On Being an Atypical Lolita - Outfit Post

I was going to update this last Tuesday, truly.  However, due to a series of events (which I think are pretty great) I was unable to.  I got a call from my sister Monday morning asking if I wanted to attend the Green Bay Packer's Return to Titletown celebration the next day.  After making sure she had a baby-sitter procured (Husband is such a great guy) we got three tickets, and they were so cheap!
I had a lot of other running around to do that morning as well, before I was picked up to go.

Big sister, myself and big brother.  Check out my sister and my deco sparkle!

For fun, my sister and I attached green and yellow crafting gems to our cheeks with eyelash glue (which works awesome, by the way)!
So, it was awesome, and that was probably the closest I'll ever be to my favorite player, Aaron Rodgers (#12 and the Super Bowl MVP) in my life!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, by all accounts I sort of figure myself to be atypical as a Lolita.  While I do love things that are pretty and like many, many cute things as well as things like tea and baking, I do a lot of non-Lolita type things (often while wearing Lolita).  I also love working non-Lolita hobbies into my wardrobe.  This can be as simple as wearing my Mass Effect 2 Normandy SR2 necklace, with a plain coord, or wearing gamer fitted tees!  This last Sunday, I really feel I kicked that up a notch by wearing a Green Bay Packer inspired Lolita coord to the Super Bowl XLV party!  I'd been working on it for 2 weeks!

Outfit Rundown

Shirt - Official NFL Apparel

Skirt - F+F

Cardigan/Shoes - Offbrand

Jewelry/Accessories - Handmade by Me

Tights - Hand-me-Down and Dyed by Me

The most expensive thing in the coord is the skirt, which was on sale, after that it's my #12 shirt (it cost me, about $22.00 but I had to have it).  The cardigan I got on sale ( $18) at Kohl's.  Everything else, I previously had or cost me almost nothing to make!
I was really mad at my hair poofs, though.  I'd been practicing them all week, and they looked great!  This day I just couldn't get them to work as well, and I don't know what I did different.
Otherwise, I'm pleased with the coord as a casual look.  I'd love to get some more accessories and do it up in more of a sweet style though. 
Also, I know you want to see those cupcakes I'm holding up close, right?

You can't see very well, but the cake is actually a layered two-tone cake.  Also, I've never done dual colored piping (or used a large cupcake piping tip) before, so I was pleased at how well these came out!  I swear, it's that butter-cream frosting recipe I use.  It always comes out perfect!

A Good-Sized Fanplusfriend Review

Due to a series of events, I find myself at home on a day that I haven't had off in, probably, well over 2 years.  Basically, there's a pretty hardcore blizzard visiting the Midwest, and my boss and I decided my 45 minute commute would not be safe today.

In addition to being home today, I got an unbelievable surprise delivered to my door yesterday (and right after I vacuumed!)  My order from Fanplusfriend came, probably a month earlier than I was planning on!

So first of all, here's what I ordered:

-Sweet/Casual Lolita Frill and Smocking Neat Skirt - 2 of this skirt, one in black & one in dark brown

-Casual/Country Lolita Flat Top Straw Hat - in Ivory
-Casual Lolita Black "Note & Crown" High Stockings White
-Classical Lolita Rose Piece Knee Length Thick Stockings - in Pink
-Elegant Pink & Cream Pearls Bracelet
-Snowflake Pearls (I cannot find the listing on their website, anymore).

All of this, with shipping, cost $131 and some change.  I thought this was a great price!

Second of all my order timeline:
January 23rd, 2011
-Placed order and paid, received order and payment confirmation
January 24th, 2011
-Received message from Fanplusfriend that informed "From Jan 13 to Feb 17 we are on holiday, we cannot make order during this period.  Your order would be shipped after Feb 18 in time sequence".
January 29th, 2011
-Received e-mail informing me my order had shipped with tracking number
January 31st, 2011
-Package arrived at my door


The little crown is just covering up my address

So, because I'm silly and ordered something else from China around the same time, I assumed that this was my new bento box so I ripped open the terrible packaging.  I stuffed a blanket back into the envelope to give a better idea what showed up on my doorstep.  For some reason, it seems to have been partially coated in packing tape, and I'm not really sure why.  On a lighter note, nothing in the unglamorous lumpy packaging was damaged in any way.



