Photos by Mom!
Gray Dress - Forever21
Plaid Hair Bow - Handmade
Plaid Tiny Fit Blazer - Thrifted
Black Crocheted Knee High Socks - Urban Outfitters
Lace Up Heels - H&M
Last weekend, my mom, sisters, and I took a trip to Charleston! I didn't know what to expect, so when we drove in, I was in awe. The beauty of it all really overwhelmed me - it was hard to find a street or alleyway that wasn't charming and manicured and well-preserved. The entire city seems to glow.
We stayed on Meeting Street, in a fantastic home built in 1740. The rooms we stayed in were originally where the servants slept, above the kitchen - which boasted a massive brick fireplace over 10 feet wide! Every room had a fireplace in it, and wonderful, creaky hardwood floors. The owner of the house told us a story about guests staying in the rooms beneath us hearing children running all over our rooms above them one night - when no one was staying there at all. That night, Rhi turned the kitchen light on when I wasn't looking and then told me it was a kid ghost that did it. I kept waiting for the ghost to turn the light back off.
We went shopping, took a haunted jail tour (TERRIFYING), listened to Dixieland jazz (banjo! wonderful), took pictures in pretty cemeteries, walked around the Battery, and ate some fantastic seafood. I even found a place that hand rolls their own cigars, so I had to take one home for Neil. Coffee was a highlight, too.. City Lights Coffee in downtown Charleston serves Counter Culture, which is the best coffee I've ever had. And all of this with my beautiful mom and sisters.
The history of the city was the best part of it all.. voodoo history, pirate history (Blackbeard and Anne Bonny!! I did a pirate presentation in 5th grade and have been in love with them since then), the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and everything before, in between, and after. And the pride of Charleston's people when talking about these events.. and their ancestor's direct involvement with them. We had the opportunity to listen to our bed and breakfast owner talk about his home's history as well as give us tips on what to see in the city. He knew the city backwards and forwards, having lived there his entire life, and he was only too happy to share his own Charleston stories. To have that much passion and enthusiasm for your hometown, a place filled with your own personal tales as well as those of history's greats, like Washington and Beauregard and Sherman - your own history crosses paths with your country's history. How wonderful to play a part.
And the accents in Charleston! You don't truly know a Southern accent - and the differences between the accents depending on the area - until you live in the South. And the South Carolina accent is slow, deliberate, and effortlessly refined. I could listen to them talk for weeks.
The conclusion? Visit Charleston. Preferably with lovely family.
(Here is the plaid hair bow I just made! I had some leftover fabric from hemming a wool Pendleton jumper that's in the shop, and I decided to put it to good use.)
Today, we are in South Carolina! My mom, sisters Rhi and Ash, and I are having a girl's weekend in Charleston, and I can't wait! We hit up Charleston tomorrow.. tonight, we stay with Ash and family.
This will be the first time Neil and I have been apart for longer than a night since we were married last fall.. and we have dreaded the separation a bit. I know it's only a weekend, but I'm so accustomed to seeing him regularly. I miss him when he works for nine hours.. and usually, I'm not even awake for all of those nine hours.
So, due to the weekend away, Neil and I decided to have a date night last night. We went to Urban Outfitters, had dinner and coffee at Fido, and headed to the Belcourt to see It Might Get Loud!
It Might Get Loud is a documentary about how different artists interpret the guitar, starring Jack White, Jimmy Page, and the Edge from U2. I'll be honest, I couldn't care less about U2. But Led Zeppelin and THE WHITE STRIPES.. well. It was fantastic. We bought a 7" vinyl of a song Jack White records in the film, bluesy and rock and real.
It was all so, so fun and relaxed.. lots of bright lights and old brick and side streets and walking around cool shops and hand holding. The city was beautiful and so many people were out living it up.. and it felt good to make plans for just the two of us. We've never been to the historical Belcourt theatre before! I feel like going there every weekend now - maybe we'll run into a ghost from the silent film days!
What I wore..
