by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 13, 2009 | Competition, Decoden, Notices
Well I promised you all a competition and here it is, win yourself some deco headphones!
To celebrate relocating my blog to my own domain I’m offering you all a chance to win the headphones I deco’d for today’s tutorial, all you need to do is spread the word about my new blog!
About the prize:
These headphones are completely new, I tested them to make sure they worked but have never worn them. According to the box they are “HiFi Stereo” but I haven’t tested that. They have a standard 3.5mm jack. Other specs from the back of the box are available on request.
I used epoxy glue, acrylic diamantes, a large heart bead and a pink ribbon bow to decorate them. They are decorated by hand and are therefore unique and with the imperfections that come with hand made items.
The winner will receive a hand written letter from me as well π
How to enter:
Because the site is quite new I want to get the word out about it so to enter for a chance of winning I need your help telling as many people about the new site as possible…
All you need to do to enter the draw is comment and leave an email address for me to contact you through. If you tweet or blog about it please leave another comment with links for me to see π
Comment = 1 entry
Follow me via Google Friend Connect or RSS = 1 entry
Tweet about it = 2 extra entries
Blog about it = 5 extra entries
Eg.
If you follow me and comment to let me know you get 2 entries.
If you follow me, comment and write a blog entry you get 7 entries.
^_^
This competition is open to anyone no matter where you live.
The winner will be drawn randomly so the more entries you have the more chances to have to win.
This competition will close on Midnight Friday 18th of December 2009 (Brisbane, Australia time). The winner will be announced the following Monday and contacted by email.
Enjoy!
Good luck everyone can’t wait to see who wins the deco headphones!
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by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 13, 2009 | Competition, Craft, Decoden, Decoden-Tutorials, Tutorial
Hello, today I have a tutorial on deco headphones!
Wow I can’t believe it’s already the last day of my super awesome week of tutorials! It feels like I’ve been at my new address for much longer and I’m loving it!
I’ve been promising a deco tutorial for ages, it was going to be my laptop but I decided to go with a smaller design to start off some of you guys that are beginners π
The fun part about this tutorial is that you can win the end productΒ of deco headphones, but more on that later!
So first you need some headphones! I bought these ones to do, they are just fairly standard ear buds, the only thing special about them is that the coloured outside bit clips on and you can change colour… cool idea but they only included one of each colour so you can’t have a matching set >_< I didn’t even notice until I got home!
Apologies that these photos are a little dark, James was out when I did it so I didn’t have his lighting/camera expertise!
The deco technique I’ll be showing you today is called paving.
I decided to make one headphone pink and one blue so I attached the corresponding colour clip.
Gather all of your materials and decorations together. I suggest that you lay down some paper towel or tissues to work on so you can see everything easily and you don’t get your work surface all glue-y.
The type of glue I am using is called “Epoxy”, it comes in 2 tubes one is resin and one is hardener. There are other types of glue available for deco but epoxy is the strongest and most hard wearing, if you use a decent amount your jewels won’t be going anywhere! Epoxy is good for rigid surfaces (like plastic), it is not good for things that need to bend (like fabric). It comes in different formulas which take different lengths of time to dry, for a project like this use the 5min one. Also unlike some other glues it doesn’t smell bad so you won’t pass out from the fumes ^_^
We need to start with the largest items we’re going to glue. That’s an important rule of paving deco, put the big pieces in and then fill the gaps with everything else. |
So squeeze out an even amount of glue from each tube onto a piece of plastic. I just used the packet that some of my diamantes came in.
Using an orange stick mix the two bubbles of glue together. Make sure the consistency is even and it’s mixed well.
I’m going to put a bow on my pink headphone first so using the orange stick I apply a little glue to the back of the bow and also to the headphone where it’s going.
Hold it in place until the glue becomes tacky then allow it to dry completely.
Repeat the process on the other side. I decided to use a bead shaped like a heart on this one. Apply the glue…
Hold the jewel in place.
For paving you need a lot of jewels in different sizes. Rather than buying 1000 of each size if you are doing a small project like this check the scrapbooking section of your local craft store for pre-stuck designs like the photo below. It has many different sizes.
