.the princess portal.

Chiffon ruffle One Piece by Mermaid Princess
Handmade pearl and gold beaded choker
Handmade pearl bracelet

I have been inspired by my beautiful friend Valli to take up the battle of curling my hair (which hates to curl) once more, and I think I’m actually getting somewhere! It takes about an hour to do, because I have to do tiny portions at a time so the curls stay but I really think I’m getting better at this.

The dress is a chiffon confection by Mermaid Princess (hong kong brand) and I bought it because the design reminded me of classic lolita and with a bit of hime-gyaru in there as well. I have another super cute dress from them I’ll show off later! Close Up

I was a little bit naughty and started reading this book before I had finished my other ones, but I couldn’t help myself! I just love the film so much, I’ve watched it many many times and whenever I feel a little down or disillusioned I watch it and it cheers me up.

Kamikaze Girls is the american title for Novala Takemoto’s novel Shimotsuma Monogatari and the movie they made of it. I’m not really sure why they changed the title but it is still Shimotsuma Story to me so I shall refer to it as that. This is the story of two young japanese girls, one an independant, solitary lolita, the other a Yanki and a member of a female biker gang. It seems unlikely they would ever be friends, in fact the Lolita, Momoko, doesn’t want any friends at all but gradually they come to understand and respect eachother. It is an interesting look at the various japanese sub cultures and their differing ideals and values. I also find it a very heartwarming story.

I really love Momoko, not because she is a perfect lolita but because she is quite a flawed character and this makes her interesting. She really doesn’t care much about others and is quite selfish - she’s even aware of this and seems proud of it. I think she really grows a lot through the story and develops as a character.

The translation seemed a little awkward actually, I’m not sure how close it was to the japanese original but it didn’t flow very well. It was easy to read and enjoyable but I felt they had tried to americanize it quite a bit, I would rather that they kept some of the japanese slang and terms in there and provided an explanation rather than using american terms that aren’t really synonymous. Just a warning for readers, there is a lot of swearing in this book.

I am glad I bought the book because there are some real gems in here, one of my favourite lines was; “When you find something really precious, you have to hold on to it with all your might and never let it go, whatever else you may loose. After all, there are lots of people that die without finding something that’s really precious to them.” However I think I enjoyed the movie more. Someday I would like to read the original japanese book and see how different it is.

This evening the Queen and I took a spontaneous trip to the beach It was warm yet windy and the setting sun was lighting up the sea like a mirror. I love the beach, I think just being near it is refreshing and makes you happy. We buried our toes in the sand and got caught by the waves and watched the seagulls. I took a few photos. When we left my hair was full of salt spray and I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time

We had dinner and went window shopping afterwards. One of the bookstores was open late so we went in and flipped through the pages for a little while. It was a lovely evening.

A french woman I once worked for told me this and I thought I might share it with you. The most beautiful features of a person are not their face or figure, these are just the things people notice first, non, the three most beautiful features of a person are their hands, their scent and their voice.

A person’s hands tell you what they do, the way they live their life. A Lady’s hands are soft, elegant and fine. She does not work hard and has no calluses. Rough hands show a life well lived, a dutiful soul. Looking at someone’s hands will tell you if they are artisitic, gentle, lazy or cruel. Always look after your hands, they will show your age before anything else.

A person’s scent is what is left behind when they leave the room. Scent stirs the memory greater than any other sense and can bring pictures to mind of the shape it creates. We wear purfume or cologne to hide our natural scent, but we still have one. You will know your loved one’s scent whether you realise it or not. The scent you choose to wear reflects the way you wish the world to see you. Have a signature scent and people will remember you.

A person’s voice can be more charming than their face. Have you ever heard a beautiful voice that called your very soul and yet were dissapointed when you saw it’s owner? Appreciate the quality of the voice, it will tell you a person’s intentions. Learn to breathe, learn to sing, slow down and pronouce your words. People will judge your intelligence by the way you speak.

