First of all apologies for the silence from me for two weeks! As I mentioned in my last blog post (October Favourites ’22) both me and Dane were due to have some time off work together, and we pretty much chilled all the week, and went for a chilled holiday the weekend. It was a much deserved and needed break for us both and we were sort of gutted to be back at work.
We just spent a lot of time together, which was also very overdue. We live together, so we are always just a room away from each others company, but sometimes we might be doing our own thing, whether that be online with friends, or solo. I’ve been spending a lot of time on my cross stitch projects lately, whereas Dane has been playing a lot of games, so it was nice to come together to do things we both love… Which was playing games. 😛 Then over the weekend we went to North Wales to stay at a shepherds hut, have a go at clay throwing, and of course explore some parts of the area. I’m going to talk more about our trip soon, so keep eyes peeled for it at the end of the month on my November favourites. 😉
I’ve realised whilst putting this wish list together that not only is it very clothing and plushie heavy, but it’s also very Pokemon heavy as well! Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those things, but if you aren’t a massive Pokemon fan… This months favourites may not be for you. 😛
So, sit back, grab a hot drink and let’s get into this months wish list post! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Christmas is just around the corner and with that, the Pokemon Center here in the UK and more have launched their Pokemon Christmas goods! Last year I purchased a Pokemon Christmas jumper, and I didn’t plan to again this year. However, when I saw this Vulpix snowflake sweater appear on the website, I just knew I had to get it. At this moment in time I haven’t ordered it, but, I do potentially plan to when I’m paid at the end of the month. I intend to wear the shit out of my Eevee Christmas jumper this year, but I love the look of this one for winter overall, as it doesn’t exactly shout “Christmas” at you, does it? It’s not cheap at £39.99, and the size I planned to get is currently sold out, so we’ll see what happens. 🙂 I remember last year a lot of people bought the Christmas jumpers and quickly sold them online in January.
Lumichee is an independent store/brand I’ve been in love with for a while now, especially since my own goodies from the brand arrived last month that I ordered! I picked up a plush, and a hoodie and on this wish list I have the same types of items wished after all over again. The Lumichee hoodies are SO COMFORTABLE and by far my favourites in my wardrobe alongside my Pokemon Center UK 2019 one. They’re really baggy too, which is ideal for me as I love an oversized hoodie. I love Lumichee’s Batbat design, so the fact they have released one makes me happy. This probably won’t be something I purchase for myself until after Christmas, for obvious reasons. 😛
This is up the top of my wish list right now! Recently the Pokemon Center announced three new fuwa fuwa daki plushies would be available to buy, Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon. These haven’t hit the UK Pokemon Center yet, which I’m hoping they do for a few reasons… The first one (and main one at that) being the cost for shipping is very high… £30 plus in fact, which is more than the plush itself. The second reason being I could maybe ask for one as a Christmas/birthday present then. I’m wary only Dane would order from Japan, but even then I don’t think it’s something he wants to do at the moment. Whilst I’d love all three of these cute fluffy babies, the one plush I want the most is the Flareon. It’s cute little surprised face is adorable, and my favourite out of the three. We’ll see if I get this cutie in the future or not. 😛
Lumichee “Monochrome” Mini Batbat Plush Series 4 – (link)
The other Lumichee item, and another plushie to boot. 😛 The Batbat plush is one I’ve wanted for about two years now, as I do love bats. 🙂 I recently received my sakura inspired Mousemoth, which I do adore, but I still want a Batbat… This monochrome version is really cute and it’s mini too, so it won’t take over my plushie collection too much! 😛 Like the Batbat hoodie, I do plan on ordering that and the plush for myself after Christmas!
The new Pokemon game is out in less than a week now and I am SO EXCITED! I’ve had the dual pack pre-ordered since June and I’m ready for it now. I’ve watched all the trailers, and in all honesty I’ve also seen all the spoilers. I’m sick of seeing other people play it, I want to have my turn now! I ordered the dual pack as Dane will play Scarlet, and I’ll play Violet. We have Friday off work to play this all day together, as well as over the weekend, which I am beyond ready for! If you haven’t watched any of the trailers for the new games, go and do it! I know I’ve linked the dual pack, but I’m wary that a lot of places have sold out of this now, so keep eyes peeled for where you can grab your copy/copies. 🙂
Finally we have the item I’m probably most after on this list, which is a Pokemon themed winter coat, and of course if you didn’t gather by the name, it’s inspired by Gastly! This is from EMP, an alternative fashion website I frequent to every now and then, more so at Christmas for gifts for Dane. I saw a Twitter account share this coat, and some other Pokemon fashion items from this EMP Gastly range and fell in love straight away! If it wasn’t for the fact I’ve had so much stuff to pay for lately, as well as Christmas looming, I think I’d have bought this coat for myself by now! I’m semi hopeful I can pick it up for myself after Christmas as it would be a nice addition to my wardrobe. I love how long it hangs at the back, as well as the hood. Plus, it’s a duffle coat style, which is one of my favourites! I currently own and wear a red duffle coat during the colder months, which I don’t really want to replace.
So, there we have it guys, my wish list for November! Realistically from this point until after Christmas, I probably won’t be buying myself a lot of stuff, as that’s what Christmas is kind of for, as well as my birthday in January.
What items do you have on your wish list? Make sure to let me know in the comments!
Until next time, take care all and have a good weekend!
UK fans, it’s finally here, the moment we have all been waiting for, a Pokemon Center in the UK! Back in 2019 a Pokemon Center opened in London for a brief period of time to promote Pokemon Sword and Shield coming out. I for one was super excited for it and went with Dane, which you can read all about here.
The hype around that Pokemon Center brought people from all over the UK to queue for hours just to go in and buy limited edition and regular merchandise. I think even people from Europe travelled for it too! Due to the hype around it, a lot of Pokemon fans cried out for an official Pokemon Center to be opened in the UK, or at least an online store.
In November 2020 Canada got an online Pokemon Center and I remember UK and Europe fans being annoyed about the fact. Little did we know, just over a year later the UK would get an online site of our own!
It came very suddenly last week and I was so excited about it. I saw my friend Emily mention it on Instagram and I quickly headed to Google to search for the website. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t order stuff there and then. It took nearly a week for me to create and place an order.
As a massive Pokemon fan, it would have been wrong of me NOT to talk about the Pokemon Center coming to the UK (as well as make a cheeky order…). I know I stated before I wanted to purely have December for Christmas content, but let’s be honest here, the Pokemon Center getting a UK store is kind of like Christmas Day to me and many other Pokemon fans. 😛
This won’t be a terribly long post, as I’ll be mostly sharing my experience of ordering from Pokemon Center UK, sharing what items are on my wish list, as well as sharing items I hope come from the Pokemon Center US website! Grab yourself a hot drink in your best mug (Pokemon preferred… :P) on this chilly day and have a good read!
First of all I have popped the link to the Pokemon Center UK website above at the start of the post, but I’m going to pop it here for you too.
If you’ve ever ventured onto the US website, you’ll see that the UK version is practically the same, so the website is fairly recognisable and easy to navigate around. At the time of writing this post (Thursday evening), the website is currently in beta, so due to this some bugs can be found at times. Some examples of this being you might go onto a page and get a Pikachu telling you the page hasn’t been found. A simple refresh of the page soon fixes this however.
Something I’ve found daily from refreshing the website is they seem to be updating and adding new products daily, sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. They do state on the website that they’re trying to add new products often, which is showing and is good!
If you want to place orders items can only be delivered to addresses in the UK and have a flat rate of £5. Expensive yes, but worth it for how quickly items arrive. I’ll go into this a little more later. Overall the website is really good to navigate around so far, which is always good!
As mentioned, the range of products on the website is changing daily with lots of new items being added, for example lots of Pokemon Fit/Sitting Cuties plushies are popping up daily. We’re yet to see some more home items added, but it is early days.
Finally one more thing I want to add is you CAN pay by PayPal! I know for myself and others this is important when shopping online, it’s my go for payment method. Alas, Pokemon Center UK has it which made me really happy!
Oh and apologies in advance, the photos aren’t the best for todays blog post but this is mainly due to being short on time this weekend to take proper photos. I’ll do this another time and do a mini Christmas photoshoot with Dane. 😛
Enough of the “boring” bits about the website, how did my first order go? Well, really good to be honest with you! I decided to stop eyeing up the item I was after and instead just take the plunge to order it, which is the Eevee Holiday Lights Knit Sweater. A perfect sweater for Christmas and not going to lie, all year around if I really want to!
I was unsure what size to order, a lot of people online had said they’d ordered a size up so it could be nice and baggy. The size chart is good and I should have really gone off of that. I wear a lot of Gildan sweaters and usually go for a unisex L which fits perfect with lots of bagginess. Due to the recommendation of sizing up, I went for an XL with my Eevee sweater. I semi regret this.
I placed my order on Tuesday morning and just 48 hours later I received an email from Royal Mail Thursday telling me it would arrive that morning. I was really surprised but happy all the same. I can only assume this is why the shipping is so high, but I won’t complain with that kind of turn around! I wasn’t expecting my sweater to arrive until at least the weekend, maybe even a week later, but since it arrived in good time I started to plan all the days I could wear it in the run up to Christmas Day!
Back to the sizing. Ordering the XL was a bit of a regret as when I tried it on the sizing was HUGE and the sweater fast turned into a jumper/sweater dress. The sleeves are really long, as is the body. This being said, it’s incredibly soft and snuggly and I’m already planning on rocking my Eevee sweater with a nice pair of leggings and my checkerboard Vans trainers.
So, size wise I would order the size you usually would for a sweater or hoodie (Gildan is popular so go by them if you own any of their stuff!), or just measure yourself if you’re unsure.
The quality of the Eevee sweater is really good! Not stupidly thick but thick enough for me that I know it will keep me toasty warm. I think it being oversized makes it feel a bit thicker, if that makes sense? The inside is lovely and soft, the kind of sweater where it feels like you’re wearing a big hug or a marshmallow. I was gutted to take it off to put it into the washing machine to be honest with you! 😛
Can we talk about the print though and how bloody cute it is?! As you can see it’s an Eevee holding some fairy lights, which are wrapped all around it. One thing I didn’t realise/notice from the images on the website is how on the back of the sweater, the fairy lights are trailing along the back too! I love this little detailing so much! The fairy lights themselves and the cable they’re attached to is a sparkly yarn which really stands out when you see the sweater in person, which again is something I didn’t notice when looking at the sweater on the website.
Overall the sweaters colour scheme is typical Christmas with the red, green and white, which I always adore. I especially love the festive patterns along the top and bottom with the Pokeball against them. Everyone knows how much I love Pokemon so this Christmas themed sweater has been a long time coming! I have a Deadpool one too from a few years ago that I’m sure I’ll wear soon, but this Eevee one has definitely stolen my heart!
I could have ordered so much more, but with Christmas looming I thought I’d be good and just get one item. Not going to lie though, the Pokemon Center opening a UK store is seriously going to be the death of me… 😛
However, I wanted to show you guys what’s on my wish list and why, just in case it shows you some stuff you’d like too. 🙂 There’s only a couple of items, but I hope you guys like to see regardless.
