The Elusive World of Carol Belle

Okay, so better late than never, right? I meant to post this earlier . . . like two weeks ago when it actually happened. But whatever! They’re here now. My Easter JSK using the Innocent World JSK pattern from the Spring GLB #42.

It’s pretty.

You can see the rest of the album on Flickr. Click me!

Well, I finally got our internet back up and running! Wow, that was super frustrating. It was supposed to be upgraded to the 7Mb service, and for some reason the technician routed the wires to the wrong node. We had to send for ANOTHER technician to fix it. Anyway, here I am! I can finally share the pictures we have!

I really need to start taking pictures of other convention goers. I think I was distracted by the fact that my husband actually wanted to take pictures this time, now that he has his shiny new pocket camera.

As I’m still in the midst of figuring out what I should be doing, I decided to give Tumblr a try. So I’m thinking of posting snippets of things on there, where as this will be my main blog. I’ve got an iPad, so I may as well use it!

You can find me on tumblr here.

I have two things I always have with me; my iPad and my Nintendo 3DS. As you can see in the above pictures. Yep. Nerd. Love it.

Also, I loved the Dalek. Whoever did that, with the voice and movement and everything, was awfully good! So much fun. I got some great video of that one. Ah, I love conventions.

Next one’s in Philly, so we’ll see you there!

‘Cause I can. Maybe.

Well, I want to challenge myself to making this dress replica. My guess it’s already sold out and very hard to find. Also, it’s $350 which is ridiculous for a dress. And it looks pretty simple. I’ve got tons of wonderful trims on the way to match the ones on the piece here.

Here’s a few more pictures on HelloLace.com

Easter Print JSK Update!

Almost done! In fact, it IS done. Tomorrow, we’ll be doing a photo shoot with our friend Lex. He’s an excellent photographer. I managed to use the extra fabric to make a skirt for my sister as well! So we’ll be twinsies for photos! We thought it’d be cute to do the photos in the plaza, and also thought to have little Easter Baskets and colored eggs as props. Lex suggested handing out the colored eggs with toys and candy to children. What fun!

I have a little trepidation with handing things out to the kiddies, only because lately rules and laws seem so strict about giving away food or toys. But if it’s done on Halloween, why not Easter? And they’d make great photos.

Will post photos soon!

I seem to be neglecting my blog recently. Or pretty much always. I’m never quite sure how to proceed with “blogging” . . . I know it’s really only for me anyway, and some of you lucky peeps just happened to have stumbled upon it.

So, what’s on my mind lately? Well, let’s start with Lolita fashion! That seems to be my favorite as of late.

We were invited to go to Monterrey, Mexico for a huge convention they have there! While my husband was the invited guest, however, it seemed I got more attention. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. Dressing up the way I do has it’s perks!

Here I am the first day of the Convencion de Juegos de Mesa y Comics at Cintermex, March 16 – 18.

So because I speak Spanish, though very much out of practice, I ended up being my husband’s translator a lot of the time. Even for on-stage interviews. Holy crap, was I nervous, and I berated myself constantly when I couldn’t find appropriate words to translate. I thought I was an awful translator, but my wonderful and loving husband just kept telling me how much of a help I was. He’s so sweet. My Spanish still sucks, though.

Beware the wig

That wig I’m wearing in the above pictures is fabulous looking – BUT beware! It is heavy. Now, I’ve got a very sensitive head, so it gave me a migraine pretty easily after wearing it all day. Also, the heat and humidity didn’t help. However, I don’t want to knock the wig because it’s beautiful, lush, and very comfy to wear. My mistake was that I adjusted it too tightly in the back (it has adjustable straps).

I bought that wig from Gothic Lolita Wigs, and I have to say I’m very happy with their quality of product. The headache thing is my own weirdness, and my own stupidity. Oh, yeah. And the nails I’m wearing are from KawaiiNails.com . . . They were too small, and I wore them anyway like an idiot. ‘Cause beauty hurts, right? *sweatdrop*

Kawaii Nails

I love those nails. I just wanted to give fair warning here, ‘cause they’re so worth the price, and reusable. BUT you have to make sure you get the right size for your fingers! I measured my nails and according to their charts I was an Extra Small – which was NOT correct. I should have followed my own rule of thumb (literally? heh) and gone a size bigger like I always do – in everything I order online. Small would have been fine. But despite the pain I experienced, the pictures sure came out okay.

