So I finally updated the etsy shop...

A little off my usual blogging topics - but did you know James and I have a little shop on Etsy? We do, and I just got around to adding so new things and I thought I'd share because making things is something we both enjoy, and do a lot, so I thought it was high time I shared some of that over here ^__^

First up - how lovely is this antler ring James made? Naturally shed antler, and it's lovely with all the natural colours and shapes left intact on the outside with the inside perfectly smooth. We both have a thing for tribal inspired jewellery, and I love how this ring is unique and funky without being overstated. James also made a smaller one that's for sale as well.

And then there's a plus size sweet/classic lolita skirt I made. I've been hoarding the vintage floral fabric for  a very, very, very long time and finally managed to pair it up with this cute pink.

This last one isn't a super new addition, but I thought I should mention that I've also got a bunch of different laces listed. This one is my favourite ^__^

Do you have a shop on Etsy, or have a particular favourite store? If you do, show me a link in the comments!

Keeping that blogging mojo strong.

I will be honest - in part, I'm writing this to give myself a kick up the arse because with uni and all blogging keeps tending to fall by the wayside for days that turn into weeks. So I thought I'd have a bit of a think, and share some ideas for keeping your blog regularly updated - some of these are things I do, some are things I'd like to try.

Start a series.
If you start a series of posts and it something you know you'll always have something to say about, that's an easy fix, especially if you can make it a regular thing. For me, Photo Fridays are great. I have years of photography and modelling to dip into and talk about if for some reason I have no new stuff I always have old stuff to share! However, irregular series can be just as good - like my "loliable shops" posts. It's not something I talk about often, but it's something I can pick up if I'm drawing a blank on what to post about. Some ideas for regular weekly series I can think of just randomly are MakeUp Mondays, where you could discuss cosmetics or maybe Fiction Fridays, where you talk about books. With something broad like those topics [and they are also alliterative, which is awesome] it would be pretty easy to come up with a pretty unique post each week. For sporadically posted series it's even easier to come up with ideas - just pick something that interests you that you think you will be able to make more than one post out of. My "things I don't have in my wardrobe" series started when I read one of those advice blogs about the things a woman should have in her wardrobe and realising that I had very few of their totally, uberly, essential basics. And also that I disagreed that one should have such things.

Schedule in advance.
If you read nothing else here, read this. Scheduled posting is like, the totally best thing ever. For people like me, who can be forgetful and then grumpy when I remember I forgot things, posting on time would become quite a difficult thing. But with scheduled posting that's not a problem,and what's more, I could write a whole month's worth of posts [and sometimes do, at least the Photo Friday posts] all at once when I'm feeling inspired and then the blog just takes care of itself.

Join a blogging circle thing.
Groups such as the Lolita Blog Carnival can be really helpful. Not only does joining such a group give you something to write about on the days when inspiration is thin on the ground, in the LBC at least participating in the group's topics can lead to increased blog traffic in the link sharing to everyone's posts. Now, despite the fact I think it could be really helpful for a blogger things like this aren't really my cup of tea, though I do occasionally pick up LBC topics after the fact. I just don't like sticking to other people's schedules ^__^

React to the latest news.
There's not too much to elaborate on here - if you're looking for something to blog about, post up your thoughts on the latest goings on. By news I don't necessarily mean on the tv and in the papers news [though that's certainly an option!] but news that interests you. Some examples I can think of are new fashion releases, shows and lookbooks, news about books, movies or tv shows, updates on games, fancy new technology [new camera lenses...drool...] or anything at all.

Do something big, and post about it step by step.
I have to say, I love progress posts. The first one that pops to mind at the moment is Make Lovely's wardrobe overhaul series, which I'm greatly enjoying so far. I don't know what it is, but there's something cool about people sharing their progress on a big project, whether is overhauling your wardrobe, making a costume, learning to bake, training for a marathon, anything really! So if you're stuck for a blogging topic, maybe consider sharing your progress on whatever your next project happens to be. And another great thing about posting up progress is that you can get away with doing smaller posts sometimes, just a photo and a few lines. Just something to let your readers know you're still active ^__^

Round stuff up, y'all.
Round up posts are an easy way to post something on your blog without having to come up with your own content. At the moment, I consider them a bit of a cheat, but they are still a good thing to keep your readers interested [provided, of course, you are linking to content that suits your readership] when you don't have much original content to share.

So there you have it. My current thoughts on how to keep the posts coming on your blog. Do you have any favourite methods to keep to blogging mojo strong?

And, this is kind of a unrelated but kind of related side note... try and write good [yes, that was deliberately bad writing to make my point in a humorous manner. Comment at your peril.] and by that I mean try to use normal grammar, paragraphing, spelling and the like. It makes your posts much more readable. They way I see it is that if you write well, provided you aren't using stupidly big words or super fancy sentences, anyone can read your posts. But if you keep getting your and you're confused, are inconsistent with paragraphing, and make your blog hard to read by virtue of being incorrectly written, chances are I'll unfollow you. Nothing personal, but I don't want to struggle to read someone's posts ^__^

Knocking sweet lolita down a notch.

Yesterday on EGL I saw this thread. Long story short, the OP had traded for Angelic Pretty's Milky Planet JSK [2013 version] in sax blue [which is rather more bright blue than the usual soft saxon] and wanted inspiration and ideas on how to wear it in a not sweet way and also without resorting to their wardrobe staple of black. A couple of people pointed out that if you don't want to wear sweet, why would you get a sweet dress, but to me it was an interesting idea to try and wear something in a way it wasn't intended to be worn.

So I came up with two different coords for that version of Milky Planet. They're both very simple outfits, but represent ways that I think would be somewhat effective at toning down such a super sweet print.

This first coord, while still definitely a sweet lolita outfit, tones down the dress by minimising details and introducing a third darker colour. The slight gothic-ness of the boots and the pointed tips of the sailor blouse give it a slightly more edgy vibe. Introducing navy [though not too much of it] brings some restraint to the bright colours of the dress. I'd probably wear this outfit with either a full size hat or a very simple hairstyle, like braids with bows at the end, to complete the look without adding any more stereotypical sweet lolita elements like a headeating bow. But I couldn't be bothered scouring the internet for the perfect headgear so please use your imaginations for that bit ^__^

Again, this coord introduces a new colour to complement and tone down the print. It still has a lot of cute detailing - the blouse with its crossed neck ribbons and lacy cuffs, the soft beret, the pom-poms on the shoes - but the colour here is what really  grounds this outfit and changes it from being a colour explosion to being a gently framed colourful piece. 

You'll notice with both outfits that I've used pantyhose instead of socks and have kept away from typically sweet accessories like bows and anything particularly frilly or lacy. With a print this in-your-face I think it's best to use more understated accessories if you want to make it less conventionally "sweet lolita". So though both these outfits would still fall under the sweet substyle, they are definitely not your usual sweet lolita outfit.

I actually had a lot of fun putting these outfits together, so if you happen to have a dress you'd like to see  in a certain type of coord, please comment [like I always say with my hypothetical wardrobes] and let me know ^__^