camillacameo

Before we get to Easter I should clear up two previous Holydays!

For Midnight Mass. First time wearing Angelic Pretty in a full coord!

Rather than a gingerbread house, this year I made a pretzel log cabin:

It was fun to build it up piece by piece rather than sticking the walls together as one does with gingerbread, if that makes sense. Here's the gumdrop foundation:

And a view of the inside before I put on the roof:

And the back:

Something else I wanted to make for Christmas was an ornament of a Biblically-accurate cherub, as described in Ezekiel.

Every one had four faces, and every one four wings. Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf's foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of glowing brass.  And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they had faces, and wings on the four sides,  And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward.  And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four.

I started with a Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz flying monkey doll, which I had bought a garage sale in the Summer.

And then had my father saw the heads off lion and bull toys and the eagle off the top of a flag pole.

All together:

Then I spray-painted it gold. This is where it went wrong. The paint can was too cold from being in the basement and the paint came out in blobby droplets rather than mist. So the final cherub is disappointingly rough, losing the nice textures of the figures. Oh well, it looked okay on the tree.

I didn't take a picture of my St. Valentine's Day outfit, I don't think it was lolita. But I made chocolates and cookies:

The chocolate didn't temper well this time, but the roses with candied cherries inside were a hit with my little nephews.

camillacameo

It was a very busy summer, but I cannot share most of the pictures from its activities, since it was so busy because of visits from lots of rambunctious nephews!

So instead I'll share a catchup on various coords from the end of Spring, through Summer now on to the beginning of Fall.

When it was still cold.

Likewise here. Bodyline's Rose Bustle JSK is incredibly versatile; I love this navy blue, dusky pink, and ivory color scheme, it goes with so much. As shown:

Got these new mocha mary janes at a thrift store. I have pledged only to buy real leather or cloth shoes after dealin' with the peelin' (of fake or "vegan" leather), and they are real.

And the same JSK for hot summer weather!

A nautical coord after I'd looked through a book on Lord Nelson.

This is more mori than lolita, but it was my first time wearing a new acquisition: Wonder Trump blouse by Angelic Pretty. Also my first ever Angelic Pretty piece; I was most impressed with the quality. I didn't care for much of their OTT sweet prints from the teens, but I love to acquire more of their pieces in solids.

While we're on the subject of non-lolita styles, this was an attempt at Dolly Kei. I don't think it worked out very well. Needs some necklaces.

And finally, red for church as Fall approaches.

camillacameo

One of my favorite lolita skirts is "Hail Captain America" by Heather and Iris, a Taobao brand.

I wear it for every patriotic American holiday. But this past Fourth of July, something happened. I don't know what was the source, but it was splattered with big red-orange stains. Looked like barbeque sauce, maybe.

I sprayed it with Oxi-Clean laundry stain remover, waited a few minutes per the instructions, and washed it. No improvement, so I did it again two more times. Still no good. So then I--DON'T DO THIS!--ignored the warning not to let it sit any more than ten minutes, and left the skirt lying with the stain remover on it for SIX DAYS before washing.

The results were disastrous:

Once I would have been devastated but now I am diverted. I can't help thinking of this as symbolic.

Now I am going to get political. Perhaps this is but a ploy to drive away any audience from this journal, for I am uncomfortable with being watched. Or it may provoke a storm of fury, in which case I'll have nice cause to block folks.

I was so glad when Donald Trump won the presidency. And each time in celebration I bought a lolita item with "Trump" in the title: Roman Trump headbow by Innocent World in 2016 and Wonder Trump blouse by Angelic Pretty in 2024. I'd always planned to make a MAGA coord with them, this skirt, and an Ivanka Trump eyelet lace skirt as an underskirt, and wear it on the Fourth of July. But this summer it was far too hot for the blouse and underskirt, and now this happens.

While I am still very glad and grateful that a Hillary Clinton and a Kamala Harris reign were prevented, recently Trump has been rather disappointing. We're on the path to war goaded by bloodthirsty Israel, and the truth of the Epstein trafficking operation is still being covered up. And among the people, enmity and disorder ever increase. 

But after all, America bore the seeds of her own destruction being founded in Freemasonry and Enlightenment ideals. But we could have taken a better path many times; sometimes we did, and we still can. What will emerge from the ashes? I don't know. But if truly in God we trust, it will be all right.

