Painting The Roses Pink

A Post About Being "Perfect"

2011-07-25T18:03:00.001-07:00

Hello. It's been a while. I've been really busy lately with work and my etsy shop not to mention a bunch of other things... one of which not having much inspiration to write a blog. But I was struck by inspiration yesterday when there seemed to be a miniature war going on over at my Lolita tips Tumblog.
Basically, I made a Lolita tip about keeping your nails neat and clean even if you aren't one to wear fake nails covered in cakes and ponies. This sparked an argument from one side about how nobody should tell you what to wear and you should just do what you like and that Lolitas need to stop expecting everyone to be perfect. The other side of the argument (my side as well as another Lolita's side) was that it wasn't a matter of being perfect, it's a matter of taking care of yourself so you can be beautiful and healthy.
So here I am, on my soap box, telling you all how I see this whole argument about being "perfect" Lolitas. There seems to be a lot of argument in the Lolita community about how you don't need to listen to the Lolita "rules" and that you should just do what you want. And I agree with this... to an extent. I see the "rules" more like guidelines. If you take away some of the basic rules like wearing a petticoat, only wearing things that are good quality, and modesty, then you take away essentially everything that makes Lolita what it is.
So going along with the rules versus guidelines topic, we come across things like keeping your nails clean and doing your hair and wearing makeup. There seem to be arguments that these things are not important and that everyone should be happy with their natural beauty. And while I do agree that natural beauty is great, I think that some effort should be put into it too. This is how I see it. If you're going to spend $300 on a beautiful dress and accessories, wouldn't you want to put effort into everything else as well? I think it seems silly to spend so much on a dress and not even bother to brush your hair or clean that dirt out under your fingernails. I'm not saying that every Lolita needs to dish out their life savings on tons of makeup and expensive hair care products. What I'm saying is that you need to take care of yourself. Wash your face, comb your hair, put effort into your appearance other than just your clothes.
It's not about being perfect. It's about having respect for yourself and your clothes. It's about complimenting your beautiful clothes and being as beautiful as you can be whether you're fully decked out from head-to-toe in brand and expensive makeup and wigs and fancy deco nails or just happy with putting your hair into braids, powdering your nose, and dressing in your Lolita best. It's about being beautiful in your own way, not perfect in the eyes of everyone else.

So, this was more of a rant than a serious blog post but I thought it would be something to put here until after Otakon when I have a post about that. I apologize again for not posting more often. I'll see you later!

BABY, The Stars Shine Bright Print Love

2011-06-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't been posting a lot lately, but I bad to make a post when I saw the new set that's coming out from BABY, The Stars Shine Bright.
It's called Unico in Bloomland. That's right. It's a unicorn print. A unicorn print that has officially made BABY my favorite Lolita brand.

Needless to say, this is my new dream dress. I vow that I will have this print in my closet! What are your thoughts on it?

Lolita Checklist

2011-05-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

Oh dear. It's been a while since I've made a post here hasn't it? A month to the day! I'm really sorry about that. I've just been so busy lately with work and school (graduation is coming up though! Yay!) and the new blog that I haven't gotten around to posting here for a while. So I thought it was about time to get back to it.
Today I was thinking about what to post and I thought "What are some things that I think Lolitas should know about?" which turned into "What are some things that I think Lolitas should have?" So I now present you with my list of 25 things that I think every Lolita should have! I would love for you to use this as a checklist and post in the comments how many you have!

1. A favorite perfume or scent you wear with Lolita.
2. A Live Journal account so you can use the EGL Sales Community and keep up-to-date in other Lolita communities.
3. A Tumblr account so you can follow my Lolita Tips blog! (I know, tumblr isn't for everyone. That was really just me advertising. Ha ha. I regret nothing.)
4. A playlist or CD full of music that reminds you of Lolita.
5. A Paypal account to help with buying Lolita online.
6. A collection of cute shirts to wear with Lolita skirts on days that you just want to go Casual Lolita.
7. A favorite place to hang out in Lolita. Whether it's by yourself or for meetups.
8. A really fluffy petticoat.
9. A daily beauty routine.
10. A special occasion beauty routine.
11. Frilly pajamas and cute slippers so you can feel Lolita even when you're going to bed.
12. A favorite Disney princess.
13. A pretty journal for writing down thoughts and notes.
14. Pretty stationary for writing letters.
15. Pretty scented soap.
16. A collection of favorite tutorials, whether they be for hair, makeup, sewing, crafting, or anything else Lolita related.
17. A cute purse that you can use in or out of Lolita.
18. A favorite outfit for every occasion.
19. Something with some sort of deco-den. It can be an ipod covered in rhinestones and cupcakes or a laptop covered in black beads and skulls or a cell phone covered in roses, as long as it's deco-ed!
20. A cute signature pose for photos.
21. An inspiration folder on your computer.
22. A special part of your closet or room sectioned off just for your Lolita things.
23. A collection of pretty picture frames for photos of yourself and friends in Lolita.
24. A favorite Lolita blog.
25. Confidence!

A Tumblog for Lolita Tips!

2011-04-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to create a blog like this for quite some time but I haven’t gotten around to it until just now. Basically, this blog will be for Lolita tips of all kinds. There will be tips for Lolitas of all styles, ages, colors, sizes, and shapes. There will be tips for beginner Lolitas as well as tips for more experienced Lolitas with a few Lifestyle Lolita tips thrown in here and there as well.
http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com/

Thanks!

Convincing Your Parents: One of a Young Lolita's Biggest Challenges

2011-04-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

A challenge that many Lolitas face is the challenge of convincing their parents to allow them to wear Lolita. Of course, this isn't much of a problem for older Lolitas, but when you get into Lolita at an early age it can cause quite a few problems. I got into Lolita when I was about twelve or thirteen and from the moment I said the word "Lolita" my mother was completely put off. But I am almost eighteen now and while they aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of me wearing something so strange my parents have grown to accept that I am probably not going to change my mind about wanting to wear it any time soon.
Because of the problems I had trying to convince my parents to let me purchase my first Lolita dress online, I am creating this blog post to help beginner Lolitas get through the process more easily. Starting with the next paragraph, this post will be me talking directly to your parents. So, whether it is you who needs help or a friend, I hope this will help you to at least get an idea of ways to convince your parents that Lolita fashion is not a bad thing! You may not even want to make them read it (there really is a lot) but rather go through yourself and pick out the parts that you think are important to tell your parents about. Here we go!

Dear reader,

Hello! If you are reading this, chances are you are the parent or guardian of someone who is interested in Lolita fashion. I would like to start this off by telling you that Lolita fashion in no way relates to the book or movie "Lolita" or the dictionary definition of the word meaning "a sexually precocious young girl." So why is it called Lolita? Well, in all truthfulness, nobody really knows. Lolita is a Japanese fashion so the name for it originated in Japan. The best explanation is that the person who originally named the fashion got lost in translation and took the word Lolita to mean just a young girl without realizing the sexual connotation associated with the word. Furthermore, I would like to point out that Lolita fashion is in no way associated with any fetishes such as "age play" or French maid fetishes.
Lolitas dress for themselves rather than dressing for someone else. It is not something that someone wears in order to attract men or anyone else. Lolita is not a sexual thing and in fact, is actually based in part around the idea of modesty and elegance. Blouses and dresses are generally high-cut and skirts are around knee length. Many Lolitas even wear old fashioned bloomers under their skirts to help ensure modesty!

Perhaps you are worried that your child will make a fool of themselves by wearing these clothes in public (or if you are like my father, you may even be worried about them making a fool of you.) That is quite understandable. Most parents want their children to be accepted by their peers and to protect them from people who might say mean things about them. But just know this: Your child knows what they are getting into. Most kids go through a stage where they don't care what people say about them (trust me, I'm in that stage right now as a matter of fact) and sometimes they never grow out of it. There are plenty of adults who wear what they like no matter what the public has to say about them. And if your child isn't that type of person, chances are they will just learn from the experience of trying it.
If you are still not convinced, there are other options. There is a sub-style of Lolita which is appropriately called "Casual Lolita" because it is more toned down than most Lolita styles. A casual Lolita outfit generally consists of a Lolita skirt with a less poofy petticoat than usual, a less "frilly" or "outlandish" blouse or nice top, and less accessories than your average Lolita outfit. (For more information on Casual Lolita, follow this link.)

Another point I often hear is that parents don't want their children buying from the internet because they are worried about it being dangerous. As someone who has been purchasing Lolita clothing online for four or five years, I can tell you that I have never had any major problems. The only problems I have had with buying online have been with ebay shops. Some ebay shops are scammers and will just take your money without sending you your item, but this can easily be avoided by checking the seller's ratings and reviews. But in reality, it is sometimes not best to buy Lolita on ebay at all because a lot of the sellers on ebay are not the best quality and sell things that aren't really Lolita, with labels to make people think it might be. It is generally best to stay away from ebay when buying Lolita items.
If you are worried about a specific shop online, the best thing to do is search for reviews from customers who have bought from the shop. (For more tips to ensure safe online purchases, please visit this link.)

One last thing that parents seem to have problems with is that Lolita can be expensive. There are Japanese Lolita brands that charge upwards of $200 for their dresses. But don't worry, this can be avoided! There are offbrand Lolita sites that sell high quality Lolita clothing for much cheaper than the big Japanese brands, so if you don't want your child spending so much on a dress, have them do some research on other Lolita shops.

As a 17-year-old Lolita, I know how hard it is to convince your parents to accept your fashion choices. That is why I created this post on my blog to help beginner Lolitas have an easier time with this. (Believe me, with a father who is a very conservative police officer, I had quite a bit of trouble with this.) I hope this post has been helpful for your understanding of this fashion your child is interested in and I hope I have helped you to make a decision.

A Kuro Lolita Photoshoot

2011-04-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

I say "photoshoot" for lack of a better word. Whatever you want to call it, the other day, my friend Amanda wanted to take pictures of me in Lolita. So I let her pick her favorite dress of mine and we went over to our other friend Alexis' house to take pictures. Alexis did my hair and Amanda did my makeup and here are the results!

And now one with the beautiful Alexis, the artist behind my curls!

Sometime soon we plan on doing a Classic Lolita shoot and I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for looking!

The Day You Really Are a Princess

2011-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

That's right. This entry is dedicated to Lolita weddings! I made a post like this quite a while ago, but this one is going to go more in depth.
Personally, I would love to have a Gothic Lolita wedding with a Victorian touch. So maybe you would call it a cross between Gothic and Classic Lolita? But I would also like to have some Sweet Lolita touches in there as well. I suppose it will be fairly eclectic. So let's get started on some options.

The Venue

How could you possibly have a wedding without a place to have it at? There are so many different places you could have your wedding, so why pick something boring? In a perfect world, I would be married in Versailles but I somehow don't see that happening.

My next option is a garden. A big garden full of beautiful, well manicured flowers would be amazing. (But not so much if someone has allergies!) I would also love to get married at a cute little church out in the country somewhere (although that makes me think of Rocky Horror Picture Show). Or perhaps for a more Gothic feel, a full blown cathedral complete with gargoyles! I have actually heard of some people getting married in cemeteries. Not my thing, but if you like it go for it! It would be even better if you had family members buried in the cemetery so you really have a connection to it.

The Invitations

Another very important part of your wedding is the invitations. If you don't invite people nobody will be able to bring you presents, er, I mean, share your special day with you. It's best to have your invitations match your theme. I have always loved the look of the invitations from Royal Steamline, a shop that specializes in Gothic, Vintage, and Steampunk style invitations and save-the-dates. There are also a lot of great invitations for any style and theme that can be found on Etsy.

The Cake

It's no lie (get it? Get it? I made a funny.)that the cake is something that a lot of people really look forward to at weddings, so you want your cake to be amazing! I personally think that you should pick whatever flavors you like best. It's your day and you shouldn't have to worry that much about pleasing the guests. If they don't like the flavor, you can make up for it by making it aesthetically pleasing. Here are some of my favorite wedding cakes that I've seen.

And I have to admit, it may not be Lolita, but I think I might actually want this cake at my wedding. (Or at least the amazing toppers.)

The Bridesmaids
While you are supposed to be the most beautiful girl at your wedding, you want your bridesmaids to be beautiful too (whether they like it or not!) Of course the most Lolita thing to do would be to have all of your bridesmaids wear Lolita. If they are already Lolitas you could let them pick their favorite dresses and if they aren't Lolitas you could have them choose a Lolita dress they like from an online shop and order it. Or you could have them all wearing the same dress. I personally like the idea of my bridesmaids wearing EGA though. Here are the dresses I had in mind:

And you can't forget the flower girl! Catherine Cottage has some adorable flower girl dresses as well as Lolita style dresses for little girls!

