New Year's Resolutions

With January the First quickly approaching, I want to set myself some goals. I know you can set them at any time in the year, but I just want to make some now, to prepare myself! As I'm still ill with a chest infection, it's hard to gather motivation and energy, but hopefully by the start of January I'll be better!

• What I really want is to get through my high school and finish it on a positive note, with as good a result I can get in the GCSEs.
• Then I also want to get into a good college. Hopefully so I can study fashion and costume design, as my dream jobs are all centred around that! (That is, as well as being an author.)
• To help my dad find a new job that he's happy in; right now he's not in a good place regardless of the amount of money he's payed, so I need to help him out as much as I can.
• I really want to start sewing my own Lolita and vintage wardrobe this year, so my challenge is to become a better dress-maker. 
• I also want to finish at least one of the books I'm writing this year, and then publish it to Kindle and Ebook readers. Either When the Summer Ends, or Margaret's School; but preferably the former, as I want that to be my first published novel. 
• In the summer I am going to get another puppy to love and train, so I have something to do and look forward to.
• To be happy! I think that should be everybody's wish!

Isul Lir

This Christmas I was very lucky to receive Isul Lir from my parents. Isul Lir is the doll in the same collection as Beverly, my Pullip Merl, as both have a very nautical feel to their outfits.

Isul Lir has big, dewy brown eyes, incredibly long brown eyelashes, and sweet, peach-pink lips. The doll's hair is short, slightly spiky in places, and styled in a dirty blonde bob around its face. Although its hair is not as soft as my other dolls', it makes up for it by being very different, adding to its personality. Lir has a lovely skin shade, that is quite a healthy colour, reminding me of vintage illustrations of children used during the 50s, perfect for a seafarer!
Lir's outfit is just the cutest, reminding me of the clothes that little boys used to wear in the Victorian age. It comes with a sash, bloomers, striped socks and boots with tiny laces; I even think that the sailor cap is embroidered (embroidery being one of my favourite embellishments on garments)! 

Although Isuls are generally manufactured to be males, I have decided that this time the Isul doll will be female. At first I wanted to call it Oscar, but as soon as I saw it, I thought that a female character would be more fitting. Besides, she has the same hairstyle as me!

So, her name is Audrey, in my mind, and she is an assistant to Beverly on the ship they live in. I have yet to come up with specifics, but when I do they'll be posted to my doll page.

A Parcel from Spain!

A few days before Christmas, I received a really sweet present from my DeviantART friend, Nami, to thank me for supporting her art! I thought it was incredibly lovely of her to go to such lengths, and it made me incredibly happy! I'll share it, because it is so gorgeous! Even the packaging it came in was adorable!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas; I hope everyone has had a good time! My day was okay, but seeing as I had a chest infection, I felt ill for most of it, and couldn't help counting down the minutes until I could go to bed and get some rest, that is, without appearing antisocial or rude at all. This is because my whole family came round, including my Aunt from Australia, so I did have to make an effort this time.

I hope that it doesn't seem too spoiled brat-ish of me to share the things my family bought me, but I'm just really happy. Besides, the best part of Christmas is the presents!

DVDs

 Harry Hill, Allo Allo! and Miranda's Live Show (which I actually saw in Liverpool with my dad! God, she's hilarious!)

Books!

 The Busy Girl's Guide to Photography, Pom Pom Puppies (I'm in love), How to Draw Vintage Fashion, Let's Lolita Sewing Book 2, Blogging for Creatives, and a historical fashion colouring book.

More books!

 I am Malala, the Monsieur Pamplemousse series, a Black Butler Art Book, and Off the Leash comics.

 A cute tin with body washes in, an alarm clock from my sister, and two Kirsty Allsopp craft kits (gosh, I love Kirsty)!

 Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, an Accessorize phone case, and Turkish delight. Anybody who knows me well knows that I'm mad about Turkish delight!

Things to wear!

 Accessorize Clock-face purse, pearl drop earrings (specially chosen for the future prom), strawberry earrings and lollipop broach from Nami, black lace gloves from John Lewis, a silver bangle from Pandora, and two stack-able rings, also from Pandora! The latter two are gifts are from my aunt, as she usually spoils us when she comes back home after an absence of two/three years...

Lace!

 Lots of lace and a gorgeous box to keep them in! I actually think I have a lace addiction...

Isul Lir

I love him/her, but I don't have a story, name or even gender for it yet! I really need to have a think, as usually I come up with things after purchase; recently I've had no time due to mock exams.

Angelic Pretty Handbag!

I chose this for myself at Hyper Japan. I'm excited, because this is my first brand bag!

Two For Tea!