As for my skirt, the only thing to do is to follow Momoko's example and patch and embroider over the holes and stains with silver, gold, and white stars. I look forward to displaying that here when I get it done, and see what will be the state of the nation then!

camillacameo

I have six pieces in my ultimate dream print, a floral cameo vertical stripe that was used by Meta, Bodyline, and Innocent World. Two are skirts that came with waist ties, but I don't need waist ties on a skirt, so I determined to make them into something.

Headdresses or bows? No, too obvious! I really love capelets, so that was the ticket! I took apart the ties seam by seam and laid all the strips with the narrow ends together, alternating pink and black.

It took two tries to get the lining to work, but putting on the vintage collar went really well. It fastens with a spare button from one of my Meta OPs in this print.

I think it will be surprisingly versatile!

camillacameo

Can you believe it! I got all this for ten dollars at a garage sale in a rural small town. Antaina shoes, Angelic Imprint shoes, Bodyline headdress, indie OP and headbow, offbrand purse, plus not-shown two petticoats and a pair of bloomers!

camillacameo

I finally finished all the things I made for this Easter! First, coords:

The new thing for my outfit this year was my first time making a headdress.

I was in a hurry, so there are some troublesome spots where the lace got caught in the seam. But overall it turned out well!

Then for the egg hunt with my nephews, I wore a new dress for the first time.

Axes Femme Kawaii Rosy Bear. This had been a dream dress for a some time; I was obsessed with it.

For Easter brunch I wanted to make tiramisu, but ladyfingers were nowhere to be found at local groceries. So I made them from scratch.

Here's the tiramisu:

And other delights!

For my panoramic sugar egg, I wanted, recklessly, to make a swan out of spun sugar. The first batch overheated and turned brown.

The second attempt yielded some swanlike shapes.

In the egg I made a pond of blue melted sugar, and stuck in fish-shaped sprinkles.

The swan's delicate neck broke during the process, so I had to mend it with more royal icing. Then the outside I decorated with royal icing flowers.

Leftover icing I used on chocolate eggs I'd made.

I mentioned I got a chocolate thermometer for my birthday; tempering did indeed seem to work to make the chocolate eggs and bunnies smooth and shiny.

But then, woe alas, they still got bloom after a couple days! I think I have to add some form of stabilized fat to stop it.

I also made a pysanka (not a sign of support for the government of Ukraine)

And finally, flowers.

Hope you had a good Easter season!

camillacameo

I saw this old questionnaire on Living in Nostalgia, a relatively new blog of a lolita who shares the spirit of old-school both in clothes and online ways.

1. Please tell us your screen name, date of birth, and origin.

Camilla Cameo, April, Texas of Minnesotan parents.

2. What is your height, weight, clothing size, and shoe size?

Five foot four, varying from 125-142 pounds depending on the time of year (holidays, you see), medium, ranging 8 1/2 to 10.

3. What made you start doing Lolita fashion?

I started watching Gackt music videos and then Malice Mizer.

4. What is your favorite Lolita genre?

Old school classic.

5. Do you have any particular commitment to that genre, or your own definition of it?

I like all styles of lolita except ero and some forms of twenty-teens sweet, but since I buy brand quite rarely, I only end up with my absolute favorite sort of thing, which is old-school classic florals. I would really like to be more gothic, but it's hard settling on black solids.

6. Do you have your ears pierced? How many piercings?

Nope. Sometimes I wear clip-on or screwback earrings.

7. What is your favorite brand?

Metamorphose, undyingly.

8. What is your favorite outfit?

My ultimate dream dress, Meta's Floral Pintuck OP, which I have in sax and red.

9. How many Lolita friends do you have?

None. I tried to get my sister into it, but it didn't suit her.

10. What was the best thing about doing Lolita?

It's beautiful in an age of uglification.

11. On the contrary, what is the most disgusting thing?

As with any subculture, the perverts who worm their way in.

12. What is your favorite magazine?

It was Gilbert!, the magazine of the American G.K. Chesterton society. Nothing to do with fashion.

13. Headdress group? Team Bonnet? Team Headbow?

Barrettes or hats, usually. I like how I look in a ruffly headdress but find them difficult to wear with my glasses.

14. Do you have bloomers?

Not lolita ones.

15. Do you tie your headdress in front? or are you on the team that ties it behind your head?

Behind the head.

