I'm sorry that I've been away for so long, I've been going through some major changes in my life and blogging wasn't the top of my priority list. Also certain posts on this blog remind me of things I want to forget right now.
I know that this isn't a personal blog, but I think I need to give you all at least a brief explanation for my absence and why certain images/text on this blog will be edited.
I just realised that in the last couple of months I have been lying to myself, with an increasing rate of failure. My relationship was poorly chosen and badly timed. I wanted Joe to be someone he wasn't and could never be, and the longer we spent together the more obvious it was that our dreams were not compatible. I was still in love with someone else; my ex boyfriend, the person my dreams for the future were tangled up with.
I'm ashamed of myself for making such bad choices and for hurting people in the process but I'm also very lucky; I have a second chance; my ex is recovering from his depression slowly and letting me into his life again. We are going to fight very hard to see past all the pain the last few months has caused us both and more forward.
I'm going to take a little more time away from my blog. I'll be back on the 1st October with many outfits for my winter theme of Magique Victorienne and other random posts about DIY, decor and cemeteries.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
Book of Ideas
Today I made a notebook to record my outfit ideas in. The notebook itself I brought ages ago from the works, then lost in my room (I found it yesterday when I was looking for my spider brooch =P). I added the ribbon and charms to make it fit my theme a little better =]
I know butterflies are very magical but I was going to draw a fairy, did the wings, then realised I'm bad at drawing people/humanoids even in doodle form!
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Spiderweb bustle skirt
I got up early this morning and finished making my webby skirt - although it took far longer than it should. My sewing machine really needs to be serviced!
Here it is, I think it looks pretty good for something made from 2 1quid tablecloths, a length of elastic and 2 brooch backs:
I made one of the tablecloths into the bustle by folding it to make 2 layers (one longer than the other) and gathering it, then stitching it to 2 brooch backs.
Then I cut the other one in half, on a slight diagonal in order to made a skirt that was longer at the back than the front. I stitched the 2 halves together, made a hem at the top, leaving a small opening and threaded the elastic through, then stitched the opening closed.
What do you guys think of it?
Here it is, I think it looks pretty good for something made from 2 1quid tablecloths, a length of elastic and 2 brooch backs:
I made one of the tablecloths into the bustle by folding it to make 2 layers (one longer than the other) and gathering it, then stitching it to 2 brooch backs.
Then I cut the other one in half, on a slight diagonal in order to made a skirt that was longer at the back than the front. I stitched the 2 halves together, made a hem at the top, leaving a small opening and threaded the elastic through, then stitched the opening closed.
What do you guys think of it?
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Life's a stage; introducing the Magique Victorienne
I finally got my ear's pierced yesterday =]
It was less traumatic than expected. (thanks to Joe for letting me sit on his lap so I couldn't run away from the lady with the gun...again =P) Today was more traumatic though; one of the earrings I got put in had a damaged backing and so it kept falling off- I returned it and the ordeal of forcing a properly fitting back onto the swollen ear (I'd had to put the damaged backing back on 6 times because I was scared of the earring falling out, so my ear was a bit mangled) was unpleasant. It doesn't help that I have the world's most non-existent ear lobes so the piercing is actually angled a bit strangely.
I'll post pictures when the swelling goes down again...
It's funny that just last week when I'd finally decided to get them pierced I came across this post by Amanda Palmer about jewellery. Amanda is someone I have a lot of love and respect for (her incredible music and insightful lyrics are a constant source of inspiration) but I disagree with her about this.
She says;
'I will look upon the adorned-in-daylight people - women in mascara with their hair done, men wearing pressed suits - with awe and wonder. I can never understand why people try so hard to look attractive in real life. don’t they know THAT’S WHAT THE STAGE IS FOR?'
And all I can say is:
'All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players' (William Shakespeare; As you like it)
I used to be an actress (of the amateur but utterly devoted teenage variety) and I miss the thrill of performance, the applause, playing people very different from myself and I miss wearing costumes (well some of them; NEVER agree to play a carol singer i.e. full woollen coat, scarf, hat etc. under STAGE LIGHTS in JULY= boiling half to death).
So I still wear costumes.
I know a lot of alternative people from all subcultures get offended when people refer to their outfit as a costume, and I totally understand why but I kind of disagree. I like to have a theme for my outfits, some idea to hold the elements together, which is kind of like a costume. It helps me make the whole world my stage.
