Sailor Moon Steampunk Cosplay for PAX East 2013

It is that time of the year again for me when I am getting ready for the best and only convention that I go to. This year I have decided to make one super awesome costume instead or 2/3 that are good. I am working my little hands off making a Steampunk Sailor Moon cosplay. I did a little googling and there really haven't been any Steampunk themed Sailor Moons. I came upon a few that were called Steampunk but they were less than impressive (They basically just added a corset and called it a day) so I am more than happy to make mine.

 I worked on the design for quite a while and took my time because I have never made a Steampunk anything so I wanted to do it right. Plus, I always take a long time to design. I am happy with what I have come up with. I had to keep many things in mind when I did design it. Low cost, comfort, actually creatable (possible designs), and a nice blend of Sailor Moon and Steampunk.

 The above picture is nothing fancy an is just a layout of the pieces that I am making so I know the exact plan that I am going to follow. The blouse is pretty close to the original (see original outfit below), I just changed the sleeves and made the bust gathered. It will have a brown faux leather  underbust corset. to go over the bottom of the blouse. I haven't made a corset in a few years so it will be a relearning experience.

There will be 2 skirts, a bubble skirt and then a pleated blue skirt trimmed with lace. The back of the pleated skirt will have 3 layers of  pleating and a bustle style back. as far as accessories go I will paint and decorate an old pair of boots, sew faux leather gloves, and several ribbon things like bows and necklaces.

I am going to be taking pictures as everything comes along. I have purchased almost everything that I need so I can blaze ahead. As of right now I have cut out the blouse pieces and have started to sew them together. It will take a little longer to sew everything just because there is going to be lots of little details on everything. Embroidery, extra stitching, and hand sewing. Here is the first peek of everything that will soon be an outfit and accessories.

 Pictured is the faux leather brown fabric (gloves, corset, and a few tiny things). And, don't worry. For those of you who are into corsets and know more about making them. I do have coutil fabric to make the corset with. The faux leather will go on the outside. The two light tan fabrics will be for the blouse and underskirt. The two dark blue fabrics are for the sailor style collar and the pleated skirt. My husband bought me the awesome goggles and they are going to be tweaked to look like Sailor Moon's original goggles. The long metal things are the boning that goes in the corset to make it stiff. Everything else is for decorating. Gears, cogs, stars, keys, D rings, and tiny tiny small little gears.

I will be sure to take some pictures tomorrow when I am sewing so I can show my progress so far. I have less than a month to finish so it will happen pretty quickly. I can't wait for it to be done so I can see the final product and smile. It always feels so good at the end to see your accomplishment. I really hope it comes out well and that everyone likes it. I have been planning my make up and hairstyle in my head. I am most definitely going to sport the odago/bun hair style, you have to with Sailor Moon. 

If you could make or just buy a Steampunk version of anything, what would it be? Adventure Time? Disney Princess? Lolita?

Pen Pal'ing with a Lolita!

Last year I got it in my head that I wanted a pen pal or two. Not only did I want a pen pal but I wanted a pen pal who was a Lolita as well. So, I made a post on egl. I told a little about myself like hobbies and interests and waited. I received many answers and ended up with 6 lovely ladies all around the country who wanted to exchange letters with me. I busily wrote all my letters, stuck stickers, and sent them out. Now, I am not sure what happened exactly but out of the 6 people who said they wanted a pen pal, only 2 responded. So if you want a pen pal you might want to start with a few and end up with a good one.

Now, I have a really awesome pen pal from across the country. We have so much in common and our letters are always filled with so much. My mother still talks with/writes to her pen pal from high school (40 years later). I think it would be amazing to still write to my pen pal years from now.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to open my mailbox and see that pink envelope with my name on it. I hope/think my pen pal feels the same way. We both have good stationary collections (Hers is better and bigger than mine though) and our letters look so pretty. Every letter I receive is filled with stickers and look forward to getting them so much. It is fun shopping for new stickers and stationary at the store as well. I always make my way over to the sticker section of every store I go to and more often than not I find something cute to pick up.

If you want a Lolita pen pal there is a place to make that happen, Lolita Letters. Just like egl it is on livejournal. There are people on there who have posted and you can answer them or if you want, you can do a post of your own. I love the letters that I have received and I am building quite the pretty little collection. I have to purchase a pretty box to store them in. 

Do you have a pen pal? Do you have a Lolita pen pal? Or, did you ever have one like in elementary school?

Lolita Challenge 2 of 52

5 Movies for Lolitas

I wanted to make a list that was a little off the beaten path. i could have gone with all the obvious ones like Kamikaze Girls, Marie Antoinette, and  Psycho Gothic Lolita. I think those were on many lists and I thought I would try not to repeat as to spice it up a little. It took a little brain storming but I am more than happy with my list and really do recommend you take a peek at each of them. I think I made these choices because some of them are visually beautiful and remind me of Lolita in that way. Different and stunning. Some, are innocent like Lolita and have the sweet and pure feel that I get from Lolita.