I dressed down for the second day of the Convencion de Juegos de Mesa y Comics – which was overrun with anime influence. Japanese culture and anime is HUGE is Mexico. There’s a huge group of Lolitas there too, who were nice enough to invite me in their runway show thingy! So fun! Such nice and lovely girls.

The last day I dressed up again, this time wearing a lighter (in weight AND color) MintyMix wig:

I could not walk anywhere without people asking for my picture. I admit, it was vain but a lot of fun. ^.^ I think it was the wig. I didn’t see another Lolita wearing those crazy colors, or anyone else for that matter – except maybe quite a few Hatsune Miku cosplayers. I need to take more pictures of other convention goers. I have an excuse to do so now! A new camera! One that doesn’t suck and perhaps will inspire more picture taking – so there’s that.

For that, this is all I can think to write about. I’m still working on projects here in my studio since we came back home. Some cute Lolita accessories are in the works, and I just got my new clothing labels in the mail. That means I should probably start making some clothes! Yeah . . . working on stuff. Seein’ where it’ll go.

Until next time, lovelies! <3

Squee! I love love love getting things in the mail! One, I live in a small town and can’t get the special things I like to get – typically anything Japanese. Well . . . okay, so it’s mostly just the one reason. But also packages! It’s like Xmas! ^.^

Firstly, I got my delicious new stationery from Kawaii Depot, an online store with a shop based in Northern California. I bought two letter sets from them, because I just started with a pen pal exchange for Lolitas on LiveJournal. I have three pen pals now, and I thought how great it would be to use special stationery! And it’s SO sweet.

My husband informed me that I CAN put the stamp on the indicated left side if I wanted to. USPS will take it anyway, so long as the mailing address is legible and in the center. I just LOVE the envelopes being vertical. They’re different, and so so cute. And as we all know, I love being cute and different. :P

For my penpal adventures, I went ahead and got a set of return address labels from VistaPrint.com – all cutified with a cupcake. They were pretty cheap too, on special I suppose. 8 bucks with shipping for 250+ labels. I was also thinking of getting really personal stamps from Zazzle. Support the post office, and artists!

So I got my first letter today from a penpal (whom shall remain nameless in this blog – unless she says otherwise, but yeah – privacy and stuff). I was super excited to get this cute envelope. I love traditional letter writing, and all the cute stationery out there, how could you not??

I was ecstatic with the gift that was included in the package, too. 
I’ve been wearing it since I got it. ^.^ I hope she likes what I sent to her in return! Can’t wait to send out more letters. Such a sweet way to communicate. Yay, Lolita.

Experimentation Today

So I’ve reopened my Etsy shop, after figuring out what I really want to do with it. And what I’m really good at. I thought that if I just take it one day at a time, and focus on what I like to do instead of forcing something I have no experience in, I could be successful. And successful doesn’t mean “riches beyond my wildest dreams”, so I’m keeping it real here. So long as I’m happy doin’ what I do, maybe I can do it well.

So I like sewing. And making things with my hands. Mostly sewing. I’ve got a couple skirts that I plan on fixing up nicely to sell. Haven’t decided on prices, but I’m going to be modest to start. My dad insists I should price high. (-_-0) I love my dad. Again, though with the keeping it real – and knowing that most Lolitas are on a budget.

Anyway, here’s some pics of my progress there:

On the clockwork skirt, I needed to keep that border down. I wore it once and realized the little numeral border kept flipping up because it wasn’t stitched down. Well, it so happens I found some amazing stuff: Heat n Bond!

I’m usually all for stitching the seams. But since there was already a top stitch showing, I didn’t want to mar the numerals any more by sewing another line over it. So I happened to have some Heat n Bond Ultra and sandwiched it between the numerals and the bottom ruffle, iron over it, and magic happens. Yes! It IS Washable and dry cleanable. Yay!

So I played with that stuff a little more. And found that I can attach a beautiful trim this way as well!

With the trim, I had to put a piece of fabric OVER what I was ironing on, or else my iron got the Heat n Bond on its plate – and then it was a sad iron. But after cleaning my iron and doing the over-fabric thing, it was perfect. We shall see how my dresses come out with this method!

