Brand-spanking-new handmade headpiece! Sparrow Skulls! Finds!

The weather has been absolutely horrible here in Toronto. Hot, cold, hot, cold, rain…and I hear there’s going to be snow on Monday. Seriously, it’s mid-late April and we are getting SNOW?! 

I don’t get it. My program has been all about global warming and how weather patterns / phenomenon such as El Nino and El Nina dictate these shifts yet I still am unable to believe just how directly it effects everyone.  This also means a late growing season for farmers and it’ll effect so many things. I can’t grow my edible flowers yet because I’m too afraid to let them grow outside and starting them inside with such dreary weather doesn’t get my hopes up, either.

That aside, I’ve been out of town and away from my studio due to a slight emergency. But, as always I’ve dragged most of my immediate portable materials with me and I whipped up a headpiece two nights ago (along with a few necklaces but I didn’t take pictures). Currently, I am working hard at expanding my collection for the meeting I have with a local boutique owner this coming Friday. I hope she likes my stuff and buys/carries it at her store!

It’s so beautiful. I can’t bear to part with it unless offered a small fortune. :) It’s very Dolly-Kei and I can’t wait to coordinate it. I really love the warm copper charms I imported which add to the overall warmth and richness of red accents and the red wool bow. 

I begin with a brief laying out of what I prospectively want the headpiece to look like.

I don’t sleep for a whole night working on things like this and at 7-8 AM the sun shines.

I bless my items with the first rays of sunshine. Haha. Then photographing commences. 

On another note, I also got my custom order of plastic casted sparrow skulls from an across the border taxidermist after literally almost 2 months of waiting. It was a long and somewhat tedious wait but well worth what I got. I really wish I had gotten most of the skulls drilled because they look really awesome as necklaces. What do you guys think? 

Also, made a nice find at Dollarama recently. I’ve been desperately looking for millenary branches with buds - I tried Queen West, Fabricland…but was then recommend Michael’s. I found exactly what I was looking for at Dollarama instead - with at least 5 colortones in a huge branch for a mere $1. Score! I left with pale green and cream buds.

New Headpiece, AN Update, Wig + Circle Lenses, Consignment Opportunity

New Wig and Circle Lenses

Mossy Rock found on campus

Migrating Canada Geese Flock taken with iPhone 4

 It’s been a busy couple of weeks of ups and downs.

University is finally done - I hope I got the marks I wanted as I did work my ass off this term to make up for a rather lacking first term. At least I know I did my best and if anything doesn’t go planned then a new door will always open. 

I have been prepping for selling at Anime North since the beginning of this year - but since leaving Marionette Atelier I may have really screwed myself over. How? My former partner got a table. I bought the iPad 2 (waited for 6 hours in the cold), got tired, and slept through the deadline. Hahaha. I’ve paired up with a new friend who is near the top of the waiting list (while I sit at 41). But, I have doubts I’ll be selling this year. God, the irony. 

It’s disappointing. 

But, when a door closes another opens. A local boutique owner who’s store I was going to approach this week and I’ve had absolutely no contact with…actually emailed me via Facebook saying she’d be interested in my items. WHAT?! WHAAAAAAAT! This is so awesome. I’ve emailed her back - haven’t been able to sleep since because I am psyched. So, expect to Quaintrella items in Toronto boutiques soon. :3

Here are a few of my recent stuff. Still on the pendent necklaces but I’ve moved into headpieces:

Two new pieces. Headpiece and Pendent Necklace

Detailing

Close-up of details

Mega close-up of details

Headpieces are literally a larger translation of my pendent necklaces. They were harder to layout then I had anticipated. I sat there for 2-3 hours figuring it all out. I loved the end result. What do you guys think?

At the same time, a lot of my supplies for AN preparations have come in after a month. Notably, my Mori Girl wig and my NEO Toric Extra Dali Gray Circle Lenses. Review to come the circle lenses in an upcoming post. But, they look pretty natural - the wig and lenses. I had to order specific ones for my astigmatism. I am so happy with them. Though, they do make me look a little bit more exotic with my normal hair. I actually looked mixed with Russian with my dyed normal hair due to my jawline? Not sure. More pictures to ensue. I’m so happy with them both. :D

With new wig, handmade headpiece, and toric cicle lenses.

With normal hair and modelling the pendent necklace for my Etsy. 