The Fall

I'm  not exactly sure how I found The Fall but I am so happy that it is in my life. It is just a visually gorgeous movie that has an amazing visual style. You can watch a trailer here to get an idea for the feel and look. This movie is about a man and a young girl in a hospital. The man tells a story to the girl in hopes that he can trick her into stealing medicine for him in order to commit suicide. I know it wounds a bit depressing and it is a little but the ending and the visuals make up for it. It is a touching story. for those of you with a Netflix subscription it is streaming here. If this movie was a brand, I believe it would be Metamorphose. Lovely, but not afraid to try visually interesting things.

A Little Princess

Alright, I might have chosen this movie because it is a childhood favorite of mine but I think it deserves to be on the list.  A Little Princess is about a young wealthy girl who is sent to a girls boarding school when here father goes off to war.  Her father is lost in the war and along with him, all of their money is gone. Sarah now lives in the school as a servant but still believes that all girls are princesses and wants everyone to believe it as well. It is such a sweet story, see more here. This movie and Innocent World are so similar to me, it is like they are the same exact thing. 

Pan's Labyrinth

 I remember seeing this movie not really knowing what it was. I saw a few pictures online and I thought it was going to be a sweet fairy tale and that was it. Boy! That was not at all what I got. It is indeed a fairy tale but a dark one filled with violence, amazing and scary creatures, and lots of obstacles for our heroine to over come. Take a peek at the trailer and see more. Just like The Fall it is a visual movie but just not as bright, this is a very dark movie (visually and story wise). 

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden holds a special place in my heart as a childhood favorite just like A Little Princess. The whole movie is like like the garden. In the beginning everything and everyone is like the garden. Grey, neglected, and unloved. As it progresses Mary (the young girl above) helps to bring life back to the garden and people around her, including herself. It has a super sweet trailer that I am sure will make you want to watch it right away. This movie reminds me of Baby the Stars Shine Bright. There is even a print call The Secret Garden that is exactly like the movie.

MirrorMask

 Gorgeous movie. That sums it up very nicely. Such a cool movie. The story, the music, the costumes, the visuals, and the characters make it just so cool. It is about a girl, Helena, who works with here parents in a carnival and she wants something different and wants to do her own thing. She then finds herself in a world of her own creation but needs to save her mother and find her way back home. Watch the trailer here. If you don't want to watch the trailer please please please watch this video of Close to You that will be stuck in your head all day and you will like it. It is one of my favorite parts of the movie. I think this movie would be Moi-meme-Moitie. Dark and interesting.

Well, that a bit of a long post but it is a good one I think. There are so many more of these to do, 50 more to be specific. What did you think of my list? Do you agree with ay of these chosen movies or have done it all wrong? Will you watch any of them because I recommended them to you? I hope so.

Lolita 52 Challenge 1 of 52

Welcome! Here is the first of many posts. I really do hope that you ladies and gents enjoy them. Do keep in mind that all the answers are my opinion. I am going to answer all these questions to the best of my ability, tell the truth, and hopefully make them slightly entertaining. I think I will learn a little but about myself and Lolita along the way too. When I breezed through the topics I saw a few that were going to make me thing. So, here we go.....

 5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style.

This one took a little time for me to decide on. There were several things that went on the list and then were edited off because they didn't apply to all styles. A petticoat was one that I wanted on the list but petticoats are not used in Boy Style or Kodona.

Coat/Jacket:
I know they can be quite pricey if you want to invest in a brand coat or jacket. The price hovers around $300-$400 for a coat or jacket from AP, Btssb, and Meta. Even if you don't want to spend that much there are alternatives to choose from. Fan Plus Friend, the egl sales comm, and finding "Lolitable" jackets. I found my jacket at Target and it goes well with Lolita.

Boots:
I know that might just love boots and think that everyone else should love them as much as I do but I think they are a very important part of any Lolitas wardrobe. Whether they are to the ankle or all the way up to the knee, there is something special about a boot. I think they are flattering on everyone and  believe that you can never have too many boots.

Bags:
Just like the boots, I think that having around 600 Lolita bags is just about right. If you can only have 1 Lolita bag I would go with a white or black, or even a pink if your wardrobe is primarily Sweet. I only have 5 or 6 but I want many more. When I first got into Lolita I had a complete outfit but not a bag and I felt incomplete. 

Parasol/Umbrella:
If you walk anywhere in your Lolita best than you are going to want to protect it from the elements with a parasol or umbrella. Anytime that isn't Winter I am walking around my town and I never leave without my parasol. It keeps you cooler and protects your skin from sun burn. It makes it a little it easier to wear a blouse, bloomers, a petticoat, and all those layers on a warm day.

