Miseducated

Fairytale Dreams Dusted With Pink Lemonade

10/06/2011

It’s been such beautiful day outside today that I decided to go to the park to take some photos with Colette and Ben in tow. I’m not feeling very cute today but I think I pulled it off ok… it was hard not to cut my head out of all of the photos again! hah.

I wore my new Faeria Long Vest from Siren London so I could feature the sequins and details in the sunlight. Their work is always so intricate and sparkly that I can’t believe it. I have to inspect it again.

“Capture that moment, one from a dream or a long lost memory that you would like retain. Dreaming of holding hands with someone in the park or your favourite toy that you wish you could play with again.” ~ Siren

I also brought a soft blanket for Colette to sit on in the grass and she really enjoyed it. She picked at the grass with her fingers and smelled it. She loves smelling things now, it’s her new thing.

It has been so beautiful outside here lately that we’ve been taking walks everyday. I love it. I want to be outside all of the time. Even if that only means smoking my hookah pipe while reading on the balcony. Even if it that only means propping my laptop on my knees to write in bed with all of the windows open.

Remember how we were discussing the hookah and the new flavor of shisha I had found? Well I found a said to be bad brand of shisha that I think tastes and smells AMAZING. It’s the shitty Jewels brand you see everywhere only in a big tin labeled Pink Lemonade. Mmmm! :9 Ben hates it though so it could be terrible — I have to admit that I always have the most wacky tastes!

Having done some research and going by brands I’ve tried I did find what the three best brands are for shisha. Are you interested? I can’t wait to try these flavors. :9

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DIY

Hints for Creating Realistic Fictional Characters

10/05/2011

Fictional characters are mysterious beings. They have no real life but to us, they can be very real. People talk about them as if they were real and the things they did actually happened. To make a character that will live in the imaginations of other people, they first need to mean a lot to you as their creator. It’s true that a great character is what keeps a story going (and keeps you reading) so if you want to tell a memorable story, you will need to think up a great character. How do you do that?

Combine things you love to make a character you care about. If you’re interested in the Victorian era, maybe your hero/heroine is from this age in history? Be prepared to do some research to make your character believable. If you’re into science fiction or fantasy, you will have more creative freedom, but you will need to do some “world building”, and create your own setting around your character.

Name your character. The name of your character is more important than you might initially think. It gives your reader the very first impression of their age, personality and where, or when, they are from. A character that goes by a nickname like “Chip” or “Bruiser” already gives you a pretty clear idea of what they’re like.

Give them physical characteristics. Not only looks like eye color or height, but individual mannerisms, how they move and how they talk. Look at real life examples that you’ve noticed in other people. Maybe they overuse certain words or phrases or maybe they walk with a shuffle?

What are their strengths? Memorable characters have a lot of inner strength, a saving grace or a talent or two. Make your characters determined in the face of opposition, sad but still strong when they feel unloved. Give them a sense of humor or a need to help others.

What are their shadows? To understand shadows, it helps to look at yourself and the not-so-lovely things about your personality. Don’t make your character a carbon copy of yourself or someone else, but it helps to build ideas from real life. What are your character’s shortcomings and include some quirks. Its important to make your characters saving grace/s outweigh their shadow… unless you’re coming up with a villain. Still they need some part of their personality, a very small one, to be sympathetic.

Give your character loved ones and foes. Most of the time, your story wouldn’t be much without at least a few other characters. Give them a best friend, a mentor, an ex that dragged them through the mud, someone that stands in the way of their goals, or a love interest. These other characters should have a great influence on your main character.

How will they evolve? No character should stay the same throughout the course of a story. Your hero or heroine needs to have learned something and changed for the better, even after you put them through hell.

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Diary

Siren, Sequins and Bubblegum Hookah

10/04/2011

Recently I had the chance to try some of Siren’s new styles and I was instantly hooked yet again. Their bedazzled clothing lights up the whimsical part of my brain like no other. As soon as I toss a garment over my head, in this case it’s their Belle Black Indie Dress, I feel ready to frolic in the forest and to pick the wildflowers that brush the delicate hem.

When I get my shit together I promise I’ll be adding a lot more photos of their goodies.

In other news I finally decided to get the hookah pipe down off of the mantel and put it to good use again. I’ve been smoking a lot of shisha lately and have spotted a cute brand for you to try if you’re interested (but I’ve heard the best brand is Starbuzz). These come in cute tins and an array of flavors. My favorite tin is the papillon flavor which I must admit I have to try. I’ll let you know how it tastes!

