires: For jewelry I took things that had either to do with ballet or with sugar. There are so many sweets-themed accessoires out there, one can’t even count. The heart-shape cutout gloves are of the same brand as the purse, and I thought they would make a neat addition together with the parasol.

Hogfather

A much darker tale is Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather. A beloved Yultide classic in my inner circle since its release and the book wonderful per se (it’s Discworld) Hogfather tells the story of Hogswatch eve events mostly settled in Ankh-Morpork revolving around Susan Sto-Helit, Death’s (adoptive) granddaughter, Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers and several other very unique characters. Actually it’s a bit like Charles Dickens with a dark fantasy twist. With the coordinate I aimed for something between dark Victorian/ Classic Lolita and very wild and strong Mori Girl.

1. Dress and Blouse: I wanted to incorporate the dress in a coordinate ever since I saw it first. It’s exceptionally versatile and can become everything with the right accessoires. Rather plain to match Susan’s current profession as a “kind of Goth Mary Poppins” (Terry’s words) it works as a base for the other pieces of the outfit rather than as a piece for itself. The blouse is one of my favourites, and I mainly used it as it is winter and I wouldn’t go out without sleeved with that weather.
2. Jacket: Even with the Hogfather theme I wanted a bit of Victorian decadence in this coordinate. The elaborate fabric with a flowery woven-in pattern and the puffed long sleeves made it perfect for the cause.
3. Hats and Scarves: Here’s the wild compound for the theme. I decided to go for a brown and a grey version. (Faux) Fur is a perfect way to incorporate something either very aristocratic (advised for Lolita) or very strong and primal (Mori, rather) into your outfits, depending on glossyness, texture and colour.
4. Ruffle Collar: A break from the toughness of the fur elements, the ruffles fall softly and ad a more usual sense of Mori Girl to the outfit, feminine and elegant, yet not too shiny and perfect.
5. Accessoires: I know, I know. It’s Hogfather, not Deerfather, but I really couldn’t find anything wild boar-related. Things with antlers, on the contrary, are quite easily found, and do transport the right feeling, too. H&M for example has cute antler-shaped rings at the moment (which sadly didn’t fit on my fingers, but as I don’t really wear rings often, it’s not that much of a loss).
6. Shoes: The granny boots are a hint on Susan’s occupation as a nanny again. The brown colour way seemed nicer with the brown fur set and the black one with grey, so I used both.

My Midwinter Vow

I solemnly vow to deck the halls and be jolly,
To party like I never partied before,
To dress and feel as festive as possible,
Not to be quiet and demure,
To scare away the demons and hardships my family had to endure,
To troll my carols loud and clear.

I solemnly vow to celebrate the return of the light into a dark world.

I vow to have the best Yuletide ever, someday.

10 Adorables in December

1. Paper Days of Christmas, a project where the artists of Paperbicycle add a new pattern for a Christmas ornament on each Advent Sunday and several designs in the following week. I especially love the first one, but second and third are cute, too. And of course I’m looking forward to the very last one…
2. Once Upon a Blog, aka. The Fairy Tale News Blog, is a wonderful piece of online culture that provides me with all the information and details of upcoming movies, books, fashion and other creative projects related to fairy tales.
3. Jane and the Dragon. Albeit a Canadian children’s TV series (or maybe because of this…) the tales about a girl who wants to be a knight are really charming and not as loaded with clichés as one could expect. It has moments of everybody shines, a great, folky theme song, and such cute fantasy designs, I just have to love it! You can watch the first episode here.
4. Mistletoes. Who doesn’t love them? I wanted to hang the ones that my mother sent me over my bed to dry, but now they look so pretty in my Christmas bouquet that I can’t just take them away again.
5. The Fair Adventure by Elizabeth Janet Gray. A girls book from the 1950s it tells the tale of 16-year-old Serena Page, youngest of the five McNeil children, searching for her way during a hot summer in her native town of Little Athens, Virginia. I loved how the author made the vintage South so real for me, and I loved the chaotic McNeil family. Somehow the book reminded me of Astrid Lindgren’s Britt-Mari (which was actually never translated into English, which is a shame), but I found the characters even more lively.
6. The book swapping board at our supermarket. That’s actually where I found The Fair Adventure. And some other books of interest. And where I brought all the books I didn’t need anymore. My boards are still full, but I think there is another box I could spare.
7. Canadian Smocking. My grandmother has a Canadian smocked pillow on her sofa, and I always admired it. Now Burda has given me the right tutorial to copy it for my own bed!
8. Cellophane biscuit bags. I didn’t make any biscuits this year (yet), but I got me the bags. I love the rustling of the thin plastic, and mine have golden stripes or stars respectively.
9. Brandi Milne. Teli made me the cutest Christmas card ever (I’ve got to get a bit of string to hang my cards across the room just like we do at home) with a motif from Brandi’s portfolio site. She’s got a good amount of gory, bloody and creepy, but some of her designs are downright cute and beautiful. I could also imagine her pictures as tattoos very well, some of them simply scream “have me inked all over your body” to me.
10. Whole-grain bread with chocolate spread. It’s like a snack bar, but healthier, cheaper and tastier.

