Meet Up Report: A Lovely Day

 Today I went to a fun loli meet up, there were more boys than girls which really surprised me. We played laser tag and got totally owned by a bunch of foul mouthed middle schoolers. It was ridiculous. I was however rather impressed with my score, even though we came last I did much better than I expected!

I spent a long time on my eye make up this morning. This is such an odd picture, but it shows my make up well! I hope that it doesn't scare you!

The staff took lots of pictures of us with their mascot bear, it was so cute!

We took individual shots after playing laser tag. This is Alex, I love his suspenders and goggles!

 

Brandon was looking very dapper in his sophisticated ensemble!

And the other Brandon was looking great too!

James looked beautiful. I couldn't believe how long his hair was!

Julie looked great, as usual, wearing Memorial Cake by Ap.

And so did Miss Rosie of The Ugly Duckling.

 And this was what I wore! 

Hat: Vintage

Blouse: Baby The Stars Shine Bright

OP: Infanta

Socks: Baby The Stars Shine Bright

Shoes: Bodyline

 We all went out to get some food and a woman was going around the tables making balloon animals. I asked for a heart, cute huh?

 Miss Rosie and Julie looked so cute twinning! I just love it when girls wear the same outfit in different colour-ways!

 

 After dinner we took a couple of group shots outside of the restaurant before they all headed off to see a scary movie (I chickened out, I just can't handle things like that). All in all I had a wonderful time and can't wait for the next time!

Planning For Your Meet-Up

If you are attending a local loli meet up then you are probably very excited (especially if it is your first one), but in your anticipation don't neglect to plan accordingly! Meet ups don't happen every day, so you want to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible as to avoid stress for you and the host/hostess and encourage them to plan others in the future!

• Before you go to the meet up find out the exact address where it is being held. If the area is unfamiliar to you it may be a good idea to make a trip there before hand so that you don't get lost.
• If you do not have your own transportation to the meet up then make sure that you ask another loli for a ride at least one week in advance. It's rude to ask someone to do you a favor at late notice.
• Find out exactly what your group is doing and bring enough money to cover all of it. It's a good idea to bring a little more than you anticipate using because it's super awkward to have to ask someone you've just met to front you some money.
• Make sure to get the phone number of another girl/guy who is attending so that if you are running late or having problems finding them then you can let them know.
• Plan your outfit in advance. Make sure to look your best because chances are you'll be in lots of pictures that may end up on the internet.
• Speaking of pictures, bring your camera! You are bound to have lots of fun and you want to remember it all!
• Give yourself adequate time to get ready, because no matter how cute your outfit is you won't look complete with sloppy hair or make up.
• And at the end of the day have fun! Loli meet ups are about making new friends, so try not to stress too much about the details.

 This is the outfit I plan to wear to my next meet up!

Happily Ever After

Do you ever fantasize about your dream wedding? Recently I am always wondering what my wedding day will be like, the beginning to what will hopefully be my happily ever after. Although I would like to have a traditional ceremony for my friends and family to attend, a huge part of me wants to hold a smaller, more intimate loli themed wedding as well.


Wearing loli on your wedding day is a big deal, you are going to look at the pictures for the rest of your life and if you ever grow out of the style then you may regret your choice. Walking down the aisle in head to toe frills is not for everyone, but for me it really makes sense. Wearing what makes you feel the most radiant on the most important day of your life seems ideal, right? The thought of one day being a loli bride seems perfect to me.

I don't know who I will marry or even if I ever will, but I would love to have a beautiful photo shoot with them. If I were marrying a man then perhaps he would dress in ouji or dandy style, and if I were marrying a woman I would be in heaven whether she wore either boy style or girl style. And of course we'd be surrounded by a flock of beautiful bridesmaids in color coordinating ops. Just thinking about it all makes me feel giddy! I do hope that my future husband or wife is receptive to the idea as well!


Picture credit goes to http://keynotecraze.blogspot.com

I'm Just Going to Pop Over to AP Real Fast

Last year marked the opening of the first physical Baby the Stars Shine Bright loli store in North America (which I still have not visited, much to my irritation) which was celebrated by lolis all over the country. If the shop is deemed successful then there is a great possibility that more brands will follow Babys lead by opening American locations of their own.

