Lily of the Valley

"The Virtuous Unicorn" design preveiw

2012-02-25T00:26:00.000-08:00

As the "Neptune's Domain" line has been retired, it's only fitting to post some previews from my newest line in the making! The Virtuous Unicorn.

This line is inspired by the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries as well as botanical illustrations and heraldic animals. The 4 main motifs are vignettes of the 4 cardinal virtues. Here are some of the sketches

Prudence

Fortitude

Temperance

Justice

Accenting these in a repeated "brick" pattern will be alternating botanicals and animals (8 each).

left to right: Violet, Thistle, Rose, Lily of the Valley
Daisy, Forget-me-not, Poppy, Blue Belle

Hare, Greyhound, Ermine, Dove
(other four animals to be forthcoming: Rooster, Lamb, Cat, Squirrel).

If any of you followed my brand's livejournal before I switched over to here you might remember the early sketches of the maidens and unicorns. I've been working on this for some time now. It's a much more ambitious project art wise then my previous lines. The flower sketches went very quickly while the animal ones are coming along slower. Then come the colors!

Here is a quick mock-up of the fabric layout:

This is a very loose arrangement, and it's likely things will be moved about in the final design. All 8 animals will be represented as well rather then the repeated 4.

It will be offered with a cream, navy, or brown background.

Here is an early version of the jsk design:

I've changed my mind since I sketched this, and the bodice will be made with the repeating animals/ botanicals fabric rather then the solid color cotton. The sash and ruffle underskirt will be done in a solid (accent) color chiffon and will be removable. I'm also considering making the eyelet lace collar removable. Please let me know what you think.

A skirt will also be offered, and perhaps a solid color lace up bodice. Both the skirt and jsk will be available in a longer length

I am also so very excited about the accompanying jewelry line, it should be extremely versatile!

Wardrobe Post

2012-02-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

My poor blog has been quite neglected lately, which doesn't seem right since my blog's first anniversary is coming up! This calls for more updates!

So I am recycling an egl theme post! My wardrobe!

Over the years I've made a lot more things; but my style has changed quite a bit. My current style is sweet and classic lolita with otome and Mori influences.

I've included a bit more detail about where I got the "offbrand" pieces because I think it's interesting.

Both are from my brand Lily of the Valley. Samples! Neptune's Domain and Sweet Matryoshka

Two of my polka-dot dresses Handmade

Chiffon Dresses; handmade

Handmade

Lily of the Valley and handmade

Handmade

Handmade (one of my newest and one of my oldest)

Dresses, handmade. The blue one bustles in the back

Neptune's Domain skirt and Vest set; Lily of the Valley

Underskirts; handmade

Long sleeved blouses: Forever 21, Kmart, and ebay

Short Sleeved blouses: thrifted (with replacement sleeves, the pinks photographed funny), small store in Bangkok, and thrifted

Other Blouses: Handmade (I want to make more of these) and from an outlet

All thrifted except for the white puffed sleeve one, it's from an outlet store.

They don't look like much but I like these so much, they frame the top of a jsk bodice so well! The green one isn't so very dark usually. Outlet shop

long sleeved cutsews; outlet shop, thrifted

The beginnings of my Cardigans, I love cardigans! Burlington coat factory, Walmart, Rainbow

Burlington Coat Factory, Outlet shop, thrifted

Outlet shop (navy not black), thrifted, outlet shop

Thrifted , and Bascov's (has very pretty gold threads all throughout)

Forever 21, Kohls, thrifted (also has gold threads worked through)

Cropped sleeves swing sweaters; I frequently wear these as outerwear. Outlet shop and a gift (brown not black)

Vintage capes. I have a coat in the works but I haven't even started it yet. Thrifted

Socks and stockings. Left group is kneesocks: Innocent World, Innocent World, Angelic pretty, BBtSSB. Next row: outlet shop, outlet shop, Target and tjmax.

Right group is OTK socks: Bodyline, bodyline, Secret shop, secret shop, outlet

Then two pairs of tights (I also wear alot of other just solid colors), walmart (floral pattern) and ebay (polkadot)

Bottom two are ankle socks, both from an outlet shop

Purses. The small brown one is from walmart, the straw one is from an Antiques shop and all the rest are thrifted

Belts. The two sashes are handmade, as is the purple belt. The red bow belt was a gift and the white one from ebay. Both braided belts are thrifted

Gloves. Wrist cuffs are handmade. The knit fingerless gloves were made by a friend. Leather gloves are vintage.

Collars: Knit collar and leaf scarf were made by friends. The two lace collars and the mink stole are vintage and the sailor collar is from Lily of the Valley.

Bows and corsages. Other then the pink flower they are all handmade.

Other hats. The Rose crown and bonnet are handmade. Cloche from hats in the belfry, straw hat from Burlington Coat Factory, and the berets are gifts.

Hair things. All handmade other then the pearl headband and flower beret.

Shoes. I tend to wear standard shoes with handmade shoe bows and clips. The blue, white, brown ones with flower clip, and pink ones are payless (any other oldtime lolita's remember the castle flats?). Light brown ones are thrifted. The other two brown ones are from outlet stores.

Sandals: Outlet stores

Boots: The button boots are thrifted. The tall boots are from zappos, showing two different ways I style them: bow clips and tassel clips.

Parasols: Vintage umbrella (I'm going to recover it), chinatown umbrella. I got the cream eyelet one at a booth at Otakon and the white battenberg one from lace-parasols.com

Jewlery sets: Linser demi parure (I want to collect the bracelet and pin as well). Neptune's Domain parure and Sweet Acorn parure from Lily of the Valley

Pins: All Vintage except the mermaid, pink cameo and crown pin. The pressed flower one is my favorite currently!

Bracelets: The single pearl strand, calla lily, and gold bracelets are vintage. The charm bracelet I got at Disney world

Earrings: Rose ones were a gift and the strawberry ones are handmade

My Nice Jewelry. All made by my Mother except the single pearl pendant and cross. She's a fine arts jeweler and I feel very lucky! You can't see it very well but the dark one on the left has a really cute carved mouse!

Pendants.

Chokers: Handmade. The bottom one also can be worn as a "dual brooch" clipped to bow pins

Rings. The cake and pie rings are handmade. The Silicon ones were a gift.

Hair "jewelry": The hair pins are handmade with vintage buttons. The Lily of the Valley hairclip was a gift. I made the IW like hair comb from a necklace I found at a inexpensive jewelry shop.

Thank you so much for visiting my wardrobe. Soon I will have some sketches and preveiws to show for my newest line "The Virtuous Unicorn".

Christmas Reflections

2012-01-17T22:49:00.000-08:00

First a reminder: This Saturday is the deadline for ordering the lolita t-shirts! Please help us make this a success!

Also coincidentally, the "Neptune's Domain" line is being retired being retired on Saturday as well.

Originally I had planned to do a post about Christmas during the 12 days of CHRISTMAS!! I was apparently too busy messing about with presents and enjoying delicious goodies.

Sooo each day of procrastinating makes this post that more silly. That said, it's not Lent yet, so victory there!

Here's some pretties from this year's Christmas:

This was the first Christmas my family celebrated since I inherited my great grandmother's china and green stemmed crystal. They were usually used for Christmas dinner when my Mom was young so I was very excited and nostalgic to be able to use them.

They are so elegant and pretty. The set is Floreal made by Noritake and is proably from the twenties. I'm going to keep my eye out for more pieces; I have tons of saucers but sadly few tea cups!

An artsy photo taken at the Hagley estate on St. Stephen's day (Boxing Day). One of my presents was a very surprising DSLR camera from my parents. I'm making an effort to make the transition from a basic point and shoot to understanding all the new advantages of the DSLR. I'm very excited for taking photos of my future lines with it!

Of course the stark and very functional black/white/red strap the camera came with is not at all too my tastes. I'm in the midst of tatting a new one with some very sturdy cream cotton yarn. The pattern you see will be mirrored when I'm done.

And finally some photos of a Coord I wore to a Christmas party. I just love dancing in this dress!

This look on Lookbook

The Headpeice is actually the vintage Linser necklace that I got for my birthday this summer!

I hope You all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a good New Year so far!

Lolita T-shirts are a go!

2012-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! The Inklings/Lily of the Valley Collab shirts are now available for order!

You can order them Here!

Here are the two designs with some quick co ordinations I put together.

Crown:

Bow:

The shirts are available in many colors and several styles! I hope you all like them very much.

I think that they could be a rather versatile addition to one's lolita wardrobe, or a nice way to show your taste when wearing jeans and a tee.

We would love to have been able to offer puffed sleeve shirts, but they seem few and far between. Because of this I have drawn up some tutorials for altering your shirts:
Basics
Fitting
Puffed Sleeves 1 (the puffed sleeves could be really cute with a matching eyelet fabric or chiffon)
Puffed Sleeves 2
Ruffled Hem

If you would like to order a shirt and don't have a LJ account you can e-mail me directly.

