The breaking of the ban was the making of the man

I was supposed to stop buying clothes because I have no room for any more stuff but can't seem to part with anything. But sometimes you just can't help yourself, am I right?

After trying on all those things in New Look the other day, I thought I'd browse their website. Turns out a sale just started, and there were a few bits I couldn't resist getting!

I ordered Friday night and just picked my order up this afternoon.


Let there be colour!


These jeans were the main reason for my order. I already have a pair of lilac jeans, but I love acidwash and they were only £12! Unfortunately they are really small at the waist, but I doubt they have any left now for me to exchange them. I can wear them, I just get an unfortunate muffin-top enhancement that I could do without. A bigger size would be huge on the legs though as they're pretty loose - I was expecting super-skinny since they looked it in the picture (and it's not like I have twiggy legs)! They could also do with being taken up. And they smell BAD. To be honest, most of the clothes I got have an odd smell.


Since lilac is my favourite colour, I thought I might as well get this cropped jumper since it was only £4!


I wasn't sure about getting this as it looked so huge and unflattering on the model and was still £5, but Rob said I should get it and I think the print is gorgeous. I haven't tried it yet though, if it's terrible I'll either return it or keep it for if I can get a denim jacket (I'll stitch the alicorn/unipeg to the back of the jacket).


I don't really have any bracelets, and I think this will work well with most of my wardrobe. I feel kinda bad for buying though as it was £4! But I don't think I could find one cheaper unless I go to Primark (which would cost me £5 for the bus anyway).


And this dip-dye tee. Obviously it isn't for me as it's biiiiig haha. I showed it to Rob all like 'YOU HAVE TO GET THIS IT'S AWESOME' and he said 'okay' =P

I also went into New Look on Saturday with my friends. I decided I wanted to buy that dip-dye cardigan that I had tried on before (it was sold out online) so I went to look for it...but it wasn't there! But then when we went towards the sale racks and something mint caught my eye. I ended up screeching and running over to it while flailing my arms. I don't even regret it!


My buys!


DAT CARDIGAN. It was still £14, but since I'd been considering it at £22 I don't regret it...although chances are it'll be reduced further. I ended up buying the size bigger than the one I tried on since I'm gaining weight Dx


And a baggy vest top for £2. I needed tops like this, and this is actually the only plain lilac top I have! I'll use it loads over Summer.

Obviously now I have to try hard to not spend again, which means pushing back my Bodyline order yet again (I still need to buy that seifuku in a bigger size) and that I still can't afford one of those Sailor Moon necklaces by Kuma Crafts =[ Boo! But at least I haven't been buying lots of things from eBay! There are still a few bits I want to get though, dip-dye shorts being top of the list. They are quite expensive though, the cheapest were £20 in New Look...I might have to try them anyway though! It's either that or make my own (obviously they'd be pink and lilac!). We'll see.

Sushi Carnival

On Saturday I met up with some friends for the day! I was a little stressed in the morning and ended up changing my outfit at the last second. I got the bus instead of walking, which got stuck in traffic. I was just in time for the second bus, but it was the one 20 minutes after the one I'd aimed for! Would have quicker to walk, but then I'd have missed seeing a sort-of cute guy on the second bus. He kinda looked like a less skinny Frank Turner.


I had intended to not spend much money and was going to skip lunch, but we ended up going to Yo Sushi and I loooooove sushi. So I ended up spending £7.50 on food there Dx


All of us there! I had green tea, cucumber maki, tamago nigiri, and vegetable yakisoba. All my favourites! Except the green tea, which tasted like bathwater...

Then we went for a wander around the shops! I went a bit mad in New Look and ended up spending money...major shopping ban fail! I'll make a separate post for the things I bought though. I took a rubbish outfit shot in Urban Outfitters (after trying on some Vivienne Westwood shoes that weren't wide enough for my feet *sobs*).



We ended up in the Teahouse Emporium again. For some reason I decided to have lavender tea even though I don't like lavender, but it just sounded nice! I'm an idiot. The first cup was okay, but it ended up tasting mintier and mintier, and I hate mint. I'll actually read about the teas properly next time!



All the girlies!

We must have gone in quite late as they were trying to kick us out when we'd barely finished. I have no idea how it was so packed when we went in but then emptied without us really noticing! Somehow there was another semi-attractive guy working there, although he called me 'madam' which I didn't take kindly to. (If you're wondering why I'm documenting guys spotted, it's because I NEVER EVER EVER see any good looking guys hahaha. They are a rare breed).

It was odd when everyone left because even though I was reaaaally tired it didn't seem like we spent that much time together! And we didn't even go to the pub!!