Because they already have a sticky backing on them, they’re fairly useless to glue, you’ll find that if you use the provided sticky back they will eventually slide off your item or if you glue them with the backing on they will still fall off because the glue isn’t touching the actual jewel. So you need to gently pull the sticky backing off… I stick it to my finger and use my nail to pry them free.
And you should be left with this:
Now for this project you need some larger coloured diamantes too..
To pick up the diamantes one by one I find the easiest way is using a match stick with a piece of blutac on the end. New blutac is too sticky so roll it on carpet or fabric first so it picks up some dust and isn’t as sticky ^_^ Other people I know use tweezers but I find that awkward.
Starting with the pink bud add glue to a small strip down the back.
Starting with the largest jewels again place a line of 3mm pink diamantes straight down the back.
While the glue around it is still wet fill in around the edges with tiny clear diamantes. The key to this looking good is to try to fill in every single little gap as much as you can. Wait for it to dry before continuing.
Once the back is dry continue on the side,place a row of large pink diamantes and fill in around it with clear. It’s kind of like making a mosaic, trying to find the right gems to fit the right spot.
When that side is dry continue around to the other side until the jewels meet in the middle, the entire thing should be covered. When you’re done it should look a little like this:
Now let’s start on the other side! The principle is the same, but this time use blue jewels instead of pink ^_^
Do the sides first and then keep going until the jewels meet in the middle.
Once everything is completely dry it’s time to tackle that last little white bit where the cord comes from…
Holding it by the ear piece cover that in clear diamantes.
So then leave it to dry! If you think it needs it, you can give the entire jeweled area a clear top coat. I don’t generally do it because if you are using acrylic jewels it can melt the top layer and make the facets of the jewel less obvious. If you decide to top coat then go with a quick dry clear nail polish. This is what you end up with when you’re done…
Haha you can tell that James can home and took these pictures because they’re so arty!
I think pastel blue and pink look so cute together ^_^
You can see the paving a little more clearly here…
I hope you enjoyed this and it helped! If you have any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer π
Now if you love the ones I made and can’t be bothered making your own you have a chance to win them! Click here to see for yourself how you can get your pretty hands on the deco headphones ^_^
by VioletLeBeaux | Nov 4, 2009 | Craft, Decoden, Inspiration, Life, Other-Tutorials, Travel In Style, Tutorial
I’ve done quite a bit of traveling in my time and I love exploring new and interesting places but I always try to travel in style.
I try to make my everyday life as beautiful as possible and traveling is no different. You won’t find me in sweat pants and thongs (or flip flops for my American readers), I want to feel as pretty leaving a 7 hour flight as I do going out to dinner!
So with my recent trip to Singapore I thought it was the perfect time to show you all how I travel in style. This is a compilation of tips I’ve picked up on my travels and my “must have” items for along the way.
First thing’s first…
Take something lucky
I’m not a superstitious person by nature but there’s a story behind this one! The day before we went to Singapore James and I were doing some last minute shopping in the city. I was feeling a little light headed so we stopped at McDonalds for some fries. As I was walking away I checked my change and what should be there but a Singaporean 10 cent piece!!
I was so surprised, normally if I get anything foreign in my change it’s New Zealand currency. This seemed so random and fateful that I kept it in a special compartment in my bag the whole trip!
On the plane:
Take some good headphones (and an ipod if you want to listen to *good* music). I hate airplane headphones, they are usually uncomfortable and don’t block outside sounds. Also they aren’t anywhere near as cute as mine! Headphones are super easy to deco, even if you have little ear bud ones a few diamantes will jazz them up nicely!
Keep hair and make up simple but elegant.
If you want to do make up, take a kit with everything you need for touch ups before landing. Keep in mind that you might need to sleep in what you’re wearing. I love false eye lashes because they are hard to mess up even in your sleep! On flights to and from SG I wore little individual lashes on the corners of my eyes for a little punch with no effort (review on the lashes soon). I did my hair in Kitty Rolls which were comfortable, survived sleeping but still looked cute.
Below are some of my travel essentials. Clear zip pouch with make up and liquids, letter writing kit, wet naps, face washer, mini sewing kit and bag tags for checked in luggage.
A cute travel document holder is an essential.