16. Do you have a favorite music genre or band?

I like most genres except rap and showtunes. My favorite is post-rock, favorite band Typhoon, favorite lolita-related band would be Malice Mizer.

17. What is your mobile phone ringtone?

I have a different one assigned to each of the five people who call me most.

18. Do you go to lives in Lolita?

No, and I've only been to two ever. 

19. For those who go to lives, do you headbang?

Nope.

20. What color do you like?

Pink is my favorite, followed by blue and burnt orange.

21. What are your hobbies?

Drawing is my profession and also my hobby in which I am most advanced. Sewing at an intermediate level, cake decorating at a beginner level, gardening at an everything-starts-well-then-gets-destroyed-by-weather/critters/weeds level. 

22. Please tell me if you have a favorite perfume.

Place Vendome by Boucheron.

23. Is there anything you say “I’m careful about this” when it comes to lolita?

I don't follow the rules very much, eg petticoats, but I've learned I need something on my head to balance it out.

24. Where are the places you visit / hang out at frequently?

My relatives' land.

25. How many times a week do you wear Lolita?

At least two days a week, sometimes seven. When I'm not wearing lolita I'm wearing Natural Kei or Mori Girl.

26. Please tell us the most embarrassing episode you had when you were a beginner in Lolita fashion.

The first time I ever attempted a Lolita outfit was going with my brother to a midnight showing of Pirates of the Caribbean 2. All offbrand thrifted, I wore a white t-shirt and skirt, a black lace button-up JSK, and black silk shoes over white socks. It was raining hard and in running to the theater my shoes were soaked and leached black dye onto my socks. AND it turned out, I did not know this until I was in the car and my brother sprung it on me, this outing was a date! His friend had asked him if he could go out with me, but never asked me! Most awkward.

27. What is your hairstyle and color now?

Long with side bangs, natural chestnut brown. 

28. How long have you been in Lolita?

Since 2006. 

29. Do you have a dedicated lolita storage space?

Everything in my closet is intentionally Lolita or Lolita-compatible.

30. Have you ever thought about leaving Lolita? If so, why?

I lost interest around 2010 for no particular reason, but returned in 2012 when I got seriously into Batman. 

31. What is your motto?

Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thy face. 

32. What are your dreams for the future?

To complete my magnum opus comic and make quilts for all my nieces and nephews.

33. “This person would definitely look good on Lolita!” Are there any celebrities you think that about?

Lily Cole, Ashley Greene.

34. Please tell us the item with the most memories and those memories.

My first dress was Metamorphose Front Button JSK. I love it, wore it so many times, including as maid of honor at my sister's wedding in Summer 2020, right as lockdown was ending.

35. What was the first item you got?

A white parasol umbrella from Metamorphose.

36. Do you have a signature pose for taking a picture?

I usually put my feet vaguely into fourth position and turn my head to the right.

37. What is the “Bible” of your heart? (Like what Books, magazines, CDs, etc. represent your inner self)

Well hopefully that would be the Bible, but individually, The Ball and the Cross and The Little Prince.

38. How many centimeters tall is the highest heel you have?

10.16 

39. Have you ever worn a tiara?

Not since I was a tiny girl playing dress-up. 

40. Do you want to be a prince once in a while? What kind of prince? Dark system? Hakubakei?

No. 

41. What kind of lace do you like?

All kinds, but most favorite is torchon/Cluny, Battenberg, and antique bobbin.

42. Do you own a (ball jointed) doll? Those who have them are usually so enthusiastic about them!

I have three Pullips, if those count, of Miku Hatsune and Rin and Len Kagamine.

43. What’s inside your lolita bag right now?

My only lolita-specific bag so far is a stuffed animal sheep I turned into a bag, and nothing is in it right now. I want to make more: an Easter egg, a book, and a cake.

44. What is your favorite flower?

Showy Evening Primrose.

45. What is your favorite accessory right now?

A straw bonnet hat with pink and blue fake flowers.

46. Please tell us your favorite / recommended cosmetics.

I'm very inexperienced with makeup, but everything I do use is Neutrogena, because it doesn't make my skin itch.

47. Bright eyes are the hallmark of being a doll! So do you use false eyelashes? If you have any tips on how to use them, please let me know.

I've never used them.

48. What is your particular eye makeup style?

Metallic brown pencil liner.