Patterned top - Urban Outfitters (the tie at the neck is a random black ribbon from one of my dresses)
Striped shorts - Forever21
Cable knit hat - H&M
Black cardigan, black low heels - Thrifted
Neil made homemade ricotta and a sweet batter to fry the cheese in. He also made a brandy caramel sauce that went on top and inside the fritters.. I was a fan. I was his assistant in the frying, and I kept sneaking little fritter pieces that were too small to serve. I hope the judges didn't notice.
This was Neil's first food contest, and it was a bit nerve wracking. The other contestants had some serious restaurant experience (the winner of the contest is a restaurant owner), so getting third place with less experience was a big compliment to Neil. I was so happy for him - you should have seen the relief in his eyes once it was all done.
The day started with rain, but it slowly became sunnier and more crowded. The festival took place in Columbia, Tennessee, which has a gorgeous downtown square.. And there was, of course, fried food galore. Fried brownies, chicken, Twinkies, Snickers, Oreos, funnel cakes, apple fritters - even fried barbecue and fried whole pickles on sticks. And even FRIED PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES.
Yesterday, I had the chance to meet Vanessa of the Velvet Bird.. the very same girl that sponsored a giveaway from her woodworking Etsy shop last month!
I was insanely happy to hear that she was coming through Nashville with her husband Patrick's band, so we looked up the nearest coffee shop to their venue and set a time.
It was all great.. it's not every day that I get to talk conspiracy theories, computer games, AND fashion with the same person. Vanessa was so easy going and fun to talk to! And adorable (she was wearing perfect stuff - tights with shorts and awesome oxfords). Her mannerisms were unique and cute and quirky, which really reminded me of my sister Rhi. She was just completely herself. How do you meet a person and instantly feel so comfortable and at home?
The saddest part of blogger meet ups is obvious - when you've got to take off. You're never positive when you'll see each other again. Fortunately for me, Vanessa lives around the Savannah, Georgia area, which is not very far at all.
I've been so blessed to have two amazing meetings with two amazing bloggers (and you too, Mike!), and the timing could not have been better. With Neil and I still acclimating to the Nashville area, even after a few months, meeting people that I find an instant bond with helps me deal with Nashville newness immensely. And it drives home the idea of having a wide blogger meet up.. let's all get it together, for real! How great would it be to pick a weekend and get as many cool fashion/vintage bloggers together as possible?
And, by the way. If you notice any differences between the photos, it's because Vanessa's camera rocks and mine.. well.. doesn't.
YES weekends! Hope you all are enjoying yours! We're hitting up the Southern Fried Festival tomorrow.. where Neil is a contestant in the Fried Dessert Challenge! Can anything beat his homemade ricotta fritters and brandy caramel sauce? We'll find out!!
Velvet Bodice Gunne Sax Dress - Thrifted in St Louis
White Bow Headband, Black Fringe Boots - Forever21
Last weekend was a fantastic time, the highlight being a wedding we attended on Saturday.. and this is what I wore! It's a bit Minnie Mouse-ish, and I'm really alright with that.
The dress is actually a Gunne Sax dress I found in St Louis (Julie, it came from Ruth's Vintage on Cherokee St.. you should go there, that woman is the sweetest!).. this is what it looked like when I bought it.
I shortened and layered the tulle underneath as well as the skirt, and I attempted to dye it black.. the dye didn't take. It made it a tiny bit darker, but not completely black, which is what I was going for. I'm buying some dye for synthetic fabrics this time and trying it again. Do you guys have any other ideas on what to do with the dress? I'd like to combine feathers somehow, probably in the skirt, but I'm wondering how to sew them on.
My look is partly inspired by Betsey Johnson's Spring 2010 line, found here.. I usually don't like bright colors (and I still loathe animal print), but there are parts to this collection (like the last outfit!) that are ridiculously girlish and adorable.
Isn't he beautiful? Neil is wearing a cotton suit and black button up from Express, white v neck from UO. Do you like his smug face in the first photo?
It was great to be with our school friends again. We're all headed our separate ways, nearly all of us settling in different states, so this time was really important to Neil and I.