I would be forever loosing my boarding pass or passport if I didn’t have something this bright to remind me! I deco’d this one myself.
And of course a matching passport holder helps too π These are all made of suede so they feel soft enough to be used as a pillow if it’s an emergency!
A sleeping mask
Something overly cute suits best! I want to be adorable even when I’m asleep so I picked the sugariest thing I could possibly find ^_^
A jacket
Take it on the plane with you, seriously. Even if you’re going to a hot destination the plane is always freezing and those little blankets don’t help. Good protection against the rain too.
Things to keep you entertained.
I take pens, note book, DS and games and well as my little UFO hand massager which is awesome for when you just want to relax. I am a very fidgety person so I take as many little things to play with as possible. With this I can continue my Japanese lessons on the DS then practice kanji or sentence structure in my note book.
Candy!
Candy is good to pop your ears in the plane and also tastes great. And they are a good conversation starter if a cute boy is sitting next to you π
<
p style=”text-align: center; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);”>Beating the climate bug
- Pick clothes that are appropriate for your situation. Fabrics that don’t wrinkle or require ironing are great for long flights but synthetic fabrics are horrible in hot climates! On the plane to SG I wore a cotton printed cord dress with a lace cardigan over the top.
- Fabric choice is important. While in the heat in SG I wore thin stockings, cotton dresses and cardigans. Everyone was sweltering in the heat, even though I was wearing more layers I was cool because I was wearing fabric that could breathe.
- Layering is the key to being ready for any weather! Cardigans are awesome, you can dress them up or down, take them off if you’re hot or add a jacket if you’re cold.Β
Weapons of choice:
A fan
I picked this one up for $0.70 and added bows, diamantes and lace. They are compact and can be invaluable in the heat. They can also be used to hide yawns behind in boring situations, keep your coughs or sneezes to yourself or whisper gossip to a friend π Keep it in your hand bag!
A singlet
Singlets are the ultimate versatile piece of travel clothing. Wear during the day if it’s hot, layer with a cardigan to go out to dinner, use as pajamas or as swimmers if you’re in a pinch. Cute pajamas are surprisingly important, if you have luck like mine you’ll end up outside at 2am for a fire drill chatting to the other hotel patrons so this is probably not the right time to sleep in the nude π Be prepared for anything because holidays are all about going with the flow!
Sun protection eg. a sun hat, sunscreen etc.
The sun is mean and evil, stay away from it! No one likes sun burn, it’s icky. Don’t stop protecting your skin just because you’re on holiday. ‘Nuff said.
Sunglasses
… ok maybe not “‘Nuff said”… These are only half for the sun protection though. The other half is looking damn good! There is nothing classier that popping on some nice sunglasses when you’re not feeling 100%. Hide the bags under your eyes from the 7hr flight and look like a rock star π
A handbag sized umbrella.
These fold down so tiny there’s not much of an excuse not to have one. This one has an aluminum frame so it’s super light and is perfect in unpredictable weather or in place of a parasol.
A scarf
I carry a scarf and a face washer with me pretty much all the time. The face washer was a gift from a friend in Japan, the lady’s bathrooms there don’t have hand towels so most girls carry their own but it’s also useful for mopping up spills on nice dresses, fixing make up, using as a small pillow and the list goes on!
The scarf is not only useful but looks damn stylish hanging off a handbag! Did your hair get ruined? Then wear it like a 50’s movie star. Forget the hot rollers? Use it for pin curls. Sudden hay fever attack and not a tissue in sight? Well you get the idea…
Other travel musts:
Gifts for the new friends you meet!
I didn’t get to hand any of these little babies out because we were just so busy but I really wanted to give them to the organizers at Nuffnang. It’s a really great idea to take something from your home country. These little kangaroo and koala toys didn’t cost much but I hand glued a bow and diamante to each to personalize them. That way your friends will have something cute to remember you by π And you won’t feel awkward if someone gets you something nice because you’ll have something give back!
Slippers
You never know where you’re going to have to walk in your hotel. Whether it’s for that proverbial 2am fire drill or you want to visit a friend down the hall, you never know who’s icky feet have been there before you. Cute little ones like these only cost me $10 and they fold up to practically nothing in your suitcase.
