Update: On Break

Update: On Break

I have so many pictures to share, thoughts to muse over, books to review, and more, but it might be a week or so until I get back into the swing of updating on a regular basis. One of my guinea pigs has hurt himself and needs to undergo surgery. ;_; I get really easily confused and distracted when I’m worried, and I love my pets very dearly so I’m a bit shaken up.

He’s not currently suffering or in pain. I’m still greeted by his obnoxious cheerful guinea pig wheeking every morning while getting ready for work. He still attempts to get into fights with the other, much larger, guinea pig who could and will kick his puny butt if he doesn’t knock it off. He’s eating just fine and continually tricking my ever-gullible husband into feeding him yet again.

I took him to the vet over the weekend, and he’s on antibiotics for his injury while we schedule surgery to have his tumor removed. The surgery isn’t major, but any kind of procedure on very small animals has a lot of risk attached. I don’t want to put him in danger of further injury by avoiding or prolonging the tumor’s removal, but I worry. I’d really miss seeing his little face glaring at me while I rub his soft little ears.

Vacationing Pigs
S’mores and Creme Puff resting at my mother’s house after their examinations, in their “vacation cage.” Something like this is much too small for two pigs, but it works in a pinch.

The bottom line is that updates will be sporadic until both of my pets are restored to 110% health and happiness. I want to write about desserts and frills and fun times, but it’s hard to concentrate–so I can’t promise anything. My pets are very dear to me, and poor Creme Puff has already been through a really rough upper respiratory infection that he nearly didn’t recover from; I’ve got my fingers crossed that he can pull through again. As long as he’s still bright-eyed and energetic, I’ll do whatever I can.

Thank you in advance for your understanding! ♥

On Being Lolita: No Royal Ambition

On Being Lolita: No Royal Ambition

Personally, I have a hard time identifying with princesses. I don’t want to be a princess, whether it’s the historical variety or the Disney idealization. Although I love wearing lolita fashion, “like a princess” isn’t a term I like to use to describe how I feel or how I want to be. Wearing elaborate outfits with fantastical details doesn’t make me feel like something else–it makes me feel like me. It makes me happy to be myself, which was something I had forgotten about as I grew up. I remember being perfectly content with who I was when I was a child, but at some point social pressures and day-to-day “politics” undermined my personal pride and made me uneasy and sometimes ashamed for liking the things I liked and not liking the things that I was expected to like.

The me that is myself is not a flawless, elegant young woman with a heart so pure and shining that even forest creatures long to befriend her. I am not poised and picturesquely beautiful, with an inner beauty glowing so brightly it glimmers through every pore. I have my faults and weaknesses, most of which are more noticeable than any positive aspects. These aren’t things I want to gloss over or pretend not to have, but things I want to work with and overcome. I want to be a better me, not a better different person.

I can understand the appeal of princesses. Princesses generally celebrate femininity, which is often otherwise looked upon with disdain. Princesses are not pressured to grow up, but to celebrate being youthful. Princesses don’t cake on layers of makeup as soon as they reach double-digits and flip through fashion magazines to beg Mom and Dad for $300 high-heeled shoes. Princesses don’t suffer from “the daily grind,” and it’s completely acceptable for them to be eccentric. Princesses have the wealth to enjoy luxuries as day-to-day necessities, but they also have the mindfulness and goodness to avoid being spoiled and intolerable. Romance comes immediately and easily to the princess, who is courted by dashing suitors and usually finds a destined true love before reaching 16! This is the escape that many girls wish for, because it’s not very close to the life anyone actually leads.

Yet, somehow, this doesn’t really appeal to me. I’ve always adored fairy tales, but I particularly liked the hard worker more than the princess. I liked the princesses before they were princesses, when they had to toil amid cruelty in a life filled with heartbreak, yet didn’t lose their gentleness and kindness. Inevitably these consistently-beautiful girls would capture the heart of a prince, break their curse, end their poverty, and never need to work again. I didn’t care for this predictable ending, and thus one of my favourite fairy tales is The Red Shoes. The young girl in the red shoes is not the flawless beauty of most stories, nor does she ever become a princess–she makes poor choices that very negatively affect her life, and learns a very hard lesson.

