Pretty White Glitter Fairy-kei Makeup with Yui Minakata (Video)

Sunday, June 28th, 2015

White FAIRY MAKE-UP TUTORIAL by Japanese kawaii fashion model Yui Minakata | 皆方由衣のフェアリー系メイク講座

Japanese fashion model Yui Minakata’s FAIRY MAKE-UP TUTORIAL at last!

Kawaii FAIRY MAKE-UP TUTORIAL
by Japanese fashion model Yui Minakata
皆方由衣のフェアリー系メイク講座

Super Easy Wide Fabric & Elastic Headband DIY Tutorial + Pattern

Saturday, June 27th, 2015

Hello lovelies!!  I mentioned the wide headband that I made in my bell-sleeved dress post, so here is my tutorial detailing how to make one yourself!!

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The headband is shown here almost completely hidden under this giant bow.  Adding details to this headband is VERY EASY!!!  I have suggestions for potential details at the end of the tutorial!

Now, let’s begin the tutorial!!

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Drawing your Headband Shape
Here, you can see how messily I’ve scribbled a rough pattern shape onto the wrong side of the fabric.  I didn’t even use a marking pencil, just a mechanical pencil that was nearby LOL.

Anyway, the shape is 24 inches long.  At its widest point in the middle, it is 6 inches wide.  It’s going to be folded in half, so a 6 inch wide shape here will make a finished headband that is 3 inches wide.  When I tried it on later, I actually found 3 inches to be cloooose to being too wide.  For future headbands, I think that I will make them 4 inches wide at this step, resulting in a 2 inch wide headband.

The shape tapers in at the ends to about 2 inches wide – this is the part that’s going to be underneath and at the back of your head, and it’s where the elastic is going to be fed through.  It’s not really necessary to taper the shape in like that, though, and in fact, since I said that future headbands that I make will be slightly narrower, I probably won’t taper the ends at all, and just use a long, simple rectangular piece.

You’ll also notice a small X drawn in the center of the piece – that’s to remind myself which side is the wrong side!

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Cut and Fold in Half
I used pinking shears to cut mine, which keeps little thread pieces from falling out everywhere, but this is my own preference and you can certainly use regular fabric scissors.

Fold it in half longways, with the WRONG side out, and pin in place.

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Sewing
DON’T sew the narrow ends – just sew along the long side, close to the edge.  Be sure to backstitch, because you will need that reinforcement there when turning it inside out later!

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Well, that one straight stitch was pretty much the whole project.  We’re almost finished at this point lol.  All that’s left is turning it right side out and putting a tiny piece of elastic in at the bottom!

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Turning Right Side Out
The beginning of this step is the only hard part, because the ends are so narrow.  I have a wooden dowel nearby my sewing supplies that helps me push fabric through, like pictured here.  Any pointy-but-blunt object will work, like the end of a pen.

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Almost Done Turning
Much easier at this point.

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Fold and Press
With your right-side-out headband, fold it in a way so that the seam is at the bottom center, then iron it so that it’s pressed nice and flat.  The fact that you can see small puckers in the fabric along my seam means that the tension on my machine was too tight.  Don’t be like me.  Don’t make my mistakes.

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Pinning Elastic in Place
Simply cut 3 inches of elastic.  What we’re going to do is feed it into the narrow ends, about 3 inches deep.  Hold the ends with pins while you’re working.  A lot of the fabric is going to get pushed together and gathered around those three inches.  That’s what you want, so that it stretches properly and holds on to your head~

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Fold the rough ends of those edges under, too, so that they look finished.  Mine is still messy.  It’s okay to be messy.  It’s good for you.  Very therapeutic.

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Stitch Over Elastic
These stitches are over the ends of the elastic that are inside the headband.  Go over them several times, backstitching to make sure they are each held securely.

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Go over the middle, too, to close up the opening!  Messiness is A-OK.

And you are finished!!  Try it on to make sure it’s comfortably snug~

And these headbands are highly customizable!!

  • You can leave yours blank like mine so that you can pin detachable bows or brooches onto it for mixy-matchy accessories!!
  • Sew ribbon or lace down the center, longways, for contrast!
  • Or cris-cross ribbon over it for that Lolita headdress look, especially in combination with the next suggestion:
  • Sew lace along the front and back edges!!
  • Or just one edge – mix it up!
  • Make a ruffle from fabric and sew that along one edge – you could make a psuedo-bonnet!
  • BOWS!!!  Big bows at the center or to one side or the other, small bows on either side, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
  • Attach long ribbons (or long-tailed ribbon bows) near where the headband rests near your ears so that they trail over your shoulders and hair~
  • Drape strings of pearls so that they hang off of it for a pretty mermaid look!