These are still all surface beauty, but I found them quite interesting. We don’t always think about these features when we meet someone but they do affect us none the less.

I had a little adventure today. Unfortunately where I live is very far from any craft stores, and usually I am only able to go and buy supplies when I get a lift with a friend (not usually a problem because most of my friends sew more than I) however there is only a week until the convention and I realised if I wanted to have enough things to sell I better buy some more supplies!

So, I caught the train. I very rarely catch the train, its a bit of a novelty for me I had to walk about 15 minutes to the station, it was a beautiful day so I didn’t mind very much. Then I caught the train to the station closest to where I needed to go, and from there the bus to the craft store. I think I probably could have walked that distance but I wasn’t sure how long it would take. I was reading Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls) on the bus and felt just like Momoko, catching the train all the way to Daikanyama to visit the BABY the stars shine bright boutique

I bought some felt, pearls, ribbon, lace and findings and sat up for a while tonight making these rings. They’re supposed to be little biscuits (one is heart and the other flower shaped) with puffs of cream and strawberries I thought they looked a little plain so I added a bow. Éclair is modelling them here. More photos

Hair Candies handmade by me
White Angelic Pretty cutsew
Blue polkadot collar ribbon
BABY Sleeping Beauty Applique skirt in blue

Today is one of those rare occaisions where my hair actually agreed to curl! I love this Sleeping Beauty skirt, applique series are my favourite, and its nice to wear blue for a change. Closeup of the castle applique.

Shoes and socks not shown (I don’t wear them inside) are white rose chocolat classic mary janes and white lace top socks.
I really want some blue shoes!

One of the declarations in our Princess Code is “A Princess should be given fresh flowers everyday, even if she has to give them to herself.” and I wholeheartedly agree with this! Nothing brings life and light to a lady’s chamber better than fresh flowers.

I have a vase by my bedside that I try and keep filled with flowers, whether bought or hand picked. Different flowers evoke different emotions; happiness, peace, wonder and love. The Victorians even wrote a language of flowers which you can read about here, though there are many different variations of this language that sometimes contradict eachother so don’t take it too seriously. The personal meaning a flower has to you is far more important.

When picking wildflowers or garden flowers, cut them early in the morning and place them in to water as quickly as possible. Flowers with stiff or wooder stems tend to last longer. Cut your flowers with a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears and always leave some on the bush so they can do their job at creating seeds or fruit.

When buying fowers keep in mind the colours that will look best in your room and also the effect you want to create, for example irises for serenity, roses for romance and daisies for joy. Choose flowers that have just opened or are half open, there should be some buds on the stems as well. Some cut flowers will open from buds but not all will.

Before arranging your flowers, cut the stems to the deisired length with some sharp scissors on a diagonal angle. Pull off any leaves that will be below the waterline. Fill your vase with slightly cool to room temperature water, you might want to add some product to prevent bacteria growth as well. If ants are attracted to your flowers, sit the vase in a small dish of water with soap in it.

Arranging flowers is a very personal thing. I love big bunches of a single type of flower, or two at most. To me these look simple and natural, like they’ve just been picked on a walk through the countryside. There a flower fashions too, some of the flowers that were popular in my childhood (carnations and baby’s breath) are out of fashion now and we are getting some pretty new additions such as ranunculus and oriental lilies. The flowers that are available to you will depend on the season and area you live in.

If you love more artistic flower arrangements perhaps consider taking a course in flower arrangement, or its japanese form Ikebana. There are some wonderfully creative ideas out there and you’re likely to learn a lot about botany and flowers as well.

For a cute effect tie a pretty ribbon around the neck of the vase where the flower stems cross over!

These are yellow daisies, I bought them today because their happy little faces were singing “summer!” to me and I couldn’t resist!

