"'ello, Governor?"

Firu's sister just arrived around two weeks ago in Germany! Eep! We've been going to places and getting along rather well so it's really nice having her around - plus, she's an extra vote I have to fight off Firu's lazyness to go out and about. The other day, after lusting after this beaut for so long, I finally got to see an English telephone booth in the flesh! How pretty! There's one near where Firu lives. Of course I was excited to see it and dragged Galuh, his sister, all the way out here for some outfit shots - thank God she didn't mind - and we ended up having so much fun. As opposed to the original, this one isn't used to house payphones anymore. It is now filled with books and you can donate or take books and bring them home. Instead of the book, I'd really love to bring home the phone box, though. Haha. How nice to have such a jewel in my (read: Firu's) room! ♥

Number61 shirt // Forever21 shorts via Selective Potential // vintage purse + penny loafers // photos by Galuh

As soon as Firu told me about this beaut, I instantly knew what I was going to wear whilst taking pictures there. These beautiful shorts from Tieka! There were plenty of delay to actually wear these shorts. Last year I shipped them to my sister in Australia (see how she styled them here), she sent them back to me in June with two gaping holes. I couldn't really fix the holes etc. etc. I could've sworn they fit me more loosely when I tried them on last year. Big butts, I'm blaming you! I'm so glad to finally be able to style these shorts. I wanted so badly to channel some Tieka into the post. (Was actually thinking of going to cherry festival myself but couldn't find one and no one wanted to go with me). So glad I can at least do a little bit "matching my outfits with the surrounding" thing that Tieka usually does when traveling. By the way, check out how she styled these shorts below. Super cute, I know.

Tieka of Selective Potential

Just dropping by to wish an Eid Mubarak 1434 H to all Muslims in the world! May the holy month that's passed be a miraculous month to you and bring you lots of blessings. May you spend this holy day with family and loved ones, spending it well in good company and lots of joy. May today be the start of a whole new life for you and bring you peace. As I'm not going home this year, I am quite saddened by not having the chance to reunite with my beloved family. But thak God, I have the chance to spend it with Firu this year and be merry together. Have a blessed Eid (for the Muslims) and a wonderful day (for the rest of you)!

The Illusion of Perfection

Sometime last week Firu and I went on a very, very brief trip to Aachen. Firu had some business to take care of in the area and we ended up meeting up with our friend, Cosmas. It was our first time visiting the town and I instantly fell in love! Too bad Cosmas - who lives there - and Firu don't seem to share this infatuation. When I said 'brief' trip, I wasn't kidding. We only stayed in town for 2 hours tops so we only got to see the cathedral. It was more magical than the one in Cologne. They both share the gothic exterior but the interior is completely different. I love the marble walls of the cathedral in Aachen and the frescoes lining the ceiling. It has this Egyptian touch, which, oddly, doesn't seem to be out of place. Though relatively smaller than the one in Cologne, it is very serene and beautiful. I reckon, Saku-chan would know a lot more of the mosaics and glass paintings had she seen them. Taking pictures inside the church is actually forbidden, unless you pay 1€ beforehand. Aside from the cathedral, the simplicity and architecture of the town caught me by the eye. I will visit again soon! After attending to Firu's business, we stopped by at the Nordpark in Düsseldorf, which has plentiful of wondrous blossoms. Too bad the weather wasn't pleasant then.

Vintage shirt via Capricious Traveler // Only skirt // Görtz purse (thrifted) // thrifted brogues // photos of me by Firu

I find it rather humorous how Firu and I both wore pretty much several shades of a colour from head to toe. Firu wore blue and I brown. It was so strange. This wasn't even in the least bit intentional. Firu was my exact opposite, though, and refused to preserve this funny happening in photos. I guess it takes courage to have someone take a picture of you, what with the social network being what it is now. Even though I'm a blogger and take pictures of myself almost regularly, I still sometimes wince at the photos I upload or have uploaded. Want to know a secret? I don't put on make up every morning, the best hairdo I pull off regularly is combed hair and I plan my outfits beforehand. All this illusion of me being a fashionista is clearly misleading. I'm not. Aside from the outfits I wear on the blog, I rarely ever put anything nice. It's so rare that I don't even wait for a good hair day to snap some shots. I put on an outfit, try to comb my hair right and cross my fingers they will look awesome on film. Now you know.

You Are the King and I'm Your Lionheart

One of the peacocks ran free throughout the zoo...for some reason

These days visiting Firu always means taking off to adventures in other towns. Firu's semester ticket is one that can take me to places - much to my delight. On this particular day, we actually only planned to go to the asian grocery store and check out Slinky Springs to Fame (this really awesome modern art sort of bridge, spiraling through, resembling a set of springs) in Oberhausen. But we sort of got lost as soon as we got off the bus and found this splendid Kaisergarten. The first thing that caught my eye was this adorable crown figure - which reminds me of Kingdom Hearts though it looks nothing like the crown in the game. I love the architecture of the whole garden but found such a great surprise when we stumbled upon this small petting zoo, which costed us NOTHING! We've never been to a zoo in Germany so it was such a nice experience. There were various animals, starting from livestock (such as bulls, goats, pigs, horses and sheep), aviaries (such as various types of chickens, doves, swans, and peacocks) to house pets (rabbits, guinea pigs and mice) and incredible wildlife (such as deer, wolves, raccoons, otters and lynxes). I even saw the rare black swan and white deer! You could also pay 1€ for a huge sack of carrots to feed the animals with. We didn't do that, though - much to my dismay.

