Oh no I have just stumbled upon some new essentials I think are a must for making this winter a bit more beautiful and hopefully warm as the warmth of the autumn sun is fading fast here in melbourne and winter is settling in very fast.  

So in an effort to keep warm and keep a smile on my face I jumped onto the Peter Alexander website.  If you unsure what I'm talking about they are on of my long standing favourite PJ store.  Its probably been 10 or 15 years since I first discovered Peter's designs back in the days when the only way to get their stuff was mail order.  Now if your lucky you can actually walk into Peter's dream world in one of his stores.

Now comes the hard task of finding my winters must have, sure I'll grab a few pairs of flannel PJ's as I don't think I've gone past a winter or christmas without picking something from there.  People close to me even know if you are drawing a present blank a Peter Alexander gift card will always bring a smile to me.  

Top 3 picks this winter (so far....) are  

 

Miss Daisy Gloves

$30.52 AUD  70% Wool, 20% Angora, 10% Nylon 

These classic knit gloves feature pretty bow detailing which are sure to brighten up your wardrobe this Winter! And in this weather there is no such thing as having too many sets of gloves if you ask me.

 

Thick And Fluffy Top

$50.92 AUD 100% Polyester

Now who can go past a jumper that is so super soft and can be worn around the house or out and about as it will surely keep you warm and snug. The jumper is slightly longer in length at the back and features a pink penny dog applique. It just says cuddle me doesn't it, plus you can pick one up in pink, grey and cream....see one for ever mood.

25 Year Celebration Penny Dog

$39.02 AUD Cotton with Polyester Trim

What could be better to celebrate 25 Years of Peter Alexander than the mascot herself, just like in real life this Penny is cute, cuddly and will be your friend for life...and who doesn't need one of those.

So with my shopping list in hand its time to go and start trying on if you ask me.

Dishonored - Revenge Solves Everything

In the steampunk vibe of this week I thought I'd show you the new game that I am longing to play.  Thanks to BFG I was shown the trailer for Dishonored, and I was blown away.  I loved Bioshock and Bioshock2; yep I'm waiting with baited breath for the latest installment of this series.  However until I get to unwrap the plastic on the game I will be playing Dishonored assuming that its released before Bioshock.  

So what is all this I'm talking about you may be asking; well the team from Arkane and Bethesda I think say it best.

GAME OVERVIEW

 You are the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress. Framed for her murder, you become an infamous assassin, known only by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card. In a time of uncertainty, when the city is being besieged by plague and ruled by an oppressive government armed with neo-industrial technologies, dark forces conspire to bestow upon you, abilities beyond those of any common man – but at what cost? The truth behind your betrayal is as murky as the waters surrounding the city, and the life you once had is gone forever.

Are you interested???? I know I am.  Hey anything that combines a great story, beautiful stylized art, steampunk and super-powers and I'm in.  Not a gamer?? well its time to try or at least find your buddy who plays a little and steal their set up for a few hours coz trust me you are going to want to indulge in this game.

Now watch....... and I dare you to say you don't want to see more.

Gothic Lolita

 

I've always had a weakness for fashion that's a little left of center; and after attending a Cosplay a few weekends ago my love of Gothic Lolita styles is back. Now I just have to figure out how to work in into my daily outfit; not such an easy thing when your stuck wearing a dull uniform most days at work.

So what to do?????  All I can think right now is add small elements that make me smile and don't freak out my customers.  Oddly enough I don't think many customers see me more than a body behind a counter trying to take their money but I'll have a whinge about that another day LOL

However they do seem to notice my nails alot.  Maybe cause I talk a lot with my hands or maybe its because they hate handing over money to me for my skills/products/time.  So I think this is a good place to start.  Currently I have purple glitter tips on my nails which get a comment most days as the sparkles often catch the light in the store.  Maybe its time to up the stakes with some ultra cute pink detailed nails like these (see left), now to just add some skulls into the pattern. 

Or how about this stunning black and purple from the ultra cool and inspiring Nailside blog. Just looking at these designs on this site makes me want to spend the night following the great instructions and get painting. At least this is one thing that doesn't seem to fall under the 'dress code' of my uniform, and yes I have gone through the dress code handbook looking for 'standards' on the small things like nail/hair colour and jewelery.

From Nailside

Right now the idea of dying my hair deep blood red or dark purple/navy is really calling to me.  Hence this pic is really calling to me at the moment.  Its really speaking to me and I can't get this image out of my mind.  So far the plan tomorrow night after work is to chill out with a glass of wine and put my hair in curlers.  Which means no visitors please, nobody needs to see me in that state.  

