Friday the 13th Things - 13 Places I Want to Go

Greetings!

I have little to nothing good to say for a 'decent' post, so I will fill in a survey instead.

I give all credit to the lovely Hayley Callaway (www.hayleycallaway.blogspot.com) for the creation of this charming application that she's allowed me to use. :)

                                                13 places I'd like to visit in my lifetime

1: Middle Earth. I have to visit Gondor and Rivendell in particular...(sadly impossible)

2: France, Notre Dame. All those gargoyles and pretty cathedrals appeal very much to me.

3: Canada. I have a great uncle there and it's a lovely place compared to dry, deserty and windy Australia.

4: England. It's the birthplace of so much history, who doesn't want to go there?

5: France, Paris. Need to see the Eiffel tower and other things.

6: Italy, Rome: Just for the sake of it.

7: San Diego, California. I want to see where my dad grew up. :)

8: Leizpeg, Germany. For obvious reasons...aka Wave Goffik Treffen?

9: America, somewhere. I just have to go look at Hot Topic. Oh yeah and participate in an American Halloween.

10: Ireland. TO see the origins of Halloween, eg: Festival of Samhain, and study various bits and pieces of history.

11: New Zealand. Seeing the areas where they filmed Narnia and Lord of the Rings.

12: Transylvania. That'd be fun...

13: Egypt. Yeah to finally appease my constant splurges of studying Egyptology by seeing the pyramids. (And learn everything possible, on location. :D)

I'd have mentioned Sydney, but I'll be going there in 2 years for my GED...so yeah.

Well, that's it! Farewell readers. :)

Outfit Post: Dad's 60th

Greetings again, oh my lovely readers! I noticed on facebook (Goth blogging community) that my blog was one of those that was a tad difficult to read, so I changed the font to white. I hope this suits everyone better. :)

Note: To the new followers, thank you SO much! I am still in mild shock from having so many spring up and I think I have just died now...Ultimate Goth Guide is following me! (Do excuse me while I faint)

Today was my dad's 60th birthday so the family went out to a charming little cafe downtown and as mom said I was allowed to wear whatever I wanted, I formed together a simple Gothy outfit. Here are the photos: (Please excuse my poor fashion sense, unphotogenicness, shortness and 'stuffed' looking self.)

And yes, at the last minute my 5 red hair extensions came in the mail so mom braided them into my hair (They are a few inches too long to wear with it out) and as such came a pretty two toned braid.

Ignore my expression, I never do well with surprise photos like this one.

An almost completely meat free meal! Salad and potatoes....sadly there was a bit of bacon floating around.

My outfit: Bought from Op shops, Kmart and David Jones. Note the red braid :D

My hat!

Ignore fat self, it's because I ate a lot and it was dreadfully cold so I'm wearing double shirts.

I made those mini gloves myself out of a deceased pair of my favourite socks.

Jacket: Op shop ($5), Shirt: Op shop ($2.50), Skirt: Op shop ($4:00), Socks: David Jones ($10), Shoes: Kmart ($10), Hair extensions: Ebay ($6.50), Hat: Reject Shop ($3:00), Necklace: Dad, Gloves: Made by me.

My tanning solution is working!

I am getting tights to replace these socks soon.

Showing the full braid. Messy, I know, but this was after a full day's wear.

This is my first time wearing a full Gothic outfit on an occasion other than a funeral, and the lady at the restauraunt complimented me on it. (Very nice of her :))

It was amusing though, as while I walked down the street several people gave me odd looks, and while I was admiring a statue while waiting for the others, this old man in a car stared at me with his mouth partially open.

I attempted to ignore him, (albeit with a smile) but when I looked at him a few minutes later, he still had this shocked look on his face, and when I climbed into the car he craned his neck forward and gawked as we drove away.

He must've either liked my outfit or had never seen a Goth before. :P

Anyhow, farewell now! I hope you like this outfit post! -Cherish

Random Post: Skincare and Hair

Greetings again!
I have no idea why I'm even bothering to post, but perchance it is because of the fact that I just got 2 more followers! *Explodes into a flock of tiny bats*

I noticed that people seemed to like my photo post (hairstyles) and so I figured I'd do a mini post on Beauty and Health. Here goes:

I am sadly short and stunted (5 foot something compared to my dad at 6 foot 3) and as such I usually take facial shots. Plus the fact that my family members are fairly amateur at photography. In the future I'll try to teach mom how to take decent photos so I can give you a proper 'outfit post' instead of just hairstyles.

But on to my tips.

FACE/SKIN TIPS:
 I know I'm no where near perfect looking, but I do have a few tiny tips I will share. For keeping the pimples away, at night I use olive oil and lavender oil on my face, it does wonders.

And since I am one of those cursed with an oil rimmed face and dry arms and legs, I don't use soap at all, and I found that my skin is doing ever so much better. (Or just a light layer of easygoing soap)

And for untanning my skin and achieving paleness, I cut up one lemon into slices and put it in a glass, pour milk over it and add a teaspoon of honey. Then I cover it over, put it in the fridge all night and use it the next morning on my face and arms.