Another blog post I read this week was by Victoria Suzanne of Parfait Doll, also made me think. In it she says her 'theme' for the winter is going to be Barbie. I realised how much fun it would be to have a running theme to my outfits for a whole season so I've decided on:
Magique Victorienne
This theme will combine my love of Victorian clothing styles and my love of magic and fantasy. Expect to see outfits inspired by witches, fairies, magicians and circus folk, spiritualists and the occult, all of course with my usual hint of morbidity and funereal charm. Obviously my work outfits will include subtle hints only but expect my day's off to be full of eccentric and magical clothing and probably OTT make-up, maybe even including swirly eyeliner designs. I used to do that sort of thing a lot (see pictures below) and I'm probably too old to get away with it now, but it's so much fun!
I'm currently making a spiderweb lace over-skirt (with detachable bustle) from 2 Poundland halloween tablecloths and downloading images of tarot cards and ouija boards to make into fabric designs. Expect photos within a week (my sewing machine and printer permitting).
Do any of you like to pick themes for your outfits or the seasons?
It was less traumatic than expected. (thanks to Joe for letting me sit on his lap so I couldn't run away from the lady with the gun...again =P) Today was more traumatic though; one of the earrings I got put in had a damaged backing and so it kept falling off- I returned it and the ordeal of forcing a properly fitting back onto the swollen ear (I'd had to put the damaged backing back on 6 times because I was scared of the earring falling out, so my ear was a bit mangled) was unpleasant. It doesn't help that I have the world's most non-existent ear lobes so the piercing is actually angled a bit strangely.
I'll post pictures when the swelling goes down again...
It's funny that just last week when I'd finally decided to get them pierced I came across this post by Amanda Palmer about jewellery. Amanda is someone I have a lot of love and respect for (her incredible music and insightful lyrics are a constant source of inspiration) but I disagree with her about this.
She says;
'I will look upon the adorned-in-daylight people - women in mascara with their hair done, men wearing pressed suits - with awe and wonder. I can never understand why people try so hard to look attractive in real life. don’t they know THAT’S WHAT THE STAGE IS FOR?'
And all I can say is:
'All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players' (William Shakespeare; As you like it)
I used to be an actress (of the amateur but utterly devoted teenage variety) and I miss the thrill of performance, the applause, playing people very different from myself and I miss wearing costumes (well some of them; NEVER agree to play a carol singer i.e. full woollen coat, scarf, hat etc. under STAGE LIGHTS in JULY= boiling half to death).
So I still wear costumes.
I know a lot of alternative people from all subcultures get offended when people refer to their outfit as a costume, and I totally understand why but I kind of disagree. I like to have a theme for my outfits, some idea to hold the elements together, which is kind of like a costume. It helps me make the whole world my stage.
Another blog post I read this week was by Victoria Suzanne of Parfait Doll, also made me think. In it she says her 'theme' for the winter is going to be Barbie. I realised how much fun it would be to have a running theme to my outfits for a whole season so I've decided on:
Magique Victorienne
This theme will combine my love of Victorian clothing styles and my love of magic and fantasy. Expect to see outfits inspired by witches, fairies, magicians and circus folk, spiritualists and the occult, all of course with my usual hint of morbidity and funereal charm. Obviously my work outfits will include subtle hints only but expect my day's off to be full of eccentric and magical clothing and probably OTT make-up, maybe even including swirly eyeliner designs. I used to do that sort of thing a lot (see pictures below) and I'm probably too old to get away with it now, but it's so much fun!
I'm currently making a spiderweb lace over-skirt (with detachable bustle) from 2 Poundland halloween tablecloths and downloading images of tarot cards and ouija boards to make into fabric designs. Expect photos within a week (my sewing machine and printer permitting).
Do any of you like to pick themes for your outfits or the seasons?
Thursday, 6 September 2012
The Obituary Challenge
Thanks very much to Shannon for tagging me in this challenge!
Josephine (known to all as Josie or Phoenix), age 22, died last week in an unfortunate accident. She tripped and fell into a collapsed vault whilst doing archaeological research at Highgate cemetery and later died in hospital from head and spinal injuries. The cemetery declined to comment today but sources close to Josephie admit tearfully that it was only a matter of time before her extreme clumsiness and general disregard for personal safety resulted in tragedy. It is merely a shame that the historic cemetery she so loved and wished to champion was the source of her demise.
The vault into which she fell is in an area where cemetery records have been lost, through rodent damage to the map books, and upon investigation proved to be empty, with no memorial surviving memorial above ground. There is now a campaign to bury Josephine in this vault and erect a suitable monument to her memory, donations to this fund are welcomed and all are encouraged to sign the petition for burial rights to be granted.