I’ve had my eyes on this fluffy Cinccino plush since it first released in Japan a couple of months ago. I contemplated ordering one but left it as I wanted to save money. Now it’s available on the UK store, this is more affordable than ever! I was tempted to buy one of these when I ordered my sweater but left it. I don’t actually know what this cutie would go due to how busy my plushie cabinet is! This being said, I’d soon find it a home if I decided to take the plunge and order. 😛
Gengar Themed French Terry Zip-Up Hoodie – £49.99 (link)
I also have a hoodie on my wish list. The first thing I checked out when the UK website opened was the clothes side of it. I’m always happy to buy new Pokemon garments, especially now they’re easier to come by more than ever. I love my Pokemon Center London hoodie I bought in 2019 and have lived it most of the past 2 years since buying it, especially during lockdown and working from home. I’d love to pick up another one and so far the Gengar themed hoodie is one I like. I honestly can’t see myself buying this, as I would like to see an Eeveelution themed one come up eventually, maybe even Dragonite!
Now I’ve shown you my wish list from the UK store, I want to show you items I’d love to see come from the US store to UK! 😀 I won’t go into too much detail on each, but I’ll pop a collage below! All links next to item names will link to the US website.
Believe it or not, Phanpy is one of my favourite Pokemon from gen 2! I remember seeing the little elephant inspired Pokemon and falling in love with it! I kept one and refused to let it evolve due to that fact! I did look to buy one when I went to Japan in 2020 but when I looked I could never see one, which was a shame. Eventually I’d love to pick one up to add to my plushie shelf.
I regret not ordering one of the sleeping Eeveelution plushies when they came out years ago! They weren’t too badly priced at the time but I didn’t really have the money to splurge and I didn’t think I had room either. Fast forward and I regret not snagging one now… They’re hard to get and when you DO find the Umbreon one, it goes for hundreds! I recently saw one for sale over £200… Ouch! Currently on the UK store they have Jolteon, Flareon and Glaceon for sale and for under £40 too.
If there’s one thing I’ve always wanted, it’s Pokemon jewellery. The RockLove Pokemon pieces are so gorgeous and I’d love so many of them. However, they are just based in the US right now, with the option of shipping to the UK direct from their website. Of course, if RockLove did hit the Pokemon Center UK, I’d snag something pretty for myself and it would definitely be something Mew or Eevee themed.
Finally we have a long boi and one I would seriously purchase! This Furret plush is a massive 71 inches long and as the picture shows, he biiig! I know loads of people on Twitter who would love one of these too and have been tweeting Pokemon about it. If they don’t bring these back AND to the UK then they’ll be missing out on some serious orders, if you ask me. 😛 I’d have this guy in the bed to cuddle up to when Dane doesn’t wish to. 😛
So, there we have it guys… It’s official we now have a Pokemon Center in the UK and just before Christmas too! I’m already excited for what other Pokemon goods we have to look forward to seeing on the website in the future.
Have you already placed an order, or hoping to in the future? Let me know in the comments. Also, don’t forget to let me know what you hope to see in the future too!
Until next time guys, take care and have a lovely weekend!
Back in February Black Milk Clothing announced that they would be bringing out a second Pokemon collection and I was SO excited for this! I counted down the days and watching their Instagram page like a hawk to find out what designs were coming out, as well as WHEN the collection would drop… Which dropped at the start of March!
I made sure to get my order in there and then for the goodies I wanted and I didn’t miss out on anything I wanted. However, I do regret not ordering a couple of items in particular that I’ll be sharing with you all in today’s post.
Considering I’d shown you all the first Pokemon collection from Black Milk Clothing and the Animal Crossing collection, I thought it would be nice to show you the pieces I snagged from the second Pokemon collection! I only grabbed two pieces, but they’re both so pretty and I’m really excited to rock them this summer. 🙂
Just a heads up, both of the pieces I picked up are limited, which means they’re limited edition and may not be available anymore to buy, OR might have certain sizes left in stock. I will address this when I talk about each item.
Another thing to bear in mind/address is that I always pick up a size L in my Black Milk Clothing pieces as they’re the fit I like. They’re not tight and they have a little bit of give with them, which is perfect for me. 🙂
For Pokemon 2.0 I personally didn’t feel that this collection was as strong as the first collection, but this being said there were aspects of 2.0 that really stood out and certain things the first collection could have done with. Examples of this being the evil tee dresses. There were SO MANY that came out of 2.0 and they were all gorgeous! I picked one up myself, but I could have easily picked up two. Alongside this three blazers came out with gorgeous print inside. I really loved these, but I’d have never worn them.
Some of the pieces were very hit and miss however and quite frankly I was incredibly disappointed by the fire starters print Black Milk Clothing had created and put out there. It looks like something anyone could photoshop and work on themselves at home. The fire starters are my favourite starter Pokemon so I was really excited to see what Black Milk Clothing would bring out. I wasn’t the only person to complain about this issue. Thankfully there was another design they revealed that I fell in love with!
I recently bought my first pair of cuffed shorts from Black Milk Clothing (Isabelle Gingham Cuffed Shorts) and they’re so bloody comfortable! I’m looking forward to wearing them with tights underneath and a cute t-shirt or sweater. I fell in love with the floral fire starters design as it has that 60’s/70’s feel to it that I really do love! Plus I’ve started to bring more pink colours into my wardrobe, which these shorts are perfect for. The fire starters are dotted all over the design, with my two favourites Cyndaquil and Fennekin featuring in perfect places on my pair of shorts! I honestly can’t wait to wear these during the warmer months, especially as lockdown begins to lift again.
This is by far my favourite piece that came out of the Pokemon 2.0 collection and I couldn’t wait to snag it for myself! I bought my first evil tee dress when the Halloween collection came out in 2020 when I picked up the Ghosties Longline Evil Tee Dress and since then I really wanted to grab another one, so this Psychic Type version of the dress was good timing. It’s a gorgeous dark purple colour with lighter purple and blue swirls all over, as well as psychic Pokemon including – Mew, Mewtwo, Espeon, Slowpoke, Starmie, Indeedee, Ralts, Woobat, Meowstic, Espurr, Galarian Ponyta and Galarian Rapidash. It’s just gorgeous and would definitely be a conversation starter when out and about. I don’t know when I’ll wear this next, but I’m planning to rock it soon whenever me and Dane or friends go out and about.
Those are the only two pieces I picked up from the Pokemon 2.0 collection. I mentioned earlier regretting not picking up a few pieces, one of them being the Eeveelution Camo Cargo Pants and the piece mentioned below…
If there is one piece I regret not buying it’s the Snorlax Snoozing Snuggle Suit. I’d bought the Pokemon Dreams Snuggle Suit not long before the second Pokemon collection was announced and I have fallen in love with it. I wear if often, including after work and on days off. I didn’t quite realise how much I was going to fall in love with Black Milk Clothing’s snuggle suits and due to that I regret not buying the Snorlax variant too. I have reached out to ask Black Milk Clothing if this will ever come back in stock and they said maybe at the end of the year. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled on eBay and Depop in the future for this to show up. Honestly I need it in my life! What I love the most is the colour of it. This is my favourite colour and whilst I’m not the biggest Snorlax fan, he is a sleepy boy and I can relate to that on a big level. 😛
So, there we have it guys! Honestly I’m so glad that Pokemon has reawakened my love of Black Milk Clothing. I’ve really started to show off my love of dressing quirky and different during the past year and it’s something I’m excited to continue doing in the future, especially with lockdown and restrictions easing!
If you’d like to check out any of the previous posts I’ve written about Black Milk Clothing collections I’ve bought, I’ll pop them below:
What do you think of the pieces I picked up, as well as the other designs from the Pokemon 2.0 collection? Did you buy anything from this collection? Are you planning to pick up any Black Milk Clothing pieces for yourself soon/in the future? Make sure to let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, take care all and I hope you have an amazing weekend!
Guys I have been SO excited to write this blog post! I wasn’t planning to until later on this month, but I can’t wait any longer. It needs to go up as soon as possible! 😀
I discovered Black Milk Clothing back in 2011 through a forum I used to be on. It was only in 2014 when I got my first piece, my mermaid leggings from eBay. Since then I’ve always bought my pieces second hand/new via eBay and Depop. I’ve never been caught out by fake Black Milk, thankfully! So, although I own Black Milk Clothing pieces, this is the first time I actually bought direct from them. I’ll share that experience later on in the post. For now, I want to talk about the Pokemon Collection!
Back in June Black Milk Clothing released their Pokemon collection and it was one I was SUPER excited for. I was worried there wouldn’t be any pieces I wanted to get, but it turns out there were at least a handful of pieces I really like the look of, one in particular, the Butterfree Romance Dress.
I knew I wanted this dress and decided if I was going to pick up one item from the collection, it was going to be this piece. The collection launch was slowly looming and I got myself ready to put the dress into my basket and pay. When it came to pressing “confirm payment” I kind of… Freaked out. It was coming to a lot of money, I was preparing for my bathroom to be worked on and… I hesitated. By the time I had some mini regrets, the dress had sold out… Followed shortly by the rest of the collection. I was gutted but at the same time I felt better for not picking the dress up, due to money.
Weeks flew by and I kept thinking about the dress. Every time I ventured to Instagram, Black Milk Clothing was showing off people wearing THAT dress and even one of my Instagram friends had bought the dress. I WAS GUTTED! I tweeted Black Milk Clothing pleading with them (not seriously… but seriously! :P) to bring the dress back.
Black Milk Clothing heard mine and many others pleads and prayers for the Pokemon collection to return and guess what? They announced a restock in July, over a month after the original release of the collection. I knew I was going to get that Butterfree dress this time and more! I wasn’t exactly rich in July after the bathroom being worked on, but I was so gutted about not getting the Butterfree dress, that I knew I wanted it.
I settled on three pieces I wanted to pick up, including the Butterfree dress and I managed to snag them all! 😀 Before I show them all off though I just want to share how I went about buying from a popular collection, as well as from Black Milk Clothing for the first time.
As I mentioned before, due to hesitation alone I missed out on buying the Butterfree dress from the original launch. Items do not get saved or kept in your basket, so you need to act fast, which I made sure to do when buying from he restock.
Something Black Milk Clothing do is to pop all collection items up in the store for you to view and add to your wish list ready for when they release. You select your size, and click on the “add to wish list” heart, simple!
The Pokemon collection launched on Tuesday at 7am Australian time (as that’s where the company is based), which is Monday 10pm here in the UK. I wanted to pick up three items from the collection, so I had three tabs open of my wish list ready. I kept it open for about an hour, but at 9.45pm I kept refreshing all three tabs. The collection for me launched at 9.58pm, so as soon as items started to become available to buy, I clicked buy on each tab until all three items, in my chosen size were in my basket.
I proceeded through the payment sections and confirmed my order, which went through without any issues! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaking before, during and after ordering my pieces… Which sounds pathetic but I was so anxious that I wouldn’t get ANY of the pieces, let alone all three.
I was so anxious to be honest that the order wouldn’t go through, or it would be cancelled, so I waited for my email to say it was confirmed, which came through pretty quickly. I also waited to hear about my goods being sent… Which was a couple of weeks later after ordering.
I’d already ordered some goodies from Australia, which had taken a month to arrive from me, but I also knew of friends who had bought from the first release of the collection and had waited a month for their goods to arrive. I was happy to wait and just under a month after ordering, my goodies arrived!
The tracking was really good! I was able to keep up with where my parcel was and more. It did give an estimated arrival, but my goods arrived almost a week later than what was suggested. Again I didn’t mind, as long as my goods arrived to me. 🙂
I know a lot of people who were stung by customs and I also know a lot of people who weren’t. I was the latter, thankfully! I know someone who bought three pieces like me and wasn’t charged customs. I also know someone who bought one piece and was charged customs. Finally I heard of someone online who bought four or five pieces and was charged £40 in customs! FUCK!
I don’t know why I wasn’t charged customs. I don’t know if it’s due to Royal Mail delivering my parcel or what. I was very lucky and I’m grateful I wasn’t stung. I can only hope for the same in the future whenever I want to order pieces from Black Milk Clothing.