I want to be the kind of person who works hard and is happy. That’s how wearing lolita fashion makes me feel! I work hard so that I can afford and maintain my expensive hobby, and then I get to enjoy it. (I appreciate my days off more when I have been actually doing things otherwise; if I lived a life of luxury I know I’d get bored very easily.) Lolita fashion isn’t an escape where I pretend to be someone I’m not–it’s just another way for me to express myself. If it were appropriate for all situations, I’d wear it every day! (I won’t always work at a job with such a lax dress code, though! My business suits are waiting in the wings.)

Little Piece of Wonderland
The pink, fluffy, and frilly me is the one I enjoy being the most! ☆

How do you feel about princesses? Do you want to be one? Do you not want to be one? Is there some other “character type” you model yourself after?

Outfit Snap: Three Days of Weekend

Outfit Snap: Three Days of Weekend

On Thursday, I had plans to meet with some friends after work. I didn’t want to let time at office get in the way of me having fun, so I threw together a casual coordination with lolita fashion elements. I’m not quite up for flouncing into my building in Cherry Berry Bunny, but I would like to have more freedom. I already don’t have to wear business casual; our dress code is essentially “don’t be naked.”

Post-Work Frillz
This is a really awful picture, but it was very late when I finally got home! No other choice, really.

I wanted to wear a t-shirt that my little sister had given me. It has a cute kitten next to a glass bottle of milk, both adorned with bows. I picked the gray and white striped socks because the kitten is gray-ish and I didn’t want to wear socks with lace at the edge. Knee-socks already seem to catch a lot of attention, but lace-topped socks always get lots of stares. Since there isn’t much lace elsewhere, they seemed to me to be too formal. I also wore a gray cardigan with this outfit while in the office, since the air conditioning is always on full-blast.

This skirt is one of the easiest things to wear casually. It matches a lot of my “normal” clothing, and is pretty comfortable (except for the abnormally high waist). I wore it with a very weak pannier, because I didn’t want to be sitting in my good petticoat all day or squeezing onto rush-hour buses and trains at my fluffiest. I had a bag of things I was bringing to my friends, so I wouldn’t have a very easy time holding my skirts out of other people’s ways.

The glittery sneakers were another non-formal touch. Honestly, I just don’t get to wear them enough, but I really like them! My husband suggested them, and I couldn’t resist once it was mentioned. My coworkers really liked the shoes; I think it was their favourite element!

Rockin' Berry Bunny
I love my sunglasses. I can’t help grinning like an idiot whenever I’m wearing them!

On Friday, I was peeking through my closet and trying to decide what to wear, when my husband elected Cherry Berry Bunny. (I think I may have to rename it my “Strawberry Shortcake” dress–that’s what everyone says when I wear this dress! Clearly, those people don’t remember Strawberry Shortcake. She doesn’t really look like this in any incarnation.) I paired it with pink polka-dot hairbows that my little sister gave me; they don’t match exactly, but it’s pretty close.

I picked the strawberry socks and fake heart-buckle shoes. I think there’s something about the placement of the white stripe and silver buckle on the shoe that looks nice with the print of the jumperskirt. It seems balanced without being a complete match. Overall, nothing in this outfit is a “complete” match. I don’t think I’ll ever own the hairbow (as much as I really want it) unless I magically have a million dollars or people start selling their inexpensively to fund Milky Planet.

Cherry Sunny Bunny
My husband’s suggestion for this picture was “strike the triumphant pose.” He then told me my kind of triumph is like that of a little kid.

I had fun with the hairstyle, as well. There’s nothing particularly innovative about it, but it worked out better than I had expected. I really wanted to leave my hair down, but I also wanted it off my neck. Low pigtails did the trick! The weather has been pretty warm and sunny; it’s beautiful, but it can get a bit oppressive. Since we don’t have air conditioning…sometimes it’s almost too much! The ceiling fan has been on non-stop since June.

