And... Luna is off on holiday again!

I am sorry to say that there wont be any posts on here until Wednesday the 1st of August. Why? Because it is time for my birthday and holiday again! As much as I would love to post on here, I am going to be so busy and the internet connection where I am going on holiday is a bit shaky. I did toy with the idea of setting up auto-posting, but when I attempted it before, it didn't work for some reason...

But in August everything will be back to normal again! In the mean time, here is a picture of a cute squirrel to make up for my 2 week absence-

The picture is actually very related, as I took it at Center Parcs, and that is where I am off to this year as well! I am most looking forward to doing a zip-wire over the big lake and visiting the Pancake House again. Good times!

See you all in 2 weeks and thank you so much for your patience!

Galactic Journey to the Stars by AatP

Firstly, I would like to apologise for doing 2 print discussion posts in a row. The reason for this is that I am going on holiday soon and so I want to get this out of the way before I go! Today I will be taking a look at the latest offering from Alice and the Pirates. It is called Galactic Journey to the Stars. This series includes 2 dresses, a salopette, a skirt, a blouse, socks, a bonnet, double head bow and an apple ring.

This is JSK I. The bodice is a really nice shape and it really emphasises where the waist is. What I really love about this dress is the use of starry chiffon (see below). The waist bow uses this starry chiffon and whilst the bow is big, it suits the dress well. Because this dress is so simple, I think it really needs to have the bow there, but it is also detachable if you don't like it. Personally, I think the dress is too plain without it there. The waist bow has a surprisingly nice shape for chiffon. I was also expecting something a lot droopier in appearance, so I think this bow has been done very well. The yoke part uses the same chiffon and it looks really pretty. The use of chiffon on the yoke also helps to breaks up the amount of the main dress fabric and ties in the waist bow and collar. The buttons are fine, although maybe a cuter design could have been used. The yoke is lined with lace, which blends in quite well and softens the edge.

This picture of the collar showcases the stars on the chiffon really well. I absolutely adore the use of this chiffon on this dress! The collar is a really pretty shape and it gives the dress a more grown-up appearance. It is very smart and tidy looking. The one thing I am a little unsure of is the use of the gold rikrak. I am unsure I would have chosen gold rikrak. But despite this, it has been used in a good way and I suppose it does work with the dress. It just wouldn't have been my first choice!

The back has a panel of shirring which is nicely concealed by a ribbon corset. The waist ties use more of the starry chiffon fabric and I like how this helps ties in with the rest of the dress. The skirt has a lovely subtle bell shape to it, but at the same time I think it could flare outwards quite nicely if the wearer wanted. The skirt also looks like it has a decent amount of length to it too. There are no details cluttering the skirt and the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is finished off with some good quality lace, which matched the collar. I think this dress design is quite simplistic, but I quite like this. It looks more sophisticated.

This is the JSK II. The bodice has a nice overall shape, although in a few of the stock photos the material looked a bit loose in places. The bodice is broken up in to panels, with a slightly raised panel at the top. I don't think the design flows as well as the other dress. The lace used along the bottom of the raised panel is pretty. This panel is topped with 2 bows which are made of slightly shiny ribbon, but still look good quality. The bows are nice and small, so they don't look too cramped and they are also a good shape. The bows are very cute. This is the really interesting thing about this series- the first dress looks more like your typical AatP, but this dress is a bit more cute and sweet looking. The other main detail on the bodice is the criss-crossing ribbon running down both sides of the bodice. It does look very pretty and the ribbon is well spaced out. The straps are a little bit thin and look oddly plain compared to the rest of the bodice. Overall, I do quite like the bodice, but at the same time I think there is something slightly off about it. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset. The ribbon colour used here is contrasting with the main dress colour, but it does look very neat and tidy. The skirt is a little bit disappointing. In the stock pictures is looks a bit deflated and flat, but hopefully it will look better with a decent petticoat. It just doesn't look that shapely when compared to the first JSK. The skirt on this dress is also clutter free and again, the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with the same lace from the bodice.