I didn’t take any photos, but the pieces I ordered arrived in perfect condition! Two of the pieces were made in China and came in clear plastic bags, whilst one of the pieces that was made in Australia arrived in a special bag you can throw away in your compost bin and it’ll decompose. I love this idea! More brands need to do this. It’s a shame that only the pieces made in Australia get these bags.
Finally the time has come to share with you the pieces I picked up… But if you were aware of the collection and all the pieces that released with it, you may have realised by now just which pieces I picked up… Seeing as I posted a photo of them all together at the start of this post! xD
I just want to add here by the way that all the pieces I bought are sold out and as far as I’m aware, they aren’t making a return. There are some pieces under the Pokemon collection that WILL return (which you can see here), so make sure to sign up for restock alerts if you’re interested. 🙂
As mentioned time and time again this is the dress I fell in love with from the Pokemon collection and I KNEW I had to have it! It’s a gorgeous light pink colour with Butterfree’s all over it. I went for a size L and I have no regrets! I could have probably gotten away with an M but I like the extra give. It’s really comfortable and roomy and I love clothing like that. Tighter/snug fit clothing often make me anxious and self conscious of my figure and always have, even when I was really skinny.
The romance dress style is one I’m new to but one I really love as it’s really flattering to my shape with it’s skater style skirt and the v-neck front. V-necks are usually something I pick up as I’ve always worried it doesn’t suit… Especially considering I’ve always had a big chest, but if anything this v-neck really suits that and I’m so pleased! I was wary that the v-neck may be too low and actually show off a bit more than I wanted to. This isn’t exactly the case, however due to the dress size giving a little, I think I may need to invest in a new bra to wear with this, or wear one of my other bras as you can see my current go to a little… This is something that is easily sort able!
The fabric itself is sheer, especially on the sleeves, but it’s not too sheer that you can see completely through the pink material and Butterfree design. The sleeves are also puffed, but the wrists are cuffed which I really like!
The style of the dress really does remind me of something from the 60’s/70’s and although it seems more like a spring/summer dress, I already know I’ll be wearing this all year through! I plan to wear it for evenings out with Dane and friends, as well as at work for any special events that are going on.
I’d wear this dress with black tights, a fake leather jacket and either some flats or boots.
This dress is one I really loved from the start but wasn’t sure if I was going to pick it up or not when making my order. Purely because it sold out so quick in the first release, that I didn’t think I’d even get hold of it when making my order. Alas, I did and it’s a dress I’m glad I ordered. It’s a dress that is out of my comfort zone, purely for the fact it’ll be hard to cover my arms unless I wear a t-shirt underneath, or a constantly cardigan over the top. It’s a gorgeous grape purple colour with Gastly, Haunter and Gengar printed all over it in a flocked fabric. It’s a mid thigh length, which is perfect for me but it’s just something different with the handkerchief style.
I’ve seen some girls over on Instagram style this piece up and they look AMAZING! I’ve seen some wearing a black mesh t-shirt under and some with a thick chain belt around the waist. I’m loving the latter, but I haven’t yet found a belt I want to get for it. Shoes wise, I don’t have a bloody clue what I’m going to wear with it yet! Probably end up being my Dr Martens boots to give it a rock/punk look.
Someone over on Instagram said how perfect this dress is for Halloween and she couldn’t be anymore accurate! Although I’m glad I ordered this dress, at the same time I need to get the right bra to wear with it, as well as how and when I want to. I think this is a dress I’ll wear for evenings out with friends, meals for work events and more. I have worn it around the house without one and whilst I can manage to get away with it in my own company, I’d never 100% feel comfortable doing that outside of the house.
If there is one issue I have had with this dress it’s the fact you have to hand wash it in cold water… But this isn’t the problem. The problem was the amount of purple dye that came out of the dress when I washed it. The bath looked like I was draining away a purple bath bomb! Plus it was just a pain in the bloody arse to try and wring out the dress. I thought I’d done it enough and hung it on my clothes horse. An hour later I went down to check on it, only to discover a MASSIVE pool of water underneath it! Thankfully the floor was fine, I mopped up the water and put the dress outside to dry on the line. It didn’t take long to dry, but due to all the faff it’s put me off wearing it and washing it a little… I’ll wear it and wash it, but it’ll be a dress I need to wash when it’s a good day outside so I can dry it!
I already know how I want to dress this up! I’ve bought a chain belt to wear around the wait, black tights, my Dr Martens boots and a fake leather jacket.
The last dress I picked up from the collection is one that I’ve worn the most out of all three and it’s because it’s a Black Milk Clothing dress style I own a lot of. I love Eeveelutions and they’re some of my favourite Pokemon, but what encouraged me to pick up this dress was Attack On Mew purchased it and it looked adorable on her! PLUS this dress has pockets! I’ve never owned one of the skater dresses with pockets and it has literally changed my life! 😀
I ordered it in a size L and with Black Milk Clothing I fit either an M or L. Their sizing has definitely changed over the years and if anything their pieces feel like there is more room to them now than before… At least with the skater dresses anyway, which makes me really happy!
I’ve worn this dress with a long sleeved black mesh t-shirt underneath, black tights and my lilac Vans for a relaxed look. This dress is so comfortable and makes me feel confident, I honestly can’t wait to wear it more! I wish I could wear it at work as I think I’d feel super confident wearing it. Instead it’s going to be a casual dress to wear over the weekend, as well as for events and such. I’m already excited to wear it for Hyper Japan and Comic Con in the future.
So, those are all the pieces I picked up from the Pokemon collection! I could have easily picked up more looking back and there are a few limited pieces that I kinda regret not picking up, including – Mew Sheer Midaxi Dress and Ghost-Type HW Toasties. I definitely regret not grabbing the toasties leggings as I think they would have come in handy over the colder winter months. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled on eBay and Depop for either of these in the future.
There are also some permanent pieces that I’m definitely looking to pick up in the future, including – Bulbasaur Apron Dress, Eevee Evolution Floral V Dress and Eevee Evolution Floral Cuffed Pants. I could say I regret not picking up any of these pieces, but as they’re permanent items they’ll be back in stock in the future. I’m already planning on picking up the apron dress as well as the cuffed pants in the future!
I have always been a Black Milk Clothing fan, but for the past year and a half I’ve really forgotten just how much I LOVE the brand! I haven’t worn my pieces as much since joining the company I currently work at, but COVID and the Pokemon collection has reminded me how much I love Black Milk Clothing and why. 🙂
Since picking up these goodies from the Pokemon collection I’ve already purchased another piece from the Welcome to Halloweenia collection. I can’t wait to show it you in the future… 😛
Overall I am really happy with the pieces I picked up from the Pokemon collection and although I may have wished to pick up another item or two, I got the main three pieces I wanted and that is kinda enough for me… For now. 😛
What do you guys think of Black Milk Clothing? Do you own any pieces by them? Are there any pieces you like the look of? Would you guys like me to eventually show off all the pieces I own? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.
Until next time, stay safe, take care and have a lovely weekend!
I can’t quite believe it’s August already and to be honest with you, I’m pretty damn glad. July was good because it meant my bathroom was completed, however it was incredibly stressful and I wasn’t very well for the majority of it.
I’m glad for August to bring a fresh month, something new and also a month for me to save the money I spent on the labour for the bathroom too.
Although I am trying to save my money this month, it doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to still have and share my wish list with you this month! That and I bought three pieces from the Black Milk Clothing x Pokemon collection last week… Oops! 😛
I’m really loving the variety on it and I hope you do too. 🙂
If there is one thing I love seeing, it’s when Insert Coin reveals they have a new collection out and it’s clearly Persona 5 related. They recently announced more items that were joining their ever growing collection and I for one love everything! I especially love that not everything is a high cost too. The new pullover hoodie they’ve brought out is so gorgeous! I don’t have a red hoodie, so this red is right up my street and I love that Morgana is on the front of it too. I wont be purchasing this for a while… But the time will come when I do decide to pick it up!
Goodsmile Company Nendoroid A Clockwork Orange Alex DeLarge (link)
I feel like I haven’t had a Nendoroid pre-order arrive for quite a while, so I’m definitely overdue now. For those who may not know, I’m a big fan of A Clockwork Orange and have been since I was about… 15/16 years old. When I lived at home I used to have a canvas up of Alex DeLarge, I dressed up as him once for Halloween and I own some t-shirts with Alex DeLarge on. SO, when this Nendoroid was announced when I was in Japan in January, I asked YY Kawaii if she could get him for me, which she could and did! I’m so excited for Alex DeLarge to arrive this month! He looks perfect. If you haven’t watched A Clockwork Orange before then definitely give it a go, but it is a dark film, with some strange themes. There was a lot of controversy surrounding it due to a lot of the themes that went on in the film and I think it was banned from the UK for a time. I still recommend it though. 🙂
Pokemon Four Seasons Collection Re-ment – Vulpix (link)
I was recently gifted an amazing parcel by YY Kawaii which contained some items she was giving away over on Instagram (the giveaway is now closed!) and within that there was some re-ment figures, including one from the four seasons collection. I was really hoping for the Vulpix re-ment but instead I got a Wartortle and Sandygast one which is really summery and cute. As Autumn is one of my favourite months, this Vulpix autumn re-ment is shouting out to me! I’ll buy it eventually, but for now I can wait. 🙂
Kickstarter Adorablush Pokemon Fruit Salad Enamel Pins KICKSTARTER NOW ENDED (link)
This Kickstarter is adorable and it’s one both me and Sarah (from Raiin Monkey) have backed together to save on postage… Smart, eh? 😛 We both loved the look of this Kickstarter campaign for fruit Pokemon enamel pins. There are eight designs to choose from, I’ve gone for the watermelon Shaymin and strawberry Eevee and Sarah has gone for the strawberry Eevee too! Alongside the enamel pins you also get prints that match, which will be awesome! I’m so excited for us to receive our pins. I’ll be sending Sarah’s off to her when it arrives, with some other goodies too… 😛
If you guys didn’t know by now, I am a MASSIVE Bee & Puppycat fan! I’ve been after some more merchandise from the TV show/comic book for a while, but it’s lacking AND not easy to get hold of in the UK. This sticker is from Spain and delivers to the UK, which is always good. It’s really cute and would love to add it to my “sticker collection”. During lock down I’ve gathered quite a lot of stickers but I don’t quite know what to do with them.
About 10 years ago I discovered a brand called Lily Flame and their gorgeous scented candle called Fairy Dust. I’ve owned a few since then and they’re amazing. However, I can’t justify buying any new candles right now and sadly Lily Flame aren’t exactly cheap. Cushty Co do a dupe of this scent, which I’d love to give a go myself in future! I’m still trying to get through my candles and wax melts at the moment, but sadly they’ve been hurting my throat so I’m trying not to use them too frequently at the moment.
This Lady plush is very much sold out/out of stock at he moment and I’m semi gutted. My favourite Disney film is Lady and the Tramp for so many reasons so when I saw that the Disney Store were selling this lady in a box, just like in the film I knew I had to have it. Of course, I’ve missed that window due to setting myself on a spending ban, but at the same time I was being indecisive. I’m really hoping the Disney Store bring it back as I would love to purchase this cute Lady plus.
Finally we have an item I pre-ordered through YY Kawaii a month or so ago. I saw her mention that Costa Coffee in China were making unicorn mugs and merchandise, which looked and are adorable! There were two takeaway mugs and two mugs. I went for the glass unicorn mug to drink my teas and coffees from. I don’t exactly need anymore mugs in my life, but this was kind of too cute to pass up and as I used to work at Costa Coffee many moons ago, I thought it would be nice to add one of the unicorn designs from China to my kitchen!
