I bought things!

Well, I bought the things a while ago but now they're all here!!!

Firstly, my Bodyline shoes arrived. I was a little concerned at first because the last time I bought something from Bodyline they sent me confirmation and then a tracking number but nothing this time :/ No matter though, they arrived safe and sound. I'm so happy with these babies. Thank you Bodyline ^^

Second buy is a cute Meta JSK. I had a point a few months ago where I wanted some simpler pieces and wanted  to wear Lolita casually more often. I don't feel I get enough wear out of my frills.

I have no idea what this dress is called but it's so cute ^^

I also really like that all the bows are detachable as is the lace panel on the bodice.

And I finally got Blooming Garden :D 

I'm loved this print for ages and recently missed out on the white JSK but it was a blessing in disguise because I actually love this colourway more - it's so vivid and colourful!

Beautiful print is beautiful!

Oh, I also got a bundle of cloud print fabric, not too sure what that will become yet though. 

Over all I'm really pleased with everything I've bought over the last few months, I'm sure there will be more things to come ;)

I'm sensing a taobao haul either just before or after Christmas!

Getting Crafty

Back in July I learnt ho to make fabric flowers at work and in the past few months I've been working on another floral project but very slowly ^^'

Every part starts off being a triangle. I added a gold edge onto my nay triangles to both seal the edges and prevent fraying and to match the rest of the gold elements. A running stitch goes along the two shorter sides and the fabric is gathered together to make the leaves.

 

A made four leaves and then attached them to a hair comb. Gold organza was wrapped onto it so the leaves had something to hold on to and of course to match xD 

They were mostly sewn on but a little super glue was needed to make sure they didn't move.

The flowers are made using the same technique. Bigger triangles were used to make the base flower. The centre is a cute button from Hobbycraft

The flower was then arranged and firmly stitched onto the leaves. Also added a little glue for security. It would be sad if the flower wobbled off.

The rest of the flowers were attached in the same way. Gold and pearl beads were then made into a chin and attached to the comb. And here we go! Ta-da!

And here it is, all boxed up with navy OTK's. To HK we go!

Too Spoopy for you!

Ohoho! It's that time of year again! I really enjoy Halloween but I think it's just because I like to dress up haha ^^'
Sadly I didn't really do much dressing up or make anything because I didn't have anywhere to be but it would be a shame to not dress up at all right?

I wanted to go to work in a classic-gothic co-ord but I didn't feel up to it in the morning but I did dress up for the occasion when I got home haha!
Originally I was just going to be a cat but I recently finished restyling a long sleeve t-shirt into a sailor cutsew so cat girl in a sailor fuku happened! xD
AND, because I had nowhere to go, I just baked!

10 Years of Fashion Week

Last week marked the 10th year of Belfast Fashion Week. I was like 'oh my!' at first, thinking it was like London Fashion Week but I later found out that it was more of a local retailers kind of thing but I was still exited to see what the designers and retailers in Northern Ireland had to offer.

Lizzie had been working on two new pieces especially for the fashion show on 17th October; a bridal/ evening gown with a intricate centre piece and another kimono creation.

She was also going to have a stand with some dresses out for show so we took a selection of dresses and stuff to go and set up on the Wednesday. The venue is a 'New Age Church' and she had previously described it to be like a cult church so I was really interested in seeing the place, especially since it's near where I live.

Behold, pictures of the inside of 'Cult Church'

The first thing I saw as I went in

This is where the service is held (I think?)

It totally doesn't feel like a church in anyway and it definitely doesn't look anything like one! I actually really liked the decor and lighting, I could go there once a week, not too sure about the actual service though.

(l-r Louise, Hera, dress for Rebecca Maguire & Joanna)

Lizzie's stand featuring her bridal gowns Louise, Hera and Joanna and the dress she made for former Miss Ireland Rebecca Maguire to present the final of Miss Ireland 2014.

The Louise was later swapped out for Garbo.  

Transporting the dresses and shoes to the venue on Friday morning

Prep, prep, prep!

Every model had a rail of 'looks' in the order they'f be worn in. It was very cramped backstage with not much space to move @__@
Even the fittings felt hectic.