And here is the print close-up. This print is available in lavender, navy, brown and black. Unsurprisingly for me, my favourite is the navy colour, although I think the lavender is also beautiful. The black looks good, but I am unsure about the brown. I think though, that a lot of this series depends on how sweet you want to go, as it varies quite a lot through this series. Tellingly, JSK I has sold out of navy and the sweeter JSK II has sold out of lavender. As for the print itself, I suppose if you don't know the story this print is based on, it probably does look a bit random! I have to admit that I have not read the story, so I have absolutely no idea what the apples have to do with the print! However, I can appreciate the dream-like theme of the print. I really love the lines of music trailing through the sky carelessly, like ribbon. The train in the sky is a nice, interesting touch and I love the flurries of stars and birds. But my favourite bit of the print has got to be the bottom part with the trees. I think it is a really good idea having a print with dark trees, all lit up with lights. I admit that it reminds me of Christmas trees, but I still like the trees and I would wear this all year around, not just at Christmas!

I don't normally mention the salopettes on here, but the one from this series stood out. Sorry salopette fans, but I think this one looks awful! I don't think this is the right sort of series for a salopette like this. The shorts part just doesn't work for me and the print looks strange on it. I just think it is a bit of a strange inclusion.

Overall, I think this is a really interesting series with a lot of potential. I do think that in places this series is a bit surprising because it is not the style you would usually associate with Alice and the Pirates. But I think there is enough here to appeal to the typical AatP fan but at the same time, it will appeal to people who usually prefer designs released by Baby. My favourite of the two dresses is JSK I. I can't resist that starry chiffon! I also think that JSK looks more grown-up. That being said, I wouldn't dismiss JSK II. Both dresses are lovely. I do like this series. It wont be going on my wishlist, but I wouldn't mind owning it. I reckon this print is one of those ones that may become more popular when they see another lolita wearing it. I know I will be really interested to see how this series looks in real life.

Thank You for the Valentine!

I got another Valentine today! I am so happy! It was a lovely surprise.

I am part of 31- http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/126225.html

And I also feel proud to be sharing a Valentine with 3 very awesome lolitas, who are also brilliant friends. So thank you very much to whoever made the Valentine!

Sweet Jewelry Princess by BABY

Today I will be taking a look at the latest print from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is called Sweet Jewelry Princess. This set includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 head bows, a necklace, socks and wrist cuffs. 

 This is the OP. I think the material on the bodice has a bit of a puffy appearance and I dislike the overall shape. The thing that really puts me off is the waist area, which goes down in a V shape. This V shape is then lined with lace, and it just gives the waist area a very strange appearance. It also gives the illusion of a larger waist. There is also a small shiny ribbon on the bodice which I think sticks out a bit. Maybe it is because the pink used on the main material is a bit duller. The bow on the neckline is ridiculously huge. It is almost the same width as the dress! And then the edges are decorated with lace. Whilst the good quality lace is pretty, it only emphasises the large size of the bow even more. Baby have also attached a string of pearls which normally, I am a fan of, but on this dress they just dangle lifelessly. So overall, the bow is far too big for this dress.

And the lace doesn't stop there! There is even more of it along the rest of the neckline. On some areas of the dress, there are large areas where all you can see is lace. I find it very distracting. I can see that Baby were trying to do a luxurious princess style of dress here, but they have just gone too far.

 I think the top part of the sleeves is too droopy and flat. I feel it would better if this part had been kept shorter and then maybe a bit puffier. However, I do like the detachable part of the sleeves shown here. This is the type of princess style sleeve I like. It flares out just enough, but it doesn't look too huge. The lace looks soft and delicate. The only change I would make is to remove the ribbon bows from them. Again, I feel this crosses the line and looks too OTT.

The back part is quite plain because it doesn't have any shirring or much detail. It looks strangely plain compared to the rest of the dress! I am not too fussed by the shape of the skirt. The waist area really doesn't help and I think it looks a bit too straight. The gathering also obscures the print a little bit. Thankfully, the skirt is not cluttered with detail. The bottom hem has a solid ruffle, topped with lace. I think overall, there are so many details I would love to just rip off this dress. Baby have gone too far with the OTT princess style.

