Friday 31 July 2015

A Lolita I Look Up Too

Fille de Porcelaine

It's kind of a shame that she doesn't really upload videos as regularly as she used to, but I really love her videos, she always does such interesting things and wears such nice outfits.

Thursday 30 July 2015

My First Raspberries



Selfies with Fruit




Wednesday 29 July 2015

Steampunk - Newcastle Alternative Models and Photographers Group Shoot

This was the first group shoot I had been to in quite a while

I really enjoy group shoots as it's a chance to work with various different photographers and models, which is handy for both networking and brainstorming ideas.

managed to get up on the balcony of The Black Gate again!


Photo 1: Ben.by.Me
Photo 2: Malcolm Urwin
Photos 3 and 4: Collette Kirtley
Other models featured: James Hogg, Zoe Boisalinni and Grey Foreshaw
My Outfit:
Hat and Bonnet by Forever in Black
Scarf knitted by Allyson Smith
JSK, blouse and gloves handmade by me.


Full set over on my like page

Feel Good 101: Bullying (And Why Your Teachers Are Wrong)

So I've been watching a bunch of Emmablackery's videos this week (found her via some videos she did with Ashens and My Virgin Kitchen and I have this thing where when I find someone new to subscribe to I'll go through and watch everything they've ever recorded because I'm a bit weird like that).
Anyway, I found this one and it struck a chord with me, because I too tried to ignore bullying like the teachers said when I was bullied at school and it just ended up getting worse and worse, so yeah I agree that ignoring it does nothing, and I have found that facing it works much better for me personally.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Old School Or New?


This is actually an impossible question. Old school Lolita is what I fell in love with all those years ago, but I also love the creativity of the current trends.

Working on the collar of my berry blouse


Sunday 26 July 2015

Virtual Vegan Potluck - Butternut Squash Risotto

Originally posted 1st Novemeber 2012, I thought I would update the post with a new photo (the old one had since vanished).
Happy nomming


Mmmmmmmmm

This is a delicious seasonal favourite of mine that can be served either as an appetiser/starter for four (as it is here) or a delicious lunch for one.

Ingredients

Half a large Butternut Squash (or other seasonal squash, this also works quite nicely with Pumpkin).
Half a medium onion.
Two Cups of Rice (to be a true Risotto you should really use Arborio, but other short to medium grained rices also work quite nicely).
A Splash of Cooking Oil (whatever your preference is, if using coconut oil adjust accordingly)
Half a cup of Soya Milk
Crushed Black Peppercorns to taste
Salt to taste.

Method

Start out by pre-boiling your rice until it is nice and fluffy, drain and then set aside.
Peel and then cube your squash before adding a splash of oil to a medium saucepan.
When the oil is heated toss in the squash and cook for three minutes or until the squash begins to colour DO NOT STIR THE SQUASH, it is very important to be patient with the squash, rather like with a good Patas Bravas we want the squash to be crisp rather than beaten up, and you can only get that by resisting the urge to poke, prod or stir the squash.
Next chop the onion and add it to the pan, now you can stir, but go easy on that ok?
In another pan add the soya milk into the rice and simmer until the rice has soaked up the milk, don't attempt to do this quickly by turning up the pan as Soya Milk has a habit of boiling over the second you close your eyes.
Cook the squash and onions for another few moments until the onions have softened, and then pour in the rice. Stir the rice and vegetable together and then season to taste.
Serve with warm crusty bread if you have it and then enjoy :)




(Please note I am away from home right now and may be unable to mack the back and forward links into direct post links until I return, sorry for any inconvertible) 

Saturday 25 July 2015

Thursday 23 July 2015

Cherry Tree

My grandma has a massive cherry tree that over the years has only given her six cherries.

I read a tip online that said to tie plastic bags over clumps of cherries to stop the birds eating them, so I figured CO-OP bags would be the best as their semi transparent.

I managed to convince my grandma to let me put three bags in her tree to see if it worked.

I took the bags off this week and was greeted by all of these yummy looking bright red cherries

I'd managed to squish quite a few into just three bags

There's more than six in this photo alone!

Wow!

In the end we got around a pound of delicious red cherries and now my grandma doesn't want the tree chopped down any more. So we will be saving all of our CO-OP bags for next year!

How to Self Tighten Your Corset

Slightly different to me in that I've never worn a corset with a modesty panel, and all my corsets are custom from a brand that doesn't need seasoning, but it's still helpful advice and pretty much how I tighten my own.

Bat Jam


All finished :)
Now to get proper photos without cat toys in the background :)

Next Project:
Berry Blouse

Wednesday 22 July 2015

My Favourite Lolita Style

Gothic Lolita

I am a lot more experimental these day, but no matter what, Gothic is my one true love.


The Finished Bodice


I'll try to get a worn photo on Thursday :)

Monday 20 July 2015

Garden Update


My courgette plant looks blooming marvellous at the moment!

Chilli plant covered in flowers too

Herb corner looking fabulous :)

☆ Gothic ~ Sweet Lolita Transformation!

I really like her cross bag from before the transformation :)

Sunday 19 July 2015

Friday 17 July 2015

That Vintage Waistline - or, Corsets and Tightlacing!

