I’ve been out of commission for pretty much the entire month of November (the kid and I both got knocked down with a nasty flu), so I am launching this a little late, but better late than never!
Live in the shop now is my new styling service!
I’ve had a lot of requests for personal shopping/styling over the years, and I decided to pull the trigger on offering a completely online service. That way anyone can benefit from it, not just people here in LA.
First step will be to complete a small questionnaire like this:
This will be in Word format so you can complete and email to me. No need to print or scan anything.
Then I will create a head-to-toe look, including shoes, jewelry and accessories and send you a style sheet like this:
I will send it both as a jpg and pdf. The pdf will be fully clickable and shoppable. Each look is $25. I checked other services that are similar and they run between 50 and 100 a look, so I am offering a great discount on the work (I know, times are tough all over, believe me!)
I hope that this will help some of you dip a toe into exploring your style. I also hope that this can help get you Insta-ready for your next park visit (any park, not just Disney). Speaking of which, I will consult the particular park/event you are going to for any dress code rules and will follow them so you don’t need to worry about compliance on those.
Yep, you read that right, five years. Even more interesting is that it took me a whole month to realize I had been ghosted! Let’s go back a bit to explain…
Very quick trip through my love life. My 55 years on this planet have not been kind to me, romantically-speaking. I have a great fulfilling life otherwise, just not meant to be the love or have a love of my life I suppose. Not trying to get sympathy or anything, just stating the facts. First boyfriend, cheated on me with my best friend. Second, verbally and psychologically abusive to the tune of two suicide attempts that thankfully didn’t take. Third, I married and was married to for 20 years. Got dumped on my 20th anniversary. Next one, dated another woman the entire time. I didn’t know about her. Not sure if she knew about me. Doesn’t matter. Anyway, next up was the one officially nice man. Dated four months. He dumped me in person and was not cruel about it. He will make some woman very happy some day. Not me, but he deserves good things. I was just too weird and nerdy for him.
Which brings me to this effin guy! Let’s call him BF (for boyfriend to keep him anonymous). We hit it off quickly. We had both been married and had kids, and neither of us wanted to get married again, raise more kids (his were grown and mine was a teen). Heck, we agreed we didn’t want to live with anyone again either. It was pretty damn perfect. He hung out, then went home to his house, and I was free to watch my ghost hunting and true crime shows surrounded by my dog and cats. We are both huge nerds, and our dates consisted heavily of Disneyland trips, watching Disney+ series and going to the movies. Those things went really well. Then, I am not sure what happened, but here is how it went down.
My son and I cosplayed together, had a blog together about nerdy fashion and hosted panels at conventions until recently; when my kid started high school and cosplaying with mom was not a thing one did anymore (I was totally understanding. I continue the blog and fashion posting on my own.) But I digress…
Because we are both nerds, and I was very active in the cosplay community, so, thinking that it would just be a natural journey for BF to start attending conventions with me, I invited him. He enthusiastically made plans with me. Hotel reservations, convention badges, etc. Not a cheap getaway, which you know if you have ever attended any type of fandom event. First convention, second morning, he freaked out and said he had too much work and had to go home, but he’d be back (we were an hour away from home). So, I walked around the convention embarrassed and just plain confused. Needless to say, he never rejoined me. He missed my panel. In the five years we were together, he never ever saw my panel. Nice.
Then we would try again, and it was always, “I’ll meet you there.” He’d show up a couple days late and leave the next day. It was weird. I asked, “If you don’t want to do this, don’t feel obligated.” He assured me that he did, but his freelance work just kept cropping up last minute.
So, I thought, OK, let’s try a non-convention type getaway. Nope, canceled last minute. Now, I know what you are thinking, “This is on you, girl, if you put up with this!” You would be correct. I had a sit-down, WTF is going on meeting, and he said he had some anxiety issues, and now he was going to therapy. OK, cautiously optimistic. Then the pandemic happened. So, nobody went anywhere. He came over and our relationship was great again.
Things started to open up, and I thought we’d go back to Disney like before (he never flaked on those trips). But, you guessed it, flake city. So, not to be the asshole that doesn’t give you grace when you are working on yourself, I started going to stuff alone. Let him do his work. No guilt from me. I was really OK, no, really. Everything alone. I found that I was really enjoying the experience, actually. I can’t be late to my own party, you know? I actually started getting really good at content creation. I dove into TikTok, and I’m in deep now. I love it!
Where was BF this whole time? Coming over occasionally talking about planning a special getaway for us, or can I help him start making content for his business on TikTok (I enthusiastically agreed every time). He’d mention getting Disney tickets for Halloween/Christmas, but never did. I got some and took my kid. We had a blast!
So, now you’re up to speed. A month goes by, and I realize that I have officially been ghosted. I started to get angry, and then I realized that I had honestly been given a gift. Not by him mind you, but I gave myself the gift of taking myself off the hook of responsibility for a grown man’s actions. Now when I hit Disney for a solo day, there is no underlying sadness, “Why are things like this?” These are all his choices and his cowardice. I was awesome and fun. When I needed to be, I was compassionate. I was loving, but not clingy. He had a perfect sitch to be honest, but he blew it.
I started to get into a whole, “Why did I let this happen?” spiral, but I gave myself grace for a change. I was kind. I cared. The fact that it was not reciprocated is not under my control. Did I put up with it for too long? Maybe, but maybe not. I needed that time to get the message. It takes me time to get things through my thick skull sometimes and that’s OK.
I rebuke this haunting in the name of awesomeness, so now, I’m off to create more content, start to enjoy spooky season (I celebrate insanely early, being a goth and all), and working on my second book. As for him? Dunno, but he knows good and well when I celebrate ghosts and spooky things, I much prefer the genuine article.