So there we have it, my wish list for August! Some of the items are pre-orders or have arrived already, such as my Nendoroid Alex DeLarge, which arrived last week. This being said, as I mentioned at the start of the post I’m going on a spending ban for August. I will only buy items that are essential or occasionally buy items that are limited edition or limited time, but that probably won’t happen much.
What items do you have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments below, as well as to what items you like from my list!
Until next time all, take care and stay safe. 🙂
Pokemon Day was just over two weeks ago now (27th February) and as I’ve been back from Japan for a month now… Sad times…
As my first post about my trip to Japan was about the Pokemon Center’s in Tokyo and what I bought, I thought my second post should continue talking about Pokemon! Of course, I can’t not talk about the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo and my experience there, as well as a haul of what both me and Dane bought from there.
Just a warning this post is going to be a long one… Purely because I want to try and go through as much as I can, including how to book as this is something we had a mini struggle with, as well as anything else that comes to mind in regards to the Pokemon Cafe.
Let’s not chatter anymore, let’s get on with the post!
I knew that if I was going to Japan, I was going to the Pokemon Cafe! There are currently only two in Japan, the newest one in Osaka and the one in Tokyo, which we went to. The Pokemon Cafe’s have only been open a couple of years so it’s still quite a new thing and VERY popular!
First of all, if you want to go to the Pokemon Cafe be ready for a few things:
It can be expensive… But this can depend. If you want to try as much as you can on the menu AND buy merchandise as well, this can add up. For both of us it came to 14,600.00 yen (just over £100) but that was for food, drinks AND merchandise and we bought a lot to be honest (as you’ll see in this post).
You NEED to book in advance. If you don’t, you probably won’t get in. I’ll be talking about this in this post. Booking isn’t hard but it’s something you’ll have to think about first out of everything.
If you aren’t keen on mascots “bothering” you then I don’t know if the Pokemon Cafe will be for you. There’s a performance for quite some time with Chef Pikachu and if you have anxiety, or just don’t like this sort of thing… Then Pokemon Cafe might be one to miss… Or at least just go for a quick drink to experience it. 🙂
I didn’t have any issues and if anything, the Pokemon Cafe was one of my favourite things that me and Dane did during our trip to Japan! It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I kind of wish we went again but at the same time, the one visit made it much more memorable.
The second thing I want to talk about is how you need to go about booking your place at the Pokemon Cafe.
Booking isn’t hard, but it can be tricky. First of all get onto the right website! You don’t need to go through any third parties in order to book the Pokemon Cafe, you can do this directly through them.
Okay… I decided whilst writing this post that I wasn’t going to type and explain to you all how to book the Pokemon Cafe… Instead I am going to link you all to the video that me and Dane watched when we were booking our reservation.
This video from AforAlyce may be from almost 2 years ago BUT IT IS STILL RELEVANT! We used this when booking ours and it was the best guide out there in all honesty.
Some issues we faced however (which wasn’t AforAlyce’s fault) are below:
Although Google Translate is handy, it seemed to confuse the website… Especially on the calendar, so make sure to be wary because of this. It also caused some issues in regards to trying to click certain things.
The maximum of people you can now book is 8! 😀
At one point you will need to fill in your contact details, you put your name in English AND Hiragana. You can Google your name in Hiragana but we found this a little tricky… Just try your best though!
Finally the reservations at the Pokemon Cafe GO QUICK as they are released a month in advance. So, make sure to book your reservation(s) when 9am hits in Japan (UK time 12am) or at least as soon as you can! We booked ours as soon as we could in the morning… Think it was about 6am!
MAKE SURE TO ORDER THE EXCLUSIVE GOODIES IF YOU WANT THEM! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY THESE IN THE CAFE!!!!!
Thanks to the help of a friend (Hi Connor!) he suggested the best seat for us, which is the shared counter table and we were sat right in front of Pikachu, YAY! I was so thankful for Connor’s help with this, honestly this was the best seat in the Pokemon Cafe. 🙂 Just a little plug for Connor, but he runs his own blog all about Japan! 😀 Make sure to go and check it out here!
You sit and wait to be taken to your table at the entrance of the Pokemon Cafe and once your time slot comes up, you are shown to the table/seats you booked! You walk through what feels like a heaven of a cafe… Well, at least if you’re a Pokemon fan! There are displays everywhere, including the plates, cups, bowls and cutlery you use and can buy from the cafe, plushies (some you can buy) and a MASSIVE Snorlax!
There are other displays too, which I knew of before going to the Pokemon Cafe myself, but I didn’t actually go and take a look at them until I was leaving the cafe. This was just due to how quiet the cafe was at this stage… PLUS I wanted to be sat down and start enjoying the cafe!
You’re sat down and you get an iPad to order your menu items from, including drinks. There was so much to choose from! You also have a themed place mat out in front of you, which you flip over to reveal which Pokemon you got!
If you ordered any merchandise whilst booking your place at the Pokemon Center this/these item will be in a brown Pokemon Cafe bag where you’re sitting. I loved this and inside you will find your goodies and even some brown bags for if these are gifts for people back home! I loved this so much and most of all, in the UK you would probably fret and worry if anything was missing due to theft… Not in Japan! I’ll show you what we picked up at the end of the post… 😛
So, when you are ready to order your drinks and food just tap on the iPad, select your desired language and you’re ready to go!
I’ll be honest, it was hard to choose what I wanted for a few reasons – First being price and second being that I didn’t want to not choose something and regret it later. I’m glad I splurged out and got everything that I wanted!
Drinks I went a bit crazy, but it was mostly because I really wanted to try them and I wanted the glass/mug they came in too. I went for the Pokemon Latte iced with glass and the Gengar’s Okay Hikari Smoothie with glass.
Dane just went for the Pokemon Latte Hot with mug. He wasn’t as greedy as me in regards to drinks. 😛
The drinks were one of my favourite things from the Pokemon Cafe menu, with my favourite being the Gengar grape smoothie and of course I needed to take the glass home with me. This drink was a really thick slushie (not smoothie) in the classic grape flavour that Japan loves! If you love Grape Fanta, you will adore this and if anything, it’s better! Dane regretted not getting himself one. For a small glass this lasted ages too, it was the last thing we finished before resting our bellies and paying.
The lattes (both hot and cold) were really good! You get to choose from Pokemon No.001 to No.251. I went for Eevee on my iced latte and Dane went for Growlithe on his hot latte. The mug you get your hot latte in is much different from what you get to take home with you if you decided to buy the mug. The mug you get in the Pokemon Cafe is in the shape of a Pokeball, which was really cool! I’ll be showing you guys at the end of the post the mug we got. The glass I got with my cold latte is the same as the one I got to take home. This is honestly one of my favourite things I purchased during our trip to Japan! I love using it for my favourite cold drinks, it just puts a smile on my face at how cute the glass is.
When you order drinks you also get the chance to win some coasters too, one for each drink you order. So, we got the chance to win three! We won two Grookey coasters and (name). The duplicate Grookey sits in my plushie shelf, whereas the other two we won will be stuck in our Japan trip 2020 scrapbook. FYI – You will always win a coaster. 😉
When it came down to the food choices, we had LOADS of choice, as well as some limited edition dishes. I was only going to go for one dish, but decided to go for two after discussing it with Dane. I don’t regret this at all… Even when I was so stuffed I couldn’t move!
Food wise I went for the Kabigon’s Manpuku nap lunch plate for my main and the Messon’s berry berry fruit sandwich for my dessert.
Dane went for the Eevee well plate with Eevee plate as his main and the Jigglypuff’s Musical Cheesecake for dessert.
I’m honestly so pleased with the main I ordered, which was the Snorlax nap lunch plate. Inside the Snorlax bowl (in his belly) you get rice with veg and prawns, I didn’t eat the prawns but the rice was AMAZING! It was flavoured really nicely and I enjoyed every bite. On the side you had a salad, some star shaped hash browns, pieces of pork (which were so soft and succulent!) and finally a sauce to dip your meat, hash browns, pour over your salad etc. The whole of the Snorlax nap lunch plate was perfect and honestly I couldn’t have been happier with my choice! I really struggled with what I wanted to pick for my main but I’m glad I chose this in the end.
Dane went for the Eevee plate and got to take a plate home, which we’ve now popped up on our fireplace! The plate was adorable in the sense of it was definitely kawaii and a little bit too good to eat… The first thing I noticed was the rice in the shape of Eevee’s head with edible rice paper for the ears and details of the face. I don’t think Dane minded eating Eevee’s face though… 😛 You also get a salad, some spaghetti/noodles, hash browns, chicken, some sauce and something else that he can’t quite remember.
Whilst we were eating out food Chef Pikachu came around to greet us, which was adorable! This little show must have lasted about an hour max, but that’s with Chef Pikachu moving around the whole of the Pokemon Cafe. Basically, you get a little show from Chef Pikachu where he thanks you for coming to the cafe and you thank him for the food! The show was adorable and I filmed loads of it on my phone, which I’m sadly not going to share on my blog (this is more for personal).
Eventually when Pikachu had thanked us he moved to the next area of the Pokemon Cafe, which meant we could continue to eat our food. I’m not going to lie, it would have been hard (and kind of rude!) to carry on eating our food during the show. The show was at a perfect time though and we definitely had the best place in the cafe for it!
After we finished our mains we waited for our desserts to arrive, which didn’t take long to be honest with you! We were sat near the kitchen so we got our food and drinks pretty quick, which was great.
Originally the only dish I was going to order from the Pokemon Cafe was the Sobble dessert and whilst I loved the dessert I ordered, I’m still glad I ordered more! This is a limited edition dish which is actually finishing after this weekend, however, originally it was meant to end towards the end of January when we were due to come back home. They extended it, which is cool! This was such a lovely, light dessert and I enjoyed it so much! It’s a sponge sandwich type thing that is meant to be the shape of Sobble’s head, with cream and blueberries in the middle. Alongside this you had some more blueberries, a pot of blueberry cream and a little bottle of lemon juice. When your poured the lemon juice into the blueberry cream it turned it from a blue colour to purple! Very cool and I loved it so much, it definitely worked perfectly alongside the type of Pokemon Sobble is.
I have to say I love blueberries but due to how full I was from the main I just couldn’t handle it all, so Dane had to help me finish. I really struggled and that is not a bad thing! For how much you pay to sit and eat these amazing dishes in the Pokemon Cafe, you really do get your moneys worth.
Dane’s dessert looked so cute and seemed perfect to have after a big meal, as it also looked light. The Jigglypuff shape of the cheesecake was kawaii and he couldn’t have chosen anything better! This is sadly now discontinued, so I’m glad Dane picked it up before it was gone forever! It’s a berry cheesecake so had a pink tint for Jigglypuff, some biscuits in the shape of musical notes and some cream and berries. As I said, perfect and light after a big meal!
After we had finished eating and had relaxed our full bellies a little, it was time to head to the till and pay. However, before doing that we made sure to take advantage of the photo opportunities around the Pokemon Cafe and have a nose at the merchandise on offer.
There’s a bench you can sit on in the Pokemon Cafe with huge plushies of both Chef and Waitress Pikachu. This is a great place for all the photo opportunities, which we made sure to take advantage of!
We also took some photos around the Pokemon Cafe at all the displays we viewed briefly as we walked through to our table and there were some pretty cool ones in there such as LEGO version of the Snorlax and Mew that is outside of the Pokemon Cafe AND Pokemon Center Tokyo DX (which you can read about here) and various prints from artists, which are also signed. It’s very cool!
