It's--my?--party!

So April 27th approaches, which means...

Ha! Found a Birthday Glitter Graphic with my name on it.

A lot of people don't know this about me, but I kind of hate my birthday. I get really depressed whenever it comes nearer. I think it must be the little girl in me who never got to have the whole birthday shebang for a really long time when money was tight during her childhood. 10 years later...well, things haven't changed. I don't really have birthday parties, nor do I expect gifts or even a "happy birthday"--I guess I now just consider it selfish to be concerned with having "my big day" when we're (my family) having financial troubles. But there must be leftover anticipation because I was in the middle of an Anthropology study fest (test coming up) this morning and just up and started sobbing all over my notes. I have absolutely no clue why it happened, but Marmie was very unhappy seeing me distraught. I took a break to try and cheer myself up, and was browsing through Dreamy Pretty Things on Tumblr when I came across this picture:

I eat strawberries when they're dipped in a bit of sugar like the ones on this cake. Strawberry is my favorite flavor of everything--cake, ice cream, flavored water, alcohol, everything. Marmie looked over my shoulder and said, "You know, we could make that." I smiled and told her that was sweet, but we didn't have the ingredients. Then she pulled out strawberry cake mix and cream cheese icing and replied, "I thought we'd have tea with it too."
...
Oh my god. I love my mother so, so much. I haven't had a birthday cake of my own in over five years. Call it the benefit of finishing my classes from home this semester, but to just have a home-cooked dinner and a home-baked cake means the world to me. Here's our strawberry birthday cake (it's heart-shaped, too):

There's a tiny pink candle in the very center. No way I'm flambeing myself trying to jam twenty-two candles on a cake. XD

Here's the whole spread--I took out my sweet-themed china I had gotten about three years ago and it matched quite well:

We put the whole set out even though it was only the two of us.

I haven't worn lolita or anything else very fancy lately since I've been mainly stuck in the house either doing schoolwork or workout tapes and neither inspires me to gussy myself up, but I did put together a little birthday outfit. I don't have a good mirror and mother is not--though I love her--even a satisfactory photographer, so the only shot I have of it is me squatting on my bed to get a shot in my vanity mirror:

The skirt and petticoat are bodyline, pink tights from Leg Avenue and top is offbrand vintage. The woman in the painting behind me is my Grand-Aunt Cora (from the turn of the century)! I feel kind of bad with my bloomers partly flashing her likeness :-(

I certainly was pleasantly surprised today. Have to get back to that test prep, but am certainly feeling a lot better now. It was a really fabulous surprise.

Tata, beatrix

Awesome Bonnet-Making Tutorial for BJDs

Very easy BJD straw bonnet tutorial:



Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake!

Ah, the 80s and early 90s and childhood memories. American Greetings created a slew of popular girls' tv animation characters (ex: Rainbow Bright, Lady Lovely Locks), but none has become quite as long-runningly successful as Strawberry Shortcake.

Old versus new: I feel the trademark style of Strawberry Shortcake kind of dissolved in the 2000s. They look like any character you might find on Dora the Explorer even :-(

Unfortunately, like the My Little Pony franchise, Strawberry suffered an--in my opinion--overdone makeover to make her "hipper" and more of a "tomboy." I say that because she's wearing jeans and almost everything cutesy has been deleted from her wardrobe to make her look "sleeker," "simplified, and up-to-date (and somehow like Where's Waldo?). I know this is probably an attempt to make her character more gender-neutral (while still marketing exclusively to girls), but I'm going to really, really miss the cute and original-looking costumes the characters wore. Just look at the above difference! The new designs are BORING. The only thing identifying each character is their hats.

But I choose to remember her as she was, and I made a new polyvore coordinate to celebrate her quirky, girly style:

So here's my question to all of you: Did you have a favorite childhood cartoon/tv show/book/etc that was remade recently in a way that made you shudder? The closest thing for me currently is the new Transformers movies (yes this frilly, girly girl loves metal music and is addicted to the original Transformers series. Ba-weep-grana-weep-ninny-bom). How do you feel about sequels to childhood classics or revamped characters/plot? What studio exec scarred your precious childhood memories?

Which Austen Heroine am I?

Take the Quiz here!

"You are Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey! You love a good Gothic romance - so much, in fact, that you'll fool yourself into thinking you're living one! You are imaginative and naive, which is at once endearing and perplexing. Perhaps your heart is TOO pure...but it is adventurous. After all, you love a trip to Bath or a stay at an ancient Abbey."

I'm not surprised. I actually dislike Austen for a number of reasons, namely that she is way too Neoclassical for my taste, a bit too rational where romanticism might have kicked in. I prefer Ann Radcliffe or the later Bronte sisters. I suppose I'm horrid because I like shocking things to happen to the main characters---I mean "I left my abusive alcoholic husband in the Victorian era and I'm about to change social norms FOREVER" type things, not "oops that guy wasn't as much of a jerk as I thought" type things (Tenant of Wildfell Hall versus P&P). I must admit, the Gothic is an overlooked genre--I encourage everyone to read a good gothic, preferably one with a strongly-defined heroine like those of the Bronte sisters' novels. Male writers also produced some salicious Gothics, and many see the Gothic as the most hyper-sexualized of literary genres (makes sense--Victorian sexuality was fairly repressed). Not that Austen isn't wonderful, but she's the tip of a delicious iceberg of women writers of the late 18th and 19th century.

So, if you were an Austen character, who would you be?

The Best Ad Ever

For those of you who haven't seen this ad from Kotex, I have to show you. It's a parody of ads for women's products that euphemize the whole menstruation thing with images of yoga classes filled with spandex or twirling on the beach in slo-mo.