Here are all the links to get you on your way to Japan!
Visit Japan Web– This is a must about a week before you leave. You have to get your COVID vax card, immigration and customs paperwork pre-approved. Take screen shots of the qr codes in case the wifi is slow at the airport when you arrive.
Klook– This is a must visit before you leave as well. You cannot buy tickets to Disneyland and most other places when you arrive. Almost all theme park/museum/themed dining experiences require a reservation. They also require tickets purchased when you are in Japan. So this website does the work for you while you are still at home. We got our Disneyland and Sanrio Puroland tickets through them.
Wifi- First call should be to your cell provider and see if they have an international wifi hotspot deal. I have TMobile and they had a great deal. So, I did not have to mess with purchasing a mobile hotspot or sim card. If you do choose to go that route, This is a website that has good rates: Japan Wireless
Hotel- Have a screenshot of your hotel’s name and address in Japanese on your phone. That way people that don’t speak English can help you find your way. FYI, most people do speak English well, and signage is usually in both Japanese and English, but we did have one cabby that didn’t speak a word of English, so we just showed him the screenshot, and he got us right to our hotel, no problem.
Google Maps- You already have this on your phone most likely, but it will tell you exactly how to get places, what door to enter, what escalator to use, everything. Getting around will not be an issue if you don’t speak Japanese.
Google Translate- For the rare menu or signs in Japanese only. Just point your camera at it, and Google will give you a decent translation. BTW, most restaurants have pictures of the food, so if all else fails, just point 🙂
Tipping- No tipping anywhere in Japan! This feels weird because you will want to thank all the nice people there, but it is not only not customary, but considered a little rude to tip. So, save you money. Speaking of money…
Yen- Rough translation from Yen to USD is put a decimal two spaces from the end. So 2000 Yen would be around 20 bucks. It will actually be closer to 18 bucks, but it will give you an idea how much things cost.
Have a few Yen on you for older restaurants that only take cash. Also, to get your Suica or Pasmo card, you will need Yen, which leads me to….
Suica and Pasmo Cards- These are metro cards that can also be used in convenience stores and in vending machines. The train system can be daunting, so I recommend getting one of these cards and just add Yen as you need to when taking trains. Click here to see a good beginner guide to these cards.
Best places to visit in Tokyo- If you want to take in sights, street fashion, shopping, dining and even shrines, then I recommend Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. All accessible by metro or cabs.
Quick tip for my usual audience- Plus size clothing is going to be hard to find, unfortunately. But, I do have a brand that I love, Punyus, that has stores in Harajuku and Shinjuku. Click here for their website.
Today marks our sixth anniversary, which I cannot believe I’ve been at it for that long, but there you go. 2022 is here and hopefully you are all staying safe and well out there.
I wanted to kick off the year with a quick letter welcoming anyone that is visiting here for the first time and say, “Welcome back!”, to those returning.
This blog began with my kid and me wanting to create a place where anyone, regardless of age, size, shape or fandom, could read tips and guides on how to express yourself with your everyday looks and lifestyle. I believe we have accomplished that.
Having said that, I am changing things a little bit around here, but don’t worry, this is still your safe space to come and express yourself! The only way I’m changing is how I bring content to you, to stay with the changing climate on various social platforms.
I dove into TikTok last year, and really enjoy making them. TikToks are a great way to show you looks in the wild, how they fit, how they move and give you some ideas on where/when to wear them. Along with TikTok, I was accepted into the Amazon Influencer Program, which is a big dream of mine, so I was so excited to become part of their team. So, the way I bring you content will also change a bit in regards to that.
So, long story short, I’ll be posting TikToks, Instagrams (videos and photos) and the shop links will always be in my bio in the form of a Link Tree. That is in addition to my posts here, so no matter how you like to get your content, I have you covered.
My Link Tree has the following buttons to find what you are looking for:
Kim’s Amazon Shop– This takes you to Amazon, you click on the photo of what you want to purchase and can purchase it right from there
Shop the Looks– Takes you here so you can click on the shop links in the posts
So, that’s the breakdown of how to find everything easily. I’m looking forward to bringing you so many more designs, looks for bounding, theme park looks and just everyday nerdy shenanigans this year! Stay tuned…
What an amazing year this has been! We got a vaccine, so we could go back out, so I had adventures to share!
We have a great year to look forward to, with so much more adventures to come!
I am taking a breather for the holidays, but I’ll be back in January on the 6th, which is our 6th anniversary! Our seventh year of blogging will be the best yet!!!
So, stay safe and have a very happy holiday season! I appreciate everyone’s support so very much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Hello all! Just letting you know I’m taking a Thanksgiving Break, but I’ll be back next week with more fun stuff, including Dapper Day and Disney Christmas!
I recently got into cottagecore (once I realized that it is just a small step from goth). I really love the comfort and flowiness of it.
But, as a plus-size woman, how do you wear this without it looking too tent-like?
Well, the key is the accessories. I have three looks here that are a goth/cottagecore, but with accessories, I have drawn the eye away from the more voluminous areas so people take in the whole look. That way it doesn’t look just “baggy”.
Hello fashion nerds! I am super excited to add to my creative portfolio with a virtual store at cowcow.com!
So far, I have three designs on the site that you can put on anything, and I mean anything (I made them available on all products, so no, really, everything!)
First up is my Witch Goth Pastel print:
Here is a screen-shot of a dress in the print:
Next up is my 50s print:
Here is a screen-shot of a dress in that print:
Lastly, I have my Friggin Bats pattern:
Here is a screen-shot of a dress in that pattern:
However, you are not limited to just dresses and girly-style clothing. They print on demand home goods, and even phone covers.