The Groom
Of course, this depends on your preferences as well as the preferences of your groom, but I think it would be fun to have him dress for the theme! I would love for my groom to wear EGA, especially with a top hat! But I suppose if he just wants to wear a plain old tux that's fine too (as long as he wears a bowtie!)
Your Dress!
Now for the really fun part! Picking out your dress! You could choose to wear any Lolita dress, or you could go for a more traditional route with a full length dress. Here are just a few of my favorite examples, some more traditional than others.

In a perfect world I would be married in Versailles, wearing an exact replica of the wedding dress from the Marie Antoinette movie.

I would also love to be married in a replica of Mrs. Lovett's wedding dress from Sweeney Todd.

But something tells me that I'm not going to get married any time soon, so I guess I have a lot of time to think about it.
I hope you have all enjoyed this and for those of you who might be planning to get married I wish you luck! For more Lolita wedding ideas I would suggest taking a look at volume 5 of the English Gothic and Lolita Bible. Since it is out of print it may be hard to find, but I think it is worth it.

A Lolita's Playlist

2011-04-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all! How nice to see you again!
So, while going through Lolita forums and communities over the years I've noticed something. Someone always seems to be looking for Lolita music. Whether they want something to get dressed to, or to play at their stand at at artist alley, or just something to listen to, Lolitas seem to love finding music that has a Lolita feel. So I've compiled a list of 50 Loli-able songs! That's right, 50 songs and links to where you can hear them! When I say these are Loli-able songs I mean that they have a Lolita feel to them and they somehow make me think of Lolita. This list includes a variety of songs ranging from J-Pop to Classical and everything in between so there is something for a Lolita of every style! This list is by no means in any particular order because I'm terrible at deciding which I like better between two songs, let alone 50, but I put a lot of work into compiling this list and linking everything so I hope you enjoy this list of songs!

1. Kanon Wakeshima - Heroine Syndrome
2. IU - Marshmallow
3. Florence & The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
4. Nana Kitade- Lum no love song
5. Mindy Gledhill - Circus Girl
6. BIGBANG feat. 2NE1 - Lollipop
7. Kerli - Tea Party
8. Orange Caramel - Magic Girl
9. Kanon Wakeshima - Lolitawork Libretto
10. Charlie McDonnell- Melody for Melody
11. Anette Louisan - Das Grosse Erwachen
12. Tomosuke - Chocolate Philosophy
13. Voltaire - Happy Birthday (My Olde Friend)
14. Malice Mizer - Gardenia
15. supercell - Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari
16. Carla Bruni - Quelqu 'un m 'a dit
17. Sweeney Todd - Green Finch and Linnet Bird
18. Kana Hanazawa - Renai Circulation Full
19. Kerli - Walking On Air
20. Darren Criss-I Still Think
21. KAT-TUN-Love yourself
22. Kaya-Chocolat
23. Versailles - The Love From The Dead Orchestra
24. Yousei Teikoku - Canary
25. Kaya- Ophelia
26. Ali Project- Peony Pink
27. The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
28. Tangled- When Will My Life Begin
29. Kokusyoku Sumire - Eikyuu ni uruwashiku sumire no hana yo
30. Late Night Alumni - Moonwalking
31. Milky Holmes- Seikai wa Hitotsu! Janai!!
32. Yoshiki Lisa - Destin Histoire
33. Mae- Sun
34. The Carnival of the Animals - The Aquarium
35. Annie Little - Fly Me Away
36. Yuji Kajiura - Lacie
37. Mcfly - Transylvania
38. Tom Felton - If You Could Be Anywhere
39. Ali Project- Baragoku Otome
40. Owl City - The Technicolor Phase
41. Kalafina - Lacrimosa
42. Iwasaki Taku - Si Deus Me Relinquit
43. Johann Strauss II. - Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Walzer. op.325)
44. Tommy heavenly6 - Hey my friend
45. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
46. Gackt - Love Letter
47. Doctor Who - Amy's Theme
48. Liz Callaway - Once Upon A December
49. Olivia Lufkin - Starless night
50. Aural Vampire - Darkwave Surfer

And there you go! 50 songs that make me think of Lolita. I hope you enjoy them!
Note: This list is based on my personal opinion. All these songs were chosen for this list based on the words, the tone, the artist, or the general sound of the song. If you don't agree that something should be on this list please leave a comment and I would be more than happy to explain the method to my madness!

Thou Shalt Not Have Bias

2011-03-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I noticed a post on EGL about a contest being held my Gothic Lolita Wigs on facebook. The contest seemed simple enough. Submit a picture of yourself in your favorite Lolita outfit along with 50 words about it. So I put on my favorite co-ord, rigged my camera to sit at the proper level to get a picture of my full outfit, and posted. There was one thing I didn't think of though.
You see, it would seem to me that Lolita contests are generally more or less popularity contests. You might say that everything in the Lolita community is a popularity contest these days. You have Daily Lolita posts with nothing but comments saying how great the poster looks, Lolitas who check Lolita Valentines religiously to see if they're mentioned, and then you have the endless Lolita drama that pops up on Lolita Secrets and /cgl/. So here I am in my BABY, The Stars Shine Bright Princess Shirring JSK (which I am very proud of because it is my first brand dress) with about seven votes. Go to just about any of the Lolitas wearing head-to-toe Angelic Pretty and they will already have 50-100 votes! Why is this?
I would really like to explore this subject farther. What is it about wearing tons of Angelic Pretty and OTT Sweet Lolita that makes Lolitas flock? And why is it that someone deserves to win a contest to win a wig when they already have several wigs from the store? I would love to hear your opinions on this subject. Please leave comments!

(Disclaimer: I am not saying this because I'm mad about anything. I think most of the girls wearing OTT sweet look amazing and deserve to win. I'm just interested in hearing opinions.)

Tips and Tricks for Selling Second-Hand Lolita

2011-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Do you have a closet full of Lolita clothes that you don't wear any more? Looking for ways to make money to buy new Lolita? Did you know that there are plenty of places out there on the internet where Lolitas everywhere could be looking to buy exactly what you're looking to sell? That's right! Come along with me on a magical journey into the world of selling second-hand Lolita clothes!
Okay. So maybe that's a little melodramatic, but that's really how I feel sometimes. The first time I sold one of my Lolita dresses online I got this crazy rush of excitement! I love the idea of making money and bringing a new Lolita dress into someone's life because I know how great it feels when you get a new dress!
So, where exactly would one go to sell their Lolita dresses? Well, I would suggest one of these two places:
EGL Comm Sales
or
The LolitaFashion.org Buy and Sell Forum

Now, being a moderator for LolitaFashion.org I would love for any of you who aren't already on there to make accounts and use that, but I have to say that the EGL Comm Sales is probably the most popular place for Western Lolitas to buy and sell second-hand clothes.
Here are step-by-step instructions for selling on the EGL Community Sales:
1. Get a Livejournal account. Already have one? Great!
2. Join the community.
3. Read the community rules!
4. Make a feedback page. You need one of these if you plan to sell or buy on the sales comm.
5. Make your posts! Be sure to follow the rules or else your posts will not get accepted!

And here are some instructions for selling on the LolitaFashion.org forums:
1. Make an account for the forums.
2. Read the rules!
3. Read the buy and sell forum rules!
4. Make your posts!

Sound easy enough? Well, there are also some guidelines you should follow when selling as well. Here are a few tips for making good posts:
1. If you are using a Livejournal community, be sure to put your post under a cut. To do this you highlight all your text an then click on the little box that should be right next to where you make a table. When you hover over the button it should say "LiveJournal Cut". A pop-up box will come up with a text box that says "Read more..." You can keep that text as is, or you can add your own text. This text should only be a sentence or phrase (something short) that leads to the actual post. If you look at the community page this is the gray text in parenthesis on the posts.
2. Make sure you take your own pictures of the products you wish to sell. These pictures are to be used as proof that you actually own the product and aren't trying to scam anyone. When taking the pictures try to take them in clean and well lit area. Nobody wants to buy something that looks like it's coming from a dirty house!
3. If you know them, post the measurements of the item.
4. List your item at a fair price. This should be somewhere around the price you originally bought the item for, usually a bit lower.

Not having any luck selling your items? I use Ebay only as a last resort. I prefer not to use Ebay because of all the fees. Not only that, but you sometimes end up selling to people who want to buy your Lolita dresses to use as cosplay (which is totally not cool in my book.) But if you really want to get rid of something and want to get the money, this is usually an okay option. If you're worried like I was about someone buying your dress for use as cosplay, do what I did and write them a nice thank-you note to send with their dress. Also include your Lolita blog or your favorite Lolita blog. That's what I did. (If you listened to my note, hello person who bought my dress! I hope you like it!)

I hope you found this little tutorial helpful and have fun selling your second-hand Lolita!

New Pictures of Sugar Pansy

2011-02-18T13:14:00.001-08:00

I just thought I might follow up on this post by posting the new pictures that have some out for Sugar Pansy.

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about this print! I thought these new pictures deserved their own post.

Happy Singles Awareness Day!

2011-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Wait. You mean it's actually called "Valentines Day?" Well that's upsetting.
Never fear though fellow single Lolitas! I have just the thing you need! (Insert drum roll here.) Introducing, my list of 10 ways for single Lolitas to have fun on Valentine's Day!

1. Online shopping! Or if you don't have the money, window shopping! Lolita is of course a great thing to spend your money on, but if you don't want to spend so much money on an impulse, beauty products are fun as well. I recommend Pretty and Cute. They have lots of great Asian imports and their website is really cute too.

2. Spend some time on youtube looking for good Lolita related videos. (And have fun laughing at those that are not so good.) Also look for some good Lolita related music. I highly recommend Lolita KompleX.

3. Sell stuff. I don't know about you, but I find a certain thrill about selling Lolita clothes I don't wear anymore. And hey, it gets you money!

4. Buy a pillow pet. They're soft and cuddly and really comfy. I have a ladybug named Mr. Bug and a unicorn named Darren.

5. Diet? What diet? Indulge yourself today! Buy yourself a box of chocolates and dig in!

6. Have a spa day! Take a bubble bath, cover yourself in good smelling lotion, and paint your nails!

7. Have a girls night out! Who cares if it's a Monday? Grab your friends and go out for dinner and a movie.

8. While everyone else is watching gooey, romantic movies, treat yourself to a nice action or horror movie. Who needs kisses in the rain when you can have exploding cars and loss of limbs?

9. Go onto Facebook and find some status posts of friends who are being all mushy gushy with their significant other. Comment on said posts with "Eeeeeeewww~!" or something equally as childish.

10. Check out some new Lolita blogs. Go to the blogs you follow and look at the blogs of the people who follow them. You could also try finding some Japanese Lolita blogs. Even if you can't read them, the pictures can be fun to look at.

So there you are! I hope you have a great day! (Or what's left of it. Darn school and work. I would have gotten this up earlier in the day if I could.)

Sugar Pansy and the Great Age Debate

2011-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, Angelic Pretty has recently released a preview of an upcoming print, Sugar Pansy. There seems to be much debate about this print. Personally, I love it! I think it's very pretty and it's refreshing to see Angelic Pretty doing a print that doesn't involve cake and sweets and animals and sugary rainbow happiness. (Not that I have anything against their OTT sweet prints, I just think it's nice to see something new.)
Well, I was on Facebook yesterday when I saw someone on my wall make this post "im sorry sugary pansy is a fail...>.> why? Only OLD WOMEN wear those colours and prints!"
I had to do a double take. I'm sorry. Only old women wear pink and lavender? Are you trying to suggest that this model looks like an old woman? (Damn you AP for not letting us see the whole dress.) Only old women are allowed to wear floral prints?
When I responded to her post by saying "I think it's adorable. =/ Haters gonna hate." She responded with "It's not cute to see young girls pretending to be old....>.>"
Which leads me to my next point. She seems to think that wearing a pastel floral dress will make young women look old? Well what about any other floral dress? What about Classic Lolita, which is meant to look more mature? Do Classic Lolitas look old? Angelic Pretty took a classic idea of floral prints and pastel colors and made them look young and sweet!
And that being said, why should it not be okay for a young girl to wear a floral print, but it is perfectly fine for older women to wear sweet Lolita? There has been plenty of debate about people being too old to wear OTT sweet Lolita, but they do it anyway because that's what they like to wear.

Anyway, I could rant about this for hours, but I'm not going to. What I want to know is, what do you think about Sugar Pansy?

100 Followers!

2011-01-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much everyone!
I really wish I had a special way to celebrate this. Art, a video, a special event, something special. I want to do something for you! A contest maybe?
I don't know! But I will do something special! If you have any ideas for what special thing I could do for my 100 awesome followers, please leave it in a comment!

Please help donate to children in need!

2011-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

I realize that this is a Lolita blog, and neither of these things have anything to do with Lolita, but they are both important charities and I would love it if some of you could help out! (This is mostly copied and pasted from my tumblr so that might be why it looks familiar.)

So, I’m currently working with two different charities to collect donations of two different things, gently used books and DVDs. I don’t know if I’ll get any thing out of this, but I really wanted to share this to see if anyone would help.

