A letter to my followers:

Dear darling followers,

Thank you to everyone who's still stayed with me, even though I haven't been posting... You've touched my heart, so thank you greatly! ♡

I want to preface my letter by explaining why I'm writing a letter. Lately I've been writing to my sweet penpals, so I thought it'd be fun to treat you all like a penpal for this post! You could even write back in the comments in letter-style, if you like, hehe. Most of what my letter to you will be about are ideas I have for future posts and what you'd like to see. Feedback is especially appreciated, so I can get an idea of what to focus on in my future posts.

I actually have an excuse this time for not posting.. I've been in South Korea! Well, I stayed in Seoul for a month, and then came back to start the new school semester; I've been pretty busy, you see. A lot has happened since my last post, and I'm kind of overwhelmed with things to write about, now that I've decided to dedicate time in my schedule to faithfully post.

One big change is that I'm now the vice president of a new club at my university.. the Japanese Street Fashion Club! I'm so blessed to have this opportunity, and even more blessed that our club has shown a lot of success so far in terms of member participation and turn out. We've also been featured in our university's newspaper and currently have several other organizations wanting to do interviews with us! In the future, you may see many posts related to what shenanigans we're up to. Also feel free to like us on facebook!

I have also been wanting to start making youtube videos to go along with my blog posts. Topics would be: makeup tutorials, hauls, beauty reviews, and other lifestyle videos. What do you think?

I'm so sorry I haven't had time to reply to this person's comment, but someone has requested a taobao tutorial! Would this be helpful to you? Would you like to see a tutorial? My most popular post is my mori 101 guide, which includes a list of places to buy mori, but I've been thinking of also making a separate post with this list. I also try to update my guide when I can, as I'm learning myself :)

In regards to my trip to Korea, I'd like to know what kinds of posts you might like to see from my trip. I went to SO many cafes, but I regret I did not take a lot of pictures in them. I'm thinking of making a big post with a list of most of the cafes I went to and would recommend, including the pictures I did take and stock photos if necessary. I think I'll also make another post listing the districts in Seoul I went to and and can recommend. I definitely will write about my time at the folk village, because I have a lot of pictures there. Some other things I went to were concerts, museums, the beach, a kindergarten, lots shopping.. Is there anything else you'd like to see? Do you have any questions for me? Maybe about traveling itself?

I recommend following me on instagram (@misskellietea), as I'm pretty active there! I post my outfits and lifestyle, predominantly mori but also other J-Fashion sub-styles. What other sub-styles are you into?

I will also continue from my last post soon, the follow-up to Tea Corners. Sister styles posts will come soon as well. :)

That's all I have for now! I'm really interested to hear your replies, especially if you have any particular requests for future posts. I'm all ears and eager to hear from you!

Yours truly,

Dear Miss Kellie ♡

Tea Corners PART 1: Necesssities

Since I blog mostly about mori kei and fashion, I think my love for tea hasn't really been made known. Guess what? I LOVE tea! I like the way it smells and tastes and looks and sounds in their tin and all the different types that suit different moods. I could go on, but then I'd never get to the purpose of today's post!

Tea corners! What's a tea corner? Just where you stash your tea and the things you need to make it. Here's mine. (Excuse the poor lighting, my room is not lit for photos)

1. Tea (duh)

Obviously tea will come in handy for your tea corner, but instead of just stocking it with your favorite generic tea bags, try branching out into loose leaf or order a sample pack from an esteemed tea company! 

Try a sampler from some of my favorite brands: 

Harney & Sons  

Adagio

Republic of Tea

 2. Tea tins

Ebay

Tea tins are those things Teavana pushes on you every time you buy tea there. "What size tin do you want?" when you don't want one at all.

Turns out, tins are important for keeping your tea fresh because it blocks out light and air. Also they don't have to be as expensive as the ones Teavana sells. Most loose-leaf teas will come with them, but if you purchase your loose-leaf in bulk, it's pretty likely you'll have to buy a tin separately. Try some from ebay, amazon, taobao, or your local craft store.  

Just make sure they block out light and are at least somewhat air-tight.

3. Storage for tea bags.  

Admittedly, I use more loose leaf than tea bags, but the bags to tend to accumulate. I use a small box meant for office supplies bought from Target. If you prefer to display your tea bags, you might want something a little more fancy. 

4. Tea pots

Have at least one every day pot (preferably one that comes with an infuser) and at least one fancy pot for company.  

I have an older version of the For Life Stump Teapot as my everyday pot and a Teavana glass pot for special occasions. 

Amazon

Teavana

My dream pot that I think can be used for both casual and formal settings is a Frieling Tea Maker. ♡ 

Amazon

5. Teacups

Again, it's best to have some for company and some for solo drinkings. I, however, don't follow this rule because 1) The fancy teacups I want are too expensive and 2) I'd probably use them for everyday anyways. Instead, I just collect whatever cups I like. My handle-less cups that are used for milk-less teas are also from For Life. Other than that, I tend to collect whatever cups I admire.

Amazon

In the next part of this series, I'll recommend more specific items to get for your tea corner that you might not think you'd need!

Until then,

Miss Kellie 

Walnut Creek: First summer mori coord

Yesterday, I went with a few of the local mori girls to a huge park! Well, in our minds, it was an enchanted forest. I posted a video on instagram (for some reason, embedding isn't working) of peering over the edge down into the creek.. The first time I looked down I kept thinking, "Where's the bottom??

Blouse & Dress & Glasses: Thrifted from Buffalo Exchange

Under-dress: Taobao

Tights: Ebay

Socks: My mom's

Shoes: Keen

Neclace: Late grandmother's

Bow: Handmade by me

Mia and I posed for some Harajuku-styled street snaps! Overall, I was fairly satisfied with my outfit because it kept me cool and had a new look to it that I hadn't tried yet; more summer-y, playful, and almost childish. 