Nail repair kit
I am a big believer in preparing for any situation, James says I should have been a girl scout. That’s why I carry a nail repair kit with spare nails, glue clear polish and anything else you might need.
Bags within bags within bags within bags…
This is important because it keeps everything nice and separate in your suitcase, no searching through the make up bag for a hair band because they have their own bags! Being organized is key to a fantastic wardrobe, if you are well organized you can find all the right accessories at a glance… and there are is always room somewhere in here for more little bits and pieces you buy along the way.
Tiny cute bottles.
These cost $1.50 per pair and they are some of the best things I’ve ever bought. This way you can take all of your usual bathroom liquids with you. You can even get ones with spray lids for things like curl enhancer. Very cleaver.
Business cards:
You never know who you’re going to meet while out and about and if you’ve got a blog or business then it’s a great idea to have a couple of business cards with you. Mine are double layered so there is my blog card on top and by graphic design card on bottom. They stand out because they are fastened with a bow in the top corner ^_^
Foreign currency
Don’t go anywhere without it. Some places don’t accept credit cards etc so make sure you check before you go, it’s always useful to have some foreign currency on hand for taxis etc anyway.
A bag full of cables for your various gadgets.
Definitely important so you can charge your ipod/laptop/phone etc. A power point converter is also a great idea. The most important part of this is the bag, don’t bother going searching through your whole suitcase just grab the bag. On the way home the bag also be used as carry on luggage for all that extra shopping π
Luggage:
I hate not being able to find my luggage at the other end. I’m also paranoid because I’ve had luggage stolen before and no matter what compensation you get there are some things which can’t be replaced. So if it can’t be replaced, don’t pack it. I also hate that all luggage pretty much looks the same. Ideally I would have liked one of these babies by Hideo Wakamatsu but as we only discovered how broken our old cases were the day before we left, I didn’t really have time to shop for a new one :(… It’s made my dream list for next time though, in fact I would go as far as to say that this is my dream suitcase! (click the image for the specs)
So in lue of one of those beauties we borrowed plan old suit cases from James’ parents. To make it more memorable I tied some old crappy acrylic lace around it several times. James laughed at me but it worked, we spotted our bags in like 2 seconds at the other end and were out of there!
Super bright bag tags help too if you can’t afford a whole new suitcase.
When you get home…
Unpack everything as quickly as possible otherwise you’ll get lazy and it will never get done! I’ve left a suitcase for weeks before because I was tired when I got home and then got busy at work, don’t fall into the trap! It only took me like half an hour to unpack both of our cases this time.
So hopefully you’ve enjoyed some of my silly tips and they make your next trip even more fun!
Do you have some fun tips to share with me? What are your favorite tips to travel in style?
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by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 18, 2009 | Craft, Decoden, Life, Notices
WE ARE GOING TO SINGAPORE FOR THE NUFFNANG AWARDS THIS THURSDAY!!!
That’s right everyone! We both won tickets to the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blogger Awards with our Pringles competition entries! OMG SO EXCITING!
Thanks so much to Nuffnang for paying for our tickets and accommodation! We are so grateful for everything and can’t wait to meet all the other bloggers going!
And OMGOMGOMGOMG we leave this Thursday! So much packing to do!
This is the first formal event I’ve ever been to (I didn’t go to my highschool formal) so I can’t even say how excited I am to be able to get dressed up. I’m putting the final touches on my outfit over the next few days but I’m going to keep it a surprise for you guys!
So you can understand why I haven’t been posting much this week, I’ve been busy making arrangements!
Over the next few days as I pack I’ll be putting together a post called “Violet’s Traveling Tip’s” so you can see how I travel in style ^_^
A sneak peak of what I’m going to take with me…. I deco’d my DS Lite this week π Here’s a mini tutorial on how I did it (with some bonus photos down the bottom)!
First I got my diamante case of doom!
I arranged all of the biggest charms first and glued them down with epoxy. Don’t worry I’m just decorating a case. I used a bunch of random charms, some bows and pleated ribbon on the bottom.
Then I filled in all of the gaps with smaller jewels and pearls. I gave everything a few top coats with clear nail polish. After it was dry I popped it back on the DS.
