Extravagant Teas For Extravagant Princesses

Lets face it, you are a delicate princess with expensive tastes. You're not snobbish, oh certainly not! but anything coarse would simply offend your delicate self. You need the finest clothes made out of soft, thick cotton, edged in beautiful and soft lace. Your hair is brushed 100 times each morning, to make it so soft that it doesn't irritate your fair and ladylike face. You sit at your vanity, laptop perched among fine perfumes and powders, on a velvet stool filled with soft down. You sip, what? Why tea, of course! Out of a beautifully painted porcelain cup, edged in fine gold. But not any kind of tea will do! Only the finest tea can quench your thirst. But where to find such delights in this harsh day and age? No worries! Because Caro-chan has braved the deep dark internet to help you in your eternal quest for a tea as refined as you, and nearly as expensive as your dress.

• Chrysanthemum Silver Needle $21.95 for 3 oz. The Chrysanthemum's white petals yield a refreshing and buttery cup with a sweet fragrance, resulting in a blend that dazzles with its savory aroma, rich body and smooth delicate flavor.
• Monkey Picked Oolong Tea $25 for 2oz. This is the ultimate oolong tea. When infused, the unbroken, evenly-sized leaves gracefully unfurl to reveal the most complex Oolong bouquet available. Its legendary name refers to Buddhist monks who trained monkeys to harvest the youngest leaves from the top of the wild tea trees.
• Rose Silver Needle $21.95 for 3 oz. White tea from China's southern Fujian province Silver Needle is only harvested for a couple of days each spring and boasts young tender buds plucked right before opening. Also known as Bai Hao Yin Zhen, our Silver Needle white tea has exquisitely shaped buds enveloped in white down. Scented with pink rose petals, this blend captivates with its savory aroma, rich body and smooth, delicate taste.
• Gyokuro $35 for 3 oz. Green tea from Japan, Gyokuro, also known as "precious jade dew" because of its unique blue-green color and naturally sweet taste, is the highest quality Japanese green tea. Made only with the earliest buds of the first spring flush season, Gyokuro usually grows in the shade for around 20 days before hand-harvested. Due to reduced sunlight, less photosynthesis occurs resulting in increased amounts of amino acids. chlorophyll, and caffeine. This impacts Gyokuro's color, taste and aroma producing a sweet, delicate tea with a soft, mellow body.
• Shincha $32 for 3 oz. Green tea from Japan, Shincha is a type of sencha green tea, picked from the "first flush" spring harvest in Shizuoka, one of Japans highest quality and most sought after teas. Rich in amino acids, catechins and antioxidants, this rare, first flush green tea exhibits a characteristic bright, emerald green color, strong aroma and refined sweetness.
• Queen of Babylon $15 for 2 0z. A whimsical tasting rare white tea blended with immunity boosting pomegranate seeds, sour cherries, sweet carrot bits, apple and pineapple pieces.
• Silver Yin Zhen Pearls White Tea $22 for 2 oz. The world's rarest and most famous tea, Silver Needle, is expertly hand-rolled into delicate downy white tea pearls. When steeped, they gently unfurl to release a sweet, fragrant, mellow brew.

Oh my! But what if you find your purse lacking the sufficient funds to cover your need for dainty teas? Fear not! You need not give up your dainty pursuits of the perfect cup of tea, for there are many teas, in lovely flavors, that even the most frugal of princesses could afford.