I came across these lovely photos of Ernesta and Jayne, the models I dressed.

Photos by Hannah McKeown Photography

After a struggle of finding good photos of each model I thought why not just share the video of each model and dress in action! Please have a nosy and enjoy Lizzie's gorgeous collection!

Do you have a favourite?

Sweet success

Yes! More food and today, I made a thing!

Behold, Oreo Brownies *heart*

Ingredients:

400g caster sugar

225g melted butter

60g cocoa powder

225g plain flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

4x eggs

1/2 tsp salt

Oreos - I used 8 but you can have as many as you like!

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

***

Mix the sugar, melted butter, vanilla and salt. I STILL only have a pan to mix in xD I tried to get a real mixing bowl but it's more of a struggle than you think!

Mix in the cocoa powder a bit at a time.

Add the eggs - I did two at a time.

Slowly fold in the plain flour.

Pour half into a lined tin and then arrange the Oreos before covering with the rest of the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. *sets timer*

Out it comes! Leave to cool and then cut into slices.

***

Here it is in it's glory with a little bit of Oreo peeking out!

Food, Glorious Food!

Time for more food!

A few weeks back I gave in for the first time and got a take away on my way home from work so I didn't have to cook (we all have lazy days) and it had been a long time since I'd had a Chinese roast so I stopped by Same Happy down Donegall Pass to get a triple roast with boiled rice. The staff spoke Cantonese so that was nice and easy and it cost me £10. Ok, so £10 isn't a small number and with the size of my little package I wasn't too convinced at first.

However, looks can be deceiving. As I unboxed it I found that they had packed a lot into what looks like a small container! 

I had three bowls of rice for dinner and still had 1 and a half's worth of food left to take out for lunch with me the following day! Now's that's getting your moneys worth!

***

Now to share a super lazy meal! I got home from work one day and couldn't really be bothered but I was hungry. What do? 

The ONLY thing to make is boiled rice with steamed chicken and Chinese mushrooms! Seriously, this is the quickest and simplest thing. Put your rice cooker on, wait until it starts to bubble and them spread the chicken and mushrooms out on top of the bubbling rice and wait for it to be cooked! I like spring onions in mine so I tossed some in at the end.

For those who are interested, the mushrooms and chicken were marinaded in salt (half teaspoon), sugar, mirin, soy sauce and oyster sauce (one teaspoon of each),

Home, Sweet Home

On 9th October I went back to England for the first time since starting my placement. First things first, I went into uni to have a chat with Nicola about what I need to be doing right now, how my placement is going and what I've learnt and what I need to do in preparation for next year. It was nice to have someone to talk to about my concerns about final year and first world problems!

I was also really nice to go home and see my family, be fed lots of food and be somewhere warm - I can't work this Economy 7 heating system in my flat and it's been really cold :<

HOWEVER, the REAL highlight for me was the food I had while I was home!

I went to Nando's for the first time in months (I've missed Nando's!). Nando's was fabulous as was seeing some familiar faces! I also got some Green Tea Kit-Kats from Japan which I am still rationing (it's a struggle!)

Once I got home home it was certainly a food fest! Crab, lobster, roast duck, roast pork *heart* and that's just the big things!

On Saturday morning Grandad thought it was good idea for us all to go out to Wetherspoons for lunch. Christine got this breakfast burger and I couldn't help but be amazed at the height of it O__O
I got a hot dog, I think a few were shocked by the size of it.

My cousin from Scotland also came to visit that weekend and along with him came his cupcakes! I love cake so I'd been super excited about his cakes ever since I'd seen pictures on his cafes' Facebook page. Since Eddie's based in Kilsyth I thought I'd ask him how it's pronounced (I'd been told it's pronounced 'kill-sith') and he told me 'kill-scythe' which I prefer the sound of! I think that's how David and I were hoping it was pronounced. 

I managed to get two of these babies in my food baby before leaving for Belfast and oh my, they were SO good! The buttercream icing was amazing and the sponge was so moist and fluffy! I was very pleased with my fuwa fuwa cupcake - I'll have to be sure to visit him so I can have another one because the recipe is top secret!