Tadaa! Now some bonus pictures from our adventures with the stupid car! Poor little car being towed to it’s final resting place π
Me at the mechanic paying for it all. They were so nice and only charged us a tiny bit! I would totally recommend them if you live in Brisbane check out Mechanix Plus in Wynnum ^_^ It actually hailed this week ! My back yard was covered in ice, if you know Brisbane’s climate you know how rare this is! I’m almost glad we didn’t have a car to get damaged XD
Well that’s it for now! Join me next week for my epic travel post!
Oh would you guys prefer that I set up a couple of automatic posts for while I’m away? Or would you just like me to set it up so my twitter updates here so you can get a blow by blow of all the fun we’re going to have?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH SINGAPORE!! Thank you Nuffnang!
by VioletLeBeaux | Oct 5, 2009 | Decoden, Life
Today’s post is a big mixture of random fun awesome things and a couple of bleh things. There are a bunch of mismatched photos that I’ve been meaning to use!
Ok firstly, I may be the only one to find this hilarious but I’ve had Ayumi Hamasaki’s song “Bold and Delicious” stuck in my head for about a week now. It’s come to the point where when ever James says something is delicious I start start singing the chorus! Anyway I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this poster in the 3 shop the other day!
Bold and delicious= boldalicious which is now my new favorite word π
I’ve been meaning to post this for ages, this is my deco business card holder! And my half finished laptop. I was going to do the deco tutorial on my laptop but I decided I didn’t like the design half way through so now I’m thinking of another one.
Now here is something sad, this week James had to say goodbye to his beloved green computer chair. He bought it for $10 from an OP shop and left it in the rain one day so it was full of gross mold. Still he refused to get rid of it. Then the back broke and still he refused to get rid of it. He tried to use it even though the back was pretty much horizontal.
It is now a recliner XD FINALLY the back completely gave out and Mr Green Chair had to be taken to the dump. RIP Mr Horrible Green Chair. James will miss you very much. I’m sure if it were legal he would have married you. Next on the agenda is a competition being run by my good friend Sigmate over at his Studio. Basically he has ca picture of the Hulk standing in the rain looking miserable by Lee Sargent up for grabs and you have to guess what he’s thinking! My answer was “Did Hulk leave oven on?”. Yeah pretty lame but I bet you could think of something better! So click here to enter! Lastly here is a pretty flower I saw when we were house hunting in Ipswich the other week.
And the obligatory silly photo of us… I have such a bad habit of pushing James out of all of these myspace style photos XD It was so intensely hot that day, our car doesn’t have working windows so they are constantly shut and the aircon is broken so it’s like driving in a greenhouse!
Unfortunately we won’t be going house hunting for a while because yesterday our car broke π Things like this seem to happen at the most inconvenient times. We were actually at Chrysler Expo which is a big car show when it happened, the funny part was that even though the place was full of mechanics they only knew about classic cars so no one could help.
CAR RANT/ We got to sit in the summer heat for an hour and a half while waiting for RACQ roadside assistance. There was a bunch of trouble because we weren’t sure who’s name the account was in. When the guy finally got there he couldn’t work out what was wrong with the car. It worked fine on the way there, it was fine of the shopping trip the day before but it wouldn’t start to go home, what kind of stupid car dies when it’s not doing anything?!
We then had to wait for a tow truck which took us to the mechanic. The guy who did the tow was scary! He was driving us on the highway while listing to the radio and WATCHING TV! We made it there in one piece and because the mechanic was closed we put the keys in the mail slot… only to realize that the tow guy didn’t lock the driver’s door! I had to stick my arm into the mail slot and fish out the keys *_*
Today the mechanic called to tell us its going to cost like $600 and that might not even fix the problem because there are a whole bunch of things which are wrong with it even though it was running fine on Saturday for our epic shopping trip. Needless to say I’m kind of cranky right now. I have a bunch of errands to do. We’re out of food and I have to get to the post office to post a bunch of stuff and pick up James’ passport π
I’m going to be a lot more angry if I have to spend any more money on it. It’s sad watching all of our very hard earned savings being drained away by the car π It would be awesome if James’ wins the Nuffnang Pringles video competition, then we could actually afford to get the car windows fixed too!
STUPID CAR!