Please feel free to reblog this as much as you want! In-fact I would very much appreciate it!

Bow Shirt Preview

2011-12-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

Just a little preview of the bow shirt. This was a test print we did before John prints the example shirt. The example crown shirt is also set to be printed! I'm so so happy with how this came out!

If all goes well we will have them available for order shortly after Christmas!

Neptune's Domain Skirt and Vest Release!

2011-12-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's Official now! The skirt and vest set is available for order!

The skirt will also be available in a tea length

This is a limited run of 5 Vests and 10 Skirts. Ordering is on a first come first serve basis. The Skirts will be custom made to your measurements.

More Information and photos can be found on the website.

The skirt, vest, and accessories are available in several colors

Accompanying the set is an updated version of my Tricorn Hat:

Although the jumperskirts have sold out; the removable sailor collars will be available for order (with a skirt) as they are an extremely versatile piece to coordinate with. The emblem pins/hairclips are also still available

Addditionally the Couture section has been updated as well with some new pieces. The Garden of Eden dress from the 2011 Otakon fashion show is now available and I had just enough components left over from our last jewelry line to make some acorn jewelry.

More Information and photos can be found on the website.

If you are having trouble seeing the updates please clear your cache.

Preview: Neptune's Domain Vest and Skirt set.

2011-12-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Weigh anchors all, here comes the next items for offer from the "Neptune's Domain" Line.

Here is a bit of a preview for those in the know before I "officially" release the final pieces to the line in the next few days.

Available in a wonderful selection of jewel tones (as well as black), the vest and skirt "set" is a more mature take on the nautical theme.

Skirt and Vest set is a bit of a misnomer as each item can be ordered separably. The skirt will of course be offered in a tea length as well as the usual knee length.

Also for order will be an updated version of my familiar tricorn hat. It's larger now, and festooned with lace, ribbon, cord, and an anchor charm and swishy tassel!

Also even though the jumperskirts have sold out; the removable sailor collars will be available for order (with a skirt) as they are an extremely versatile piece to coordinate with.

I hope you all are looking forward to the release with as much excitement as I am. I want to thank you all for your support and patience. I had high hopes of doing the second release for "Neptune's Domain" a few months earlier, but it had to get pushed back due to the wonderful amount of interest in the jumperskirts!

Daily Outfits: Halloween

2011-11-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit since fall started I have been a bit more lax about updating this blog. I have been rather busy with "Neptune's Domain" orders and various other projects (more about that in later posts).

I have vowed to post about my Halloween outfits before Thanksgiving!

But first an update about the Inklings/ Lily of the Valley t-shirt collab: The two "winning" designs were the bow and crown. I am in the process of editing them so that we can print the example shirts!

Back to coords!

I wore this for a Halloween party a few days before the actual Hallow's eve. I decided to be a "Rosebud Fairy" because my "Fairy Formal" dress I made last spring is so very fun to dance in! I tried to lolita-fy it up a bit with bow shoeclips, rose print socks, a petticoat, and the frilly "peasant" blouse I made for the Otakon fashion show.

This coord on lookbook.

I'm also wearing the Lalique necklace I posted about a few posts back. I decided to suggest wings with some chiffon scarves rather then wear more traditional ones. I can't poke peoples eyes out with these ones!

With my current line how could I not dress as a pirate for Halloween Day! I have to admit all day I was giggling about how the new vest and hat came out!

This coord on lookbook.

Yes this is a small preview for the next release from the "Neptune's Domain" line, it will include a skirt, vest, and tricorn hat.

And ahem... here is another lolita look that I wore in the summer and haven't posted here yet.

I wore this for my birthday dinner with my parents. Looking at this makes me long a bit for warm warm weather!

This coord on lookbook

Details of the accessories. The roses were made of some fabric scraps. I'll have to post a tutorial for them sometime soon!

I wore this vintage cape for the chilly air conditioning! It was one of those great thiftstore finds!

Inklings t-shirt collab designs

2011-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more t-shirt designs for the Inklings/Lily of the Valley t-shirt collab! These are just sketches and the one(s) picked will be inked and digitally edited for the screen printing process.

Basic bow, will be printed slightly off center

Crown: another typical lolita motif.

Cute cake as requested by Charlotte. Please excuse the "fading" of the doily on the bottom

"Fawnasol" with removed horns as requested. I've also shaded in the parts that are likely to be solid.

Art Nouveau mermaid, this one is the least obviously lolita.

The chosen design will be printed in Either white or black on a women's fitted tee. This is the tee shirt I am looking to use:

The tee comes in many colors like:

white
black
pink
bright pink
red
royal blue
baby blue
sky blue
green
grass green
purple
lilac
navy
light brown

We haven't worked out the specifics of the pricing yet, but I'm thinking about $20

So please let me know if you are interested in the t-shirts and which designs you like!

Vintage Treasures

2011-10-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

A while ago (quite a while ago) was my birthday, and some of my friends; knowing my love of vintage accessories so fit to generously shower me with some!

They are just so pretty and neat that I can't but share them here!

First is this beautiful blossom demi-parure that my Mom and I found at a Vintage shop in Philly. I liked it so much that it ended up as an early birthday present!

When I got home I decided to check the makers mark and found out that it is a Lisner; a popular costume jewelry company from the 50's. They are most famous for their "oak leaf" necklaces, but most of the pieces are fairly collectible. The name sounded familiar so I check my other jewelry and found that the leaf pin I found a while ago is also a Lisner.

What really peaked my interest with the set was that with some careful pinning I could wear the necklace as a tiara of sorts!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the earrings as I don't wear clips then they are a tad large for my tastes. Either make them into posts or hair pins.

There is also a brooch to the set, so I'll just have to keep my eye out for it!

This crochet collar came to me through a friend from ebay. It's just so dainty and pretty.

Vintage collars are such a versatile accessory. I've already worn it several times already.

This vintage hat is just ridiculously precious and sweet! I don't have anything to wear it with yet, so I'll just have to make something! I received this from Kristina of the impeccable taste!

One of the most delightful presents was a small shopping spree at some local antiques mall. I just love poking around through there and seeing what is to be found!

Another hat! I had actually seen this hat and tried it on several times before. It's so cute and a really classic shape. Since it's probably from the 80's or 90's judging by the tag inside I'm going to exchange the dark dark blue ribbon for a bit more of a brighter hue of navy; while still feeling guilt free!

I think these might have been the find of the trip! Beautiful white kid gloves with exquisite cut-work embroidery. That Fit My Hands! I've wanted some vintage gloves for a while, but I have rather long fingers.

And finally a little scrap of tatted lace. Tatted lace is really hard to find any examples of so I was sure to snatch this up! I'm guessing it's rather old as it's just rings connected with crochet (and embellished with some whitework "bullseyes" in the center).

Not exactly sure what I'll do with this, it's just so interesting and pretty!

Look for some of these peices in some future coords of course!

Do any of you dear readers have a favorite vintage peice in your wardrobe?

Preview: Inklings t-shirt collaboration

2011-09-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

While the first "official" line from Lily of the Valley was "Excerpts from a Victorian Cookbook", the REAL first line was "Keys to the Kingdom". Released years ago, it was simple box pleated skirt adorned with castles screen printed by my good friend Melanie.

Melanie has since handed over the screen printing business to her son John, who is also a close friend of mine. It is now Inklings, home to Baa the adventurous sheep illustrated by Melanie and some amusingly clever and sometimes quite smart ass shirts thought up by John.

John is engaged to the delightful Autumn (who some Philly lolitas are sure to have met!) and they are planning their nuptials for this coming spring!

As their Maid of Honor I've taken on the task to help them finance the wedding in addition to making the dress (of course!).

In short, John's company Inklings and my lolita brand are collaborating on one or two t-shirt designs with lolitas in mind!

I've come up with a few designs but I also would like your help and suggestions. Here are a few of mine so far!

A basic bow, this is my favorite idea so far. Cute but also not too busy. It would be printed a bit off center.

Fawnasol! Combine two popular lolita motifs = win?

Familiar?

Other ideas I've had would be castles, or an art nouveau style mermaid sitting in a shell.

Please let me know what t-shirt designs you would like to see.

Keep in mind that they will be printed in EITHER white or black ink on a "baby tee" style shirt. The shirt style comes in lots of colors, which is nice.

In other news I've been working on "Neptune's Domain" orders and handsewing an Italian style Renaissance dress in my "off" hours. The example pieces for the second release are next on my list to make!

Lily of the Valley Unveiled

2011-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

image from wikipedia.com

This is a post I have considered making for some time, and have shied away from; the inner workings, so to speak, of my lolita brand: Lily of the Valley.

It simply seemed like it would be too ostentatious, too likely to be seen as showing off, and the idea made me feel rather.... well exposed.

What finally led me to writing it was a lolita secret, posted early August, growling about the prices of my most recent release: the "Neptune's Domain" jumperskirt.