Ok step one me thinks....I'll let you know how that goes.  Next step I think might have to be some gothic hello kitty style in my accessories, nothing to over the top at this point but enough to stop me feeling so vanilla in this world.  

Which does remind me of a post that hopefully (if I can get all my thoughts in order) will go up later this week.  Now I'm not ashamed of loving a good montage; you know those ones where girl tries on lots of stuff, has her make up done and hair changed - with no thought of the credit card debit- and ends up all sparkles and beautiful.  This has lead me to start watching a few of those 'what not to wear' style shows and as much as I love a good make over its left me feeling like they just want us to conform to the same 'on every rack' of dressing that can stifle your creativity.  Personally some of my style icons are the gals out there who ignore the trends and wear what makes them happy, which of course leads me back to the whole dressing style in parts of japan, USA, Aust and UK.  

Ok I'm getting off track but I think its time to start digging through my wardrobe and find the starting point for tomorrow or maybe friday's 'new' work outfit.  So watch this space as I embrace more of what i love.

Oh yeah and if any clothing stores like VnV, One day in Paradise, Wildlocks, Clockwork Couture etc wanna help me go through a movie style make over drop me a line and I'm there in your professional hands

xpost!!!!

 

How do you get me to fall in love even more with Felicia Day and steampunk?  COMBINE THEM!!!!  After watching this weeks episode of the flog (yep I'm addicted and can't wait till i get home on a tuesday night to see whats up) I have had to hide my wallet so I don't go shopping crazy at Clockwork Couture.

 

So after watching Felicia it was time to hit the  Clockwork Couture website and wow I'm so glad I did.  The clothing is amazing but it doesn't stop there look at this.....

How amazing is this glycerin based soap  and its a  truly a Clockwork Couture exclusive. This rust colored soap is infused with your choice of oils made for Clockwork Couture by an independent blender using any one of our oils.  Skeleton key is vintage and unique. Style will vary. No animal products used.  Soap is packaged in gift worthy label and bag.

Looking for more than just soap and clothing how about these wonderful rings!!!!  

Maybe your after the the Hi-voltage Toric Generator Ring (left); or how about the Dr Von Rosenstein's Induction Principle Ring (centre) or maybe your after something a bit more dainty with the Tea Cup ring. Well lets just say I so want to jump on a plane right now and go shopping.

It really makes me smile to see how many people out there are still making beautiful pieces of clothing that really are pieces of art.  Ok I know your all just scrolling down the pages for the corsets, so here you go with a couple of my favourites.

1. Crimean War Steampunk Overbust Corset

Sweet heart Overbust pattern perfect for long ,medium & short torso female.  I just adore the Antique metal clasp opening and the Tan Faux Leather trim with antique metal chain with button.  It even includes 6 suspender loops at the bottom. 

2. Military Corset with Tails - a Clockwork exclusive

Created for Clockwork Couture us by one of the most amazing corsettiere's I've seen in ages.   This is a high quality tight lacing corset suitable for extended wear. Exclusively for Clockwork Couture, an underbust corset made of cotton denim with hand-sewn soutache on the tails.

Ok so get that steampower pumping and check out this amazing site.  I dare you....

A call to arms - we are the media

This is not my normal "wow Amanda Palmer is amazing"; ok so in a way it is but its also about all of the people out there that make a difference.  This is a call to arms you could say.

Personally I am a big lover of the arts - music, movies, art, theatre you name it I will give it a chance.  I believe that the power of the arts especially music is more than I can express.  Music has changed my moods, locked in memories of people and places, not to mention inspired me. All day I had been checking my Twitter feed to see what was going on and Amanda's was in overdrive with thank yous but I couldn't see the reason why so much love was being shared over the world.  In fact it wasn't till I got home and jumped online to watch the GeekandSundry channel did my YouTube homepage explain it all to me.  Once opening the page I saw Amanda had uploaded the vid you see above and it all made sense.  It is a call to arms for her new record/artbook/tour all on Kickstarter.

 

Basically Amanda and the GTO need some help to fund their music.  The fundraiser lasts for 30 days with the aim to raise $100,000 for the album/tour/artbook.  Now that's a lot of money when the minimum pledge is $1, thats a lot of love from fans needed.  And thats exactly what Amanda and the GTO have recieved.  

