Hi lovelies, 

Today I want to share my experience at Fantasy-Con (organized by Fantasy-Schmiede.at). It’s a convention I’ve been meaning to attend for ages, but it never worked out...until now. hehe.

The convention was held at old WU and I have been there before for my tambour embroidery class and let me tell you, it's a maze. A freaking maze. You have to take the right lift at the correct number and if not, you are just hopelessly lost. This maze was the business university for decades, I wonder how all the students would get to their classes in time?

We arrived a tad bit late as I overslept once again and then took an hour to get ready. At least the location was reachable with only one metro and we were there in a jiffy. 

The entrance hall has a few painting or murals on the wall and we took pictures in front of one. Somehow it reminds me of a beach but if I remember correctly, the picture had nothing to do with a beach. We took quick pictures and then we were ready to face the convention. 

I'm wearing a btssb dress I bought at the B&B after the Vienna Teaparty in 2024. Shoes are from Deichmann and the hat, stocking and blouse are from Aliexpress. 

Tickets were 19€ which was okay but bordering to expensive because as we entered we saw that it was almost...empty. But they had 4 different gaming rooms and I'm pretty sure most of the people were in these rooms to play and try out different games. 

We went to the artist alley and chatted with familiar faces. There was a mix of artists who sold illustration prints, handmade jewelry, woodworking, hats, dice, and more. I was interested in a pair of Sailor Moon earrings but before I bought it, I checked aliexpress because the items were too diverse to be handmade and yup, I found the exact pair of earrings for 5€ instead of 16€. 

I have no problem spending more money if an item is handmade or at least put together by the artist. But reselling mass-produced items at triple the price without transparency? Nah, no thanks.

 

Afterwards we went over to the books and the TTRPGs. There was a Cthulhu pandemic game that we could join so we put our names down but had to wait for half an hour for our session to start. 

While waiting, we stumbled upon Popcircle Austria, another club and faces we knew! They had a cute little single-player card game. My partner and I both gave it a try. He beat it, but I wasn’t so lucky. My first card was an automatic fail, followed by two bad rolls. Total wipeout and fail. 

As for the Cthulhu game, it was fun even though we lost big time. But it's a very strategic game with so many options and we were just unlucky beginners! I'm not mad at all or sad that we lost because we had a lot of fun. 

Hias and I got snacks and a tea as the prices were okay and I watched part of a panel hosted by the Nerd Sisters, who were discussing streaming and gaming.

Eventually, we left and went to a bbq but that's another story.

I actually wanted to show you a short I made but it seems like I forgot to upload it? I'm a bit confused and can't remember if I really did one. Oh well, sorry about that.  

So, off to my rating:

Atmosphere: 1/10 Sorry, the location is just SO bad and there was no effort to decorate anything more fantasy)

Activities: 8/10  I liked the timeslots for games so you could get one and do something else until then. There were also many more games to try out. 

Food: 8/10 They had drinks, cakes, tea, coffee, savory food but only two food booths and no vegan food.

 

If you enjoy this blog and want to support it, consider leaving a small donation via PayPal. Every bit helps keep things running and lets me keep creating more content just for you. You can donate by clicking the link below:

Thank you so much! 

All the best, 

Auris Lothol

 

Hello lovelies!

Belated Merry christmas and happy new year!

I thought I'd share a small 2022 review because to be honest, 2022 was a very good year for me. At the same time I am aware that 2022 has been a horrible year for others and I am truly sorry for that. When reading accounts about wars and injustice during my student time, I always thought about how people felt living during that time that were not directly affected from the war. Why didn't they do anything to stop it? Now I know; they can't. They are just as helpless and heartbroken as I am. 

So, what happened in 2022? I quit my toxic job in February! It was something I was planning to do anyway in June. But my boss was so horrible and was lying to my face that I decided to quit right then and there. I didn't see the situation changing for the better as I had hoped in 2021 and just called the shots. In the end, it was the best desicion because I immediately felt my happiness return and all the stress fall off.

Face of a very happy person who just quit her job

This led to having more time to study for my Latin test and to my surprise I passed it. Although I didn't just pass it, I aced it. I was so shocked when I first saw the test result! I remember it was late at night and I was making strange noices, trying not to wake my s.o. by screaming. 

For my birthday we went to Salzburg and it was really wonderful. I ate so much during the course of the weekend, I felt like I could roll home.  

In May I flew to Rome and met a good friend. We had three wonderful days in Rome and even saw the Pope as we snuck into the audience, that was fun. I made a video on youtube:

 

Also in May I had my first laser cutter training and decided to use my new knowledge to do some plexiglas jewelry. Or at least, tried to. I probably cut away a whole sheet and everything looked bad. 

Then, my biggest hightlight of the year; I went on an Interrail Tour between July and September. I visited numerous countries and cities and saw so many wonderful buildings, churches and art galleries. I slept in Hotels and went to restaurants everyday, I had a really wonderful time and would love to do it again. 

In September I passed my final exam and with that I  finished my Bachelors degree. I still can't believe I'm done. It still feels like I have to go to university. To be perfectly candite, I hated going to university. I hated being surrounded by people I didn't know, sit in stuffy rooms, discuss or hold presentations. What I liked where the lectures at home. From 2020 on all lectures were held online and I liked to sit home and listen to a professor talk. That's something I really miss.

Also in October I started my small business called "Royal Duck by Auris Lothol". I sold my handmade jewelry at Animarket for the first time and it was a success. I had also started to do some resin crafts and love how versatile it is, I can add any colour and any glitter to a mold and get a finished product!