This is the Opal JSK. The bodice appears well-fitted and a nice shape. One again, there is a fair amount of lace on this dress, but it is used a lot better and it doesn't look over-crowded. The rose lace running up the bodice is very pretty. I love how soft it looks. The bodice is made up of panels, and each panel is lined with some thin lace, which softens the edges of the panels. The way these lines curve also give the illusion of a smaller waist. The neckline is a lovely scoop neck shape. Despite the neckline having a lot of lace, it still gives off quite a smart and tidy look. I think Baby have hit the right balance here. The first layer of lace on the neckline is not too gathered, so you can see all the detail of the lace quite clearly. The layer on the edge of the neckline is more gathered and is softer. It gives the neckline a nice frothy appearance, but at the same time, I don't imagine it feeling that itchy. The lace is topped by 2 shiny ribbon bows. The bows are a nice shape, although I think the lower of the 2 bows is needed. The only thing I would add to this dress would be a thin belt or something, because the waist looks like it could do with some detail there. The back has a panel of shirring, which concealed tidily by a ribbon corset. It is nice how the edges of the shirring panel are lined with thin rose shaped lace, just to make the area look even tidier and more finished. The skirt has a lovely bell shape to it. It is perfect for that typical sweet look that Baby is known for. It also looks like it will hold a good amount of petticoat underneath if you wanted a more flared look. The skirt is clutter-free and the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with pretty lace. I think that maybe the lace here could have been done in a similar way to the neckline, but maybe that would have been too bulky.

This is the Garnet JSK. I think the bodice shape could be nicer, as it looks a bit too straight and box-like here. The waist looks very interesting. The line of lace, threaded with ribbon is very neat and tidy and looks like good quality materials have been used. The 2 bows here are small enough. They are a good shape and look pretty, despite being slightly shiny. I would have possibly spaced them out a tiny bit wider though. I am really unsure about the raised panel part of the bodice. It is nice how it tricks the eye in to thinking there is a separate bolero on top, but I think the spacing is a bit out. Maybe the gap between where the "bolero" ends and the waist is a bit too wide? Perhaps the panel could have ended a bit further down. The edges of the "bolero" are lined very nicely with pretty lace. The shape of the neckline is lovely and I like the use of neck straps. The sleeves are cute with their slightly puffy appearance. I refuse to call them straps here, because they are on the verge of being sleeves. However, I really dislike the bow used on the neckline because again, I feel it looks too bulky for the dress design. The bow shape is also a bit strange and the lace used on the edge really makes it stand out. It just looks a bit awkward. The back has shirring running all the way across which is great for plus-sized wearers, but unfortunately looks very exposed and messy. Despite having waist ties, I imagine this dress would be difficult to wear if the wearer was on the small side. The skirt is a pretty shape, but I think the skirt on the Opal JSK is nicer. This dress will probably hold a decent amount of petticoat and I imagine it will be easy to get the wearer's desired shape. The skirt is free from clutter and the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is finished off with good quality lace, although I didn't think the lace used here looked as pretty.

And here we have the print close-up. This print comes in topaz (ivory with brown ribbon), rose (off-white with pink ribbon), ruby (red with red ribbon), sapphire (blue with navy ribbon) and black diamond (black with black ribbon). I think all of the colours work well with the print but despite being a navy fan, my favourite colour for the print is actually the rose colour-way. However, the black diamond is a close second because the details really show up on the dark background. The print is quite pretty. I am undecided on whether I think the sweets work well with the rest of the print. The lines of ribbons and pearls are very cute. I do like the jewel shapes used, and the edges of the jewel parts look so decorative and stop it looking too harsh. The inside of the jewels uses clever shading which gives a more 3-D appearance, like the facets of a jewel. The pictures inside the jewels are lovely and it has that signature Baby look to it. However, I can't help but feel that this print just doesn't compare to similar prints. I would rather go for a print like Cinderella jewellery (also by Baby) over this print.

I am not normally one for fussy headwear, but I actually quite like the Princess Pearl head bow from this series. It is very soft and princess-like. It is also very feminine. I just think the lace gives it a really interesting texture.

Overall, this is a very pretty series but I think the dress designs let it down in places. The Opal JSK is by far my favourite of the 3 dresses, although I wouldn't dismiss the Garnet JSK. I would not choose the OP as I think it is too OTT in places. To be honest, I can't really see this becoming a must-have series. It is nice enough, but in some ways it looks too similar to previous Baby prints. Would I buy from this series? Probably not. I would be too busy trying to locate Cinderella Jewellery instead.

