First of all, this title has little to do with the actual entry. I could have just been straightforward and written “I Went to a Tea Party” or “Let Me Tell You About a Tea Party” but I wanted to put in a Jars of Clay reference because I am cool. And old. How old were you guys when Jars of Clay was still cool? Not as old as I was, I bet. Anyway, this entry is about a tea party. I won’t be able to connect it to Sympathy. Just warning you.

So tea parties are a lot of fun. I say this like I attend tea parties all the time, but I actually don’t. In fact the last tea party I went to was… wait, I had never been to a tea party before. That’s why, when former Council of Cool member and accessories designer Ana Gonzales invited me to one, I said yes right away. Then I practiced holding my dainty pinkie up and saying stuff like “biscuits, please” and “a spoonful of sugar” with an English accent.

The Alice in Wonderland-themed party was held at 12 Baskets Bakeshop, a warm, cheerful little spot in San Juan. A group of talented bloggers and I were treated to a kitchen tour, given interesting trivia about the shop (the owner Fred got the bakery’s name from the biblical story about the multiplication of loaves and fish), and allowed to stuff ourselves silly with their delightful goodies.

Cinnamon Twists (Php20/pc), Spanish Bread—loved how soft, sweet, and buttery this was! (Php5.50/pc), and Egg Tarts (Php30/pc). They also sell Sumilao Corn Coffee, which is organically-grown, caffeine-free, and a great way to help out the Sumilao farmers and support their cause.

Ana sent me home a happy girl with lots of freebies from her awesome online shop Anagon Collection (I was supposed to pick out items randomly but I semi-cheated), plus Alice-inspired accessories for the rest of the Candy team. Thank you, Ana! We love our super cute new loot!

1) I adore Ana’s bunny ears, and 2) This floral dress is my lame-o version of a tea party outfit—I wanted to wear white tights and Mary Janes but: a) I don’t have white tights, b) I don’t have Mary Janes, and c) I was running late, like the White Rabbit. See what I just did right there?

Hop on over (HAHAHA! yes? no? okay, never mind) to 12 Baskets Bakeshop located at 38 J. Gutierrez cor. J. Abad Santos St., Little Baguio, San Juan, and visit Anagon Collection at anagoncollection.multiply.com.

Big hugs,
Marla