/CAR RANT
So how were all of your weekends? Do anything interesting?
by VioletLeBeaux | Jul 15, 2009 | About Me, Decoden, Hime Gyaru, Inspiration, Life, Nails
Well I’ve had quite a few questions about what inspires me to do the things I do and clothes I wear. I’ve been asked what blogs I read too so I thought I’d use today’s post to give a bit of a shout out to people I admire and my favorite things! This is going to be a pretty long post because I have a lot of wonderful people to talk about, at the end there are random facts about me you didn’t know so keep reading!
I’m also going to be adding to this over time too.(All photos other than the one above credited to their original owners and found via google images ^_^ Also these are all my opinions, I’m not being paid to endorse anything hahaha!)
Styles that Inspire me:
Hime Gyaru Hime style is what I’m most inspired by at the moment. The philosophy is basically to live like a princess! Big hair, big accessories and big nails, I love it all. Many people refer to this style as “Lolita’s older sister” because many Lolitas graduate to this style. It’s slightly more grown up but not much! I think it’s less restrictive though, I can wear beautiful high heels π
Lolita One of my first fashion loves was Lolita and no matter what I do I’ll never shake it completely! While I still love the over the top-ness that is Sweet Style, after almost 5 years or so I’m moving towards Classic styles. Still love my pettis though π
1950-60’s and RockabillyI love the music and the dresses. I may not have ben alive when it happened but I sure love that style! I know it’s oversimplifying it but I wish girls still got all dolled up for a night at the Malt Shop ^_^ So classy and classicly beautiful. This cut of dress is flattering on almost anyone.
Shops that I Love: Angelic Pretty- The ultimate Lolita store, enough said. I still love their accessories and a lot of the dresses.
http://www.angelicpretty.com/en/ http://www.angelicpretty.com/ Jesus Diamante- Jesus Diamante is to Hime Gyaru what AP is to Lolita. I looove so many of their accessories and dresses. I would kill for some of their shoes… so expensive though ;_;
http://www.jesusdiamante.com/ OC Nails- Kathleen over at OC nails is a champion! They sell fantastic Konad supplies and they regularly offer free shipping for orders over $20… even international shipping! I’ve placed orders and the communication is fantastic and the shipping was very promt. Proper review next time I order π Anyway if you need any Konad nail art supplies check them out!
http://www.ocnailart.com/ NailsEtoile.com– This nail shop is run by Mitsue in Adelaide. She seriosly has some of the prettiest and most creative designs I’ve ever seen! She’s super nice too π Currently her shop is under construction but you can still see all her tutorials here:http://www.create-magical-nails.com/ Full Moon Deco- Yuki runs this shop out of Australia, she sells lots of fake nails but also she sells a lot of imported
http://fullmoon07xxx.ocnk.net/ Blogs that I Loooove:
In no particular order…
Create Magical Nails This is Mitsue’s blog, she writes the best nail art tutorials. She’s also my Princess Sister from another city ^_^ You might have already clicked the link to her shop in the section above, if not check this out because she makes the best acrylic nails I’ve ever seen! http://miniblog.create-magical-nails.com/mini_nail_blog/ Getcha Nails Did Brooke is the champi on of nail polish. If you are into nails and haven’t been to her blog get there quickly! http://getchanailsdid.blogspot.com/ Jimmy America My wonderful boyfriend James’ blog. I sure do love him. He writes about random things and cameras. http://jimmyamerica.blogspot.com/ Sigmate’s Studio Sigmate writes about comic books and comic book artists. He features a different artist and interviews them every week! http://sigmatestudio.com/ Princessly Living A very well written blog about Lolita fashion. There are great articles and Lady Kristen writes with inteligence and knowledge that can only come with being in the subcultre for a long time. http://princess-living.blogspot.com/ Not sure the title… An adorable blog of a Japanese Lolita girl. I haven’t gotten a chance to read much of it yet but the pictures are enough to keep me coming back! http://utsugixtarte.blog74.fc2.com/ Hey Lola One word: hilarious. http://www.loveheylola.com/ Vestque’s Creations Vestque makes some really fantastic artwork, she’s also a really nice person! My favorite works of hers are the cute anime versions of real people she does, check a couple of posts back to see the