The idea that there may some day be a loli shop in my area excites me greatly and I was very surprised to find that some girls actually oppose this! Their opinion is that if loli stores open in America then it may become more popular with the general public, and they do not want loli to be mainstream at all!

My question is simply "why?". I can only see advantages for lolis if our fashion becomes mainstream. First of all, greater demand equals greater supply meaning that the clothing will become much more readily available. Gone will be the day of stalking outfits and paying ridiculous amounts of money on marked up items and international shipping fees.

Secondly there would be much more variety available, not only in the clothing but also in the pricing. Imagine, being able to go to the mall and get a new jumper skirt or a pair of rocking horse shoes! Or at the very least you could pick up some wardrobe fillers like blouses.

You would be hard pressed to find yourself the only loli in your town anymore. Just think, no more lonely lolis! Hooray! And if there were a greater population of lolis in the country maybe we would not feel like circus attractions every time we walked out our front doors.

Also, if you are worried that our fashion would become bastardized by cheap designers then just don't buy them, stick to brand. If loli did become mainstream then nobody would force you to wear the cheaper, mass produced clothing, you could still import from Asia and consider yourself a true loli purist!

So if you live in an area close to a loli store please support it so that we may see more of them. My dream is to see more lolis across the country and across the world!

Cute Noms Are Happy Noms!

You know that saying "you get out what you put in"? Well it's true! Everyone knows that if you eat healthy foods you will feel good, but can the same principle be applied to cute food too? I think it's a serious possibility.

We have a very strict dress code at my job, we even have regulations for earrings, so any loli influences are a definite no-no. Even though I always smile and act cheerfully  my dull uniform has been making me feel a bit blah. But after a quick visit to the break room I realized that I could totally bring a bit of loli sparkle to the workplace...through food!

Ok, it wasn't really me who came up with the idea; one of my coworkers always brings the most adorable boxed lunches to work with her, all the sandwiches are shaped like hearts and neatly arranged. Her food is so pleasing to look at, and somehow that makes it even more pleasing to eat (whenever she offers me some I'm ecstatic). She says that even though it takes much longer to prepare than normal food it is much more satisfying to eat because not only does it taste great but it looks lovely too.

Lately I've been happy with my lunch as well, although the food itself isn't as visually cute as my coworkers it still makes me very happy. My Aunt got me this sweet little panda bento box at Christmas (doesn't she spoil me?) and I've been bringing my food to work in it for a while now. Just seeing the lunch box makes me smile, and not only do I like it but others clearly do too, I always get loads of compliments on it.

I've found that I always get this song stuck in my head when I'm eating a cute lunch (it's actually my ring tone)!



So I challenge you to make a cute lunch or pack your regular food in a cute box and see if it has the power to brighten up your work day!

I'm a Little Tea Pot

Disney had a big merchandise sale for employees the other day, so after work I changed my clothes and did a little browsing. I found this adorable teapot with Alice on it, isn't it beautiful? I'm not sure if it is purely decorative, if it is that will be a shame because I do love to use my tea sets, but even if that is the case I'm still happy that I bought it.

It has become the new center piece for our dining room table but it does look a little lonely without any tea cups to go with it. I didn't have enough money to buy any matching cups, I suppose I'll just have to save up. I'll probably only get two cups instead of four because they tend to be a little pricey without our super employee discount, but I bet that I can find some super cheap plain ones that will look good too! Hooray antiquing!

I'm Sad, Get My Credit Card

Life can be lonely,

This we know is true,

Despite what you wear,

And despite what you do.

Loli is not magic,

No means to an end,

It can't make you happy,

It can't give you friends.

If you feel depressed,

If you feel annoyed,

Don't go on a spree,

Clothes won't fill the void.

Loli is a cherry,

Not the desert,

You must heal yourself,

Or you're still going to hurt.

But if you keep trying,

And live each day wholly, 

Then life will be brighter,

When you're wearing loli.

I have noticed something about myself that may apply to other girls as well; I sometimes put an unrealistic expectation on my clothing to make feel happy. Clothing cannot improve your life in a huge way, it can only enhance pre-existing happiness. If you depend on your frills to make you feel good all the time then you may be hurting yourself further.