Not only is this the first honest sounding ad for feminine products I have seen in a long time, but Kotex actually had to fight networks that would not allow them to use the word "vagina." I'm totally serious. Like, talk about tampons and stuff but don't go talking about where it goes. We should never mention our "down there lady bitsies". Furthermore, Kotex acknowledged its own bad ad history by featuring footage from past ads in this one. Three cheers for Kotex for finally letting the world know we get periods and when we do we don't frickin run up and down the beach in slomo in our little white bikinis. Most of us don't do that period or not. Pass the truth and the ibuprofen.

Courage on Ice: Why An Olympic Performance Stirred My Heart

Apology to my readers: I meant to post this much earlier, but was held back by schoolwork.

Those who know me can tell you that I'm not really the kind who is interested in athletic events. I grew up being picked on by the "popular" girls and the "jocks" and thus my desire to watch sporting events had to emerge back over time. I've actually never gotten to do something "talented" continuously since childhood. I know so many girls who were fortunate to take ballet since age 5, not back when they were age 5. I even tried ice skating at one point, but I was not cut out for anything it seemed, either in terms of talent or more-often-than-not in terms of our financial ability to continue. I eventually found my niche, of course, as a scholar--not an athlete, not a performer, not a dancer, not as any of the things I wanted so badly to be when I was a little girl. I often get depressed and think I'm not good enough for anything, even the dream I pursue now--and I'm positive many other women my age and of various ages empathize with this. So what made the difference?
My mother. My hard-working, tough-talking single mother whose personality couldn't be farther removed from mine if she tried: I love frills, and gothic literature, and textbooks, and fashion, and finery; she loves sports, the simple life, men (used to be boys when she was my age, which I don't give a hoot about), and making burp jokes that embarrass me . She's the doe-eyed tomboy, I'm the finicky princess. But despite all these differences, we came together over my education--she believed in me, in my ability to win scholarships and to do something no woman in my family has ever done: graduate with a college degree. And I can safely say, without her I wouldn't be a senior in college in the top 10 of my class. My mother is the most important person in my life. She gave me strength.

Now, my mother seduced me into watching the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics this year and I'm very glad she did. It introduced me to a figure skater from Canada named Joannie Rochette. She performed her best in the final portion of the competition. She wasn't as technical as Mao Asada nor as precise as the winner Kim Yu-Na, but she had something propelling her blades that brought tears to my eyes: her love for her mother, who died of a heart attack only days before her daughter skated on Olympic ice. It was their dream: a mother's dream for her daughter, and a daughter's chance to let her mother see her success. And even with her mother's death heavy on her heart, she didn't let her down. Joannie Rochette literally skated her heart out: Every moment was so passionate, I felt like it ceased to be a skating competition and really transformed into a celebration of love, a moment of spiritual transcendence.

Photo credit: Getty

This is the NBC footage of her short program. I encourage everyone to watch it, even if you're not a big fan of figure skating. Normally, during performances, the announcers make calls (like in any televised sport). You'll notice they were speechless throughout her program, and as viewers could tell from the cracking of emotion in the broadcaster's voice as he returned, in awe of her dedication and courage. Not only did Rochette find the courage to skate in spite of the circumstances, but her powerful performances earned her the bronze medal and a spot on the Olympic platform.

I was honored to see an uplifting performance honoring the bond of mother and daughter, the most powerful relationship in my own life. So I'm taking this time on the blog to thank Joannie Rochette, and to thank all the other daughters who love their mothers and the mothers who believe in their daughter's futures. I need to wipe my tears now and return to homework, but I hope I leave you all in strength and in love. Merci pour votre courage, Joannie. I picked the right year to watch the Winter Olympics.

Classic Lolita Designers Look Toward Spring

To get back to a Spring feeling, I'm checking out some Spring collections. Today I'm looking at Japanese classic lolita brands' newest looks and accessories for a bit of inspiration.

Innocent World

First on the new items page for Innocent World, this clear umbrella with a roses/ribbons print is perfect for April showers, and feels lighter than a solid color umbrella might. Also counts as a lolita fashion item you can use outside of the fashion. Here is the umbrella and an offbrand alternative if you like the look but maybe not so much the print:

(The plain clear one is available at Target stores and at Target.com)

This dress/jsk from the same brand seems to be embracing a retro feel, with a belted look and a bowtie back reminiscent of the 50s/60s. This looks like it could definitely be worn with or without a blouse, making it very versatile as a piece.

Simple, and very elegant.

UPDATE: New print for spring: Antique Pansy.
(I'm loving the blue and green!)

Victorian Maiden

Next up is Victorian Maiden, whose new items are in my opinion very reminiscent of traditional Victorian aesthetic similar to the costumes and styles in such recent films as The Young Victoria. Very beautiful and with a sense of...what can I call it? Regal bearing perhaps? Although the pastels are very bright. They also released their free desktop calendar for March/April, which is my current desktop. I love the model they're using--she reminds me of Emily Blunt. Here is the coordinating separates for the print she's sporting, and the headpiece:

VM has some additional pieces for your feet and your wall. VM, MM and JetJ seem to release shoes less often than other brands :

Mary Magdalene

One of the most popular classic brands, Mary Magdalene used a heavier-looking print fabric for their Spring look. The colors are much less pastel than other brands, and there is a lot of intricate trim embellishing the straps and collar:

I'm a really big fan of de-masculinizing suit pieces, so as one might imagine I love their new suit jacket with bow-tied back. Overall very pleased with their new items:

Juliette et Justine

Last, but certainly not least (expensive) is JetJ, a very opulent brand. It looks like their Spring line isn't entirely up yet, but we have some items, one being this multi-tier chiffon (?) skirt and a rose print write dress with interestingly modern color options. I have a feeling more pieces are coming:

So there you have it--some fashion to look forward to for Spring. My next post will actually go back to Winter and deal with a more personal story. Tata!