The first charity is The African Library Project.

My school has been working with the African Library project for three years and my shop has been put in charge with my friend, Rebecca and I as the project managers. The African Library Project sends childrens’ books to schools in Africa that don’t have much money to buy their own books in order to build them good libraries for the children who are learning English as a second language. This year we have a goal of 1000 books for grades 4-8. So far we only have around 230.
We are looking for new or gently used fiction books for kids especially grades 4-8, but we would also accept non fiction and books for kids in grades K-3.

The other charity is Hope for Cope.

Shortly before Christmas my mom’s friend’s 14-year-old daughter, Jazmine, died of leukemia in the Childrens’ Hospital at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. After being in the hospital for so long, Jazmine realized how boring it can be spending the day in the hospital with nothing to do and nothing to watch on TV. Jazmine’s mother is now collecting new or gently used DVDs to donate to the Childrens’ Hospital. They are only looking for PG-13 or lower.

I was hoping that maybe a few of you who don’t live too far away would be willing to send books and DVDs to me to donate to these charities. I’m not really willing to give my address out for the whole world to see, but if you would like to donate just leave a comment to this post saying that you want to donate and give me your email address and I'll send you the address where you can send the donations.

If you don’t have anything to send, or just don’t trust someone asking for DVDs and books over the internet, but would still like to help, you can donate money to the African Library Project here. Sadly, as Hope for Cope isn’t an official organization, they do not have a website or a place to donate money.

Thank you!

A New Site for Beginner Lolitas

2011-01-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

As you may know, I did have a website that I had made as a Lolita informational for beginners. But I've noticed that a lot of the information on it was a bit outdated, as was the old version of Webs. So I have remade my old website into a new one, appropriately called Painting The Roses Pink as an extension of my blog.
http://paintingtherosespink.webs.com/
It is still under construction, but all the information is new and up to date. I made this website as a way to help people who want to learn more about Lolita and possibly become a Lolita. Everyone always says, "do research before you try it!" but it's sometimes hard to do research when so many things are scattered throughout the internet. So I decided to bundle up all the big, main information into one website.
If anyone has any friends or knows anyone who is interested in trying Lolita, please direct them to my site! Thanks!

Movie Recommendation: Black Swan

2010-12-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

Hello all! It's been a little while since I've made a post so I thought I would go ahead and do a movie recommendation for an amazing movie I just saw, Black Swan.

In Black Swan, the main character, Nina (played by Natalie Portman) is a ballerina, competing for the lead in her dance company's performance of Swan Lake. For those of you who don't know the story of Swan Lake, it is about an innocent princess who is put under a spell and turned into a white swan and only true love can break the spell. She falls in love with a prince, but he is seduced by the princess's evil twin, the black swan. The white swan is so hurt by this that she throws herself off a cliff and kills herself to escape her pain.
Traditionally, the white swan and the black swan are played by two different dancers, but in the movie, they are looking for just one dancer who can play the role of both the white and black. Nina tries as hard as she can to be perfect for the part, but how far is too far?

I thought this movie was absolutely beautiful. It was beautiful, disturbing, sexual, and very well acted. I did however make the mistake of seeing it with my mother which made a few scenes a bit awkward.
I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't mind a little bit of blood and sexuality. Even if you aren't into ballet it's still a great movie.

(By the way, don't worry, I didn't forget about Christmas! But my last few presents haven't arrived just yet so I'll make a post about Christmas and New Years after I get my last few gifts.)

Grunnies and Forums and Gold, Oh My!

2010-12-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm talking about Gaia Online. For those of you who don't know, Gaia Online is a forum based social networking website that is especially popular with anime fans. I'm assuming it's popular with anime fans because of the adorable anime themed avatars that you can make for yourself.
Well, as you may have noticed if you are a Gaia user, starting with the "Sweet Lace" line, Gaia has been creating more and more items that could be used to make a Lolita avatar. But of course, as in real life, it's not much fun just put put on a full matching coord and call it a day. It's fun to mix and match to create your own style! So for those of you who use Gaia, I have created a few avatars as inspiration when making your Lolita avi!

Sweet Lolita

Gothic Lolita

Classic Lolita

Hime Lolita

Kodona

EGA

Sailor Lolita

Guro Lolita

I hope you enjoy these and are able to use them as inspiration!
For anyone interested in adding me as a friend on Gaia my username is Neko Nekogami. Just make sure to tell me in the friend request where you're coming from. (I'm also accepting donations of any items from my wishlist. I'll also take any tokens, tickets, bugs, or inks that you don't want. Just saying!)
See you soon!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2010-12-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

Brrr! Winter is fast approaching but for some of us it may feel like it's already here! But that doesn't mean that it's time to hang up your bonnets and call it quits for the season! Heavens no! Really, what a better time to wear a fashion that's meant to be so modest to begin with? But of course, with the cold weather, your usual blouse and jumperskirt may not cut it.
Let's start with your coat. Now, you don't necessarily have to spend a ton of money on a brand coat. Really, it doesn't need to be a Lolita coat at all if you would rather something more versatile. But I wouldn't recommend a big shiny puffer coat either. I recommend a heavy wool coat. It's fairly easy to find cute wool coats in a regular department store.
Take my coat for example which I bought on sale at Bon Ton two years ago.The cream color is very versatile and can be worn with just about any style of Lolita whether I'm in the mood for Gothic or Sweet (thought I must admit I think it would go best with Classic!) It is long and cuts just above the knee and has a sweet ruffle around the edge. It's also great for when I'm not wearing Lolita too, so you get more for your money!
Next let's move on to accessories. You have your earmuffs, gloves, scarves, and hats. Since you will most likely be wearing them with your coat you should make sure to coordinate the colors with those of your coat. If your coat is like mine, you could choose white accessories or you could choose black accessories to match your buttons.
Let's start with your head and work your way down. To keep your head and ears warm you could choose either earmuffs or you could choose a hat. Personally, I think earmuffs are adorable as they are, especially if they're furry and fuzzy! They just have such a nice warm look. If you're going for a Sweet Lolita look, you could try earmuffs with animals on the sides. Hot Topic is actually currently selling adorable earmuffs with bunnies on the sides. Or if you're going for a Classic look, Innocent World has been known to have some cute earmuffs with bows on them.
If you're not a fan or earmuffs, or you would just rather your whole head be covered, hats are great too. A very good hat to wear with Lolita is a beret! Berets are very cute and cover just enough of your head to keep you warm. Berets aren't for everyone though. If you would rather not wear a beret, another type of wool hat would work well such as this Innocent World hat to the right.
Now let's move down to your neck. Not everyone likes scarves, but I personally love them! Really, you can wear whatever scarf you want, but there are plenty of Lolita brands that sell scarves. Knit scarves are especially cute! If you're not against fur, a fur scarf could be an elegant look for a Gothic or Classic outfit. If you are against fur, faux fur is always an option as well. If you don't want to go all out with a scarf, you could always wear a tippet or collar which are popular in fur or faux fur. You could tie it in the front with a ribbon or fasten it with a corsage or brooch.
Next we'll cover your hands! It is essential to keep your hands warm in cold weather. Gloves and mittens are both good options. I think that mittens are cuter, but they aren't as functional as gloves and don't give your fingers as much freedom. Most Lolita brands sell gloves that are good for the winter. If you have plain gloves that you like to wear, you could always lolify them yourself by adding ribbons, bows, embroidery, or anything else you'd like. You might also like to try a muff. Muffs are very feminine and traditional. They're really cute too!
Now that you're done outside in the cold, let's move you inside and take off your coat! You'll want to have warm clothes underneath as well! If you want a little extra warmth, you could try wearing a velvet OP or JSK. Velvet is a thicker material and also has a very Wintery look about it. If you're worried about your legs getting cold you could choose to wear thicker stockings or maybe even wool stockings instead of your knee high or over-the-knee socks. Lolita boots are also very good for the Winter!
I hope these tips will help you now that the weather is getting cold! Have a happy Winter!

Michelle Phan- The Queen of Makeup Tutorials

2010-12-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

Many Lolitas will tell you that Lolita isn't just about the clothes. Most Lolitas think that hair, accessories, and makeup are just as important as the clothes. But what do you do when you aren't very good with makeup? Sometimes it can be hard to create a makeup look that matches your outfit. For problems like these, a popular thing to do is looking up makeup tutorials.
Having trouble finding a tutorial you like? Well look no farther than Michelle Phan. Michelle joined Youtube in 2006 and in November 2010 became the No. 1 most subscribed female on YouTube and the first female to reach 1 million subscribers. She is also a spokesperson for Lancome and has her own skincare line called IQQU.
Michelle has a makeup tutorial for almost every occasion. Her tutorials are also very good quality so you don't have to struggle to see through pixelated webcam videos. While most of her tutorials aren't specifically Lolita, they could definitely be used for Lolita and are a great source of inspiration.
Just recently though, she has uploaded a "Gothic Lolita Doll" makeup tutorial. I must confess that I was a little put off by certain things like her use of anime references and her headdress, but I admire her work and I think the outcome of the tutorial was adorable! I certainly can't say that it's something I would do just for a day out, but I could definitely see it used in a Lolita photoshoot.

Hello all. Miss me?

2010-12-01T18:55:00.001-08:00

Of course you did!
So, anyway. As I'm sure you've noticed, my blog has been dead lately. So I need ideas from you.
If you have any ideas of topics I could discuss or anything you would like to hear about, please leave your ideas in a comment.
I promise that if nothing else I'll start posting again after Christmas.

Painting The Roses Pink Etsy Shop

2010-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hello~! As I have said before, I've been in a crafty mood lately. So because of that, I have decided to start an Etsy shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintingtherosespink
Right now I only have bracelets in stock, but soon I should have more things including hair clips, and as soon as I get the money for materials, I might start making more Lolita accessories such as headbows and bonnets.
Thanks for looking!

Back to School

2010-08-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

With Summer coming to a close and school starting in a week, I've been searching the stores trying to find some cute school supplies. This is my Senior year after all, and I want it to be amazing! Sadly, my school has partial uniforms and a very strict dress code so I'm limited to what I can and can't buy when I'm school shopping. So I make up for not being able to wear cute clothes with having cute accessories, and here's what I've been able to come up with!

My Hello Kitty Binder.

My folders

Harajuku Lovers pencil box

My notebooks

Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake bookmark

Cute Japanese erasers

My adorable mini stapler that I decorated myself.

I was also able to get some cute accessories and amazing shoes for school, so I might post those later.
For all of you going back to school, have fun and good luck!

Nerdy Lolitas

2010-08-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

What makes a nerd? Is it a love for learning? Maybe it's an interest in things that most "normal" people would consider nerdy such as video games, SciFi, books, anime, etc.
Now we all know that Lolita is just a fashion for most people, but for others, it is also a lifestyle. But is it possible for the Lolita lifestyle to collide with the nerd lifestyle? Of course it is! But what exactly does this mean? Does it mean watching Doctor Who during tea time or dreaming that your garden was filled with mandrakes and tentacula like in the Harry Potter books? Does it mean hiding your favorite comic book behind the pages of The Gothic & Lolita Bible or wishing your prince charming would arrive with coke bottle glasses and a scientific calculator? Not necessarily.

Combining your Lolita lifestyle with your nerd lifestyle can be as simple as sipping tea in your favorite dress one day, and watching SyFy (I'm still mad that they changed the name) in your favorite t-shirt the next. Or, you could always combine your love of nerdy things into your Lolita wardrobe.

Take me as an example. After discovering the loli_geeks LiveJournal community I felt right at home and when they announced their Coordination Contest I jumped at the oportunity to combine two of my loves (After Jordan of course ^^), Lolita and Harry Potter! And I must say, I am very happy with the results.

Living the Lolita lifestyle doesn't always have to mean tea and gardening and baking every day. I think living the Lolita lifestyle means doing what you love and what makes you happy every day. Because isn't that what Lolita is about in the first place? Doing something you love?

Now, to continue with my nerdy Lolita theme, I've put together a few nerdy Lolita co-ord ideas as well as a few tutorials that I think any nerdy lifestyle Lolita would enjoy.

Nerdy Lolita

Doctor Who Lolita

Hit-Girl Lolita

Tutorials:

Making a cutsew from a t-shirt (Good for helping your nerd shirts fit into your Lolita wardrobe.)
Doctor Who Dalek cake tutorial (For Lolita nerds who like to bake.)
Harry Potter Crafts (Includes recepies, knitting projects, sewing projects, and lots of other fun crafts.)

Enjoy!

An award? For me? =D Yay!

2010-08-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

So, I found out today that Freaky Keen awarded me the "I heart your blog award!" Yay!
Now... I never understood this award before, but after looking at her blog I think I finally figured out how it works! So, if I'm doing this right, that would mean that I have to link to 15 other blogs that I think deserve this award. That's a lot of work! But I'll do it anyway! So here they are! (In no particular order.)