Besides having an awesome time dancing to disco and horrible late 90's pop hits (Neil and I danced together the entire night, and he even did the splits! I didn't know it was possible!!), what the visit did, most of all, was push my pursuit of intentional living. I talk a lot about that on this blog, but I keep receiving affirmation that money and fame mean very little in lieu of living with purpose and passion. And living AUTHENTICALLY. Be yourself. No walls, no acting a certain way to please others and forgetting about yourself in the process.
Right now, it's a transitory time for Neil, for me, and for all of our friends. It isn't easy being a college graduate, especially in today's economy.. and we are all feeling it. But what we can't lose sight of - despite bills and failures and discouragement - is living with that idealistic, impenetrable hope that we all had at our first year of school.. I might not be a hard nosed pragmatist or even very realistic about this, but I still believe we can do anything we set our minds to. We've got to be fighters, that's all.
I'm very pleased about the mint green sweater in the pictures above.. while it might come from the 1950's, I'm pretty sure it's from the 40's - which would make it the oldest thing yet to make it into my shop. I always find good 60's shoes and fun 80's dresses, but never have I found anything older than the 50's that was decent enough to list.. so, so happy!
There are many things I'm looking forward to this week.. but to start, I can't wait to post pictures of the wedding this past weekend and get your feedback on my altered dress! For now, I'm going to begin The Lost Symbol. After Etsying it up all day, my brain needs some Masonic action.
Photos by Neil!
Velvet and Lace Dress - thrifted, little girl's section, in Nashville
Wooden Heart Pendant - H&M
Brown Moccasin Bow Wedges - Urban Outfitters
I've been terrible about blogging! I had to take a mini break due to the craziness that has been my past week. Besides tons of work, Wednesday was my birthday, Thursday was the last day with our houseguests, and Friday, we left for St Louis and Illinois for an insane weekend!
I am back now, and how I've missed you, internet.. I definitely wanted to show you all pictures of my birthday dress (and since you asked, Ashley!). The velvet dress (intended for the shop, stolen by me) is a mini. I thought it would look good with a crinoline underneath, so I paired the two and the results are fun and girly. This might be one of my new favorites.
So, here's a bit of my birthday..
At midnight, Neil surprised me with a chocolate and cinnamon bundt cake with an amazing mocha sauce!
During the day, Joel, Neil, Zach and I hit up this great hot dog place. We also went shopping.. who knew so many places gave away nice, free stuff on birthdays? Free is always good with me. I received a cute Sephora lip gloss set as well as a Godiva truffle (which, of course, led to more Godiva chocolate purchases.. their devious sales plan worked). We also spent nearly two hours in a local fabric store, which was a dream. The guys spent their time dancing as I asked foreign questions about sewing tension and bobbins and poly thread.
At night, we headed over to my parent's house for an amazing meal - my dad's homemade pasta and my mom's famous hot fudge sundaes for dessert. And wonderful wonderful red wine. I was surprised with all sorts of good things (like Dan Brown's latest book and BEATLES ROCK BAND!) and good company.
I also bought these shoes at Urban Outfitters! They were on sale - only $20. I really wanted wedges. I still have some Urban money to spend, and I'm leaning towards those cool album cover frames (and God Help The Girl, which has beautiful, subtle album artwork - and we have an old record player that works decently).
In other, more recent news.. I made Ayn the Owl for Rachel's little girl earlier this month, and I finally had the chance to give Ayn to her rightful owner today! Here is Rach meeting Ayn for the first time! I was so pleased that she liked my weird owl friend.
I also wanted to make something small for Rach herself - I'm sure she's sick of seeing diapers and bottles at this point, right? So, I crafted some ivory bows for her - one bow, I attached to a safety pin for clothes wearing, and another, I attached to a hair clip.
I ended up making a bow pin for myself afterward.
A large part of our trip this weekend was to a wedding that Neil and I took part in. We had a memorable time - in all sorts of ways. Earlier this year, I found an 80's black and pink party dress at a vintage store in St Louis. While it wasn't 100% my style, the velvet bodice fit me perfectly, which meant I had to make it my new project. Well, I completed it in time to wear it to the wedding! I'll be posting pictures early this week.
