Cutie on the Clock: Being Cute When You're Strapped for Time

Getting into alternative fashion takes time, and if you're anything like me you probably don't always have time to frill yourself up. That doesn't mean you have to give up on your cute (or spooky, or foresty) inclinations. You just need to get a little creative.

I work in an office and am usually pretty strapped for time, so I know this feeling all too well. These are the ways that I bring my alternative leanings into my life when I just don't have time to dress up.

Bento

I am a huge fan of character bento for making me feel adorable when I don't have much time to actually be adorable. Now, character bento might seem like it's going to take up a ton of your time, but it really doesn't have to. My favorite way to do my bento is to do a bunch of freezer-safe bento additions every few weeks, then eat off that stash for another few weeks.

The first step for me is to make cute milk buns because they are easy to form into animal shapes, much more freezer friendly than rice, can be filled with thick fillings if I am so inclined, and make my lunch cute with the absolute minimum of effort. Some batches end up with food coloring in them, but most are white.

 I also have a stock of plastic cupcake toppers from the local dollar store. Nothing says cutesy and spooky like a mini kebab on a stick topped with a little black bat.

And, as an added bonus, I can eat healthy and still look forward to every day's lunch!

Yes, this was as tasty as it was cute!

Femme Up Your Shirts

One of the things I work very hard to do with my wardrobe is buy almost exclusively pieces that can be worn with a wide variety of outfits. I love my cutsew and blouse collection because I can wear them dressed up with lolita or in a more "normal" office outfit. Granted, my coworkers have pointed out that I apparently always look cute, so normal isn't going to be exactly where I land, but it certainly doesn't hurt my mood any!

The real advantage to this is that wearing cute shirts with regular dress pants or skirts doesn't take much work but really adds some cuteness to the outfit as a whole.

Add Some Cute to Your Cube

I work in an office, and I know that it can be really difficult to wear alternative fashion in that sort of setting. However, I also know that it's worth it to bring some of your alternative style to your office setting. My cube has seasonal decorations (like my little woodland setting this winter) and some decorations that should be seasonal but instead stay forever (like my dancing skeleton who lives by my grammar books).

Even if I end up in a heavy sweater and jeans for the workday, surrounding myself with things that reflect my personal brand of weird is a really good way to keep myself happy.

My little display from this past winter.

Make Mine Music

One of the biggest time drains in my life is my morning and evening commute, but well-chosen music takes that from frustrating to the "me time" that I need. I have a number of old school mix CDs stocked with anything from folklore-inspired music to metal to guitar-driven numbers.

What about you? What do you do to express your alternative leanings when you're strapped for time?

Happy Birthday to Me and a Recipe for You

Hello, all!

Because it's my birthday (26 whole years on this planet!), I'm taking the day off from blogging. I love you to bits and will resume properly blogging for the next scheduled post.

But, because it is my birthday, though, I wanted to share a cake-like recipe that is pretty and tasty. Since I'm not big on frosted cake - weird, I know - green tea muffins are my treat of choice for this year's birthday. I mentioned this birthday this past winter when I went to The Cedar.

This recipe does look weird, I admit. Just trust me when I say that it will come together and form a rather tasty muffin.

Green Tea Mini Muffins
Adapted from an original recipe from Emilie Autumn, included with the first edition of The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls.

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I recommend Greek yogurt)
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. matcha (powdered green tea)

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place paper baking cups into a mini muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix together the first six ingredients. In another bowl, sift together the remaining ingredients and, if needed, stir until the matcha is evenly blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just incorporated.

Fill the cups in the muffin tin 1/3 full with the batter and sprinkle granulated sugar on top of the muffins. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.

Optional: serve warm with raspberry sherbet.

Inspiring Films: The Secret of Roan Inish

The Secret of Roan Inish is one of those movies that most people haven’t seen, or, if they have, they only remember it as “that one with the seals.” It’s a 1994 independent film, so it’s no wonder most people haven’t heard of it. I liked this movie as a kid, but never really thought of it as anything particularly special until I purchased a copy as a college student. I think I watch it more now than I ever did as a child.

A summary: Fiona, a young Irish girl, is sent away from her father’s work and life in the city to live with her grandparents in a fishing village. She hears stories about the family’s evacuation from their home on Roan Inish, her great-great grandfather, selkies, and her presumed-dead baby brother who was lost in the evacuation. And, as these stories take hold of her, she works to bring her family back to the island. It’s a simple little movie with a simple little story and I love it.