I always feel like it's a good idea to get a wide range of people's experiences of corset wearing, recently I watched a few of Itsjenniferduke's videos, and while she does do a few things differently to me, I like how she talked about her experience and decided to share her video :)

Thursday 16 July 2015

Eggvocados

I've been being a little more creative with breakfast lately
My eggs are huge though so instead of putting an egg in each half I've been putting the white in one half and the yolk in the other, sprinkled with a little salt and some home grown thyme :)

Monday 13 July 2015

Ice Cream Heels

How cool are these? I so want to try a pair!

Full Bloom


My courgette is flowering, only make flowers at the moment, but there's a famle looks ready to open too, so hopefully I will have courgettes soon :)

Sunday 12 July 2015

Our Lady Of Beagles

#dreamdeep

Witches


I have a new pestle and mortar :)

#dreamdeep


Hidden Garden Dangers For Your Pets

I've been posting about my garden a lot lately and I was recently contacted by MORE TH>N about their Pet Safe Campaign.
Delicious but deadly (to pets)

Did you know that tomato plants can be poisonous to cats and dogs?
Me neither, but they're just one of a list of common plants found in 78% of British gardens*
Like one in three pet owners, I wasn't aware of what plants were and weren't safe for my cat to eat, which is pretty shocking really, but I figured that if something was poisonous to pets there'd surely be a warning label right?

Keeping more of an eye on this chap when I'm out on my balcony in the future

Millions of British gardens are potential death traps to cats and dogs. That’s according to new findings from MORE TH>N, which reveals that over three quarters (78%) of the nation’s gardens contain plants that are toxic to our furry friends[1].

With four in every five household gardens containing toxic plants, it’s no surprise that almost 10% of cats and dogs have ingested poisonous plants or flowers. Of those, 43% subsequently needed urgent veterinary care, while 15% sadly passed away[2].

Furthermore, according to the research, the most dangerous gardens are to be found in London and the South East (83%), followed by Wales (80%), the South West (79%), East Anglia (78%) and the West Midlands (77%).


Despite the clear and present dangers, there is a widespread ignorance of the perils gardens pose to animals, with one in every three pet owners (31%) admitting they have no idea if the plants and flowers in their gardens are toxic. The same number were unaware that plants could be poisonous to pets, while 71% of all pet owners cannot identify any of the symptoms of poisoning in their cat or dog.

The findings come as MORE TH>N launches a new Pet Safe campaign to raise awareness of the issue of cats and dogs being poisoned by common household plants and flowers – particularly timely given that pets are likely to spend more time outdoors over the next few months due to improving weather.


To kick start the campaign, MORE TH>N has commission RHS Gold medal winner, Ian Drummond to create the world’s most dangerous garden to cats and dogs.   Launched at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London at the beginning of June, the garden will be taken to different locations throughout the capital by the charity Core Landscapes.

Far from being rare and exotic botanical specimens, all of the plants and flowers can be found in any home garden, public park or horticultural centre in Britain. A few of the plants on show include: Begonia, Buxus Pyramiden, Chrysanthemum, Clematis, Cordyline, Daisy, Dahlia, Elderberry, Foxglove, Grape plant, Hydrangea, Hedera Ivy, Lilies (variety), Cherry Laurel, Marigold, Nerium Oleander, Paeonia mix, Papaver Poppy, Tomato plant and Wisteria.


According to vet and consultant on the garden, Robert White-Adams, “As a nation of animal lovers we’ll do anything to not put our pets at harm. What this campaign reveals is the hidden dangers many of us wouldn’t even be aware of. Each plant has been chosen to show just how many common varieties can make our pets ill, or worse still, die if not treated immediately by a vet.”

In addition to raising general awareness of this issue, MORE TH>N is directly campaigning for plant producers, manufacturers of garden products and retailers to provide clearer labelling to help pet owners easily identify if items are safe or harmful to cats and dogs – something that 86% of cat and dog owners would like to see. For more information on the campaign petition please visit www.morethan.com/pet-insurance/news/most-poisonous-garden



John Ellenger, Head of Pet Insurance at MORE TH>N, commented: “The MORE TH>N Pet Safe Campaign allows us to raise awareness of the dangers of plants that are poisonous to cats and dogs in an imaginative and memorable way. However, our new campaign is also about taking direct and immediate action – by both urging suppliers and retailers of garden plants and flowers to provide clear ‘pet safe’ labelling, while also better educating pet owners on the issue.

“Through this campaign we’ll be arming pet owners with the practical advice and information they need to identify safe and dangerous plants, to recognise the symptoms of poisoning – and what to do in that eventuality – and above all to reduce the likelihood of their beloved pets becoming ill in the first place.”

Pet owners can also win free pet friendly flower seeds via MORE TH>N’s social channels; www.facebook.com/morethan and www.twitter.com/morethan.


I personally won't be getting rid of my tomato plants, but now that I know they're poisonous to pets I will be keeping a much closer eye Stirfry when I'm out on the balcony watering the plants and I'm letting my grandma know so she can keep a closer eye on Lily (ironically named after plant that is deadly to cats) when she is out gallivanting in the garden.
I'm 100% behind the campaign for better labelling, we label a ridiculous amount of things as toxic or non toxic to humans, so it seems like common sense to me that plants should be clearly labelled as toxic or non toxic to our pets.
I really hope you'll all get on board with this too, plant safe and give your pets a hug from me :)

* Research conducted with OnePoll on behalf of MORE TH>N Insurance with 2,000 British homeowners that also have a garden. 78% of those polled had one or more of the plant varieties at The MORE TH>N Poisonous Pawtanical Garden in their own gardens.

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