Ciate Caviar Manicure Set

I have been looking in to doing more interesting things with my nails at the moment. I have noticed that in the past, I have mainly been doing more decorative nails with sweet lolita, but not much with classic lolita. I don't know why, because there are lots of different things you could do for classic lolita too. I am always saving tutorials that look interesting, regardless of the style they suit!

A huge factor of how I do my nails is how difficult they are to do. And so, I like to research kits. A couple of weeks ago, I found out about Ciate "Caviar" manicure sets. I initially discovered the black set, but then I found out they come in 3 colours.

Basically, the kits include very tiny pearls, which has the texture of caviar, and a nail polish. This is the Mother of Pearl version. Although it is meant to look like caviar, I think they look a lot like very tiny pearls. I reckon this kit would be perfect for classic lolita! It has a nice finish to it.

I don't see why you would have to use the nail polish colour provided alongside the pearls, so it would be interesting to play around and see what combinations work and what effects you can create. I am thinking about using a more off-white, creamy colour so it looks the same colour as standard pearls. Another idea I thought of was going to Claire's Accessories to buy some really cheap pearl bracelets, breaking them, and then adding on individual pearls, so that the pearls are different sizes and adds a bit more depth.

Without seeing this kit for myself, I wont know how easy it is to use. But I am considering getting the kit, and if I do then I will review it here! The kits cost about £18. You can probably DIY these nails for a lot less than that, but the kit has the advantage of being quicker and hopefully, easier. Either way, I am very curious!

The Alice Day That Never Was :(

As you may have gathered, I was unable to attend this year's Alice Day meet. I was unwell and the last thing I felt like doing was walking about in the wet weather! So after declining the event, I decided to put my Alice Day outfit on anyway, just to wear around the house. Seeing as I had gone to the effort of making an outfit, I felt it would have been a shame not to wear it.

I was meant to be a Playing Card! I would have worn Starry Night Theatre, but I knew Louise was wearing it and Beau wore Wonder Cookie last year. So I didn't want it to look like I was just being lazy and copying somebody! I just want to say, that I am NOT happy with how my outfit turned out. To be honest, I didn't really put much effort in to it and I think it is really missing something. It is my own fault though, because I didn't leave myself much time to plan my outfit and I had already ruled out 2 potential dresses. Next year, I intend to plan things a bit more in advance and take my time. It has been a bit difficult lately because I am now self-employed and I have had more stuff to pack in. So yeah, the idea was that the 2 hearts on the blouse represented the playing card (it probably would have looked better if I had made it look more playing card-like). I had some playing cards attached to my skirt and perhaps I could have pinned a load on to make it look like a floating playing card print (only, in 3D!). 

I made 2 more playing card bows and attached them to my shoes. They could have been done a lot neater. I was wearing the same socks as last year. If you look up Alice Day, there are actually pictures of my socks everywhere! They were even used to advertise the event on Facebook. There was also a full picture of me used on a few websites as well.

The colour scheme was red, black and white and a few hints of gold with my jewellery and card bow (attached to my head bow).

I spent ages on these nails! Writing the 'A's was really difficult. I definitely need a bit more practise writing letters. In the end, I had to use a cocktail stick in addition to my nail art pen because the cocktail stick was thinner. The hearts are stickers. I decided to save time by making some my own nail art stickers. This gave me more time to concentrate on the trickier part. I am hoping to improve as time goes on.

So I was a little disappointed at not going to Alice Day but my outfit was not exactly spectacular! It was just a shame I didn't get to go and do some of the activities. There were some really fun sounding ones this year. I hope I am able to attend next year. Hopefully I wont be ill next time!

A Lolita Valentine Thank You

I would like to thank the person who made me a Lolita Valentine this week! I was really touched by your kind words.

I am number 25- http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/125930.html

It was actually really good timing because I was having a bit of a bad day! I have been feeling a bit unwell, so  I had to miss the Alice Day meet today. I really love Alice Day, so I am really depressed that I had to miss the Ox Loli meet and all the Alice themed events. But the Valentine did make me feel a bit better, so thank you!

Swan Lace by Metamorphose

Time for another print discussion! Today I am taking a look at Swan Lace by Metamorphose. This series has 3 dresses, 2 skirts (one short, one more standard length), a blouse, a head bow, a headdress and socks.