ones she did of me, too cute! http://vestque.wordpress.com/ One Thousand Frills An intelectual take on Lolita. Several really well writen essays and thoughts on Lolita fashion. Cassandra is also a really great comic book artist. http://onethousandfrills.blogspot.com/ Super Kawaii Mama A melbourne fashion icon… but mostly just a really nice lady! Candice gives style tips for retro themed looks and regularly blogs about her awesome outfits. http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/ Blue Crane Design My work blog… of course I read it, I write it! Writings about graphic design and all kinds of other junk π http://bluecranedesign.blogspot.com/ Himehood Has quite a few tutorials on how to make hime style things at home. http://himehood.blogspot.com/ Konaddict A relatively new blog which features some of the prettiest Konad designs I’ve ever seen. Tutorials for all of them too! http://konaddict.blogspot.com/ Xiaxue Ok a lot of people hate her but I think she’s pretty damn funny! Outrageous but hilarious. http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/ Koakumachou Adorable little Siru’s blog. She’s a beautiful girl who’s interested in Gyaru fashion and does a fantastic job at it! Lots of cute photos. http://koakumachou.blogspot.com/ Never Too Much Glitter Written by a girl living in Japan with a love for glitter and rhinestones, this blog has super cute nail art. Almost a new nail art pic every day. If you love bling, you’ll love this! http://nevertoomuchglitter.wordpress.com/ Hearty and Hearty Japanese hime blog, makes her own increadible hime deco items. Lots of pink and frills, written by one of the cutest princesses I’ve ever seen π http://hearty2.blogspot.com Madam Salami Hand made and recycled goods by Madam Salami. Full of cute one of a kind clothing and cute anecdotes. http://handmadebymadamsalami.blogspot.com/ Clockwork Dahlia Lots of nail polish reviews and swatches as well as some other interesting and random things. http://clockworkdahlia.blogspot.com/ Cranky Twin Mom LOVE this blog! Heather has her own etsy shop which I’ve reviewed here before. She talks about her new products and being a mother of twins, very funny! http://crankytwinmom.blogspot.com/ Cherry Pop Lots of Japanese magazine scans and gyaru pictures. Also sometimes includes videos and pictures of fashion shows. http://cherrypop.over-blog.com/ Groups and websites: Ricoche Ricoche is a forum/gallery/meeting place/everything for all types of Gyaru. There aren’t many Hime style girls here but keep an eye out and you’ll spot them ^_^ Has a massive amount of information and photos. http://www.ricoche.net/ Poupee Girl Fantastic time wasting site! Upload your wardrobe and comment, then dress up your virtual doll. So much fun! http://pupe.ameba.jp/ People/celebrities/models I admire: Keiko Mizoe Keiko is the ultimate Hime Gyaru. She is the top shop assistant at Jesus Diamante and models for the magazine Ageha. I’m jealous! Ah can you imagine an unlimited JD wardrobe at your disposal? *sigh* one day. So I admire her because she works hard at what she does, she has style and she does it very well! James McDuff Yep James gets another mention because he’s awesome. I really do admire him, he’s so good to me. He has a great outlook on life and is always positive when I tend to be negative. He’s put up with a lot and we’re still together and going strong! Also I just enjoy posting unflattering photos of him π This was when he was cleaning the bathroom and I ran in and surprised him! To be honest as much as I’m inspired by the looks of some famous people, the people who inspire me most of all are you guys! I love reading your blogs and especially your comments, you all make my day and make me want to keep posting often! Some random things you didn’t know about me: -I looove candy and sweet things but my favorite food is pasta -I don’t like ice cream or people who smoke -I had blue hair for around 6 months -I am fanatical about saving money for a rainy day -I have lived in 23 houses… so far -I cut my finger today while making lunch π -I have been ill for the last 2 years with a disease no one can figure out, I have seizures and that sucks. -I love playing video games! Especially Super Smash Bros, I am champion at it! For the future: -I’m going to grow my hair out or maybe I’ll get some proper extensions. -I’m going to buckle down and learn more Japanese, at the moment I think I could chat to a kindergardener ^_^ Kanji here I come! -Saving money for a trip to Japan and a house deposit -WORK WORK WORK! Hard work sees results so I am going to work my butt off π