Look!  Here's my stuff

Everything was individually wrapped.  Even the jewelry boxes were in little plastic bags.  It seemed that the skirts and socks were arranged to protect the hat.  I was so worried it would get crushed in transit, so I was thrilled that it was all in one piece.

I love Country Lolita more that, almost, every other style or Lolita, especially in spring and summer.  So, I've been trying to find on of these for, about a year.  So, I've finally ordered one!  The bow on the hat is very simple, but the knot in the middle is loose enough that I can slip a flower corsage clip through.  The inside is plain, with lining just above the brim.

Once I took pictures, I wore the hat the rest of the time.  I made Husband take a picture.

I'm really pleased, as it sits comfortably and it does fit.  I also love the light color and I can't wait until it really gets warm enough for me to wear outside!

Pink pearls!  I love pearls and, as far as I'm concerned, if they're stretchy it seems like a bonus!  Again, I was concerned because I have bigger wrists, however, everything sat nicely without any weird stretching.

While I do like the piece, I'm not sure how much I'll be wearing it with my Lolita stuff, though I do know that I will wear it with a lot of my other clothing, and with my mass of single strand stretch pearl bracelets.  Though, it would look gorgeous if I ever dressed in Hime Lolita again.

Now, I'm not going to lie.  These looked nicer on the website, but on the other hand, they were 88cents.  I love few things as much as pearls, but snowflakes are up there.  It's sort of getting out of the winter season, but I should be able to wear these another month, and definitely will be able to use them next year.

I also got 2 pairs of socks, both were packaged differently and were made differently.  On the pink pair, the design is woven in.  On the white pair, the design is printed on.  I'm nervous about washing them, and will be looking into information if it's safe in the future.

So, as far as socks, they're pretty much fine.  The pink ones are the shorter Japanese OTK type, with the cute scalloped edge.  The white ones are more of an American (in my experience) style OTK.  They are quite long, and say up on my legs very nicely.

I did want to point out that the white and black socks seem to suffer from a printing flaw.  Both socks have the same flaw in the same spot on both socks (the black line circled in pink).  It's very tiny and hard to see, but if you're thinking about ordering, it's good to know.  Also, the image kind of stretches apart when these are worn.  It doesn't obscure the images or anything, it's just a result of a printed on image.

Finally!  My skirts!  I wanted a very plain black and brown skirt to go along with more casual coordinates.  One of the lovely members at the LolitaFashion.org Forums pointed me in the direction of this skirt, and I fell in love.  I decided to get both colors in the same pattern. 

Overall, the fabric is a very lightweight and unlined cotton.  I know this would be a turn-off for some people, but I was very pleased.  This means I can layer under it in winter, but it's light enough that I'll be able to wear them in summer with no problems.

The lace on both is lovely, and quite simple.  I was hoping that the brown skirt would have brown lace, but I really like the black lace.  The brown is a dark enough color that the lace doesn't pop out too much, and is just a lovely accent.

Also, it has a button and zipper closure (shown on the brown skirt, because it's easier to see.)  It also had non-detachable waist ties.  Due to the light nature of the fabric, when tied the waist ties lay very flat and don't cause weird bulges under fitted shirts.

Then, naturally, I had to throw some coords together with all of my new goodies.  You can't see it, but the shirt I'm wearing in the first outfit is my self-made Mass Effect "Impressive" shirt.  For the second one, I wanted something very casual (and would you believe that pink sweater cost me $5?)

So my final run-down on my Fanplusfriend order!

Communication - 4/5 Only because do to their wording I was not expecting these things for almost a month.  I'm happy they were early, but I feel like something was not communicated correctly in the first e-mail I was sent.

Shipping - 4/5 Shipping was very fast!  I didn't check my e-mail for two days and it was on my doorstep!  However, that bag it was shipped in looked like something tried to eat it before they sent it out...

Product Quality - 4/5 Everything was fantastic for what I paid.

Individual items:

Boater Hat - 8/10 It's pretty much fantastic.  Upon close inspection, you can tell it was inexpensive, but otherwise great.