1. Cheap Frills
2. F Yeah Lolita
3. Her Curious Elegance
4. I do Declare
5. Lemon Tree
6. Lolita Charm
7. Quaintrelle Life
8. Sweet and Simple
9. Miss Lumpy
10. Pink Milk Tea
11. La Vida Frills
12. Delicate Diaries
13. Sucrerie Magazine
14. Carousel of Crowns
15. Drop Dead Cute

Look at me using html for the first time all my myself! =D
Well, I guess that's it! Oh! One more thing! Happy Friday the thirteenth!

New layout!

2010-08-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so, as much as I loved the new layout, it was brought to my attention that people couldn't leave comments because of it! =o So I had to get rid of it. I think this one will be changed soon, but for now, it's nice as a temporary one.

Lolita For Sale!

2010-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hey! Long time no see! I just thought I would do a little shameless self advertising and say that I have a few dresses and accessories for sale over at Lolitafashion.org if anyone is interested!
http://forums.lolitafashion.org/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5260

LolitaFashion.org- Making a comeback?

2010-06-24T09:10:00.001-07:00

As you may or may not know, lolitafashion.org was pretty much attacked and taken over by trolls yesterday. Well, a bunch of the members sent PMs to the admins and mods and eventually they came back and took care of the situation. Now there are three new mods including myself (Neko Nekogami (formerly known as inuzukaluv)), Serse, and Miharu.
I know a lot of people decided to leave the LF forums and moved over to Dressed To A Tea. Well, if any of you are reading this, there are now active mods over at LF and the trolls are gone. It would be nice to have you all back.

June 5th, 2010- International Lolita Day

2010-06-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

So, as you may or may not know, tomorrow is International Lolita Day. What does this mean? Meetups of course! Or if you don't have any other Lolitas in your area, it's just a day to dress up in your best Lolita and parade around.
My Lolita day will be spent in casual Lolita sadly. My boyfriend is coming down from Vermont and we're going to an amusement park, but it's not really the best park for full-on Lolita, seeing as the ground for most of the park is gravel and I would ruin my Lolita shoes. But, casual Lolita or not, I'm sure it will be a great day and I'll be sure to post pictures.
So, what are you doing for Lolita day? I would love to know!

Princess Project

2010-05-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

So, as you may or may not know, I'm a big fan of helping people's self esteem. You may have noticed this from my Operation Beautiful post a while back. Well, I once again come to you with a new cause called the Princess Project.

"The Princess Project promotes self-confidence and individual beauty by providing free prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who cannot otherwise afford them."

I found out about the Princess Project while I was looking for a prom dress for myself for next year. Although I may just go in Lolita, I think the Princess Project is a great cause, and if I do get a regular prom dress I will definitely donate it after the prom.

The Princess Project accepts donations of dresses and accessories as well as money donations. To learn more about the Princess Project and how you can make a donation visit www.princessproject.org.

Lolitas and Wigs- The Great Debate

2010-05-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

When I first started wearing Lolita it seemed as though hair was always an issue. All these Lolitas I saw and looked up to had such perfect hair. Bangs cut straight across the eyebrows, perfect curls, the works. I wanted to look like that. So I got myself some bangs and learned how to curl my hair. But then I noticed some crazy trends starting.

I didn't really notice these trends until around the start of the OTT Sweet Lolita trend. As prints became more sugary sweet and accessories started to pile up I noticed some other things start to pile up as well. It started off as some relatively simple wigs, in crazy (yet adorable) unnatural colors. But then they started to get bigger and bigger and eventually it sprouted into more hair than was naturally possible.

So many Lolitas seem to be embracing their wigs, wearing them everywhere. But why? Is it because they don't want to dye their hair? Is it because they can't curl their hair themselves? Or is it that they just want to have fuller, thicker hair? Or maybe it's laziness and not wanting to have to do your hair in the morning. I am very interested to know.

Personally, I think wigs are adorable. That is, when they are good quality, well taken care of, and when they actually go well with the co-ord. But there seems to be a bit of a debate going on about them. Some Lolitas argue that wigs take Lolita from the fashion that it is supposed to be and turn it into a costume. Some say that it takes away from the Rococo and Victorian influence (but doesn't OTT Sweet already do that?).

So I would like to know, what do my followers think of Lolitas wearing wigs? Are they okay when they look natural? Are they too much all together? Or do you love them?

(Scans via thevisual_beast)

New Layout

2010-03-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Since there have been complaints about not being able to read text and having trouble leaving comments, I have changed the layout. I actually like this one better than the last one and I hope it works better for everyone.
Thank you all for being such great followers!

Oh Maiden, Advance with a Sword and a Rose by Arika Takarano

2010-03-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

So long time no post. Sorry about that. I've been a bit obsessed with Tumblr lately and my computer time has been limited.
So anyway, I was looking through my English volumes of the Gothic & Lolita Bible and I started reading this and I think it is really amazing. It's something I think every Lolita should read so I took the time to type up the whole thing for those of you who weren't able to read it in the G&LB. So here it is!

"I wonder what made you become Lolita? Is it because you wanted to wear cute clothes? Because you like lace and frills? Because you wanted to be like someone? Or was it because you wanted to become cute so you'd be popular with the guys?
No, no, that's impossible isn't it? After all, Lolita isn't something with which you worry about what guys think! I bet your answer is something like this, "Before I knew it, I was a Lolita maiden!"
That's right! You are a chosen maiden, a born aristocratic maiden. I understand you well. You're a daydreamer and a visionary who is here in body, but not in spirit. You're shy, willful, and don't want to be like others. You like reading by yourself rather than partying with friends. You love pretty things and want to live surrounded by only the things you like. Isn't that right?
"I am a special maiden." It's okay for you to think that, you know. Even if there are strangers who look away and snicker at you because your skirt is too poufy, or because the ribbon adorning your hair is too big, you don't have to let it bother you. Sure, it's aggravating that there are still some confused people who see Gothic and Lolita as unemotional, cheap cosplay, but you should just remain confident and stand tall.
One cannot learn true kindness unless one becomes strong. Nothing will come of indulging in the comfort of lukewarm idleness. It's triffling and foolish to look at the same things others see and try to discover something interesting from such. After all, there are many more wonderful things, yet-unknown things, beautiful things that will take your breath away in your world. I know you can find these things.
Cotton candy envelops your heart. Scarlet roses bloom in your eyes, and the taste of honey forever spreads upon your tongue. Your hair is soft and your skin smooth. You are a maiden who was born to be Lolita. You exist in a cocoon. The light of the sun and the glistening of the moon gently fall upon you there. You want to stay in there forever with your eyes closed. While you wish for that, the dreams that fall gently upon you there are woven like a sweet layer of powdered sugar....
But girls with a highly developed sense of beauty are intelligent. Have you realized that behind the fluffy cuteness lies hidden a well-honed sword, the blade of which shines brightly? That's right. After all, you already know, don't you? That this world does not consist of only beautiful things? That somewhere there lurks malice that intends to do you harm? That roses have thorns so that they may remain sublime? And that sometimes, you must fight to protect that which is dear to you?
This is what I think: Gothic and Lolita clothes are amaiden's armor, which even a knight's armor cannot compare to. A maiden's lace is her steel. Her ribbons are chains. Her dress hat is her helmet, and her surreptitiously changes the blood that flows from her wounds into true red rose petals. Thus, the maiden fights. After all, to live is to fight, and to become beautiful is to become stronger.
You are a noble being that no one may touch, you are cute and yet tragic. Yes, the ideal aristocratic maiden, in my imagination, is very much like you.
There are often maidens who say, "But I'm not cute, so..." you know, though, that there's no such thing as a maiden who is not cute. It's just that there are those maidens who don't have enough confidence. However, modesty is a virtue, and those maidens won't become the kind of shameless women who are not mindful of their appearance. That's why I think not having confidence is a step toward beauty, too. So, stop looking in the mirror and sighing! You must find at least a piece of yourself that you like the best. For example, a part of your face would be nice: like your peachy cheeks or even your eyelashes. Your tiny, pink seashell-like nails also would be fine. The fact that you've got a talent for art, or that your specialty is making sweets would be fine, too. It's enough for you to acknowledge, little by little, that there is something that you excel in. See? When you think of it that way, don't you recall this and that talent?Say, I can see wings on your back- elegant wings, with the luster of velvet. Please keep flying freely, without fear. Even if someone should hurt you, you will end up landing in the right place. I know this well because once upon a time, I was like you, too."

It's A Doll's Life

2010-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

So, around Christmas I promised that I would post pictures of Ducan when he arrived and well, up until now I've just been too lazy to tell the truth. (lol) But today was a pretty nice day so I thought today would be a good day to do a little photoshoot. So here he is!

50 Followers!!!

2010-02-17T17:28:00.001-08:00

Yaaaay! Thank you all so much! Painting The Roses Pink now has fifty followers! I should have prepared something faster! I'll definitely draw something for this joyus occasion! But for now, just enjoy this random (adorable) picture I found on the internet!

Operation Beautiful

2010-02-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days where you feel like nobody cares and you don't feel very pretty at all? Of course you have! We all have! Well, Operation Beautiful is on a mission to make brighten up those days for people everywhere!

All you need is a pen, paper, and a public place. Just write a nice little note such as "You are beautiful!" on the paper and leave it somewhere to be found! You'll be surprised how good something like this can make people feel!

So what are you waiting for? Grab a pen and your favorite stack of post-it notes (you know you have one) and get to it!

www.operationbeautiful.com

Let's Take It Back

2010-02-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

I havn't really been posting much lately as you may have noticed. Why? Well, it's a vicious circle. Let's do the logical thing and start at the begining.

It's Winter. It's cold outside and most of my Lolita clothes are geared more toward the warmer months. I can't buy any more Lolita right now because I have no money. I applied for a three jobs but was turned down for one and I havn't heard back about the other two yet. Because of this lack of Lolita in my life I don't really have much Lolita related stuff to talk about at the moment.

BUT! I live to please! So I decided to do what they do with anime when they don't have any better ideas. I'm going to make a flashback post!

Think back to when you first met the Lolita fashion. What's the first style you saw? For most of us I would say it would have been Gothic. If you go to smaller anime conventions most of the "Lolita" you will find there will be Gothic. Why this is, I've never really understood. Gothic Lolita just seems to be the most popular among anime fans. But what about the first time you saw Sweet Lolita? Before I discovered Sweet Lolita I hated pink and loved black! Now I absolutely love pink!

Then I think, what did Sweet Lolita look like when I first saw it? I remember light pink dresses with lots of lace and bows and matching rectangular headdresses! Now if you look at it you will most likely see nothing but super sweet prints and Alice bows. To tell the truth, as much as I love prints and Alice bows, I still like rectangular headdresses. I feel bad for them! They're starting to be more and more associated with cosplay and are therefore going out of style! I would love to see someone who can bring them back!

So the next thing I think of is the day I got my first Lolita dress. It was a black JSK with white lace from In The Starlight. I didn't have a blouse (I didn't know you were supposed to wear one!), no matching shoes, no headwear, no petti, nothing. But as soon as I got that package I ran to my room and put it on as if it were a regular sundress. I didn't know I was "doing it wrong", I was just so happy! I ran around the house and twirlled around in front of the mirror. But I knew something was wrong. I went online and started looking at other Lolitas and realized I needed a few things. So I bought a $20 petti, some black thigh highs, black maryjanes, a Hot Topic blouse (which since you can't see anything but the sleeves actually doesn't look too terrible) and my black cat ears with the lace pinned on! (If I still had pictures of this outfit I would share but I deleted all of them in my shame!)

I wore that outfit for the Cherry Blossom festival as my first time going out in public in "Lolita". I was having so much fun! People wanted pictures with me and I kept getting so many nice compliments. But then I saw them. Real Lolitas. All dolled up and looking beautiful and perfect with their brand dresses. I wanted so badly to be their friends, but I knew at that moment that I wasn't a very good Lolita. They were nice to me though. They didn't tell me I was doing it wrong, or to take the cat ears off. They just smiled and nodded at me. From that day on I decided that I wanted to be the best Lolita I could be.

So, my story kinda got a little side tracked and ended up turning into the story of how I became the Lolita I am today (lol). But I think there may be a moral to my story. No matter how happy you think you are, there is always room to make yourself even happier.

(P.S. The first picture used in this post belongs to duplica-chan. Here is the full shoot.

P.P.S. Anyone notice my obsession with naming my posts after Tom Felton songs. lol I think this is the second one.)

To Be A Princess

2010-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Lately I have noticed alot of Lolita blogs seem to be doing princess related posts. Well, I just thought I should voice my opinion about it.

As I have said before, I've always been a little princess. When I was little my mommy was the queen, my daddy was the king, and I was the princess. It is perfectly normal for a young girl to want to be a princess. But it actually wan't until recently that I started to actually fantasize about being one. I now find myself wanting to be carried off to live in a castle with my handsome prince *cough cough Tom Felton cough*. I want to wear pretty dresses, and go to formal balls, and be pampered!

