Etsy Feature ~ Crows and Ravens

Well, it's been a while since I did this, which is rather silly considering how much time I spend browsing Etsy. Last time I believe I did a skull-centered one, so this time it's crows and ravens~ They're awfully stereotypical aren't they? But really, those black feathers make for all sorts of great accessories. And bird skulls. You can't go wrong with bird skulls.

Unfortunately, these pictures have been sitting around on my desktop for a while, so I can't tell you who's stores they come from. Searching something based on a description should work fine, as long as the items haven't been sold already, and I'm fairly sure all of these are still available. (With perhaps one or two exceptions)

A simple ear cuff

Tricorn <3
Difficult to make work, but oh so lovely.

I like how ornate this one is.

I don't like putting up my hair, but this would do very nicely.

Ok, this one is just here because I think it's beautiful.

Something for around the house~

This scarf has got Poe's poem written all over it :D

Raven perfume?
Interesting, but perfume makes me sneeze so none for me thank you.

This is one of my favorites, but I remember it being very expensive.

No practical use whatsoever~
But hey, there's always Halloween, or maybe a masquerade..?

I'd have absolutely nowhere to wear this...

Or this...but it's awfully pretty.

And that's it for today. No outfit because I'm very lazy. Oh, but I did finally watch Skyfall. (Took me long enough) I...actually I thought it was fantastic. Visually, it was very stunning. I liked the character development and the fact that Bond was off his game. I loved Silva as a villain. I had sympathy for him, but not enough to want him to win, so that was a nice change. (Villains lately...I've just been siding with so many XD) And while my dad might be a bit annoyed with the fact that there's a new Q I think Ben Winshaw was wonderful (And just a little bit adorable) and I really hope he gets a bigger part in the next movie. What did you guys think? I haven't seen an awful lot of the older Bond movies (a few here and there) so my judgement may be a bit biased.

All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go

Well, except school that is. I just woke up with this inexplicable urge to get really dressed up today, no occasion necessary. Of course, it would be nice to have such an occasion, but I'll make due with classes. And the shallow want of compliments from my wonderful friends. I've only worn this jacket once so I thought it was time to dig it out of my closet and pair it with my favorite (and only)  poofy dress.  I don't go over the top a lot because let's face it, the more goth you look, the more attention you're going to get, positive and negative. I've always been a reserved person, and I don't really appreciate a lot of said attention, but over the years I've grown a thick skin and come to appreciate compliments even more when they're given.  So on occasion, I put on a brave face and wear something really fun because you shouldn't let people's opinions stop you from wearing what you like.

I have no idea why I don't wear this jacket more.

 If you're wondering if my hair looks a little floofier than normal that's because I crimped it yesterday, and now have this lovely texture left over to work with. I love how malleable my normally pin straight and uncooperative hair became after I crimped it so you can expect to see my hair like this more often.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I have a small pustule just on the edge of my nose piercing. When it first popped up I fell into complete despair because my mom told me when I got my piercing that if it became infected I would be paying for antibiotics, and trust me when I say I don't have that kind of money. I did some research though and to my utter relief it turned out it was hypertrophic scarring. Which made perfect sense because I had snagged my piercing and yanked it really hard (and very painfully) a few day prior. The trauma would have been enough to cause it, and it's fairly common from what I can tell. I kept cleaning with sea salt like normal and started putting diluted tea tree oil on it at night and it's already receded a lot. Another week and I expect it to be gone completely.

Let's see... My new Docs showed up and I've begun the oh so fun process of breaking them in. (With only a few blisters as casualties) I've also started reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series which is a bit daunting considering the 30+ books, but I've decided that if I were a "hero" Rincewind would probably be me and I've formed a severe attatchment to Death, who has a wonderful habit of talking in SMALL CAPS and is absolutely hilarious. The books are so full of satire I couldn't possibly put them down if I tried.

And finally, take a look at my nails! My mom got me these for Christmas and you can't even tell that they're stickers. They're fantastic, now even my fingernails have fishnets.

30 Day Clothing Challenge~ Day 16 and 17

It's Valentines day! Normally, I'm not very fond of today because it's a Hallmark Holiday, capitalizing on people's relationships. Personally, I would much rather receive something on an ordinary day with no warning, but that's just me. But it's great to see people having a good time with their significant others and the sea of red and pink at school is always amusing. The balloons on the other hand....not quite as fun. I kept a tally of the times I got smacked in the face by a balloon going up the stairs and it totaled to fourteen. I contributed a little itty bit to the aforementioned sea of pink today with a bracelet.

Just for the record, my eyeshadow is also pink ^^

I was just looking through some old posts of mine from the very beginning (A little over a year now) and am shocked at how much difference a year can really make. I was barely starting off into the Goth subculture a year ago (and it certainly showed XD) and now I'm starting to build the wardrobe I want. My outfits nowadays are a million times classier and sophisticated than they used to be, and I'm just really proud of how far I've come. I can't wait to see how I've evolved in another few years. I mean heck, I'm not even halfway through highschool yet! But, that's enough of my indulging in an ego boost, it's time to get on to the challenge.

Day 16 is you and a friend wearing matching outfits. Well, I've never done one of the twin days at any of my schools, but you can bet there's an outfit from a school function that managed to do the trick. Does this count? ;)

I promise you I'm in there somewhere.