One of my literary heros is Miss Anne Shirley, of L.M. Montgomery’s famous books. The first time I read Anne of Green Gables I was actually a little shocked! I couldn’t believe there was someone in a book who thought like I did, only Anne was a lot louder, willing to share her dreams and romances wheras I never told anyone of my imaginings. She is a kindred spirit though, and recently re-reading the first three Anne books has inspired me with a little nostalgia. My favourite scene is when she imitate’s The Lady of Shalott, laying in a small boat which floats along the river, only to sink and have her rescued by her future Prince!

If you haven’t read the books they are set in Canada during the Edwardian era and center on a little red headed orphan girl called Anne, who is adopted by a middle aged brother and sister, the Cuthberts only to discover she was sent by mistake and they really wanted a boy. In the end they keep Anne (spelled with an ‘e’) and she changes their lives and the town of Avonlea forever.

Anne sees the world through rose coloured glass, each little flower has a name and every place holds a story. She reads gothic romance novels and poetry (including Tennyson ) and often imagines herself a Princess or a Queen or a Nun. Anne wears her heart on her sleeve and is open and loving, though her quick temper sometimes gets her in trouble. She is the ultimate daydreamer, and if you liked the last Princess lesson and haven’t yet, please read these books! They are quite beautifully written and light to read, though the movies are enjoyable as well if you prefer.

Some day I would like to visit Prince Edward Island!

I love mail day! Today I recieved a big package from japan with some BABY novelties. I’ve been trying to collect these, there is a plate, trinket box, tin and also a mug which I haven’t shown because it cracked in the mail and I have to try and fix it I’m most excited though to finally get my english translation of Shimotsuma Monogatari! I have to be very good and not start reading it until I have finished the other two books I’m reading now.

The weather today is sublime, I think Perth really does get more than its fair share of sunshine and fair weather Its a little bit warm, but with a cool breeze and the blue sky has the bearest wisps of clouds. I can hear crickets outside my window which tells me summer is here. On my walk this morning I saw cactus flowers and a pomegranate tree just starting to bear fruit, oh! Grapes are in season too, I bought a big bunch of ruby red ones from the market and they are juicy and sweet yum!

Our imagination is one of the greatest treasures we possess, it enables us to transform our mundane realities in to exciting adventures. As more mature people we can easily distinguish between reality and fantasy but that does not mean we can’t believe. You can believe in something and yet know its not entirely true, only those with the most terribly rational view on the world are incapable of this.

Do you miss believing in fairies? Do people and places seem a little flat to you these days, even those you once found amazing? Perhaps you need to wake your Imagination up a little and give it some exercise!

Pay attention to the world around you, your home, your garden, local parks, buildings that you go past on your way to work or school. Rather than seeing them exactly as they are, take a really good look at them and come up with a little story for them and perhaps a name. On my way to work there is this a great big brick tower, I have no idea what its really for but I think there is a foreign Prince locked up there, for the crime of offending a powerful witch.

Write stories, or just make them up inside your head. Make stories about strangers you see in the street, your friends and family and of course yourself! I often think of buskers as wandering minstrels and give them a coin if I can. Do you have a wicked stepmother? A wizard for a grandfather? Perhaps you have a special birthmark that shows you are descended from ancient kings.

Make wishes. Not just on birthday candles, but whenever you feel particularly lucky or want something very much. Believe that whatever you wish for will come true. Don’t underestimate your ability to bring things in to reality simply by wishing for them. Close your eyes, focus very hard and imagine it coming true. Shooting stars are useful too.

Talk to animals, feed the birds, greet the nymphs inside their trees, make up songs and melodies, draws maps of desert islands and magical kingdoms, give yourself a secret name, create a magic spell, name your electrical goods, tell ghost stories, camp out for a night, write poetry, send a message in a bottle, take a walk by moonlight, look for mermaids at the beach, go on a quest in your local shopping center. Don’t worry about seeming silly or crazy, these are your private imaginings and you don’t have to share them with anyone. Rediscover the magic in this World.