If this campaign is unsuccessful Josephine's body will be transported to the Isle of Harris and interred in a small clifftop graveyard, overlooking the sea, with stunning views of the pure white beaches, clear water, mountains and rocky islands. She helped survey this graveyard during the first year of her undergraduate degree and always carried it's tranquility, isolation and beauty in her heart.
In recognition for her extraordinary devotion to academia, specifically the funerary customs of the 19th century, the latest drafts of her thesis will be edited and compiled by her supervisor and published post-humously. Her extensive collection of books about death and burial will be donated to the University of Birmingham library so that future archaeology students will be able to continue her great work.
The Rules:
- Link back to whoever tagged you.
- Put these rules in your tag
- Write an obituary about yourself (it can be as funny or as serious as you like)
- Write a paragraph or two (or more if necessary) in length.
- You may tag up to 10 people, and be sure to link them.
- Have fun, because creative writing is one of the greatest joys in life!
Josephine (known to all as Josie or Phoenix), age 22, died last week in an unfortunate accident. She tripped and fell into a collapsed vault whilst doing archaeological research at Highgate cemetery and later died in hospital from head and spinal injuries. The cemetery declined to comment today but sources close to Josephie admit tearfully that it was only a matter of time before her extreme clumsiness and general disregard for personal safety resulted in tragedy. It is merely a shame that the historic cemetery she so loved and wished to champion was the source of her demise.
The vault into which she fell is in an area where cemetery records have been lost, through rodent damage to the map books, and upon investigation proved to be empty, with no memorial surviving memorial above ground. There is now a campaign to bury Josephine in this vault and erect a suitable monument to her memory, donations to this fund are welcomed and all are encouraged to sign the petition for burial rights to be granted.
If this campaign is unsuccessful Josephine's body will be transported to the Isle of Harris and interred in a small clifftop graveyard, overlooking the sea, with stunning views of the pure white beaches, clear water, mountains and rocky islands. She helped survey this graveyard during the first year of her undergraduate degree and always carried it's tranquility, isolation and beauty in her heart.
In recognition for her extraordinary devotion to academia, specifically the funerary customs of the 19th century, the latest drafts of her thesis will be edited and compiled by her supervisor and published post-humously. Her extensive collection of books about death and burial will be donated to the University of Birmingham library so that future archaeology students will be able to continue her great work.
[Some of that is true, some of it a product of the worst fears of the FOHC who want me to have insurance before I start surveying and some of it is pure vanity with a heavy dose of romantic wishful thinking =P]
Tagging:
I'm really rubbish at tagging people for challenges; because I always worry about people getting tagged multiple times for the same thing. If you'd like to do this challenge comment below and I'll tag you!
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Clubbing, Camden, Corsets and Clothing
So as promised here are some pictures from my weekend, although not as many as I had hoped because I was too busy going 'oohhh look at all the cool stuff' to take pictures of the cool stuff!
The hotel we were staying in was very central, just off the Euston Road, called the Grange Fitzrovia, it was super posh! I didn't get a picture of our room but it was a lot like the 'Double Superior' in their pictures.
The location was really handy; 15 mins from Euston and 5 mins from 3 different tube lines. This is the Euston Road on the Saturday morning, such an interesting church:
On the Friday night we went out in Camden, starting at Ultimate Power, the club night my cousin is one of the organisers of. It's a really popular night and everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun, but I was tired from travelling so my tolerance for a) crowds and b) power ballads was a lot lower than I expected!
I've never seen a club so busy! I've been to sold out gigs where there was more space to dance:
We left early and did a quick tour of Camden pubs including The Dev and The World's End before getting the tube back to the hotel. The tube was still running at 1.15am (thank you Paralympics!).
On the Saturday we returned to Camden for SHOPPING, we went through all of the markets, and even stopped in Cyberdog, which I always visit, because it looks amazing even though I don't wear cybergoth style myself (I love it on others, but it's not something I can pull off).
I took a couple of snaps in cyberdog, although having to use flash kind of ruined the pictures because it's actually dark and atmospheric with UV, neon and coloured lights:
I didn't actually buy very much whilst I was at the markets. I tried on a couple of pieces by Spin Doctor, that I'm still considering; this skirt and this blouse which I really liked, but they were expensive and once again I had some concerns about quality (small things, like buttons being loose even though they had probably only been tried on a few times etc) so I'm still trying to decide. The level of detail makes them tempting items though; I wouldn't be able to DIY a version!
