Make and mend 2012

I have decided to join in on another of NVL projects. Here is the objective,

• Make two crafts from scrap fabric, (hat, pot holders, table runner, etc.).
• Rework one garment.
• Make two wearable items not meant for day wear (i.e. : jim jams, robe, slip, etc.).
• Embellish one item (i.e. faggoting, pin tucking, embroidery, etc).
• Make one item (in addition or one of the items above) for someone else.

I am not sure what I am going to do yet but I do have a couple of ideas,

My daughter has wanted one of those hat/scarf things with animal ears. I have bought the fabric but never got around to making it. That was last winter.

Another wall handing, perhaps.

I have wanted to rework my Steampunk Princess dress into somethings else.

jammies and a new dressing gown patterns have been in my stash for a long time. Along with the fabric to make them.

embelish one item- that I will have to think about.

and an item for someone else, I have been asked to make a Hello Kitty inspired hoodie by my friends daughter.

wow it now sounds like a lot to do. I have always hated deadlines but the dress I made for another friend had a deadline can it kind of helped me to keep going.

Now that I am studying again this will help to keep my mind working over and to absorb what I have done and not just keep on at the books.

My first assignment is Medusa and her character.

Love Sew Vala. x 

Box-of-10 Lashes from Dolly Dream!

To be honest, I’m a liiitle scared of the commitment that comes from buying expensive lashes. You have to clean them, reuse them, and be careful with them so that they last at least a month! It sounds so stressful! But that’s why I love box-of-10 lashes!!


Now, I’m going to assume that you’re familiar with the type of quality you usually get in these box-of-10s. I won’t even bother comparing them to Dolly Wink, okie? Okie.



[ Name: Voluminous Lashes | Price: $2.75 ]




The band is a little stiff, but it's still noticeably better than some of the 99cent ones I’ve gotten from Ebay! Here you can see how it kinks a bit, rather than bending smoothly:


That being said, I didn’t have a problem twisting the band when I applied them (like how Okarie does). I guess when you apply lashes, you don’t actually bend them that much!

The lashes themselves are quite soft to the touch, though!


In short, they’re not nearly as soft as the Princess lashes (very soft and feathery), but they are better than my 99cent Ebay ones (meh, below average), and they are muuuch better than these Daiso ones (top pair), which are extreeemely pokey and stiff like paperboard!





[ Name: E-13 Bottom Lashes | Price: $2.50 ]



I’ve had other spiked lower lashes like these before, but the spikes in these lashes are much darker and denser.

The band is flexible, but the lashes themselves have a sliiiight stiff, papery feeling. It doesn't poke me when I wear them though; I actually didn't notice until I ran my fingers across it attentively! :)

Overall, I’d say these are your pretty standard spiked lower lashes in terms of quality! They are not bad at all; I really have no complaints! There are softer ones out there, but also stiffer ones as well~ n.n



Forgive me for looking the same in each picture. >_< That's the disadvantage of the selca angle: there is but one angle I look decent in, and it leaves little room to do anything else but smile!

(Worn with Dolly Wink on the top)







P.S. Don't hate on me for putting on my wig sloppily; I was in a rush! >_<

All in all, I’d say these are a bargain! They’re your standard, safe quality--that is, you really can’t go wrong--lashes, and for a great price! Dolly Dream is also doing this thing where you can buy 3+ products for a set price, so if you're interested in getting wigs, BB Creams, lenses, and lashes for veerry reasonable prices, you should check it out!

A big big thank you to Dolly Dream for sending me these lashes~

The black and white dress.

And now we arrive at the dress

The bodice band is hand sewn on to the outside of the bodice.

By adding my little label at this point I was easly able to see the front from the back, as the curved neckline is only ever so slight and the bust darts are hidden under the bodice band..

The front waiting for the skirt to be attached.

The front of the completed dress.

Dress and bolero,

And a little finishing touch, some pretty lace on the linning.

She will be wearing a large fully white underskirt, so as not to have a different shade of white I have used a very delicate shade of blue.


I hope to get a picture of my friend wearing the dress. But yes she loved it. And I am awfully proud of what I can do. So I have decided I needed this push to get way out of my comfort zone to do things with careful acuracy (apart from spelling. of course)

Sew Vala x 

Oh and by the way the pattern was Vogue 2902

And so on to the mock up for the dress. made using a double and a king size quilt from a charity shop.

