Quiet Birthday Celebrations

 

My birthday falls on the 30th of December so I typically don’t have any kind of large celebration. It’s the time between Christmas and New Years when most restaurants and cafés are shut, and it’s so soon after Christmas that I don’t expect any presents because no one has money. I find birthdays a little depressing (do others feel this way too?) but I will take happiness where I can find it.

This year it was especially quiet because I was only just recovering from Covid and still felt very weak. I did wear lolita but didn’t take photos, except of my Malice Mizer pendant that I attached to a rosary and wore on the day^  

 

I went out to go Antiquing for a couple hours before the shops closed. I took these photos in the first place which was a beautiful but expensive curated antique furniture shop. It had displays of silverware and jewellery cases and I was extra careful when walking around not to knock anything over. I initially was doubtful if I ought to wear a petticoat or not because some antique shops are so packed with things that you have to squeeze by very tiny aisles. Thankfully, this place had enough room to get by comfortably. I took a photo with my bag sitting on this lovely victorian era bordeaux chair which I left behind as I did not have £2000+ to spend! 

The next place was a shop I had never been to before called the Dandy Lion. It was more of a curiosities and trinket type of shop, and more trendy than antique. The shop owner told me that they were expanding next door with more trinkets that she thought i’d like. When I purchased some things we got into a conversation about sourcing vintage finds and she told me she often travels to Spain to get stock for her shop. She is a big fan of antique dolls but said that they are getting harder to find. She had a few dolls heads laying around and I picked one out that I liked because of its long eyelashes. I was most excited about an antique 19th century velvet crucifix font that was reduced to half price because of its poor condition, but I think it looks charming. I had been looking at these on Ebay so I was delighted to have found one. I don’t love red but I do love velvet so rather than hanging it on my wall as decor I think I will make a replica vampire hunter kit and keep it in a pretty box. 

The nice shopkeeper gave me a discount too and invited me to their next market which I will have to check out.

^my little trinkets :3

After that I was exhausted and returned home to collapse in my bed. I ended up hiding in my room the rest of the evening because my twin was having friends over for drinks and I did not feel like socialising. It was her birthday too of course! I was content enough to stay under blankets eating chocolate and playing videogames. 

As I mentioned I don’t usually get birthday presents or at least not on the day of my birthday but one of my favourite presents this year was from my twin who got me the english volume 6 of the DOLL manga by Mitsukazu Mihara! I am so happy to have finally completed the set. I have vol.6 already but I was an idiot and accidentally bought it in German which I do not speak so it was nice to have one I can actually read. 

Oh, and thank you all SO much for all the birthday wishes. It truly made my day! ☺☺☺