Meetup Report: Pony Overload

September 30, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In mid-August, I arranged for a friend who was developing an interest in My Little Pony to visit my mother’s house and see my collection. I have many ponies–it isn’t an exaggeration. However, I know there are collectors with collections even more vast–particularly because there were hundreds, if not thousands, of unique ponies produced in the first generation of toys. I only collect the third generation, which is much more condensed. She also focuses on that generation, so I was very excited to be able to share my madness with someone who didn’t think it was quite so crazy.

We planned for having tea, baking something sweet, watching My Little Pony: the Movie and perhaps some of the more recent films, picking up lunch, working on some pony-related craft projects, and shuffling through my collection. We didn’t quite get as much done as we originally expected because we had to run an important errand–picking up the guinea pig from the vet post-operation. The receptionist and other owners certainly didn’t know what to make of the two fluffy pink girls in their waiting room!

I already used this picture, but nothing better expresses his disagreement with whatever happened to him in the unfamiliar place. He was very glad to be at home with hay, pellets, basil, and treats instead of force-fed critical care.

After we collected our disgruntled charge and set him up to relax at home, we headed out for lunch. We stopped at the Japanese market and selected some sushi to take home. I really love sushi of all varieties, and growing up near a Japanese market with relatively inexpensive sushi really spoiled me! Now that I live in the city and can’t go to that market on a regular basis, I buy sushi elsewhere (usually for much higher prices) and expect it to be as good. I’m usually disappointed–so whenever I’m in town I always want to stop in.

We also peeked around in the bookstore. When I attended Bon festival in early August, the bookstore had just gotten a Rilakkuma-themed scratchcard game. Each scratchcard was $5, and every card was guaranteed a prize–at least a set of wash
cloths. Two giant plush were the grand prizes–one Rilakkuma and one Korilakkuma. I won a set of wash cloths and a pink mug that first day. When I visited with my friend, she bought us each scratch tickets–and I won another mug, this time in green! I’ve had to keep away from the bookstore since then because the scratch game is addicting. I’m not even hoping for the grand prize, but I do like mugs~

I keep the ponies on two bookcases side-by-side, and a narrow bookcase between the closet doors. This isn’t enough room for every pony–there are more tucked away in storage bins.

Back from our adventure, we set up a picnic on the floor of the living room (the only room with a VHS player) and watched My Little Pony: the Movie. This was one of my favorite movies when I was a child, and the VHS I own is the one I always watched! The story is as can be expected from the My Little Pony brand–Ponyland is threatened by something and various ponies (plus Megan, Danny, and Molly) have to try and save it. The animation isn’t fantastic, but it’s very nostalgic! (Besides, I really like the little songs, even the terrible ones!)

Some of my favourite ponies are the very large “Styling” ponies. They’re mega-sized ponies, which I find fascinating! I wish they’d release more of these huge ponies~

After the movie, which thankfully isn’t very long, we headed upstairs. I’m sure my family would prefer to put the room to better use now that I no longer live at home, but currently the bedroom that was mine is still a shrine to all things pink, cheerful, glittery, and frilly. Until I am able to bring my pony collection to where I currently live I don’t really have any other option! It’s not necessarily the easiest thing to store.

It was a lot of fun to look through the different ponies on display. We even started sorting through the closets, which contain even more ponies–some in storage bins and some still in the original packaging. I rarely do anything halfway–if I’m passionate about something, I’m completely devoted to the cause. These piles of brightly-coloured vinyl horses are a testament to that! (And, in a similar way, so is my closet filled with ruffles and lace!)

Regardless of generation, I collect Pinkie Pie. I try to keep those ponies clustered together, partially because I like seeing that much pink all in one space and partially because otherwise I tend to forget which ones I don’t have yet and buy duplicates!

By the end of the day we were going through negotiations–the room was like a stock exchange, if stocks were instead small toys. Loose ponies, boxed ponies, multi-packaged ponies–everywhere! It was absolutely ridiculous, but also so much fun~ ★ I’m really glad to know someone I can share my excitement with. I have many friends that share my interest in lolita fashion, some that enjoy the same sort of music that I do, others who are also fond of baking, yet more who like ball-jointed dolls, and still more who enjoy other little things that I’m fascinated with–but until very recently, I didn’t have a friend who was also interested in My Little Pony. I’m thrilled that I do now!

I had so much fun posing for this picture. I love my mother’s SMART. Whenever I’m visiting I drive it as much as possible.

When we finally parted ways it was quite late, but I think we were both in high spirits. I’m looking forward to having more fun in the future–particularly with the new television show debuting on October 10th! We’ve been joking about having a season premiere party, and maybe we will. If only the 10th wasn’t a Sunday!