I actually didn't see the secret until over a week after it was posted, I had been vacationing in the wilds of French Canada at my family's' log cabin with no internet to speak of.

At first I groaned and nervously scrolled down, but was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of positive and very reasonable comments in response.

I try to stay away from "drama" as much as I can; figuring that this is a good preventative measure. And so far it has worked, what little exposure I've had (that I have seen) has ended up positive, or at least a mixed bag.

But because of the reasonableness of the "secret" and the thoughtfulness of the comments, I thought I should respond in kind.

So to start: here is a brief rundown in what goes into making a line, it's not always this linear though:

Original Idea: The concept so to speak. A theme or subject matter will bubble it's way to the surface of my mind. I'll play around with it, getting a feeling for the colors, fabrics, shapes, ect. that might work. I'll continue to mull it over, editing, sketching, and revising until I get to the next step. This can take a month or so to a few years; I usually have from 5 to 10 ideas floating about at any time.
Research: Gathering up reference images for the fabric print or embroidery design. I'll also do research into material suppliers and costs. This is when I start working on designing the coordinating jewelry line.
Art: Now I'll start working on the art for the fabric print, or embroidery. If it's going to be printed this means a sketch, lightly transferring the "lines" of the sketch to bristol paper, and then coloring it with markers or hopefully soon: watercolors. The print is worked in sections, to be later assembled digitally. If it's for an embroidery design I just need the sketch. This is one of the "scariest" parts of the process because it's a test to see if I can artistically pull off what I have in my head; I don't consider myself a great artist and I don't get the practice I probably should.
Digital Assembly: The art is scanned. If it's for a fabric print I'll clean up and assemble the various pieces. I have a very old copy of Jasc "Paint Shop Pro", but I mostly use the freewear program "Paint.net" and MSPaint. If it's an embroidery I import it into the freewear program "Threds" and digitize it; shape by shape.
Ordering Materials: Pretty strait forward of course, I order the fabrics, trims, findings, ect. that I need for the example pieces. I try my best to cut costs. I purchase the majority of my trims in bulk or from a outlet store; but I can't do this with everything and lolita garments are complicated and intricate. I purchase my specialty printed fabric from Spoonflower, who I have found to have the best customer service; but it isn't cheap.
Construction: Working out the patterns for and putting together the example garments for the first release of the line (Jumperskirt/skirt/bodice, headpeice, jewelry, additional accessories). I'll also sketch and ink the "official" flats, and make the coordinate "splash page" art at this point.
Photography: Setting up the backdrops and taking photos of the release's pieces, the fabric, color, and trim choices. I use a slightly aged point and shoot for this; a new camera is next of the list for equipment purchases.
Website Editing: Download and edit the photos, flats, and "splash" art. Update the website. Then I'll promote the line through the EGL community and this blog
The Next Step: Wait for orders, take orders, and fill orders. Ship things out Also I'll start preparing for the second release/next line.

Sometimes to amuse myself I'll list the titles of the jobs I do: designer, artist, pattener, seamstress, photographer, webmistress, secretary, accountant, ect.

I realize that this situation is proably how most of the indie brands and small companies work. Mostly I'm somewhat in awe of how the internet makes it possible for one person to do all this and be reasonably successful at it.

It is complicated and quite a bit of work, but I do love doing it. For years I made my own lolita clothing and got a great response and wanted to "share" so to speak. After I while I took commissions; but I never found them to be very satisfying; I was either reproducing a Japanese brand design, or working from a customer's design. So this is what I do now!

Nothing is quite the same as knowing that someone out there likes the design as much (or more) then you do. The thrill of coming across a photograph (or seeing them in person) of someone wearing one of my pieces; well I don't think I'll ever get over that!

This became quite long, I hope it was at least somewhat interesting. Please feel free to ask any questions about the process, brand, or whatnot, I'll make a follow up post with them if there is interest.

I of course want to thank my customers who make this all possible and also the thoughtful commenters on lolita secrets.

To lighten things up a bit I'll end with a photo of the previously mentioned Family cabin for any of you country lolitas or mori-girls out there!

Otakon Lolita Fashion show 2011 Looks

2011-08-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the three looks I showed at the 2011 Otakon Fashion show. I know the photos aren't the best, I took them the night before I shipped the looks to Carla. Not the best lighting!

The first look to go out. If your familiar with my "work" previously to this blog, no your eyes do not deceive you, this isn't a new piece for the show. It's a dress I made last summer that was just too pretty to not end up on a runway.

I did edit it a bit, shortening the skirt lining and moving the ruffle up.

It's worn with a "peasant" style blouse I've been wanting to make for a while, a rose corsage, glass pearl choker, and a vintage hat that belonged to my great grandmother.

I just love how it all came together on the runway! I call it my "Peaseblossom" dress after the fairy from "A Midsummer's Night's Dream"

Of course you have all see the "Neptune's Domain" jumperskirt. Here it is rather simply coordinated.

Since it's being released in late summer I decided to try for more of a fall coordinate with a long sleeved blouse.

The crown emblem pin/hairclip is pinned to a headband and is then pinned onto the skirt of the jsk since my dummy has no head. I originally wanted to pin the emblem to a blue beret for the fashion show, but no blue beret was to be found in the middle of summer!

I can't wait to get this dress back and wear it!

The final look was the "Garden of Eden" dress. Cream lace paired with black velvet and cotton! Accented with some black gloves (which are kinda funny the way I pinned them here!), cream rose corsage, and another vintage hat from my Great Grandmother.

I have to say this cream lace is one of the most amazing fabrics I have ever bought! It's hard to show in photos the epicness of it! Flora and fauna arranged in a very William Morris way. Unicorns and stags, birds and squirrels, Adam and Eve themselves, and more!

Sadly I purchased it years ago, and not that much of it. I have enough after this one to make myself a dress.

This dress will be for sale in the couture section of my website as soon as I get it back

For those interested, you can view some photos of the fashion show here:
http://purpleskymagazine.com/2011/08/photo-ultimate-lolita-fashion-show-otakon-2011/

All in all I think it turned out very well! I couldn't have done it without my wonderful models and Carla's help! Thank you so much!

Neptune's Domain Jumperskirt Release

2011-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome all to "Neptune's Domain". I hope you all like what you see!

As you can see, plans changed a bit. The skirts and vest sets will be the second release and I dropped the mermaid/compass emblem. It wasn't balanced right.

The jumperskirts and accessories are available in several colors.

And of couse there is a matching jewlery line:

More Information and photos can be found on the website.

Please look forward to photos of the looks from the Otakon Fashion show soon!

If anyone has any photos of the pieces from the show they are willing to let me use, I would be very grateful!

Otakon Lolita Fashion show: preveiws

2011-07-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

If you have been wondering about the sudden quiet in this corner of the nets; wonder no more.

For the last few weeks I have been working diligently (and sometimes more then diligently) on 3 looks for the Otakon fashion show run by my lovely friend Carla.

Here are some little teasing snippets of the pieces:

Peasblossom Jumperskirt

Neptune's Domain Jumperskirt

Garden of Eden Dress

As you can see, one of the pieces is from my newest line "Neptune's Domain" and will be the first release from it, hopefully sometime early next week.

Sadly I myself will not be able to be at the fashion show personally. I hope all of you who go enjoy it to it's fullest!

Recipe: Raspberry Cream Cake

2011-07-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Wineberries

One of my favorite parts of summer: berry picking. Right now it's wineberry season in my neck of the woods; a semi-wild variety of raspberries that originated in Asia.

The little jewel like berries pop up along the roadsides a creek beds, just waiting to be enjoyed.

Here is one of my favorite summer berry recipes: Raspberry Cream Cake!

The recipe started out as a traditional Swedish cake, made with cloudberries and cloudberry jam, which are not easy to find around here, so I substituted raspberries and raspberry jam. You can use any berries and jam that are available and seem tasty!

Ingredients: For the cake:

1 and 1/3 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1/8th teaspoon salt

For the topping:

2 cups raspberry jam
Raspberries
1 and 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sugar to taste

Line two 8 inch pans (preferably spring form) with parchment paper. Butter and then flour them. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the eggs. Mix 1/3 cup of sugar into the yolks.

Add the baking powder to the flour. Wisk briskly to mix and to aerate the flour. Add to yolk mixture in thirds, beating until well mixed.

It should look like this when the flour is mixed it. Although not so bright bright yellow, unless you are using free range eggs!

Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks.

Turn up the speed on the mixer and add the remaining cup of sugar.

Continue beating until the meringue holds a stiff peak.

Add half the meringue to the yolk and flour mixture. Gently fold it in.

Add the other half of the meringue, and continue to gently fold until it is incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Until the cake springs back when touched in the center. Let cool completely.

Whip the cream until firm and add vanilla and sugar to taste.

Place bottom layer on plate and spread with jam and then whipped cream. If your jam isn't spreading evenly, pop it into a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for a minute or so.

Carefully place second layer on top of that. It will want to slide around on the jam and cream. Spread another layer of jam on top of that.