Knee High or Thigh High Socks:
I think most Lolitas have a collection of cute socks that warrant their own drawer. Most of my Lolita socks are off brand but I still love seeing all the pastel colors, lace, prints, and prettiness when I open my top drawer. It's just socks! So many socks! There are a good Lolita item to stock up on because they are inexpensive (when it comes to Lolita prices, socks are cheap) and socks can change the look of a whole coordinate.
  
Sorry this post took a bit to go up, I have been  a little sick and therefor unmotivated. What do you think about my list? Do you agree completely or think I got it all wrong? Do you think that I am missing something obvious?  

Daily Lolita Highlight: Cyehra

It has been a little while since there has been a Daily Lolita Highlight and I think this particular one is was worth the wait. Cyehra not only shows off her amazing coordination skills, she also shows off her AMAZING designing skills. All the dresses that are pictured are of her own creations. So, feast your little lovely Lolita eyes on these pictures.

 Everything about this is just perfect. The dress, the pose, her hair and make up, and the way the photo was taken. It's so dramatic and professional. I feel as if I would see this in a magazine as part of a photo spread. I'm not sure why but I get a Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood vibe from this. I think it is the fog. I can hear the wolf on the prowl and it almost looks like she looking out for him. 

I would wear this dress in a heartbeat. The cute capped sleeves and the gold and wine go together splendidly.  I feel like that color combo is flattering on a lot of people. I wish I had oodles of money because I would buy one of everything that she has.

 Okay, the word that comes to mind when I see these is just plain cute. So cute. First off, I want to steal her star bag that she has in the second picture (okay, now that I said that I can go on). I like the way she coordinated the JSK in both pictures but I think the first one is my personal favorite. The dark haired braids, long sleeves, and the pink beret really get me. You don't see a lot of pigtail braids in Lolita but I really like it. It's cute and it is easy to do. Plus, now we know it looks double cute with a beret.

I saved this one for last because it was my absolute favorite out of all of them. How could it not be? Black, ruffles, and an awesome Pegasus unicorn.  3 awesome things all together and it makes a dream dress for me. And these pictures. It doesn't get much better than these. It is so frigid feeling and shows off the JSK so well. The fabric that she used to make this JSK is perfect for the design and looks lovely.  The chiffon is so light and makes for perfect ruffles. Yea chiffon ruffles!

When I dug a little deeper I found out she had several things that everyone might be interested in. Not only does she post super cute posts on Daily Lolita but she also has a facebook page for herself and her designs, StarPirates.  In additions to those she also has a really cute blog, Shine Like a Little Bright Star. I really suggest you check them all out. Her blog is fun and has great pictures of her designs. Some of it is in English and some of it isn't, but that is okay. She posts so many pictures you can get the gist of what she is talking about even if you can't understand the words. 

I didn't post all the pictures that she has on her post so I really suggest popping over and checking it all out. I love the black Unicorn Pegasus dress. Which dress is your favorite dress?

New Phone Accessories and a New Phone

When I went on that little shopping spree on ebay I not only bought jewelry but I bought a few things for my fancy new phone. I picked up a few cases/covers and the cute little plugs that go in the head phone jack. They were all super inexpensive, 99 cents to $1.50. Here they are.

 I wanted a few different colors so I could switch the cover to something different when the mood struck. Black and white are good old reliable colors and they I also picked up some pink. I just really like pink. I plan on decorating all the cases. I don't know if I am going to to the all out deco like you see with so many phones. I like it, all the sparkles, pearls, craziness, and detail, but I am not feeling it for my own phone. I think I will go with a more subtle look.

 As soon as I got my new phone I put the light pink case and black kitty on it. How cute is that? I love cats so much. I couldn't help myself when I saw the cat plug.

I wanted several plugs for the phone and these are the cute little ones that I picked out. Of course, cats. The two cats together are just the cutest thing. They look like they are hanging onto the phone and dangling their little butts down. The fuchsia sparkly heart matches the dark pink case to a T. It is so good. The little crown one came with a random color gem in the middle so I didn't get to choose it but I am happy with the color that I got. Amethyst is my birth stone and it always welcome. My favorite part of the crown plus is that it has the little loop to add a dangle charm to it. I miss the old style of cell phones that had a bigger loop to add lots of charms. All the new phones are so plain and have no way of attaching charms.

I have to put a little time aside to decorate the cases. I have been so busy lately and it will never get done unless I specifically set aside a chunk of time to do it. I look forward to having a fancy phone with a fancy case and a fancy plug. Fanciness everywhere!

Do you have a fancy or cute phone? If so, what does it look like?