Finally we decided to have a nosey at the merchandises we contemplated picking up. The only I ended up picking up for myself was the Pokemon Cafe red takeaway mug. I’ve wanted it for years, so I knew I wanted to pick it up from the cafe.
When we went to pay we were given the goods we had bought when we ordered our drinks and dishes from the menu, these includes the two glasses (Gengar and iced latte), a Pikachu mug (hot latte) and the Eevee plate from Dane’s main.
I had to add here I was a tad gutted about the mug I received… As Eevee is one of my favourite Pokemon, that’s the one I wanted. However, the staff wouldn’t give me one and said it wasn’t available, so I can only assume it was sold out, which is a shame! There will always be chances to get hold of it from sellers though. 🙂
The service was incredible at the Pokemon Cafe! The staff were all so bubbly and friendly to talk to and the majority of them spoke English too, even when you were trying to/were speaking Japanese, which was really nice.
Finally I want to show you guys all the goodies we came away with from the Pokemon Cafe, because I know you all love that sort of thing! 😛
First of all I’ll show the goodies we got when we made our reservations. Again, these are exclusive and can only be purchased when reserving your place at the Pokemon Cafe!
Now onto the items we bought when ordering our food, as well as after when we were paying for our meal/goods. I also want to mention how aside from the Eevee plate, everything we bought below was packaged in sturdy Pokemon Cafe boxes, so we didn’t have to worry too much about bringing everything back… Although I did wrap the glasses and mug up in newspaper just to be sure. 🙂
Gengar Glass – I knew I needed this glass, it just looks really cool! BUT I didn’t quite know what to expect when I saw it out of the box and without the grape smoothie in! It’s a tinted purple glass, with the Gengar face we all know and lo… Are frightened of. 😛 It also has the Pokemon Center logo at the bottom of the glass too. I haven’t used this glass since we got home and if anything we have decided to keep it safe in our cabinet, alongside some of the other goodies we picked up in Japan, including the Pikachu mug we picked up in the Pokemon Cafe too.
Pokemon Cafe Glass – This is one of the few kitchen related items I grabbed from the Pokemon Cafe that I ACTUALLY use. 😛 I love my Pokemon Cafe glass and although I do get so anxious when I use it, I love it so much and it really does make me smile to use. It’s such a gorgeous design and I can’t really describe what the glass is like over than it shouts the Pokemon Cafe at you! On one side you have the Pokemon Cafe logo and a few various images of Chef Pikachu and Waitress Pikachu doing things in the cafe. 🙂 It’s perfect and just reminds me of the cafe whenever I look at it and use it.
Pikachu Mug – This was one of the things that Dane got and you could either choose between the Eevee or Pikachu mug. As I mentioned earlier, we wanted the Eevee mug but wasn’t available for us, so the Pikachu one came home with us and you know what? I actually really love the Pikachu mug! It’s so cute and well made to be honest with you. The handle is Pikachu’s tail, whilst the mug itself has a cute image of the happy Pikachu we have all grown up with over the years. It also has the Pokemon Center logo on the other side of the mug. It’s a lovely bright yellow colour which will really stand out in the cupboard where you keep your mugs!
Eevee Plate – This is the plate Dane got with his meal, of course he got a brand new plate, not the one he ate off of. 😛 This is a sturdy plastic plate in the shape of Eevee’s head and of course has an image of Eevee’s face on the plate too! It’s incredibly cute and I really love it! We weren’t 100% sure what we were going to do with it when we got home and we toyed with many ideas, eventually we decided to display it on our fireplace with one of my Eeveelutions prints and some figures. I love it so much and it really does brighten up our fireplace a litte.
So, would I recommend going to the Pokemon Cafe? Excuse my language but FUCK YES! If you are going to Japan and happen to be in Tokyo or Osaka (or both places for that matter!) then I would highly recommend to book yourself a reservation to the Pokemon Cafe before you go! Of course if you aren’t a fan of Pokemon, this may not be for you but honestly if you are, or at least were as a kid this will definitely bring back some nostalgia for you.
It was up there as one of my favourite places to go, as well as eat at whilst we were in Japan and I already know as and when I venture to Japan again, I’ll definitely book a reservation for the Pokemon Cafe for a second time. It was worth every penny and I was so happy during my time there.
What do you guys think of the Pokemon Cafe? Would you love to go? Go over to the website and tell me what you would order from the menu! Have you been to the Pokemon Cafe before? Let me know in the comments with which one you visited and what you had to eat.
Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far! 🙂
It’s officially March and I already know I’m going to be skint this month… 😛
I’m also aware that I’ve broken my “every Saturday will be when posts go up” rule that I set after I got back from Japan. Like I said on my previous post for my February favourites post, I have always had certain days set for my monthly posts and I’m going to stick with these. So this week I will have two posts up! This one today and then one on Saturday.
This months wish list is full of game and anime related stuff, which isn’t a bad thing! 😛 I’ve already mentioned in various posts about all the games that are coming out this month that I am excited for, so of course I need to mention them here!
I hope you enjoy this months wish list post, and it isn’t too Japanese gaming and anime related… 😛
Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing: New Horizons (link)
Of course I had to mention my favourite thing about March! Animal Crossing is finally coming to the Switch this month and I know I’m not the only one who is really excited for it. I’ve had it pre-ordered for months now and I am counting down the days now until it comes out. I’ve actually booked the day off work so that I can head out first thing in the morning, pick it up from Smyths (where I’ve pre-ordered from) and spend the whole day playing it as much as I can! Dane is also getting the game, so we can play it together the weekend it comes out, which I am beyond excited for. I’ll be talking loads about his game this month… Just warning you now. 😛
Nendoroid Mai Sakurajima (Requested through YY Kawaii)
As many of my readers know, both me and Dane collect Nendoroid figures and we made sure to pick up some that we really wanted when we went to Japan in January. HOWEVER I regretted not buying one in particular that I kept seeing, which is Mai Sakurajima from Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, an anime that me and Dane watched together last year. We both fell in love with it and it’s one of those anime series now that I really love. We saw LOADS of merchandise in Japan for this anime and aside from Dane buying me one charm of Mai Sakurajima in her bunny girl outfit, I didn’t get anything else. I saw the Nendoroid figure loads and at decent prices too… But I just never bought it, as I planned to when I got back to the UK. HOWEVER, she’s either sold out or the release date has been pushed back months. She hasn’t been re-released… Just pushed back, which I find odd. So, I reached out to my favourite person for getting my Japanese goods, YY Kawaii to see if she could get Mai for me and she could AND FOR A GOOD PRICE! I’m so excited to receive her now and put her on display either in my Nendoroid cabinet or maybe on a shelf I’m getting next to my bed for some of my favourite things! I’ll see how I feel, but yes! I am excited for get her now.
Nintendo Switch Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (link)
John Lewis & Partners Premium Faux Fur Throw in Soft Pink (link)
A couple of weeks ago me and Dane popped into town as I had to exchange some Vans I bought before Christmas. I wore them to Japan as they were perfect for walking around in BUT they ripped at the side! The store was amazing and exchanged them for me straightaway. They are by far my favourite shoes now… ANYWAY as we were in town we decided to have a nose around whilst we waited for the trains to quiet down from the rush hour. We went into John Lewis, as we love a good nose at household stuff and I saw this gorgeous pink throw, which is one of the softest things I’ve ever touched. I really wanted to buy it, but they didn’t have any in stock. When we found out how much it cost… We were put off a tad. I still want it though to stick on the end of my bed BUT the price… I’m going to say this for a rainy day when I fancy a BIG house related treat. FYI if you haven’t gone to have a nose at the price yet… It’s £95.00… Ouch.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Blu-ray Collectors Edition (link)
It was only from looking for the Mai Sakurajima Nendoroid that I decided to take a look into the anime she comes from, to see if there’s any DVD’s or Blu-ray’s out for it… WHICH THERE IS THIS MONTH! Me and Dane love this anime, so as soon as I found this on Amazon I shouted to Dane, “Hey Dane? Bunny girl senpai is out next month… Shall we buy it?” His simple answer was yes. 😛 So this will be pre-ordered by one of us soon!
As a Persona 5 fan, I am beyond excited for Persona 5 Royal! It’s basically the same game but with loads more story and game play added… So an expensive DLC if you will, but I don’t mind as I love Persona 5 so much! There’s loads of stuff that has been added that I’m so glad to have heard and seen already. I won’t mention here, as whilst I didn’t mind spoilers, I know others may who have never played the original game, or who have and have wanted to stay away from the spoilers. I’m actually being sent this game from Gamersheek, who are an amazing company that I discovered back in 2017 and since then we have built up great relationship! I worked with them for a time to advertise the Joker Nendoroid, which I loved! Since then, whenever Persona 5 related games have been released, Gamersheek have sent them to me! I will be writing all about Gamersheek at some point this month, so make sure to keep eyes peeled for that! 😀
Nintendo Switch Lite Carrying Case (Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition) & Screen Protector (link)
Another Animal Crossing related item! Nintendo have announced some amazing Animal Crossing related merchandise that will be coming out at the same time as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and this is one of the many items I would love to get! I don’t need a carrying case for my Switch Lite as I already have one, but this one is so cute! As I’ll be popping out the day this comes out, I might see if I can grab it whilst I’m out, instead of pre-ordering it. 🙂
Honestly whilst writing this post I have just gone and ordered the Cookie one of this… OOPS! 😛 I wanted to buy something to cheer me up, as I’m currently in bed with the flu and it sucks. I love cross stitching and doing kits and as I now have my plushie case (it’s a book case but I shoved all my Pokemon plushies in there!) I would love to decorate it a bit more with Animal Crossing related stuff! I’d like to do the cross stitch kits of my favourite Animal Crossing characters and hang them/place them inside the case somehow! I’m excited for the Cookie one to arrive now!
Anyhoo guys, that was my wish list for March 2020! It was very Japanese weeb heavy and I have zero fucks. 😛
What do you guys have on your wish lists this month? Are you excited for Animal Crossing too? Make sure to let me know in the comments!
Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a great week so far. 🙂
Guys it is officially the first post of my Japan trip and I am so excited to share it with you today!
I decided to kick start this post with two things I love, hauls and Pokemon. YES I will be sharing with you guys not only the goods I picked up from the Pokemon Center, but a quick glimpse of the Pokemon Center’s I ventured to as well as some random Pokemon bits and pieces too.
As a lot of you know, I am a massive fan of Pokemon and have been since the young age of 9 (I lose track of how old I was but I think I was roughly this age?). I’ve never looked back and it’s still a massive love of mine 21 years later.
Of course when I went to Japan I HAD to go to the Pokemon Center… More than one to be fair. 😛 I ventured to the Tokyo DX, Tokyo Station and Shibuya (Parco). Me and Dane did try to go to Mega Tokyo in Sunshine City, but this was closed. They’re currently refurbishing it for renewal, which will reopen in Spring this year! Sad that we missed out on that store… They did have the Pokemon Go Lab, which is a Pokemon Center… But full of Pokemon Go merch! We walked past and had a glace,but we weren’t bothered about going in to be honest with you… We don’t play Pokemon Go as much as we used to… Although we may get back into it for some fitness.
Years ago I discovered the Pokemon Center existed in Japan back in around 2011 when I finished university. I had loads of time on my hands and found out LOADS about it! I wanted to go, be there and experience it myself. I’d search for YouTube videos, just so I could see what it was like and imagine I was there. I never thought I’d get to go to the Pokemon Center myself, so being able to go with Dane was something magical for me and I was so excited.
