How-To: Lolita Scrapbooking

One of the things I have grown to love recently is scrapbooking! Honestly, my scrapbook began as an anime journal where I would write my thoughts about the characters and their shows. I love that it has blossomed into a compilation of anime, memorable events in my life, and of course, lolita fashion!

I was inspired by purikura (プリクら) and polaroids. I thought: why can't I make a scrapbook with photos like that about my journeys in lolita fashion? That's what I decided to do!

Let me show you a page from my scrapbook and how I did it.

This one is a little chaotic, but very cute in my opinion! I will list each material I used below and how it helped me.

• Kodak Step Printomatic: The device I use to print all my photos. It's amazing! No ink, only paper. Heat does all the printing for you! All I have to do is connect my phone to the printer via their app, edit my photos, and send them to print via Bluetooth. The paper also has a sticky backing built in so no glue or tape is necessary. Printing photos out on a traditional printer is perfect too!
• Pens and markers: I have several types of colorful pens and markers that I have amassed over the years that prove very useful for scrapbooking! Don't have any? Try your local dollar store or use crayons or colored pencils. Even basic Crayola markers work! The only thing I have found is that you will have to get a waterproof marker/permanent marker to write on top of your printed photos if they have a waterproof coating.
• Cute stickers: Most of these were actually purchased from Amazon! However, check your local discount and dollar stores. They can also have great supplies! Some of these stickers were actually bonus gifts with a purchases, so take advantage of any free stickers you may see!
• Washi tape: I love washi tape because of its sturdiness. It tears and removes easily if I change my mind! It is also very pretty. Even though my photos do not need tape, I use it to make things cute and aesthetic. You can also use washi tape as dividers or text boxes and write on top of it! My washi tape is from Amazon.
• Sturdy journal: My journal is from Japanese made brand Midori MD (also purchased from Amazon) that I love because of its structure. I have never torn a page, it comes with a built in bookmark, the pages have a grid layout, and it can lay flat if you wish. I highly, highly recommend it! If you are looking for one, I would recommend one with similar features to this one because it makes working with it so much easier so you can focus on creating.
• Scrapbook case: Probably the most important material of all! Scrapbooking can quickly turn into a mess of clutter if you don't organize it. I highly recommend a storage bin of some kind to store your scrapbooking supplies.

How do you create cute layouts? One element is practice! Other things I recommend include staying within a certain theme or color palette and looking for inspiration. I personally love Pinterest. You can use any inspiration source, online or offline, to help you!

I hope this helps and inspires you! I love to craft, so I hope you give it a try too. Have fun!

With love,

Poppy

Mail Days 💌

As the days grow chillier, my closet is growing bigger! Three packages have arrived in the last few days. Let's open them together!

The first package was the Momo's Birthday JSK in yellow from the brand Summer Fairy. I purchased it because it has the colorway and motifs of my dream wardrobe (yellow and bunnies)!

The yellow is a bit lighter in person than in the brand photo which surprised me. The color seems to be more of a cream with yellow undertones. I was slightly disappointed by this, but another element of the dress surprised me in a positive way!

This JSK fits my long torso! My waist is set so low on my body that even normal waist JSKs (and the waists of non-lolita dresses) often fall too high. This JSK has adjustable straps so the lower setting falls directly on my waist! I think I'll keep the straps on the higher setting just because it looks cuter that way, but the length of the dress makes it feel like it was made for me (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠) (Bonus: It has glitter inlay! My first glitter dress!)

The second package was a pair of offbrand tea party shoes in pink. Can you believe that I have never had a pair of tea parties in the six years I've been in the fashion? Since I am just starting to pivot more towards sweet than classic style, I guess it makes sense. I've wanted tea parties for a while but just never found an affordable pair. (Plus I didn't want to wait for overseas shipping (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）)

I am so excited for these! I think these will be good walking shoes in comparison to my heels and they look barely used! They are a perfect fit, too. I can't wait to wear them.

Photo credit: lavinity on Lace Market

The third and final package is the one I am the most excited about. It is a set I found on a whim on Lace Market: The Dessert Cart at the Amusement Park by The Doll's Daydream!

The set came with the JSK, KC, and a matching fan. And yes, of course it was in yellow. I cannot lie when I say that I squealed when I removed this set from its beautifully wrapped box. It has everything I ever want in my dream wardrobe: the yellow colorway, a sweet food motif, and bunnies!! I am so thrilled to be the new owner of this piece. The seller was the nicest, too, and in fact we live in the same state! They stated that they were happy to sell to another lolita in the same state, so that made me very happy to hear (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

Thank you for unboxing with me! I hope you enjoyed reading this. Enjoy the rest of your day!

With love,

Poppy