Doing GOs: Group Orders ^_^

I've been part of big group orders before, but I haven't been in charge of very many before...until just this past year ;)

It started off as small GOs Baby SF...and then, I started doing Closet Child group orders ^^

I really like CC ones b/c they have a one month holding deal if you're a frequent buyer...which I am by now...I've ordered from them many times before ;D

I only did a couple of small orders with me & 1 or 2 other people & they went well...but then, in December last year...5 of us ended up joining in a CC GO, which at times got a little crazy for me...from adding in items quickly...to figuring out everyone's totals...But, after an almost scare of my order being cancelled, everything worked out & our order was shipped...& everything arrived in great condition ^_^

Here are some pics:

 Our order contained: 4 jsks, 2 headdresses, a bag, & a bunch of accessories ^^

 Items were individually wrapped including: bag for a jsk, headdress & bag...as well as

A headdress & accessories bundle...

 And 3 jsks shoved into one bag XD

 JSK #1

 JSK #2

 JSK #3

 And THIS was My part of the order...as well as the most expensive, but i LOVE EVERYTHING, so it's totally worth it XD 

I got Baby's Original Alice Playing cards jsk & matching headdress, AATP Fairy Tale book bag in Navy

And some SUPER CUTE Alice In Wonderland type jewelry...bunny themed ;D

Another thing that WAS great about ordering from closet child was that they would lower the retail prices of the items, so the package isn't flagged for customs...BUT...starting this month, I was notified that they can no longer lower any values :/ 

But, I'm glad I did at least one big one & that we made it in time for them to lower our prices ;)

I'll probably only order enough items where I know I won't be charged with customs...OR...if we do a GO again, everyone will have to pitch in for shipping AND customs...

It's really easy to order from the site, so I probably still will & 

sometimes it's really worth it...And they update their items @ least twice a week ;)

Anyways, here's the link for the online store:

closetchild

AND NOW! Since I finally received ALL of my latest purchases...I can now do a WARDROBE POST ^_^

So, look out for that...hopefully it'll be the next post ;)

DREAM PRINT OBTAINED XD

Ever since I saw BTSSB Alice's Mirage in Paradox...and ALL THE COORDS the Baby SF store was creating with it...I HAD to have it XD  And then, it was also in one of the GLBs ;D

So, I decided to get it, but...I didn't know which version I wanted...there's the Red Queen one...w/ a detachable collar...& the White Queen version, which is also very lovely...then, after some time, I decided on the Red Queen one in Navy...but it was sold out :/

 Also, I didn't have enough money to buy it...but...sales were coming up & I didn't want to miss out...so I quickly emailed Baby SF to see if they still had the White Queen version in stock...and they did O_O  along with the headbow....

And then after a few more days of debating about it, I finally decided to order the jsk...I know I would've regretted not getting it...and...I'M SOOO GLAD I DID!! 

I can't describe how much I loooove this print ;D
And it's so different from other AiW prints b/c it has Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum ;)

Now, if only I could hunt down all the matching items for it...the mini hat & jewelry...maybe the socks, but I'd rather have some nice bluexwhite or bluexgold diamond ones XD

 The hat is sooo much cuter than the headbow...plus, I match hats more ;)

And Mirror Jewelry??? YES, PLEASE!! ^_^

And here's some worn pics: 

 The "Real" reason I wanted this color...it matches my Tent bag PERFECTLY ^_^

I'm such a huge fan of ALL the BABY AiW prints & I'm actually getting a much older one in a Closet Child GO (which I just got today), so that'll be the next post ;)

Now, I just need some AWESOME Navy shoes...I have bright blue ones, but it doesn't match...guess i better add them to my list...that keeps growing ;P

Week 18: Tips for adding Offbrand to a Lolita Wardrobe

This shall be my first post as part of the Lolita Blog Carnival & I'm so happy with the topic...BECAUSE...Before, I could barely afford brand items, so I was constantly mixing offbrand into my coordinates...& I still do ^_^

First of all, Blouses are a must have for Lolitas...to either wear with a skirt or wear under a jsk ;)
Things I look for:
1) Peter Pan Collar: This gives that nice vintage~y doll look & is perfect with sweet or classic.  
2) Ruffles or some kind of lace embellishment or embroidery: This adds the frillyness to an outfit & can be good for any style, like sweet, classic to even kodona.
3) Cute decoration: This would be ribbons, bows, a cute print, design...& it's even better if the sleeves are slightly pouffy for that girly feel.
4) Blouses with a high collar: perfect for a more Gothic look ^^

Here are a few examples of what i've found:

 Peter Pan collar top from Lands End found at Goodwill (not including brown top...i keep it that way in my closet ;P )

and a cute white ruffly top from Sears: Brand: South Pole

 And here are 2 chiffon tops from Forever21 since Chiffon is one of the latest trends in Lolita ;)

I just LOVE these b/c I can still wear long sleeves &not melt in it ;P

 Along with the peterpan collar top, I found this beautiful blue one during one of my trips to Goodwill & a friend even thought it was a Brand blouse ;)

Next, I like to occasionally wear pretty socks or stockings with my outfits and I've managed to find some pretty nice ones at places like Payless, Icing, Forever21, Charlotte Russe & even Hot Topic ^^

 Things I look for: I personally like the Lace-up look...as well as cute prints: bows, hearts, lace

And lately,patterned tights are becoming very popular to wear with Lolita clothing ;D

My 3rd offbrand find has been footwear & i've managed to get away with mainly wearing mary janes or cute pumps with my outfits...I'd like to get a nice Brand pair of shoes one day XD

Things I look for: rounded toe, mary jane style with the strap going across or even tstrap shoes look nice.  Also, boots are always good, either knee high, ankle length, zip-up or lace-up ^^

 From left to right: My AMAZING find @ Goodwill: ivory victorian style boots...I was so happy when they fit ^_^

One of the best items payless had: VW look alike flats ;)

And a nice classic pair of mary janes(from Sears i think)...I actually have a few of these & various pumps and also, Oxfords can make for a nice kodona/school girl look ;D

Finally, last, but not least: ACCESSORIES!!