To see more cakes or nosy ahead of a visit click here>  Eds Cafe

While on the topic of cake, my cousin Karly baked my Grandad a cake for his birthday (He turned 90 on 12th October!) This is the first time she's made a Chinese styled cake (which included 9 eggs!) which is generally fatless and has a lot less sugar. Considering it was her first Chinese cake I thought it was great and beautifully decorated! I want one for my birthday too!

That's not all though! I got myself a bundle of Asian sweets, dried mango and moon cake to take back to Belfast with me ^^

That's it for now but I'm sure we'll talk about food again soon!

Baby, it's cold outside!

So all the better to stay indoors and watch things! 

I have been doing a lot of stuff watching lately, I very, very recently finished Game of Thrones Season One (poor Bean-chan ;__;) and have made a start on this season's anime. But first, what did I make of last season?

Lots of thoughts and *spoilers* ahead and more thoughts!

Kuroshitsuji - Book of Circus ~ Completed!
Enjoyed it all the way through (as predicted). There were some unexpected feels, some comical parts and the Phantomhive household is as energetic as ever. I really loved the character designs for all the members of Noah's Ark but it's a shame things didn't work out for them :<
Overall, spiffing! 

Zankyou no Terror ~ Completed!
Really enjoyed the Greek myths/ riddles/ puzzles in this! Easy names (Nine, Twelve, Lisa!) is a bonus as I'm starting to struggle to remember all these names @__@ I didn't love it as much when Five turned up - not sure if it's just because I didn't like her  but she did have an interesting design and I enjoyed her 'Engrish' xD
The end was unexpected and gave me feels. 

Akame ga Kill ~ in progress

Definitely one of my favourites of the season but heck, it needs to stop giving me feels, I can't handle characters I start liking suddenly dying on me ( why so brutal ;__;) but I do like that people don't just die off screen. *ahem*
Still really enjoying it at the moment but I can't decide how to feel, like I shouldn't like the bad guys but I can't help it, Esdeath might be cray cray and sadistic but she has really grown on me and I can't help but like her!

Tokyo Ghoul ~ Completed!
Tokyo Ghoul is a bit darker and different to things I usually watch or have watched so I quite enjoyed it to begin with
*caw caw caw*
O...k...why is the main character so useless? Like really? And why is it so censored? (Akame ga Kill lets me see people die!) The series became quite dry for me half way through and then one day, things happened!

Me: "Omg! He FINALLY does a thing!"
David: "Yeah, this is the last episode."
Me: "..."

Aldnoah.Zero ~ Episode #2
I didn't really know what to think of it at first but after the second I just didn't really care much for it and didn't give it a third. I think Mecha things just aren't for me. Wasn't too fussed about the art either.

Momo Kyun Sword ~ Episode #1

Ugh...I couldn't, it was terrible. I couldn't watch on.

Sailor Moon Crystal ~ ...
I've expressed many a times about how I feel about this. I just couldn't. My thoughts from here still apply.

Phew! So there we go, that's what I made of last season. I hope you're ready for more thoughts!

***

So far I have picked up these three!

Terra Formars ~ Episode #1

Not too sure what to make of this yet but I can imagine it not being my thing, might end up finishing it if David finds it to be his thing since we watch most things together over the weekend. 

Madan no Ou to Vanadis ~ Episode #1

We picked this one up randomly to see what it's like and I quite liked the first episode so I'll probably give it a few more to get a feel for it but I like the art and character designs so I might finish it.

Akatsuki no Yona ~ Episode #1

I really enjoy historical/ ancient/ period Asian dramas so I wanted to see if I'd enjoy that kind of anime too. At first Yona was a bit annoying, like a regular girl with a case of  'Princess Sickness'  (but she actually is a Princess, so it's A-ok!) but I can see that changing relatively quickly. I really like the art and designs for this anime so I'll keep watching.
I have two questions though:
1# Why does the pretty boy always have to be a bad guy?

2# Why does this remind me of a dating sim I once had...?


Things I will pick up:

Kuroshitsuji - Book of Murder

Because Kuroshitsuji. As if I'd watch all the seasons and not this one!