Fit a star shaped piping tip onto a pipping bag or plastic bag. Fill it with the remaining whipped cream

You can decorate your cake how you please. This is my favorite method because it's easy (even for someone who is a klutz at piping like me) and is also rather pretty.

Pipe long "columns" around the edge of the cake.

Yes scallopy swags is a technical term!

Then pipe some scallopy swags around the top.

And some dashes and dollops around the top and bottom.

Finally top with the raspberries!

This is one of my favorite cakes ever. It's rather light and delicate, so it's nice for a hot summer's day or night. Because of the cream I suggest icing it shortly before you serve it, or storing the cake in a refrigerator.

What are some of your favorite berry recipes readers?

Daily Outfits: Early Summer

2011-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Coord post! Get ready for quite a few photos, I've been trying to get used to using my tripod for taking shots of outfits.

Another outfit with my "curtain" jumperskirt. It's alsmost astonishing how versatile this dress is! I think I need to make a few more fairly simple flower pattern and solid color pieces.

It's just so hard to keep things simple and not add too many details!

This may be one of my favorite coordinates (so far)! the layering just seemed to really come out well! Something about the length and fullness of the skirt really reminds me of Tenniel's Alice illustrations.

This outfit on lookbook

I am wearing the teal cardigan and gold tone sweater guard I posted about a few days ago.

Hmm, a somewhat awkward expression, but I just am so delighted with twirling photos recently!

I made some brown tatted flower shoe clips a week or so ago. I really like the addition to these rather plain brown shoes I bought when I was a Bridesmaid at my friend Thera's wedding.

I used the brooch pattern I posted a while ago. I just made the top two layers rather then the whole thing.

And finally, I just had to make this little amusing gif when I looked through all the photos I took.

Please enjoy watching my head move around as my parent's chickens walk by!

Spring 2011 thrift store finds

2011-06-20T23:05:00.002-07:00

For those who know me; know that I love thrift stores! At least one third of my wardrobe must be second hand, and several of my favorite dresses were made out of reclaimed sheets.

I live in a University town, and the best time to rummage through the racks is when all the college students leave! Of course you often find somewhat shocking stringy tops, no doubt worn to a local bar; but there are other surprising treasures if you make an effort.

I always enjoy seeing what other people find, I hope you enjoy my "haul".

First off are some somewhat plain but rather versatile tops. What I like about them is the little details that make them stand out.

The plain white one has cute little scallops at the neck and sleeves: perfect for layering with a jumperskirt for a casual lolita look. I haven't figured out what to do with the dark red one, but those puffed sleeves were too good to pass on.

The white one with the blue flowers is my favorite!. I had been hoping to pair it with my Sweet Matyroshka jumperskirt, but it ends up too busy! I really like it for adding a bit of color to mori looks.

Ah sweaters, I wear sweaters year round; layered over a turtleneck in the winter or worn with a light dress in the summer.

I'm planning on wearing the cream long one with a long skirt, and brown belt. I wasn't sure about the teal one, but it's quickly become my new favorite piece of clothing. Brown is a staple of my wardrobe so the 3rd one should work out one way or the other.

I also picked up a plain white braided leather belt, a simple piece.

I couldn't pass up this tapestry purse, even though the colors (other then brown) matched nothing in my wardrobe. Then I realized that the striped heavy cotton I had picked up to make a fall/winter dress was the exact same colors.

And finally the brooch I worn in my hair with my "fairy formal" dress. I actually have acquired quite a vintage pin collection. I was all hep on the idea of collecting vintage hats (I have a few), but recently realized that I already have a vintage collection! I might have to see if I can get them all together at some point and post it here!

Did I say finally? Well I actually found this at an antiques store, not a thrift store. It's a sweater guard, and I bought it on impulse because I had just recently found out about them.

And I wear it all the time! It's so great! It's usually either being worn, or kept in my purse. It's so classy and elegant, and makes all of those cardigans that like to slip off of my shoulders when I work stay put!

So look forward to some coords with these pieces soon!

Have any of you found anything great at your local thrift store lately?

Daily Outfit: Fairy Formal Dress

2011-06-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I mentioned working on a pink chiffon dress to wear to the school's "formal". Well don't worry, I didn't forget about the photos!

Like I said in the previous post; I am a bit disappointed in how the chiffon hung. I was hoping for a bit more of a undulating flowy-ness. The very drape-y effect is quite pretty though, and I'm satisfied in the dress itself. I'm just being a bit persnickety I think!

It is very enjoyable to dance in! I just have to be careful spinning because of the circle skirts. It can get very exciting very quickly!

This outfit on lookbook.

I coordinated it with gold jewelry and my favorite caramel colored heels. I'm very happy with my experiment of wearing a brooch in my hair.

As a long time lolita an outfit just doesn't feel right without something on my head! Bows are a little too juvenile for this look, and I wanted something other then flowers. I find that most hair clips/pins are either boring or too glitzy for my taste, so this worked out nicely. I just have to figure out how to hid the bobby pins better.

By the by, let me introduce you to my histrionically misplaced twin!

This is a photo of a 1950's debutante; and no she's not related to me at all (that I know of). It was taken at The Wharton Sinkler Estate, where my Parents were married! That's all I know about her, but it is quite extraordinary!

Seeing as I was wearing a floofy formal dress I had to try to reenact the photo of course!

Hmm I got the direction her head is turned wrong. I'll just have to try again sometime!

Lines: Neptune's Domain

2011-05-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

The Sweet Matryoshka line and Sweet Acorn Jewlery line are now officially retired.

Which means I really need to get to work on my next line: Neptune's Domain!

The art for the line is completed, I just need to digitize it and make up the samples.

Here's a cobbled together sneak preview:

I will be embroidering these with my machine onto the skirts, one "motif" to either side of the front of the skirt.

The first release will be a skirt and/or vest done in a solid color in a very similar style to the Admiral Pirate set.

The embroidery and trimmings will be done in white or off white. I've already picked navy, black, and brown as color choices. What other colors seem right for the design?

A reminder

2011-05-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day for the Sweet Matryoshka line and Sweet Acorn Jewelry line!

I want to thank everyone who has ordered so far; making this so successful!

Sewing: Fairy Formal Dress

2011-05-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

The design sketch

This past week or so I've had a bit of breathing room in between completing orders and waiting for fabric to come in for the next ones. So I of course have decided to sew something!

Not anything practical mind you, not even a lolita sun dress, or mori skirt. Rather I decided to make a chiffon fairy princess dress.

I find it rather amusing that when I'm not wearing some combination of mori/ lolita/ ect, or historical costume; I apparently want to dress like an extra from Midsummer's Nights Dream.

It's inspired partly by a vintage 70's dress that I saw while blog surfing, and a Moite jumperskirt.

Here is a mock up of the bodice with some icky blue fabric that was donated to the school.

It was surprisingly easy for how complicated the Moite jumperskirt looked. Just 4 peices of fabric for the "braid".

I ended up using pink. I would have prefered a mauve-y purple or seafoam color, but pink was what I could get on sale; which was important because of how much fabric I needed.

The skirt consists of a cotton circle skirt with 3 rectangular chiffon skirts layered over it. The thing is huge!! Here it is laid out on a table with my glasses and layering "cheat sheet" . I wanted to do 4 chiffon skirts, but I just ran out of fabric.

Looking back I wish I had used organza instead of chiffon, as the layers just don't have the undulating body the 70's dress does. Organza seemed like it would be too stiff though, I've never tried to work with it draped like this. Maybe I needed something between a chiffon or organza?

I think it turned out nice anyway though!

I have to admit that the criss-cross detail and cotton candy pink color made me feel like I was making a dress for a grown up "Lady Lovely Locks"! I guess thats not a bad thing; she does seem to have style.

I'm planning on wearing it tomorrow to the school's formal dance. I want to coordinate it with some simple gold tone jewelry to try to make the color more elegant and refined. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

Daily Outfits: Daily Mori

2011-05-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Although I have a great affection for lolita, I usually wear mori or natural-kei as my daily wear. It's somewhat ironic that lolita just isn't a clothing style that is easy to sew lolita clothing in.

I do very much enjoy wearing the foresty styles too! Here are some of my favorites from this past month; before it got so humid and hot!

I've been trying to chronicle this outfit for over a year. The layers and thinness of some of the fabrics makes it wearable for only a short amount of time in the spring or fall.

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

Detail of my necklace and hair comb. No thats not Innocent World, but rather a very similar necklace I found at a costume jewelry shop and glued to the comb.

A more ethereal take on the Maid Marion type coord I wore before. Same scarf too, worn in a different way. Modeling my new (to me) purse.

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

My poor frameless glasses are dieing, so I've been wearing these which are transitions. They don't make for the best photos though!

A more Otome take. The scrunched socks with the boots and lace leggings makes me feel like an old school bishōjo manga. The dress was actually the first lolita jumperskirt I ever made (from thrift store curtains), which still is amazingly wearable even though it's unlined with unfinished seams!