Categorised Present Ideas

I love reading gift idea lists around Christmas. The following list is divided into three parts, one for general ideas, one for Lolita and one for Mori. Of course this doesn’t mean any restrictions, I just like my ideas a little bit organised. ^^
All ideas can be afforded with a maximum 10€ or less if you’ve got some or all of the material already (except maybe the headphone idea from the Lolita category).

General Presents

1. Grain pillows are incredibly useful. I have one in my bed every night during the chillier time of the year. The definite advantage of grain pillows over hot water bottles is that they can’t spill and don’t get as cold in the morning. They can be used as cooling packs, too, just put them in the fridge instead of the microwave or oven. AND they are easily self-made, all you need is a small bag of grain, some more heat-resistant fabric and the usual sewing supplies. You can also sew an extra cover, as the pillow itself isn’t washable. Just don’t use metal colour or buttons if you want to heat it in the microwave, and nothing that could be too sensible to heat if meant for the oven.
2. Calendars can be a very personal gift. I’m talking self-made, of course. You could use photos, draw something or even make a collage with pictures you think the person the calendar’s for would appreciate. I’m making one for my father this year with watercolour paintings of some sights of my wonderful town and one for his sister with photographs of Hollis, as she likes teddy bears.
3. Syrup is one of these things you can never have enough of. You can find wonderful recipes online for about every flavour you can think of. You could make your own labels like I did last summer for the Rosemary and Thyme lemonade syrup or decorate pretty bottles with ribbons and tags listing the ingredients.

Lolitaesque Presents

1. Dolly Pin Cushions consist of a doll’s head and arms and a body (torso and a wide, stuffed “hoop skirt”) made of fabric. The head-and-arms sets some DIY supply shops sell are originally meant for tea cozies (as far as I know), but I think a pin cushion would also be nice. If you want you can also craft it in a way to leave a little storing space under the doll’s wide skirt. I think I’m going to make one for myself this year…
2. Headphones can be wonderful accessoires, and they can also make you more confident (you won’t hear any negative comments but only the soundtrack of your own marvellous live). Accessorize sells rather pretty and funny ones (I love the ones with the Union Jack design), but you can also mod them yourself. Just add some paint, deco rhinestones, lace or other little trinkets according to the presentee’s taste and style. I think I’ll do this myself in the new year, be sure to get a new Hedgefairy tutorial (a little late for this Christmas, anyhow)!
3. Dress-shaped biscuits. I remember reading about this in some blog, but I couldn’t find it anymore, sorry. The idea was to print out stock pictures of your favourite brand pieces, use them as stencils for the dough and decorate the baked biscuits with sugar drawings of the original piece’s features. For packing you could make a flat box, line it with tissue paper and decorate the top matching to the respective brand you used for the stencils. Or just design your own dresses and make it a made-up brand!

Mori Girl Presents

1. Calorimetries and/ or headbands are something that I’ve been told about they weren’t too hard to knit, but with my grandiose non-existent knitting skills I highly doubt that. Anyway, I think they make a pretty winter Mori accessoire! I especially like this (albeit in another colour) and this one from Ravelry, but tutorials can be found all over the aethernet.
2. Soft curlers are a great project for fabric scraps and a pretty and healthier-for-the-hair alternative to normal curlers or even curling irons. You can find one of many tutorials here.
3. Felt brooches could also qualify as a “for everyone” gift as they are easy to make and can take any form you can dream of. Robins and other small birds would be great motifs for Mori girls, but any other woodland creature or flower or plant would be pretty, too. I’d recommend sewing them together (glue can be so ugly if something goes wrong, and hand-stitched seams looks so much better, anyway!) and stuffing them a little bit for more texture and fluffed-up bird goodness.