A lot of the time, i'm too lazy to actually style my hair & or wear a wig, so I usually wear some kind of hair accessory.

Things I look for: bows, lace, pearls or other fancy embellishments in the styles of Headbands, hair clips, any berets & mini hats.

I was super into the mini hat trend, so I bought a bunch of them...all from Icing ;D

Also, even though a beret is plain, it's easy to embellish it ^^

The ivory beret has a red bow I took off from another headband...& I clipped on the Chocomint stars clip to my black somewhat punky beret.

I also LOVE wearing rings with my outfits ^_^

Things I look for: bows, cameos, and anything else that might match a print I own (example: my cross ring matches Hymn print Perfectly ^^

And this thinking is used for other jewelry items as well: necklace, earrings, bracelets.

Also, Icing has a nice selection of gloves & even wrist cuffs ;)

And now, here are some examples of my outfits where I used some of these offbrand items ;D

 For a lot of these, the brand i'm accenting is Bodyline, since that's all I could afford for a while...
Now, I have more main Lolita Brand items, but I still like to incorporate offbrand into it ;)

 Brand: IW camisole; Kidsoyo beret /Offbrand: blouse, socks, shoes, skirt(handmade)

 Brand: Bodyline jsk, hairbow, bag/ Offbrand: turtleneck top, cardigan, socks, shoes

 Brand:Bodyline skirt, socks/ Offbrand: beret, blouse; Wholesale or ebay: bag & shoes

Brand: Bodyline skirt, socks/ Offbrand: blouses, shoes, gloves(vintage)/ Everything else is either handmade or thrifted & embellished ^^

Brand: AATP JSK; Bodyline sleeves(detached from blouse)/ Offbrand:necklace, rings, tights, boots, bag(from ebay)

Brand: MMM JSK; Bodyline socks; Montreal shoes/Offbrand: blouse, gloves & bag

 Brand: IW JSK, bag, (ears made from iw fabric); Bodyline socks(i think) /Offbrand: blouse, teddy bear bag, shoes

And now, here are some other LBC members with their tips:

jessiedressesup

RambleRori

ImaPrincess

eglcommunity

artdunoir

derpie.me

lace-a-la-mode

geishababy

tangled-lace

thebloodyteaparty 

minimalistlolita

Dreaming of Carousels & Carnivals ;D

I have ALWAYS loved going to carnivals & riding the carousel growing up, so naturally, I'm drawn to almost ALL of the Lolita Carousel prints...& I've owned a few for a while...but then ended up selling them...

 I bought this handmade Sweet Rococo print skirt & then embellished it with eyelet lace on the bottom...& I even made waistties...but I only wore it once...& then sold it...somehow the color & pattern never quite matched :/

 then after much debating, I bought the highly coveted Bodyline carousel bag & skirt ;D

I had every intention of wearing it, but somehow the measurements were different & it just barely fit me :(  I ended up selling these as well...

And finally, I managed to snag a brand skirt: Angelic Pretty's Twilight Carnival ^_^

NOT the jsk...I got the skirt ;) but I got it in Ivory, like the picture ^^

Now, this skirt was SUPER PRETTY & I loved everything about it...but...the design of it was weird & it was unfortunately too tight for me :(  So, this one was sold as well...

And after all that, I sort of gave up on the idea of owning any carousel prints...but then...new ones started popping up ;D

First I saw was IW's Merry-go-round

I much prefer the onepiece version as it looks a little more classy ^^

 And of course, there's an amazing matching bag, which helped sway me ^^

But then...AP is coming out with Day Dream Carnival & there's this very lovely JSK version with some chiffon detailing...and the matching tights are super cute ^_^  I wasn't in love when I first saw it, but more & more it's growing on me...And, I'm planning to buy a new Lolita wig, which will look AMAZING with this, so I'm even more tempted... ;D

But...before all that, I need to first sell a bunch of Lolita items I don't wear/haven't worn and then, reorganize my collection(i'm getting more too)...BEFORE buying any new prints...but who knows, maybe this year, I will finally get a carousel print I like XD

Surprise find ^^

I REALLY wanted to find a nice Lolita/vintage looking bag to wear with my classy items, like JetJ & AATP, so I would check out the comm sales, brand sites, closet child...but I didn't find one I really liked :/

Then, I decided to try Etsy since I wanted a vintage look as well...& I came across an interesting listing:
Someone was selling a bag, book, gloves & handkerchief all together ^_^

I debated about it for about a minute & then just decided to buy it XD
So, here it is, my "Church Lady Set" ^_^

Items were packed in newspaper & styrofoam

And first, was the hymnal ^^

 then, a lovely handkerchief & gloves that actually fit me ^_^

Then, the bag, which is worn, but in pretty good condition.

 And it's not too bad a size ;)

 I just love how simple & dainty everything is ;) AND, when I saw the set, I immediately thought of pairing it with...

My AATP Hymn OP ^_^

I can picture doing a photoshoot with these items...maybe in front of or near a church...or maybe in a garden...but I STILL need to find or make a headpiece to go with it ;P