The first one we went to was the Tokyo Station one, which is tiny! I was fascinated by all the plushies they had in there and wanted to buy so many. They also had a limited coin machine you could get a printed brass/copper coin from too for just 200 yen. I didn’t get one on my first trip. I went back and picked one up.
Just an FYI with this post, I won’t be including prices, as most stuff I honestly don’t remember… I just remember buying lots of stuff I wanted and paying a lot of money… 😛
I bought a few plushies from the Tokyo Station Pokemon Center including a Cyndaquil plushie and a Poke Doll Mew plushie. Surprising, Cyndaquil is one of my favourite Pokemon and out of all the games, it’s also my favourite starter to choose from too.
Later that day we ventured over to the Tokyo DX Pokemon Center, as we had the Pokemon Cafe booked (which I will be talking about on another post soon!) for the evening and Tokyo DX is right next door!
Just entering the building that takes you up to the Pokemon Centre and Cafe is amazing. There are four pictures that line the sides of the room which are COVERED in loads of different Pokemon and a lift in the middle. You have to take the left up to the 5th floor in order to get to both the Pokemon Center and Cafe. The doors open behind you when you reach the 5th floor and you’re met with a massive Snorlax, Mew and Pikachu statue in front of you with the Pokemon Cafe on the left and the Pokemon Center on the right of it. I was in awe and felt like a little kid. I was FINALLY at a Pokemon Center and I knew then that I was going to enjoy this moment the best I could. I took as much in as possible.
We had plenty of time to look around the Pokemon Center before our slot at the Pokemon Cafe was due, so we made sure to spend as much time shopping, taking photos and admiring the store as we could.
When you enter the Tokyo DX store they have a history wall to showcase and celebrate all of the Pokemon games that have come out, so from Red, Blue and Yellow back in 1996 to where we are now with Sword and Shield! It was amazing.
As well as that, outside where the area is for the statue (which separates the Pokemon Cafe and Center) there are little silhouettes of all Pokemon to date that cover the wall around the area. This was pretty cool to have a look at and we made sure to glance over as many of the silhouettes as we could! They have so much space leftover too to add anymore Pokemon, which is really cool. They clearly thought the idea through before doing it, which is amazing!
One thing I took advantage of at the Pokemon Center is the birthday discount you can get. If you visited the Pokemon Center (apart from the Tokyo Station, the other two I mentioned above did this!) on the month of your birthday you could get a birthday card, a crown AND 5% off that day in the Pokemon Center, amazing eh?! I made sure to take advantage of this. I just needed to show my passport as proof and I was okay. You get to write down what name you would like in your card (I did this twice I did one with Nat and the other with Natalee) and they get a crown for you too. On the back of the birthday card is the discount, which you MUST use that day (and I assume only in that store too?), which I made sure to do!
I don’t think I grabbed the discount when I visited the Tokyo DX store for a second time, which I was a tad annoyed about as I bought more than I intended to… OOPS!
I’ll talk about each store for now and of course, mention what I bought from there too.
First of all I’ll share what I picked up from the Tokyo Station store.
Mew Poke Doll Plush – I LOVE the Poke Doll plushies from the Pokemon Center and as I already own four of the Eeveelution Poke Dolls already, I know I wanted to get this Mew to add to my collection. Mew is one of my favourite Pokemon’s and when I saw and looked at this cute little Mew, I knew I had to pick it up. It’s eyes are huge, so kawaii!
Cyndaquil Poke Plush – Cyndaquil is actually my favourite starter Pokemon and has been since I first played Pokemon Silver in 2001. I knew that during our Japan trip I would pick up a Cyndaquil plushie at some point. I ended up getting two in the end (the second one was from a second hand store, so won’t be included on this post) which I wasn’t shocked by. At first I picked up one of the Pokemon Fit plushies but when I saw a bigger plush for just 100 yen more, I decided to pick this one up. It’s flame back is so damn fluffy and bushy! I couldn’t have asked for a better Cyndaquil plushie to be honest with you.
Dratini Plush Keychain – This was something I had been eyeing up loads during the whole holiday, as I had seen it through YY Kawaii when the campaign it came from first came out. I put off buying it until the last couple of days we were there. I wanted it, so I decided to pick it up! It’s a cute little Dratini plush keychain that has found its home on my Kanken backpack. If the weathers rubbish (which, let’s face it, has been awful lately!) I’ll take it off and pop it into my backpack until the weather improves. In Japan a lot of people (both men and women of all ages!) had plush mascot keychains on their bags, which I loved seeing! I’ve hardly seen it since getting back to the UK and it makes me sad. I like to think someone will see my backpack and my Dratini will make them smile. 🙂
As I mentioned previously in the post, I ventured to the Pokemon Center in Shibuya, but to be honest with you I only bought one thing (which is why I’m showing this Pokemon Center next)! The Pokemon Center itself was incredibly impressive with the Mewtwo in the glass tank, as well as some of the exclusive Shibuya goods. However, as we had previously ventured to the Tokyo DX Pokemon Center, this was incredibly underwhelming… Size wise anyway and the sort of items on offer.
Eevee Roll Cookie Tin – I had looked for this cookie tin in the Tokyo DX store, but all of the Eevee ones had gone, with only the Pikachu ones left. I like Pikachu… But not as much as Eevee! These have been opened by me and Dane and eaten some of the yummy treats! The roll cookies come in chocolate and honey flavours and they’re gorgeous! You didn’t get the chocolate ones in the Pikachu tin. I don’t know what I’ll be doing with the tin after all the goodies are eaten. 😛
So, I have saved the best until last… In terms of Pokemon Center’s… I found that Tokyo DX was my favourite out of the three I went to as it was the biggest and hence had more variety! It also had loads of artwork to take photos with. OH and the Pokemon Cafe was next door. 😛 I visited this Pokemon Center twice, as I just felt the need to go again to spend my monies. 😛
I’ve been so excited to share with you guys all the goodies I bought and what better item to start off with, than with an adorable plushie! 😛
Mew Sekiguchi Plush – I have wanted this plushie for about 4 years, so when I saw it in the Pokemon Center I knew I had to grab it! It wasn’t cheap, but I knew I was expecting to spend a lot of money in the Pokemon Center anyway so… Yeah. 😛 I think this was 2,900 yen, which in pounds works out around £20. This is so fuzzy and squishy which is amazing! It’s definitely something that stands out in my plushie case (it’s a book case full of plushies :P) which I love. I honestly regret not picking up the Eevee, Umbreon and Espeon Sekiguchi plushies too. 😦
Pokeball Random Mini Plush (Eevee) – This was a spontaneous item I picked up from the Pokemon Center and it was purely because me and Dane thought it would be fun to have a go and see which Pokemon we get! We could have gotten two different Pikachu’s, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Vulpix, Gengar, Snorlax, Mew, or Eevee, which is the Pokemon we got! It’s adorable and I couldn’t have asked for a better Pokemon to have inside the Pokeball. 🙂 The Pokeball clips into itself so it’s easy enough to open and close. I hate it open on my plushie case with the Eevee inside.
Eeveelution Puzzle – Me and Dane love doing puzzles together so when we spotted this Eeveelution one, we knew that we had to pick it up! It’s not a massive one, but it’s one we will make up and hang up in the house somewhere. 🙂
Mofu Mofu Eevee Mirror – I didn’t really need a new pocket mirror for my backpack, but I fell in love with the Mofu Mofu Eevee collection and whatever I found with the Mofu Mofu design on, I wanted. I started using this mirror when I got back to the UK and sadly, my first outing with this and using it, my perfume bottle leaked and it’s ruined some of the pattern on the front. 😦 This being said, it’s still kawaii!
Mofu Mofu Eevee Bento Lunch Pouch – I wanted so much more from the Mofu Mofu collection, especially the lunch related goods. I knew I couldn’t buy them all however, so I just picked up the lunch pouch, which I’ve been using for work to take my lunch in… Obviously. 😛 It’s so damn cute, it makes me happy to take my lunch to work in.
Eevee Cookie Tin – If there was one thing that the Pokemon Center has loads of, it was cookie tins! If anything, I regret not buying more. 😛 I picked up this Eevee cookie tin, as I’ve seen it around for years and knew I wanted to pick it up. The cookies inside are chocolate, with white chocolate in the middle. This is really nice, but to be honest they do leave a funny aftertaste in your mouth.
Camera Strap – July last year I treated myself to a new camera, a mirrorless one at that both for my holiday to Japan, as well as in general. As much as I love my digital SLR, it can be quite a chunk to carry around. Anyhoo, the camera strap that came with my new Sony camera is horrible and would cut into my neck… Not good! I noticed this Pokemon camera strap for sale and decided to get it! It has some of the more popular Pokemon on the strap itself, as well as a handy lens cap holder too! This was great to have whilst we were travelling around Japan and just wanted to keep taking photos, without the worry of losing the lens cap. I love this strap so much, its one of my favourite purchases during the holiday
Just an FYI – I bought a LOT of stationary related stuff from the Pokemon Center! I’ve been using it a lot for my Dungeons & Dragons sessions, as we as writing down notes here and there for my blog. 🙂 I love stationary and have always wanted stationary from the Pokemon Center, so it was just something I knew I was going to buy a lot of. 😛
Mofu Mofu Eevee Notebook – I have too many notebooks… I needed this one though. It’s adorable! I don’t quite know what I’m going to use it for as of yet… Maybe blog related stuff whilst I’m out and about? Dungeons & Dragons in the future? I don’t know… 😛 I just needed it! The designs on the front are adorable, with all the Eevee’s doing different things such as sleeping on books, holding quills in their mouths and sitting in teacups. Cute! There’s designs in the book too, with the Eevee holding the quill in it’s mouth again.
Mofu Mofu Clear File – I bought quite a few clear files whilst I was in Japan, but this is my favourite one by far! I actually bought this to keep my files in for Dungeons & Dragons, but as of yet I haven’t had the chance to use it. The image on the front of the two Eevee’s is so adorable, I’d frame it to be honest! 😛
Mofu Mofu Eevee Pen Case – I didn’t need a pen case… But due to how much stationary I bought whilst I was on my holiday, I kind of had to! That and the pencil case I use currently for all my stationary items is from when I was studying my GCSE’s at school… Which was 15 years ago now! That pencil case is great, but I wanted something smaller and more refreshing! This one is a perfect signs for everything I bought on the trip, and I really enjoy taking it out with me. It’s so cute to bring out of my bag when I want something to write with. The image of the Eevee’s cuddling together on he one side is so kawaii!
Mofu Mofu Eevee Mechanical Pencil and Pen – The blue design is the pen, the red is the pencil. There were four designs/colours in total including the blue and red ones I own, as well as a brown (pencil) and green (pen I think). I didn’t really want anymore mechanical pencils as I have a pink one I really love (well… loved until I bought my new ones in Japan :P) to use so I didn’t need another mechanical pencil. I picked up the pen, which is black ink and was happy. When I went back to the Pokemon Center, I ended up picking the pencil up too and I don’t regret it! The pencil writes really well and I much prefer it to my pink mechanical pencil to be honest with you! The designs on them both are gorgeous with the fluffy, happy Eevee designs all over.
Mofu Mofu Eevee Washi Tape – I decided whilst I was in Japan that I would become a washi tape collector… Purely because I’m working on a scrapbook soon about our trip to Japan and wanted to use cute patterned washi tape to make the scrapbook look pretty inside. Of course I couldn’t not pick up the mofu mofu design, which is just loads of cute Eevee’s running along the tape. I haven’t opened this yet and don’t plan to until it comes to me using it.
