Saturday 30 July 2016

๐ŸŒž A Lifestyle Lolita's Guide to a Great Summer! ๐ŸŒž

Hey everyone! I've been really enjoying the summer so far. Since surviving the heatwave while I was on holiday last year, I've taken a real liking to sunny days and warmer weather-- which is great, because it now means I'm able to enjoy something about every season, even if it's not my favourite one (that award goes to autumn every time).

One thing I do love about the summer is the sense of freedom and opportunity it brings. Rather than having to find things to do in your downtime that's focused on staying warm and cozy like in the winter, you can go out and do so many more things, without low temperatures or insufficient daylight being a restriction to getting the most out of the entire day.

Here's a list of fun summery ideas you can take part in while donning the frills! I have tried to include ideas to suit all kinds of personalities, and focused on activities that are free to do, or very affordable. Enjoy!

Arrange a picnic!
There is something so delightful about a nicely arranged picnic. Use cute picnic blankets, prepare an assortment of yummy treats, and carry all your picnic goods in a pretty woven basket. Set yourselves up in a nice shaded area, and you will be content and comfortable for hours of conversation. If you're organising a picnic for a community full of people who don't know one another too well, play simple icebreaker games and team games to get people talking and laughing together.

Invite friends over for a garden party!
What could be more fun than relaxing in the garden with assorted ice-cold fruit drinks, served up in pretty glasses or jars with straws. You could try out fun garden games, too, such as pin the bow on the lolita, Twister, bandminton, or something tabletop-focused, such as card games or board games. I would love to play Lolitopoly at some point! Prepare your own treats for your guests (or merely purchase some! It's not cheating, I promise!), and ask them to bring a dish of food to share, too. Burn a citronella candle to keep the flies away. Garden gatherings are a great idea if you wish to stay in your home environment, or perhaps need to for health reasons, but still want to make the most of summer and socialise with those closest to you.

Go for a walk!
There are so many places to explore. Perhaps you live close to a river, woodland area, or even the beach. Taking a gentle stroll in lolita is always fun (weather permitting!) Explore any national parks or notable countryside locations you may have access to. Perhaps you're in a very urban city environment, in which case, you can still pass a pleasant hour wandering about the high street or shopping mall. Our local landscape may not always be picturesque, but we can still take a sense of wonder with us wherever we go. And besides, remember those old school street snaps of lolitas on Harajuku bridge? There's really nothing more lifestyle lolita than loitering in the middle of your city in a frilly dress! It's a street fashion after all!

Visit a local flower show or botanic garden!
There are some truly gorgeous flowers in bloom in the summer months, and they make a glorious backdrop to a relaxing day out, as well as lolita outfit pictures! They may even provide some inspiration for flowers you might want to grow yourself, or you may discover your new favourite flower. You could try putting together a themed coordinate, either going for one of your favourite floral pieces, or trying out a country lolita look, complete with a gingham dress or boater hat. These environments are wonderful for artistic photo-taking and letting your imagination run wild (truly, these places do seem as though they house all manner of fairies and magickal creatures). Here's a post I made the last time I visited a botanic garden, where I took some of the photographs I'm most proud of.

Go to local funfairs, craft markets and events!
Fairgrounds truly evoke memories of carefree, idyllic summer days. Put on one of your less dear coordinates (perhaps cheap secondhand brand or Bodyline) and have fun on different rides. I've always favoured bumper cars and the Waltzer! If you're not into rides, there's still usually so much to see and do, whether it be the hall of mirrors, or one of the many stalls where you can try to win a novelty item. Try to get fun, pretty snapshots in front of the carousel, and indulge in all manner of fairgound treats like candy floss and toffee apples! Check out any local craft fairs, which are fun to browse on pleasant sunny days. Find out more about the kinds of events that are held locally, and see if any of them interest you. Who knows what you might find, and end up taking part in?

Too hot outdoors in your climate? Stay in and get creative!
Throw on your most lightweight jumperskirt, and watch lighthearted summer-themed films or YouTube videos, while doing activities such as crafting or flower pressing. For something a bit more involved and food-related, don a frilly apron and and get some ingredients out! Eat refreshing, home-prepared salads with an array of colourful vegetables arranged in aesthetically pleasing ways (looking up Japanese bento images and recipes are very inspiring where this is concerned). You could have a go at mixing colourful cocktails or mocktails, or try your hand at preparing fruity desserts! Try out berry cheesecake recipes, or have a go at making your own ice-lollies or ice-cream! The possibilities are endless, and these are all fun things to do either alone, or with company.