Clothes can not fill an emotional void, I know this because I've tried to fill a part of myself that was missing with loli. In the end I found myself feeling just as bad only with less money than I started with. If something is wrong don't put a frilly band-aid on it, seek real help. Every week on loli secrets I see posts from so many girls in our community who feel sad, alone or are suffering from depression or an eating disorder. Like me, it seems that they thought loli could help them, that our clothing would heal them. Sadly that's not the case.

If there is something wrong with your life, if you are feeling broken or alone, then put the money you would be spending on clothing towards therapy or some other treatment that will really help you. When you're all better the frills will still be there and you'll look a million times more beautiful when you wear them because, as Audery Hepburn says, happy girls are the prettiest girls.

Happy Valentines Day 2010

Happy Valentines Day everyone, I hope that no matter what state your love life is in that you have a fun and frilly day!

Oh, and you may remember me whining over wanting a panda print in this entry. Well Mr. Yan must have heard my prayers because this cute set was recently released by Bodyline! I consider it Mr. Yans Valentines Day gift for me even though I will have to pay for it (we always knew he wasn't too smooth with the ladies).

Valentines Day Card Tutorial

Valentines Day is right around the corner, so why not make your sweetie a home made card? I'm not particularly crafty, but even I was able to come up with something cute. Here is a quick tutorial on how to whip up a quick card!

You Will Need

• Scissors
• Glue
• Ribbon
• High grade paper
• Heart shaped doilies
• A little something extra (mine was a ribbon flower)

Step One: Draw a silhouette on a sheet of paper and carefully cut it out. Make sure not to draw something too complicated or you'll be at it all day!

Step Two: Fold a new sheet of paper in half and add the ribbon with glue. You can use any pattern you like so get creative!

Step Three: Take some time arranging you silhouette, heart doilie and your something extra. When you find a good spot for all three then glue them in place.

Step Four: Let it sit for a few hours to dry. Before you mail it out make sure to write a personalized greeting on the inside!

Tips: Play with different placements and colors, you never know what will end up looking pretty! And if you don't have enough time to make one then you can always make your friend a Loli Valentine!

Bonus: The card I made for my sweetie who loves Storm Troopers!

Mum, Dad...I'm a Ruffle-Butt

I think it's rather odd considering that EGL just clothing, but it seems that many of us at some point have "come out of the loli closet" to our friends or family. Personally I love explaining what loli is to people who have never heard of it, but disclosing your fashion preference as if it were something you should be ashamed of bothers me greatly.

However, I had a "coming out" experience just yesterday. I've been here at Disney for about a week now, but have only dressed in loli once and it was extremely watered down (see this post), so my roommates had not yet had a chance to see how I like to dress. It just so happened that all of us were off yesterday evening so we decided to go visit the Magic Kingdom and of course I wanted to dress up. To be honest I was nervous about what they would think of me, I like my roommates so much and I didn't want them to think any less of me or be weirded out. Still, I took a deep breath, projected a positive attitude and walked into the living room announcing that I was ready to go. I felt so happy when they all smiled! They said that I looked cute and that it was cool that I had my own style.

Of course not all people will be as awesome as my roommates. There are people out there who won't accept you no matter what, and sadly this goes beyond clothing. It's really awful but of course there are some people who will automatically dislike and sometimes even persecute you because of your colour, sexual orientation, religion (or lack of one), gender or age. It's very difficult to deal with this type of person, especially since they can sometimes seem relentless, but no matter what it's important to never let them belittle you or feel bad about yourself for any reason. Always hold onto who you are and what makes you happy (frills included), never change to suit someones prejudice! 

I think that showing my roommates my loli side really brought us closer together because once we returned from the park we stayed up all night talking and got to know each other much better than we had before. I am so glad that I can show my true self around them without feeling awkward, it may sound cheesy but this really feels like the happiest place on Earth!

Outfit Rundown

Headband: Ross

Corsage (which was on the back of my hair): Mashimaro Girl

Blouse: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

JSK: Infanta

Bag: Black Saint

Socks: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Shoes: Bodyline

Oh I Love You, I Love You, I Love You!

If there is a special ruffle butt in your life, romantic or not, show them how much you care with these loli Valentines Day gift ideas! Of course you don't have to get your sweetie a loli themed gift just because of their fashion tastes, but doing so can show that you're paying attention and care about who they are.