And it’s a great source of inspiration for mori (or hama) kei inspiration.

Things I Love For Summer

In this edition of "Things I Love...", we're talking about the things I love for summer outfits!

Gingham

I love gingham. It’s so darn charming! Gingham is pretty much the summer print, and it comes in so many cute colors! It usually comes across as very sweet, but the right cut can look just as nice in a classic coordinate.

However, I do tend to stay away from red and black gingham in my own wardrobe. It’s not that they’re not adorable – they certainly are – but they’re a little too picnic-blanket-y for my taste. My favorite gingham colors tend to be green and blue.

Eyelet Lace

I’m going to start this by saying that eyelet lace is not usually my favorite thing. My taste in lace tends toward the thick and fancy. However, eyelet lace and eyelet fabric are lovely for summer and I will make no attempt to deny that. Eyelet fabric makes a cute and summery-casual addition to an outfit as trim, and full eyelet fabric is lovely when made into a dress.

Sailor Themes

Sailor Lolita is a forever favorite of mine, and it’s especially charming during the summer. It conjures images of seaside adventures and boating. Sailor collars, anchor details, navy blue, and cute nautical details are just a fun way to add a seaside touch to summer outfits.

Straw Hats

I love straw hats, but I never wear them. Why? Because my head is large and I have a hard time finding hats that fit properly. *sigh*

Even if they don’t work on my head, straw hats are a great summer piece. They not only keep the sun off your face, but they look darn cute while doing it. Wide-brimmed straw hats are a unique choice that, with the right additions to the band, can look downright adorable. A more historical coord can use a straw bonnet. And, of course, straw boaters are a popular option.

The adorable straw hat picture from the palette above is from Freshly Squeezed Fashionista. She's a cutie and deserves your love.

Baskets

Summer is the perfect time for picnics, and baskets as accessories are a great nod to that. You can pick up a picnic basket or a basket purse to add an instant summery touch to your outfits.

Country Lolita

And, of course, along with the straw hats and baskets I have to mention country Lolita. Country Lolita is my perfect summer style because it is the coming-together of many of my favorite summer things in one adorable package.

Do you have any summer essentials that I haven’t mentioned? I’d love to hear about them.

The Girl That's Up to Date: Cycling in Frills

The weather is warming up, and if you're anything like me that means one thing: it's time to start bicycling again!

However, it can be tough to get cycling when you also want to wear frills.I've seen a number of questions about this over the years, so I'm going to share a bit of my knowledge with you!

Outfits of the Day: Country Mouse, City Mouse

This weekend I went out of town for my youngest cousin's graduation ceremony and party. I ended up using a couple of different styles, one which comes across as more slick and styled and the other of which is a lot more freeform.

For the party, I went with something casual that stands somewhere in between 1950s retro and Lolita. I wanted to be a little dressy, but with enough versatility that I could take off a layer if it got warm and not so dressy that I looked like I was trying to show up my cousin.

Better Balance For Me: Downsizing Bows for My Use

Cute? Yes. Right for me? Nope.

There is a wrongness between me and oversized Lolita bows. They're adorable, but they are very much not for me. So, when I order a dress from Bodyline and it comes with an oversized bow, I’m usually left with a bow that I will not use.

This winter, I decided to change that by taking apart the bows and creating something that I will use with the materials. As a result, I collected rather a lot of tutorials. These would also work with waist ties, if you’re so inclined.

Start With Your Fabric

I thoroughly recommend taking the bows apart with a seam ripper because it allows you to keep the most possible fabric.Yes, this takes more time than taking a scissors to it, but I think it's worth it. It also allows you to easily take out the lace without making a huge mess of things (and, with Bodyline lace, you'll really want to take most of it out).

After I rip out the seams, I press every one of the fabric pieces until flat. This always involves a hot iron and sometimes involves steam, depending on whether the fabric has interfacing pressed into it.

This also gives me time to assess what can be done with the fabric. If the fabric has interfacing - a thin white stiffener ironed onto the fabric itself - it will likely not be good for projects that need it to be flexible. Save fabric with interfacing for bows with body or other pieces that can afford to be a touch stiffer.