~Blog Notice~

As you might have recognized it's gotten really quiet here. Since university, work and my personal projects are taking more and more time I don't really have the time for this blog anymore.

I don't want to delete it because there are still some things I really like and still quote when asked, so I add some information here at the top where you still can find me, what projects I have etc.

UPDATE: Since the information below is already five years old and you might still stumble across this blog, I thought I'd add my current main social media outlets which are: Instagram @rufflesandsteam and YouTube, besides my still existing facebook page.



I'm still quite active on my tumblr Ruffles and Steam (which is my main tumblr for Steampunk and Lolita) and I also have one for Mori/Dolly related stuff Lace and Layers.

From time to time I update my deviantArt profile AyraLeona as well.

At the moment I want to spend more time in front of a camera again so I set up a profile on Model-Kartei as well, if you are interested in doing some photos with me feel free to drop me a line there. 

The main amount of my pictures from concerts, events and co goes to my flickR account Ruffles and Steam by AyraLeona.

If you want to contact me the easiest way is via my facebook page Ruffles and Steam.

As some might have noticed my current project was my own book: "Das Große Steampanoptikum" together with Alex Jahnke which is a steampunk lookbook of authors, makers, models, artists etc. from the German-speaking area.
It can be bought directly at the publishing house "Edition Roter Drache" (or on Amazon of course). You'll find the dates of readings and signings here. 

I'm also still an active author at the Clockworker and the Gatehouse and you can contact me there, too.

When I'm not visiting events for review purposes or readings of the Steampanoptikum, it might well be, that I'm there with the Steampunk Expeditions Gesellschaft. We're always looking for new member to join the crew, so feel free to contact the team on the homepage. 

So you see, I'm still busy within Steampunk (and also Lolita from time to time) but I just don't find enough time to update this blog anymore. You now have some options where you can sty in touch with me. If you have any comments, questions etc. feel free to contact me via one of the above options.

Have a wonderful time my dear travelors,
yours AyraLeona

~about WGT outfits 2014~

As promised in my last entry here come my outfits from Wave Gotik Treffen.

Friday started with the Victorian Picnic at the Clara Zetkin Park.
We went as a group of servants (not only maids, we also had a butler but he was already gone when we took this picture)

Since it was the day-off of the servants, sun glasses fit as well:

Outfit: 

skirt + apron + headdress: Bodyline

underskirt + blouse: thirfted

sun glasses: Vintage

In the evening I changed into more comfortable clothes, Casual Steampunk Lolita: 

Outfit: 

shoes: Deichmann

socks: off-brand

dress: Orsay, dyed by me

belt: Primark (I believe) 

blouse: a gift from Kitty

hat + choker: self-made

bag: restyle.pl

On Saturday the Steampunk Picnic took place, so I wore Steampunk Lolita

Outfit: 

dress+ shoes: Bodyline
socks: ?
vest: Takko, modified by me
chocker and googles: made by me
nerf: modified by me
hat: thrifted

On I decided to go for Classic Lolita, including tights and a long blouse (although it was chiffon) as I knew we would mostly spend the day inside of rooms with air-con.

Also on my deviantArt

This time we also took some detail photos.

Outfit: 

shoes: Deichmann
tights: Primark
dress: taobao (Cinderella Story I believe)
chiffon blouse: Primark
hat: self-made
bag: taobao (Loris)
gloves: Vintage (ebay)
leather bow: Poorman's Gold Label
choker: handmade by me
brooch: hand-made (Rarebear Grumman)

In the evening the girls and me decided to go as "The Bloomer Gang" to see Tarja Turnunen

That's the good thing being a lolita: Most of the time you have a decent amout of short pants with you ^_^

On Monday I woke up quite eraly so I decided to do a fancier make-up which I normally wouldn't have dine, because the outfit I planned for it was too much fabric for the temperatures but I improvised another outfit around the make-up and I quite like how it turned out ^_^

Steampunk Mechanical Doll

Outfit: 

shoes: antaina

socks: Primark, dyed by me

dress: Orsay, dyed by me

bag: restyle.pl

leather bow: poorman's gold label

choker: selfmade

goggles: modified by me

kraken on top of my head: crocheted by me

So those were my outfits for WGT 2014. A lot of Lolita or Lolita inspired stuff as well as Steampunk. I guess one can see my preferred styles ^^

I hope you like it! Have a nice weekend! Seems like the summer finally arrived.