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags. Even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us."

That, as you may know, is my favorite quote ever. I think it is very true. Whether you're a girly girl, or a tom boy, I think that every girl is a princess in their own way. Some of us may be fragile, while others are strong. Some of us may be quiet and polite, while others aren't afraid to speak their mind. But no matter who you are, how you act, or what you believe in, don't we all have times where we just wish that we could just be saved from something? Whether you're a damesl in distress waiting for your prince (or just your friends) to come pick yourself off your feet, or you're the brave warrior princess who will tough it out, push that prince aside, and save yourself.

That's how I see it. You don't have to agree. I just think it's a beautiful thought.

Harmony For Haiti

2010-01-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

So, everyone knows about the earthquakes in Haiti, and my friend and I have decided to host an online radio show called Harmony for Haiti to help raise money for the Red Cross!We plan to start the show at 8pm EST on Saturday, January 30th.

For more information see our official thread on Gaia:

http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/haiti-quake/harmony-for-haiti-relief-through-the-power-of-music-u-c/t.58116801/

Please listen to our show!
Thanks bunches!

A bit about moi

2010-01-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

So... I'm bored. XD And I found this meme on Lolita Charm and thought it sounded fun. Since it doesn't look like I'll have a Lolita Spotlight for this month, why not talk about myself? So, here we go~

COLOURS

What colours can be found in your Lolita closet?
Pink, black, white, and blue.

What is your favourite colour with Lolita?
I love the combination of pink and blue! I also like lilac.

What is your least favourite colour in Lolita?
Anything neon.

Which uncommon colour do you want to try out?
Pastel orange! I would love an orange creamsicle print!

DESIGN

Are you more a Onepiece, Jumperskirt or a Skirt person?
I usually prefer skirts just because they're less hassle and they tend to look better on me but I also like Jumperskirts.

Which cut do you like the best?
I really like sweetheart cuts! They look so elegant.

Print or no Print?
Prints! I love them!

How does a dress/skirt have to look like that it will be a "must have" item for you?
I really like sweet prints. Either that or something very elegant.

STYLES

What is your favourite style in Lolita?
Sweet and classic.

Which style do you wear regularly?
I usually wear a more casual sweet unless I have somewhere to go where I will be meeting with friends or other Lolitas.

Which style you want to try out?
I really want to try out Hime Lolita! It's so beautiful! I would also love to try out really over the top Sweet Lolita with head-to-toe Angelic Pretty! lol Just once to say I did it.

Which style you never want to try out/wear again?
I don't think I would ever wear Wa Lolita. I think it looks best on Japanese girls. Other than that, in my honest opinion, I think it looks like a cosplay. =( I don't want to sound mean. That's just how I feel.

BRANDS

Brands yes or no and why?
I would love to buy brand, I just don't have the money right now. (I just applied for a job though! XP)

Which brand is your favourite?
It's so hard to choose! I think AP and BABY are tied for first and then would be Innocent World, Mary Magdalene, and Victorian Maiden.

Which is your least favourite brand?
Visible! Does it even count as a brand? I certainly don't think it should. XP

Ever had a good/bad experience with brand?
The only kind of bad experience I would ever have with brand is being surrounded by girls wearing it and me not having any. XP

Will this experience encourage/stop you from buying brand?
It makes me want to buy it!

OTHER

Did you ever got surprised by a piece of Lolita?
I ordered a dress from Milanoo before it started getting all these terrible reviews. It was perfect! I love it so much!

Did you ever got disappointed by a piece of Lolita?
I got a dress from Bodyline once and it was much smaller than the site said it would be! It was terrible! I cried. =(

Things that you like about Lolita?
I love feeling like a princess! People may stare at me, but when I'm wearing Lolita, I'm always in my own little world so sometimes I don't even notice!

Things that you dislike on Lolita?
The ignorance! I've said it once and I'll say it again, it isn't a cosplay! If you want to wear Lolita, do research on it. You shouldn't just assume things.

Do you have a Lolita fashion idol, if 'yes' who is it?
Actaully, no, I don't have one. o.o

Does Lolita affect your every day life?
Of course it does! I'm on my computer almost every day modding Lolita Snap, playing around on LF.org, and of course posting here!

Do you buy Lolita related things, like cute looking furniture?
Of course I do! I want to be surrounded by Lolita! I love going antiquing and finding ways to decorate my room.

Do you read/buy the Gothic Lolita Bible?
Only the English ones. I might buy a few of the Japanese ones at Otakon this year though.

How to you describe your fashion style to others that don´t know about Lolita?
I give them this little card I found once on egl. lol It says:
"Lolita is a Japanese street fashion. It aims to recreate the look of a Victorian doll or young girl. It originated in the 1980's, but was popularized by Japanese indy rock bands in the late 90's. the look can be gothic, sweet, or classis, but the basic idea of modesty and cuteness remains the same. It has nothing to do with Vladimir Nabokov's novel, Lolita, or "lolita complexes". See www.lolitafashion.org for info."

XD It pretty much gets the point across.

Is there something you want to say to your fellow Lolitas?
Live long and prosper. XD Just kidding. Um... I guess just have fun and don't worry about what people say about you! So what if someone laughs at you for wearing Lolita? Don't let their ignorance get you down!

Movie Recomendation: The Lovely Bones

2010-01-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

So, I havn't read the book yet, but today I went with my mom and nana to see The Lovely Bones. Now I have to read the book.

It was such a beautiful movie! It was so sad though. I almost cried, but if I did I would get black mascara all over my face!

Hm... this is going to be a short post, I can tell. ^^" I don't really want to tell too much about the movie and ruin it for anyone.

8D I know! I'll copy and paste the IMDB plot!

"Centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal."

=3 That pretty much sums it up.

Anyway, as I said, it was a beautiful movie. Whether you have read the book or not I would highly recomend seeing it. (And you may want to bring some tissues.)

Pamper Yourself!

2010-01-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

Let’s face it, we all have days where we just feel like crap. The stress of life is just eating away at you. You need to pamper yourself. Well, every problem has a solution. So whether you’re feeling stressed out or just not very pretty, here are a few ways you can spoil yourself a little.

1. Feeling stressed? Take a warm bath with aromatherapy crystals. Just taking a bath alone is a great stress reliever, but I bought Heart Song aromatherapy mineral bath (By Aura Cacia) from my local Wegman’s Grocery Store and it was amazing! I felt so nice and energized!

2. Feet bugging you? Try a Ped Egg! I kid you not! I got one for Christmas and it is amazing! My feet felt so soft after I used it. Follow up with some good smelling lotion. My personal favorite lotion is Le Couvent Des Minimes No. 105 Honey and Shea Moisturizing Body Milk Lotion. I bought some at Bath and Body Works a long time ago and was crushed when I couldn’t find it anymore. But now I just found some on Amazon.com so I’m happy now.
3. Sleepy? Take a nap or go to bed early. This is one of the easiest things you can do.
4. Exercise! Exercise is one of the best stress relievers. Not to mention, you won’t feel so guilty about eating that dessert.
5. Feeling cramped or trapped? Clean up! As you clean the space around you, you will find that you feel more at ease.
6. Not feeling very pretty? Plan a special trip to the mall and sample some makeup. You’ll be amazed the wonders a little makeup can do.
7. Feeling down in the dumps? Try singing along to some happy music!
8. Spend a little money at the salon. Maybe try something new with your hair, or just get yourself a manicure!
9. Curl up in a quiet place with some tea and a good book.
10. None of the above working for you? If you happen to have a bit of extra money, try treating yourself to a day at the spa! Don’t have the money? Do it at home! Treat yourself to a soothing facemask. Who knows, maybe you can even convince someone to give you a massage!

The Thing About Animal Ears

2010-01-13T17:09:00.001-08:00

This is just going to a short rant to clear things up. Just thought I’d warn you before I have at it.
So, I often find myself being asked why I hate animal ears with Lolita so much. I would just like to clear up, that it’s not the animal ears I hate. Nope, not at all. I hate the fact that beginner Lolitas often tend to wear animal ears (mainly cat ears) because they think it is “super kawaii desu~!” They wear them because they think it’s cute and anime-ish and because they think Lolita is cute and anime-ish.
I don’t have much of a problem with Lolitas wearing animal ears when it is well done and when it is part of a theme of the outfit rather than just being a tacky little accessory they decided to add because they think they look “kawaii” and “moe” like an anime character. (Holy run-on sentence Batman)
So, yep, that’s about it. Just thought I’d throw that out there for anyone who might care. Not that there are… many of you… [insert sad face] I want more followers.

Oh! One more thing! I'm looking for a new layout! I want something cute like what we already have, but with something to do with roses. =3 Pink ones if possible. If you know of any blogger layouts that might be nice do tell. Thanks!

Dear Lolita, I Miss You

2010-01-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I have been able to wear Lolita. My school has uniforms, so I can't wear Lolita in school anymore. Not to mention, I don't have much in the way of a winter Lolita wardrobe anyway. I didn't get anything Lolita for Christmas, although I did just buy a Lolita hat and sweater that won't arrive for about a month. I still have yet to get a job so money is hard to come by. I miss being able to wear Lolita whenever I wanted to. I find myself jealous of all the girls I see online wearing their new Lolita outfits.

It is because of these things that I am making a list. A To Do list if you will. Why am I blogging this you may wonder? Well, I figure that if I share my list with other people, I will feel worse if I don't complete my tasks rather than just keeping to myself about it. Does that make sense?

So, here is my Lolita To Do list:

1. Get a job. Can't get Lolita without money.

2. Lose weight. This is the only way I will ever be able to fit into anything from Mary Magdalene.

3. Pay more attention to brand sites. It will give me more to blog about! lol

That's about it for now. I hope I can complete these tasks soon.

Wish me luck!

35 Steps to Discovering Your Inner Princess

2010-01-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been hooked on tumblr. Do I have an account? Nope. Will I ever make one? Probably not. I'm just happy going through people's pages that I have saved in my favorites (in which I have created a special folder just for tumblr pages.)

Anyway, while I was looking through "I'm A Sucker For Cupcakes" I came across this list. I read through it and thought it was cute so I thought I would repost it here.

So here you go. 35 steps to discovering your inner princess.

1. Go beachcombing, find the prettiest shell and make a pendant of it.

2. Learn to French Braid your hair.

3. Improve your posture, practise by walking around with a book on your head.

4. Tie ribbons around your wrists, your ankles, your neck or braid them in to your hair.

5. Find your signature scent.

6. Wear something with a tiara on it every day, a badge, hair clip or necklace, declare your royal self.

7. Find the cutest umbrella you can and get matching gum boots.

8. Start a charm bracelet, add a charm for every Princess Challenge you complete.

9. Carry a monogrammed handkerchief everywhere.

10. Brush your hair 100 times each night until it shines.

11. Find the perfect shade of lipgloss, ruby red, pastel pink or something with sparkles.

12. Match your heels to your headband.

13. Find a long, wooly, handknitted scarf in your favourite colour.

14. Wear fresh flowers in your hair.

15. Replace the buttons on an ordinary shirt with pearls or hearts or jewels.

16. Perfect your curtsey.

17. Wear a full length cape in public.

18. Attach cute and sparkly charms to all you gadgets, phone, DS, ipod, pretty up your technology.

19. Put stickers and diamantes on everything.

20. Indulge in a faux fur hood, feel like an Artic Princess.

21. Paint your nails in different colours.

22. Replace your shoelaces with ribbon.

23. Smile at everyone you meet, even if they don’t smile back.

24. If you’ve never used one, invest in a good eyelash curler.

25. Sleep in an old fashioned nightgown and cap.

26. Glue jewels on to your shoes.

27. Wear grey and yellow together.

28. Have spontaneous conversations with elderly folk, young children and birds.

29. Sprinkle rose petals on your salad and bake lavender scones.

30. Carry a book as an accessory, match it to your dress (you can read it too!).

31. Bow to the Sun, kiss your hand to the Moon and make wishes on the Stars.

32. Wear more hats.

33. Wear skirts that swirl when you walk, spin around in them!

34. Dust your eyelids with shimmering powder that makes you look like a fairy.

35. Everytime you look in a mirror, smile at your reflection, for you are the fairest.

The Ever Elusive Lifestyle Lolita

2009-12-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

In today’s society where it seems that people will stop at nothing to be accepted, it can be very refreshing to see people who dare to be different. So can definitely be said about us Lolitas. But while we may dress the part, we are still just normal human beings. But what about those of us who chose to be not so regular? What about those of us who would rather live a more extravagant, classic lifestyle over one ruled by popularity and technology?
I have always liked the idea of calling myself a lifestyle Lolita. But as I spend the day on my computer, listening to my Zune, and playing with my Nintendo DS, I begin to wonder what exactly it is about my lifestyle that separates me from the rest of society. Is it my obsession with the Victorian era? Is it my love for tea and antiques. This has been puzzling me for so long now. So I decided to do a bit of research.
The first stop on my quest for the truth was Vie Quaintrelle, the Live Journal community formerly known as Lifestyle Lolis. It was in this community that I found this:
“Quaintrelle style follows the "quaint" aesthetic. It is unusual or fanciful, with a sense of old-fashioned charm and prettiness. A quaintrelle takes elements from old fashioned costume and life from around the 18th century to the early 20th century and mixes it into her modern life. Elegant, frivolous, and intricate.”
Ha! Aren’t I just amazing! I took what I had originally planned to be an all night project and was able to complete it in less than twenty minutes! But now it is time for part two of my epic adventure.
You see, I often find myself sighing to myself and thinking that I was born in the wrong era. I mean, wouldn’t it be great to live in a more elegant time? Spending my days reading and taking long walks in the country side without having to worry about so many distractions? To answer this question for myself I turned to the Quaintrelle page of Fancy Girl where I found this:
“The 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries hold a special fascination for the modern day quaintrelle. Was she born into the wrong century? No, she's never had it so good. She takes the beauty and best of the past and melds it with her modern life. She has an old world elegance, frivolity, and a modern independent sprit.”
Once again my question was answered much more quickly than I would have imagined. I now realize that I am perfectly fine in the era I was born in. I have the conveniences of modern technology, but whenever I feel like it, I can easily take myself on a trip back in time and just relax with a nice cup of tea.
Sometimes I have to wonder what it is about the Lolita lifestyle that people don’t like. I mean, of course we all have different tastes, but don’t we all have days where we just want to relax and be pampered like a little princess? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m happy with my Lolita lifestyle.