For some reason this outfit elicited more reactions than normal. I felt kinda bad, because my husband was really upset by some of the less-than-nice comments directed our way. I always get a bit worried that he will eventually decide that my eccentricities are too much. He reassured me about how he feels, but said I’ll just have to accept that part of him being himself includes intolerance towards idiots trying to mess with his wife. ♥

Blocking the Fountain
I wanted a picture with this certain fountain in the background, but instead I am basically right in front of that fountain. Darn!

June 10th is always one of my favourite days of the year, so I probably would have dressed up even if it were the middle of the work-week! This Saturday was my six-year anniversary! ♥ My husband and I haven’t been married for six years, but we’ve been together for six years–and that’s the anniversary that matters most to us. (Although I won’t pass up the chance to celebrate our wedding anniversaries, either!)

I wanted to pick something elegant. I almost wore my wedding dress, but I don’t quite have everything I need for a summer coordination with that dress. I’ll have to get some new socks and wristcuffs before I can attempt that. That dress is so pretty that I don’t want to be dissatisfied when wearing it again–I’d rather wait. This blue dress has special significance to me, as it was one of the three “first things” I ever bought from a Japanese brand when I started wearing lolita fashion. It’s also less cutesy than most of my other garments.

I wanted to try something a little bit different, as I almost always wear it as a “complete set” with the other items purchased at that time. This time, I wore an ivory lace hairbow instead of the matching headdress, and chose heeled shoes instead of flats.

Blue Anniversary Floral
This picture does a good job of hiding my neon-pink nail polish, which absolutely does not match my elegant outfit.

I particularly like how well it paired with the shoes. I’ve been waiting for a chance to wear these shoes! They’re very comfortable, mostly due to the low heel. Wearing them with socks helped prevent blisters; my feet always suffer when I wear shoes without socks or stockings, particularly the first time. It would have been more elegant with sheer stockings, I think, but I don’t have any so it wasn’t really an option at the time.

In the future, I should think about how my nail polish might match outfits before I paint my nails. I was feeling summery, so I chose a shade of neon pink…and then wore a floral dress with pastel blue and ivory. You can’t see it very well in any pictures, but it’s quite shocking in real life! Oh well~ I own several shades that would go very nicely with this dress; I should have considered it beforehand.

I had a lovely anniversary, including a dinner-date, and look forward to many more years together~ ♥ I couldn’t dream of someone more wonderful!

Update: Happy Birthday, Blog!

Update: Happy Birthday, Blog!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been writing here for one year! I’ve been having a lot of fun so far, and I hope I can keep updating and coming up with something at least vaguely interesting for at least a little longer.

I want to extend a thank you to those who read, those who comment, and those who do both! ♥ I appreciate the kinds words and well-wishes. Although I don’t keep writing in hopes of fame or recognition, it’s nice to know that other people find my articles or tidbits useful or amusing.

Here’s to another year! ♥ May it be frillier than the last! (Is that possible??)

Victorian artwork used in image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

Outfit Snap: Very Parasol Day

Outfit Snap: Very Parasol Day

Although I still worked on Sunday, on Monday I did not! (Thanks to the national holiday~) This could mean only one thing–lolita style! My husband and I planned to spend the day together, and went out for crêpes. There is a particular crêpe restaurant that I prefer–the Icosium Kafe (sometimes also known as the Crêpe and Coffee Palace). We managed to get there just before it became very crowded, which was quite lucky~

At the Gate
I’m very glad that I finally got a picture under this arch! I’ve been wanting to have a picture taken while standing beneath it.

My husband picked my outfit on this day. When it comes down to it, if I’m dressing up “for” anyone, he is the target. Lolita fashion is mostly something I do for me, but I know that he has opinions and prefers certain dresses or outfits. Since I love him (we did get married, after all), I like to wear things that I know he likes. There’s something fun about impressing the person you like, even if they already like you. ♥

He had the Jewelry Jelly jumperskirt in mind, but since I had worn that so recently he quickly opted for this jumperskirt instead. I toyed with the idea of patterned socks at first, but white socks were his recommendation. With the white blouse, the white socks give the outfit a very “traditional” look. I think it puts the focus on the jumperskirt, which actually has a lot of detail despite seeming “plain” at first glance. ★ I’ll have to wear the Jewelry Jelly jumperskirt for him soon, though. He seems really fond of it!