On Being Lolita: More Questions

September 29, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’ve been neglecting my poor blog~ These past few weeks I have been feeling a bit less fluffy than usual, so I haven’t been writing. I’m trying to get back on track, particularly because the coming of autumn brings such a nice season for wearing lolita and attending meetups.

Since starting up an account at Formspring and incorporating it onto my blog, I’ve been getting quite a few questions. I’ve already posted previously with a compilation of questions and answers, but I think now is as good a time as any to do so again. Please remember that these answers are my opinions. I’m just me–feel free to agree or disagree.

1. Do you wear lolita to work?
Sometimes. Lolita outfits are not against my company’s dress code, and I don’t interact with clients. However, I don’t like wearing lolita fashion to work because it’s distracting to my coworkers; I want to be remembered for the work I do, not what I wear.

2. How did you come up with your blog name ‘Pink Mlik Tea’?
I LOVE milk tea, and I like pink! Besides, some of my other choices were already taken! :3

3. Would you say you dress like your doll or that your doll dresses like you?
Neither, actually! My doll (now dolls) has a lot of school uniforms and dresses in dark colours. Her one pink outfit has shorts, so I would NEVER wear it. I don’t dress her in lolita fashion. My “casual” clothes are jeans and t-shirts, something I won’t purchase for my doll.

4. You say you wear bloomers. Where did you buy them?
I have a few pair that were made by a friend (bloomers are not difficult to make) and a few pair from Metamorphose–although, since I prefer the longer length, Meta uses the term “drawers.” Their “bloomers” are much shorter. Meta bloomers/drawers are quite expensive, but mine were part of lucky packs.

5. What challenges will a boy face coming to a Chicago lolita meetup? I would like to make friends, but am worried about acceptance of single males in the group. Could you offer honest and frank advice?
The biggest challenge in being a male attending a meetup, particularly alone, is making it clear by your behavior and in conversation that you a) don’t think lolita fashion is a sexual fetish and b) aren’t attending in an attempt to hit on community members. The biggest barrier that a boy will face is suspicions about his intentions. Most of the girls are used to being mocked, propositioned, or any number of other extremely uncomfortable things when wearing the style.
If you’re truly interested in the fashion and joining the community, you shouldn’t have to work very hard to “prove” yourself at all–it will be immediately evident.
It helps to come dressed in your best attire and have a good attitude. Everyone is very friendly, but you’ll need to be friendly as well. Sometimes there are so many people in one place that it’s impossible to focus on every shy newcomer and coax them into conversation, and thus people can feel neglected or ignored. It’s best to avoid this from the start–introduce yourself and join in conversations. If “jumping right in” is overwhelming, try to talk to a few people one at a time during the event. And, most importantly, continue to attend! It’s hard to get to know people based on one impression.
If you have any other questions I’ll do my best to answer them, as well.

6. I saw that you have Secret Shop Shoes. Do you think they fall large, small or are they just right?
Secret Shop shoes are fairly true to size, and in my experience they run -just slightly- larger than the original shoes. (For example, my Secret Shop replicas are slightly larger than my Angelic Pretty tea party shoes.)

7. How do you know what kind of petticoat you need? A-line, fluffy, A-shape, it’s so confusing!
The type of petticoat you need is determined by the fullness of the skirts you’re wearing. :3 “Fluffy” is usually the very full, traditional bell-shaped petticoat. A-line/A-shape/princess are less full–they give you a more trapezoidal shape (like an uppercase “A”–fluffy petticoats are more like an upside-down “U”). Circle skirts and full trapezoid skirts benefit from a fuller petticoat. If you try to put a full petticoat beneath a skirt with less yardage, it will be squashed and not fit properly.
I usually determine which kind of pannier is required by following the line of the skirt on stock images or estimating the gathers at the waist. Looking at a stock image, if the skirt curves up and out from the waist, I’ll want a full petticoat. If the skirt slopes down from the waist, A-line will be better. Skirts that need full petticoats also tend to have more gathers at the waist, because there is more fabric.
If you prefer a less-full silhouette, you can usually wear an A-line petticoat beneath just about anything without creating a look that is awkward.

8. Do you buy your lolita clothes in a shop (like Tokyo Rebel), online or secondhand?
I buy most of my clothes secondhand, either from friends or online. I don’t live near a shop, and I’ve never been to Japan. I have made a few direct online purchases, but usually I look for good prices on lightly-used garments on Yahoo!Japan or egl_comm_sales.

9. Did you see that on Qcute they have almost exact replicas of Angelic Pretty‘s Wonder Cookie? What do you think of that?
I don’t support replicas out of respect to the artists and designers of the original garments, particularly when artwork is involved.
(I’m still trying to sort out my feelings about replica shoes. I don’t support that practice either, but I do own a pair that I love to wear–which is hypocritical.)