 

And last but not least I started a new job in December. I am now working in the backoffice of an IT consulting company and I love it. My colleagues are really nice and work is not that stressful.

I know that 2023 can't beat it but I am planning my holidays, working on my brooches and playing games. I feel like life is where it wanted me to be.

All the best,

Auris Lothol

 

Hello lovelies, 

this is a more in-depth review of the Glitzywonderland  dresses than I did for my youtube video because I wanted to keep it short and sweet and not drone on about the prints. 

If you rather want to see the video, here you go:

The first dress is called Palace Tea Party Classic Lolita Style Dress JSK (CLS01) on the Glitzywonderland site.

Here is a bigger picture of the stock photo.

 

It's based on a picture by the Austrian painter Karl Schwninger Jr, and you can find it on Wikigallery.org. Karl was born in 1854 into an artist family and died in 1912 . He liked to paint rococo genre scenes.

The dress is pretty soft and the print is very fine. It's well made and there were no loose thread ends. I got size L as I was between sizes and it was a bit too big.

The top is not black but has a slight blueishshine to it.  It has a shirring at the back and a zip on the side. The bow in the front is detachable, as is the belt. The lace has golden embroidery on it but is a bit scratchy.

The dress is suited for tall lolitas, as it's almost ankle length for me but I am tiny. 

Here are three coords I did with it, even though the last two are just casual because of the no-sock situation.

 

The next dress is a bit lighter. It's called Angel Falls Lolita Style Dress JSK (CLS03) on their site. It has a big frill over the shoulders and I like to wear it without a blouse. 

 

The name of the artist is Johann Michael Rottmayr. He was a famous baroque painter who was born in 1654 and died in 1730. He painted a lot of frescoes but also smaller paintings.

So, the fresco in question is located in Palais Liechtenstein and is actually called the admission of the military genius into the Olymp and depicts allegories and a few gods like Zeus and Hera. Right in the middle of the dress is Athena, allegedly holding Johann Adam Andreas, the prince of Liechtenstein, the "military genius".

This painting can be found on the staircase on the east wing. Look at it on their virtual tour!

It once again has white lace with golden embroidery and a detachable belt and front bow. The belt is definitely size S and not L because it is so tight but the dress is once again a bit too big. It's a bit wrinkly but I do not want to iron it because of the fabric, so I probably need to take it to the dry cleaner.

The last dress is from the painter Sir Joseph Noel Paton and is called A Midsummer Night's Dream Classic Lolita Style Dress JSK (CLS04) on the glitzywonderland site.

Sir Paton is not Austrian this time (booo) but a Scottish painter. He was born in 1821 and died in 1901.

The painting depicts a scene from William Shakespeare's "A midsummer night's dream". The painting "The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania", painted in 1846 is one of his most famous works. According to Lewis Carrol, the author of "Alice in Wonderland" 165 fairies are painted into this picture. I did not count them, so you probably have to trust him.

 

Once again, both of the bows are detachable, there is a shirring at the back and white and golden lace. Out of all the dresses, this one was the least favourite as the print is not really visible from the front. 

Alright, that was the deep dive into the dresses and the paintings. I hope you enjoyed it. 

If you enjoy this blog and want to support it, consider leaving a small donation via PayPal. Every bit helps keep things running and lets me keep creating more content just for you. You can donate by clicking the link below:

Thank you so much! 

All the best, 

Auris Lothol

 

Hello lovelies, 

 

June is way gone but I wanted to write something about the Stoffmesse (a kind of fabric exhibition) at Arena Nova. My interrail tour is still ongoing but I am currently resting for a week in Austria and need a bit of fresh air and ideas. 

Arena Nova is located in Lower Austria, about an hour away from Vienna and not really reachable by public transport. I had been there for a work event and was not fond of the location, it was really ugly. 

We paid 9€ per person to enter and that's super expensive for a small exhibition.

A good overview on where the shops are located

 

I had been to the Stoffmesse before when it was in Vienna and it had been very small with only a few shops. But as it has been in only a small location, it didn't feel out of place. Arena Nova, on the other hand, was a huge location and it felt very empty with a lot of open space. 

That was the view from the back to the front of the hall. I did not exaggerate with it being empty.

This was not a shop but a small exhibition on quilting and the opportunity to get more information on quilting and maybe join the quilting club. The pieces made there were amazing, from abstract to really intricate ones, I was intrigued.

Three more pictures show the emptiness and the booths. There were fabric shops, some that sold accessories and others that sold sewing or overlock machines. It was a really good mix of everything. 

We found one shop, Maixner Ars, that sold handmade fabric from the Czech republic and M. bought himself a meter of their lovely cream coloured-linen. 

There were workshops held but we were too late for one, even though we arrived on a Friday at 4 pm.

M. and I talked about grabbing some food but decided against it as we were not really hungry and left after going around three times. 

I decided to only come back to Stoffmesse if it's back in Vienna, as I hate going to places with the car. It was not really worth the time and the money for gas. It would have also been nice to have even more shops, programmes or workshops. Something to create a buzz of excitement! 

All the best,

Auris Lothol

 

Hello lovelies, 

my parcel from L'esprit de la Noblesse finally arrived. I am so happy about that. At first I did an unboxing video but my SO caught me at an especially unflattering angle and I looked like Jabba the hutt. haha. Also the video had a weird orange tint and I looked like an orange. Or Trump. But I still uploaded it and you can watch it on youtube or here at the end of the blog post. 

This dress also creases but I solved this problem by tying the scarf around my waist and make a big bow at the back. No more creasing! Hooray. 

See more about the creasing in action and the full review on my youtube.

All the best,

Auris Lothol