Traditionally Pink
I tried to do a “cute” pose that isn’t my normal “look I’m standing here,” but I always remain kinda awkward.

The only thing I dislike about the Angelic☆School jumperskirt is the zipper! Lolita brands are notorious for their use of bad zippers, but this jumperskirt takes the cake! A lot of the zippers used in lolita garments are invisible zippers that just aren’t heavy-duty enough for the fabric involved. Typically a lolita garment has a lot of bulk at the waist seam, and that is where the zippers get stuck. Oftentimes they warp or just break, and need to be replaced. Sometimes it’s easier to fight with the zipper when the dress is flat, pull it on over my head, and adjust the back lacing.

I was also excited about a chance to wear my new shoes from Bodyline! I own very few pairs of shoes, but now I have one more pair! These were just a bit too big for me, so I hadn’t been able to wear them until I got some insoles to take up the extra space and keep my puny feet from sliding around. I think the sizing for the actual BABY, the Stars Shine Bright shoes might be slightly smaller, so I might be better off with a non-replica pair at some point.

New Parasol Present
I had a really hard time holding the parasol so that the pattern could be seen, because it is so flat. I’ll have to take a separate picture of the design later.

After we paused to taking pictures under the arched gate, an elderly gentleman sitting in his car beckoned me over. He told us that he lives nearby, which doesn’t surprise me very much because I’ve noticed him before, and he asked me where “the other girl” was. I think he’s jumbled all of my friends that come and go into one “extra” lolita! He complimented my “costume,” and then extended something out the window–a collapsed Chinese parasol–and said it was for me because it matched my dress.

I felt very awkward; I don’t like taking things from strangers, and particularly from elderly people because I have known some who like to give more gifts than they can sustain. I tried to decline, but he was very insistent. In the end, I accepted and thanked him profusely; I was too worried about offending him if I didn’t take it. It’s very nicely made, with painted pink and yellow roses on white fabric. I’ll have to put it to good use!

Meetup Report: Dolls & Tea

Meetup Report: Dolls & Tea

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I consider a meetup to be any occasion where I am spending time with someone else and we both intentionally wear lolita fashion. If I had more days to my weekends, I’d try to spend as much of it as possible with friends! Schedules change and people move away, and I don’t want to wish I had gotten to know someone better.

Besides lolita fashion, I’m almost interested in ball-jointed dolls. Whenever I meet other lolita who also like dolls, it’s fun to get together to see each other’s dolls and talk about related subjects. Not every lolita likes dolls, and I don’t expect the two things to go hand-in-hand, so I try not to talk about it too much to avoid driving everyone else crazy~ However, I rarely get to local doll events (they are often too far for me to travel and conflict with my schedule), so I try to create my own with the friends I’ve made. ★

Nono Nono
Two dolls, both of which are the same but also different~ Neither of which are wearing lolita fashion, although both are frilly!

On Friday, a friend of mine came over with a few of her dolls. We had originally talked about making plans so that I could see her newest doll in person, as it was a doll I have liked for a while. I wanted to see how it looked in real life compared to promotional and hobbyist photographs. However, I wound up purchasing that doll at the event I went to in NYC, so we actually got together to compare dolls and talk~

My home is very tiny, but I really love having friends over! ♥ Someday I’ll have to get a bigger place so that I can do more entertaining. I was also glad to have a chance to introduce my friend to my husband, as she hadn’t met him yet. It’s nice when he can connect a face and personality to the name of whomever I’ve been talking about.

We went out to lunch at my favourite bakery~ The weather was perfect for sitting inside, enjoying the air conditioning while the sunlight streamed in through the windows. The menu was full of light and summery dishes–I ordered chilled cucumber-mint soup that was absolutely amazing! ♫ My husband and my friend each ordered a berry lemonade, one of the beverage specials of the day. It was deliciously homemade–so much better than bottled flavoured drinks!

