I spy with my little eye...toys

This post isn't really bound by a theme so instead of making some intriguing introduction, let's just jump right into t it shall we?


I've seen some of these cute little creatures around, but couldn't find their name for the life of me. They're called calico critters. How precious are these? Barbie  may have her dream house, but these guys have a luxury town house. I know that, if going based of each characters clothing only, they wouldn't technically be considered mori kei, but they're soo cute. I don't really care what they would be classified as. I've been thinking of collecting them, but I don't really have the space for them.






I know it sounds silly, but I'd like to decorate my room with some of the furniture and fabrics in some of these play sets.

The next item that peaked my interest is the fairy gardens. I'm all for kits that get people into helping out nature (you know things like building your own birds nest or raising butterflies from larva to set them free.)

 Now I haven't purchased this for myself, so I don't know how it'll turn out. I really want to try it out, maybe i could buy a bunch of different ones and make some sort of enchanted village.

There are  also these small toys i saw in hottopic the other day. they're called tulipops

You can also buy them from the online store. You can also read each characters profile there too. I think my favorites would be Gloomy, Miss Maddy, and Mr Tree (he's my all time favorite. Who wouldn't want to turn tears into diamonds?)

Then there's the ever so famous monster high.(I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time like the newest monster high movies. Maybe it's the type of thing that has to grow on you....)

You might be thinking my favorite characters are Venus mcflytrap, 

Aminita nightshade 

or    Dawndancer, right?

While  I do like them (well I like miss Nightshades character design, but I'm not fond of how she treats Cleo) my favorite monster high character would have to be a tie between Casta Feirce and HooDude Voodoo.

  

garden planning: inspiration, aesthetic and planning, pt2

I've been looking at gardens (okay, i'm always looking at gardens, but I digress) and started thing about raised garden beds.

So here's just a picture i found on google, but then i started to think about altering the shape.

Here's a crummy sketch of what I've been thinking about.

Coffin/ sarcophagus shaped beds. I'm thinking about the colors i could paint them. I'm leaning towards a dark purple (honestly I don't want everything to be black because adding color seems to add more character)  As you can see, I haven't decided on what to plant yet (fruits veggies, or flowers. Maybe I'll do a mix of all three) I haven't mapped out the measurements yet. I think I'll save that for when i actually get a place to start planting.

I've also been thinking about storage and cute decor 

Using ladders is a great idea for potted plants and storage.

and a 30 sec. sketch of what i want in my garden.

Because I don't have a space for my garden yet,I'm preparing for a small space and will expand on it if i get the chance. 

I know this is a really short post, but that's the way I like it.

garden planning: inspiration, aesthetic and planning, pt1

[This isn't really a how-to guide, It's more of a journal of thoughts about planting and growing a garden]



Today's topic is about laying out the plans (skeleton. blueprints, whatever you want to call it) of a garden.

there are a few important things to keep in mind when starting a garden.

1. how big or small will it be?
2. is there enough sunlight?
3. how often do you plan to water your plants?
4. what are you planting ?
5. when are you going to start planting and how's the soil quality? 

There eventually be more questions that arise, but let's take it a step at a time.

I want my garden to be relatively small. I don't have an exact size yet, but I know that I don't want to look after too many plants. (I simply don't have the time) I've got sunlight covered for the most part, and watering too. I really want to concentrated on design so instead of dragging my heels and lollygagging let's jump into design, shall we?

If you follow my pintrest you would've seen my gothic gardening board. I've basically pulling ideas form everywhere to come up with a design i like. I've visited arboretums, and my schools bonsai cub, and even analyzed the mess out of the garden from Coraline.  In doing so, I've notice a couple of traits that are common in the gardens i like.

  

Traits I like

1. stone accents. things like gargoyles, tombstones, stone boarders, statues
2. metal. things like iron gates, or 
3. moss. it gives an old, creepy feeling while still being charming
4. dark colored or plants associated with being creepy. pumpkins, blackberries, roses etc...

taken at the gingerbread mansion in Ferndale CA. Here's a picture of the gingerbread mansion's garden. The fountain in the middle and the crisp cuts of the hedges give off an Victorian feel. 