Presents from the Scoundrel

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Well, it was neither on the first day of Christmas nor was it a partridge in a pear tree, but an old cookie box filled with old things he knew I’d consider treasures and three volumes of a comic we both love.

When he came back to our fairy tale town after the holidays he had spent with his family, I had to leave the room for a few minutes after I gave him his presents, and he hid his gifts for me so that I had to search for them.

I love treasure hunts, and the first one was even found rather soon. It was an old, little bit rusty cookie tin box, adorned with pictures of medieval Nuremberg (where the original gingerbread that was delivered in this bin came from), a craftsman and his workshop and a pocket watch, as the craftsman was a clock maker.

My favourite picture from the gingerbread tin.

When I looked inside, I found pieces that other would call “trash”, but I consider it treasures. Old metal washers, a button, a small door bolt, a wrench, copper pipe parts and best of all, a heavy, massive old plummet.

I think I’ll fix the bolt at my old, crooked door to finally be able to shut it properly.

The second gift was way harder to find, as the three volumes of Elfquest perfectly blended in with my university files and folders.

Elfquest! How long it had been that I’d read about Cutter and Skywise, Leetah and Rayek and especially Nightfall and Redlance! Redlance the treeshaper is my Scoundrel’s favourite character and Nightfall, huntress and his mate, is mine. It was quite a coincidence when we discovered that we both loved this comic when we were younger and spent whole afternoons in our respective public libraries reading trough their adventures in the world of two moons and that even our favourite elves were one of the most unusual couples of the wolfriders (or “Manowar elves”, as Teli calls them).

Redlance and Nightfall.

I was really, really delighted, he couldn’t have thought of a better gift for me. And I’ll get a fourth volume of Elfquest for our anniversary. ^^

Presents for the Scoundrel

The things about the Scoundrel and presents are:

1. His birthday is two days before Christmas which means that all the ideas kind of have to come at the same time.
2. He has neither an affection for silly, useless things nor a “heraldic” animal or something like that. Giving is way easier with people like Bambi (who mostly gets something that is related to fawns or self-made game merchandise) or the Imp who is a great pianist and has a thing for zombies or Tristan who likes tigers…

So I decided he’d only get things that he’d find useful. Which is kind of difficult for me as someone who loves to make little things that don’t actually make any sense but look cute… This was also a problem that I had with his advent calendar as he doesn’t like sweets (just imagine!). I substituted them with spices as he’s not only very fond of rosemary and cinnamon and pepper, but also a very able amateur chef.

My first thoughts were too large to be realised until the end of December of 2010, so I had to find something smaller. I finally came up with a solution: While we were playing at the same RPG rounds, he hadn’t any dice and worst luck with those he borrowed from Bambi, the Elfin or me. So he got a pack of dice in every variation for his birthday and a dice bag, too.

 

I wanted the gift to still look personal, so I wrapped the dice in my favourite packing paper.

They look like old-fashioned sweets, and even the wire of the jar matches the paper and ribbon!

Of course there has to be a Happy Birthday card, too.

So much fo his birthday. For Christmas it was the dice bag. But to be honest, this was not enough for me. I had to think about something special, and so I came up with the “wrapping”.

Yes! It’s a D 20, made of felt, embroidery yarn and acrylic colour. The numbers are in the right positions, too.

This was definitely not the last time I made a die like this. I think it’s a great gift for all role players, and it’s only a two-hours-or-so work.

But now for the dice bag, the actual present.

 

The bag is made of thin leather with a felt application in the middle displaying the Scoundrel’s sign.

I can't help but thinking of jewels...

I was happy how the presents turned out and that he liked – and also was able to use – them.

Of course I got wonderful gifts, too, but that’s another story.

White Christmas

This was the view from my window when I woke up this morning. I hope you’ve got white Christmas, too! Also, I wish you a merry time with all your beloved ones, enough cake for everyone, most of the presents you wished for and that you won’t catch cold (as I did).

Now I’m waiting for Jules’ call to go for a sleigh ride in the hills of the shire, my snow attire beside me. And after that, I’ll write regularly again, about the snow, about presents and gifts and steampunk and Lolita. But until then I’ll stay with wishes for

Love, peace and chocolate

yours,

Bonnie