On the walk back to our house, I showed my friend the “secret” Japanese market. It’s not really a secret, but it’s very unobtrusive and many people don’t even realize it’s there at all! She’s didn’t realize she’d walked past it so many times~ It’s not an extensive market along the lines of Mitsuwa, but they do carry an assortment of food, toiletries, dinnerware, traditional clothing, garden supplies, books, origami paper, caligraphy supplies, and more! However, since there isn’t a lot of foot-traffic they don’t do much business, and thus they don’t always have very new stock. However, it’s still convenient to have nearby. I bought some sweet rice; I’m hoping to make mochi~

Double Nono
My doll, still unnamed, is on the left. My friend’s doll, Hotaru, is on the right.

When we returned to my house, we talked about dolls and I unboxed my new doll. It was a lot of fun to have the same doll! They’re literally identical, except for the fact that we’ve each dressed ours to suit our tastes. (I was very amused to see that we had both almost immediately swapped out glass eyes for the default acrylic eyes. It was so nice to have someone to talk to while I changed those in my doll. The company that makes our dolls uses hot glue to secure the eyes, and getting that hot glue out can be very difficult!)

ElleJay and Hotaru
ElleJay and her doll, Hotaru. Don’t they look alike? ♥

I’m sure my husband appreciated that I had someone else to talk about doll-things with instead of him! (Although he’s a sweetheart and doesn’t mind, anyway.) Inevitably our conversation darted back and forth from dolls to clothes and back to dolls again. We enjoyed some tea, as well, although I think the weather was so warm that we kept forgetting about actually making the tea we had previously discussed! I think we both really enjoyed ourselves; I can’t wait to plan something else.

I want to do something creative and entertaining, but I haven’t focused on exactly what yet. Maybe a doll photoshoot, or an actual doll tea party… Hmm… Or some kind of craft… I think we could have a lot of fun! ♫

Daily Life: A Summer Day

Daily Life: A Summer Day

Most of the time I spend the weekends with my husband and my friends. I am often at work (and, when it’s not summer, often in class as well) during the week, so I try very hard to make the weekends into tiny vacations. That’s why I make a point of wearing lolita fashion and attending events. However, this Saturday my husband was out of town, working with my father, and my friends were occupied, so I spent the day alone. I tried to keep myself occupied, but wasn’t entirely successful. (Darn!)

Morning Tea
All of my tea items are mis-matched, but also follow a similar theme of florals, so I love seeing everything together.

I made tea when I woke up, with the sun streaming in through the windows in the kitchen. My kitchen is actually not terribly pink–the most colour comes from the chairs, which are a bright and sunny yellow. When the sun rises it lights up the kitchen and everything seems to pick up that yellow hue; it always makes me think that the day will be a fantastic one!

Tea is one of my “first loves,” so I have an entire section of countertop dedicated to it. There’s a drawer filled with tea below, and an electric kettle always awaiting on top! My teacup collection is displayed on a shelf nearby, with teapots within easy reach. Most of my teacups are floral themed, so one of my favourite teapots is a small mossy-green one. It compliments most of them nicely!

Most of my morning was spent scrubbing in the kitchen (I like to keep things tidy), and then trying to get some pictures of my new doll. The lighting in my home is not very good–the sunlight tends to be too harsh or not bright enough, so getting a good picture is not simple. I tried to get some from the kitchen, but it didn’t work out as well as I hoped. (I also spent quiiiiiite a lot of time in EGL‘s chat room, popping in and out as my attention waxed and waned.)

Pile of Doll Stuff
I’ve been focusing a lot on doll-related things, so I had quite a mess of items strewn about the house.

I planed to get some cleaning and organizing done, since there wouldn’t be a well-intentioned husband to get in the way. n_~ The biggest mess was the proliferation of ball-jointed doll “stuff.” I purchased things at Dolpa during my trip, and ordered things online once I purchased the doll I really wanted, so there were clothing, wigs, eyes, and other accessories tucked all over the place–nothing where it belonged. I managed to pile everything together and attempt to fit it back into the box it came from, but that didn’t work out very well!