• Make your sweetie a cute card! You can do this even if you aren't particularly crafty by printing out pretty photos on high quality paper, cutting out your favorite parts and making a card collage of their favorite things!
• Look up unusual desert recipes online and try your hand at making something out of the ordinary (because we all get sick of cupcakes sometimes). If all else fails then buy a yummy pre-made desert from your local bakery and eat it together.
• Create your own lucky pack for them. Go to stores like Claires Accessories, Forever 21 and The Icing to pick up cute headbands, barrettes, or jewelry. Who doesn't love accessories?
• Write them a poem! It doesn't have to be sentimental or even have to rhyme, in fact sometimes the quirkiest poems are the best!
• Make a video of you doing something silly, like expressing your love through interpretative dance. I bet that they will watch it over and over until their sides hurt from laughing.
• If they enjoy reading then go to a second hand book store and look for a fairy tale book with a pretty cover.
• Pamper them by painting their nails, styling their hair and applying their make up. They are sure to love you for being such a good friend.
• The best thing you can do for your sweetie is to give them a huge hug and tell them how special they are to you!

Little Lolis

 Growing up I was always very adamant that I would never get married and never have children. My parents would always say "You'll change your mind when you are older" but they also said the same thing about my disdain for vegetables, so of course I didn't believe them. Well, once again my parents were right. Not only do I now look forward to a lunch full of greens but it also seems that from the moment 2010 started my thoughts have been filled with weddings and babies. I'm only twenty one and my biological clock is already ticking!

Of course, being a girl of the frilly variety my daydreams include loli weddings and loli children! Realistically I doubt I would ever wear loli on my wedding day, but if my children were not opposed to it then I would dress them up all the time! Whenever I stumble across pictures of little lolis my heart just melts, they are too adorable for words!

I often wonder if other girls feel this way too. Do pictures of mother and daughter lolis make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, or does the idea of dressing up your child make you cringe? I'm very interested on how others feel on the subject so let me know your thoughts!

Forgive Me Mana For I Have Sinned

Today I committed a loli sin, I went out of the house wearing my favorite jumperskirt with no blouse, no socks and, of all things, flip flops. I know, I feel so dirty. But now that I'm living in Orlando, where it is frequently over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,I suppose that I will be breaking the rules of our fashion an awful lot.

To be perfectly honest I don't think that it is an atrocity to sometimes make up your own rules, especially if you are just wearing casual style (however if you are going to a meetup or going to be having a photo shoot it's more fun to go full out I think). I now work at Disney and I'm afraid that I will be reprimanded if I wear full loli in the parks, I don't even want to chance it when I'm off the clock.

In the future I want to invest in some cute loli sandals so that my bare shoulders and legs look seems a little more put together! At least my toe nails matched my JSK!

My outfit rundown:
Head band: Forever 21
JSK: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Flip Flops: Target

Perfect Pet Match

Animals are certainly not to be used as accessories, but I must admit that sometimes I wish I had an adorable pet to pose with in photos. Living in dorms at school means that I am deprived of having a snuggly puppy, kitty or bunny so I have began to harbor serious pet envy whenever I see lolis who own pets.

There is no such thing as a "lolita pet", just because one wears loli does not mean that they can not own snakes or tarantulas, but there are some animals that fit in with the fairy tale image better than others. This is just for fun, but here are my pet recommendations for each lolita substyle! Of course teddy bears are great pet substitutes!

Classic Loli Perfect Pet Match: Deer

Deer and fawns are just adorable! They are soft, demure and come in muted colors to compliment your classic outfits!




Gothic Loli Perfect Pet Match: Cat

Cats, especially black ones, are perfect for a gothic loli. For thousands of years cats have been both feared and worshiped which makes them a spooky yet lovable companion.




Sweet Loli Perfect Pet Match: Bunny

 Bunnies are a sweet lolitas best friend! No matter what they are doing they appear cute, sweet and shy which might be why they appear in so many popular prints.

Boy-style Perfect Pet Match: Horse

Every prince (or princess in disguise) needs a noble steed. When dressed in any variety of boy-style you will look simply charming whilst commanding a beautiful horse!






Aristocrat Perfect Pet Match: Peacock

Aristocrats have a rare and mature beauty which makes peacocks a great pet for them. Although they may not be extremely cuddly, peacocks are fiercely loyal and make excellent house guards!