HAIR TIPS:
Everyone seems to really like my hair and they wonder how I keep it this way, so I'll post some tips for it here. You all probably know this stuff but whatever. Here goes!

I wash my hair whenever the roots get oily (Basically every two days) using two washes of Sunsilk shampoo (Sunsilk is amazing, it goes for marvellous shine and easy detangling and a generally soft and glossy finish)

And after that a wash of Sunsilk conditioner. While the conditioner is washing out, I comb my hair, as I found that this pulls out less hair and is easier to untangle then without conditioner.

After all the hair is clean and nice, I turn the water on fairly cold (As this decreases hair burn and gives an even nicer shine) and pour a cup of straight apple cider vinegar all over my scalp (While the water's still running) and rinse my hair with it. Then I let my hair dry naturally (No blowdrying unless absolutely necessary) and that's it!

Note: Sometimes instead of vinegar I boil parseley or rosemary in a pot and pour the resulting juice over my hair. (Rosemary brings out the dark color while Parseley controls dry scalp flakes.)

Well, that's all my 'tips', perchance these may benefit you. Do you have any personal skin/hair tips you would like to share?

-Cherish

Babybat Blues

Ah hello my dear readers!
It cheered me immensly to see that I have 7 followers and that people are actually reading and liking this humble blog. So in spite of my vastly unorginised self, I decided that a little post would be in order.

*Note: Will contain ramblings, Baby bat miseries, and silly happiness*

I'm still in a great deal of shock and misery as two of my carefully cultivated 1 cm long nails broke. I can't believe how horrid I feel about it, I mean, they're just nails but I feel like part of my hand has been amputated.

But anyhow, today was mostly nice as I found some charming black sheets in the store and 2 cute little coffee mugs with polka dots and stripes on them.

Oh and the best part...I found a darling little mini top hat in the shop for only $3! It's obviously quite cheap but I think it'll last me awhile.

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Time for the 'Babybat Blues':

I had to wear really casual clothes today, aka (Black tracksuit pants, random hoodie and tennis shoes) awful I know.

I know some Goths probably have to wear such clothes occasionally and they're totally alright with it, but I felt exceedingly shy and like I wasn't fit to be out in public.

Maybe it's just a babybat thing but I feel smart and well dressed only when I'm out head to toe in lace, sweeping skirts and stripy socks. Not to mention an elaborate hairdo. As much as I would like to dress this way 24/7, I am finding out that it can be rather time consuming and as my part time job of delivering catalogues requires casual wear (Not even all black, as some people are apparently disturbed by such things) I have to dress down in the lowest forms.

To make matters even more complex, I keep hearing about how Goths shouldn't make a big deal of what they're dressed in, for example...you should never think: "I'm not walking the dog dressed like that, it isn't Goth" and other such comments.

I know that's true and all but what do you have to say about it? Do you feel better only when you're dressed your best, whatever you're doing?

I feel like I could drop dead if I was wearing a baby blue shirt, even if I did wear black everything else. Sure I do wear plenty of color, jewel tones...but I feel sick when my family tries to cajole me into wearing that 'elegant brown skirt and flowered top'.

To be honest though, I still feel really inferior, and sometimes I feel mallgothy even though I'm fairly sure I am not. When I see another Goth on the street I feel massively embarassed and in my mind I'm comparing of how good their outfit is, and how Mallgoth/Ungoth I look.

Thank God I am slowly getting over that. Anyhow. I am sorry for this depressive talk. I suppose the only use for it is to tell those who read it to not follow my terrible example of comparing and self put down.

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An amusing thing that's happened recently:

-I've earned the nickname 'Dracula' because of how I coat myself in half a bottle of sunscreen every day and hide in my dark room, complaining if someone opens the curtains that it's 'too bright'. Yes it's foolish, but living in a basement for six months does that to you. Yes, you officially hate the sun.

-People have been giving me weird looks when I talk, as instead of using excessive slang and quick speech...it looks like all the classical fiction I've been reading lately has gone to my head, as when I write or speak, (Even when I try hard not to) I tend to speak slowly and use big abnormal words that come from my daily readings of my thesaurus. (Yes, go on. Look how weird I am :), I read thesauruses and dictionaries/encyclopedias for fun). Of course, this doesn't happen ALL the time, just a lot...

--Ah! Enough talk, time for some pictures....!!!!!  :D

My two cutesy coffee cups!

The mini hat :)

Me wearing the hat

Yes, that's how I always smile...I'm just a little tired here.

Just for fun: Me at 13, look how horribly I'm dressed and my yucky tan. (By the way, I did cook that raisin bread myself...I'm not that bad at cooking...

A more recent picture, showing how the tan is GONE, yay thanks to my dark room.

Thanks for reading this ramble of mine, I hope you enjoyed!

Photo Post!

Hey everyone!
I'm very sorry I haven't updated lately, but as school has been dragging me down my mind has not even approached the idea of posting.

(But I still have faithfully read all the blogs I follow up until now. Yes, every single post people!)