Time Well Spent

2009-12-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

So, you have a few days off for Winter break. After a few days, you just don’t know what do to with yourself anymore! Here are a few ideas for how to spend your time!
1. Spend the day watching all of your favorite childhood movies. (For me this would include Hercules, Anastasia, and The Great Mouse Detective.)
2. Clean your room. Organize your closet and sort out old junk. You never know what you might find!
3. Decorate your room! Search through your attic or basement for old things you can repurpose for use in your room.
4. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and catch up.
5. Go out window shopping! Or if you’re stuck at home, do a little online window shopping.
6. Spend your day on the internet looking for pictures that inspire you. Save them on your computer in a folder titled “inspiration.”
7. Research one of your favorite actors. It’s really fun to learn what other things they do. For example, I searched for Tom Felton and found out that he also sings and plays guitar! I just downloaded a few of his songs!
8. Write a story with yourself as the main character. Maybe you’re a warrior princess, the damsel in distress, or the star act of a traveling circus! It doesn’t have to make sense! Just make it fun!
9. Go back to your childhood and spend the day with a coloring book and crayons! Or you could find some coloring pages online! (Angelic Pretty coloring book anyone?)
10. Dance around your room singing to super happy music, or just music that brings back happy memories. (For me this would include NSync and the Spice Girls. XD)

11. Make a Lolita wishlist using wishlist.com! Use it to tell people what you want for your birthday or another holiday, or just to keep track of everything you want to save up for!

12. Look for new songs by your favorite band and spend the day watching music videos.

13. Flip through a cook book and try a new recipe.

14. Memorize to lyrics to your favorite song. Or if you play an instrument, you can try to memorize how to play a new song.
15. Start a new sewing or craft project or finish one you already have started. Don't know how to sew? Try learning!

16. Go to a tea house or the tea aisle of a grocery store and try a tea you havn't had before.

17. Research your favorite historical figure. (I would most likely research Marie Antoinette or Fred Abberline.)

18. Listen to different language translations of Disney songs on Youtube. (My Favorite)

19. Go to polyvore.com and put together some fun co-ords!

20. Go online and read some Lolita related blogs. Maybe Painting The Roses Pink would happen to be one? =D

There! Now you have no excuse to say you have nothing to do! Have fun~!

Happy Holidays~!

2009-12-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hello all~!

I just thought I would wish you all a Happy Christmas or other holiday you may happen to celebrate! (Why "happy" Christmas you ask? No, I'm not British, I just think it makes more sense. =P)
And guess what! You may remember my first post (if not you can go back and look if you'd like. lol) where I mentioned wanting Ducan from Dream of Doll. Well, I got him~! he hasn't arrived yet, but as soon as he does I will be sure to post pictures!

ITS.... is CLOSING?!

2009-12-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

It is a sad sad day my lovely Lolitas... American Lolita brand, In The Starlight is closing.
This is really sad for me because I bought my first Lolita outfit from ITS. ITS has always been a great place to buy Lolita and has always been one of the first places I direct beginner Lolitas to when they are looking to buy their first dress.
But the world will continue to spin. I just thought I would share this sad news. Here is a link to the official announcement for those of you interested in reading it:
http://inthestarlight.com/closing.html

Lolita Spotlight #1

2009-12-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hello my dears! I'm trying something different today! I am doing a Lolita spotlight! This is a spotlight of a Lolita whom I admire and whom I think deserves recognition. Those of you who have accounts on Live Journal may recognize her from the EGL or Daily_Lolita community as faunkegin. She was nice enough to let me interview her! So here it goes!

1. Q: How long have you been interested in Lolita fashion and how did you first meet the fashion?

A: I've been interested in lolita for about 5 years (Since 2004 or so) But I've only been dressing in the fashion for about 3 years, since early 2007. I first found out about lolita while searching on the internet for a gift for a friend. I somehow stumbled across Baby's website & fell in love! Then, when I moved away to go to college in 2005, I met a lolita walking down the street of a big city, and she took the time to explain the fashion to me!

2. Q: What is your favorite Lolita brand?

A: Angelic Pretty! I also love Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and many others. But AP really takes the cake for me!

3. Q: What is your favorite thing about Lolita?

A: Umm...this is a hard one! Everything, I suppose! Am I allowed to say that? Haha! I think, though, if I had to pick a certain object of clothing lolita related that I liked, it'd be the shoes! You can't really find anything like them anywhere much outside the fashion.

4. Q: If there is ever a time that you can’t wear Lolita, what do you wear?

A: Hmm...I kind of dress weird all the time! Usually I dress in flowy, baggy clothing, usually pastel colored. The accessories I wear for my lolita coordinates and with "normal" outfits are also the same. I really like a style called "Spank" or "Fairy Kei." Here's 2 examples of normal, everyday coordinates.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/jupitercrashes/newcam/7-18.png

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/jupitercrashes/newcam/3-37.png

Sorry about the crappy images...I'm not too serious when I take photographs outside of lolita!

5. Q: What was the first Lolita item you bought? How did you feel when you got it?

A: Technically the first item I bought was a pair of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Heart buckle shoes...in pink! But the first item that actually arrived to me was a blue floral dress from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. I felt so happy when it arrived, it was so perfect!

6. Q: Is there anything you don’t like about Lolita?

A: Hmm, there's nothing about the actual fashion itself I don't like, I suppose! Sometimes I think some lolitas can be overly mean to other lolitas. But honestly I think there can be drama in any niche community, and just in life in general, so I don't pay much attention to it. There's not really much I don't like about this fashion!!

7. Q: What is the best comment you have received while wearing Lolita?

A: I can't remember a particularly comment actually, but in general, people saying things like "Wow, you really brightened up my day!" or "It's nice to see some people still care about proper coordination." or "You're such an inspiration!"

8. Q: What is the worst comment you have received while wearing Lolita?

A: Haha, actually, I've never gotten that many rude comments! More often people tend to give lolitas funny looks, I've noticed. But I do get "Haha, you look like Little BoPeep!" from lots of people before, who heckle as they walk off, thinking they're the first genius to this of that comment. Not realizing, however, that they're about the twentieth person that day to say that. I actually appreciate funny comments, when they're creative!

9. Q: What advice would you give to beginner Lolitas?

A: Hmm, there's so much to say I suppose! But for the most part, just be who you are, and dress how you want. Someone says your outfit isn't "lolita" enough? So what! It might not be perfect "lolita," but I think feeling comfortable with how you dress is the most important thing. When it comes to looking perfectly lolita, I think these are a few good tips: ~Make sure to have a proper outfit--Lolita is about modesty! ~Make sure your skirt or the skirt of your dress has enough poof! ~Make sure your colors are balanced. Wearing a mint dress with pink as the second color? If you wear pink on your head, make sure you wear pink on your feet, too! Balancing like this really grounds an outfit and makes it POP! ~Make sure to put effort into your hair and makeup! You don't have to look like you just won a beauty pageant, but just rolling out of bed and putting on lolita just won't do! Lolita is fancy and over the top, paying very careful attention to all details. You should pay attention to your own details as well, don't you think~?

Ahh, sorry for the long interview, everyone! I really hope you enjoyed my interview. Thank you for watching!~

Thanks again to faunkegin for allowing me to do this interview! Also thanks to her wonderful photographers (In order of photo appearance)Ryan Reeve, Issac Viel, and Dorothy Siemens!

If anyone would like to be featured in my next Lolita spotlight, or knows anyone who might, please send an email to painting_the_roses_pink@yahoo.com with "Lolita Spotlight" as the subject. Please include a picture of yourself wearing Lolita as well as why you think you should be in the spotlight!

Thanks for reading!

Movie Recomendation: Julie and Julia

2009-12-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

Considering the mood I have been in lately, I have quite surprised myself that I'm not blogging about the new Harry Potter DVD that I am obsessed with. (*fangirl sigh* Oh Tom Felton~ My love~) But no. Tonight I am blogging about a very different movie that I have just finished watching with my mother, Julie and Julia.

Julie and Julia was to say the least, adorable. Meryl Streep played a perfect Julia Child and both stories told in the movie were simply amazing! To tell the truth, I didn't think I would get as into the movie as I did, but when Julie got off the phone and they cut to a scene with Julia I started freaking out wanting to know who the special dinner guest was going to be!

This movie was adorable, funny, and charming. It also inspired me to want to improve my blog! It got me thinking about ways to make my blog better and more popular. Of course though, there are far less Lolitas in the world than there are people who cook, so I'm sure I will get alot less readers with a blog about Lolita than Julie did blogging about cooking. But that's enough about me!

If you havn't seen this movie yet, I would highly recomend it! I hope you will love it as much as I did!

Being Your Best Princess

2009-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags. Even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us."
I have no idea where this quote came from but I am in love with it! When I was little I always used to pretend that I was a princess, my mommy was the queen, and my daddy was the king. Eventually I grew out of that phase though. I stopped wanting to be a princess and started wanting to be a Pokemon trainer.

When I was little I was the girliest little girl you could find. I had a ton of Barbie dolls and loved to play dressup. But eventually I decided that I would rather play video games and watch anime. But then something happened, I met Lolita. Slowly I began to morph back into this little girl who wanted nothing more than to be a princess. Of course, I still play video games and watch anime, but at this point I would much rather watch Kuroshitsuji than Naruto if you get what I'm saying. (I prefer pretty-boy Victorian butlers over loud little ninja kids.)

What is it that girls find so appealing about being a princess? Is it wearing pretty dresses? Finding your prince charming? Or maybe living in the lap of luxury? For me it was all of these. I have vowed to myself to be the best princess I can be. But how exactly would one be the best princess? Here are a few tips to being the perfect princess.

~Act like a princess~

The virtues of a Princess are grace, courage and kindness.

Now I know that some of us (myself included) are not the most graceful creatures ever to set foot on God's great Earth, but even if you are a clutz, you can always play it off gracefully. You tripped over your own feet? Pick yourself up, brush it off, and laugh politely. It's much better to have people laughing with you than at you.

As for courage, this does not mean you have to run headfirst into the dragon's lair. Courage is much more than bravery. To have courage means that you are not affraid to stand up for what you believe in. If you see a peer being bullied, stand up for them! You don't have to pick a fight, just tell the bullies to leave them alone. If you see something wrong, try to find a way to fix it.

(Kindness should be pretty self explainatory...)

~Look like a princess~

Make yourself beautiful! Whether you wear full Lolita, or just a cute sundress. Or just doing your hair and makeup can do wonders! Dress in a way that makes you happy and lets your inner beauty shine through!

~Treat yourself like a princess~
It's okay to spoil yourself sometimes! You don't have to go out and buy yourself diamonds and pearls though. Maybe treat yourself to a sweet treat from time to time, or take a nice warm bubble bath to help you unwind. Or just light a few candles and curl up with a good book! Take a little time every day to pamper yourself just a little bit!

~Live like a princess~

There are so many ways to make your living space fit for a princess! You don't even have to spend alot of money. Search online and in magazines for decorating inspiration. Do you want to live in full Rococo luxury, or just something cute and shabby chic? Stop by stores like Target or even TJ Max for good deals on decorations. Or maybe stop by an antique store and see what you can find! Decorating my room is one of my favorite things to do!