Both priced at £5.99 each. I took them apart ready to work on.

As my friend has a 2 size different I did not want to cut out the pattern. So I cut around the pieces for the bodice and photocopied them on my printer and taped them together.

First mock up bodice, the bust part fit but the waist did not. Second part of boice we got the waist to fit but it was a tad to big around the top part. On the third mock up I got the correct fitting. So making the skirt part was easy.

The mock up half hemmed.

I have learnt alot from this project.
Lining a dress.
Fitting issues.
Fitting a zip in the side of a dress that fits under the bodice band.
Lapped zip. (this was my third ever zip. the first was in a bag, went well. The second on a skirt, went horribly wrong.)
Attaching a skirt to a bodice. (my other dresses were all one piece, see here, here and here. )

Just I short post as I have started my next course. The dress is now finished I will post more later when I have the photographs sorted.

Happy weekend everyone, Sew Vala. x

Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB SPF30 PA++

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard of this BB Cream by now, so let’s cut to the chase: This is one of a five Petit BB Creams from Holika Holika that are characterized by their portable size. This particular one seeks to provide moisture to dry skin, with hyaluronic acid being the main ingredient. Okie, moving on!



The packaging is your basic BB Cream tube; nothing special.

Minor detail: Because the hole is slightly wide ► and the BB Cream is runny, the inside of the cap gets quite messy. It’s also easy to accidentally squeeze out too much!




It’s got a noticeable perfume scent, but I can only smell it out of the bottle and while I’m applying. I personally find the scent pleasant~



I’ve swatched this BB Cream with some others for you to compare. 'Tis in the center!

Taken outdoors in the shade at 5:30pm:


Smeared, partially blended:


Fully blended, direct sunlight, 5 minutes after application:


Another shady area, 5 minutes after application:


Yellowy, indoor lighting, 6 minutes after application:

Overall, I’d say it’s your typical light brown BB Cream. It’s not particularly pale like the Missha and Peach Girl, but it does have more of a peach tone to it, compared to the Etude and Tony Moly one. It gives me a healthy, peachy glow! It also darkens over time, but not whilst I was taking pictures.

Personally I think the color is a tad off for me. Not that it’s not dark or anything, it’s just a bit too…peachy! It’s not a problem if I only apply a thin layer, though~




Do you see how instead of sticking to itself, it just flattens into a big puddle on my thumb?


That goes to show how non-sticky and non-viscous it is! But because of its runny consistency, it can streak if you’re not careful.

Surprisingly though, it’s still feels and wears like a thick/heavy BB Cream. Once my skin soaks up the moisture (that causes the runniness), what’s leftover is more or less like any other thick BB Cream. Just slightly dewier ~




(*Note: The BB Cream color doesn’t show up well in these photos, so use these as a guide for coverage only, not color! For color, scroll back up!)

As with most thick BB Creams, it has medium-to-high coverage. I wouldn't say super full, but medium high. A thin layer offers a decent amount of general coverage, although red spots are still visible irl:

(Hover over to see before/after)

Here are zoomed out swatches, with thicker layers that were applied with fingers:

Taken outdoors in the shade at 4:20pm:

Redness, Discolorations: In short, one layer covers about halfway, and would probably be fine with some concealer. 2 layers covers most everything, leaving only a few discolorations visible afterwards.

For bumps and uneven surfaces: I can’t really comment since I have dry skin, so every BB Cream clings and makes my skin look bumpy and rough...even though it’s not, I swears!  I can say that this one is actually provides me a smoother finish than others, but as you can see, it still makes my skin look rough. Not the BB Cream’s fault though!




It’s a very nice BB Cream! I really like how it combines full coverage with a thin consistency. I like heavy coverage BB Creams, but it doesn't always feel nice to spread thick goop on your face, you know?! I would definitely consider going back to this BB Cream once I cure my dry skin! I also like the smell. Yes, yes I do~   (｡˘⌣˘｡)ﾉ♡

A huge thanks to Dollydream for sending me this product to review! You can get it here for only $7~ And Melanie (the girl behind Dollydream) has big plans on expanding her store, so stay tuned for more!


(P.S. Almost caught up with reviews! Then I can finally get to other posts, included outfits and requested tutorials! ^^)