Pearl Bracelet - 6/10 Very nice, but costume jewelry.

Pearl Earrings - 5/10 Great value, but don't look as nice in their stock photos.

White&Black Socks - 6/10 Very nice, and very warm, but with some printing issues

Pink Socks - 9/10 These are great!  Right up there with my BTSSB OTK's

Skirts - 8.5/10  I love these, but I can see others being disappointed in the fabric quality.

Winter Skin Care Routine

I'm one of those people who have dry skin, all of the time.  In addition to dry skin, I also have sensitive skin.  For me, winter is just ridiculous for my skin and I have a careful skin regimen to follow.  Everything I use can easily be found at a place like Target, Walgreens or CVS.  Also, with all of these products, I tend to be thrifty and wait for sales (if I can).  Also, I want to clarify that I'm not getting paid or reimbursed in any way to write about these products.

Moisturizers:
I learned a long time ago (when I was 15 or 16) that ageless and anti-wrinkle type products.  I used to use Neutrogena brand moisturizers, but they tended to be a little watery (in my opinion).  When Olay released their age defying line a few years ago, my mom one day picked up one of their products for me to try, and I can't live without it now.
Olay Age Defying Daily Renewal Cream - This is a lighter moisturizer, perfect for in the morning before I put on my make-up.  It's thick without being heavy and has a very faint and pleasant scent.  However, this stuff is sort of pricey (though in the last year the price has come down).  Averages around $9.50.
Olay Age Defying Intensive Nourishing Night Cream - I love this!  It is my favorite facial moisturizer, ever!  I use this at night after washing my face, right before I go to bed.  Like the daily renewal cream, this is a very thick formula and has a light scent.  However, it is a bit heavier than the day cream, but this is not a bad thing.  It really keeps my skin soft and helps prevent drying out. Averages, around, $9.50.
BONUS Bath and Body Works Twilight Woods Triple Moisture Body Cream - I first tried Bath & Body Works triple moisture cream this last month.  I love it!  I use it for full-body moisturizing, after a shower or bath and put it on my hands before bed every night.  My hands get really dry at work, and putting this stuff on my hands feels like Heaven!  Also, I just listed Twilight Woods, as it's my favorite scent!  $12.00 a tube.

Cleansers:
Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes - Evening Soothe - I've used these facial towelettes from Neutrogena, Ponds and various offbrand versions, pretty much, since they've come out.  I posted the Ponds Evening Soothe, because those are the ones I'm currently using (and they smell so good!).  Whatever soap they use in these is really easy on the skin, and I'm pretty sure there's not much of it.  However, these take off my make-up really well!  Truthfully, they seem to be slightly moisturizing and make my skin feel really soft. About $6.29 for a 30-pack, but if you buy a store brand I've seen them as cheap as $3.99.
Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub - Sometimes I get dead-skin-bits that can't be moisturized, and then I need to exfoliate.  This stuff is fantastic and, like most products from Aveeno, is great for sensitive skin.  However, it is mildly drying and I always moisturize after I use this!  All-in-all it does what it's supposed to without destroying my skin, and that's what I need it for!  About $6.99 a tube.
BONUS Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Make-Up Remover - This is my back-up for when I run out of towelettes (which I tend to do every month).  I'm listing it here, because it works, it's just not my favorite.  Even though it's oil-free, it makes my face feel oily after I use it.  About $7.99.

So, there it is!  I hope that there's some useful information in there for everyone!

It's Cold Outside!

It's cold in the Northern Midwest, REALLY cold.  It was -20 degrees Fahrenheit last night, and when I just checked the local 24/7 weather channel it was 8 degrees.  I even told Husband to take the car to work, instead of me dropping him off, because there was no way I was going outside.  So, in between reading science and history articles on Cracked.com (God, I'm a nerd) and thinking about how cold it is, I decided I wanted to write about some of this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just through my regular browsing throughout some of the online Lolita community, I've noticed that many ladies don't wear their Lolita clothing in the winter time.  The main reason is that it's too cold.  I, personally, would be more concerned about getting salt stains on my shoes, but that's just me. 
I don't think it's so unreasonable to wear Lolita in the winter time, in fact it seems much better time than the summer.  I feel that with some minor creativity, this type of clothing can be very well layered and worn in the cold weather with the right articles of clothing.