Then I tried to get some outfit pictures. I had forgotten how difficult it is to take my own picture. x_+ I made crazy set-ups of boxes on top of stools on top of chairs on top of even suitcases, and balanced the camera precariously on top of the stack. Again and again I wound up with pictures of only my feet, or only my head, or most of me but no head. (And, inevitably when I messed up setting the timer, pictures of my hand. XD) It was so frustrating!

Shirley Temple and the Duck
I love this glass~ I just wish I had more than one of them; I don’t know where the others went.

The library notified me that some of my books were ready for pick-up, so I headed out on a short trip. It was so bright and sunshiney outside! With my heart-shaped sunglasses and fluffy pink dress, I got a lot of stares! X3 (Although a white-haired gentleman kindly told me that he thought my dress was lovely, which was very nice! I like seeing people smile, even if it’s because they’re holding back giggles. n_~)

It was much too warm for tea when I got back home, so I made a Shirley Temple! I almost always have maraschino cherries in my refrigerator, because Shirley Temples are my “oh my goodness what a horrible day” remedy, much the way some people treat cocktails or other liquors. Since I had both soda and cherries, it wasn’t something to pass up. I’ve never grown out of pink fizzy drinks with lots of fruit, and I like them best if there’s no alcohol. :3

Library Books
I love the cover for the Lincoln book. The back cover is even funnier~

My library pick-ups included a novel I’ve been very excited to read (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith) and some books on ballet. I took ballet classes a very, very, very-very-very long time ago, and I’ve been thinking about taking classes again for fun. I’m much too old to ever be a ballerina, and I don’t have any performance aspirations, but I remember really enjoying ballet. (Plus, I’ve wanted to incorporate some exercise into my life!) I picked up a few books to read not to teach myself, but to at least do some research.

After reading the novel for a while I figured it was time to do get back to tidying up before it became night. (The novel is incredibly enjoyable. I wish I could talk my grandfather, who is very fond of Abraham Lincoln, into reading it, but I’m not sure he would find it as amusing as I do.)

Imai Kira Postcards
My little sister selected some really gorgeous postcards–all the colours and illustrations are so beautiful.

When going through some lolita fashion items that had snuck into my house since my little sister’s trip to Japan, I found the postcards she had purchased for me. Although Imai Kira isn’t my favourite artist, her work is very beautiful. The postcards and mini-poster have such detailed, delicate lines. Most of the postcards have a pearly shine, too! ♥ I’m hoping to hang them up somewhere, but I haven’t quite decided on the best way to display them. I was thinking about putting the mini-poster up in my office, but now that I’ve seen it in person I’m not sure if that’s the best use of it! It’s so pretty!

My house is not decorated at all, but I have aspirations to add some more frilly touches~ I think framing the postcards might be a nice touch, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m going for yet. I have a hard time even thinking about where to start. I’ve never done much decorating because I’ve always rented, so anything that goes up will have to be taken down and put back to the way it was before moving out. However, it seems we’ll be staying in my tiny house for a little while, so I’d like to make it more of our own. ♥

My day ended uneventfully, since I had to head to work that next day. (There is no rest for the wicked, after all!) I hope that I can spend next weekend with friends and loved ones–it’s nice to have some time alone, but I get bored too easily. Work seems to give me all the “alone time” I want!

Outfit Snap: Polka Dots and Jewelry Jelly

Outfit Snap: Polka Dots and Jewelry Jelly

No traveling or hard-work for me this weekend, so of course I wore lolita fashion~ Lately I’ve been thinking more frequently of and giving more consideration to the idea of wearing the style to work, but regardless of any future decisions, the weekends are mine to enjoy with fun clothes! This weekend coincided with the arrival of some new things–dresses, socks, and accessories that I had been awaiting for a little while. There’s always a lot of excitement for me about getting something new, so I tried to wear everything~

Wow, A Pink Alice
I love taking pictures outside. The sunlight, even at odd hours of the day, is so much better than the shadows in my house~

I love pink (obviously), polka-dots, Angelic Pretty, and bows–so this dress and I were off to a good start from the moment I spotted it on the website. I was very surprised to find out that a friend of mine had the dress and would be selling it, so by this series of coincidences I was able to purchase it~ My little sister owns the same dress in black with pink polka-dots; she found it while on her trip in Japan.