Yesterday was our anniversary! And so of course, I had to dress up. Some pictures to share! I just wish my husband could figure out how to take pictures that aren’t blurry. *sigh* I love him, I really do. But every time he prattles on about how great a photographer he is . . . well, I keep my mouth shut and tell him I love him.

Things I Got Recently

I got my new circle lenses from GeoEyeCandy and I have to say I am SO pleased with them. I got three pairs for 50 bucks. Great deal! I’ll be giving a pair of the black ones to my sister, though. I found those don’t look very good on blue/green eyes like mine. She has brown eyes. Should be a nice blend there. She’s excited about it too!

Caution: Do NOT use any kind of eye drops with your contact lenses (i.e. Visine), unless it specifically says “For use with contacts.” Yeah. I made that mistake. Thought I’d pass it on.

Using Opti-Free solution. It came with rewetting drops to put in your eyes when you have the contacts in. Also, DON’T use the contact solution as eye drops.

Though I didn’t wear my shiny new lenses today, I did end up going all out on the eye makeup. I ordered some little things from MyDivasCloset.com, including a full cool color palette of eye shadow, some silver eyeliner, and some eyelid jewels. They also have a cute collection of off brand socks for Lolita-esque style! I got some knee-high socks with card suits on them and a lacy border. I’ve got the perfect dress to wear them with!

So I wore false lashes today, the Eye-mazing brand style no. 003. I love false lashes now. I was never into make-up or accessorizing before, but now I just can’t get enough. It’s so much fun to do, experimenting with combinations and make-up techniques. *squee*

What Am I Doing?

If I had a nickel for every time I asked myself this question… heh.

I am diving in, headfirst, into Lolita. And I’m loving every second of it. I find it hard sometimes to keep up with communities online. I’m very much into my world, most of the time, so I don’t usually find myself keeping up with blogs and articles and such. Lately, however, I’ve been a little more active again on LiveJournal. Specifically within the EGL communities there. My interest in Lolita drives me to make new connections, so I’ve been browsing the sewing circle there, and reading experiences of girls just starting out in the fashion. And filling my closet with clothes and accessories that are being sold (second, sometimes even third hand) on the EGL Sales Comm.

So I’m sewing a new dress for Easter, using a pattern that came with the latest EGLBible (#42). It’s an Innocent World pattern, and the biggest challenge was figuring it out. But I think I’ve got the gist of it now, and I’m just going for it. Here’s my progress:

A fellow Lolita seamstress pointed out that the lace I used looked cheap, and she was totally right. So I undid that lace and put in a nice Venice lace for the top of the bodice. It looks much better now.

More to come!

Just sharing some outfits that I’ve been wearing around town lately! I’m so loving this.

Here’s some photos we took while I visited Santa Fe with my little Loli-friend Jessica!

Same dress, more shots with the Canon DSLR

Working on mah petticoat. It will never be done! Always room for improvement.

I never thought I’d get into make jewelry, but I’m really having fun with playing with resin, which led me to investigate wire wrapping, and now possibly even beading. But one thing at a time! I get too excited about too many things and then I lose track! Curbing the enthusiasm a little bit has paid off. I’m focusing on getting the resin thing right this time.

So here’s my spread of pieces. I’m not showing you ALL of them, because the first ones were such utter failures that I’m embarrassed to show them. These, admittedly, didn’t come out as great, but I think I know why – and that’s the beauty of trial and error. The learning part. Frustrating, yes, but once we move on from being frustrated, we pick up and try again.

Well, I used up all my resin so I’ll need to wait for another shipment before I can try again, but I do intend to.

So this is what they looked like when I poured the resin in the molds. I waited about two or three hours before I embedded stickers, and topped the backings with glitter. I used some generic glitter from Mal-wart (for practice pieces), but I also have this fine glitter from Doodlebug that I bought special. It’s pretty stuff, and I’ve got quite a bit of it left.

So in experimenting with different mold release agents (home remedy stuff, before buying the “official” bottle from the company), I have so far found that cooking oil is the best. Being clever, or thinking I was being clever, I tried Vaseline on this batch. Don’t use Vaseline… *sigh*

The pieces came out dulled and I’ll tell you why. First, I thought coating the molds with Vaseline would make the face of the resin piece smooth and mirror-finish shiny. Even better, I thought it’d be a great idea to melt the Vaseline into that mirror finish I wanted so badly to achieve. I used a blow dryer to achieve this. Problem is, you have to use the blow dryer (or an exhale through a straw) to get all the bubbles out of the liquid resin that you just poured. What does this do? Melts the Vaseline INTO the still liquid resin, and then it sets funny. Dull.

