Summer's Coming To An End

Today is the first day I noticed a little bit of nip in the air. I also noticed that it wasn't painfully, unbearably hot out! A sure sign that summer is coming to an end, but there's still some time left to get one last frilly fling in before the weather turns cooler and we all have to break out the wool and velvet. This time of year is just about perfect for Lolita's. It's still nice enough that we don't have to worry too much about being chilly, but it's just getting cool enough that we can go out in all our ruffly layers without melting away in the heat. Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of these last few days of summer:

• Host one final meetup before fall. These last few weeks before school starts and everyone (whether or not they are still in school!) gets just a little bit busier is the perfect time to plan one more quick and casual meetup. Pick the perfect summery thing that you've been planning on doing but it's just been too hot for! Have a picnic in a park, go for a sea side retreat, or just get together for some ice cream.
  
• Take a day trip by yourself. If you don't really have a big local Lolita scene, but still want to do something special, use this time to get all dressed up and take a little day trip somewhere. It doesn't have to be somewhere big and expensive, just somewhere nice that you've always wanted to visit, or even revisit an old favorite place.
• Enjoy some summery snacks. Soon we'll all want to be snacking on apple fritters and spiced teas, so use this time to indulge in some summery snacks one last time. Whatever your favorite's are, ice teas in the garden, gelatos in the park, or even lemonade while parked right in front of the TV. My summery favorite of the moment is rose lemonade. I was lucky enough to finally find some rose water at a local Indian market and I've been adding it to everything! I've discovered my favorite way to drink it is in lemonade, made the ghettofabulous way with lemon juice concentrate, because we never have lemon's when I'm craving it, and damned if I know where the little squeeze juicer is anyways!
• Do some closet cleaning. Right before the seasons change is the perfect excuse to do a little closet cleaning. Look for stuff that you planned to wear this summer, but never got around to, things from last winter that are no longer your style or no longer fit you, or just things that you think you've worn enough of and would like a change. Make a pile of stuff you can bear to part with and take a day to get everything clean, take photos of, and post them for sale on the Lolita sales community. Whatever money you make from selling put towards some fall and winter appropriate clothes. It might seem a little early, but especially if you are getting something commissioned you're going to need to start buying a few months in advance. You don't want your winter coat arriving in March like my very first Lolita coat did!
• Take this time to learn a new craft. If you still have a few weeks of summer loafing ahead of you and you don't really have much to show for the rest of the summer that you loafed away, use this time to learn something new. It can be something easy like stringing a few beads together to finally make the perfect necklace to match a favorite dress, or learning to sew some warmer skirts for when autumn comes along. If you're at a loss of what to do, check out this big list of Lolita related tutorials.
• Just enjoy the weather! Find a good book and put some pleasant music on your headphones and curl up in the shade somewhere and read it until you fall asleep. It's getting to be the perfect weather to spend some lazy time outside!
  

So, fellow Lolitas, what are you planning on doing with these last few days of summer? Is your summer going out with a bang, or are you planning on taking it easy? Myself, I plan to hopefully do another round of closet cleaning. I would like to get the last bits of clothes I never wear out of my closet and replace them with a few basics that I discovered I've been living without. I also hope to spend some more time outside, as I've locked myself away in an air conditioned room for most of the summer. It's just been too hot to do much else!