Your Own Loli Shrine

It's important to have your own space. Everyone needs their own little patch, whether you're a hobo with a box, or a princess with a palace. What matters is that it's yours, and that you can do anything you want with it. This article was inspired by Ritoru-anechan's article that was posted last night on our loli blog (I also posted this article there as well). In that post she spoke briefly at the beginning about starting your own cute little shrine which you "dedicate to the gods of cute!" I really think this is a good idea. And as I have to share a room with a slobby tom-boy 9 year old sister, and have my 5 year old sister play in here quite regularly, having some privacy, and my own space to chill out is a rare occurrence (sadly enough T.T).

To start us off, I'd like to talk a little about my little chunks of chill out zone. There are about 3 that I am reasonably proud of; my dressing table shelf, my bed, and my wardrobe (however messy the last one may get).

In my bed room, there is a huge white shelf unit from ikea, it's very angular, and by no means classic victorian. More failed modern. But I do what I can with it. I turned two of the shelves into a sort of dressing table.

The shelf above this one (not pictured) covers the more practical side of things. It's where I store my deodorant, contact lens solution, cosplay things (wig caps etc), make up, make up remover, and so on and so forth, along with a couple of big jewelry boxes.

The shelf underneath on the other hand, I have arranged in a half functional, half aesthetically pleasing way. It's pretty simple, the two "posters" on either side are actually bags from one of my favorite stores for cute things, ARTBOX (ignore the picture on the homepage, England has a royal wedding on Friday -.-*). I just stuck the bags up with blue tack. In the first picture you can see stickers, and bottle caps that I just found some way or another of securing to my wall. I also clipped a few of my favorite hair clips to the bag on the right side (the pastel, and white one). ^-^
Everything else is pretty self explanatory really, it's just a case of collecting a few nice things, and arranging them in a way you find pleasing to the eye.

My next little haven is right next door to this one. My wardrobe is hardly something a loli could be proud of, right now, I own two offbrand skirts, a parasol, a simple cutsew, and a couple of blouses (neither of which fit very well >_<). But it's not the inside I wish to tackle. I go to quite a few anime and game conventions, and I regularly pick up posters. Last October, I went to a small convention in London's Brick Lane, called hyper Japan, where there was a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright stall vending their wares. Unfortunately I didn't have £31 pounds with me to spend on two hair clips, but I did manage to get hold of two posters that they had up on the back of their stall. It was the last day, so they had no qualms about letting me buy them. They're both covers off of the Gothic and Lolita Bible.

This one just adds a small bright flash of pink to an area that would otherwise be bland and boring ^-^
I keep it above my large mirror, which is why you can see a little patch of silver-ish-ness in the bottom corner.

My next little area is really quite out of place sitting where it is. As I mentioned before, I pick up quite a lot of posters, and it's really no secret that I'm a total anime nerd. So the area to either side, and above my bed is mostly full of posters for shonen (boys) anime. But, just to the right I have a small space reserved for the other G&LB poster that I bought at Hyper Japan!

It's slightly mixed with a small steampunk theme (the cogs/gears in the bottom left corner) but I guess that's just me! This area is quite creative, as I get bored and draw little things like pocky, bows and cogs, and cut them out and stick them to my wall with blue tack!

Get your own little haven!!!
Step one:
It doesn't have to be anything fancy, not at all! In fact, I'd be surprised if it was, just a small vanity area, or a shelf, or as Ritoru-anechan said, the inside of a locker at school/work if you have one. It could be anywhere, just so long as it won't be disturbed too much by other people.

Step two:
Find some cute pictures (you could use postcards, or print some pictures of coordinates you like off of the web) or if you can, do a few small drawings and pin them up on any near by walls. If you're not allowed to stick things to your walls, find some cheap frames (the kind with the little leg on the back so then can stand on a desk), and paint them or decorate them in some kind of cute fashion, then simply slip your picture inside.
If you are allowed to stick things to your walls, try finding some cute stickers, or making a collage. Be imaginative, and don't be afraid to stick bottle caps, or ribbon to your walls or picture frames!

Step three:
Either break out your one from your childhood, or try and get hold of an old fashioned jewelry box - perhaps from a secondhand store, or online? - and keep it in a corner of your desk or shelf (I wouldn't advise keeping this in a locker, as it could get damaged, or stolen xO). If you're lucky enough to own a fancy stand type display - like my torso and dress one - hang a couple of your favorites bracelets or necklaces off of it. You could even put a couple of head bows, or a mini top hat on it like I did. Again, I wouldn't reccommend that one for a locker. For that, I'd stick to the things mentioned in the second step!
Returning to your childhood once again, maybe you have a love for plushies, feel free to chuck a few of hem in there. Sanrio creations such as Hello Kitty, or Cinnamon Role are always winners!

Step four:
If you're lucky enough to own a dress makers dummy (and by that I mean one of the ones covered in cloth that you use for making clothes), and have enough of a wardrobe to actually make a nice coordinate, try dressing up the dummy in a very special coordinate or dress. Something you're not going to wear so often. This can be a really nice way to exhibit your wardrobe. But be warned, cats, dogs and apparently rampant hamsters make light work of clothes left withing the reach of their grubby paws!

Step five:
For those unfortunate enough to not posses a dress makers dummy, you could try getting hold of some nice padded hangers, and some brass, or metallic coloured coat hooks (the kind that screw into the wall) and hanging a fancy OP or JSK off of it? With a cardigan or bolero over the shoulders, just to make it a little more complex, if that's what you're going for of course!

Step six:
If you have enough space, forage up some nice books (or perhaps DVD's or CD's?) to inspire you! Next to my dressing table-shelf thing I have a copy of  the Gothic and Lolita Bible, a small book of flower fairy poems with illustrations, and a nice thick book of Harajuku street snaps. Your inspiration could be anything, shoujo manga, classic Disney movies. Or books like 'An Interview With a Vampire', 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' classic fairy tales - like the ones by the Brothers Grimm, or 'Wuthering Heights'. Perhaps you're a fan of Malice Mizer, or Kanon Wakeshima? Or maybe you just can't resist 'Sleepy Hollow', 'Vanhelsing' and 'The Adams Family'. If it's something that fuels your creativity, slap it on in there! I know that I could just turn to a lot of my manga and get some good idea for outfits, or maybe I just feel like pigging out on ice cream and watching a movie over a tub of Ben and Jerry's. XD

Step seven:
Have fun with it! It's your space, and if you don't feel like following any of my advice, you don't have to. This is merely here as a rough guide, and I know it caters far more to the sweet and classic side of things than the gothic. But it's all about interpretation, maybe you'll find a nice big wine red jewelry box in your antique store one day? Or maybe you'll find one shaped like a giant cupcake? Who knows, eh?

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Chiru
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