The dress comes with the choker, and I also purchased the socks at the same time. However, I think in the future I’ll wear different socks. These socks do match, but the bows on the back are a much darker, “dustier” pink that isn’t elsewhere on the dress. I suspect they’ll match a different dress I own that has these same colours.

Failing at Cute
The socks have pink polka-dot bows down the back! I love that extra detail.

I didn’t wear a hair accessory. My original idea was to pull my hair back at the sides and affix a polka-dot bow, but I couldn’t get the bows to stay in place. I had a friend over that same day, so I didn’t want to waste the time fussing with my hair instead of having fun with my guest. ♥ Due to the lack of hair accessory I feel that my outfit is a bit “unfinished,” but it was still fun to wear!

Alice and the Nono
This is my new doll of amazing doll-ness, who I opened on Friday. Just so excited that I wanted to share, even though it’s not a very flattering picture of me.

Saturday was one of those days with no plans, no events, and no errands. Quite honestly, I didn’t know what to do with myself! I flip-flopped between being very productive to keep from being totally bored and being so totally bored that I couldn’t even imagine being productive. I dressed up anyway, which at least added some sparkle to my day.

The version of the Jewelry Jelly jumperskirt that I own is incredibly comfortable. ♫ My little sister bought it on my behalf although I hadn’t asked her for it, and she sent me a message letting me know that she wasn’t sure if I’d really like it, but she had bought it because it was very cute and amazingly comfortable. I didn’t quite know what she meant, since I don’t find any of my clothes particularly uncomfortable. Then I saw it in person and tried it on.

Essentially, the jumperskirt is super comfortable because of the design. It has a fully-shirred back, no zipper, and isn’t high-waisted. The shirring across the back is nicely spaced, plus the elastic is not so tight that one feels squeezed, yet not so loose that the back hangs. It’s really nice! ♫ It’s actually a general “type” much like my red polka-dot jumperskirt, although the details of the design are totally different, which is similarly comfortable!

Pink Jewelry Jelly
This is pretty atypical for me as an outfit, but it’s still pink, pastel, and fluffy. I should have put my hands in front, so the wristcuffs could be seen. They’re so cute!

In general, I don’t wear jumperskirts without blouses. It’s not that I feel this is a lolita fashion “cardinal sin,” just that I like wearing blouses. I don’t like having my shoulders uncovered–it’s a quirk of mine. In non-lolita I rarely ever wear short sleeves unless I am indoors and among people I am at ease with–even though I’m not particularly self-conscious about my arms. (I particularly wear this infamous really ugly coat all the time because it keeps me covered, even on 90+°F days!) However, I really like the design of this jumperskirt–the thin straps with ruffles of lace made me want to wear it with a sort of “sundress” inspiration~ ★

Jewelry Parka Jelly
It almost looks like I’m holding the skirt, but I’m actually clenching my fists…not that I have a particular reason to do so.

I headed out to the library, so I threw on a hoodie that didn’t really match, just for some coverage. The socks are also from my little sister; I think they match pretty nicely. I don’t own much else that has pink and blue, but Jewelry Jelly is a very colourful design.

I also have the Jewelry Jelly wristcuffs, but I’m not quite sure how to wear them. I wore them on my wrists for most of the day, but it felt like jewelry–which I am terrible with. I can’t help fussing with them, and then I take them off and put them back on and take them off again and put them somewhere else and forget where I put them! I’d really like to wear the wristcuffs in my hair (like scrunchies), but I haven’t figured out a good way to do so. When I wrap them it bunches up the lace, and I don’t want to permanently alter them.

I did find some hair baubles in my collection that seem to fit with the design pretty well, though~ They’re multi-faceted pink heart “crystals.” If I could find star shapes of a similar nature, in either pink, blue, lavender, or mint, it would match even better! I’m going to be on the lookout.

Sneaky Cinnamalice
This is my “up to no good” face. …So basically my daily expression.