9 Comments

80s Escapeland

1980s Toy Box: The Dark Crystal

10/03/2011

This article is dedicated to one of my all-time favorite movie masterpieces, “The Dark Crystal”. Here I hope to share as much as I can get about this movie. I’m learning as I go, so don’t go thinking I know everything there is to know about it yet. I’m going by what’s out there to look through.

I’ve recently purchased a slightly less than mint Marvel Comic of this wonderful movie and an elusive (not to mention very rare!) book entitled “The World of the Dark Crystal” by none other than Brian Froud. I’ll try to give as much credit as possible to those of whom I gathered these resources from, but almost all of the credit goes to Jim Henson and Brian Froud.

Brian Froud’s page includes excerpts and explainations from the movie, but it’s just not enough information for my neverending appetite for this movie. It does, however, include some beautiful, captivating lost gelfling created by Brian Froud’s wife, Wendy Midener Froud. Her eye for realism in a totally fanciful world is amazing! It makes you wonder if they do exist out there somewhere on their little planet of Thra with their three circling suns.

This movie is a masterpiece, one of the greatest movies ever created, in my opinion. It just happened to be one of those movies that required a little more insight for it to be appreciated, though personally, I would’ve prefered the Skesis to be speaking their own language leaving us puny humans (that don’t know Greek and Egyptian dialects) to read the subtitles. I also would’ve liked to see the Emperor’s funeral in the original and more podling structures, culture, and even an explanation as to *what* they were living in (giant seeds!!).

Featured Links

John’s Crystal Corner
The Unofficial Dark Crystal Page
The Language of the Skeksis
The World of Brian Froud
The Dark Crystal Wikipedia
The Dark Crystal Muppet Wikipedia
The Dark Crystal 1982 Movie Trailer

This article was originally featured at Starluck’s 80’s Nostalgia Page in 2002.

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Escapeland

Defending Disney

09/30/2011

I hate seeing pictures and hearing girls’ comments about how Disney deceived them for life by telling them that every girl will get their prince charming. Disney didn’t deceive anyone, at least… Not the way you would initially think.

Upon seeing this, as a girl who was raised on these movies, who BEGGED for the VHS ( do you guys remember those? They were like black bricks and you put them in the thing. Nothing was more tragic then when your player ate the film inside?) of Sleeping Beauty, knew all the words to all the songs in The Little Mermaid.
When I saw this, my entire childhood shattered.
Until I realized how one-sided this picture is.

In the words of Walt Disney, about Cinderella to start with, “She believed in dreams all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him.”
Because more then one person needs to put in the effort for a happy ending.

Or Belle. Who doesn’t save the beast’s life with her sexual interest as the picture depicts. He is saved by her love.
Because you need to love and be loved for a happy ending.

While Ariel’s story in the picture is quite true, she had changed her appearance to win the affections of the prince, paying the price of her voice. The part about her having nothing valuable to say…Well I just don’t think that’s right.
Oh! But before we think that Ariel is totally helpless, lets remember she saved Prince Eric’s life not once, but twice. Once while he is drowning, and once more as he is about to marry Vanessa/Ursula.
Eric suspects that she’s (Ariel) is the one that saved him as he meets her on the shore, but quickly disregards said suspicion because she can’t talk.
You know, because you have to talk to be able to swim and save someone from drowning right? Right? Sorry this guy’s kinda a moron. But that’s neither here nor there.
She sacrifices her tail and voice to be with Prince Eric. And proves perfectly capable without them, so long as she has her friends, and saved him from Vanessa/Ursula’s grip.
Point being, every happy ending costs something. You can’t get there without sacrificing.
Also, you can do anything with your friends. We-as humans- were not MADE to journey alone.

Jasmine, from the get go, was angered that people were treating her like a trophy. Alladin had to win her heart, she didn’t just throw herself at him.
Sleeping Beauty and Snow White weren’t saved by their physical appearance. Snow White was saved by her compassion for others ( in her case, the Dwarves), and Sleeping Beauty had a spell casted over her where she would sleep. So what the hell was she going to do? SOMEONE had to go get her, might as well be the Prince. If he didn’t go through the thorns and slay the dragon…Well then he wouldn’t have deserved a girl like her.
Actually Sleeping Beauty and Snow White is kinda where this arguement falls short because I hadn’t cared for either of those movies when I was younger, but the point is:
You have to respect yourself to get to a happy ending.

Disney deceived no one. Stop blaming multi-billion dollar franchises for your lack of dates and focus on something other then boys. All of these girls knew that one day they would fall in love, and they didn’t toss themselves at everyone until they found Mr. Right. Cinderella cared for her friends, Belle read books, Ariel was fascinated by human life, Jasmine had a f*cking tiger so if that’s not some form entertainment I don’t know what is. Princess Tatiana even had a GOAL that didn’t involve getting married. In fact, she even cared about hygiene, she definitely didn’t want to kiss that frog.

