23 Lolita Things

Today is a very special day for me, because it’s my birthday! I am turning 24 today, wow! I never really liked the number 23, so leaving that an moving on to 24 feels kind of nice. ^^ Although I miss my 21 and 22… Haha!
Anyway, I’m rambling. So today it’s my birthday! For my last two birthdays I wrote that I didn’t have any exciting plans, but this time I can say I do! Because at the moment this blog entry gets posted, I will be in Paris! ♥ I am staying at a friend’s house for the weekend and I hope it will be tons of fun! Expect blog posts and videos about it very soon… :3
For my 23rd and 22nd birthdays I made special posts to look back at the fun Lolita-related things I did those years. Since looking back on fun things is always quite nice, I wanted to do a post like that again this year. I haven’t done that many different Lolita-related things this year unfortunately, but I did come up with 23 things! So without further ado:

23 Lolita Things That Happened
When I Was 23
As previous years I made some special collages with pictures. Just click the links to go the blogposts where I talk about these events. ^^ The pictures are not in order of time because of lay out appearance, but I am sure you will be able to match the right picture to the right event~!

1. Just after my actual birthday, I attended the Summer Tales Boutique Very Merry Christmas Tea Party. It was a wonderful party, filled with amazing food and amazing people! I was so happy to see many of my friends again. Everyone looked so amazing! I had a fantastic day. But the cherry on top was the fact that I won the outfit contest! I really liked my outfit that day, but still cannot believe this actually happened!
2. At the end of 2015, I celebrated my birthday with a wonderful Bunny-themed Lolita birthday party together with my friend Iris. It was the third time I threw a Lolita party, but the first time I celebrated it together with a friend! It was a wonderful day and everyone looked so cute in their bunny-inspired outfits! I also really liked my own outfit that day. ^^ It was an amazing day filled with beautiful and super sweet girls and wonderful presents and memories. I had a lot of fun!
3. This year I made several haul and review videos on my YouTube channel, like my Japan Haul videos and my Luminous Sanctuary unboxing video. Talking into the camera for so long was quite scary at first, but I am getting better at it and it’s just so much fun! I am really happy there are people who appreciate my long talk videos, thank you!
4. New dresses are also Lolita highlights! At the beginning of the year I managed to get my hands on the Luminous Sanctuary special set in pink. It took a lot of effort since they were a Tokyo Angelic Pretty exclusive, but later on they were also sold in regular stores haha! But at last I got mine very early! x) I still haven’t worn it (boo me), but I hope to do so soon.
5. This year I visited Summer Tales Boutique several times and always bought at least one item from them. I never wrote about these visits, since they were quite casual. But I did post on my Instagram. I am really happy Katie is putting so much effort into her brand and her shop and I want to support her where I can! Also, I pretty much want a whole collection of Pom plushies now…
6. I never wrote about this anywhere, but one of my dreams came true: singing in a performance while wearing Lolita. In March we had our big project, called ‘Les Hotspots de Paris’. The project consisted of several parts, one of them being two pieces from Offenbach’s ‘La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein’. I suggested wearing one of my “doll dresses” for this part (there wasn’t really another way to describe it to my teacher) and it was approved! It was truly a dream come true. People literally gasped when I walked onto the stage in my outfit! XD
7. On Saturday May 7th the Under the Sea main event took place. Months and months of hard work finally came together in this huge event. What an amazing day it was… Under the Sea will always have a special place in my heart. All the stressful things that had happened before got washed away (pun intended) by the actual event. So many happy faces, so many amazing people, wonderful guests, an amazing location. I think I smiled all day! I was truly and fully happy that day.
8. On Sunday May 8th the Under the Sea Tea Party took place. This Tea Party was a lot more laid back for the organisers than the main event and it was a lot of fun! Everyone looked fantastic and I am so happy to have been a part of it.

9. As you can see, Under the Sea brought me a lot of precious memories! Fistly, meeting Yu Kimura was a dream come true! What a sweet person. Her cuteness knows no limits! I am so grateful I got to meet her.
10. Secondly, meeting Akira was a second dream come true! She is such an amazing person. She is kind, funny and at the same time has this brooding energy that makes everyone around her sort of fall for her charms. She is just indescribable…
11. I was very happy I got the chance to meet Mari Nakamura and Mariko Suzuki. Both lovely people. So graceful, so thankful. Another memory I am grateful for.
12. I never dared to dream it, but it happened! Kabedon with Akira was the perfect end to a perfect weekend! I am still blushing thinking back to it, gasping for air. Aaah, no words!
13. One final Under the Sea memory, I promise! Being a part of Street Fashion Europe meant so much to me. Being a part of this group where people I barely knew cared for me was a unique experience. I learned a lot, not just about organising, but also about myself. I made a lot of new friends and finally was asked to join the group as an official member. I cried that day, I was so happy! Thank you Street Fashion Europe, for changing me for
the better.
14. Oh right, non-Under the Sea things happened as well! In June I participated in a
J-Fashion show at a local convention. I represented the Sweet Lolita style. The show was a lot of fun and I bought some nice items at the dealer room. Overall a pretty good day!
15. In July a brand new (yes pun intend again) Angelic Pretty shop opened in Paris! As a Sweet Lolita and massive Angelic Pretty lover, I was and still am over the moon of course! An actual, physical store that receives the same collections as the shops in Japan, a European Lolita’s dream come true!

16. I bought a beautiful new dress at the new Angelic Pretty shop; the Shadow Dream Carnival special set. I am incredibly happy Angelic Pretty opened a new shop and I hope I will be able to support them where I can!
17. I was really happy I got to participate in this year’s Angelic Pretty Tea Party again! The Tea Party had its good and bad sides, but all in all I had fun! I was incredibly proud of my outfit with my beloved Crystal Dream Carnival Carnival, which made me super happy!
18. An incredible highlight of the Angelic Pretty Tea Party for me was winning second best dressed in the outfit contest! I felt and still feel so incredibly honoured and happy! To be elected second best dressed while for so long I felt unattractive and downright ugly was a major boost for me! And my picture appeared in Spoon magazine!
19. Last year I had pretty much just started my YouTube channel, now I have over 30 videos and over 1300 followers! I love making videos and some of the comments I get are so sweet and positive! They really motivate me to keep going.
20. I was sent some goods to review by the lovely Lolita indie brand Fluffy Tori. A tremendous honour and I absolutely love their stuff! I will be meeting the owner in a couple of months and I am very excited!
21. Street Fashion Europe’s next event, Omnia Vanitas, takes place in Barcelona on March 18 and 19. I am incredibly excited! There is much left to be announced and I am sure it will be another great event. This year I will be an organiser again of course, so I am living the true organiser experience: I will be travelling with my friend and co-organiser Josine and we’ll be staying in an apartment. I cannot wait! Although I am also quite nervous…
22. One of the announced guests for Omnia Vanitas is the amazing Kira Imai. I am incredibly excited to meet her and buy things from her! Another guest is Victorian Maiden, which is also so amazing! Keep an eye on the OV Facebook page, because more will be announced overtime.
23. Today, when this blog entry gets posted, I will be picking up the birthday present my parents offered me: the mint Milky Swan jumperskirt by Angelic Pretty! I have loved this dress for such a long time. Although I initially loved it more in dark blue, the mint colour really grew on me and I can’t believe it will be mine. So happy. ;___;

So there you have it: all the Lolita things that have made me happy when I was 23 years old. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to come up with 23 events, but in the end I managed! Let’s hope there will be more than 24 when I look back around this time next year… ♥