Firu's reaction after hours of taking my pictures

Primark peter pan collar top // thrifted skirt + brogues // Görtz purse (thrifted) // photos of me by Firu

It was a godsend that we should stumble upon the petting zoo first because, by the exit, we found the bridge we were looking for in the first place. It was smaller than I thought but was possible to cross at this point - we'd been walking a while. Much like its name, the bridge is slinky and spring-like, with colourful floorboards lining the walkway. It runs over the Rhein-Herne Canal and spirals its way before actually landing on the ground. Much like other bridges in Europe, this one has locks lining the railings - with hopeful wishes of lovers of a long lasting relationship. There were people sunbathing along the river banks, some even somersaulted from the bridge right down to the river - which was crazy but pretty awesome. Firu was quite sick of my photo-taking obsession the whole day. Can't you see how exasperated he was from the photo above? Haha. More on the outfit: I've been quite obsessed with this skirt since I've acquired it. It's not neon, mind you. The photos just seem to show it wrong here. How lucky that we got out when it was raining but it got very sunny when we'd arrived.

Illustrators Arise: Moosekleenex

Hi, everyone! I am beyond excited and totally over the moon to bring you this month's Illustrations Arise feature. If you've never read it before, it's basically a (supposed-to-be) monthly interview I do with some of my favourite illustrators around the globe. This month's special guest is someone I've admired for years. YEARS! And I'm so happy she's agreed to do this. Please welcome, the talented Kelly Bastow a.k.a. Moosekleenex!

A: Hi, Kelly! I am so excited to have you here. Thanks for the opportunity.  First of all, could you please tell our readers a little bit about who you are and what you do? 

K: Thanks so much! I'm a comic artist and Illustrator from Newfoundland, Canada. I'm currently attending OCAD in Toronto for part-time Illustration classes. I'm still a first-year so it's hard to tell whether or not it's affected my art and process yet.

A: What first got you into illustration?

K: I've been drawing for fun since I was a little kid, and was really into comics and manga as a teenager. I've been posting art regularly on deviantART (and later Tumblr) for over a decade, getting feedbacks and praises has built up my confidence. Making friends with other artists has inspired me a lot, too. I want to keep creating and accomplish my goals.

A: Why did you choose the name Moosekleenex?

K: Oh, It doesn't mean anything. Me and a friend came up with it ten years ago as she was helping me make a deviantART account. Where I come from there are a lot of moose, though.

A: Out of all your marvellous artworks, which ones do you treasure the most?

K: Maybe The Captain. He's cute and melancholy, and I really like the inking.

A: You seem to work with ink a lot. Can you tell us about that?

K: I've always been attracted to black and white art, so naturally ink was my favorite medium. I love the boldness and stark contrast of ink pieces. I started using a brush in high school, I was pretty crappy at first, but improved with many hours of practice. I like the freedom and flowy-ness of brush inking.

A: Do you have any artists you admire? Anyone who inspire you?

K: Comics-wise, a few of my idols are Becky Cloonan, Julia Wertz, Chester Brown, Laura Park, Craig Thompson, Ross Campbell, and a bunch more. Carson Ellis, Foo Swee Chin, Jen Wang and Vera Brosgol have all influenced my style as well.

A: I understand that you once lived in Australia. Can you tell us about that?

K: I lived in Australia for several months in 2010. I went there to get a job and try to start a new life, but it didn't work out. However, I made some incredible friends, and had experiences I will always treasure. While living there, I was exposed to some awesome professional illustrators who made me consider art as a career rather than a hobby. I realized that I had the potential to be on the same level as my Illustration idols. 

A: What does the future look like for Moosekleenex?

K: Published comics and Gallery shows! I'm working on several fictional comics at the moment, I hope I can get them finished/published soon. It's my dream! Comics are my main priority right now.

A: Wow okay, thanks for your time, Kelly! One last thing: What kind of advice would you give novice illustrators out there?

K: Draw every day, push yourself but don't forget to enjoy yourself.

What I simply cannot resist from Kelly's style: Her artworks always seem to have this natural flow and either soft colours (with water colour) or sharp contrast (with ink). I also love the lines that always seem to bend naturally and never seem to just be boring lines. She always puts different unexpected elements into her illustrations that I would never have thought of, which give the illustration a rather dark demeanour or mysterious aura. Aside from the aesthetics - which I obviously can't get enough of -, I also love how she pours her heart out into most of her works, displaying her woes and joy. Using illustrations as a way of communication and self-expression, which gives a personal touch to her works and makes her seem so approachable to her fans. She is so inspiring to me that she even made it to my inspiration board.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to stop by her website. Also, check out the previous feature here.