10. Where do you buy your lolita socks?
I buy my socks from Angelic Pretty, BABY the Stars Shine Bright, and Metamorphose, sometimes directly from the companies, sometimes on egl_comm_sales, and sometimes from auctions on Yahoo!Japan.

11. Do you buy from AP’s English site or Japanese? In the case of Japanese: isn’t that hard?
I usually buy from their Japanese site via shopping service. The English site avoids most fees, but the communication is not very good and the selection of items is worse.
It’s not very hard to order from the Japanese site; I can read enough lolita fashion-specific Japanese (measurements, fabric type, etc.) since I’ve been interested in the style for several years. It’s even easier to see if something is in stock–I just try and add it to the cart and see if I get an error message. They won’t ship overseas from the Japanese website, though; a shopping service is necessary.

12. Do you know a good shopping service?
I’ve heard good things about Japonica Market, but I’ve never used them.
I like to use Crescent-Shop, because I like their system. However, they do not have a low fee structure.

I think there are even more questions, but those will have to be for another day~ I’m glad that there’s been some use of the “ask questions” feature, and I hope it’s been useful to someone.

Please remember–if you’d like me to get back to you instead of answering the question publicly, just include your email address in your question. I’ll send you an email instead~ ♥

Outfit Snap: Ponies and Dolls

September 8, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When I discovered that a friend of mine was becoming interested in My Little Pony, something I’ve been obsessed with to different degrees for several years, I could think of only one thing: “Oh my goodness–she needs to see my collection!” I made plans with her to do just such a thing as soon as possible. When I relayed this to my husband, wondering what to wear, he immediately suggested Cherry Berry Bunny.

My mother was kind enough to take this picture of us together. I was blinking in almost every shot!

I’ve worn this jumperskirt many times, and I haven’t purchased anything new and exciting in a few months, so this isn’t exactly a brand new and utterly original coordination. Despite that, I always enjoy wearing this jumperskirt~ ☆

A short-sleeved white blouse was a good choice for the warm day we chose to get together. I thought we’d spend most of the day in the air-conditioned house, but instead we ran several errands–including picking up my guinea pig from the vet post-surgery and grabbing lunch. I selected pink socks without lace to contrast better with my white shoes without being too fussy. The print on the jumperskirt is already very eye-catching.

I left my hair down an added a small bow with a pom-pon, because it makes me think of a bunny’s tail. ♥

This was a grumpy, distrustful, partially-shaved piggie. We quickly appeased him with basil.

The next day I attended a doll meetup at a local zoo. My husband suggested this dress, which I think is one of his favourites. It might be the old-fashioned styling, with the bell sleeves, high waist, and thin waist ties.

I put my hair up in pigtails to keep it off of my neck and accented them with the bow-clips I am fond of wearing. The socks I chose have a white rose pattern and white lace at the top. I feel like it mimics the print and trim of the dress itself, although the lace is not the same kind used on the one-piece.

I almost forgot to get an outfit picture, but thankfully we remembered just in time. It would have been much too dark by the time we got home that evening!

It was a nice, simple outfit. Although the weather was warm, I was glad to have the long sleeves to cover my arms. I carried the parasol for most of the event, but I can’t very easily carry a doll and a parasol so sometimes I went without.

I realized during the meetup that my newer doll is very, very heavy. My poor husband wound up lugging her around in the bag for part of the trip. I don’t think she’ll be coming with me again unless I start lifting weights or magically gain better upper-body strength! (That seems unlikely…)

I haven’t had an opportunity to dress up since these occasions in mid-August, so I had been putting off writing about it. I’m hoping that this upcoming weekend doesn’t get complicated; I’ll be quite upset if I’ll miss another opportunity. The weather is cool, but not too chilly, so it’s the perfect temperature for the layers of lolita outfits!

Charming Activities: My Little Pony

September 1, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My Little Pony was my first love. Before I started wearing lolita fashion, that was where my money went. The newest generation of the collectible plastic horses was released while I was in high school, and for years any spending money would be promptly converted into ponies at the nearest Target, Toys R Us, or Wal-Mart. Even when I wasn’t collecting, I still measured money in terms of the quantity of $5 ponies it will buy; this habit even rubbed off on my husband!

Several ponies from the first generation; the ponies with white bodies belonged to me when I was a little girl. I’m not very fond of this style of pony, but I love the So Softs because they’re fuzzy.

For a while, My Little Pony was my only hobby. My bedroom was like a shrine to the plastic toys, which peeked out of every nook and cranny. I collected related paraphernalia, as well, so my walls were occupied by My Little Pony posters, my desk filled with My Little Pony pens and notebooks, and my bed topped with My Little Pony plush toys. It really overwhelmed most visitors, but it made me very gleeful to see the brightness and glitter of so many things that I enjoyed.