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

The knit collar was made for me as a present from my good friend Molly. The cuckoo clock pin I inherited fairly recently from my Grandmother.

Looking at these photos makes me think I really need to come up with new poses!

I wonder how many Lolita's also wear mori/natural-kei as their more day to day clothing?

Tutorial: Straw Bonnet

2011-05-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

The winners of the EGL Hair Accessory contest have been announced! Congratulations to the winners.

So here is my entry, broken up into 3 images. Click on them to full veiw.

For a first attempt I am pretty happy with it. I do want to make another if I can find another hat to take apart; and maybe play with the brim shape and how the crown sits on my head.

Tutorial: Chiffon Underskirt & Sash

2011-05-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the bit of radio silence there, I've been a bit busy with Sweet Matryoshka orders and working on my next line.

Here is the promised tutorial for a Chiffon Underskirt and Sash:

Sneaking a better photo of this coord in!

Because the tutorial involves chiffon I would suggest it for the intermediate seamstress; although if your determined I'm sure you can figure it out!

Illustrations because I think they are generally easier to understand and because my sewing area isn't pretty enough for photos!

Supplies:

Chiffon (at least 1.5 yards for both sash and underskirt)
Lining fabric (atleast 1.5 yards)
Elastic
Sewing Machine
Serger
Matching thead for both sewing machine and serger
Seam ripper
Something to pull the elastic through, like a safety pin

Cut out your fabric. The measurements given are for wearing with a skirt about 19-20 inches long with a 25 inch waist. Please adjust accordingly.

Cut the skirt pieces out of the lining fabric and the ruffle and sash pieces from the chiffon

Load your serger with thread that matches the chiffon. Serge all edges of the skirt pieces.

Then set your serger to a tight stitch and rolled edge. Serge all 4 of the ruffle pieces together into one long continuous piece, then serge both the top and bottoms of it.

Use a large needle to hide the "tails" left over from the serging.

If your making the sash serge the two pieces together, then serge the top, bottom and sides. Again use a large needle to hide the "tails" left over.

Press all the seams.

Your sash is done! Now to finish the underskirt

Switch over to the sewing machine. Sew the two pieces of skirt together as pictured, into one continuous piece. Press seams

Okay flip it "inside out" so that the seams are now on the inside. Gather the ruffle to the bottom and sew it on.

Now flip it "inside out" again so that the seams are on the outside again. Fold the top of the skirt down two inches for the waistband. Press well.

Sew two lines of stitching all the way around the waistband as shown to create two channels for the elastic.

Take a seam ripper and open the side seam in one side of the waistband, opening both channels up.

Using a safety pin or other such gadget , run two lengths of elastic (about the size of your waist) through the channels.

Securely stitch both of the pieces of elastic together.

Push the elastic back into the waist channels and then stitch the open seam closed.

Ta-da, now you have an underskirt.

These are perfect for making your coord fancier or if your dress is just a smidge too short!

Of course this tutorial is for a chiffon ruffle; if you want to use a cotton or other less fussy fabric you can skip all the serging stuff and just hem everything.

Alternately you could even use several inexpensive chiffon scarves for the ruffle as well.

Daily Outfit: Teens Exhibition

2011-05-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I went to an exhibition at Drexel University of clothing from the Teens (1910-1919). I took advantage of both the beautiful weather and occasion to dress up a bit. I've been wanting to wear this coord from the 10 item 7 outfit challenge, and it finally got warm enough to.

We stopped at Terrain on the way home; it's a hipster garden store run by the same company that owns Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. Very pretty and worth the stop, but everything is really insanely expensive!

This is my favorite outfit I've worn with this jsk so far. It's rather Otome I think.

This coord on Lookbook.

The exhibition was really wonderful. 16 outfits in all, with tons of wonderful details. The teens are one of the fashion eras that I am not as familiar with, but I found tons of inspiration.

I took lots of photos; no flash allowed of course, so it was a bit of a challenge to get good photos.

I kept the photos fairly large; so please click on them to see the details.

The colors of this one are so sublime. It's pretty much all lace, beads, and sequins!

A velvet suit. I like the matching grosgrain trimmings.

Such an interesting dress, the stars are rather a surprising motif to me. I like the way the bodice is, a classic lolita dress with this style of bodice appeals to me! The red roses on the bottom are underneath the lace layer, very strange.

One of my favorites! I wish I could have gotten better photos. The skirt design is all done with a satin stitch!

This is another one of my favorites of the exhibit. It's super over the top! I like the idea of the trailing vine belt! Tons of beading!

I think this one is really the strangest. The shape, color combination, and all the crazy details. It's even trimmed with some fur!

Very Grecian style!

A cocoon coat, lots of venise lace.

Very elegant coat inspired by kimonos. My Mom wants me to commission me to make her one! Definitely need more then one muslin for this one!

This dress is rather elegant, even though it's really not to my taste.

Snappy suit! The buttons are very interestingly placed

A Fortuny pleated tea gown paired with a really lovely coat.

I wasn't very excited about this outfit until I got a close look! What beautiful couching! I want to make a coat with a detail like that on the sleeves and back!

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did! I'm hoping to go to an exhibition of historical and vintage wedding dresses from the Duponts at Hagley museum sometime.

Sweet Matryoshka Skirt Release

2011-04-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

The skirts are released!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, they come in both a standard lolita length and the currently very popular tea length! They also have matching accessories available.

The Sweet Acorn Jewelry line has also been released.

The Sweet Matryoshka line will be available until June 1rst, when it will be retired to make way for the next one!

Daily Outfit: Easter

2011-04-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

As someone with a love of vintage hats and a small but hopefully growing collection how could I pass up the chance to don a appropriately Easter 'bonnet".

Please excuse the mirror photos, I usually try not to use them, but we had 12 people for Easter dinner, and I didn't have my tripod; so these will have to suffice.

My most appropriate vintage hat is a difficult to match spring green. I really like it even though it could probably be mistaken for half a head of lettuce instead of a hat.

I chose a 50's inspired dress I made quite a few years ago to go with it. It's actually made out of an old bed sheet I saved from the rag pile. It has such cute tiny green polka-dots all over it.

Like most of the things I made years ago, this dress no longer really fits. So hence the cardigan even though it was really really warm!

I think my favorite thing about this outfit is that other then the petticoat (which you can't see) nothing is new. The pin and hat are vintage, the shoes and cardigan are thrifted, the dress is made by me, and the pearls were strung by my Mother. It was a sort of exciting thing to realize.

For those wondering these photos were taken at my Mother's vanity table; it's so lovely! If you squint you can see a littler version of me in the frame in the first photo.

Detail of the top of the dress and my hat.

This Coord on Lookbook

Since the dress doesn't fit me anymore, and I still have some of the sheet left, I'm planning on remaking it when I have the time.

I want to keep the 50's feel with the full circle skirt, but add some additional sailor lolita charm.

I am editing the images for the Sweet Matryoshka skirt release and hope to release them either tomorrow or Thursday. I also have quite a few irons in the fire for this blog: tutorials and recipes. As usual, please let me know if you have a specific request!

Recipe: Candied Violets

2011-04-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Easter so far.

Since my front yard is currently awash in violets I thought I'd repost this tutorial from my website. Candied Violets are the perfect way to capture spring in a dainty sweet.

Supplies:

Freshly gathered Violets (or other edible flowers: rose petals, apple and plum blossoms, violas, Johnny-jump-ups, pansies ect.)
Sugar
Egg white
Clean brush that is only used for food preperation

First rinse your flowers. Gently pat dry the violets with a paper towel. It is easiest to work with they while they are completely dry, so you might want to let them sit for a while.

If you are using violets, violas, lilacs, apple or plum blossoms or Johnny-jump-ups remove the stem and any green bits you can (without tearing the flower apart). If you are candying roses or pansies use just the petals.

Place the violet "face" down on your hand, then brush egg white on to it gently and thoroughly.

Carefully remove the violet from your palm and gently hold it between your fingers. Brush egg whites on the front of the flower.

Place the violet in the sugar, then using the spoon, cover the violet with the sugar, being careful to get it all over.

Carefully remove the violet from the sugar with the tongs/chopsticks/your fingers and place it on the plate to dry. Let the violets dry for several hours or however long it takes for the egg whites to cease being sticky.

You can use the immediately or store in an airtight container out of the sunlight indefinitely.

Candied violets are very sweet, but also have a very delicate floral flavor. Use them to decorate all sorts of baked goods.

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the bumper crop of violets this year. Perhaps violet syrup for adding to iced tea and mixed drinks!

Daily Outfit: Red Bridesmaid Dress

2011-04-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

This past friday we had a dance at the school I work at, so I of course used it as an excuse to dress up!

It may sound corny, but I love the dances we have at the school. Because we are both a small school and have students of all ages the the activities are varied and charming . We usually have waltzing, swing dancing, the Virgina Reel (my favorite!), musical chairs, and miscellaneous dancing. Nearly everyone from the littlest student to us staff members are involved. Besides I love to dance!