I'm a little disappointed in the coord for a few reasons. For one, I think the first time I put this coord together it fit me better; for some reason now, it looks too frumpy in the wrong places. But maybe that's just because I've seen it for two wearings and now looking at the photos, I'm seeing all the flaws. Maybe it's just because I usually have something over that dress and the seam falls on my hips (awkward).

Also I really want to tea-dye my socks because they're all too light for the shades of lace I usually wear, which is cream and beige. Same problem with my tights; I felt they were too white. I got them off ebay and I think there is a Grimoire original of them which is more beige, so these are probably a knock-off. I'm not sure though. 

So that's something to try and work on for next time! 

Also Emile (our resident actual real life forest child who's awesome) is dressed in natural kei next to Mia in mori, so you can really see the distinction in styles! And yes, Emile has reached ultimate mori level and has taken on flower form. ❀

Hope you enjoyed this photoshoot in the woods! ^___^ 

Sincerely,

Miss Kellie

Baby the Eggs Hide Right: Easter mori coord

My goodness, it feels like so long since I've made a proper post! I finished school for the summer a few weeks ago, so now I'm getting out of my lazy-and-free period and can now be productive (ha!). Let me dump some recent coord pictures on ya!

I wore this outfit for the Lolita easter egg hunt, "Baby the Eggs Hide Right," which was very appropriately named. (For those of you who don't follow lolita, Baby the Stars Shine Bright is one of the top brands!)

Top: Taobao

Middle layer (dress): Thrifted from Buffalo Exchange

Bottom layer (dress): Taobao

Tights: Taobao

Boots: Target

Purse: Handmade by my parents

Basket: World Market

Hair accessory: Handmade by me!

Overall, I was very pleased with my outfit, but now I feel like the top was kind of sparse. It was hot though that day, so I'll let it slide!

Also I'm very pleased with these pictures my lovely mother took; on tumblr the post is nearing 350 notes! Wow.. I feel so blessed and humbled. Thank you ♡

Sincerely,

Miss Kellie

Mori Kei Sister Style Series: Yama Girl

Reminder that that these are my personal observations on each style and I do not claim that these are the definite definitions. Also this is coming from the perspective of a mori girl, so please keep that in mind as you enjoy this series. ^^

Yama girl

"The distant cousin from the city that sometimes goes hiking in the mountains"

I personally am not a fan of yama girl, but mostly because I so often see them compared to mori kei as being so closely related. In my opinion, the styles are completely dissimilar. The concept might be similar, mori girls in the forest and yama girls in the mountains or forest, but the styles are very different.

Yama girl includes bright neon colors, wind breakers, exercise gear, backpacks, and hiking shoes. Nothing about blending into the forest or being from the forest, no air of mystery or fantasy.

I have seen a few well-done yama coords that have an air of natural kei, which I definitely prefer and think is a very cute way to go hiking. The pictures below would represent that cross-over. Plaid is also a popular pattern, whether you're doing a cross-over coord or not!


















Do you like yama kei? Have you tried it yourself? If you have, let me know in the comments! (I'd like to be convinced that yama kei is not a rave party for hikers, heh.)

Sincerely,
Miss Kellie

Mori Kei Sister Styles Series: Dolly Kei

Reminder that that these are my personal observations on each style and I do not claim that these are the definite definitions. Also this is coming from the perspective of a mori girl, so please keep that in mind as you enjoy this series. ^^

Dolly kei

"Whimsical half-sister"

Key terms for dolly kei will be vintage, fairy tale, bohemian, folk, and "gypsy," (I really don't know if this word is offensive or not, I've heard conflicting arguments >< So if it is, I apologize!) depending on how you prefer to wear your dolly kei.

The great thing about dolly kei is that it's even more flexible than mori. More colors, more fabrics, more patterns, and more shapes and styles of dress. There really isn't a set color scheme, so long as it has the fairytale or vintage feel!

Dolly kei is also a fantastic way for someone transitioning to mori from classic lolita or even the opposite. Feel free to break out your corsets and petticoats! TIP: An easy way to make a dolly kei outfit is by crossing over mori and lolita.

Closer to dolly x cult party or mori 

Closer to dolly x lolita

HAVE FUN TRYING IT OUT! I know I certainly want to. I've also seen a lot of dolly kei "for the office" that I could wear when I teach! Wow!

Sincerely,
Miss Kellie

Mori Kei Sister Styles Series: Dark Mori

Since I've been inactive recently due to my busy school life, I thought I'd take some time to make something special for you! A guide to a few of mori kei's main sister and cousin styles! This will be in several parts, one post per kei. I'll make sure to update each post with links to the others as I go along.

Due to past experiences with my blog posts, I will make sure to remind you that these are my personal observations on each style and I do not claim that these are the definite definitions. Also this is coming from the perspective of a mori girl, so please keep that in mind as you enjoy this series. ^^

Dark mori

"The 'evil' twin sister"

{ Can be found lurking in the depths of a dead forest }

   While dark mori girls aren't necessarily evil, they definitely have a dark style! The pieces are mostly exactly the same as mori and the same layering concept is implemented: lots of layers, lots of lace. However..

   The main and huge difference is the color scheme! While mori kei's color scheme is typically off-white, beiges, then browns, the dark mori color scheme is black, dark gray, browns, then other earth tones with the occasional beige or white. While it's difficult to stay strictly mori kei with earth tones without venturing into natural kei, dark mori can easily have earthy greens, brick reds, and rich violets while still staying within the genre.