The first release of My Little Pony occurred in the 1980s before I was born. The focus was on brightly-coloured toy horses released in sets that little girls would want to collect. As was the custom at the time, the toys were promoted with a cartoon. For years, Hasbro came up with new “types” of ponies to enchant little girls–from the rainbow-haired, glitter-symboled Rainbow Ponies to the jewel-eyed Twinkle Ponies to the scented, three-dimensional-symboled Sundae Best Ponies to the slender, iridescent-winged Flutter Ponies. Every year there was something new and special! Despite the updates, the production ended after 1992.

In 1997, the concept was redesigned and brought back into production. These ponies were smaller, slimmer, and came with lots of accessories. The line didn’t last long in the US, as these ponies were discontinued after 1999, but they continued to be sold in Europe for many years after.

In 2003, My Little Pony was redesigned yet again. These were the ponies that caught my eye. Although larger and less delicate than the second generation of ponies, they bear only slight resemblance to the first generation of My Little Pony toys from the 80s. Their releases, however, followed the protocol of the first generation–the ponies were released in sets, with few accessories, based on themes. As the years progressed, more ponies were introduced and playsets became more common. Although there were many duplicates, re-releases, or somewhat unimaginative ponies, I still loved them all and sought to find them.

My ponies aren’t terribly organized–I ran out of shelf space very quickly! Even when they’re in disarray, the cheerful colours make me smile~

My interest never waned, but my collecting died down when the toy line underwent more changes. In 2008, Hasbro stopped releasing new ponies and instead began “Core 7.” Focusing on seven ponies, in an attempt to form characters that children would recognize and identify with, these ponies were released and re-released in different sets with slight changes. At this point, I stopped paying too much attention. Although one of these ponies was my favourite pony, Pinkie Pie, the others didn’t interest me.

I focused instead on second-hand purchases of other ponies I had missed out on over the years, but as the gaps in my collection narrowed it became more and more difficult. At this time I my interest in lolita fashion was quite strong, so I was more willing to purchase a new jumperskirt than pay $50+ for one particularly hard-to-fine toy horse. I also didn’t have much spending money. Additionally, I was living away from home due to university, and I couldn’t bring my collection with me to the places I stayed. I no longer focused on my pony collection and constantly contemplated selling it off.

Despite my thoughts of exiting the hobby I had invested so much time and effort in, I couldn’t do it. As much as wearing lolita fashion made me very happy, seeing and fussing my collection made me happy, too. ♥ I started bringing a few ponies with me to the places I was living, and it reminded me why I had started collecting them in the first place: they were cute, small, inexpensive, and made me smile. ♥

Pinkie Pie is my favourite pony–even in the “new” style, which I’m not terribly fond of. I collect all of her variations.

My heart even warmed to the newest redesign of the ponies, although their large heads and small bodies had initially confused and dismayed me. Another redesign looms on the horizon, to correspond with the upcoming My Little Pony cartoon “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” The new artwork and toys don’t look much at all like the ponies from my childhood, but I’m curious to see how the line continues to evolve. Best of all, I’ve found a friend who shares my pony-related passion; so I have someone to express my excitement (or outrage) with!

I’m hoping that I’ll soon be able to set up my collection in my home–at least partially. I need to find space for the bookcases so that I can get the ponies into order. It’s fun to visit my mother’s house and walk into the pony-topia that is my former bedroom, but it would be even better to have that sort of atmosphere on a day-to-day basis. (Plus all of those colours make a really fun, vibrant background for lolita fashion!)

All of the things I like represent me in some way. I used to be worried about that kind of thing. “What will people think if they see my room is full of these toys?” “What will she say if she sees my closet is full of frills?” “What might he tell others if he sees my kitchen is full of teacups?” Those kinds of worries only make me unhappy with being myself. Rather than focus on something so negative, I want to enjoy being who I am. Even if collecting toys is childish, I should be allowed to make that choice for myself. I don’t want someone else to dictate how much fun I’m allowed to have! ♥

Outfit Snap: Casual Saturday

August 26, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This past month hasn’t been one full of dressing up. With all of the guinea pigs’ vet appointments I’ve been dashing back and forth on the days I’m not at work, and most of the time I haven’t felt up to putting on fancy clothes. This past weekend, however, I was able to stay at home and relax (until Crème Puff’s hopefully final appointment next weekend). My husband and I decided to go on a date on Saturday, a day we both have off of work, and that was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.

I forgot to take pictures until the very last minute, when we returned home. I was having too much fun!