Pikachu Mechanical Pencil Lead – Due to now owning a total of four mechanical pencils, it’s always good to make sure to have plenty of pencil lead for these! I couldn’t get a mofu mofu Eevee design (they didn’t make one…) so instead I picked up a cute Pikachu design instead, which is kind of similar to the mofu mofu design. This came with quite a lot of 0.5 size led inside already, but as I owned some already from my first mechanical pencil, I decided to add them into this holder. I’ll never run out of led now!
Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Dragonite and Mew B-Side Label Stickers – Finally we have some stickers from the Pokemon Center. I’d heard about the B-Side label stickers from YY Kawaii and had always wanted to buy some… But never did. However, when I was in the Pokemon Center, I went overboard! I bought three when I went for the first time and then another three when I went the second time! There were cheap at 350 yen (£2.43) but the more you picked up, the more the price wound up! I picked up the Eevee, Dragonite and Mew stickers as these are my three favourite Pokemon. So, when I visited the Pokemon Center again, I knew I had to pick up the rest of the original Eeveelutions from Gen 1 as they were at the till I was being served at. I have zero regrets, I just don’t know where to stick them now. 😛
Overall, that is my haul from the Pokemon Center’s in Tokyo! I did buy more Pokemon goodies which were official from other stores, secondhand, or from kuji’s both me and Dane played on. I’ll be talking about those in another post in the future.
What did you guys think of the Pokemon Center’s I ventured to? As well as the goodies I picked up? What would you pick up from the Pokemon Center if you had the chance to go? Make sure to let me know in the comments!
Until next time all, take care and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far, I’m poorly at the moment… Which sucks. 😦
Guys I have been so excited to write and share this amazing little company with you today. You honestly don’t know how happy I am that this post is finally out there for you guys to read.
When I fall in love with something, I really do fall hard. Whenever I fall in love with a new company, I just want to shout about them to everyone in every way possible. It’s one thing I love the most about my blog – even if one person reads the post, at least one person has discovered the thing in question.
Today I will be sharing with you an independent company I discovered in 2019 and wanted to share going into a New Year!
I discovered Quirkory in August 2019 through their Kickstarter campaign A profusion of Eeveelutions & Lunar Spookies. Lots of enamel pin designers who I follow over on Instagram had posted about the campaign on their Instragram stories and Twitter and I couldn’t help but take a look myself over on Kickstarter myself.
I fell in love with the unique kawaii designs and I knew I had to back the campaign. The Eeveelutions are some of my favourite Pokemon to choose for my team in Pokemon games.
The campaign is basically a cross between the Eeveelutions and Greek Gods – which I thought was a really cool crossover. Growing up I loved learning about Greek mythology and I wish I’d taken it further with my studying of it in school.
The choice was so hard to make and I ended up settling on backing one design and in my brain (as I didn’t yet need to pick) opted for the Eevee Hera design. However, a few days later I ended up upping my campaign to three pins because I couldn’t just have one. I regret not backing all nine of the Eeveelution Greek God designs… 😦
So, as I mentioned I opted for three enamel pins, which I am excited to show you today! I’ll also be showing you guys the free Eevee pin I received for backing three or more enamel pins AND an additional enamel pin Eevee Greek God design I was sent by Quirkory as a thank you for sharing them on my blog Instagram stories and supporting them just that little extra. As well as that, I will also be showing you their Galar Ponyta design, which I had on my backpack whilst out and about in Japan!
Disclaimer — Although not gifted for my blog, I will put an * next to the pin I was gifted by Quirkory, so you guys know I didn’t pay for it. 🙂
The three designs I opted for were the Leafeon – Artemis, Eevee – Hera and Umbreon – Hades, with the one I was sent from Quirkory being the Flareon – Hephaestus*.
All of the designs are perfect and so cute! I’m going to talk about each one, as I feel like they all deserve their own spotlight on my blog.
I love how in any order you make with Quirkory, they sent a cute little thank you note! Some stores out there do do this, but I just found this little note to be super cute! Especially the Inari and Mosted mascots for Quirkory at the bottom. SO KAWAII!
Speaking of Inari and Mosted, for both my Kickstarter awards and when I ordered my Galar Ponyta enamel pin, I got some cute little stickers of both the characters in my order. It makes me so happy to see the little mascots and I cannot wait to stick the stickers in or on one of my notebooks!
First of all I want to mention that although I love all of these pins I’m torn between the Umbreon and and Eevee pins as being my favourite. I love them both for completely different reasons to be honest with you! I think the whole, cute and light and cute and dark works so well and URGH I love.
Why this God for Leafeon? “Leafeon usually lives in lush forests. It has both animal-like appearance and features that make it look like a plants, thanks to its cellular structure which allows it to perform photosynthesis and purify the air! So it’s the right mix of flora and fauna and perfectly embodies Artemis, the Greek Goddess of hunt, forest, harvest, wild animals and female initiations. Personification of the crescent moon, she’s the daughter of Zeus and Latona. She lived in the woods with his reliable hunting dogs, always armed with a bow and golden arrows.”
Leafeon – Artemis – (link) – This is on a rose gold enamel with a twin back. This is actually the first pin I saw from the collection, so really it was my reason for falling in love with the campaign in the first place! It was also the pins I was toying with picking if I had stuck with backing just one of the designs. Colour wise, this has to be my favourite out of the four Eeveelution Gods enamel pins I own. The pink background and yellow and green of Leafeon work so well together and it’s definitely attractive. I can imagine when I wear this enamel pin in particular on my clothing or backpack that it will fetch a lot of comments from people. One final think I love it the Leafeon’s mouth design. It’s very plain, but it looks so cute all the same! I love it!
Why this God for Eevee? “As Goddess of the family, women and protectress of marriage, she was the Queen Olympus and one of the most important deities. she was as jealous as revengeful and to her “misfortune” she married Zeus (who certainly wasn’t the ambassador of monogamy!) since she was jealous of her husband, she hated his favourite son Hercules… Whose human nature consequently led Hero to hate the entire humanity as well. Her symbols are the diadem, the peacock, the sceptre, the lotus and the pomegranate. Eevee is not vindictive for sure, and it loves indiscriminately anyone who gives some affection… That’s why it can be perfect queen and protectress of the family, The Eeveelutions Family!”
Eevee – Hera – (link) – This is on gold enamel with a twin back. This is such a cute design and shouts Eevee to me! I love the little :3 smile that they decided to go with for the Eevee, it’s adorable!!! I love the level of detail that is put into the Eevee design and out of the four I have, this one has a “proper” crown on, which is due to the Greek God she is supposed to be. The little braces around it’s front legs are also really cute. This is definite up there with the Umbreon design as one of my favourites! It’s just so chubby, fluffy and cute! As Eevee is one of my favourite Pokemon, this one definitely has a soft spot. 🙂
Why this God for Umbreon? “In the ancient Greek mythology he’s the God of the dead, King of the Netherworld and the shadows; he strongly masters the death with his faithful Cerberus, reigning undisturbed the underworld! He never cares about the earthbound and rarely gets out of his own world. ~ Just like our little Umbreon! Dark, mysterious and tenebrous, it hides in the darkness while waiting for its opponents, but he’s a lonely soul that never gets involved in matters that doesn’t belong to him.”
Umbreon – Hades – (link TBA) – This is on black enamel with a twin back. I LOVE that this is on black enamel, as it works so well for the darkness of the Umbreon design. I obviously can’t speak for the other designs, but out of all the enamel pins I have this is the biggest one. As I mentioned, the design is very dark all around with lots of black, navy and blue colours. The only “brighter” colours used are the yellow for the eyes and crown and pink for cheeks and mouth. I think the reason I fell in love with this design of Umbreon is due to the grumpy look on his face and his open mouth with a little snaggle tooth on show. It’s just perfect at showing how Hades is the God of the underworld, all whilst showing an adorable side to him as well.
Why this God for Flareon? “He was majorly known as the God of fire, but he also was the God of craftsmen, sculptors, metallurgy and volcanoes. As a smithing God, Hephaestus was the workman of the immortals: he made all weapons, furnishings and dwellings of the Gods in Olympus. Exiled from Olympus and confined in a volcano from birth, he never gave up and he had to devise clever stratagems to go back in! His main symbols are a smith’s hammer, anvil and fire. His forge was located under a volcano! Flareon has the same fiery temper! If it gets angry for an important reason, it can be a real hot-head and explosive! But it is also obedient and a very good “worker”. It can totally dominate fire and flames, since it can literally produce it thanks to its flame save inside its body.”
Flareon – Hephaestus* – (link TBA) – This is on gold enamel with a twin back. This is the design that Quirkory were kind enough to send me! I was able to pick it, by the way, it wasn’t randomly chosen (which was even nicer of Quirkory!). The Flareon pin is perfect, it really does show off everything about both the Pokemon and the Greek God! The eyes show that Flareon is mad/grumpy (if you will…) and with a flame in the background and his smith’s hammer, this is just perfect! I honestly love how grumpy the Flareon’s face it and I especially love how the mouth is covered by the floof of his chest, it makes him look even grumpier!
Eeveeloop Enamel Pin – (link) – This is on gold enamel with a twin back. This was actually free with the Kickstarter campaign as I backed more than pins. This is so cute with the two little Eevee’s in the loop design. I thought that one of the Eevee’s was a normal colour and the other was shiny, but this doesn’t seem to be the case at all. Either way, the design is simple but adorable and perfect for any Eevee fan out there. One touch I really love on this pin (as it’s the first one I’m writing about) is how on the back of the enamel pin Quirkory have their name printed, but underneath is states, “Eeveeloop”. I’ve never seen this on an enamel pin to date and I think it’s really unique!
Eeveeloop Sticker (link) – The enamel pin design above is exactly the same as the sticker. This was included in the Kickstarter campaign too if you backed anything, which is a lovely little thank you really. This is available to buy on their Etsy store now, which I have linked above. If you fancy bagging yourself a cute little sticker, then go and grab one now! The stickers from Quirkory are adorable.
Eevee Greek God’s Stickers (link) – As I backed three enamel pins I was able to pick two stickers to add to my order… However Quirkory being the beauts that they are sent me four! I picked the Glaceon – Atherra and Flareon – Hephaestus designs to have as stickers, so Quirkory sent me the Leafeon – Artemis and Umbreon – Hades designs too. I feel so lucky to have received so many goodies from Quirkory. They’ve definitely left me feeling loved with this parcel. :’)
All the stickers are of a matte texture and so cute! They’re a decent size and as I mentioned, would be great to stick on or in a notebook/diary, or maybe even on a phone case to customise it to whatever you see fit!
Lilac Galar Ponyta (link) – The Galar Ponyta pins is by far one of my favourite enamel pins in my collection… Seriously! I have never seen an enamel pin printed on a different colour enamel until I bought this. This is on lilac enamel, which really makes the pastel colours of the Ponyta’s mane and tail. These colours are pink, blue and yellow, with the other sections of Ponyta being white and lilac from the metal. If this is in the gold enamel, these parts of course wouldn’t be lilac. I honestly love this pin so much that it even came with me to Japan on my backpack! 😀 Sadly, I didn’t get any comments on it. 😦
The one thing I want to comment on here with Quirkory’s enamel pins and in turn which is one of my favourite things is the quality. They feel and look amazing, which is perfect. I feel like I’m only really starting to understand good quality enamel pins, even though I’ve been collecting for two years now. These feel smooth to run your finger across.
At the time of writing this blog post, the Eeveelution pins (or any on the Kickstarter for that matter) aren’t available to buy at the moment. Quirkory are aiming for all of the Kickstarter pins to be shipped out first before they decide to sell any via their Etsy store. They are aiming for the second half of February for the pins to be up on Etsy! So make sure to keep eyes peeled on their Instagram page, Etsy store and even my blog! I will be linking back to them all as soon as they hit the store.