I did get a corset though =]
I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of it yet because I don't have anyone to help lace me into it! I was re-assured by the lady at the stall that I should still be getting 22" corsets, not 24" because the 22" closes completely except where my ribs get too wide! I was worried because I've put on a LOT of weight since the last time I brought a corset (when I was 17) and although that is a good thing (I have to accept that my 'perfect body' belonged to a girl, not a woman =P), I still get a little touchy when clothes stop fitting me! This is the corset I got, but it was on sale, so I got it for 40 =]
Hopefully I'll have pictures of the corset on me next week!
In the meantime here is an outfit I wore out for dinner on the Saturday night, when we went to Ask Italian, taken in the bathroom of our hotel room:
We were going to go to Slimelight afterwards but were so tired after shopping and food that we fell asleep instead oopsies!
We went home on the Sunday but it wasn't a smooth journey, I managed to leave my top hat in the pub at Euston station when we stopped in for some breakfast (they have really nice toast and jam) =[
I hoping I'll get my hat back but so far I can't get through to the pub on the phone; so I'll have to go in when I'm in London next week and hope they still have it.
The hotel we were staying in was very central, just off the Euston Road, called the Grange Fitzrovia, it was super posh! I didn't get a picture of our room but it was a lot like the 'Double Superior' in their pictures.
The location was really handy; 15 mins from Euston and 5 mins from 3 different tube lines. This is the Euston Road on the Saturday morning, such an interesting church:
On the Friday night we went out in Camden, starting at Ultimate Power, the club night my cousin is one of the organisers of. It's a really popular night and everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun, but I was tired from travelling so my tolerance for a) crowds and b) power ballads was a lot lower than I expected!
I've never seen a club so busy! I've been to sold out gigs where there was more space to dance:
We left early and did a quick tour of Camden pubs including The Dev and The World's End before getting the tube back to the hotel. The tube was still running at 1.15am (thank you Paralympics!).
On the Saturday we returned to Camden for SHOPPING, we went through all of the markets, and even stopped in Cyberdog, which I always visit, because it looks amazing even though I don't wear cybergoth style myself (I love it on others, but it's not something I can pull off).
I took a couple of snaps in cyberdog, although having to use flash kind of ruined the pictures because it's actually dark and atmospheric with UV, neon and coloured lights:
I didn't actually buy very much whilst I was at the markets. I tried on a couple of pieces by Spin Doctor, that I'm still considering; this skirt and this blouse which I really liked, but they were expensive and once again I had some concerns about quality (small things, like buttons being loose even though they had probably only been tried on a few times etc) so I'm still trying to decide. The level of detail makes them tempting items though; I wouldn't be able to DIY a version!
I did get a corset though =]
I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of it yet because I don't have anyone to help lace me into it! I was re-assured by the lady at the stall that I should still be getting 22" corsets, not 24" because the 22" closes completely except where my ribs get too wide! I was worried because I've put on a LOT of weight since the last time I brought a corset (when I was 17) and although that is a good thing (I have to accept that my 'perfect body' belonged to a girl, not a woman =P), I still get a little touchy when clothes stop fitting me! This is the corset I got, but it was on sale, so I got it for 40 =]
Hopefully I'll have pictures of the corset on me next week!
In the meantime here is an outfit I wore out for dinner on the Saturday night, when we went to Ask Italian, taken in the bathroom of our hotel room:
We were going to go to Slimelight afterwards but were so tired after shopping and food that we fell asleep instead oopsies!
We went home on the Sunday but it wasn't a smooth journey, I managed to leave my top hat in the pub at Euston station when we stopped in for some breakfast (they have really nice toast and jam) =[
I hoping I'll get my hat back but so far I can't get through to the pub on the phone; so I'll have to go in when I'm in London next week and hope they still have it.
Monday, 3 September 2012
And the winner is...
I wrote out the names of the people who entered the competition:
Got Joe to pick a slip of paper:
And the winner is:
Linnea-Maria!
I'll be messaging her shortly to get the details of where to send Dreamer the Cemetery Owl =]
I know I promised to put the names into my top hat, but Yesterday I lost it =[ so I had to use my bowler hat instead. Hopefully I will get my hat back next weekend, but at the moment I can't get hold of anyone from the pub where I left it =[
I'll post some pictures from my weekend away tomorrow.
Cut the paper into strips:
Put the papers into a hat:
Got Joe to pick a slip of paper:
And the winner is:
I'll be messaging her shortly to get the details of where to send Dreamer the Cemetery Owl =]
I know I promised to put the names into my top hat, but Yesterday I lost it =[ so I had to use my bowler hat instead. Hopefully I will get my hat back next weekend, but at the moment I can't get hold of anyone from the pub where I left it =[
I'll post some pictures from my weekend away tomorrow.