My Etsy Store

I finally opened an Etsy store, because I made this cross stitch for my friend and I wanted to sell the pattern.

So if you want to try your hand at some cross stitch look at my shop: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Natcave

:)

I've been so stressed lately. I've finally graduated my bachelor degree, whilst working full time. And I moved house before christmas and someone smashed my car window!!!
It's a wonder I'm not losing hair from the stress.

New Norcia 2016 and New Tattoos

I've had a few adventures lately.

I visited the annual Library Lecture at New Norcia again this year. It included a tour of the cemetery which was interesting. I bought my parasol with me so I wouldn't get burned, which turned out to be a great idea as there's no shade anywhere in New Norcia.

Last Tuesday I travelled down south to Bunbury to get a tattoo from Ebony Mellowship. I've been looking forward to this for ages, and I really enjoyed my time with her. She was so gentle, and I had no trouble sitting for 7 hours. You can follow her on facebook or instagram under Ebony Mellowship.

Adam Ant tattoo!!

I also bumped into a reader of my blog, Dani. She used to have a blog of her own. It was really great meeting her in person! She took this little photo to put in her alternative clothing shop :)

I don't have any exciting plans for this Halloween. I'm going to stay in with some films and my cross stitch. 

I wish all my readers a happy Halloween! Stay safe.

New cross stitch, and a night out

I have been keeping my fingers busy with lots of cross stitching. It's a great tool for a lonely spinster such as myself ;-)

I made this for a coworkers birthday. Pattern available on Etsy from Ampyfied

This pattern took me a very long time to finish, the end result is fantastic. The pattern calls for yellow bats, but I made them grey instead. Pattern available on Etsy from DeepKalio

Games of Thrones cross stitch! I love how it looks like a tapestry. I haven't washed or ironed this yet, so it's a bit wrinkled. Available on Etsy from Ad Leones

On Saturday 1st October I was lucky enough to DJ at the goth night The Gathering. Lots of fun, and my makeup turned out really well.

Here is my playlist:

Prudish 11.45pm-12.30am

1. Goodbye Horses by Garvey

2. Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs

3. Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush

4. Fade to Grey by Visage

5. Let's Dance by David Bowie

6. The Lovecats by The Cure

7. Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order

8. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division

9. I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock of Seagulls

10. Take On Me by Aha

11. Whip It by Devo

12, The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen

Prudish 1.15am-2.00am

1. Closer by NIN

2. Destroy Everything You Touch by Ladytron

3. My World by Colony 5

4. Unicorn by Apoptygma Berzerk

5. Call The Ships To Port by Covenant

6. Chrome by VNV Nation

7. Exterminate, Annihilate, Destroy by Rotersand

8. This Shit Will Fuck You Up by Combichrist

9. Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy

10. 100% (Combichrist Remix) by Angelspit

11. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

I Heart Patches

Patches are an accessory that can really make your clothes an expression of your individuality. Here are some patches I have purchased from Etsy lately.

Siouxsie, The Cure, and Joy Division patches from neoshiki

David Bowie mugshot patch from Toxic Crash Cult

Embroidered Joy Divison patch, and tags for the Overlook Hotel (The Shining) and the Bates Motel (Psycho) from Bruised Tongue. The Overlook Hotel tag is currently on my car keys. You can also see my rabbits foot :)

Divine patch, plus a free sticker from Black Lodge Press

I have lots more patches on my wishlist :)

The Gothic Shoe Company Review Winklepicker Review

Winklepickers are the staple of many goths wardrobes. I think you can never have enough pairs. I love dancing with them, and the traditional goth silhouette they provide.
Modern winklepickers are sometimes difficult to obtain, especially good quality ones! That is why I am excited to review a pair of winklepickers from The Gothic Shoe Company.

This company is family run in the UK and design, cut, stitch, and make the boots completely from scratch!

One first glance of their website there are so many options to choose from! They have a number of winklepicker styles, some with buckles and some without. Along with chelsea winklepickers, original pikes, and chukka boots.
The options amongst the winklepickers also seem limitless. There are options with zipper closures, lace ups, and buckles of all shapes and sizes. Coffins, bats, skulls, western, and pentagrams all make an appearance in buckle designs.

The material of the shoes is also varied. There are lots of colour options for leather, suede, and patent. If they don't have an option you like, it's always good to send them an email as there are many other options they have. You can even send in your own material to get shoes made from!

I was drooling over all the different shoes available, and I was conflicted in my choice. In the end I decided on some plain 4 buckle winklepicker boots. This allows me to wear them everyday, and even to special events, without feeling too dressed up.
For the future, I have my eye on some green suede boots- or maybe some lovely bat buckles. Gosh, I want more winklepickers!

The shoes are very affordable, especially for shoes that are handmade! Once I placed my order it took around two weeks for the shoes to be made, and three weeks for delivery to me in Australia. I had no trouble with the delivery times, as they shoes are made to order and delivery to Australia can be a bit slow at times.

Arriving at my house, safe and sound.

Look how wonderful they are!!

I found the boots to be very comfortable, and the leather is very supple straight from the box. I took my shoes to my local cobbler to put grippy soles on them, as winklepickers are usually made with a smooth sole.

I love my new boots, and I highly recommend The Gothic Shoe Company. I will be purchasing more winklepickers from them in the future.

Scitech After Dark: Dinosaurs

Around two weeks ago I went to an event with my coworker/friend for her birthday. Scitech is a interactive science museum/discovery centre, aimed towards children. School groups usually go, and I remember that I went while I was in primary school.

Luckily, Scitech realised that adults wanted to play too, especially without children around! So Scitech After Dark is a series of 18+ events with alcohol available for purchase (although I don't drink). This time there was a dinosaur theme.

My friend and I arrived early and stayed till close, so we got to look at everything and play with a lot of cool stuff. They also had shows in the Planetarium, and a puppet show!

I wore:

Dress: ASOS

Cardigan: ??

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: TUK creepers

Bag: Rubi Shoes
Necklace: ?? Present from birthday

Glasses: Clearly Contacts

They had a part where you could poke your head inside an aquarium!

This fishy was staring at me :)

Me, my coworker/friend, and her friend.

We had a great time at Scitech!

My Colouring Book Collection

Adult colouring books are the currently popular, and I'm glad. I love colouring books!!
Because colouring books are so popular now, they're easy to purchase and they cover a lot of really cool categories (instead of just childrens stuff). You can purchase most of them online. I suggest browsing colouring books on Amazon to get an idea of what they look like, and reviews from customers, and then purchasing them through Book Depository (this option is better for Australians, because we can't buy items off Amazon without huge shipping fees, Book Depository is free).

See below for a look inside each book!

Sunday morning outfit, and some cross stitch

We had a breakfast at my parents place this morning, in honour of my little sisters, Heather's, birthday (which is next week). We had pancakes! Afterwards, my sister Kirsty and I went shopping and got a whole bunch of cool things.

I'm wearing:

Cardigan: Asos

T-shirt: Ebay?

Skirt: Big W

Tights: We Love Colors

Boots: Justin Roper Boots

Below are some cross stitch patterns that I've finished recently.

Cross stitch for a friend. I found the pattern free online [here]

Cross stitch for my sisters, Kirsty's, birthday last April. Purchased pattern from Etsy, Kattuna [here]