49. Is your lipstick red? Blue? black? pink?

Most often "Sunny Berry" which is a warm pink.

50. What color do you often use for nail polish?

I have lots of nail polishes but I can't stand the feel of it on my nails, so I use it for marbling paper.

51. Have you ever changed your clothes in the toilet at the train station?

No, but I have in the one at the airport.

52. Have you ever had twin loli or triplet loli? impression?

Nope.

53. What are you doing to keep in shape? Recommendations?

If I'm getting chubby I skip lunch for a few days. I want to get into long-distance bicycling, but mainly for the sake of transportation rather than fitness.

54. Are you calm when alone in lolita? (ヒトリでロリータ、平気？)

Yes, more so than in non-lolita clothes.

55. How much do you spend on lolita each month?

I only buy something about three times a year, so it averages to about $30.

56. Did you have any time lag between learning about Lolita fashion and actually doing it or resistance to starting?

I saved up for several months before buying anything.

57. What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought? (In relation to Lolita)

Haenuli's Little Prince JSK for which I paid $250.

58. Lolita really costs money, doesn’t it? How do you pay for Lolita?

Almost everything I've bought has been secondhand, and as I said I only buy about three things a year.

59. Just here. How much is the total cost you have spent so far?

Probably somewhere around two thousand dollars. 

60. Is there a store you would like to see nearby?

Anything really, except Baby/Alice, which I love but vowed never to buy again after they did a Satanist print.

61. Just between us, is there a store that makes you say: ‘that’s a rip-off!’?

I feel that way about Juliette and Justine, but don't know for sure as I've never seen a piece in person.

62. Have you ever used an online shop? If you have, please give us some advice on the good points and bad points. If you haven’t, tell us why not.

Yes, I've only once bought something in a physical store. 

63. Just between us, even if you want to keep it your own secret, what’s an indie brand that makes you go “this is exactly my style”.

Is Physical Drop indie?

64. Absolutely out of reach! But I want it! Do you have any brands or products like that for you?

Oh my gracious, Mary Magdalene.

65. What do you do with your tired old clothes?

Mend them, keep them.

66. What was the most recent lolita and non lolita item of clothing you bought? 

Angelic Pretty Wonder Trump blouse, a pale pink cardigan sweater.

67. What is something you missed out on that you’ll never see again, but you can’t forget?

Angelic Pretty Cherry Marguerite skirt in lavender.

68. What do you think of dressing as a Lolita only during live performances?

I am indifferent.

69. What do you think of No-Makeup-Lolita?

Most of the time I am such a one.

70. You suddenly meet another person totally wearing Lolita! What do you do?

If I can get up the nerve, say, "Nice coord!"

71. How old is a Lolita allowed to be?

Until death.

72. Under what conditions do you think Lolita should graduate? (You can answer ‘continue forever’)

If she or her husband wants her to.

73. Stop this! Are there any things no one should do in Lolita fashion?

Being obscene.

74. Do you have a specific sense of what a perfect Lolita should be?

Ladylike, polite, elegant, graceful, aloof, lonely and unnerving.

75. Other than what you said 73, what is something you wish people wouldn’t do?

Try to turn lolitas into a social justice victim identity.

76. What do you think about Lolita fashion for men?

I think it can be justified if done for artistic purpose, like Mana. But perverts doing it for fetish reasons, get the hell out.

77. Have you changed in any way since you started Lolita?

When I started, I didn't know how to be presentable at all, let alone well-coordinated. I've learned a lot and also developed principles of trying to eschew vanity and doing it for the sake of adding something pleasant to the world.

78. What do the people around you say about you wearing Lolita? Do you accept it?

Remarks are usually very positive, especially from elderly people. The most rewarding thing is when a little girl stares in wonder.

79. What kind of lolita fashion do you do in the hot summer months?

Short-sleeved cotton blouses with skirts, straw hats, short socks.

80. Do you go to school or work in Lolita?

I work at home so yes, no difficulty.

81. What is your usual outfit style?

A mix of casual classic and Natural Kei.

82. Do you have any objections to second-hand goods?

None whatsoever. Even if damaged, I can usually repair it.

83. Do you have a boyfriend (or husband)? Does he understand?

Nope, I'm a confirmed old maid.

84. Please tell us your ideal male image.

In an absolute sense, our Lord Jesus Christ. But in the sense meant, Warren William.