While nearly all of our dances are "casual" (except the last one of the year), those who want to dress up. I decided to wear this bridesmaid dress I made for my friend Thera's wedding. It's an infinity dress and I helped the other two maids make theirs. Paired of course with my vintage mink stole, which I wear as often as I can!

You can't see it because I'm holding the skirt out, but this dress is much slinkier then I usually wear. It is a blast to dance in though because of the huge circle skirt.

This coord on lookbook.

It's a cliché that bridesmaid dresses are ugly and never worn again. I've been a bridesmaid 3 times over and have ended up with 3 very lovely and wearable dresses.

Heres two coords with the other two. Click for full size.

A rose pink dress that I wore for my friend Kristina's wedding. It has a wonderful 50's feeling and is also a delight to dance in.

This coord on lookbook

I wore this green brushed cotton dress with oodles of pin tucks for my friend Molly's wedding. We actually found them on sale at Macy's!

This coord on lookbook

My friend Autumn recently got engaged so I'm looking forward to another surprisingly wearable bridesmaid dress, most probably in blue!

Do any of you have bridesmaid dress stories, good or horrible?

Fresh from the Forest

2011-04-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Or should I say my Mother's garden.

Fiddle heads: those immature baby ferns, delicate and curly, eaten and enjoyed in many different parts of the world. And my new favorite veggie!

Every Wednesday night I spend with my parents, visiting and talking, catching up, and often trying some new interesting food! As a 3rd generation epicure how could I say no when my Mom suggested picking some fiddle heads from her garden and trying them with dinner for the first time.

They were excellent, rather like asparagus, but without the strange texture. Also they were ridiculously cute, and seemed the the perfect "mori" food!

First we washed them to get the brown papery "scales" and dirt off.

Then we steamed them until they were tender. Most sites seem to suggest 20 minutes

We ate them with some simple butter and lemon. Yum!

While we picked ours from the ostrich ferns my Mom planted years ago, these ferns grown wild over most of the northern hemisphere. I'm hoping to go for a walk in the woods sometime soon to find some more!

If you are interested in eating wild fiddle heads here is some additional info on them. A warning though; there is some worry that fiddle heads are carcinogenic if eaten in large quantities. As it has a very very short harvest season, eating enough fiddle heads to cause this seems unlikely to me. With all wild foods, please be careful and use your own good judgement!

Daily Outfit: Sakura Sunday 2011

2011-04-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I got together with the (now huge!) Philly lolita groups for a meetup at Sakura Sunday at Fairmount Park. I hadn't been to a meet-up in nearly half a year and was shocked and delighted to find that our once small group has grown to well over 25 lolitas!

The cherry trees were in perfect blossom and the weather although overcast was warm enough to be comfortable!

Sadly I seemed to got out of the practice of making sure to get everyone's photo! Next time I will capture the cuteness better!

Some of the many cute lolitas who came. If any of you read this blog, please if you wish leave a comment so that I can follow your blog or add you to my friend's list on LJ.

My good friends and fellow Philly lolita veterans: Kristen and Mary. We ended up taking a bit of a jaunt into the now amusingly "cherry blossom free woods" to take photos.

Apparently pink and green alway seem like the right colors for a cherry blossom festival to me.

I decided to make a pink chiffon ruffle underskirt and waist sash to make this outfit a little bit more classic rather then sweet. I really like the versatility and more mature feeling that they add. You can be sure that they will be popping up again with other outfits!

I'm also thinking on doing a tutorial on them sometime soon!

It's too bad these came out rather washed out, I had pinned a vintage pressed flower brooch to the sash and it matched the mink stole perfectly!

This outfit on my Lookbook with outfit list

So I have some recipe tutorials planned and I'm currently working on a tatted purse and will do a tutorial for it when it's done! Have any of you tried tatting since I posted about it? I'd love to see what you come up with.

Please let me know if there are any specific tutorials or content that you would like to see.

I hope you all had a delightful weekend

Tatted Daisy Giveaway Winner!

2011-04-09T23:24:00.000-07:00

All the sweet comments on the giveaway post were really wonderful! Thank you so much!

The winner is:

Lolla!

Congratulations Lolla, send me an e-mail with your contact info please!

I'm going to a Philly lolita meetup tommorow at the cherry blossom festival. Here's a little rough sketch of my outfit.

I frequently sketch out more complicated and special outfits. It helps me see the color balance of them! Like this one: I originally planned on wearing a pink blouse, but then realized that the white would be too bottom heavy.

So look for some pretty photos tomorrow of the meetup and some outfit photos!

Tatted Daisy Giveaway

2011-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

To celebrate this blog officially going "public" I'm having a giveaway!

The prize is a hand tatted accessory set made by me, one daisy headband, and one daisy brooch/haircip. I think it could go well with Lolita, Mori, Natural-kei, Dolly-kei, or otome!

To enter please comment on this post. Then this Saturday I will announce the randomly selected winner and post it in a new entry.

This giveaway is open to both international and domestic contestants!

Good luck and thank you for reading!

Sneak Preveiws: Sweet Matryoshka and Unnamed Nautical Line

2011-04-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

A little preview. As you can see the Sweet Matryoshka skirts will be available in in a tea length as well as standard lolita length. This is a mock-up of how one will look. I'll be releasing the skirts for sale as soon as I can finish the prototypes.

I've also been working on my next line, which will be nautical themed! Here are some sketches of the proposed monochrome embroidery. Open them for a full veiw.

Intro to Tatting and Two Patterns

2011-04-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Doily made as a wedding present

I have to admit to putting off writing this post; it's a lot of material to cover. But since I'm stuck at home with a spring cold; I figured I'd take advantage of it.

Tatting is a lacework technique that is done with a shuttle or sometimes a needle. It's also somewhat of a dieing art: I've never actually met irl someone else who tats.

I have been tatting for a little over a year myself. One of the things I love most about it is that you can make something beautiful and priceless that can be handed down for generations for literally a few dollars. All it takes is a shuttle and some thread or yarn.

Here are some of my tatting tools: shuttles, yarn, thread, small scissors, shuttle for thick yarn, and crochet hook for connecting picots (not shown, oops!).

You can find plenty of tutorials and video tutorials on how to tat online so I'll skip that part. Heres a good one though.

This and Tat Tutorial

Here is the tutorial that I personally figured tatting out from. Something about how the hands are drawn made it click for me. Click on it to see it full sized (as usual).

From The Reader Digest's Guide to Needlework circa 1970s.

In an attempt to incite some interest: here is a tutorial for a matching daisy headdress and brooch perfect for country lolita, classic lolita, mori, otome, dolly-kei, or even gothic or sweet lolita (in the right yarn colors).

To start out you'll need a shuttle and a properly sized crochet hook to connect picots with (if your shuttle doesn't have a hook). These can usually be found at your local craft store (I know Joanns has tatting shuttles), if you can't find them around you, you can get them online.

If you want to get started right now and are too impatient to go out a get a shuttle, you could cut out an improvised shuttle from stiff cardboard (in the shape of the "thick yarn" shuttle in my tatting tools photo). If you don't have a crochet hook either, you can use the blunt end of a needle to connect picots, or anything similarly shaped.

For this pattern I use a sport weight yarn, but I don't think you need to be exact. Try out some rings and see if the size is what you want. Use any color you want of course.

For these patterns I'm going to using both the shorthand method and the visual pattern method. I find the visual method easiest. Here is a good tutorial on how to read the visual method.

Please enjoy my retro mspaint style, and click on the photos for a larger view.

For the shorthand pattern: ds= double stitch and p=picot

Daisy Brooch

This is made in 3 unconnected layers:

Layer 1: uses shuttle and ball of yarn

Ring: (3 ds, p) 3 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, join to first p on first ring, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 7 times, 3 ds, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

Layer 2: Uses shuttle and ball of yarn

Ring: (3 ds, p) 3 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, closee

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, join to first p on first ring, 3 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

Layer 3: uses just shuttle

Ring: (3 ds, p) 3 times, 3 ds, close

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, join to first p on first ring, 3 ds, close, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

Daisy Headdress

Headdress: uses shuttle and ball

1rst Daisy:

Ring: (2 ds, p) 3 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, 2 ds, p, 2 ds, join to first p on first ring, 2 ds, close,

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

2nd Daisy:

Ring: (2 ds, p) 3 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: 3ds, p, 3ds, attach to 4th p on on one of the 1rst daisies chain, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, attach to 2nd p on the next of the 1rst daisies chain, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, (2ds, p) 2 times, 2 ds, close

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, turn

Ring: 2ds, join the last p on previous ring, 2 ds, p, 2 ds, join to first p on first ring, 2 ds, close,

Chain: (3ds, p) 5 times, 3 ds, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

3rd, 4th and 5th daisy:

Same as 2nd daisy, just attach to previous daisy, not the 1rst one

Tiny decorative daisies: just uses shuttle

Ring: (3 ds, p) 3 times, 3 ds, close

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, (3ds, p) 2 times, 3 ds, close

Ring: 3ds, join the last p on previous ring, 3 ds, p, 3 ds, join to first p on first ring, 3 ds, close, cut and tie to beginning of the first ring.