Today my friend Wendy came round and we had a Lolita themed tea party! I've always wanted a tea party, so this was like a dream come true (I must have been a very lonely, depraved child)!

So in preparation, the other day I purchased some pretty china to drink from, as my town has a lovely store called The China Shop; which, obviously, is filled to the brim with delicate things, so I had to tiptoe about the place and pray that I wouldn't trip up.
The ones I purchased were from the Red Rose Collector's series by Aynsley. The two cups are slightly different, but they were so pretty in magenta and gold that I couldn't resist them! Also, the saucers I got matched - they have apples and winter berries in the centres - but are from a completely different brand, called Duchess.
I also borrowed some items from my Nana's collection to have a whole set, and they are the Lavender Rose series from Royal Albert, dating from around the 1960s, I think. They all looked really pretty together, and it inspired me to get out my rose tea that I purchased in France.

As I have a gluten intolerance, poor Wendy had to suffer the strange chocolate chip cookies I made, which actually look more like boulders than biscuits! Thankfully, my dad also bought some yummy chocolate fondant cupcakes, so she wasn't too victimised.

For fun - but also because Wendy is also interested in Lolita fashion - I put together an outfit and we both dressed up! Wendy makes an adorable Lolita girl, and actually suits my clothes better than I do!

She is wearing; my BtSSB Lovely Sweet Room JSK, BtSSB white head bow, Bodyline blouse, an off brand pink parasol, and Hush Puppy Victorian boots.

And I wore a Wonder Cookie JSK (from Dream of Lolita), a BtSSB blouse, a handmade bonnet, petticoat, the drawers I made, BtSSB socks and black mary janes. Oh, and I've also had my hair cut to slightly above my jawline; I wasn't sure if it would go with Lolita, but having such long hair was a pain, so I gave in and cut it anyway.
At first I was wearing her head bow, but she wanted to see what I looked like in the bonnet, so I wore that for the rest of the day.

We drank the rose tea, watched Frozen and Interview with the Vampire (a strange mix, I must admit!) and took silly photographs. I really enjoyed my first Lolita tea party!

Lolita Videos

I found these really cute Lolita videos! After a re-watch of the wonderful Kamikaze Girls (and the realisation of how cute Ichigo is), I felt very affectionate towards the clothes of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright! Now I really want to go back to the Paris store.

Marie Antoinette

Due to my obsession with Candy Violet/Vivcore's blogs and online apparel store, the Rococo Lady dress I've had my eye on since the age of eleven, plus the idea of a Quaintrelle Life... I have finally decided to review Marie Antoinette! It is one of my favourite films, so I'm rather excited.

Marie Antoinette shows us the frivolous, almost insane life of the infamous French queen, as she dances through love, life, and extremely first world problems. At the age of fourteen she was forged to marry the dauphin of France and leave everything from Austria, her home country, behind. The day after she first met the dauphin, they were wed in an intricately detailed, frilly celebration. From then onwards, her problems were based around trying to stay in everybody's good-books and consummate her marriage with Louis, which only happened 7 years after their vows.
Throughout, we see that she isn't exactly happy in her rich life, and feels pressurised and isolated all of the time... Antoinette may be sorrowful for a little while, but usually she perks up after a lavish spending spree of candy-coloured shoes, fans, jewels, wigs, and dresses, as well as another crazy party! The French public soon become unhappy with the amount of money she is spending on herself, rather than for the good of the country, which leads to her obvious downfall...

The viewer can honestly sympathise for Marie Antoinette (especially if they're a rather royal Lolita!), and who wouldn't want to be right on the set of that film! I just love all of the scenes, especially Antoinette's little country retreat and the bedrooms of Versailles; and those costumes have a fantastic attention to detail! There wasn't one outfit that I wouldn't have killed for, just to look in detail and touch! In fact, it has given me a lot of inspiration, especially the delicate little slippers they wear.

Some of the members of Versailles were very snobby, especially at the get-togethers, and Marie's little inner crowd. So I honestly did feel sorry for her in places, although in a lot of cases she did deserve exactly what she got by abandoning France for her parties...

The only thing that I was a little disappointed with was the ending, as I found it rather vague. Anybody who wasn't familiar with the trial and execution of Marie Antoinette would have been a little confused, and to be honest, I did want to see the flash of the guillotine and a bit of blood. However, the lead up to her desertion of Versailles was really tense, especially with the noises of the angry cries and pounding on the doors outside!

This is stating the obvious, but Kirsten Dunst was absolutely brilliant! I adored her in Interview with the Vampire, and I loved her in this too! She is an all-round perfect actress, especially in these kinds of period films; honestly, I could just see her strutting through all romantic eras and she would suit every single one to a T!