That's about all I have for you right now. Remember, every girl can be a princess. Even boys can be princesses if they really want! All you have to do is ask yourself, "What would a princess do?"

Movie Recomendation- A Christmas Carol

2009-11-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Hello loves~! It's been a little while since I've posted anything so I thought I would make a movie recomendation! Today I recomend to you, A Christmas Carol!

I saw this movie twice, once in 3D and once normally and I loved it both times! I'm sure most of us know the plot, so I won't really get into that.

I would have to say the most amazing part of the movie is the animation! It is so beautiful and the attention to detail is amazing! The best part is probably when you have the birds eye view of the city!

This movie really made me feel like a little kid and I could really feel the magic of Christmas! It also made me want to go donate stuff to charity!

So I say forget about the vampires and aliens (refering to New Moon and Planet 51, both of which I actually did enjoy. =w=)! It's Christmas time so why not enjoy a nice Christmas movie! I think it would be great even if you don't celebrate Christmas because although it has a Christmas atmosphere, the story is much deeper than that.

Lolita and Anime Conventions

2009-11-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

So, I just got back from Zenkaikon and it was hectic to say the least. The day started when I woke up at 6:58. We all got ready and left the house around 8:30 and arrived at the hotel at around 10:30. The line was long... very very long... So we stood there for an hour before a staff member goes through the line and announces "There is no more space left for today! Anyone who is not pre-registered for Saturday should either go home or just stay in line and sign up for Sunday. You can then come back tomorow." I was infuriated. So we decided that we would stay and try to find a way to get in. We wanted to try to get onto a waiting list or something so we could get in when someone left. If not, we were going to call a cab and just go to the mall. So we stood in line until about 2:00 when we finally got in. We explained to the staff what had happened and that we didn't have a ride and couldn't come back on Sunday and, being the baby that I am, I started crying. XP But, it turned out to be a good thing because they seemed to feel bad and they actually let us in! They gave us badges for Saturday and let us stay!Then we met up with Anna, her friends, and a guy for school and hung out with them for a while. We walked around and went to the Eyeshine pannel and just kinda hung out for a while until we eventually lost them. But we did get to take a few group pictures!

I have to say though, the highlight of my day was Johnny Yong Bosch! He's so nice! He actually took a pen and paper outside and signed autographs for the people in line saying that even if we can't get into the con we should be able to have something to take home! >w<
Oh, but anyway! The Lolita part! So basically, being both a Lolita and an anime fan, you have to have a certain amount of patience. (Pain tolerance can help too.) I can't tell you how many terrible, TERRIBLE, "Lolita cosplays" I saw today. I just wanted to go on a tutoring spree! But, of course you have those people who will say "I don't care if I'm doing it right. I don't want to be a Lolita, I just want to cosplay as one." And no matter how insulting I find that, I have to deal with it.
Then there are dealer rooms. This year's dealer room had a vendor that sold so called "Gothic Lolita" clothes and accessories. Basically it was a bunch of black mini dresses covered in the most scratchy, horrid lace one could ever imagine. AND PEOPLE LIKED IT! I heard girls looking at them going "I would totally wear all of that to school!" And it wasn't even sarcasm! =.= But... people are idiots and will eat up anything they are fed it seems.
Then there are other Lolitas and Lolita fans. I am not a good person for small talk, so whenever another Lolita comes up to me and talks to me, I feel quite awkward. Today two Lolitas came up to me and asked if I was part of the Philly Lolitas group on Live Journal. So I just said yes and awkwardly attempted to talk to them and ended up making the excuse that I had to go to find my friends (which actually was true) to get to leave. It's not that I didn't want to talk to them, I just suck at small talk! XP Then there are people who don't wear Lolita, but seem to be obsessed with it. I have to say, I'm a tad bit tired of being called "Lolita-chan" when people want my attention. I mean, why do they have to add the "chan" part? Why not "miss Lolita"? or something like that. But usually all they want is a picture so it's fine.
I was very happy today to find that nobody said that they liked my "lolita cosplay" or called me a Rozen Maiden like they did last year. But that's what you usually get.

Well, anyway, all in all it was a good day. But now I'm happy to be home to give my feet the rest they need!

Halloween's just around the corner!

2009-10-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

So, Halloween's almost here, and Lolita brands are taking notice! Let's take a look at what Lolita brands are doing for Halloween!

So... first let's start with Angelic Pretty. I actually think their mini witch hats are kinda cute. =3

Then they also have a JSK and OP. (Herm... I seem to have lost that picture of the JSK... oh well. =P)

Then they also have cute plastic accessories!

Then there's BABY and their famous Vampire Requiem. =w= I would give so much to be able to afford this dress... and fit in it.

And last but not least, one of my favorites, Meta's Nightmare Before Christmas colab!

I wonder if there are any more I'm missing. If so, please tell me! =D

STFU Hot Topic

2009-09-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

The idiots at Hot Topic seem to have caught on to the Lolita trend and so... they decided to shamelessly murder it! DX
The first thing they did is this. They took this dress which although not Lolita, is kinda cute (aside from the terrible lace quality) and they decided they could use it for a "Gothic Lolita Halloween Costume"! (I can't get the links to work. Just click on the "Gothic Lolita" on this page.)
DX That is just terrible! Lolita is not a costume and it certainly does not look like that!
Then they did this. "You'll be quite the lolita..." What? Do you mean the slutty little kid kind? That looks nothing like Lolita! Is that what the word "quite" is in there for?
*sigh* To make a long story short, Hot Topic is stupid. Yeah, they have some cute stuff sometimes, but nothing Lolita. NEVER EVER! Great. Now we're gonna have itas running around in Hot Topic garb going "I R RORI NAO GAIZ?! HOT TOPIC SAYZ I R!"
*shivers* I can already smell the failure...

A Blog For Story Lovers

2009-09-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Lately I've been in a writing mood so I decided I would make another blog just for my stories! Some stories may be Lolita related, others will be anime fanfiction. Most of my fanfiction will include my own original characters though, so if you don't like things that use OCs, just be warned. I hope everyone enjoys reading though! ^^
My new blog is called Pens In My Petticoat. I really hope you will read it!

Living La Vida Lolita

2009-09-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

For some reason I seem to be in Lifestyle Lolita mode. I lit a candle with a Victorian scent, sprayed my lace pillows with lavender spray, and I'm listening to Classical music. So what better time for me to discuss being a Lifestyle Lolita?

-What is a Lolita Lifestyle?-

Most simply put, it is a more elegant and beautiful lifestyle adopted by some Lolitas which is often based on old-fashioned customs and activities. This can include things like having tea parties, collecting antiques, gardening, and living a Victorian lifestyle. Of course, not every Lolita has to choose the Lolita Lifestyle. If you don't like to things old-fashioned, that is perfectly fine.

-How to live the Lolita Lifestyle-

A big part of Lolita Lifestyle is drawn from Victorian influence, from tea parties, to formal etiquette. My personal favorite way to celebrate my Lolita Lifestyle is decorating my room. I have included things such as a floral quilt, lace pillows, a mock antique clock, antique furniture, a vanity set, and even a Victorian style sillohouette.

Another fun way to celebrate Lolita Lifestyle is taking a trip to a tea house, museum, or a Victorian house. Other old buildings are also nice. Someday I would really love to travel to France and visit Versailles. I also hope to have a Victorian home of my one one day.

^^" That's all I can really think of for now, but here are a few useful links.

Lifestyle Lolis LiveJournal Community:

http://community.livejournal.com/lifestyle_lolis/

101 Lifestyle Lolita Ideas:

http://community.livejournal.com/egl/3509599.html

Make Mine Pink. Lots of links to places to buy cute shabby chic furnature and accessories:

http://www.makeminepink.com/

Color Me Pretty

2009-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

So, I've noticed quite a bit of hate in the Lolita community for people of different skin tones. I hear a lot of "Only Asians can look good in Lolita" or "White girls look best in Lolita". What's up with this?

Yes, this is about to be another rant... but I havn't ranted in a while so either deal with it or don't read it. XP

Personally, I like being pale. I'm so white I'm almost clear! (lol) In times past pale skin was actually a symbol of wealth and being high classes. I love having such nice, pale skin. But of course, any color of skin is nice as long as you take care of it. Proper skin care is crutial when trying to pull off such a beautiful and elegant style. Why would you wear a beautiful dress without the rest of you looking it's best? It's like giving someone a birthday cake with no icing!

I think the main problem that leads people to believe that people of certain races should not wear Lolita is because they do not wear Lolita that suits their skin tone. I think that certain colors look better with certain skin tones and hair colors. I really think those things can set a whole outfit off balance.

I think that if you take care of your skin, and wear clothes that suit your skin tone and body type, anyone should be able to wear Lolita! The only excuse to tell someone they can't wear Lolita because of the color of their skin is racism. If you feel that way, please keep it to yourself. I don't want to hear any racist comments in the beautiful fashion I love so much.

Sucrerie Magazine Article

2009-09-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

I am so happy~! The article I wrote for the Sucrerie Magazine made it in! >w<
The article is called "Where is the Love?" and it is featured on page 8 of the fall 2009 issue. Please check it out!

I feel so loved~!

2009-08-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

So, I was on Lolitafashion.org today when I get the sweetest PM ever! It said:

"I know this sounds very silly, but I think out of all these wonderful lolitas you seem to be my favorite! I know that sounds silly but I really look up to you!! I mean your not mean ever! And you always loook cute, but you don't look like your trying to pose in a thousand crazy ways! You just look happy! Reminds me of what people say about me you just seem like you love life they say! I do! and I think you look soooo sweet and non-cloney and unique I look up to you! In a very non creepy stalkery way!!"

That seriously made my day! I have always wanted to hear something like that! I know this girl will be reading this blog post at some point so I just wanted to say thanks again! I'm really happy that someone loves me so much! ^^

Also, guess what everyone? I've been posting in Lolita secrets for the last two weeks now. =D

Guess ya can't guess who I am! XD If you can I'll give you a cookie! (But not really. =P I'm not sure how much it would cost to mail a cookie... maybe a virtual cookie though...)

I plan on posting this week too... just as soon as I come up with some good secrets. ^^"

New People Mall

2009-08-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the New People mall just opened in San Francisco, complete with BABY, The Stars Shine Bright... but since I live in Pennsylvania, so I wasn't able to go to the opening. TT.TT
Oh well... it's not like I would have any BABY outfits to wear anyway.
But I'm really starting to get tired of all the BABY Opening picture posts on egl!
I just wanted to go to the Black Peace Now opening to see Hakuei though! TT.TT I'm so sad that I couldn't see him... *sigh* Oh well...
Anyway, here's a link to the New People website if anyone's interested:
http://www.newpeopleworld.com/

Also, I'm very happy! I sent a Lolita Valentine to my favorite trap and he seemed so happy! >w<
He said he was actually thinking about quitting trapping but when he saw my valentine he decided to keep going. I'm so happy! ^.^

Is Research So Difficult?

2009-08-08T12:35:00.001-07:00

Really? Sorry, this is going to be yet another rant.

How hard is it to do some research before you dive into something? I'm getting tired of going to anime cons and seeing girls running around in their "SUPER KAWAII RORITA COSPLAY"! When they really look like crap. (Hey, if TV can use people's pictures while only blocking out their faces, so can I.)

1. Lolita is NOT cosplay! It is a serious fashion and should be treated as such. It's fine if you only want to wear it once for an anime con, but that doesn't mean you should make it as ugly as possible!

2. Lolita has rules! Pull your shirt down! We don't want to see your belly fat! Get better lace! Get petticoats and longer skirts! And for the love of Mana, please cover up! (I feel so bad for the little girl in that picture.)

Is it really that hard to google "Lolita Fashion"? That way you can maybe learn a little bit about it before you screw it up. You can't just throw some lace onto a black dress and go "I'm so rori now!". NO! It's not that easy! Okay?! *sigh* You're just lucky I'm not an elitist. If I see you looking like an Ita I won't be mean about it, but I will tell you you're doing it wrong and try to help. Don't be scared to ask for help.]

By the way, in case you didn't know, an Ita is a Lolita who looks so bad that it is painful to look at. =P Well, you know what they say, you can't spell "Lolita" without "LOL" and "Ita".

Please. If you are a beginner, read these comics I made to help beginners not make common mistakes. (That is one out of four) Also please go to the Lolita links on the side of the blog page.

Please don't think I'm a terrible person. I'm actually a very sweet person. I just get very angry when people mess up Lolita because I love it so much. I would really love it if everyone would learn to do it right.

Movie Recommendation: Orphan (Rated R)

2009-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a good movie. So, I'm going to start a new section of movies that I recommend for Lolitas.

My first recommendation is the new movie, Orphan. Orphan is a horror about a family who after the loss of their unborn baby girl, decide after a few years to adopt. They arrive at the orphanage where they meet Esther, a 9-year-old girl who they immediately fall in love with. But when they take her home they soon realize that there is something wrong with Esther.