Catch up on some reading!
Now is the perfect time to lounge around with a book. Head to your local library and take your time browsing the shelves. Check out your favourite bookshops and see if anything new catches your eye. Head to secondhand shops or charity shops and see if there are any bargains or unexpected rarities to be had. Treat yourself to a lifestyle magazine to flip through at your leisure, be it a Gothic and Lolita Bible (the series of English language ones are my absolute favourite), something cooking-themed, sewing-related, gardening-focused, or pop-culture influenced... whatever it is you're into! Have some books sat around that you never got a chance to read? Make it your goal to read at least one of them this summer! Read in a hammock, a reclining garden chair, on the train, at a cafรฉ, or simply in your living space with a fan blaring, and unobtrusive music of your choice playing for atmosphere and background noise if you need it.

I hope you liked these ideas! I would love for you to leave any more suggestions you might have in the comments! What activities do you like to do when warm weather comes?

Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you next time 

12 comments:

  1. I haven't learnt to like these hot days at all - I prefer much colder days :'D But you've gathered nicely all those things which makes summer even somehow tolerable! And last pic is so cute! Have nice end of summer!

    http://cchuboibook.blogspot.fi/

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    1. That's understandable-- heat definitely has its drawbacks!
      I'm glad you liked the post! Enjoy the rest of your summer, too! <3

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  2. Found your lovely blog by random and I really like it. Your advices for the summer are great! Normally I also prefer colder temperatures or just stay inside if the weather is too hot. Have a nice day!

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    1. I totally get the appeal of cooler weather (autumn is my favourite season!) and will definitely be sure to make a guide for winter when it comes ^_^
      Thank you so much for the compliment and for stopping by to leave a comment! Enjoy your day, too! <3

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  3. I can survive up to about 26-28 degrees Celcius - anything above that and I curse my lack of an electric fan or air conditioning. :P Having said that, all of the above are really fun things to do in summer if you're not going away anywhere, especially the things that involve your friends like picnics and garden parties. I have some very fond memories of both. As for summer reading... One of my goals this summer is to finish reading "Kamikaze Girls", which I started I think around April or May, and then felt like reading something else (which I now know is because the beginning was fairly slow, especially compared to the film). But so far it's one of the best summer reads I could've picked and it's giving me so many feels that I fall in love with the story once more in another way.

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    1. I think warmer weather is fine so long as you have the tools to deal with it! Truly, my favourite sort of summer temperature is around 19°C!
      Fans are pretty cheap and an absolute lifesaver on hotter nights. When it's super hot indoors it can feel as though it's merely circulating heat at you but even having a warm "breeze" on me at night helps me to get to sleep better than leaving the air still and muggy.

      I'd like to read that again as I've only done so once, but like you said, it starts off so slowly that it's hard to wait until it actually gets to the good bit (and it definitely does! I remember really getting into it and enjoying it more than the film, which I've always found to be a bit nothingy plot-wise). Perhaps I'll have a re-read of it, too!

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  4. As the temperature seems to creep higher and higher here in Moscow, I grow to dread going outside at all, particularly wearing layers upon layers of frills and petticoats! This post is very relevant right now :) My local comm always celebrates international lolita day with a picnic in a park, and I never realized what a blessing that was until now. These are all very good suggestions!

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    1. At least we both live in fairly mild climates! I do feel for the lolitas who deal with much more extreme temperatures, but I hope they are still able to have fun indoors.
      Hotter days are definitely the time to break the rules and wear the most casual of coordinates. On the hotter July days I found myself sat around at home in t-shirts and bloomers!
      That sounds like a wonderful way to spend ILD as a comm, and I like that it has become a tradition.
      I'm glad you liked the post!

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  5. I like your approach of the theme, giving ideas what to do in summer instead of the typical "don't wear blouses" stuff. I hope that in 2 weeks the weather is nice as well, I spontaneously decided to organize a picknick meet-up! I was thinking about it all summer but then all my weekends were busy with other events, but now I realized that this would be the last chance before summer ends!

    I wished I had a garden, I would do tea parties all summer long! :D

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    1. Thank you so much! I figured that sort of advice has been shared enough already so I wanted to do something different :)

      Picnics are so simple but really fun to organise and attend! I hope the weather will be perfect for yours!

      Haha, that is literally my plan for when I have my own place-- to try to find somewhere with a nice outdoor space (even if it's small) so that I can have lots of summer parties with my friends :D

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  6. I love summer and lolita! This is such a lovely post ♡ ♡ Thank you!
    Summer is the only time when don't have to wear so many layers, so it's perfect for lolita. I love to go outdoors, into forests, picnics, just into the city and see all sorts of events. Just be on vacation and enjoy my time. ^_^

    ~ Frillycakes ~

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    1. Aw, I'm glad you liked it! <3
      I agree-- so long as it's not too sweltering hot, you can really do a lot more with your free time, and go on some lovely adventures! We've been having gorgeous weather here that's been absolutely perfect for lolita, so I've found myself wearing it very often for all manner of outings ^_^

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