85. What kind of person is the Lolita who left the biggest impression on you?

Probably Mana and Misako Aoki.

86. Have you ever made your own clothes? What kind of clothes is it?

When I first started, I made a JSK that was really ramshackle, bad fit, mismatched lace. Since then I've made various accessories, then most recently a fully-lined, collared capelet that turned out quite well.

87. Have you ever made an accessory yourself? What did you make?

Mostly fake-flower hair clips, a few veils.

88. This thing I made was a great success! Is there anything you feel that way about?

The capelet is the best lolita thing I've made. The best thing of all I've sewn was a fifties-style dress for my mother.

89. Tell us if you have an ideal Lolita outfit or coordination.

My ideal would be black and white but also floral, fairy tale doll.

90. Is there anyone you admire? What kind of person are they?

I don't know enough about anyone in the lolita world to know if I admire them as a person, but several whom I admire their style, such as Fannie Rosie, Angel Bruises, Sanakanin, Tyler of Lily of the Valley, Nikolay and Elizaveta Orloff.

91. You can date any person for just one day. The other person will also dress however you want. Who is it and what kind of date?

Elijah Wood in his Frodo costume, exploring a European town.

92. What kind of store would you like to have if you were to open one in the future?

A vintage book store, very particularly curated.

93. When looking at lolita, your eyes will go straight to this motif. What is it?

Floral with vertical stripes.

94. Do you want your child to be a Lolita too?

As a confirmed old maid, I don't anticipate having any children, but if did ever marry and have a daughter, I'd certainly buy and make her lolita clothes.

95. How much can I spend on one loli outfit?

If I made a coord of my most expensive pieces, it'd come to about $500. But it wouldn't match.

96. This is quintessentially Lolita! Is there a certain gesture that makes you think this.

Standing pigeon-toed.

97. I want to wear that once in my life! Do you ever think that about any style other than lolita?

Full historical Rococo.

98. Looking at your Lolita collection or style, what one word would you use to sum it up?

Floral. 

99. What is your ideal Lolita image?

100. Thank you very much! Please give us your impression of answering 100!

I loved it when the internet was full of this sort of thing, but with hindsight I can't help wondering if it was data-collection spying.

camillacameo

Some things I've sewn lately:

A little apron for my niece, made to match a bonnet I bought from an Amish store.

A stuffed animal sheep I turned into a purse, for a Little Prince coord I've been planning for years. All that remains is to fix my fake-leather Axes Femmes bomber jacket and find a photoshoot location.

The pocket I made in it is just a little too small to hold my phone, alas!

An Easter post will come soon, after I've finished all my Easter handicrafts. My birthday was last week--

And the waterlily on the cake was practice for this year's panoramic sugar egg.

We went to a state park to celebrate.

My parents got me a chocolate thermometer and a bunch of new Russian piping tips, so that will factor into the aforementioned Easter makings.

camillacameo

For St. Valentine's Day, I made a decoration of fake chocolates in a heart box:

I also decorated the box lid:

More impressive, I made real chocolates too. Here are some of the plain shells, in white, milk, and dark:

I filled them with amaretto and orange liqueur ganache and cherry cream.

And decorated them with royal icing and sprinkles.

Rather nice, but the one trouble is they weren't tempered and so got some bloom. So for my birthday I have asked for a chocolate thermometer.

This was my coord for Valentine's day, much more Sweet than is my usual wont, but since I was going to play with my little nephews, whimsy was in order.

And here are a couple of other outfits surrounding the time:

For Septuagesima Sunday. I think it looked better later with the cardigan buttoned:

And one more:

camillacameo

For a Christmas present for my niece, I had found a peppermint-themed Lalaloopsy doll at a thrift store, but it didn't have the original clothes, just some cheap and non-peppermint pajamas. So I sewed a peppermint dress:

And here is the doll in it:

In other things peppermint, here's a gingerbread house from a bakery I visited recently.

They had several. I liked this one best:

On the same trip, we visited a beautiful church:

I end by wrapping up what remains of Christmas things. This was my coord for Midnight Mass:

I do like to draw Christmas out as long as possible, usually the Octave of Epiphany, which was the thirteenth. Yet its liturgical influence can be said to linger till the gesima Sundays, which begin late this year, so Merry Season After Epiphany!