I had to rush back to get changed, and since the bus went straight past me when I was waiting to cross the road I had to outrun it to the next stop *again* How I keep making it, I do not know. I'm a frilly sprinting machine. I went to a wedding party with Rob in the evening, but it was really boring as I didn't know anyone and they played crap music. I was wearing really high heels though so I was actually as tall as everyone for once (although my ankles are still paying the price!). But had a really yummy takeaway afterwards =D

How are my Saturdays always so busy? I remember when I used to just sleep all day on Saturdays!

Window Shopping!

Today I had to go out to buy groceries anyway and the weather was actually okay (between bursts of rain), so I thought I'd wander around town to make up for staying in for days. I'd gone with the intention of buying a pony or Monster High doll, but there weren't any in either of the shops that sell them TAT

Instead, I thought I'd try on lots of clothes! Which was a pretty silly idea because I'm on a shopping ban and I've actually been keeping to it this time. But it's fun to try on things that you normally wouldn't consider.

I tried on a few things from the kid's section in H&M.


This skirt was so cute and only £6, but it looks lumpy and odd on. I think I might buy it if I get to go on holiday this summer though! I haven't added worn photos of the shorts as they gave bad muffin tops, which is annoying as I really need some black ones. They are the same as my pink ones so I *could* stretch them out, but they'd still be too muffin-y and I have lots of cropped and tight-fitting tops for Summer, so not ideal. I think I'll try the adult black shorts next time, as although the material was rough and not nice they were only £8 and they should fit better.

The other store I went into (twice, actually) was New Look.


They're my favourite by far at the moment with all their adorable pastels and stripes!


I love this top from the children's section, so Summery and a cute colour! I felt like my belly was too podgy for it though.




This dress is amaaaaazing! The lady in the changing rooms pounced on it when I was handing it to her, she wanted to know why I wasn't buying it xP I do love it, but it's £28 and I'm not sure it looks right on me due to my height. But if it's ever in the sale I'll have to snap it up. It looks more odd in the photos than in real life because of the camera angle.


Pastel dip-dye *drools* This cardigan reminds me of watermelons! At £22 it was too expensive though as the material was thin and not very soft. But another to wait for in the sale, definitely.


I never thought I'd be able to get away with wearing a skirt like this as it's quite long, but I was pleasantly surprised! The only thing stopping me from buying it is the fact that it isn't lined, which makes it quite see-through due to the floaty and light material. So I'd have to buy a slip on top of the £22 for the skirt. But once again, if it's in the sale...


Last two items I tried together! The skirt fits terribly as it's too small on my hips and too long, but I think I prefer the striped shorts anyway (which I would have bought before but shopping ban and I own so many pairs of shorts). The top though...it's not my usual thing at all as it barely covers anything, but I thought it looked cool. It was also cheap enough for me to allow myself to buy it (£13). I'm not 100% sure about keeping it as I don't know what I could wear it with and I know I'll get honked at and abuse shouted at me when wearing it, but ♥


So my window shopping was a bit of a fail, but it could have been worse! I spent almost as much in Sainsbury's on boring things like margarine and toilet roll afterwards haha.

Wardrobe Spotlight: Swan Lake

I'm sure we all have that one piece that stood out to us when we were first discovering lolita. I had been aware of lolita for some time, but had only seen old-school sweet which, while cute, didn't really capture my attention (or rather, my wallet) too much.

But then, in 2008, there was Metamorphose's Swan Lake.



The first print I ever saw, and I fell in love with it! I love the high-waist skirt in black the most, but after searching for a long time I never found any in black. Well, that isn't true - I found a black JSK on an auction site, but my bids were blocked by the seller as they didn't want it to go to a foreigner! But then I found this one, the pink OP, for 4000yen. Even though I don't very much like OPs and the collar and sleeves are missing, I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to own my first dream print!


So here it is! There's a slight built-in petti, and lace-less shirring on the back. The tulle accents give it a princessy feel!


All of the bows are detachable. I prefer it with them on, but the pintucks mean there is still enough detail to get away with taking them off. The fabric seems a little worn (probably just from age) but it's soft and the print is bold. The waist-ties are detachable and held on by two fabric-covered buttons. A waist-tie is long enough for me to use as a belt, which is handy for my salopettes as they need drawing in and I don't own a real belt in any colour other than black.


Ribbon accents on the sleeves! It doesn't seem like they actually hold the sleeves tight though which is a shame, as it means I can't loosen them! Since I don't have the full sleeves I might remove all the buttons since they dig into my arm, but I think I might have to cut the elastic too as the sleeves are so tight that I'm in pain when I wear the dress at the moment! Which is odd as I thought Metamorphose was good for the slightly plus-sized lolitas...and I'm not plus-sized.