Day 17 is an outfit that you've made or altered. Well, I have a ridiculous number of hand-made patches lying around, but none of them are actually attached to my jackets yet... the DIY stuff I do is normally really simple because I'm terrified I'll ruin anything I try to sew. My trusty thrifted blazer and eyeball headband will have to do as examples.

Re-using a pic

Well I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day, attached or not. All of you lovely people have some Valentines from me~

Good Omens and The Lies of Locke Lamora

Surprise, surprise I've got more book recommendations! No vampires this time I'm afraid. Just thieves and angels and demons, which honestly should satisfy all of you ^^

I'm going to start with the one that's more likely to have been read by everyone. I read it years ago myself, but forgot just how wonderful it really was. It's going on here simply for the benefit of those who have possibly never read it, *gasp* and hopefully some of you haven't because then I won't feel like I'm babbling. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (See? The names alone should ensure that most have you have picked up this lovely book) is about a demon and angel. They've been thwarting and manipulating and blessing and the like for thousands of years and have come to grow very fond of earth, and through extension of an arrangement they have, each other. So when the Apocalypse looms near they're hardly pleased, to say the least. Of course, they can hardly go against the ineffable plan can they? They're likely to be roasted by their respective superiors if they do anything that screams blatant interfering. So of course the only option is to subtlety manipulate the Antichrist from childhood so that no apocalypse is ever triggered. And then of course, someone goes and loses the Antichrist.

I'm afraid I don't know who to credit this lovely fanart to.

Throw in the four motorcycle riding horsemen of the apocalypse and the prophesies of some nutty witch and you're in for one wacky book that's a bit of reminiscent of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (Albeit, even more fantastic.) The plot alone is enough to read this book for, but then you've got Crowley (The suave demon, who didn't so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards, with the snakeskin shoes and strange tendency to hiss when overexcited) and Aziraphale, (the dear, dusty, bookish angel) who exchange banter that makes you want to fall over in a fit of giggles. Basically, I might have been wasting my time by typing all of this, but it's completely worth it because on the slim chance you've really never read this then you need to pick it up pronto. You won't be disappointed.

The next book is called The Lies of Locke Lamora and it's about a thief. Or, I suppose more a small group of con artists who steal for the fun of it. Locke is the leader of this little gang, called The Gentlemen Bastards, and he's been living on the streets since he was small. There are two storylines in the book; the one that outlines Locke's past and how he became a first rate thief and "The Thorn of Camorr", and the other dealing with the huge scam their pulling at the moment. Of course, this book has plots within plots, so when the mysterious Gray King begins terrorizing the criminals of the city Locke is bound to get caught up in the convoluted schemes. My favorite part of the book was the world it was set in. The old city houses wonder upon wonder, the beautiful image hiding the underlying cruelty, where bloody shark fights are an everyday sport and unattended children are sold into slavery left and right. Alchemy has huge sway as does the worship of several Gods. Think alien, medieval Venice.

Well there you are! Two new books to read and I hope you enjoy them if you haven't read them already. Here's my outfit post for today~

****If you've no interest in Batman- movies, comics or otherwise, then here is a good place for you to stop reading because I'm about to rant a little about pretty villains ;)

So I was just rewatching Batman Begins. Partly because it's a really good movie, partly because I'm obsessed with the Batman franchise, and partly because oh dear is Dr. Crane pretty. I mean, really. And that dark hair and those glasses? Instant crush from the moment I saw him. It doesn't help that Scarecrow is so close to rivaling Joker for my favorite comics villains of all time and that he's so psychologically fascinating. (I love his back story too. Villains always have such depth compared to the heroes don't you think?)

Anyway, I'd forgotten how much I really loved Nolan's new, darker and realistic take on the franchise. I love how he set the movie when Crane is just starting out on his path to becoming Scarecrow with the early experiments. Though I'm always disappointed that he doesn't have more scenes, what with Ra's Al Ghul being the focus. It's such a shame there are only three movies. I would have loved to see The Riddler redeemed after *shudders* Jim Carey played him.... And same goes for Mr. Freeze, because Arnold Schwarzenegger? Was that really necessary? Of course, with Heath Ledger's unfortunate passing Harley will remain out of the movies, but there were opportunities for so many other villains. Oh well I've always got my lovely comics~

New Hair

Well I'm just changing everything lately aren't I? One of my resolutions this year was to do something a bit more adventurous with my hair, and now I can scratch that off of my list. I wanted to get rid of some hair so I basically walked into the salon and told my hairstylist to chop it all off. She was terrified, but I think she did a great job despite her...reservations XD I went black because I wasn't too fond of the brown my previous color had faded to and I'm so happy I did. I think it suits me much better. My dad continues to lament over the loss of my blonde hair, but he's going to have to suck it up and get used to this, because I don't see it disappearing any time soon.

 I can't stop running my fingers through my short hair, it's such a foreign concept ^^

This is a super short post because honestly I just wanted to show you my new hair. Now I'm off to go watch Megamind with my little brother (I don't normally like animated movies, but that one cracks me up. It's fantastic.) I'll just spam you with pictures of my last outfit to make this seem longer ;)

By far one of my favorite jackets

We had a weirdly cold day, which means I could wear gloves~