Article 1: Tights
Really, it's a no brainer to wear tights once the temperature starts to drop.  Even stopping at your local Target you can find a good variety of colors and types of tights. 
There is one thing to make sure of in cold weather, though.  Make sure your tights are THICK.  I have a few pairs of tights that are thinner, and I might as well be wearing knee socks with bloomers (not a pleasant experience when it's cold and windy).
Article 2: Leggings
No, really!  I have two pairs I can't live without that I wear under my OTK socks.  One pair is a full length pair in black.  I like to wear these with my solid black OTK's.  I'm short enough that you probably wouldn't know the difference.  The other is a skin-tone type color pair of capris. I wear these with any of my other colored OTK's.  Unless someone is really paying attention or looking for it, most people probably wouldn't even notice I'm wearing them.  Due to personal experience, I prefer the capri type because I am short and they tend to make my socks wrinkle oddly around my ankles. 
On a side note, I wouldn't recommend doing this with plain knee socks.  Odds are the leggings would wrinkle around the knees giving a weird look.

I'm wearing OTK's with leggings AND boots!

Article 3: Boots
If for no other reason, than to keep your socks dry.  Seriously, I don't think there's an ickier feeling than wet socks.  I looked all winter for a nice pair of black, fuzzy, warm snow boots as and add-in to my wardrobe, but was unsuccessful.  However, I've seen lots of ladies on Daily Lolita Coordinates using them and looking so cute!  I do have my little ankle boots (seen above) but I generally only wear those the day after in snows when most places have plowed, but I still may get unlucky.
Article 4: Cardigans
If you're going somewhere that you won't need a coat but it's cold outside, wear a cardigan.  If it's not the perfect match to your outfit, so what.  Take it off when you take off your coat and put it back on before putting your coat back on. 
There's lots of cute brand and non-brand stuff out there that you can wear to go with your outfits, but if you don't have any, at least put something on under your coat for that chilly trip outside!

Alright, that's all of the stuff I was thinking on today.  I hope some of you find this helpful.  Keep warm!!

BodyLine Review for L304 & SOCKS369

I am thankful everyday for my wonderful husband.  I say this because I'm reviewing the dress and socks he picked out for me for our second anniversary (the cotton anniversary).  He knew I wanted the dress, but was unwilling to order it because of the shirring at the top.  I wasn't sure how it would look on me, at all.  He picked out the socks to go with (which look great!)

Alright, so onto my review.  First, L394 or the Antique Clock OP. 

Like I said before, at first I wasn't willing to order this myself, because I was very apprehensive about the shirring at the top.  I was afraid it would make me look lumpy, and possibly somewhat heavy.  However, I was head-over-heels in love with this print in grey.  Apparently, my husband really liked the print, too.

So, here it is hanging on the hanger. It's quite plain, over-all in construction, which I really like.  The print on this dress, while hardly obnoxious, has a lot going on so the plain construction looks really nice.  Also, because the top is plain, I can wear a pull-over sweater over the top and it looks gorgeous!

Another concern I had was the lace.  Here are some lovely picture of it, though:

In the picture on BodyLine's website, I thought the lace almost looked silly.  I actually told Husband that if I ever were to buy it, I would probably remove it.  However, once I had the dress in my hands and tried it on, I changed my mind.  It's quite lovely and cut nicely.  It does stick up somewhat odd, at the sides though.  I may make a tiny stitch on either side to help it lay more flat.

I was concerned because I own BodyLine's Sweet Biscuit Heart Chocolate JSK and the lace on the bottom was cut quite badly.  However, that wasn't the case here at all.  Also, the lace is pretty soft.  Once again, I was concered it would be typical semi-scratchy BodyLine lace, so this was a pleasant surprise.

The print is very lovely, and very detailed.  It features Harlequin diamonds, polka dots, clocks, and the printed on ribbon reading "Antique Clock".