So – just don’t use Vaseline, is what I say. So far, the cooking oil works well. And I’ll probably just break down and buy the official Mold Release spray from Castin’ Craft anyway. Grr.

I ordered a different kind of resin for my next experiments. I might coat these pieces with it to see how they might look. That’s what experimental batches are for anyway! More experimentation!

I should mention that I’m only using mold release for the hard plastic molds I got (bought them on ResinObsession.com). My prettiest pieces came out of a silcone mold ice tray! It already has a mirror-finish surface. Like so:

The stickers are just a batch of sticker flakes I bought from Etsy.com. I wondered what sticker flakes were when I saw them listed. They are exactly as they say they are. Flakes of stickers, rather than a sheet of stickers. I searched for “kawaii stickers”, and I’m pretty sure the ones depicted above are San-X – not to be confused with Sanrio and the Hello Kitty et al line of products.

And lastly, some wire wrapping experiments:

Didn’t follow a pattern really, but I did do a little research on some techniques for wire wrapping. The first piece is just milk glass (fake moonstone, heh). The second wire thingy was my attempt at making a “kawaii” style heart with a wing. Not carefully planned or anything, just sat down in front of the TV next to the husband and messed with the bulk of “Funwire” that I got. Yeah, I get cheap kid’s stuff before going into the Pro supplies. Smart, huh?

So, those are the latest bits and pieces of my happenings.

So, we got home on Monday, rather exhausted. Mostly it’s the driving back up to Taos that’s exhausting. Two and a half hours from Albuquerque. For the most part, we had quite a lot of fun, despite the attendance of this con being a little thin. It was definitely better than the one we attended last summer. AND we got to stay at the Hard Rock Casino Resort, which was kind of awesome!

I learned how to play Blackjack in a true casino setting. At first, I was super intimidated by the speed of the game, having to add up quickly and determine the winning hands. No touching the cards, and there’s minimum bets, which the dealers would inform you of quite strictly. We won about double of what we started with the first night (we gave ourselves a $100 pot). And the last day it went up in five minutes. But at least we had fun.

Here are some pictures I managed to grab. I wore my clockwork skirt again and forgot to take pics of it on Saturday. But the other two outfits are here.

Thanks for visiting!

Will be doing another craft post soon, most likely. Prolly too late now, but I’m also singing today at 1pm PST/2pm MST. I added the player on the side bar to listen in on the show.

Edit: The show has been canceled, on account of my being female. Well. Just for today, anyway. Girls will understand.

Well, first any pictures I end up with will have to wait until I’m home on my big computer. And darn it, I didn’t take any pictures of me in my cute Bodyline pink and white skirt. I love that thing, btw, so thank you so much to Jaimie who sold it to me! I have to admit that it’s a little tight around my waist, but that just makes me want to set a goal for firming up in the gym! I have a bloody membership to the Taos spa, so I may as well use it.

Also, I found that Bodyline does a modeling contest. A lofty goal perhaps, but their top prize is a week trip to Japan, all expenses paid! I would LOVE to try to get into that and win a trip to Japan. But in the end, even if I don’t win, I’ll come out of it with a lovely frock from Bodyline and a pretty picture to keep. heh. Think positive, I say!

So we sat there for about an hour or so, and people were still just coming into the convention. It’s a small convention, compared to others we’ve been to. I got to meet a Facebook friend name Kattie. She is SO super cute! Only 16 and is incredibly productive and industrious, having made beautiful jewelry in the style of Lolita and Fairy kei fashion. Her mom is so proud, and I can definitely see why. Her sister too, a little younger, is an aspiring fashion designer and mentioned to me she would love to design wedding gowns. What a lovely and creative family! I bought a couple lovely things from them (couldn’t help it!). I hope to wear them soon and get some pictures taken.

Hoping tomorrow will be better! I’ll at least try to get more pictures up. Today was just a sad tired day (we were both pretty sleepy). Until then, stay cute everyone!