I wanted to wear something that was slightly more casual. I have a few things that I acquired a little while ago but haven’t actually worn yet, so I picked one of those for our date. I don’t often wear skirts, since I prefer jumperskirts and one-pieces, but while my little sister was in Japan she picked me up a very cute skirt. I like to call this print “Pups in Cups,” as I can never remember what it’s actually called and there are puppies in teacups featured prominently along the border. When we stopped at a shop, the cashier noticed all of the strawberries on my skirt. She was even more excited when I pointed out the puppies~ ♥

I paired the skirt with a white parka with pink polka-dot accents on the cuffs and the hood. I think in the future I’d prefer to wear this skirt with a cardigan or pretty cutsew, but I didn’t want something so formal. I wore plain white knee socks to keep things toned down, and pink shoes.

The skirt has some interesting shades of pink in it. I’d like to wear it with shoes in the darkest pink, but I’m not sure they’d match anything else. I’m never really sure how to coordinate skirts. I don’t have many tops that are pretty enough to seem suitable on their own. My wardrobe always seems to have gaps of missing items, regardless of how full my closet looks!

Charming Activities: Pokémon HeartGold

August 25, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I have been very entranced for the past few days because my husband bought Pokémon HeartGold for me! ♥

Having a new game has given me a reason to actually use my poor DS! I’m not a very devoted game player.

It has been almost ten years since I’ve owned a Pokémon game–the last one I had was Pokémon Yellow! One of the reasons I’m enjoying Pokémon HeartGold so much is that it reminds me very much of Pokémon Yellow. My favourite part of that game was that Pikachu followed your character around and you could talk to it. I like the idea of pokémon–cute wild animals that have special abilities suited to fighting–but I don’t like that the games (unlike the television show) doesn’t allow you to actually interact with the ones you’ve captured. (I have this dream of a game I like to jokingly call “Pokémon Pink” where you can interact using the touchscreen to groom, feed, and talk to your pokémon.)

It’s actually because of Pokémon Yellow that we wound up getting the new games. I gave my GameBoy Color and all of the games to a younger cousin several years ago, so I found an emulator for our computer. (I’m still very tempted to buy a used system and the game, even with a new game to play!) I only played it a bit, but it made my husband really nostalgic. Nostalgic enough that when we passed by a video game store he wanted to browse the used games, intending to pick up a copy of one of the GameBoy Advance Pokémon titles. I planted a few choice hints (I can be very persuasive…), and moved his attention to the new games.

The updated graphics and game play are so much different from what I remember! I love the level of detail.

The Sentret is my favourite pokémon so far. I love having it follow me around because it looks like a bunny with a raccoon tail! So cute~ ♥

It’s been particularly fun to use some of the connectivity abilities with the game, since my husband bought himself a copy of Pokémon SoulSilver. We used the Union Room to trade (my Caterpie for his Weedle), then played with some of the other features. When we started to use the “DRAW” feature I sketched a quick scribble of his Bayleef…and at first he didn’t believe I was actually drawing it! We also battled–I lost spectacularly. I used my strongest pokémon and he used his weakest, but the level difference was just too much. Someday we’ll have a rematch!

I wish I had more friends with DS Pokémon games so we could interact, too! (Although it seems that at least two of my friends also own HeartGold, but they bought probably got the game in March when it was new and thus aren’t as enthralled at the moment as I am.) Despite the assured lack of interest, I like to picture a Pokémon meetup where we could sit around, drink tea, and play the game together–wearing lolita fashion, of course. n_~

I really like the touch-screen capabilities. It makes it easy to navigate the various options and sub-screens, but it’s so nicely designed that it’s not a hassle to use the buttons instead if you so choose.

The gameplay maintains true to the original Pokémon premise of “Gotta Catch ’em All!” but it has new features and is very organized. I like the updated graphics and animations the most–the cuteness is even more overwhelming when the creatures are shown larger and in colour~ I really like that the bottom screen of the DS displays the menu at all times. It’s easy access to viewing the statistics of my current team, checking to see what I still haven’t caught in the Pokédex, reviewing the information on my ID, going through the items that I’ve picked up, altering game options, and saving the game. (Plus I get a lot of use from the equippable running shoes, easily tapped on and off so I don’t have to hold down the B-button!)

Of course, I haven’t played a Pokémon game in nearly a decade (I feel…so old…), so some of the features that really dazzle me might not be impressive to someone who has played more recent editions of Pokémon. One of the other things I like, although it’s very trivial, is the divided portions of the bag the player carries. I like thinking that the Poké Balls aren’t knocking around in one pouch with the Potions and Apricorns, liable to cause breaking or damage. (It’s also easier to review what I’m carrying, since I look at different “pockets” at a time.)