Those swans! There should be more bird prints in lolita.


And of course the headbow which came with it. I love the pearls <3

I hope I can figure out a good coord with it soon...I have reservations because I'm so used to wearing JSKs. And let's face it, it is a really tacky dress!

So that's it for another wardrobe spotlight! Let me know if there are any pieces you'd like me to feature =]

Stress!

Today was even more stressful than I thought it would be!

Today was the first day we were able to choose our final year options. However, they didn't bother telling us what time the webpage would go up. I checked at midnight, and then got up at 7.45ish to keep checking. The link to the page kept appearing and disappearing, it was so frustrating and my heart-rate would go crazy every time and make me feel sick! The page didn't go up until 3pm in the end, so I was refreshing a page for seven hours. SEVEN. HOURS. Ridiculous. And we won't know if we got our choices until after the registration ends in May Dx


Here are the options I went for in the end. I spent hours yesterday trying to decide on the first semester ones as none of the modules stood out to me, so I just went for a variety of things I thought would be interesting! The worries come about the second semester ones though, as there are only 18 places on Cyberpsychology which is the module I want to do most. That's 18 places between around 200 people. Even though I submitted my options about 2 minutes after the page went up, it's still such a slim chance because everyone who wanted that module did the same! Hoping I got Clinical too, as pretty much everyone wants to take that. Hopefully the course is big enough that they have a place for me!

Dreading next year even if I do get the modules I want. Will be so much hard work, and most of the modules have essays and oral presentations instead of exams. I feel like the one person who'd rather have exams =|

In better news, since I was up so early I was able to snag some Frank Turner tickets as soon as the priority page went up! I'm going to the show in Bath, although if my friends decide to go to the Brighton show too I might see if I can tag along =P

Phew! I'm pretty exhausted now. I finally get to have my shower now, and then I might have a nap ^_^'

Magic & Modules

FINALLY, Pottermore is open to everyone! I already sped through The Philosopher's Stone yesterday ^_^' My username is WingRiver6774 if anyone wants to add me. I'm a Ravenclaw, not that it will come as a surprise.


In more Muggle-y news, I have to pick my options for my final year on Wednesday. Although registration is open for two weeks, places are on a first come first served basis (one module has only 18 places), so I want to get them done as soon as registration opens if possible. Which may mean sitting on my laptop refreshing SAMIS all night!

But I don't know which ones to do! I have an idea for second semester (though I still need to look back over and consider it all), but no clue at all for semester one. Which means I'll have to spend all tomorrow (after my meeting) Googling all the topics, trying to figure out what everything is and what appeals to me most. I don't really have a clue what interests me though! And topics such as psychoanalysis are really interesting, but not really relevant and I did terribly in my essay about Freud last year Dx And I wish I could continue with Neuroscience, but it's just too difficult and they didn't give us enough help. I find it interesting and it makes me feel brainy, but too much work and waaaaay too much risk, especially when you consider that I need at least a 2:1 and my current grade is only just that.

I think I'll have to try to see what will be most relevant to my dissertation topic. Boo. My poor dissertation! I am behind on ethics as I was unable to do any work last week due to being at home and thus being lazy, and now I'm just panicking about options. I think I'll have to go up to campus afterall, as here I just keep procrastinating!

I'll be so stressed out on Wednesday morning though, worrying that I picked the wrong things or that I'll miss out on my Cyberpsychology and Clinical Psychology places, and also I'll be buying tickets to Frank Turner's gig in Bath that morning too. Eeek!

Procrastination for Creation

I've always loved drawing, but it isn't something I have much time to do anymore. Since everything at work has gone pear-shaped I have had no motivation to work, so I put more effort into art!

I often make cards for people instead of buying them, because birthday cards are just so boring! You will have seen this in the last post, the card I made for Sophie based on one of her favourite lolita prints - Stained Glass Angel. I thought I'd post some of my progress shots, since I haven't blogged much (and now I am spamming you. Mwahahahaha!).


This was my reference photo, taken by Sophie herself. As you can see, I had to improvise and simplify a little!


Here's the line-art. I did in pencil first, starting with the overall outlines and working down to the detail, going over each part in pen and erasing the pencil as I went to avoid smudging. It's not perfect, but then I'm not that great at art ^_^'


Supplies! I had to the painting at home as I needed the table (usually I just sit on bed and lean against a book). I was really worried about using watercolours as they're my least favourite paint, but my acrylics seem to have disappeared and watercolour is more fitting for the print anyway. I had to be brave!