I’m already planning to pick up the other five Eeveelution Greek God designs as and when they go for sale on their store.
In case you’re curious the other Eeveelution designs are below:
Halfway through working on this review for Quirkory, I decided to have a mini internet with them about their brand and what they hope for the future! So I will include any exciting things coming this year for them!
During this year, Quirkory would like to vary and expand their range of products, starting with the launch of plushies, bags/ita bags, plaids and mugs (for the latter they have special plans in mind).
Inari & Mosted (who they are created more stickers of AND a webtoon/comic strip, which I am so excited for!), The Witcher (which is something they really love!), original creations and contents which are base on animals and nature (which is their biggest love!)
A project they particularly care about will be titled “Wrongies”, which is inspired by everyday life and by the movie Ugly Dolls. They have already designed some pins with the purpose of pushing people to love and accept themselves more, as well as the things we own, because lately everyone is increasingly focusing on defects and flaws way too much. This sounds amazing and I’m so interested in how these will look in the future!
They will not discontinue from making fan-arts in the future!!! Which is great news, because they’re so amazing at doing them. 🙂
Finally, Animal Crossing! I have shown a sneak peak of what they are showing on their Instagram of one of the first sneak peaks of Animal Crossing. IF you love the style that Quirkory go for and would like to see them design and certain Animal Crossing character, then make sure to head over to their Instagram page and TELL THEM WHO YOU WANT TO SEE! 😀 I really want to see Isabelle, Bea, Cookie, Goldie and Lucky. I love my doggies in Animal Crossing. 🙂
Quirkory opened their Patreon about a year ago, but at the moment it’s quiet… Before they announce the launch of it, they are working hard to still prepare for everything and perfect it ready for when it launches. Quirkory want their Patreon to be different, special and yet affordable for everything – so not just a pin club, which I love! It shows that they’re really thinking about their customers. 🙂
So that is it for my review of Quirkory! I have tried to include as much information as I can think of, as well as snippets from the mini interview I conducted with Quirkory! I will also of course link below to their store and social media platforms:
What do you guys think of Quirkory? Their designs are cute, right? Would you look into buying from them in the future? If so, what would you pick up? Make sure to let me know in the comments!
Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far.
2019 is the year where I really got to work with some amazing people and companies on my blog, but 2019 is also the year where I have been privileged to work with one of my favourite independent artists, JenniFairy.
As readers will know, since 2018 I have discovered a new hobby, which is enamel pin collecting. I just love them so much! They’re affordable, can be pinned anywhere and best of all a great way to show off some of your favourite artists, game series and more.
If there is one independent artist I really do love and adore, it’s JenniFairy! I love her Pokemon pins, as well a her food pins too. We’ve been talking together for a while now through Instagram and I’ve discovered what a lovely person she is to talk to! We spoke about Japan, what she hopes to do with her store in the future and more. She’s one of my favourite artists to talk to, purely for how approachable and honest she is.
So, when we decided to work together, I was so excited! Whilst I have worked with loads of big companies and people this year, I have also learnt that I actually get more joy out of working with smaller/newer companies and independent artists, especially ones I have loved and bought from for many years.
JenniFairy is definitely one of those people! I’ve spoken about Jenn and her store on my blog before. Once back in 2017 when I first discovered her and mentioned her on my old independent artists series and literally this time last year when Jenn worked with Sour Attitude Club to create two gorgeous Pikachu enamel pins in their Pika Sweets Cafe range!
I remember wearing these pin badges to Birmingham Comic Con in March on my Persona 5 varsity jacket and EVERYONE asked me about them. Who they were by, how much, etc. I felt so happy to share JenniFairy and her store with everyone at the con. 😀
I am so excited to share with you guys not only the pins that Jenn sent me to talk about on my blog but I’m also going to show you some I have bought myself! As always, I will share links, prices and of course which pins were gifted to me, as well as which ones I bought. 🙂
Some of the items mentioned in this post have been gifted for promotional and reviewing purposes, so all views on this post are entirely my own. Items that have been gifted will have a * next to them.
I have a few different pin designs (and a sticker!) from a couple of different “series” that JenniFairy has released recently, as well as throughout the rest of 2019. 🙂
The first series I will talk about is the most recent one, which is called Spoopy Cuties. I remember when Jenn was sketching the ideas up for these cute pin designs and I honestly fell in love with all the dressed up ghosts! I knew I had to pick up one of these when they came out.
The Spoopy Cuties will be perfect all year around! I know loads of people who love Halloween and I feel like these designs will be perfect for showing off your love of the spooky month. 😛
In the collection there are 6 designs to choose from – Pumpkin Buddy (you can also grab a glitter variant too which is special edition!), Boolloons, Angel Ghost, Devil Ghost, Witch Bunny and Boonicorn. I was gifted and bought the last 2.
Witch Bunny Enamel Pin* – A Grade £8.00 and B Grade £6.00 (link)
I know loads of people who actually picked up the Witch Bunny enamel pin and I can honestly understand why. This is one of my favourite designs to come out in the Spoopy Cuties because it’s so cute with that bit of Halloween too! The purple hat works really well with the white bunny and I especially love the star detailing on the hat too. This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back. I do really love this bunny! It would be really cute to wear on a leather/fake leather jacket!
Boonicorn Enamel Pin – A Grade £8.00 and B Grade £6.00 (link)
This is the pin I knew I had to buy when it came out! I actually picked up a B Grade for a change and I have to be honest, this doesn’t look like a B Grade at all! If anything it looks like an A Grade, which makes me so happy. I can’t see any defects on it at all, which is good. The Boonicorn is so pastel, I love it! It has a pastel mane made of colours yellow, pink. blue and purple, as long as a sparkly white unicorn horn, which I found to be such a cute and magical unicorn touch! It’s face is so happy with it’s pink rosy cheeks and little arms. It’s just so damn cute! I love ghost themed things at Halloween so this pin is perfect for me! I already plan to wear it in my new itabag whilst I’m in Japan! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.
The next collection I want to talk about is actually from the first Kickstarter that JenniFairy released this year, which is Big Cat Cuties. The campaign came out in July, with pins being sent out to backers at the start of October. I backed one of the designs, but Jenn was kind enough to also send me one of the cats I regret not picking up!
The collection (as the name suggests) is inspired by big cats of the world, with the collection including 6 designs to choose from – Jaguar, Black Panther, Snow Leopard, Lion, Lynx and Tiger. Again, I was gifted and bought the last 2.
Big Cat Cuties Tiger Enamel Pin* – £9.00 and Seconds £7.00 (link)
I actually think this is my favourite design out of all the Big Cat Cuties! It looks so bright with the orange and adorable with it’s little happy face! As I mentioned before, I did regret not backing for 2 pins because I wanted this one so much! This will look adorable on a cream jumper or cardigan at work, or even on a coat throughout the winter months. I know cat fans are also massive on cat toe beans, which the Tiger has! It has little black pads, so cute! It’s the only Big Cat Cutie design to have this. This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.
Big Cat Cuties Lynx Enamel Pin – £9.00 and Seconds £7.00 (link)
This is the Big Cat Cuties design I chose from backing the Kickstarter campaign and it’s so adorable! I’m not a massive “cat” fan, but I couldn’t resist this cute animal pin designs, especially as they were by JenniFairy. I love the grey colour of the Lynx design and especially the cute little pink nose. It adds such a perfect touch alongside the white and grey. This is an enamel pin I know I’ll wear loads, as I love the colour scheme so much. I love the fluffy detail on the ears, it’s so well done and really does bring out more detailing on the character. I would love to wear this both in my new itabag as well as on my red winter coat! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.
I was gifted these with my Kickstarter campaign award (Lynx) and just wanted to show them to you guys! They’re so damn cute and I don’t have the heart to use them yet, as I’m not 100% sure HOW I want to use them! You get all of the Big Cat Cutie designs here and these would make a lovely little Christmas gift for someone who loves cats.
The next pin I want to talk about is a design that brought me to JenniFairy’s store in the first place, which is her adorable Eeveelution collection called Chubbilutions! I actually already own a couple of the Eeveelution pins already, which is both Eevee (a seconds pin) and Sylveon. The one I opted for this time is Vaporeon, which is one of my favourites out of the 9 cuties! Of course you can pick up Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon. I would LOVE to own all these in the future! 😀
I’m so glad I chose this design as it’s absolutely adorable, as well as really well detailed! I love that all of the Chubbilutions are munching on their tails, which is such a cute idea. I love how JenniFairy worked on this for each Eeveelution too. I do love the tail in Vaporeon’s mouth though, the cute little mermaid pupper that it is! I also love the detail on the scales of the Vaporeon too along its tail and as odd as it sounds, it feels really comforting on the fingers when you stroke it. This pin will be perfect to wear all the time and I especially can’t wait to put this pin and the Sylveon one together in my itabag! This is on a gold finish and has two clutch fixes on the back.
As well as enamel pins, Jenn also sent me a sticker! I actually own the enamel pin design of the sticker that I was sent. I wanted this sticker to pop either into my Filofax diary, or even a notebook.
I love this design so much, it shouts Japan to me in every sense with both the Pikachu and the crepe. It’s so cute and really does remind me of when I went to Birmingham comic con in March and everyone adored this design, alongside the Pikachu ice cream design that I own both of the pins of.
Finally I’m going to be talking about my favourite item that Jenn sent me in my gifted package and it’s an item that is sadly no longer available as it was limited edtion. HOWEVER, Jenn will be bringing a special Christmas edition out of this little cutie, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this!
Detective Pikachu Enamel Pin*
I love this pin so much and it’s one that Jenn was kind enough to put to one side for me before it sold out, as she knew how much I wanted one! As I mentioned before, this pin is now sold out but I just had to mention it here because I know JenniFairy will be bringing this back for Christmas… So make sure to keep eyes peeled for this limited edition cutie! The original design has his cute little deer stalker hat on and his takeaway cup of coffee! I love the pastel colour scheme for this too, it’s perfect and really does shout JenniFairy’s unique style to me! I loved Detective Pikachu so I’m so pleased to have a little pin badge to show this. This will definitely be going into my itabag and taken with me to Japan! This is on a gold finish and has one clutch fixes on the back.
So that is everything that both JenniFairy sent me, as well as the few bits I picked up myself. 🙂
I cannot thank Jenn enough for giving me the opportunity to work with her for this blog post today and it is by far one of my favourite collaborations of 2019! I’m so excited to put these pins in my itabag, as well as on cardigans, coats/jackets and more to show off to the world and especially when I go to Japan! 😀
I love talking about independent artists on my blog, especially when I love what they do! If it means I can talk about something I adore and help my readers discover new places to buy kawaii goods from at the same time, it’s real blessing.
Overall I honestly love Jenn’s designs and they’re so unique and whenever I see her work I instantly know it’s her. Her designs are cute, pastel and chubby, can you get anymore kawaii than that? I don’t think so. 😛
Not only does she design Pokemon themed goods, but she does also design food and Japanese food, as well as some other animal designs too. Make sure to go and check out her store for more, as well as go and bag yourself some goodies as well! 😀
I’ve posted JenniFairy’s links down below so you can check out her store, as well as all her social media platforms. 😀
Christmas is looming and I feel JenniFairy would be a great place to pick up a Secret Santa present, as well as gifts for friends or young teenagers who love Pokemon.
What would you like to pick up for yourself, or a friend? Make sure to let me know in the comments below!
Until next time all, I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend. 🙂
There Might Be Coffee 