Although, honestly, my “hair accessory” for most of the day was a set of Cinnamoroll ears that my little sister brought back from Sanrio’s Puroland. Puroland is like Disneyland, just owned and operated by another company. My little sister adores Cinnamoroll (although probably not as much as I always seem to think when I buy random Cinnamoroll things to give to her), so she opted for his floppy puppy ears during her trip. They came into my possession upon her return, since my head is stupidly tiny and so is the headband.

I keep wearing them around the house, because it’s fun and I find them comfortable. However, I keep forgetting that I’m wearing them! I’ve almost walked out of the house more than once as a Cinnamalice…which would have been so embarrassing! (Yes, random ears are embarrassing even though I don’t think my clothes are! It’s just how my mind works~ n_~)

Meetup Report: Housewarming Tea

Meetup Report: Housewarming Tea

My favourite meetups aren’t giant events with lots of pomp and photo opportunities–my favourite meetups are intimate events with lots of conversation. I feel bad whenever I realize that there was someone I didn’t get the opportunity to know. Sometimes I get so excited about seeing old friends that I forget to take enough time to meet those I don’t already know~ With a smaller group it’s easier to hold a conversation that includes everyone, come to a decision about what to do next, and generally make everyone feel welcome. That’s not to say that such a thing can’t happen at a larger event, but it takes a conscious effort to do so.

Thus I was very excited to go to a small tea party at a friend’s new apartment; she hosted the event as a housewarming. Hosting parties provides the planners with almost endless room for creativity, but it can get expensive very quickly! Doing something on a smaller scale, where you decide the guest list, allows you to do things elaborately without going broke. Fancy ingredients can be very pricey, especially if 20+ people are supposed to come…and if guests cancel at last minute you might be eating those leftover tea sandwiches for a week! If you want more control, less attendees makes it easier.

Tea Time
The table was elaborately set by the time we arrived, with flower petals and beautiful blue and white china.

I arrived a bit too early (which I have a particular knack for), but already the table was set with china and flowers. Cucumber-mint cream cheese and plum & prosciutto sandwiches were cooling in the refrigerator while scones baked in the oven. I brought a loaf of pumpkin tea bread, which is essentially a loaf of sweet quick bread made with strong brewed tea instead of other liquids. It tastes mostly like pumpkin spice, but I like to think the tea makes it more suitable for a tea party~ Another friend brought a lovely summer salad with avocado and strawberry. My little sister brought jalapeno cheese spread, which she and my husband tried on nearly everything else on the table.

Tea Time
The cucumber and mint with herbed cream cheese on whole-grain bread tea sandwiches were so pretty~ Very vibrant and green. Warm scones are lurking in the background near Devon cream.

The weather was almost unbearably hot, partially because it’s summer and partially because the apartment was on the top floor of a building and lacked air conditioning. Some of my smarter friends had brought collapsible fans, while those of us who hadn’t had that foresight (aka: me) kept ducking into the air-conditioned bedroom. It didn’t prevent us from enjoying ourselves, however! It was a lot of fun to sit around the table and talk~

Eventually we decided to take a walk, so we headed out to meander around the neighborhood. I had forgotten my parasol, but my little sister kindly lent me hers. ♥ I tried to hold it to provide some shade for her, as well, although I don’t think I did a very good job…

On our walk we passed a very cute candy store: Suckers Candy! ★ I saw the penguin first, to be honest. I love penguins, so when I noticed a big penguin on the sidewalk my first reaction was to squeal, run up to it, and please-please-please-please get someone to take my picture with it. I noticed the penguin’s “Ice Cream” sign, and turned around to see a candy store!

I peeked inside to see if they had candy cigarettes, which I really love, and luckily they did! My husband was very sweet and bought them for me! ♥ Not only did I get to hug a giant penguin, I also wound up with candy! It was great~

Penguin Love ♥
I really fell in love with this penguin. He’s so big AND he’s advertising ice cream!

I enjoyed walking with my friends and taking part in conversations. Eventually the heat and humidity got to be a bit much, so we ducked into an air-conditioned coffee shop. I didn’t get home until a bit late, but I had such a wonderful time! I hope that my summer is full of more of those outings~ I want to spend and enjoy time with my friends as much as possible~