Shirobako
I imagine this to be like Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to but in the anime industry with women problems.

Shingeki no Kyojin Gaiden: Kuinaki Sentaku

I LIKE SnK! There! I said it!

To Love-Ru Darkness OVA

I've been waiting for more To Love-Ru. I am ready!

***

So there we go, that's me!
What're you watching an what did you enjoy?

So you think you're winning huh?

If you're female, I can do presents. If you're male, I'm going to try hard. 

It's that time of year again, Mr Rachel's birthday is creeping up and I really have spent the last month or so wonder 'what do?' because guys are hard to buy for. Especially this one. 

Since he got me started on playing Mario Kart I thought maybe something along that theme. I have to admit he's very good at the game, even with a delayed start. (We played the Mario Kart drinking game - gotta finish your drink but no drink driving! He always finishes the drink first and then goes on to come first.) However, he always gets all pissed off when the blue shell hits him...so, I decided to make a thing! A BLUE SHELL!!!

I was going to make a cushion but then decided to turn it into a stuffed shell and now it's kind of stuck in between since there wasn't enough fabric to make it the right shape when fully stuffed ^^'

Makes a good elbow rest though!

Here are some pics of it in progress.

And it is STILL in progress but I'm nearly done! I have until Friday, I can do this!!!

*EDIT*
(Wednesday 1st October)

Ta-da!
Just some finishing touches but it's pretty much finished! WIN!

On Call

So a few years ago everyone was hyping about TVB's The Hippocratic Crush (On Call 36 小時), a medical drama starring Kenneth Ma, Tavia Yeung, Mandy Wong and Him Law. Back when it aired I watched the first episode and wasn't overly fussed about it so I dropped it. 

Recently I decided that I wanted to get back into Asian Dramas so I thought I'd give it another go and OMG! Seriously guys, where have I been and what is wrong with me? On Call 36 小時 (referred to as On Call from now on) is my favourite thing, it's such a good drama and gives an interesting insight into the world of surgery and gives the viewer lot of feels. I cried so hard in certain episodes and for the rest of the time I just kept wishing that Tavia would date Kenneth instead of Him Law (I never call him Law Chung Him, always 'Him Law')in real life. 

Favourite things:

Yu Zai and Yat Kin Tau - they are so perfect for each other. Kenneth Ma and Tavia Yeung are my new favourite TVB pairing, they are so cute together <3

The opening theme 連續劇 by Joey Yung is very catchy and I love the lyrics

The *bromance*
Ok, so there are three of them but I REALLY love the scenes with Yat Kin Tau and Ben xD

Gifs from > http://tvbramas.tumblr.com/

There were bits in the drama that I didn't love so much (I found Mei Suet really annoying for the majority of the series and Onion didn't grow on me until 3/4 the way through) but all in all this is definitely one of TVB's finer works. Now to give On Call #2 a proper watch.

On Call #1. you're getting  9.5/10!

---

Time for deep things...are you ready?!

"Not everyone who leaves their house in the morning can be guaranteed that they’ll return safely home at night." 

This is one of my most memorable quotes from the entire series and really made me look at life in a different way. We need to appreciate life more, who knows what could happen.

Meta Monday!

I can't say I've been getting up to very much recently but I did decide I want to be more frilly! It's a shame to have all this loli and not really wear it so since the Tea Party Club's anniversary event Revelry is coming up,I thought I'd join in with 'Meta Mondays'! So usually something Meta related is posted for discussion, to get my fill of frills I decided to wear Meta every Monday leading up to the event.

Today I had to pop into town for a few bits and bobs so I put together a casual co-ord. Why? Because Meta. I actually really liked this casual look and how wearable it is so it would be nice to have some more casual pieces for daily wear. However...annoyingly enough I prefer to wear JSKs but I feel skirts are more versatile and look more casual. #loliproblems

Beret - eBay

Bows - Meta (from another JSK)

Top - Primark

Cardigan - M&S

Skirt - Meta

Bag - Taobao (Loris)

Socks - Primark

Shoes - eBay

For those who are interested, I only bought non-stick pans xD