I especially like the ability to choose a girl character. When I showed the game to a friend of mine, he thought I had designed the character’s appearance because she has brown pigtails and a large bow on her head. Honestly, though, I like to picture that the player actually looks like me–even though you can’t represent that kind of detail in the game. I’d want to be wearing lolita fashion, of course, but something simplified to fit in with the general art style of the game.

I was being silly, so I came up with this very messy sketch! I tried to make it look vaguely authentic, but I’m not very good at drawing. There are lots and lots of mistakes!

I came up with a sketch on a whim, but I’m stumped on what to do with the jumperskirt. Maybe if I figure it out, I’ll draw a real picture. I want something that won’t be too elaborate, but also won’t seem underwhelming. I would also like to include pockets, as I imagine they’d be useful for Potions or Poké Balls, but they tend to seem out of place due to the shape of the skirt. I haven’t drawn in a while, but I started feeling inspired since I’m having so much fun with the game and my husband and I have been watching the cartoon. (It just seems like an appropriate thing to have on in the background while playing the game.)

Does anyone else play Pokémon? Do you have a favourite game or favourite character?

Meetup Report: Mega-Meetup

August 18, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

On July 24th, I attended had a massive picnic meetup in the heart of the city. It was heavily advertised in the Chicago-area communities and those of Wisconsin, so the turnout was really amazing! So many people were there; it was astounding! I saw lots of friends, including some I hadn’t seen in quite a while, and saw a few new faces, too~ ♥ I spent quite a bit of time fending off public park officials who seemed certain that we were some kind of group likely to start performing or somehow otherwise disobeying park rules just because there were so many girls dressed oddly gathered in one place.

We met at Millennium Park, near the Cloud Gate sculpture (aka: the bean), where we briefly introduced each other with our names and locations. After assessing that most of the group had arrived, we then headed across the street to a more secluded area for the actual picnic. It was nice to be out of the sun, as that weekend was one of the hottest weekends of the summer, and even nicer to be away from prying eyes. Everyone spread out their picnic blankets on the grass like a giant quilt, then started to arrange everyone’s dishes.

There were so many people, it was like looking at a see of fluff and colour!

I had a lot of fun wandering around and trying to talk to everyone. There were brief introductions before heading to the picnic area, but I didn’t really managed to remember most of it. I’m really terrible with names, so I knew I’d never learn over thirty people’s names just from hearing it once. It was almost overwhelming to see so many people, though! I couldn’t keep track! I know there are at least a few people that I didn’t talk to for at least a few minutes, but I tried.

I was really surprised to talk to a very sweet young lady who recognized me from my blog! XD That was incredibly amusing–I never expect anyone to actually read this, particularly not those I don’t know personally. It was a very pleasant surprise! (And I hope to see her again at more meetups, too! ♥)

Near the picnic blankets some girls stood and talked, enjoying the shade of the trees.

I was very excited to reconnect with some lolita I hadn’t seen in a while. Meetup times and locations don’t always work for absolutely everyone in the area (and I think this meetup showed that there are really quite a lot of people interested in the fashion in the area!), so sometimes it will be months at a time before schedules mesh correctly again. (It also doesn’t help that I miss all of the Sunday events! Le sigh…)

However, there were also a few girls from Wisconsin, Michigan, and I think even Indiana who took the time to travel. Having an opportunity to spend some time with long-distance friends is always exciting. I don’t ever get the chance to do much traveling myself, so I have to wait for people to maybe-perhaps head towards me and hope they have some time to spare.

Helena (of 黒ピンク) is always the most elaborately-dressed person I know. Everyone wanted to “ooh” and “aah” over her beautiful Milky★Planet jumperskirt.

The only unpleasant part of the picnic involved some rude photographers. A large group of them came upon our picnic and began taking pictures without speaking to anyone or asking anyone’s permission. I only noticed one picture-taker at first, and initially thought that he was invited by someone at the meetup, but soon there was a swarm. It made everyone very uncomfortable. It felt very dehumanizing. It isn’t legally necessary for photographers to ask for permission when in public places, but honestly it’s simply rude. I wish I knew what group it was, because I’d certainly like to chide their behavior.

Beyond the uninvited camera-toting group, there was an “officially sanctioned” videographer at the event. I spent some time talking to the camera crew that attended the meetup. I had thought at first that they might be from a local newspaper, but I thought one of the girls looked very familiar. It turns out that she worked on a documentary on lolita for a school assignment (“Lolita in Translation“) that I helped out with a little over a year ago. They’re working on a follow-up and/or expanded documentary, this time not on the tight schedule and requirements of an assignment. It was neat to see them again and talk about what they’re working on now. They’re very talented, and I love the way they shape their projects. None of the people who worked on and produced the documentary had any interest in lolita fashion other than “what is this anyway?” and I think their views as outsiders helped create something that is very accessible and not heavily biased. I’m looking forward to future projects, lolita-related or not!