The risk paid off! I'm pleased with the result, and am now really looking forward to my next project!

Sadly it will have to wait until I've planned and gained ethical approval for my study, but once I'm gathering data I know what I'd like to do next! I'll probably keep you updated ;]

Oh, and I used bigger images in this post as I felt they were kind of needed...but I don't like them. They mess up my layout!

A Pot of Tea

Yesterday all of my frilly friends went out to celebrate Sophie's birthday! Obviously I couldn't be there because I was in London Dx it looks like they all had so much fun though!



Since I didn't have much time to get ready, I plumped for an old-school coordinate. This was the first brand dress I ever bought, but this was my first time wearing it as it's impossible for me to zip up by myself! I managed to get it dirty though when I was re-threading the ribbon through my shoe...DOH!


Close-up of the nail detail, I did them for the gig but made sure to use colours that would compliment my outfit.

I met them all this afternoon after I got back. We went to the Teahouse Emporium, and for once I actually ordered a pot of tea instead of a cold drink. I had rose tea and it was delicious ♥


I also gave Sophie her birthday presents. I'm so glad she liked them, and the card I made (it took me a long time to do, but I am so chuffed at how it turned out!). It was based on the Stained Glass Angel print.

We then wandered around town for a while, but then everyone had to go =[ I was so glad to see everyone though!



I was soooo tired when I got back, but was greeted with this mess to tidy up!


Afterwards I was too sleepy to do any work. I still can't get Instagram to send all my photos, so I think tomorrow I will go to campus to use the Wifi. I mean, to do some work. Yes ¬_¬

Frank Turner at Wembley Arena!

Yesterday (13th April), I finally got my birthday present!


A ticket to see Frank Turner, woooooh! My fourth time seeing him, ahahaha.


My outfit, complete with 'invisible llama' shirt, based on the commonly misheard lyric in 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot'.

We didn't start travelling to London until around 2pm as Rob had a really long interview in the morning. It was his first time driving on the motorway, but we were fine. However it took us 4 hours to get to the hotel, so we didn't get to the arena until around 45 minutes after the doors opened. As such, we didn't have time to look around for the merch stall before the acts started =[ (I had intended on going to look afterwards, but it was too crowded and I ended up missing out completely! Sucks.). The hotel was really nice though - we stayed in a Premier Inn that was really close to the venue. The bed was almost as big as my room here, it was crazy. I could lie across it the wrong way and still not be dangling off at all! It only took us 5 minutes to walk to the arena.


View from our seats. We were in the top row about half way down the arena. Thank goodness my camera has a decent zoom!


Beans On Toast was on first, and although the set was only 20 minutes long and reaaaaaally disorganised, it was good! He did a stage dive at the end and got carried across the whole crowd...and a few people kept him up and ran across the rest of the floor with him!

Next on were Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip. No photo as they were awful. I hate that kind of music, I sat there like 'wtf is this crap' the whole time they were on, but I didn't want to squeeze past the smelly fat man who was sat next to me so I couldn't go for a merch hunt.


Gave us time to take a derpy photo though!


Billy Bragg was next, and he was brill! I'll have to check out his stuff again later.

...and then Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls <3


Frank's mum came on stage to play harmonica during Dan's Song =D





Billy Bragg came back on stage to do 'The Times They Are A-Changing'.


Circle hug that opened up at one point! It became a circle pit shortly afterwards though.

The set was reaaaaally good. I had a few annoyances though. The woman next to me was singing really loudly, out of tune and time. I think she was really drunk. There was a bunch of guys in front of me whose heads blocked my view anyway despite my being higher up. But they had their hands in the air most of the time so I had to keep moving about to try to see! People clapped inappropriately in my favourite song. The end part of The Road was cut off. (Is there a grumpy concert-goer meme yet? Bahaha).

But the performance was amazing as usual, and the new song was EPIC and I can't wait until the next album is ready! I had been thinking I wouldn't see Frank again for a few years, but when he said that there is to be a tour next year and that he'll be doing practically every town in the country I was like 'BATH AND BRISTOL COME TO MEEEEEEEEEE' xP I already cannot wait!



I wish I could have gone to the bar afterwards for a few drinks, but instead we went straight to sleep in order to rest up for today! It didn't take so long to get home, but it still took 3 hours. Luckily all the travelling was fine as we had plenty of CDs with us, and I like travelling anyway! No gigs planned until Reading now, and that's still not definite.

But yes, probably the best birthday present ever!