Repeat until you have 5 (unconnected)

If you followed the patterns correctly (and I wrote it right), you should have something that looks like this.

Materials needed to finish brooch and headdress:

Felt
Needle and thread of correct color
tulle (optional)
scissors
beads or buttons
flatback pin and/or hair clip
extra yarn
Crochet hook (not pictured, how did it escape all of my photos?)

To finish the Brooch:

Put all 3 layers on top of one another according to size. Arrange so that the petals fan out in a pleasing manner. Stitch all 3 layers together; securing knots and covering loose threads. Then sew a pretty bead or button securely on the center.

Cut two felt circles out; small enough so as not to be easily seen through the flower. I trimmed the circles with my scallop scissors because it's pretty.

Cut 6 vague petal shapes out of the tulle. This is a optional step, you can just leave off the tulle if you don't like the look.

Overlap the petals into a pretty daisy shape on one of the felt circles. Pin in place and then sew down.

Place your tatted flower on top of this and carefully sew together.

Sew the pin back and hair clip to other felt circle

Securely sew the two pieces of felt together: in a circle around the edge and in the middle. Ta-da! Brooch is complete!

To finish the Headdress:

Layer the small daises on top of their large daisy counterparts. Stitch together, securing knots and hiding loose threads. Then sew a pretty bead or button securely on the center of each.

Cut 4 pieces of matching yarn, each a little more then twice the length of headdress "tie" that you want. Use a crochet hook to loop these through each of the picots show on either end of headdress. Make sure the yarn pieces are pulled through so that they are all of even lengths.

Tie a knot at the top of both of the groups of yarn.

Braid the strands, using two pieces of yarn for one section of the braid. Keep braiding until the headdress tie is a comfortable length for wearing. Tie a knot in the end and trim extra. Do the same for the yarn on the other side of the headdress.

Now you are done both your headdress and brooch. I hope you enjoy them very much!

I used the extra yarn left over from the headdresses ties to make a tassel for my recently fixed sandlewood fan. A very important accessory for the the summer and for after and durring dancing.

Although I'm tempted to keep them (I seem to have misplaced my own tatted rose headdress, and the brooch/hair-clip is so cute!); I will be giving away the set as a "blog giveaway" when I publicly announce this blog to the EGL forum. It'll probably be in the next week, so keep your eyes open for a post!

Daily Outfit: Maid Marian

2011-03-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday My friend Autumn took some pictures of my completed *ahem* entry for EGL's hair accessories contest. Since I already had her in my grasp, I asked her to take photos of my outfit from the day as well.

So happy to have finally gotten some photos of a good coord with my "woodland dirndl". I've been wearing it all the time right now, since the weather can't seem to decide whether it's spring or winter. It's so comfy!

This outfit on my Lookbook with outfit list

I wasn't sure what to wear on my head with this outfit, since I frustratingly seem to have misplaced my tatted rose headband. But delightfully it turns out a scarf I inherited from my Grandma goes perfectly.

I wore the Sweet Acorn necklace and vintage button hairpins again, they are so versatile and charming!

It might be because of Martha's posts about fairytales and her matching coords on her Moss Garden blog that inspired me; but this outfit reminds me so much of Robin Hood. With the brown braided leather belt, and wearing the green scarf on my head, it feels like I should be in Sherwood Forest.

Or it could be that I found an old copy of "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" illustrated by Howard Pyle.

I have been working my way leisurely through the book recently, and have found it delightfully unlike most versions.

A cheerful hello to all the readers who found my nook of the "blogosphere" through Caro-chan's interview! I want to thank her for picking me, and my brand to feature, it was a delightful experience!

I hope you all are enjoying the blog so far, please let me know if there is something specific you'd like to see! I have some recipes nearly ready, the Sweet Matryoshka skirts and Sweet Acorn Jewlery will be released as soon as I can put them together and take some photos, and when the entries for the EGL contest are released for voting; look for additional photos here as well!

Pssst... I've also been working on stuff for my next line, can't wait to post previews!

Edit: I've been listening to "Sheena is a Lolita" on almost on repeat since it was posted to EGL. Sooo cute and catchy!

Practical Ideas

2011-03-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I was put into the position of having to relocate most my fabric stash to my parents house. Even though the this was very annoying to have to do, I think I came up with an inexpensive way to store fabric so that you could find what you wanted fairly quickly and easily.

Because I had limited time and money, a lot of the options that I would have preferred (like large clear tubs) were not reasonable.

So this is my solution: bankers boxes, with clear paper protectors taped to them, and a swatch of each of the fabrics in question showing through. I also labeled them both on the top and side of the boxes.

For those curious I think the final total of boxes of fabric was 18!

Another moderately clever or at least surprising idea I've come up with is a solution to fitting dresses for clients who's *ahem* attributes aren't easily represented by my re-sizable dressmaker's form. It also uses some of the many felt circles I have saved from making all the Admiral Tricorn Hats.

I layer the felt circles until the measurements matches up, wrap it in an additional piece of felt and pin it in place. Ta-da!

In a slightly different but vein; I went on an expedition to goodwill the other day and ended up only picking up a book.

It's a great addition to my sewing library, it covers very specific ways of dealing with out of the ordinary fabrics. My favorite part is that a lot of it is very good illustrations rather then photographs or lengthy paragraphs.

I think it was published in the 70's, which seems to have been a good decade for sewing instruction. I have two readers digest books published then, one on sewing, and one on needlework techniques; and they are both wonderful.

I almost bought a dusky pink, short sleeved salwar kameez trimmed with antique gold details, but I wasn't sure I would actually have enough courage to wear it!. I was planning on wearing it belted, with a cream turtleneck and white eyelet skirt under it, brown boots and maybe some sort of loose knit neutral vest or cardigan; for a dolly-kei type of look. We have a large Indian population around here so if I get up the gumption I will probably be able to find something similar.

Remake: Green Corduroy Dress Complete!

2011-03-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's day! I hope you all have had a good one so far! To my delight, I finished remaking my green corduroy dress last week, so it was available to wear today. No pinching for me!

It took quite a while because I decided to hand sew the braid on the bodice and hem rather then using my machine, because it was so thick!

I pretty much stuck to my plan for trimming it, except I used an ecru lace trim rather then the cream knit trim. The knit trim just ended looking way too chunky.

Heres some additional photos. Click pictures for larger version (as usual).

I've taken to thinking of it as my woodland dirndl.

Today I'm wearing it with a cream turtleneck, ecru long chunky lace knit vest, white eyelet skirt (with the dresses skirt unbuttoned), and of course my usual brown boots.

I'll try to come up with a more interesting coordinate and take a photo soon.

I'm working on an entry for the EGL communitie's Hair Accessories contest. I can't post photos here yet, because I don't want to ruin the competition; but I'll let you know that it involves straw!

What green clothes are you donning this St. Patrick's day?

Tutorial: Tassel Boots

2011-03-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

One of the several looks I fallen for recently is fringe or tassel boots. Alot of brands have come out with them and urban outfitters has also come up with a very cute pair.

But since I didn't want to spend alot of money, especially on shoes of dubious quality and comfort (in UO case); I turned my mind to figuring out how to add to my very faithful brown boots some tassely goodness.

First you need some boots. Any kind that laces up works. The laces don't even have to be very functional, they just need to be there.

Next comes supplies. You will need:

Some sort of leather or pleather that matches the color of your books. I suggest finding a cheap pleather or leather purse at the thrift store and attacking it with a seam ripper
Shoe laces that match the boots laces
Paper and a pencil/pen
snaps
Fray check or a white glue that dries clear
E-6000 or other strong glue
scissors, thread, and a needle
and tweezers if you don't want to get your hands gluey

Start by measuring the bottom part of the boots lacing. This will be the guide for how big to make the top of the tassel.

Fold your piece of paper in half. Divide the bottom lacing measurement in half and use that for the top measurement. Draw out your tassel shape against the folded edge.

Cut out your pattern, and fold it onto the bottom lacing to make sure you have the size and shape right.

Once your satisfied use it as a template, and mark out two peices on the wrong side of the leather/pleather. I had to add some extra hight to make sure there was enough room for it to properly fold over the lace.

Mark the bottom of the piece into 4 equal sections, cut these with the scissors, and then cut each one again: making 8 total "tassels". Please ignore the holes in my piece, they were from an earlier idea which didn't work.

Now cut nice triangle/diamond shapes into the edge of the tassel sections.

Attach your snaps. I glued and then stitched mine for extra stability.

Tie and trim the shoe lace into pretty little bows. Use some Fray-check or clear drying glue to finish the edges. Try to make less of a mess then I did!