Afterwards, we briefly enjoyed the air conditioning in the cultural center.

After a few rounds of lolita-themed bingo, the sky started to look a bit stormy. There had been reports that the weather might get inclement, so we headed towards shelter. The cultural center is always a nice place to take a group, as there is no admission or other fees. It’s a quiet, beautiful building…and it has air conditioning! When you’ve spent so much time in the heat and humidity, air conditioning is a beautiful, glorious thing.

At that point the group started to splinter. Some people needed to get home soon; others were making plans for dinner or other activities after the meetup. When the cultural center started to close, we headed outside and started to go separate ways. I wound up at the Melting Pot (the only place downtown that could seat a large quantity of frilly girls on a very short notice) after an ill-fated attempt to visit the Rainbow Room.

I could not resist climbing up on this large cow statue! I was not the only one who felt that way.

By the time I finally got home, I was utterly exhausted–but it was so much fun! I still prefer smaller meetups, as this one was a bit overwhelming at times, but there’s something amazing about witnessing proof that so many people so close to you have the same hobby and interest. Hopefully I’ll see many of these girls, particularly those I met for the first time, at meetups that have yet to be! Otherwise, maybe they’ll come next year! The goal is to make this “mega-meetup” an annual event.

Special thanks to Jordana of Qylaar for the use of some of her pictures!

Outfit Snap: Jewelry Jelly

August 17, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

At the end of July there was a very large meetup (which I kept affectionately referring to as the “megameet”) downtown in the city. There was a lot of fussing among everyone in the area about what to wear for this meetup, and I wasn’t sure what to pick, either. In the end, I wore my Jewelry Jelly jumperskirt because several of my friends also owned it, so we thought it would be fun to dress up similarly. It was almost an attempt to twin, but there were four of us and we didn’t try to match very closely.

I didn’t stand still long enough for any separate pictures, but I tried to take a few with friends. This lovely young lady had such a beautiful dress! The print is adorable!

Since I have the jumperskirt in pink, I wore it with a white short-sleeved blouse and pink and white striped socks. The socks have darker pink bows up the back, and although I had worn them with other outfits in the past I kept thinking about how they’d probably match Jewelry Jelly. The print has a lot of colours–mint green, robin’s egg blue, pale lavender, and darker candy pink. The darker pinks match the colour of the bows on the back of the socks, and the pink of the rest of the fabric matches the striping on the socks. I was really pleased with it–I’m sure that I’ll wear these socks with this jumperskirt again!

Although the jumperskirt looks very nice without a blouse, I don’t feel comfortable wearing it as a sundress when I’ll be spending most of my time out in public. I chose a blouse with eyelet lace instead of crocheted lace, but I think that in the future I ought to get a blouse with tulle lace. The jumperskirt has tulle lace, so I think it will be a better match.

It’s easier to see my wrist cuffs, hair ties, ring, and nail polish in this picture. I spent a lot of time painting my nails for this outfit!

I wore a bit of makeup that day–blush and mascara. I think makeup can be a lot of fun, but I’m very allergic to it so I can only use it very sparingly. By the end of the day my cheeks were very itchy and the mascara (because it wasn’t waterproof–I haven’t found a makeup removers for waterproof mascara that wasn’t too harsh) had smudged under my eyes. XD There’s still something about makeup I can’t resist, though–it makes me feel extra girly! ♥

I painted my nails to match the colours of the dress’s print! I realized that I owned most of the colours already (just no light blue…). I alternated Essie‘s mint candy apple, flawless, and St. Lucia lilac. When that was dry, I added two coats of main squeeze for an iridescent, violet-tinted sparkle. My little sister let me borrow a turquoise Jewelry Jelly ring (which is one of the cutest accessories I’ve ever seen). It’s so cute that I haven’t returned it yet. 😡

We wound up with Jewelry Jelly quadruplets! And I didn’t get any pictures other than this quick one that is very shadowy. Darn!

I don’t have the matching hairbow for this series, and it doesn’t look quite right with any of the non-patterned hairbows and headdresses that I owned. I put my hair in pigtails but shook them out so they wouldn’t be one ringlet, and added a bauble of a crystalline heart. It makes me think of the gelatin featured on the print! I’d love to find the hairbow someday, or maybe get something else gelatin-themed. I’m not partial to the mini-hat that was released, but a hairband or barrette of jellies might be nice.

