September Hauls

I received many packages in September, lots of them food themed!

First up, my q-pot anniversary 'fukubukuro'. It contained an assortment of things: pan paka pan shirt (6,500), burger mousepad (1,800), croissant case (9,000), chocolate peanut necklace (13,000), pretzel three tone earrings (13,000), croissant ring (13,000) and cloud nail stickers (1,200)

I also got my Melty Royal Chocolate cardigan by Angelic Pretty

Another package I received was my Peppermint Fox brooches

The last parcel I got recently contained these:

Rilakkuma Chocolate & Coffee charm, AP Promenade de Paris tights, AP Melty Royal Chocolate tights, Emily Temple Cute x Zipper chocolate tights, AP Radiant Candlelight OTKs, 2 x q-pot parlour rings

I really like everything that I got, and am super happy with how well they match my wardrobe
Especially impressed with the ETC chocolate tights, they're so stretchy and worth every dollar I paid 

DIY Ribbon Flats

These flats were inspired by the Melissa ballet flats that I've seen floating around, and I wanted to try make a cheap, affordable version.
All up, this only cost me $10.50 ($5 for the flats, $3.50 for the whole bottle of fabric paint, $2 for 12m roll of ribbon) and took around 3 hours to complete.


Equipment:
- pair of plain flats (if you're planning on wearing socks/tights with them, make sure the flats aren't too snug on your feet)
- fabric paint
- paint brush
- ribbon
- clear sealant (optional)


Method:
1. Make sure your flats are clean by wiping with a wet wipe / damp towel

2. Using your fabric paint and paint brush, spread thin layers of the paint evenly on the whole surface of the shoe. Let each layer dry before adding another on top, and stop when you're happy with the opacity (took me about 5 layers to get the gold I wanted). This is also when you'd spray / paint on your sealant.
*Fabric paint adheres to most synthetic surfaces pretty well, so I did not bother with using primer

3. Cut your ribbon to length. Do this by taking some ribbon and tying it around your foot how you would want it to look with the shoe. This can be awkward but try your best, since ribbon that's too short will be ribbon that's wasted!

(3.5) The ribbon I had on hand was white, and I figured I'd just paint it to match my shoes. Blunder, because the base of the shoe was black, and the golds don't match at all hah! 

4. Depending on what you prefer, you can glue the ribbons on the inside of your flats, or you can just wind them through the little tabs that flats often have on the inside.
- by gluing the ribbons down, you ensure the bow doesn't move after you tie it, and your shoes are tied to your feet
- by not gluing it down, you're free to change the colour and length of your ribbons any time you like

Here's what mine looked like, although I'll most likely buy matching ribbon the next time I'm at the craft store:

 

Hope this helped, sorry I didn't take pictures of my earlier progress, feel free to shoot me a question on tumblr if you have any!

taobao shop reviews: kingdomc + fantasycat + tb_jliu + rococo-soul

This post will review the accessories that I got from the following 4 taobao shops: kingdomc + fantasycat + tb_jliu + rococo-soul

Everything from kingdomc came wrapped, like a chip packet xD
I really like it though, feels like lots of effort went into it, and things don't get damaged as easily

Everything that I got, clock-wise from top left:

2-way rose pins - not many colours to pick from, but the ones I got are lovely with good detail

flower comb - the flowers are a bit flimsy and got a little crushed during shipping, but looks lovely and comb is robust

beret - very good value, and nice size

freebie star clips - bit of an odd colour pairing, but they're free xD

2-way flower brooch - super pretty, reasonably sturdy, pearl strand isn't detachable

 

 The pearl strand on the comb is detachable, and the rose pins are very sturdy

Cherry pin - a little disappointed, it's flimsy, but still good quality for the price

Candy bracelets - these are amazing and super cute, but might be a bit small for people with thicker wrists

Chocolate ring - average, but pleased with it

Bow ring - good shine, quite like it

2-way star pins - very nice and quite affordable, although I haven't got a chocomint one to compare them to

Cupcake brooch - slightly pixelated, but very cute and sturdy

kingdomc: 4.9/5 (could be a little sturdier, but awesome on the whole)

fantasycat: 4.5/5 (great value for money, just watch out for quality)

tb_jiliu: n/a (didn't get enough to really judge, but they have some cute stuff to browse!)

rococo-soul: 4.7/5 (good quality, a little pricier)

All in all though, I'd recommend purchasing from these shops or at least having a look, because most of the items are heaps cheaper and there's a much greater variety to choose from :D

August Haul: Taobao + YahooJapan Auctions + chibitenshi

Finally got three of my orders today! The taobao order has been pending since the start of March, the chibitenshi one was a quick order, and the YJ parcel is from July :3

I'll be posting more detailed reviews in the coming weeks :)

Picture of the three packages

Loyal Rosette navy OTKs from chibitenshi (with free BtssB paper bag)

Very good service with prompt replies, although I wish she could've held my socks until IW released their new stained glass and book prints uvu

I was surprised at how well TaobaoNow packed my things (even though I've used them before), it was a huge order and they used the box space very efficiently ^u^

rococo-soul Age of Sail blouse

Various footwear / legwear

Accessories
http://shopsearch.taobao.com/browse/shop_search.htm?q=kingdomc

Chess Story cloud jewellery set (came in a really cute box)

Various accessories and cute things. Right-most 4 items were gifts
http://shopsearch.taobao.com/browse/shop_search.htm?q=fantasycat

Sticker sheets and envelopes

http://shopsearch.taobao.com/browse/shop_search.htm?q=%E5%EB%BC%A3%C6%EC%BD%A2%B5%EA

Wax sealing supplies
http://shopsearch.taobao.com/browse/shop_search.htm?q=%C5%DD%C5%DD%D3%E3%CA%C0%BD%E7

Little Dipper lavender JSK

Krad Lanrete Lost in Sea Blue / Auralia JSK

Little Dipper blouse

 

rococo-soul United States of Chocolate JSK + head bow

 

CEL St Augustine black JSK (collar + waist tie included)

 

 

Three blouses + peignoir
1. http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38242210113 | 2. http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38634084317 | 3. http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37626398603 | 4. http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=25544812868

 

fromjapan YahooJapan auctions order! Could've been packed into a smaller box, but I like how they wrapped everything very carefully. Sent out pretty quickly, but I think their service fees are a bit high if you're purchasing lots of small things - it's a better deal if your purchases are more expensive.

AP Crystal Dream Carnival blue OTKs

   

Various accessories (Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright + Alice and the Pirates)

 

AP Royal Stripe ivory head bow (the wax seal is detachable!!)

 

AP Royal Chocolate mocha skirt

AP Royal Chocolate brown round JSK (size wasn't listed on the auction so I was super worried, but it's M and it fits perfectly :D)

BtssB brown x pink chocolate cardigan

So yeah that's my huge haul, can't wait to wear everything because it's all so SQUEEE *u*