~About a steampunk meet-up~

Last Sunday was another meet-up of my local steampunk community Dampfkraft Gesellschaft Rheinprovinz (DaKraG). This time we went to the pancake house in Hattingen.

Andrea

My outfit fit the pancake house^^

The pancake house (or Pfannekuchenhaus in German) is a small half-timbered house in the historical centre of Hattingen. As we were quite many we had the whole upper storey for us alone. As the name suggests they serve pancakes in all ways you can think of: sweet ones with chocolate or salty ones with cheese and bacon for example. But you can also have steak on you pancake o.O (as one of the girls mentioned: for those husbands that had preferred the steakhouse^^)

The "hat desk"

After we ate we started changing places so everybody could talk not only to the ones at your own table but also to the rest.

Before the first wanted to leave we went outside to take the obligatory group photo (I'm usually the one that starts asking if we want to do one so there's kind of the ongoing joke of me wanting to take a group picture^^)

After the group shot my friend Andrea from Stoff im Gehirn and I did some outfit shots of each other as it's not that common within the DaKraG. It must be the lolita in us that wants decent photos...
I managed to get a snap of my friend Thomas as well: we had met some weeks before to work on his outfit and in the meantime he could finish his leather top hat.

After that we went inside again and chatted a little longer (making plans for the expedition camp at Elfia Haarzuilens and the like).

As more and more people left, a part of us decided to take a little stroll through the historical city centre. One of the group members had told us that there is a “steampunk letterbox” so we had a look.
Hattingen is really a beautiful little city, we once had a lolita meet-up there as well, because it's so picturesque.

As we walked it started to rain so we decided to leave as well.

Steampunks in their natural habitat, you can see their hunting habits

I really enjoyed the meet-up and I was glad to see all the steampunks again, especially not being the only steampunk lolita there thanks to Andrea, plus it was the first meet-up for my friend Thomas.

As you might have seen in my entry about the planned events for 2014 the Elfia is up next, so stay curious for what to come ;)

~about Meta's new Steampunk Lolita release~

It seems that Steampunk Lolita as a substyle gets more and more popular. Not least with Alice and the Pirates' release of Clockwork Aristokitty (on lolilibrary) in May 2013 it seems like the brands are getting interested in the new substyle.

AatP: Clockwork Aristokitty

Now Metamorphose Temps de Filles jumps on that band waggon, too, by releasing their new series "The Wheel of time".

Normally I don't post about brand releases but this one is so damn beautiful, I have to share it!

The reservation starts on March 7th, 2014, 18.30, Japanese time.

(Click to enlarge)

The print is as steampunk-y as it can be without including steam engines itself: clocks and watches as a border, together with different smaller keys, then at the bottom a meandering line of gears and cogs, topped by the writing "Metamorphose" consisting of gears, keys and ornaments itself (see picture at the bottom). In the background you can see a map. It will be availible in three colourways.

There will be a onepiece, three JSKs (one more like a jacket) and two skirts (one is the chiffon underskirt for the aforementioned JSKs, the other is a high-waisted one).

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Look at the writing!
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The skirt part can be opened with a zipper!
(If you look close at the first picture, you can see them at the hem)
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That one reminds me a bit of this JSK from F+F's "Time Traveler" series, maybe because of the front buckles... but those zipper details are just awesome!

Link / Underskirt Link

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Some details of the skirt:

Together with those main pieces go a jacket, a blouse, socks, a half bonnet, a head piece and some ribbons as well as parasols with the same print.

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Leather look!
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I think this one looks really off, a bit like hanging bunny ears...
Normally I like oldschool rectangular headpieces, but this is a bit to much!
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 If I had the money, I would get every single piece of that series ^^ All the details, just look at that!

Well, enough of the encomium. What do you think? Do you like Meta's take on Steampunk Lolita? Do you think, that there will be more brands following and release steampunk-y series?
Let me know!