This is the Chiffon Frilled Pinafore JSK. The bodice appears to be well fitted, but that might just be the illusion the the "corset-style" part gives. 

I guess the strange corset, apron thing would be a good place to start. I really don't understand this design. You have the "corset" part with the criss-crossed ribbon, which in itself, is not too bad. But then there is the weird chiffon part underneath which looks like an apron. I think it looks very peculiar, especially the wider part at the front centre. We can also see in this picture that it ends abruptly at the sides. Although I don't like the dress design anyway, I wonder how much better it would look without the chiffon apron?

There is also another chiffon part on the top part of the bodice. This part looks a little nicer but I thought the panel looked a bit too wide and maybe a slightly lower neckline would have looked better. There is also a bow on the neckline, which is a nice shape, but I would have made a tinier bit smaller and left the chiffon bit off. The straps are a nice width and have a very cute chiffon ruffle on them, which gives a softer appearance. Although you could argue that this dress already has enough chiffon on it! The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed really well by a ribbon corset. Meta have used duller ribbon, so it doesn't look too shiny, which is a bonus. The skirt shape is very flared and unfortunately, the top of the chiffon apron part makes the waist area look bigger than it actually is. The skirt is split in to two tiers and I felt that where the tiers meet looked a bit droopy. I think in this case, the dress is going to need a decent petticoat to give the bottom tier a nice shape. Along the line where the tiers join, there are some bows, but they blend in a bit too much and are almost concealed by the chiffon apron. They don't really add anything to the design. The bottom hem is finished off with a soft chiffon frill. I feel that overall, this design is very unbalanced and the spacing is a bit off. Also, I think the weird chiffon part needs to go!

This is the Princess Sleeve OP. The bodice looks a nice shape and well fitted. The original sketches of this dress suggested that the sleeves on this dress would flare out a lot more than they do in these pictures. I am really hoping that these stock pictures are not being too deceptive. In this picture, they don't look too bad. Although I dislike the wide raschel lace on the sleeves, I admit that it matches the rest of the dress. Yes, this dress has the dreaded raschel lace on it, but it has not been used too badly on the sleeves (I am still not a fan of it though). The waist has a nice chiffon frill to it. It makes the top half look like a separate jacket and I am actually surprised Meta didn't think of making a jacket like this because it is the sort of thing they would usually do! Apparently, the buttons on the front are decorative but I haven't seen any close-up pictures of that. I am a bit unsure if I like the shape of the chiffon ruffle along the neckline. It doesn't look that bad, but I think it could have been nicer. I am not fussed by the matching choker. It does match the dress well, but I don't think I would wear it.

The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by the ribbon corset. If you look at the edges of this shirring panel though, they look a bit wonky. It could have been done a lot neater. The back also has this neat chiffon bustle. The chiffon tiers are spaced well and it doesn't look like it sticks outward too much, so it wont give the illusion of a larger backside.

The skirt has a nice bell shape to it. It flares out nicely and doesn't have that typical Meta shape to it. It will also hold a decent amount of petticoat underneath. The skirt has been kept clutter free, which is good. The raschel lace on the bottom hem looks awful. It is very wide and just doesn't look very nice. I wish Meta had used a chiffon ruffle at the bottom instead.

This is the Pinafore JSK with collar. The bodice is a nice shape and well fitted. I like the shape of the neckline. The waist area looks a bit wonky, but that might just be the stock photo. This dress is very simple in comparison to the other 2 dresses. I think some people will say it looks too simple, but I think this dress is the nicest of the series. The waist could have possibly done with a bit of detail, even if it was something small like a thin belt. I like the military style detail on the bodice, but maybe it could have been spaced out a bit better. It looks very squished together at the top. The collar part looks very pretty from the front and has a nice shape.

However, I am unsure about how the collar looks from the back. It would have been better if the back part of the dress went all the way up and met where the collar is. I think the way that the collar meets 2 straps and then joins the dress is odd. It just looks a bit awkward. The back has a panel of shirring. I wish this dress had the shirring concealed with a ribbon corset like the other 2 dresses do. I thought the dull finish ribbon blended in very well on the other 2 dresses and would have worked on this dress as well. 

