Rose-Tinted Living: Cute China

Rose-Tinted Living: Cute China


Alice ♥ Teapots
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

Much like the stereotypical ideal of a lolita, I adore tea. The ceremony of a formal, traditional tea service really appeals to me, and going to an elegant afternoon tea with my friends always fills me with delight! I’ve been trying to accumulate teatime accouterments for a very long time, as I’ve loved tea since long before I was ever interested in lolita fashion. (My grandmother collects teapots and took me to tea often in my childhood.)

Whenever it’s possible, I like to have friends (most of whom are lolita) over to my home for tea. To make this possible, I’ve collected several teapots and teacups~ Right now they’re all displayed on a narrow shelf in my tiny kitchen, and seeing the bright colors and cheerful patterns always adds some cheeriness to my day!


Alice ♥ Teacups
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

Although I certainly swoon over pricely porcelain, most of my tea-time pieces are from resale shops or discount stores. Discount stores are one of my favourite places to check for teacups or teapots, since they often have quite a selection of housewares. In either store it can take a lot of sifting through to find the pieces you’ll truly fall in love with. I take it as a challenge~


Alice ♥ Teacups
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

Of course, I’ve also gotten a number of teacups added to my collection as gifts from my grandmother. She’s historically been my strongest tea-enabler, and she hasn’t hasn’t slackened in adding bits and pieces to my collection. Some of my nicest teacups have been spotted by her in awful condition, then cleaned up before making their way to me. Every cup in the above picture was a gift from her, and there are certainly more!


Alice ♥ Teacups
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

One of the reasons that I love having people over for tea is the intimacy. I find that people relax when seated and offered beverages and snacks. Tea is warm and soothing, and most people won’t turn down nibbling on a cookie or two.  ♥ Also, preparing tea gives plenty of time to engage in conversation. The water has to boil, the leaves have to steep, and then the cup of freshly-poured tea has to cool. It allows two (or more!) friends quite an opportunity to converse and listen to each other. Tea is rarely distracting, unlike larger meals or attention-requiring activities.

Tea services are easy to collect–they don’t need to be purchased all at once. You can start with a pretty cup or two, then look for a nice teapot. Not everything has to match–sometimes mis-matched sets have more charm. It’s not hard to find teaspoons just a few at a time, and there are always nifty little gadgets to find–like sugar tongs or drip-stoppers! There’s a lot of possibility!

And if you don’t like drinking tea, that doesn’t even matter! You can serve just about anything out of a teacup or teapot, after all. Maybe hot chocolate, soda–it’s up to you.

Daily Life: Not Quite a Picnic

Daily Life: Not Quite a Picnic


Wonderful Afternoon Tea
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

I was very excited about today! Instead of a normal, perhaps even boring day at work, there was something to look forward to–a lunchtime meetup in a local park~ That was why I stayed up quite late working on my homework, debated over which purse to carry, and fussed over the fact that I couldn’t arrange a lolita coordinate to wear to work today. At work I skipped about, constantly adjusting my pink rose scarf (a gift from a talented friend).

However, when I got to the park after clocking out, there were absolutely no lolita; not even a familiar face that I recognized. I called my little sister, who had arranged the meetup, but she didn’t answer her phone. Just as I was wondering how long I ought to stay and where else I should look, my phone rang. Apparently everyone had been too busy to spare much time for their lunch hour, and they disbanded very early. She still had plenty of time to spare before her next class, and I wanted to at least drop off something that belonged to her.

Instead, we ended up spending the afternoon together. I really enjoyed myself! I love being with any of my friends–doesn’t everyone?–but I especially cherish the time I can spend with my little sister. ♥ We always have more fun that we really ought to, sometimes getting into trouble but always keeping each other entertained. (Even though she’s a self-proclaimed “Complainasaurus!”)

When we met each other I took her out for cupcakes at one of my favourite shops–Sugar Bliss! My chocolate toffee cupcake was incredibly rich and absolutely delicious, and her spice cupcake was equally tasty. The window that looks out on Wabash is perfect for people-watching, which seems to go well with cupcakes.

Afterwards we ran a quick errand, then decided to browse the Marshall Field’s at State Street. I love wandering around that elegant, massive building–it’s almost like a shopping mall, with all of the sectioned areas that are sometimes rented by specific retailers. I inevitably get lost on the ground floor, usually when trying to get from one side to the next. In Merz Apothecary we couldn’t resist oddly-flavored toothpaste in tiny tubes, and split one that claimed to taste like lemon tea. (It does.)

Then we wandered to the Shiseido counter, which she had recently opened my eyes to the wonders of. (My overly sensitive and ridiculous skin has never behaved so well… Now I’m coveting that highly-expensive scrubbing brush, which I pet at the counter.) We pet some makeup brushes at the MAC display~ Sooooo soft~!

Then we ducked into Intelligensia to sit and chat. I hadn’t been able to see her for a little while, as my work and school schedule keeps me fairly occupied and my little sister also works, attends university, AND was busy with an internship. (She’s such a hard worker~) We moaned about lolita fashion we really wanted, pondered future outfits to coordinate together, and discussed crazy fabrics she planned to purchase for entirely non-lolita purposes.

Despite spending several hours together, it all ended too soon. It did put me into a marvelously good mood, which I hope will get me through my long day of class and work tomorrow as painlessly as possible~ ♥