• Coco Chia Rooibos $8.95 for 4oz. Coco Chai rooibos tea is a handcrafted, caffeine-free chai tea made from South African rooibos blended with shredded coconut, red peppercorns and aromatic spices including ginger, cinnamon and cardomon. This twist on a classic chai tea will surprise with its intoxicating aroma and spicy but sweet flavor.
• Wild Blossoms & Berries $8.95 for 4oz. Wild Blossoms and Berries herbal tea is a fruity infusion comprised of black currant, lemongrass, hibiscus, chamomile, mint, licorice root, and spices that produce memorable refreshment. A well balanced tart and sweet herbal infusion, Wild Blossoms and Berries herbal tea is a Mighty Leaf favorite iced tea blend.
• Japanese Wild Cherry Green Tea $5 for 2 oz. Sencha green tea flavored with candied cherry pieces and rose petals. This combination produces a tempestously sweet infusion.
• California Fields $8.95 for 4 oz. Chinese black and green tea is blended with California sunflowers, cactus flowers, and rhubarb creating our signature California Fields black tea blend. A lovely fruity tea that is subtly complex. California Fields makes a delicious iced tea with its black and green tea base.
• Earl Grey Creme Black Tea $4.50 for 2oz. A smooth and rich combination of classic Earl Grey black tea and Bergamot oil with a touch of dairy-free creaminess coming from the vanilla pieces and cream flavoring added.

Shop Spotlight: Seiyaleo

This Shop Spotlight is on Seiyaleo on Etsy, a crafter of adorable things such as this little Strawberry Fields brooch. Her sweets pieces would be a perfect addition to a Decora outfit, or even a great addition to a more toned down Sweet Lolita outfit. For when you want to add just a little bit of Decora, but don't want to feel like you've jumped head first into a sea of rhinestones and fake strawberries.

Her brooches, such as Afternoon Tea, are my favorite. They're just too cute, and the stitching is perfect. This little elephant pin looks like it would be right at home on an Emily Temple Cute casual coordinate. Aside from felt brooches, Seiyaleo also makes candy covered necklaces, as well as other adorable pieces that would be just perfect outside of Lolita.

I haven't been doing these spotlights as much as I would like. Does anyone out there know of any shops selling hand made cute stuff?

Shop Spotlight: Vintage Opulence

Today's super quick shop spotlight isn't so much a practical one for the Lolita, but it does follow in Lolita's extravagant and ruffly footsteps. Vintage Opulence is a shop that sell's reimagined and redyed vintage lingerie. While the pieces are much too bulky too fit under even the most ruffle and bow encrusted Angelic Pretty dress, they are still eye candy. The styles at Vintage Opulence range from cotton candy colored bustiers covered with ruffles and roses, to romantic gypsy inspired dresses, to delicate powder blue girdles that could actually fit under a fluffy Lolita petticoat. They even occasionally sell vintage Babydoll style sleepwear. Which I think is just about the cutest and fluffiest thing you can take a nap in. The chiffon ones look like cotton candy clouds! Take a peek at Vintage Opulence, it might inspire you to frillilfy a few more parts of your life, other than just Lolita.

Shop Spotlight: Days Long Gone

Days Long Gone is an Etsy shop specializing in Steampunk and nostalgic jewelery. Besides being a great place to shop for Steampunk, they also sell many other pieces that would go perfect with Classical Lolita. Most of the jewelery at Days Long Gone is made of stamped brass, vintage beads, and antique watch parts.

One of my favorite pieces in the shop is just this little bird hair clip. I love the look of verdigris and I think this would pair up perfectly with a green Victorian Maiden dress. Either holding back wavy locks, or tucked into a bunch of cream colored roses on a corsage hair comb. A pair of their vintage faux pearl drop earrings would go with just about any lolita outfit you could imagine, from Sweet to Classic, to even Gothic Lolita. The honey amber drops necklace is a sweet little necklace with amber colored beads and faux pearls, it's perfect for when you need to accessorize with something beautiful but not intrusive. If you want something bolder to liven up a somber dress, I really love the angel bee necklace, but that might just because I think Lolita could use a little more bee related pieces.

Steampunk shops are a dime a dozen now a days, but the Steampunk pieces at Days Long Gone are elegant and subtle. It would be so easy to work a little bit of steamyness into your Lolita outfits with their lovely winged watch pendants. Or if you want to shout your steamyness from the mountains, their vintage grunge watchmovement necklace is a whopping 4 inches wide and made from a vintage drawer pull, but is still manages to be delicate looking.