Iron fencing was often used in the Victorian era, and is one of the reasons i find it to be almost natural to be in a darkly themed garden (aside from the harsh lifeless look of iron against the flourishing flora). Angles, gargoyles and fountains made of stone have all been reoccurring decor options for many years thus giving the garden a since of  age and mystery.

I'm almost positive that there's no way i could fit all of these things in my garden and it not look cramped... unless.

Yup, I'll just scale everything down a little bit. I've started to make little doodles in the margins and on the back of any and every piece of paper i could find. It's going to take some work, and a lot of time but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

Here are some posts, and articles that may explain the whole gothic garden thing a little better 

goth gardening tips written by Nikki Tiley,  writer of  The gothic crypt (a very informative ebook, that's not too lengthy. I highly recommend skimming through it if you get the chance) 

This is a pretty old post but trickortreat's gothic garden:the witches house is a good place to find inspiration too.

Elements of a gothic garden by J. A Young, and Katy Bosin

who or what inspires you? lifestyle pt.2

Lilly Jarolsson lives a retro lifestyle and seems to have extraordinary luck when it comes to thrifting. While she isn't a mori girl, she has excellent tips on living an alternative lifestyle and having the confidence to do so. Her advise is sensible, and applicable to those in any subculture, or who just don't fit the "normal" mold. Not to mention, Lilly's collection of clocks is really impressive and it's not something people usually collect. It made me think of the small things i collect and appreciate them more. I also like her demeanor (if that makes sense) She dons't seem overly rushed and is keen on having good manors. Lilly may have the retro aesthetic but doesn't believes in racist, bigoted, homophobic mentality or ideas of previous decades. In fact, she expresses her views in one of her videos after being asked about it. She is very much herself, and that's something i can always agree with.


This is probably the video that everyone can relate to.

Feel free to check out her Youtube, pinterest, and Facebook page here.

who or what inspires you? life style pt..1

This question is pretty simple, but there are soo many things that inspire me that i decided to make it its own section. I don't want to concentrate on the things that inspire my clothes only, there are things like my writing, or lifestyle that i'd also like to share.

I guess i should just jump right into it, huh?

Lifestyle pt. 1

I'm not going to list everyone down simply because I'd like to go into detail without creating a lengthy post.

First up is Tasha Tudor. I'm almost positive that she will appear on several mori girl blogs, but that's for good reason. She was a writer and illustrator of children's books. I absolutely lover her art work (as you may know if you've been on my pinterest), but she definitely took her time and enjoyed small details. 

Her home decor is so cute, but practical as well. I've also looked at her garden when i need some ideas on how I want mine to look.Sometimes i just scroll though her pictures and think about how I'd like to live. (but I'll talk more on that later)

I think I have a  higher level of awe (i'm sure there's a better word for what i'm trying to convey, but this'll do for now) who can be completely themselves.

In terms of clothing aesthetics, she defiantly has a very charming look. ('ll be completely honest, I've started wear bandannas/head scarves, vests, and apron because of her.I I don't eer copy her peice for peice, but I do but clothes that i wouldn't have looked at if it had not been for her. While she would be considered someone who wears natural kei (if we were to classify her into a modern fashion based subculture) she is still the first person I would recommend people in the mori kei community who are looking for lifestyle, or artistic inspiration. 

Some of her artwork

ideas for writing:

Finding inactive blogs is kind of finding hidden treasures. Sort of like abandoned houses that lurk in the depths of the internet. And with that being said, please check out Gothicked's Elements of gothic literature . There are plenty of goodies to find on this blog. (If gothic literature is your thing or if your just getting into it, this is a lovely blog full recommendations, and short stories.

first day of spring

why hello there! Today is the first day of spring which means no more snow!! (hopefully) I suppose the first day of spring (well the first of anything) gets me thinking of things i'm looking forward to. so here's a list of things I'm looking forward to

• The cherry blossom festival!!! (this is like the highlight of spring for me). 
• hiking 
• going biking without slipping on black ice (because I've been known to bike in the winter... not the best idea I've had.)
• festival of colors
• reptile conventions
• oohh the open market is opening soon
• the dragon boat festival
• warmer weather (not too hot, not too cold)

There's a lot of things to look forward to. I guess i'm just really happy to be excited for something.