Lace & Graffiti at Huashan Culture Park... and the Kreativ Blogger award!

Dress: Vintage from the lovely Keiko Lynn of Postlapsaria, belt & headband: Accessorize, necklace: Aldo, shoes: Sogo Zhongxiao

This photos were taken at Huashan Culture Park (華山文化園區), a very cool arts and performance complex in Taipei near Bade Rd that was converted from an old railway station and winery. I was there to cover the Taipei Toy Festival, which ran from July 9 to July 12. Yes, I am totally late in posting these photos! It's been a very busy week filled with deadlines and reporting. If you want to read more about the festival, which is the biggest event in Asia dedicated to designer toys, click here for my post on my other blog, shuflies (舒飛) or here for a video I made.

I'd only been to Huashan one time before, and this was my first time exploring the buildings. There is some really cool graffiti around by the artists on the walls of the old factories. I had fun with some of the public art after Ron took a photo of my dress.

My particular favorite was this lovely spray painted eye.

I've been inspired by Aya of Strawberry Koi's occasional Japanese writing at the bottom of her posts and I'd like to try and do the same thing. Here goes (my Chinese isn't perfect, but it can only get better with practice, right?): "這些照片都是在華山文化園區拍的．我跟我的老公都很喜歡華山文化園區 ．我上上個禮拜有去參加那裡舉辦的"台北創作玩具大展." 我有採訪好幾個玩具設計師. 太過癮"！

In other news, Eunice of fancy pants gave me the Kreativ Blogger award! That's very exciting for me because this blog is a new thing for me and it's really great to get support from other style bloggers.


Here are the seven interesting tidbits I am supposed to list about myself as part of the award:

1) I have 12 Blythe dolls. Some people think they are completely weird and creepy, but I've met a lot of awesome people through my hobby, back in New York City and here in Taipei as well.

2) I am watching "Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries: Featuring Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane" right now. (The end of the series always makes me melt.) I was a huge fan of "Mystery!" (and its theme music and Edward Gorey illustrated credits) when I was growing up.

3) Even though I really love period films, I've also noticed that some of my favorite movies are crazy, hyper-violent gorefests, like "Scarface" and "300." I love "300."

4) I used to wear a lot of black (I was known as "that chick who always wears black") until I moved to Taipei. The hot, humid summer weather has pretty much turned me off darker colors, but I'm looking forward to getting back into them once fall and winter arrive.

5) One of the things I miss most about living in New York City is being able to watch Balanchine ballets danced by the NYC Ballet.

6) When I was little, I used to hide under the dining room table and draw things like this on its bottom:

7) I used to get teased a lot for being a "weirdo" because I dressed "funny" and read a lot when I was a teenager. I can understand now why other kids thought I was weird when I look at my school photos...

... but you know what? I might have hated being teased, but I was always more miserable when I tried to fit in. I'm proud of the preteen I was! Rock that crazy bow and those barrettes, little Catherine (though not the braces... ugh, I hated having braces!)! Boy, I wish I still had that vest. It was very pretty, in a Tyrolean sort of way.

I'm passing the award onto (but no pressure... and sorry if you have already been tagged before!):

Lost in the Forest
Lulu Letty
spider, spin me a story
clothed much
ren clothed.
fashion champagne
Andi B. Goode

Nominee Rules: • Thank the person who nominated you for the award• Copy the logo and place it on your blog• Link to the person who nominated you for this award• List seven things about yourself that people might find interesting• Nominate and post links to the seven Kreativ Bloggers you nominate• Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

Thanks for reading!