Oh, not to mention that nothing that comes out of Disney is original, all their movies are based off of books and folk tales. But it’s easier to just point one finger, I guess. That’s a whole different playing field.

14 Comments

Mew for Today Visual Splendor

Mew for Today: Loving Big Cartel

09/30/2011

The Big Cartel directory is one of my new favorite things. Especially since I’ve already found some of the cutest stores ever and I’ve only skimmed the surface! Wow, such cuteness and character.

At Lapin & Me you can purchase Dumpling Dynasty brand housewares and more absolute cuteness. *drool*

At Electric Alice you can buy the 6%DOKIDOKI Heart Attack ring.

At Con*Tact Caffeine you can buy any scent under the rainbow of caffeinated soap.

At Shojono Tomo USA you can purchase the cutest fashion available online (as worn by Nicki Minaj). 😉

AND at Tokyolux, as I’m sure you already know, you can purchase colorful cat tees.

Like I said, that’s me just skimming the surface. There are tons more where they came from.

GET FEATURED! SUBMIT YOURS!

6 Comments

Thankful for Monday

Thankful for Monday: All You Need is Love

09/19/2011

I’ve been working and writing like crazy. Audrey’s Tokyolux has recently relaunched (yay! cosmic kitties!) and I’ve also been asked to work on a writing project unrelated… Remember that book I’ve been talking about for so long? Well, it’s finally unfolding.. scary, huh? Actually it’s so scary that I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it. To be that open about everything. I’m very seriously considering running in the opposite direction as I’ve already begun to do.

Thankfully my partner in crime asked me out to flea market yesterday so I could think about other things, kitschy-cute things. Retro fabric and kitten valentines all waiting for us to arrive. Vintage stacks of greeting cards and magazines just waiting for us to peek through them and squeal.

And with that my five favorite things this week are a little cheesy and cliche but they are my favorite things none the less. They keep me afloat when I want to drown in my own gloom.

Family

My very favorite thing. The light of my life is the little family my husband and I have created.

Friends

Friendship can unfold a colorful happiness in anyone’s life. You can never have too many friends and a best friend is a rare and fanciful treasure that will endlessly delight your days because they know just how to make you laugh.

Iced-Coffee

Oh how it puts me in the right state of mind..

Work

My hobby, passion and what I spend most of my time doing.

Balcony

I’ve always been obsessed with balconies. When I visited Paris how I loved to stare at the gorgeous apartments and their breathtaking little balconies. Whether yours is a place to relax, garden or share a meal; balconies are great little outside boxes overlooking the world.

What made this week magical for you?

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Escapeland

I Love Paper Dolls

09/12/2011

Many of us enjoyed the fascination of paper dolls when we were young, they’re a wonderful toy that provided us with a cute creative outlet. I loved them so much as a child that I’ve decided to devote a post to them, including some history curtesy of Wikipedia. Not only do they inspire fashion design and creativity but they’re easy as pie to make!

Apparently paper dolls have been around for a long time, too, as long as there’s been paper. Centuries ago, in Asia, faces were applied to paper and used in religious rituals and ceremonies. The dolls at that time, however, did not have clothes. The earliest account of the paper dolls we’re more familiar with is in France during the mid-eighteenth century. They created puppets, called pantins, with hand-drawn and hand-painted fashions.

In America the biggest producer of paper dolls was McLoughlin Brothers, founded in the early 1800s. They sold out to Milton Bradley in the 1920s which is around the time paper dolls became popular.

These days it seems there are more digital dolls released than paper dolls, but they have have a lot in common. Digital dolls can have thousands of fashion and accessories for you to decorate your doll — tons of possibilities. However with paper dolls you can decorate with paper, fabric and other supplies which makes each creation much more unique.

Now let’s enjoy some of the lovely paper dolls our world has been graced with through the years (like these super cute vintage Japanese paper dolls)…

Thanks expo 67 lounge, Teri’s Paper Dolls and peppermint kiss kiss for the vintage paper dolls and Rushita for the Sailor Moon paper dolls!

Download Kisekae Dolls (Digital Paper Dolls)

My favorite Kisekae doll artist was always Kimiki, you can find her dolls here.

11 Comments

Design Your Life

Etsy vs Big Cartel (Storenvy, eBay and more)

09/02/2011

So I originally planned to write an article about using Etsy vs other cart software to open a store but then I saw my friend, Brigitte, did the same thing here. Her article is right on target so I had to feature it as well as give a few of my own findings.