The skirt has a very plump bell shape to it. It flares out quite a lot, like you expect from Meta, but the roundness stops it looking too straight or triangular. It will also hold a decent amount of petticoat. The skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed well. I really like the bottom hem on this dress because the line of ribbon and satin frill finish it off neatly, but also softly, so it doesn't look too harsh. The satin is slightly shiny, but not too bad.

And here is the print close-up. This series comes in ivory, pink (which doesn't actually look that pink to me) and blue grey. I think that both the ivory and pink colourways look pretty, but I am unconvinced by the blue grey. If, unlike me, you like the chiffon frilled pinafore JSK, I would probably stick to ivory. I think the ivory chiffon blends in a bit nicer on that dress. The print makes good use of the swan logo and I think the large lace swans are pretty. The emblems are also nice. As soon as you see this print, it is pretty obvious it is Meta. All the typical stuff associated with Meta is right there in the print. It is a nice enough print, but I wouldn't go crazy for it. If you are after something a bit simpler, it could be a good choice though.

The socks for this series are quite pretty. I wouldn't mind owning a pair because it is the sort of style that would match lots of different Meta prints. I think it is good from time to time to have a pair of socks that could be used in a variety of outfits, and not just the series that is was released with.

I think this series had the potential to be a nice, modest Meta release. However, the dress designs spoil it for me, with the exception of the pinafore JSK. I wont be going buying this series, but the print is nice enough for what it is. If I was buying this series I would go for the pinafore JSK in pink. I am tempted to get the socks in ivory just because of how versatile they are. I can't see this series being a big seller and I predict it will be appearing in lucky packs in the future.

My Blog is 2 Today!

Happy Independence Day to my American readers! Today also happens to be the 2nd anniversary of my first blog post on here! I hope I have at least improved a bit since the early days. I still get embarrassed by some of the older stuff on here, but luckily I am able to laugh at myself!

I really can't believe another year has passed...

I think this picture pretty much sums up this year. I am wearing my ultimate dream print to the biggest meet I have attended in the last 12 months. This time last year, I didn't even have this print yet and I was lusting over it when Meta put it up for reserve. The VandA meet was really big with about 113 lolitas in attendance and I can assure you that it has got me craving more meets! I hope to get to know some of you a bit better.

Here are a few things I have learnt in the past 12 months whilst writing this blog-

- Shopping services are not as big and scary as I thought they were. It has opened my eyes to how amazing Mbok and similar sites can be.

- I really should have started attending Tea Party Club meets a lot sooner.

- I need more purple in my wardrobe.

- Baby The Stars Shine Bright sometimes come up with the most brilliant print titles. Cherish My Juicy Cherry is my personal favourite.

- When it comes to dream items, sometimes all you need is a little patience.

- Chiffon is absolutely amazing!

- Sometimes I just need to do my own thing with the fashion and have a bit of fun.

I have actually enjoyed this year of writing this blog a lot more than I did the first year. That has got to be a positive sign because I really do write this just for fun. I am really glad that some of you have been enjoying reading it. So I want to give a huge thank you to my readers and followers, who have stuck by me. I think you are all awesome!

Merry Go Round Tights

I am going through a bit of a printed tights phase at the moment! Yesterday I was on a forum and was alerted to a blog on Ameblo, which had some very beautiful designs on it. I am so happy I saw these.

The blog in question- http://ameblo.jp/merrygoroundxxx/

My current favourite are these night time inspired tights. The colours are vibrant! I am a little unsure about the "garter" style design, but I would love to own a pair of these!

These tights would be brilliant with Chess Chocolate! I wonder if they were designed with this in mind?

The only trouble is, I have absolutely no idea how to order from this site! They have sold out anyway, but I would love to find out more about this blog. I have been having a bit of a browse and found an online shop and ordering forms. But it is such a pain trying to navigate and I am translating issues! Also, I don't think this blog is that well known so I don't know how readily available the information I need is. If anybody can shed some light on this blog and the ordering process, I would really appreciate it!

I think what appeals to me about these tights is that although I love the pastel colours available on other printed tights, the colours used here are bolder but still keep that sweet look. The designs are also very interesting.

So I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future designs and if anybody can provide any additional information, then I will be very grateful!