Rhythm Keychains

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”
+ Terry Pratchett

Reviving the nearly dead horse

That's probably a strangely morbid title, but I'm going to move past it.

I hadn't thought about this project in a long, long time. Honestly I had sort of given up on it because I'm just so busy with everything else that is going on in my life. So while the project itself may have retired, I think I'd like to keep this blog going.

If nothing else, just for the sake of my pushing myself to update and keep up with something, and at the very least, having some tiny place on the internet to be a complete and utter nerd.

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
+ Albert Einstein

Failure to be a successful updater

you would think that in a month, i would have come up with some good content to share with everyone.

sadly, i really haven't.

and that's my bad.

i have been much busier than i anticipated with my classes this semester. taking 3 classes that require garment construction leaves you with an awful lot of overlapping projects! i'm juggling multiple sewing projects, papers, etc, and while it really isn't that bad and i should be on top of it, i'm not. i'll have to look at my life later and figure out why i'm such an organizational doofus.

in the meantime, here's a picture of Blossom-chibi-chan and i before my last photoshoot. John Conley and i went down to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California to do a few Valentine's day-esque photos in my AniMaid Cafe uniform. i'm pleased with how they came out, particularly the ones where i'm making a goofy face of some kind. they usually are my best shots (/^▽^)/

 

"The imagination exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason, -- over every idea."

+ Latin Proverb

Happy Birthday to me! (yesterday =______=)

 so okay, I'm late on my own Birthday post for my blog. but that's alright, I don't mind so much.

For those of you out there who are REALLY paying attention, you'll notice that today.... I changed the blog! Happily, I've completed altered the layout and p&p now has comment capability! yay! Despite the fact that I really liked the old layout, I think this one is much better because it feels easier to read and a little less crowded (even though it has more stuff on it >___>.....).

And yes, yesterday January the 17th was my birthday! Now I'm a big 23 year old. Altough I think by most standards I don't really act like it. But that's okay, my parents never told me I had to grow up. Quite the contrary actually, they wanted me to stay a child. In that regard I have grown up, which is a good thing I say. I certainly don't act like a child (well okay sometimes), I just have an over-active imagination like one. And some dolls. Which I pass off as "collector's items".

But who hasn't used that excuse, right?

There were so many photos from the 2 days that I consider my birthday celebration, so I tried something a little different, which I rather like. What do you think? Do you like it too? (´ω｀★)  It's a little more collage like, with a hint of purikura. After all I am in a maid cafe, so I do have a habit of drawing on photos.

My family and a few new friends went to Knott's Berry Farm on Saturday, which is an amusement park here in Southern California. It was loads of fun, and as you can see, Rika particularly enjoyed shoving my face in my birthday ice cream. Of course I had already done so myself so no harm done. Yesterday on my *actual* birthday, my boys took me to a restaurant for lunch and we had shrimp, potatoes, andouille sausage, and corn in a steam back, with some uber duper super yummy sweet potato fries. They are like crack. Om nom nom. John bought me a BEAUTIFUL birthday cake which the boys and I completely destroyed (didn't get a before picture sadly) and one of my boys, Rui, made me an awesome card.

So thank you to all my family who gave me such a wonderful birthday!!! (I like getting old. I don't see what all the fuss is about)

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

+ Louisa May Alcott

Initial Reri gijinka cosplay design & NOT so ALA report

hi everyone! long time no posty!

I will admit, I actually have quite a few things lined up, but I had a lot of sleeping to catch up on aparently, because I'm pretty sure I spent 65% of last week asleep. But I had a *very* good new years and was able to catch up on family time as well. All in all I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Or if you're still waiting for Lunar New Year, I hope you're ready and geared up for it!

The first thing I would like to share with you is my initial design for a Reri cosplay. I had been wanting to do a gijinka Fairy Tones group for quite some time now, and last month I finally started getting some people on board. So while I was planning on starting it, I didn't really have a clear image of what I wanted. Today however, I had my first class of the semester, which is Corset Construction (MAN I love being a fashion major! >:D). Our major assignments are to make 2 corsets, a Georgian corset and an 1800s/1900s hourglass corset. The Georgian period generally ranges from 1714 to 1830, spanning the reign of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain. The waistline tends to be long and pointed, while the corsets themselves sat at the natural waistline.

Our assignment is to complete the corset as well as a garment. I decided to do a dress, which will double as my Reri cosplay. Score for utilizing cosplay for a good grade! Huzzah! I'm not sure if this will be the final design I choose, but its a start!

I plan on making a hat as well, that basically resembles the top part of the fairy tone (from the gold band/crown up). My drawing of the details is rather messy (>__<), but the dress essntially has a ruffle neckline with bubble sleeves, a ruffle and leaf layered mess of crap at the waist (with music staff detail), and a bubble puff skirt with lace and a ruffle. I plan on wearing over-the-knee socks and my white Lolita shoes with bows on them. Arm and neck bands if I can get them done.

Finally, I'll leave you with pictures of my new guilty pleasure: I'm sorry to say that a grown woman has taken to carting a Cure Blossom plushie around everywhere. I purchase her this weekend at Anime Los Angeles. I was happy to see a full set of Heartcatch plushies, as well as a few Suite keychains.

*sigh* I feel like a kid with a security blanket =______=

"The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person."

+ Frank Barron

Happy Holidays~!

I may be a little late (the day AFTER Christmas buhuhu （；￣ェ￣）  ), but here's a little p&p present for you! Some lovely Precure sightings from the local Mitsuwa.

I love going to the Japanese markets. Being raised in the north and not having the luxury of ethnic grocery stores, I soak up the joy that comes from the live and flavor of these stores. The mall-style set up of Mitsuwa and Marukai provide an even deeper immersion effect by offering up stores and booths with fashion, books, and food.

I took a small side trip to pick up some takoyaki (sadly I was too late in the evening and it was no where to be found). However I did see some Precure merchandise in the grocery section, consisting of a wide variety of candy toys, as well as some children's books at Sanseido.

 

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."

+ Albert Einstein

Proof of Life

I'm not dead, I promise!

I will admit though, lately I've been *feeling* like i'm dead (╥﹏╥).  School, work, and personal life seem to all be difficult right now. Is it irony that all areas of my life seem to be difficult at the same time? Or is it my own inability to keep my life organized that causes this riotous aberration?

Who can tell. I shall digress, and leave you with some pretty pictures.  A few are just, well, pretty, but the others are my bit of proof that I am indeed still working. Preliminary designs for the Rhythm line. Do enjoy please!

 

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.  Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.  

+ Theodore Geisel