A Happy (Un)Birthday to me!

My birthday just passed near the end of July—it’s crazy how time just flies by! The older you get, the lazier you become with planning birthday celebrations, but I had a really nice day. My parents surprised me with some expensive cupcakes and this beautiful Alice in Wonderland card. I really love Alice in Wonderland—and it ended up being a sort of a “theme” for the day, as I included Alice motifs in my outfit…and I ended up going on a mysterious adventure that including lots of pretty, dusty old things! Read on to see my outfit and antique haul~! 

It’s really hard to wear a fancy outfit in the heat of summer, but I persevered and managed this casual sweet lolita coordinate. I paired this Alice-themed Bodyline dress with a short-sleeved Bodyline blouse, vintage straw sunhat, and antique apron. The subtle embroidery on the apron is so cute, and it really adds a fantasy-like feeling to the outfit!

My travels that day were all over the place—the weather was not cooperating at all, with threatening thunderstorms overhead, so a friend and I took shelter in my favorite antique store that sits in an old mill. Sifting through old things in lolita fashion is always a fun and romantic way to spend an afternoon! We found lots of unique treasures, and I ended up walking away with a few things…

I bought two beautiful teacups, and this adorable vintage sleeping Kewpie doll. The rosy pink floral teacup is pretty standard, but I like the all-over pattern and gold trim. It’s so girly! But this poor Kewpie has some unfortunate staining, despite being in its original packaging when I bought him–I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed, but had no luck in getting the stains out. (Does anyone have any tips on restoring vintage rubber toys? Let me know in a comment!) At least he’s still cute, and now free of any dust–he’s going to look angelic on my bookshelf!

The gold-edged tea cup with tiny flowers is truly a work of art–the iridescent pearl at the bottom of the cup is such a sweet surprise! I’m not even sure if I can drink out of it, it feels so delicate…even the saucer is carved in a way that looks like gold lace.

And it even has little legs! How wild!

Does anyone else like antiquing? What was your favorite item that I bought? Let me know in a comment~!