I will bring back long-form journaling by FORCE OF WILL, dammit.

[cupcake_goth]

Whooo, I would like to stop being exhausted. That can happen any time now, thanks.

But despite being woozy and exhausted, I did manage to get some badly-needed household chores done today. Then I changed back into a ruffled nightgown and flopped on the couch, reading vintage gothic romances. I guess that's my version of self-care now? Sure, why not.

I've also been noodling around more on Pinterest (clicky-link!), because having "witchy fashion", "romantigoth" and "chiffon death shrouds" boards is entertaining to me. Yes, I also created a "Gothic Charm School" board (erm, last night), because Thea read me the riot act about not actually having one. (Thea is the person who regularly busts my chops about my not being proactive about self-promotion. Yes, I know I need to be better about it, but that means I have to get over my fear of being self-aggrandizing? Something like that.) So I am going to try to be good about making sure there are pins for new GCS posts and whatnot, in addition to photos and fan art.

I have a couple more clothing alteration projects I want to do:

• Fine-tune the alterations I'm doing to one of the batwing-hem jackets to turn it into a sleeveless, lace-up overdress thing. I thought I had it finished, but it turned out that taking it in down the back did something weird to the pull across the shoulders, and the resulting tension gave me a headache when I wore it on Friday night. (Not dissimilar to the types of headaches I would get if I wore a halter dress, and it went away as soon as I took the overdress off.)


• Thea's mum, who is one of the kindest, magical people I know, has given me a stack of vintage (90s is not vintage, dammit!) floral rayon dresses. The ones that were made by Nostalgia or Starina. Apparently the bodices are worn or damaged, but she knows I'll turn the dresses into skirts. (I've developed a weird fondness for black with pink, red, or white florals from those manufacturers, worn with black lace overdresses and giant sunhats. Victorian Garden Witch*? I dunno.)


• I need to unearth one of the full tiered black cotton skirts, and use it as the base for petticoat necromancy, wherein old chiffon and organza petticoats are cut apart and sewn onto a cotton skirt. Maximum floof underskirt, but with a lightweight, breathable fabric underlayer!

The problem with these clothing alteration projects is that I don't have anyplace right now to leave the sewing machine set up, so I have to drag it out each time I do something, then put it away. And by drag it out and put it away, I mean ask the Stroppy One to do that for me right now, because I have mom's vintage all-metal construction Elna from the early 70s, that thing is HEAVY, and I'm not supposed to crouch down and lift heavy things right now. Which brings me right back to I WOULD LIKE TO STOP FEELING EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME, THANKS.





*Which reminds me, I found a brand-new pair of Dr. Marten's Triumph 1914 (clicky-link!) boots at Goodwill a few weeks ago. They're super-cute, I just need the weather to cool down a bit before I wear them.


(Seriously, florals? Even with everything else black? When did this happen? I am perplexed. Delighted, but perplexed. Which reminds me, I am contemplating this crushed velvet floral skirt, by Nostalgia (clicky-link!. But I'm not sure about the mix of colors.)

Comments

[full_metal_ox]

As far as the crushed velvet floral skirt goes, the cream and-ashes-of-roses on a black ground strikes me as a reserved, subdued, and somewhat melancholy version of a summer floral, quite suited to hugging the shade; we're talking Lizzie Siddal rather than Carmen Miranda. (It would also seem to be quite compatible with your frequent black-and-pink aesthetic.)

[m_cobweb]

I love the romance of the floral aesthetic, myself.

I'm not great about Pinterest, but will add your board and see if that helps me check in once in a while. :-)

[cupcake_goth]

This all started (for me) when Thea's mum gave me a fantastic crinkle cotton skirt that is black with huge pink roses. It got me over my "am I wearing someone's upholstery pattern? qualms.

[solstice_lilac]

"Chiffon death shrouds"! !!!

I'm not on Pinterest at all, but this is very amusing!

I was obsessed for a little while with finding a 1990s-era broomstick skirt in a patchwork pattern of black floral prints. They exist, but are oddly hard to find now in my size, which is not a small. This post has kind of awakened that obsession. I'd combed Etsy but not eBay...

[Edited to add: This turned out to be a RABBIT HOLE! I will find a "moody floral" skirt that reminds me of my Californian summer-goth youth! HahAHAHaAHaAHa)

Amazing score on those boots, too. It's getting to that time in the summer where new boots are starting to look really good, although it's still too hot to wear them.

[cupcake_goth]

Yeah, searching for "nostalgia floral" or "starina floral" on eBay leads to non-stop clicking.