As far as traffic and community goes, Etsy really has the best so it’s hard to compete. If you don’t have an Etsy account simply for buying and meeting new people you’re missing out — it has a wonderful community. However for store customization and less limitations (I can’t sell an item I didn’t make on Etsy so no collaboration pieces are allowed in my shop.) I would have to go with Big Cartel. I know artists tend to use each of these obsessively and I think they’re right on target. It all depends on what you want to do in the beginning as far as which store management you use.

To give you a little taste of what others are thinking, I ran a little poll. I asked people which buying/selling medium they prefer and why, this is what they said:

Louise: Etsy! It has a Girly/friendly feel to it. There’s a lot more communication between buyers and sellers.
Irit: Etsy for handmade items, eBay for hard-to-get items.
Chelsea: I hate eBay – it’s just not user friendly and I dont like how the combined shipping works. For homemade it’s Etsy or Big Cartel only.
Kayleigh: Etsy, mainly just because it’s what I’m used to. 🙂
Amber: I prefer buying off of eBay but selling on Etsy.
Jamie: I like to shop on etsy when it comes to finished products, and I like the community aspect of it but when it comes to buying supplies, I prefer eBay because the prices are more reasonable most of the time.
Kimi: I don’t sell, I just buy. I use both Etsy and eBay.

And, in another poll, when asked which medium users prefer all users asked said Etsy first and foremost. I think you see the reaccuring theme here.

When deciding which store management to use consider the following: are you selling vintage? (Etsy) do you want to feature sold out products in your store? (Big Cartel) do you want a quick turnaround? (eBay) There are so many options for a seller online these days — the sky is really the limit. When you decide what you want to do it’s completely inspiring owning a little shop on the web. Whether you own a store currently or if you’re still researching I wish you the best on your adventures.

Etsy vs Big Cartel Articles
Looking for more articles and information before you make a decision? Check out these other articles/posts I found on the same thing:

Big Cartel or Etsy?
Etsy vs Big Cartel: The Business of Handmade
Guide to Setting Up Shop Online
Why I chose Big Cartel over Etsy
Let’s Talk Etsy vs Big Cartel
Moving Shop / Etsy vs Big Cartel
Why I moved from Etsy to Big Cartel
Etsy vs Big Cartel – How to choose?
Four Venues to Sell Handmade Goods

3 Comments

Diary

Sunday, Monday and Miniature Tomatoes

08/21/2011

First I want to say that I love you. I don’t think it’s too soon in our relationship for me to be professing my undying love to you, no. I say I’m having a bad day and, because of your sweetness, I immediately receive lots of genuinely caring responses that instantly cheered me up. I hate writing both personal and negative things, it’s always hard for me to do. It was very reassuring to hear that you also have those days.

Speaking of OFF days.. I started my online day off with a FOLLOW MONDAY on twitter only to realize, after a friendly reminder from my partner in crime, that it’s SUNDAY. What a dork I am. I’m so ready for the new week to be here that I completely forgot about how wonderful lazy Sunday is.

I also wanted to write another little nonsense post filled with nothing but blab for you to sink your teeth into. Isn’t that your favorite thing? My blabbing? No? Well bear with me.

Have you ever wore pettipants before? I bought some adorable lilac ones from eBay. I’m obsessed. Now I have 3 pairs. I know it looks like I’m wearing bloomers with my teeshirts but I don’t care (they’re longer than my shorts!). Colette needs some, too.

Have you tried The Sims Social yet? My friends and I are just a little addicted.. I lost my Sims 3 CD recently and have been sad ever since so this is just what I needed to waste time on.

As you know I’m very obsessed with my new balcony. This summer I started a garden out there and finally grew some pleasantly plump cherry tomatoes. The first ripe tomato was the perfect size, for my imaginary miniature grilled cheese, so I just had to cut some slices.

On the subject of miniature food, have you seen this book? I bought it years ago, before I had Colette, and now I cannot wait until she’s old enough to make the tiny treats inside. It has everything from miniature burgers to miniature petit fours.

Because I’m such a foodie, I’ll end this entry on more food.. I was lucky enough to have crab nachos today for lunch and I’m still craving them. Isn’t it the perfect time for seafood? My car agrees! It now smells just like old, soggy crab meat! On the way home from dinner we took a short stop and into the floor flew the box of crab and mussels. Mussels in my floor board. I don’t know if I’m more upset about the smell they left behind or about them not ending up in my stomach.

I hope you’ve had an excellent weekend as well. I’m as excited to hear about your adventures as you are for me to shut up about my tomatoes!

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