I'm in love with the pattern, truely.  As beautiful as it is online, I think it's so much more lovely in person.  It's very detailed, and I love the distressed look to the clock faces.  In addition, I didn't think I could love the color gray this much.  Due to the many shades, it's really easy to coordinate with different grays without it looking odd.

It also came with a detachable bow, but I don't really have much to say about it.



I haven't really been using it, but I'm trying to figure out a good way to attach it to the back of the dress, since the back is really plain.  However, the pin is really low so the bow tends to tilt forward and look akward when attached.  I may just need to detach and move the pin up higher.

Alright, and as much as I love the dress, it's not all sunshine an rainbows.  For some reason there are loose threads all over the dress.  I've never had this happen with a BodyLine piece, so I was really surprised.

I know it's not really a huge thing, but I was irritated, especially because a lot of it was on the outside of the dress along the bottom of the shirring.  All I need to do is go along with a scissor and clean it up, but there's a part of me that thinks I shouldn't have to.  I know it's BodyLine and their quality isn't supposed to be the best, but when I buy a $20 Mossimo dress at Target I don't need to clean up sewing sloppiness.

So, in closing:
Pros:
-Plain dress constuction compliments the print
-Shirring fits nicely and is forgiving
-Lace is soft and lovely
-Print is beeautiful!

Cons:
-Lace on collar sticks up strange in one spot
-Pin on detatchable bow sits too low
-Loose threads everywhere!

Overall: I'd give it an 7.5/10

Secondly, the socks.  As I said, Husband picked these out himself to go with the dress.  Which, you may be surprised how well harlequin diamonds, polka dots and striped socks go together!

The lace on the top is so incredibly soft, it's kind of amazing.  Overall, the construction is good.  However, the bows on the socks are, kind of, in a random spot on both socks, once you put them on.  They look like they would sit to the back, unworn, but they really don't.  Also, these are supposed to be OTK socks, but they are really stretchy and have a snowball's chance in hell of staying up over one's knees without sock glue or fashion tape.

Overall: Nice constuction, but with some irritating flaws.  6/10

Finally, I just wanted to share some pieces I've been using with this OP.  Like I said, because of the many colors of gray, it's been fun to play with!

I got these hairclips and watch necklace from Claire's/The Icing after I got the dress, to go with it.  I love the flower clips with the dress, as it's something I wouldn't normally just put with clocks.

I also have this sweater that my parents got me for Christmas (but my big sister picked it out for me).  It's from Kohl's and the brand is Apt.9.  It's a wool sweater and is all warm and beautiful when there's a pretty clock "skirt" to go with it.  It was a nice surprise, since I had gotten the dress only 2 days before Christmas (it was late in the mail).



Welcome!!

Alright, here we go with this brand new blog that is a little bit like a New Year's Resolution.  For my first post, I just want to list down some things that I expect to try and accomplish here, along with why I want to do these things.

To start, a little bit of background.  As stated in my information, I'm in my mid-20's and I'm married.  My husband and I are both employed and hard-working, but money is often tight for us.  As such, I've found lots of ways to adapt my hobbies to our budget.  These hobbies would include: Lolita fashion, bento-making, jewelry making, cooking/baking, video games and various other crafts.  As such, I've found that it's possible to be extravagant almost every day, even when you're on a budget.  That's what I want this blog to be about.

To begin with, I really want to keep my focus within the scope of Lolita fashion, and ways to make it work when you're on a tight budget.  As far as I see, most of my other thrifty hobbies will be able to seamlessly weave in and out of this focus.  That's not to say that my focus will never change.  Part of the idea of "Everyday Extravagance" is all the little things that can happen in a day, or week, or month that make life and the world around us a little more beautiful.

So, to begin with, you can expect the following:

-Craft Tutorials (both of the practical and fun varieties)

-Product/Clothing Reviews

-Pictures of Pretty Foods (and hopefully recipes!)

-Views and Advice for ways to help stay within a tight budget.

-Pictures of Various Pretty Things

So, I hope I can really deliver and make this work for my sake, and for the sake of any out there interested in what I have to say.  If all goes well, I hope to make a schedule so that I can post once a week on one of my days off (either Tuesday or Sunday).

See!  It's my first picture of something pretty!

(BodyLine shoes with BTSSB socks)