This movie is perfect for anyone who loves a good scare! Although, it's not really as scary as it is shocking you could say. It's also a bit sad at times. I actually cried for a minute during the flower scene (you'll see what I'm talking about if you watch it).

So you may be wondering why I recommend this movie for Lolitas? Because Esther makes me think of a little Lolita! lol She hates normal clothes and always wears cute, old fashioned dresses, blouses, and jumpers. She always seems to have ribbons in her hair and just has some of the cutest outfits! There is also a scene where one girl calls her Little Bo Peep! She is also amazing at playing the piano, which I just think is awsome. Of course, she's a cold blooded, murdering maniac! But that can be overlooked! XD

So anyway, I definitely recommend this movie! I thought it was great and I hope you do too!

Where is the love?

2009-08-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

So, I was on Lolita snap and we were talking about Brand Lolita VS Handmade Lolita. I was utterly shocked when one girl posted this:

"More people should make they're own lolita clothing or just normel clothing. I hate when people say that one brand is like god to them and if they see you in offbrand stuff that looks the same, they make a big fit of it. For my first con I made a dress that look the red one from Kamikaze Girls and this brand lolita in the same dress asked me if I get for baby and I said "no, I made it." and she starting yelled at me for not having the brand dress, and later she ripped the back of my dress when i was washing my hand in the ladys room. It was so mean."

That's just horrible! I mean, I know Lolitas can tend to be a bit mean at times, and you always have Elitists who think their "burando" is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but that's just OTT rude!

So, Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to my rant about manners!

When she posted that, my exact response was this:
"Ugh. I can't stand Elitists like that. Such terrible people. They give Lolita a bad name. I would have bitch slapped her. (XD And I say she gives Lolita a bad name)People are just snobs. They think they're better than everyone else because they can afford their precious 'burando'. I can't wait until they're old, fat, and broke. XP That's what happens.I really can't stand it when you see a Lolita with a closet full of beautiful brand Lolita, yet they're living in a little piece of crap house that they can't even afford because all their money is wasted on clothes. People need to realize that you don't have to wear brand to be a beautiful Lolita."

I am a very strong believer in this! You don't need brand to be beautiful! Really people? I mean, it's really impressive that she was able to make such a good replica of that dress that someone actually thought it was made by the brand. You could at least give her credit for that!

Really? What's the big deal with brand whoring anyway? I mean, yes, they have beautiful prints and designs. But why are they so coveted? I guess Lolita is just turning into one big popularity contest. Is that it? You think you'll become the envy of egl or something? Really, I have seen Lolitas looking much prettier in handmade Lolita than anyone in head to toe brand.

Lolitas, please remember, nobody wants to be treated badly. I mean, it would be one thing if she was wearing a hideous ita frill monster, but from what I understand, she wasn't! And even if it was a hideous ita frill monster, you still shouldn't rip the poor girl's dress that she worked so hard to make!

Say what you want about this post. I know you have the right to say what you want. I know you don't have to listen to me. But please, just think. That girl is actually a very sweet person. You really shouldn't judge people before you know them, even if they aren't wearing brand. Everyone already judges you for being a Lolita period, we don't need to add on to that. And if you must make fun of someone, don't do it to their face. That's just plain rude. It's not just about having good manners while wearing Lolita, but in general, people just shouldn't be so rude.
What's next? Protesters against sew_loli?
Really, if you love your brand that much, please, for all of us, get a life, and gtfo.

Bleh. Sorry for the rant. You don't really have to listen to anything I just said. I just wanted to post something that bothered me.

A Successful Meetup

2009-07-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am very happy to say that I have just successfully hosted my first Lolita meetup! It was so much fun! I thought that rather than boring you with a full rundown of everything we did, it would be nice to share some tips for hosting a successful meetup!

Tip #1: The Right Place At The Right Time.

When organizing your meetup it is important to know exactly where you will be going, what you will be doing, and when you will do it. Make sure you chose a location that is Lolita friendly meaning not too dirty and somewhere you would be okay wearing your Lolita clothes. Make sure you have a clear idea of where exactly everyone will meet, and maybe give out your cell phone number in case anyone can't find you. Also have a clear idea of exactly you plan to do, that way you are not standing around bored trying to figure out what to do.

Tip #2: Dressing for Success.

Make sure everyone is dressed properly. If you plan on going to the theatre or a nice resturant, or anywhere that would be considered formal, casual Lolita or OTT sweet might not be your best choices. If you plan to go to an amusement park or anywhere outdoors, make everyone dresses comfortably for the weather. It also might not be the best idea to wear your absolute best Lolita to one of these places for fear that it could get dirty.

Tip #3: Be Prepared.

Make sure everyone is fully prepared. If there is a chance of rain, everyone should bring an umbrella. If it will be sunny everyone should be sure to either wear sunblock or bring along a parasol. Make sure everyone has all of the money they will need which will include an entrance fee or ticket if needed, and the cost of food if needed. Bringing a little extra cash along might not hurt either just in case. Also, be sure to bring your camera!

Tip#4: Advertisement.

When planning a meetup it is best to advertise as much as possible. Put up advertisements on Lolita communities, especially local ones, on Live Journal, and other Lolita communities.

When advertising, make sure to include the date, time, location, how much money everyone will need, appropriate dress, theme (if you have one), and anything else you want them to remember.

Tip #5: Keep Everyone Comfortable.

Meeting people for the first time can be a scary thing. Even more scary is planning to spend the whole day with people you just met on the internet! It is always a good idea to have your guests invite their other friends along too. That way if anyone has trouble making friends, they still have someone to talk to and won't feel lonely. Even if their friends aren't Lolitas, it is still nice to have them there.

Tip#6: Be a Good Host.

Try your best to make all of your guests comfortable. When everyone arrives make sure everyone is properly introduced and take time to get to know everyone. Make sure everyone feels included in the activities. If people are leaving at different times, make sure they leave safely, and even walk them out if you can. (Example: At my meetup, Rachel had to go home early. We were at Hershey Park, so the rest of us walked her out to the entrance where her mom was waiting.)

The most important tip though is to have fun! We all know that alot of drama can pop up between Lolitas from time to time, but a meetup is a place to have fun and make friends! Even if your ideas clash at times, it is best to ignore it and don't let it ruin your good time.

Well, that's all for now! I hope your meetups go as well as mine did!

I Love BABY, The Stars Shine Bright!

2009-07-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

So, I was on wtf_burando, a Live Journal community that basically questions the sanity of Lolita brands whenever they make something ugly or just weird. While reading the newest posts I came across this post. I'm a bit embarassed to say it but... I actually love that dress! >w<>

I simply cannot believe this ended up on there because I have to say, this is probably my dream dress. Well, one of my many dream dresses. I really think it would look good on someone (like me! =D). I wonder how many people will question my sanity because of this... but then again, I have already had my sanity questioned enough times that I'm used to it by now! ^^ I can't help it that I like OTT sweet prints.

I think everything about this dress is adorable! I love the ribbons and lace in the front. I love the cute little teddybears with their bonnets and dresses. I even love the colors, which is mainly what that post was complaining about! If they think it's ugly, then I guess that just leaves more for me! As soon as I can get the money, I will totally be rocking this dress.
I have to say, BABY is just full of my dream dresses. But of course, I still haven't hit my goal weight and am still a bit too big for any of them. But just you wait! One of these days I will fit into my dream dresses and I will show off every one of them!

I would just love to be able to wear Kaya's BABY dress, even just once. I would be honored just to be in the presence of it! Of course, being in the presence of Kaya would be a great honor period, but in this dress? Pure love~! The best part is, I usually prefer sweet Lolita! This is almost all black and I'm still in love with it!

Bleh... okay. I guess I'm done with my rant for today. I'm just having so much fun. ^^" Wow, I used a lot of pictures today. Well, everyone needs a little visual aid, right? Please say I'm right because I don't want to sound any dumber than I already do. XD

Love you!

Wedding Bells From The Future

2009-07-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

I know I'm only 16 and it is going to quite a while until the day comes, but I was reading volume 5 of the English Gothic and Lolita Bible and it got me thinking about what my wedding would be like. (Volume 5 is the Wedding Issue)

First of all, I love HAKUEI's response to all the questions. My favorite is:

Q: What kind of person would you like to marry?
A: Someone about whom I'd think, "She's the only one who'll really work as a partner for someone as stupid as me!"

XD He's so cute! You know... I really wouldn't mind being that someone. *fangirl* ^^"

So anyway. I decided to get a head start on planning my wedding! =D First of all. The ring. It's from BABY, The Stars Shine Bright and it's just beautiful! I just hope my big meaty fingers would fit! TT.TT

*sigh*

So next would be the clothes. I was thinking something like this! The dress is so pretty and the groom's outfit is awsome! >w< (lol I scanned that myself! XD I was half tempted to edit my face into the picture.)

Hm... now for the location. I know it would probably be expensive, but I would love to have my wedding in a big, beautiful garden with lots of roses! ^^ The reception would probably be at a hotel or something with a really big fancy ball room and it would be a masquerade ball with fancy masks at all the table settings.

For the music, I think I would like mostly classical, but it would be fun to have a little J-Rock thrown in there. XD The bride and groom's first dance would be Far Away by Nickelback and the father daughter dance would be Butterfly Kisses by... I don't know who. ^^"

For food... I'm not sure what we would have. My mom is a vegetarian so she would either have a salad or bring her own food I guess. I kinda like chicken... Hm... I dunno. Maybe something Victorian-ish. ^^ But for the cake, I would really love something Lolita-ish. I remember on EGL someone made a cake based on the Iron Gate print from Moi-meme-Moitie. I wonder if I could get a lilac Sugary Carnival cake? XD

Oh! I almost forgot about the bridesmaids! They would most likely wear Classic Lolita. Something like this would be nice. Now to make sure all my bridesmaids can fit into Japanese sizes. ^^"

Wait... who would I even have as bridesmaids?! TT.TT None of my friends are really girly enough... I guess they would have to wear whatever I wanted them to though. *evil grin*

Hm... I really need more Lolita friends. I want my wedding to be really formal. I want to invite a lot of Lolitas and have them wear their best Lolita. All of the non-lolitas would have to get some really nice formal clothes too. Victorian clothes and ball gowns are good. ^^ lol

What about you? Would you like to be invited? ^^

Oh yeah! I almost forgot another very important thing! The car that takes us to the reception from the wedding!

Searching for the Light

2009-07-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

So... I have alot of stuff I want to save up for. At the moment, I really want so save up about $600 for a ball-jointed doll. This one to be exact.

Isn't he just beautiful?! >w<

I originally wanted a pretty little Lolita BJD, but when I saw Ducan I just fell in love! ^^"

I also want more money to spend on Lolita! I have been a Lolita for over a year and still don't have anything from a Japanese brand, while my friend who has only been into it for a few months just got a parasol from BABY, The Stars Shine Bright. Wanna know why? Because she has a job! TT.TT I really want one...

So today I went to the Hershey outlets looking for a job. PacSun was hiring, but it was just for an assistant manager job, which I wouldn't be able to do. So I tried Starbucks. I asked how old you would have to be to work there and they said 18... WHAT?! Why do I have to be 18 to make coffee?! *sigh*

So then I tried Christmas Tree Hill, which actually has alot more than you would expect. It's very cute. ^^ I was so excited when they said the minimum age for working there was 16, but when I asked for an application the lady says "Oh, sorry, the only shift you could work has already been filled." ... You couldn't have told me that in the first place?

So... I'm not at a loss. I guess I'll just have to do a bunch of chores around the house and earn money the old fashioned way... weekly allowance!

*sigh* Plus I need to save up money for Otakon next year... Looks like I'm back to collecting spare change like last year...

Welcome, love~!

2009-07-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to Painting The Roses Pink! Why pink? Because it's just so pretty!

My name is Averie. I have alot of different alliases which include neko_nekogami, inuzukaluv, and silverrosealchemist. You might recognize me from such places as Live Journal (most often egl), You Tube, Deviant Art, and various other websites, most often either Lolita or anime related.

Hm... I really don't know what do say. I have never really done much blogging before. I mean, I don't even really read blogs, so why would anyone want to read mine? But... I felt left out. Now normally I wouldn't do something just because everyone else is doing it, but well... it's sort of a dream of mine to become famous in the Lolita community. I don't want to be famous in a bad way like say... La Carmina, but I want to be famous in a good way. I want to give good advice and be recognized for good coordinates and whatnot. Is that a bad thing? *innocent looking pose*

So... basically this is going to be a Lolita and anime related blog. I hope to spread a good word about Lolita fashion to everyone in the Otaku community. Mainly because I'm tired of seeing "UBER KAWAII LOLITA COSPLAYS" that well... aren't at all "kawaii" or even Lolita. I want people to understand that Lolita =/= cosplay.

I hope everyone enjoys reading my rants! Please come back and read often! ^^