I haven't got my act together for an actually cool post so I'll do a photo post with some hairstyle ideas for those who want a wacky easy and generally messy/Victorian inspired, and it will be dedicated to my 5 lovely followers, thank you so much guys!

My normal hair...and I don't suit black lipstick, right?

This was kind of inspired by Dave Vanian...but if doing it THAT style, I'd straighten it and add a white stripe.

Yes, a loose bun and my only hat...I want to get a mini top hat instead of this trilby.

This bun was made by excessively spraying my hair with hairspray and then crunching it to the back of my head.

The general rule for this style is hairspray (LOTS) for tacky looking hair, and mousse and a lot of hairpins for 'pretty'.

This is the separated bun, it's clamped together with spray and dragged over to the sides.

Front view of the pulled apart 'mop'.

These styles are very easy and don't require teasing at all, (Just a lot of backcombing and spraying) and they hold together well enough if you use hairpins.

If you tried any of these youself I am quite sure you'd do a better job than me! I only spent about 5 minutes assembling and moving the hair about to create a different look. (They are excellent for bad hair days as they have this messy elegance :D)
Anyhow, that's the end of my little photo post, see you!

2nd Month!

Greetings!

Here is my 2^nd month post for my baby bat months. I hope it is interesting and perchance a tad helpful.

I’m glad to say that I’ve improved even more since last post, including my crusade to get my parents (not to mention sister) to accept me as a Goth. I think, and well, hope, that I’ve moved on from baby bat to Academic Goth.

Mom still gets annoyed with me sometimes, but that doesn’t matter. I’ve always been a pushover really and haven’t stood up for what I believe in; rather I listened to whatever other people said to make them like me, and to be ‘obedient’ and polite.

But when I found Goth, it helped me to see that I didn’t have to follow strict fashion rules, throwing things out when they got ripped or buying designer clothes. It’s also helped me to get into sewing and altering clothes, which are fun and a nice side along to knitting. Besides it was always awful trying to mix and match colours, black goes with everything!

Plus, since I’ve always loved the Medieval and Victorian fashion styles, I can finally wear them with pride, not feeling that I’m a weirdo.

-To sum that up, I feel more ‘myself’ every day. I hope to ‘come out of the Goth closet’ soon.

What’s happened this month?

-I’ve managed to get a bodice/corset, fishnet gloves and stripy arm warmers, and a couple of maxi lace skirts, with those I can now dress Aristocrat/Neo Victorian, instead of plain old casual Goth wherever I go.

-I’ve crafted a couple of Victorian style necklaces and have sewed a pair of socks into mini no fingered gloves. (Also a bit of altering, aka making puff sleeves, and adding additions on to skirts.)

- I got a lovely copy of Dracula to read last week.

-I’ve gotten over the ‘hideous makeup’ stage involving too much cat eyeliner, now I wear a simple touch of eye shadow and mascara… (I’d like to do more but mom absolutely forbids heavy makeup, and besides, when a young Gothling it is much better to start out slowly.)

-I’m listening to even more Gothy music, lots and lots of The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Bauhaus, and even The Damned. :D

And for future goals:

1: I’m getting my first pair of white and black striped tights next week, and some red hair extensions.

2: After that I am getting a lace parasol, a spider web patterned umbrella, and the Vampire Chronicles book series, considering how much I liked the first movie.

3: I also intend to visit our local cemetery sometime soon, (Although that will be hard because my family don’t like going places like that…)

4: I really need to get a hold of a medieval folklore and religions/practices encyclopaedia. Any recommendations?

5: Although my mom dislikes the ‘Deathrock/Trad’ look, (Which I am very fond of) I am going to go ahead anyways.

She said no spikes…. (sad) but I’ll go for studs and see if I can work up to spiky things.

Anyhow…

Tonight I’m having another tiny celebration, aka lots of candles and other cliché things like incense and blood coloured cordial. And maybe the full cliché of ‘wine’, candlelight and a good vampire novel?

Thanks for reading this post of mine, please comment if you have any advice, fashion or otherwise…or if I need education in not being a mallgoth!

PS: Tonight’s movies will be: Gypsy 83 (Although sadly it’s impossible to watch the whole thing online) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I’ll probably watch an episode or two of the Addams family as well.

New Windows

Here's a little photo post (I'll put these types of post inbetween each monthly update.)
I've gotten a serious creative streak recently and decided that my windows could use a little more gothy flair. As I am still waiting for a decent pair of curtains, I settled for stained glass effects.

Using plastic clingwrap and marker pens, I drew these designs:

The rose window design

Spiderwebs!

Bats are pretty creatures aren't they?

And who doesn't like a coffin somewhere in their decor?

I love coffins so much that I made a little 'piggybank' cardboard coffin box :)

If you are reasonably okay at art and you want your own handmade design, try this method. The sticky tape and clingwrap can get wrinkly if you aren't careful but other than that it doesn't look too bad. The coffin can be made simply by taping cardboard templates together, or for an even better idea, craft one out of wood or clay.

(I think I might do this again for my mirror too :))


Well, there's my little filler post, hope you liked.