On saturday night I put my money where my heart is and pledged to help this project and thanks to many others the stats look like this (as of monday when i checked.)

BACKERS : 10,382

GOAL: $100,000

PLEDGES RAISED: $571,299

DAYS TO GO:24

WOW!!!!!! is all I can say, and yes this does restore my faith in a world where digital priracy is everywhere.  This is people saying I will give YOU the ARTIST the money to SUPPORT YOU.  Every time I watch the clip I get teary as I reminds me of the days when artist were supported by individual people not just large corporations. 

I also thought I would share what amanda has said on this all about 15 hours ago on the kickstarter page.

"Update #1: welcome to the project! HOLY FUCK 

GOOD LORD.

we did it, dear comrades. we're doing it.  do you see what's happening for cry-eye?  i thought this would work, but i didn't know it would fucking EXPLODE!!!!!!

i have so much to say to you all, but let me point out the most important thing, really, truly:

YOU GUYS CREATED THE RAGING FIRESTORM that made this crazed success possible.

YOU YOU YOU.

from the moment we launched, i watched you all spreading the link, creating facebook groups to get the house parties, supporting at whatever level you could, telling people what you'd done…i watched the twittersphere and blogosphere going BERSERK with shared information: that was YOU, that was not me. 

 it's still happening. 

the word about the record and the kickstarter is spreading like madness....via the people who are supporting it. 

THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. so THANK YOU. we all did this together.

thank you not only for backing at whatever level you did: but for BEING THE MEDIA. 

no rolling stone, no spin, no TV, no radio...none of that. 

PEOPLE POWER. 

 

this is the new way, motherfuckers: we come first - the media follows. not the other way around.

we all went to work and we all did our part to spread the information.

and look what it did. the whole world is watching, and it's awesome. the SCALE of this means we're making history.

 

i've been doing this crazy job for a long, long time. and i've never felt stronger, braver, and more supported...i feel like i'm crowdsurfing on a sea of 10,000 loving arms.it's the best feeling in the world.

so.....

you're going to be getting lots of updates from me and the team, starting NOW...and i'm going to try my darndest to make you all thrilled and happy as hell that you chose to back this epic undertaking.

and seriously? WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR THE RECORD....you're going to flip your shit. 

i go into the NYC mastering studio with john & michael this thursday to finalize the sound and song order. i'll try to get some video for you.

i love you all so much.

i'm in a bit of a daze. things are about to GO MENTAL....thanks for being on this beautiful ride with me, the band, and my whole team.

yesterday we did a photoshoot in NYC with my friend kyle cassidy...and this one's for you guys:"

So from one fan here in melbourne i say "I LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU".  Yes we are the media, yes we are the ones who can hold the special ones in this world high, we CAN support each other.  LOVE YOU AMANDA FROM TIKIDOLL

I'm the One That's Cool

 

 

No secret here that I consider myself a bit geeky.  Sure if you saw me at super nova I was the one in the purple wig dressed as Gaz you would agree.  What you may not of know is while walking around the convention I was listening to one of my new fav songs "I'm the one that's cool" performed by the Guild.

If your not sure what I'm talking about I highly suggest you check out the Guild or Geek and Sundry channels to see some of the best vids on all things geek.  Plus thanks to Xbox many years ago this was where I first discovered the great web series The Guild about a bunch of MMO gamers. 

All of this introduced me to one of the most amazing gals; My geek goddess Felicia Day.  Felicia is not only stunning but she has a real understanding of what its like to be a girl gamer/geek, and thanks to her writing has helped show that were are more than just a stereotype.

Over the last few years the Guild web series has spread from just a few of us knowing to 100,000's of us logging on each week to watch the adventures of the guild.  Now we also get the joy of listening to vlogs about every thing geek.  Hence I thought I would share.

As always in this world of the independent media please support with the simple act of subscribing or even donating to this channel.

Just one more thing before I sign off, below are my favorite lyrics in this song.

Got my comics

got my games

all the things you thought were lame

Got my Cosplay

Fan fic too

Got you pegged as DFU

May the 4th be with you

 

Raise your lightsabers high coz its ....

 Well for those of you who don't know......ITS STAR WARS DAY!!!!

Yep nerds and sci fi fans of the world unite as this is our day to celebrate Star Wars culture and honor the films. It is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase "May the force be with you" is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say "May the fourth be with you" on this day.

So grab your light saber, DVD and get your best cosplay on and enjoy!!!!