I was absolutely the least creative of my three other Jelly-fied friends. Oh well! ☆

Update: Back from Surgery

August 16, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Creme Puff had his surgery on Thursday, August 12. He’s been doing pretty good–it seems like he’ll pull through fine, barring any unpleasant downturns. He came back right on schedule, the day after the procedure. He really hates being force-fed, so he was a bit grumpy when we picked him up. It took a little while to convince him I wasn’t going to stick a big syringe in his mouth as long as he ate food on his own, but we convinced him with basil. My mother and stepfather have been growing basil, and the guinea pigs really love it. (Plus, they smell really nice when they eat it!)

He took some time to relax once we got him home. I’m sure being at the vet for the operation was pretty stressful.

He’s just as energetic and boistrous as ever. (As soon as I got him back into the city, he went, “A-HA! THERE’s the guy that feeds me!” and put up a big fuss until my husband provided lettuce.) He doesn’t seem to notice that he has a huge stitched-up incision, except when he tries to streeeeeeeeeetch to peek over the top of the cage like he usually does and then suddenly realizes it kinda hurts. Poor thing. His pain medication seems to be doing a good job, though, because otherwise he is just as active as he was before.

He has a check-up in two weeks, and hopefully it will be all good news! I’ve got my fingers crossed hoping for the best!

Charming Activities: Calico Critters

August 15, 2010May 19, 2015 by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I have a soft spot for toys. Before I started wearing lolita fashion, I spent quite a bit of time and money collecting toys. I didn’t necessarily go after things that were collectible or high-value, just anything I thought was cute. When I went away to university and moved out of my mother’s house, I donated the bulk of my collections due to space restraints. Since I now live in an even smaller place, I hadn’t given those collections-of-the-past even a passing thought.

Then, in mid-June, I attended a meetup where we visited a cute toy store…and spotted Calico Critters! My husband was sweet enough to buy me a family of bunny figures while I stared at the shelves and displays with dreamy-eyed nostalgia. ♥ I didn’t have many Calico Critters when I was a child, only a few, but I loved anything pocket-sized that involved animals. I would make little homes for them in tucked-away spaces, furnished with all sorts of re-used tidbits to form furniture and accessories.

I adore the details of these little figures! Whenever I spot them, I feel a bit more cheerful.

Calico Critters are the US-versions of Sylvanian Families. They’re small animal figures, usually under 3 inches tall, with jointed arms and legs. Their hands lack fingers, but have a separated thumb that allows certain playset accessories to be “held” when they’re eased into place. The figures are hard plastic, but they’re covered in flocking to make the animals fuzzy. The figures are anthropomorphic, so sometimes they don’t look much like actual animals, as the focus is on cute humanoid-types living a quaint life and wearing clothing. They’re marketed as both collectibles for adults and toys for children. (Although there are many small pieces, so they’re not for very young children.)

I had lots of fun taking these pictures–this playset is just adorable!

What has always fascinated me about these toys is the level of detail put into the playsets and accessories. When we spotted Calico Critters at My Favorite Toy Store in Downers Grove, my husband was amazed at how realistic the furniture looked. Most doll furniture that I grew up with was made of thin neon pink plastic with little detail. These accessories use a slightly marbled dense brown plastic for “wood” furniture, with other colours as necessary.

The smaller accessories are carefully sculpted and painted with detail. Perfume bottles in a dress shop have a coloured translucent “bottle” to resemble glass, with gold metallic paint on the “cap.” Small swatches of muted floral fabric are used to upholster couches and chairs. Everything is carefully in scale with the figures, who often have very short legs compared to similar-sized dollhouse dolls. It’s very charming! ♥

It was slightly difficult to make sure the critters stayed upright on the carpeting, but usually luck was on our side.

A friend of mine bought a set of gray bunnies and a “hook-a-duck” carnival attraction, so a few days later she came over and we had fun setting up little scenes. If I had more space, I’d probably want something ridiculously large, like one of the houses, and try keep it set up as a display. (Particularly because my family of bunnies is the “Chocolate” family, who run the “Courtyard Restaurant” on the patio of their home. It’s a very quaint building!) I also had a chance to find my set of guinea pigs, which were a gift from another friend when she went to Ireland. They don’t bear much of a resemblance to guinea pigs, but they fit right in with the families of brown-eared bunnies and gray bunnies.

Since acquiring my bunnies, I’ve seen Calico Critters in other retail stores! I’ve spotted them in Toys R Us, and there was a very large display in FAO Schwartz when I visited New York in June! I wonder if they’ll catch on with children–they haven’t been updated to be “more modern” or “hip,” but they’re certainly cute. I certainly hope they have some appeal, so that someday I can stare at the large playsets in an actual store and try very hard not to bring home a cottage or manor. …But those manors are very tempting.

Pink ♥ Milk ♥ Tea

May I interest you in one lump or two?

Author: alice