I could keep listing things for ever and ever. o_o  I bet you can come up with things too!!

Meganebu! Episodes Streaming Online – Full Season 1

Friday, June 26th, 2015

Okay, there’s no getting around saying it – Meganebu! is crazy.  But it’s FUN crazy.  The brilliant colors and splashy patterns and designs bring pop art to mind – the corresponding TV Trope that comes to mind is Design Student’s Dream.

The “meganebu” itself is an after-school club for fans of glasses.  The members each have distinct personalities – it’s easy to pick a ‘favorite’ for yourself!  And they go on wacky adventures and misadventures together – there are a lot of cute male bonding & friendship scenes.  Things grow in tension when new characters from the student council are introduced as rivals.  At its climax, it might leave you a little tearful.  And if that fails, the very final scene with the club leader’s cute little brother definitely will.  Episode 3 is a surprising tearjerker as well.

What I’m saying is, this is the very definition of “you will laugh, you will cry.”

These are official, legal streams from Crunchyroll – watching them here helps support the anime industry!

Episode 1 – We don’t use glasses merely as a vision correction tool or a fashion accessory (…) That is our Glasses Club.

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Episode 2 – Any Man Who Wears Glasses Cannot Be a Bad Man / The Current Strongest Frames

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Episode 3 – I Hope You Finish the X-Ray Glasses

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Episode 4 – This is What it Means to Wear Real Glasses! / Glasses Reflect the Soul and Who You Truly Are

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Episode 5 – Even if He is, He Wouldn’t Tell Some Jerk in Fake Glasses

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Episode 6 – MR

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Episode 7 – Your Glasses Will Change the World

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Episode 8 – As Long as My Glasses Sparkle, You Won’t Get Away with It!

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Episode 9 – A Revolution for Glasses Wearers

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Episode 10 – The Rules Say You’re Safe, But Glasses Say You’re Out / When I Look at the Glasses Club, It Makes Me Think of Us Back Then

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Episode 11 – It’s Only Natural That Glasses Wearers Love Glasses

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Episode 12 – Glasses Club

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Cute & Convenient Homey Items

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

I’m a firm believer in the concept of a “kawaii lifestyle” – that even mediocre tasks you do and that mundane homeware items around your living space can be made cute, even if for no other reason than to make you smile as you go through the day.  It’s not even as if it’s expensive to infuse cuteness into your everyday life – here are five saccharine items to affordably indulge in to sweeten your life.

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Cute Hot Beverage Mug Cover (19 Styles)

Some of these designs are soooo dainty and pretty~
And the concept is so simple: Cover your hot beverage,
and the silicone cover keeps the heat in!
(and looks pretty, too)

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Pretty Woodland Animal Lace Doily Coaster (4 Colors)

And since you’ve got your hot beverage out,
naturally you need a cute little coaster to place it down on!
Okay, I am in love with that lacy pink bunny.

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Kawaii Emoji Mug (4 Styles)

Speaking of mugs, if you’re shopping for a new one,
there probably isn’t anything cuter than these little guys.
I’m really close to picking up that mischievous kitty-faced one for myself…

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Cute Mushroom Toothbrush Holder (2 Colors)

I don’t like the idea of my toothbrushes touching surfaces,
and these cute polka-dotted mushy-mushes bring Super Mario to mind~
In fact, they come in red, too!

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Sweet Bunny or Bear Cushion (2 Styles)

I am pretty much always in need of a lumbar cushion,
and a polka-dotted bunny wearing this serene expression
would make my back ever so happy!
There’s a stripey Mr. Bear to choose from, too.

How to Sew a Cute Heart-Shaped Apron, Easy for Beginners! (Video)

Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

Easy cute DIY- Kawaii Heart-shaped Lolita Apron for Beginners – nekomaid costume(cross straps)

Yumi King is a Youtuber who frequently posts DIY videos for making your wardrobe cute!  Turn annotations on if they are not showing up by default~

If I had to add anything, my advice would be to fold your edges under TWICE if you try this out yourself, rather than just once as shown sometimes in the videos, and backstitch at the beginning and end of sewing every line as well. n_n