Use the strong glue to attach the bow above the tassels.

Patiently wait for the glue to dry: overnight is best. Then snap your tassels onto your boots. So cute!

Flower Show Report: part the second

2011-03-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well tonight was the last night for the Philadelphia Flower Show. I hope everyone who went had a good time. I am already excited about next year! Blue ribbon here we come! Hopefully

So here are our competitors from our class.

First place

Second place

Third place. I really thought this one should have done better, it's really well done!

And here are the other two entries that didn't place

Here are my favorites from the other classes.
Purses:

Watches:

Necklaces:

Of course the "jewelry" competition is just a small small part of the Flower Show, the main attraction is the big garden exhibits. The main one this year had a very well done suggestion of the Eiffel Tower with carousel animals made from fresh and dried flowers on frames. There were also many other individual gardens, decorated rooms, and other large displays all around the main one.

It's amazing to look at these photos and remember that it's all took place inside in one very very large room.

Tomorrow I'll be going in to pick up our piece. It'll be very interesting to see all of this being taken down!

Flower Show Report: part the first

2011-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Of course I have to start this post with a photo of the completed jewelry piece! I'm very very happy with how it came out, it's something I'd love to wear if it was an actual jewelry set!

Here is the materials card, for those interested in seeing what exactly we used to make it:

On Friday we went to the Convention Center to have our piece passed and pin it to the display board. We had no trouble with the passing and got some very encouraging comments from a veteran of the category.

You can be sure that on Saturday my Mom and I rushed over to the Jewelry Competition section with a very nervous excitement; to find that we had not placed but had gotten a very respectable honorable mention (the only one in our section to receive one).

I have to admit to being somewhat disappointed, being a very competitive person, but I quickly got over it. My Mom and I are now fired up to try again (and WIN) next year! The theme will be Hawaii.

As usual when I go into the city, I took my chance to dress up ! Here's Friday:

You might remember this look from the 7 item 10 outfits challenge. I changed up some elements and to my frustration forgot to put on the brown leather belt. It really would have tied the outfit together more!

This coord on my lookbook with outfit list.

Slightly unflattering accessory shot! Why yes, that is acorn jewelry you spy! Yes it did take 4 month for my findings package to finally leave that mysterious Hong Kong post office!

That means that the Sweet Acorn jewelry line will finally be released with the Sweet Matryoshka Skirts (soon!)

That flower pin I made out of scraps and is one of my newest favorite accessory.

The hair pins are another new item. I was unsure how to do my hair and picked out a few of my Grand mom's buttons from a collection of her's that I inherited and just glued them on to a flat back hair pin! I like the subtly vintage/mori look of them!

I got this hair stick as a Christmas present from my friend Autumn and have since been wearing it nearly everyday. It's such an easy and comfortable way to put up my hair.

I wanted to dress up the style a bit and added a braid to one side as well as the button hair pins; while still keeping it messy for that mori look.

For Saturday I wore another slightly changed challenge look. I wanted to wear the beret for the Paris theme, even though the Matryoshka dolls on my skirt are of course Russian!

This coord on my lookbook with outfit list.

This is my first time wearing a beret with lolita, and I can see why they are so popular. Cute and comfy!

You can't really see them too well in the coords photos but I added some removable "tassles" to my boots. I've been hankering for tassle boots for a while, but I can't really justify buying a new pair just for some fiddly bits. So out came the fake leather, glue, and thread.

I'll be posting a tutorial for them soon.

Part the second will have photos of our competitors and of the prettiness of the flower show in general!

10 item 7 outfit challange

2011-03-03T23:31:00.001-08:00

It's been a crazy busy month, so the other day I played dress up with my dress form. What an enjoyable challange.

Items:A: Polka dot "bed sheet" Jsk
B: Sweet Matryoshka Jsk
C: Brown ruffle cardi
D: White ruffle blouse
E: Ecru "lace" cardi
F: Red Cardi (if you can see it lol)
G: Eyelit underskirt
H: Brown Boots
I: Brown Heels
J: White Sandles (need a new pair XD)

I tried to do as many diffrent styles as possible.

1. Basic Sweet: B, D, I

2. Mori Lolita: A, D, E, G, H

3. Classic (ish): B, C, D, I

4. Hime: A, J

5. Casual Summer (country?): B, F, J

6. Casual Fall: A, C, I

7. Circus/Carnival inspired: B, D, H

I'm planning on wearing a varient of the Mori-girl outfit tomrow when we drop off our peice for the Jewelry Competition at the Philly flower show.

Gilded Lily

2011-02-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

A lovely flower, shiny as a jewel. But what is it made of? I'll give you a hint; it's not what you expect!

Onion skin, papyrus leaves, clove, tangerine peel, some paint and nail polish, and a bit of wire to give it stability!

Wait! What?!

Welcome to the world of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, and more specifically the Jewelry Competition.

The Philadelphia International Flower Show is one of the largest and oldest horticultural shows in the world, and also one of my family's annual traditions. There are lots of spectacular displays and hundreds of different competitions. The fairly tiny jewelry competition is been my Mother's and my favorite.

The rules are deceptively simple: use plant material to make something that looks like jewelry. You can use glue and paint (most commonly nail polish) for color, and non-plant material for structure as long as it doesn't show.

The results are usually breathtaking, and very surprising. The artists have scoured their gardens and wild areas, scoped out the grocery store, and raided their spice cabinets for the perfect pearl stand in, the most interesting shaped seedpod to incorporate.

here are some example from past years.

Every year my Mom and I crowd around the bright cases, talking about how we would have judged differently or changed the piece this way or that. With my Mother as a fine arts jeweler , and me as a seamstress we couldn't resist it's siren song. This year it's our turn!

The Flower Show theme this year is "Springtime in Paris" and the specific competition we entered is "A brooch and earring set inspired by a French jeweler"

We chose René Lalique an Art Nouveau artist from the turn of the century who did quite a bit of

Plique-à-jour: transparent enamel with no backing. We both love Art Nouveau, so it's a perfect match!

Here is some of our inspiration:

We chose lilies as our inspiration as they are the traditional flower of France (often depeicted as the symbolic Fleur de Lise.

We are mostly done the piece, and planning on finishing with a final work session tomorrow; which is good because we must drop it off at the show this coming Friday.

The plant materials we are using are:

Onion Skin
Tangerine Peel
Papyrus Leaves
Clove Buds
Sago Palm Leaves
Lentils
Corn Husk
Hazelnuts
Chick Peas
Bamboo

We will find out the results this coming Saturday, so expect to hear about them (and the rest of the show) sometime Sunday.

Here is an early "work in progress" photo to give some idea of what we are using.

Remake: Green Corduroy Dress

2011-02-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

I love thrift stores. Treasure troves of unwanted items just ready for you to see the potential!

As enjoyable as it is to make something from scratch, it is sometimes more so to remake a dress: changing buttons, adding trim, altering the silhouette until you have something new and wonderful. It's quicker and usually less expensive then from scratch, and almost feels like delightful cheating.

This is what I have planned for this green corduroy dress I found a few months ago.

At first glance it's a fairly unremarkable dress, rather shapeless, and quite a bit too large for my figure.

What drew me in was the beautiful soft mossy green corduroy, mock tortoise shell buttons, and large patch pockets. It had potential as a beautiful and warm mori or dolly-kei peice for the cold weather!

So far I have attacked it furiously with a seam ripper; removing the skirt from the bodice and cutting open the side seams.

My next plan is to sew new side seams and adding some darts to make it more fitting to my figure. Then the skirt will be newly gathered reattached to the bodice.

Image from Folkwear.com

Then comes the most enjoyable part, adding braid, lace, and other trim.

My current inspiration is vintage German dirndls and Tracten fashions, like those frequently worn by the Grimoire shop girls. They are so elegant and charming, but rather hard to find and *ahem* pricey when you can.

So I am planning to add some sage green and ecru martial braid to the bodice and skirt hem, some delightful knitted trim on the edge of the hem, and ecru crochet doily flowers on the patch pockets.

Hopefully it will turn out well! Look for more updates and photos in the future!

Welcome to Lily of the Valley the Blog: Mark 2!

2011-02-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

Warmest Greetings and Salutations! I am Tyler, and I run a small independent Lolita brand called Lily of the Valley. A year or so ago I started a "blog" for my brand on LiveJournal.

Since then I've realized that not only is LJ not the greatest format for this, but that my small brand on it's own doesn't generate enough content for a proper blog.

So came I to blogger and this little journal into the ether. In addition to being my brand's blog, I also consider it a "Projects and Aesthetics" blog.

Featuring:

Tutorials and recipes
Info and "Sneakpeaks" of new lines
Needlework and craft projects
Coordinates
Inspirations
Historical Fashion projects and research
Shopping finds
And I'm sure at least one meme!

I also hope that by having this blog I can reconnect with the lolita community after all these years.

Please feel free to comment and subscribe; I look forward to our future idylls and chats.