Sunday So_Lolita Meet Up

It’s unfortunate that my Contest Post (don’t forget to check it out below!) is probably going to be swallowed by this post among others. But, since I had a very important Moderator Meet (this is the FIRST time all of the So_Lolita Mods were able to meet collectively this year) I chose to switch shifts and attend - but, I hadn’t the time to dress in Lolita so I went in my more primped up ‘Everyday Wear’. I’m the girl with the giant red headbow and pink tulle tutu. My bestfriend, Aya, hugs me. I really missed Meets. I was actually really ill from a 12 hour migraine after watching Sucker Punch the night before - but once I ate and popped some painkillers I was social and ready to socialize.

I have a really bad habit of freaking out and panicking before meets, never sleeping the night before, and showing up somewhat like a zombie - not quite social, not quite healthy, and not quite alive. Haha. But, this one was awesome. I met some old and new Lolitas. Plus, Aya recruited a model for my Lolita presentation on Tuesday. Impressive.

Have any of you been to any Lolita Meets recently? How were they?

Blog Giveaway / LJ Community Contests

I’ve been contemplating a Giveaway for a while and since I’ve almost reached 40 readers I might as well act on my urges. However, being somewhat ambitious I also like to multitask – this post will include the Livejournal Polyvore / Coordinate Contests I will be holding at the same time. Feel free to link away and advertise it if you think you’d have friends interested. The more the merrier!

Quaintrella Blog Giveaway

I will be doing ONE Giveaway of my Bowtie Necklace on this Blog. Basically, this is the simplest one where all you have to do is be a Follower of my Blog and comment on the post (be sure to include your email address if possible so I may contact you if you win). Once that’s done on April 8^th, 2011 I will add all the entries into a online randomizer to pick out a winner. J Enter only once, please. Thank you.

Local So_lolita Livejournal Community Polyvore / Coordinate Contest

This one is for the local Lolitas only. You have to be in Ontario and part of the So_Lolita LJ Community. This is for the Gothic Birdcage Dangle Earrings AND/OR Bowtie Birdcage Necklace. Both are new designs for my line http://TheQuaintrella.etsy.com and you can enter for one or both (2 entries each maximum). Basically, use my accessories into a Polyvore Coordinate or Real Life Coordinate. Show me how you would wear it and a vote will be done by the members of the community based on your skills. Feel free to enter my other contests too! I will cover shipping charges for the items if you cannot meet me locally. Deadline: April 15^th, 2011.

International Mori Girl, Dolly Kei, Natural Kei,and Possibly Classic Lolita Polyvore / Coordinate Contest

This one is an International Contest for one of my One-Of-A-Kind textile art necklaces inspired by a very particular Mori Girl brand, Rosey Aphrodina. The Tea Rosette Necklace will never be replicated and has been made with great attention to detail and love. You may only enter this contest ONCE with a coordinates (in the style of your choice). Basically, show how you would wear this piece with your current existing wardrobe or your dream coordinate (with Polyvore) and POST them HERE. There will be two voting sessions which will first accommodate for the communities involved and then the top voted entries will be re-voted on by all communities involved. Make sure to label the genre of style you will be coordinating for. I will pay for shipping charges if the winner isn’t local. NOTE: The base portion of this necklace is made of wool – please be aware of this if you are allergic. Deadline: April 15^th, 2011. (Check the Morigirls and Dolly_Kei LJ Communities for Information in a day or two when I have better pictures up).

Thanks for reading. Happy winning and coordinating! :)

PS - Sorry, for the shit pictures. It’s 4 AM and I’m a vampire who can’t wait for sunshine at the moment. I’ll retake them ASAP when I have the light and energy. 

iPad 2: Successfully Obtaining It

If there anything I find more gratifying then making things, shopping, fashion, the environment and stuffing my fatty face with good food it’s…drumroll…Apple Products. I’m a hardcore fangirl due to the significant other and close friends having a serious effect on my consumerist habits.

Well, I spent March 25th lined up in cold Canadian weather for 6 hours in front of Bestbuy to obtain it. I seriously thought I was a giant fool because I didn’t dress warmly enough, I already have a bad cold, I went out of my budget, I was stressed, I brought two bags of crafting supplies because I thought they were going to line us up inside…everything just about almost went above my head.

But, after hours of shivering like an idiot I got it.

It was like a little piece of heaven. I was giggling like an idiot who found a perfectly rounded poo on a stick and admiring it’s impossible symmetry. I’m not sure where that example comes from but I hope it conveys my happiness.

It was quite a pretty penny as I went for the 32GB White Wifi iPad. But, well worth it since I am a technological hoarder (I never delete much off my laptop, iPhone, or anything else for that matter). 

Here’s me looking derpy and super happy. I look like a mess after being so tired, cold, and exhausted after the whole thing. So happy! 

WHO ELSE GOT THE IPAD 2 OR WAS HARDCORE ENOUGH TO LINE UP FOR IT ON THE LAUNCH DAY?