I also have a blogger meet up later this week that I'm really excited about! You will hear more very, VERY soon.
I am exhausted. We got back from Illinois just a couple hours ago and while hotel rooms are fantastic and clean, I'm longing for my own messy bed tonight. Goodnight, all! If any of this writing is a little haphazard or incoherent, I blame the car ride and the crazy weekend.
Shop update today! This and more, including the bohemian ivory knit vest I found at the bluegrass festival and my favorite listing of the week - this black military style blazer.
I've been thinking a lot about the Helping Hands thrift store at the bluegrass festival, and how happy I became when my mom told Neil about it. I think I'm approaching that addicted stage when it comes to thrifting.. I can honestly say that I get more excited when I see a Goodwill now than when I see an Urban Outfitters.. is that normal? Well, whatever it is, it makes me glad.
Thrift stores used to overwhelm me. I was so jealous of Rhiannon and Ashley, because they always seemed to know exactly what to look for, and I was completely lost. But now that I've been thrifting on a regular basis, I've started to get the hang of it! It isn't so intimidating anymore!
The one drawback to selling vintage is that in the midst of searching, you kind of forget to keep things for yourself - I always feel guilty if I hold onto an item, even for a week, before sending it to the shop. Do those of you that sell vintage feel this way sometimes, too? I think Rhi has talked about this before. (I'm so glad those leather and suede boots aren't my size, because I'd be wearing them and having a severe guilt trip if they were.)
Because of this strange shame I have when I hold onto items, I'm going to deliberately try to hold onto the white military blazer for awhile, at least a few weeks, before putting it on Etsy. One item in 70 isn't bad, right?
Thanks for the birthday plan suggestions! It turns out our friends Joel and Zach are sticking around until Friday, so they'll be here to celebrate with us! We are for sure going to the hot dog restaurant, and (because I'm admittedly a huge Harry Potter nerd) sneaking Godiva chocolates into the Harry Potter 6 IMAX show late that night! During the day, we're visiting my parents, having an awesome lunch there, and then doing a shopping run around town at fabric stores and UO and other vintage places, too. Yeah, I'll be dragging three boys into a craft store.. behold the power of birthdays.
24 years old. Insane. I need to think about this year before writing about it.. what it means to me to be approaching my mid-twenties. Is this where I imagined I'd be? Big city, starting out my own way on a path that I'm passionate about, being unequivocally poor and still, magically being provided for.. yeah, this is really what I imagined (or at least hoped for). Definitely not the married part, but to be honest, I'm ridiculously thankful for that surprise. If 24 is anything at all like 23, I'm satisfied.
Photos by Neil!
White Military Blazer, Green Plaid Skirt - Thrifted
Navy Tights, Tan Cutout Heels - Urban Outfitters
Gray Tank - Banana Republic
Diana Camera - Yard Sale
Today Neil, Joel, Duckie, Mom and I went to a bluegrass festival in Thompson Station! Lots of overalls, bad jokes, and barbecue. And good music, of course.
The skirt and military blazer I'm wearing are both from the kid's section at thrift stores, so I'm basically half little boy, half little girl in this outfit. The little boy blazer is a new favorite of mine.. both the plaid skirt and the blazer have matching gold buttons, and the blazer has a lovely sailor-themed patch! And I braided the front of my hair in honor of that perfect Erika Hendrix collection I posted about a few days ago.
I bought the Diana camera for five bucks at a yard sale in Nashville. It has a great look to it, but I'd like to actually use it.. Do you guys know where I can find film for vintage cameras?
Mom was the one that found out about the festival, and I'm glad she did.. the bands were great and it was fun to catch a glimpse into the small community that put the festival on. The people were all really welcoming and friendly, and wow, they can bake! There was an auction for chess pies, carrot cakes, and all sorts of lovely looking bread loaves. In response, I ate a funnel cake.
A huge highlight to the festival was the church sponsored thrift store! This is a place in the middle of nowhere, which means no hipsters have gone through it recently.. and it was wonderful. The shop was filled with old dresses and heels, mostly from the 1960's, as well as an older crowd that may have owned them.
Here are my Helping Hand thrift store finds.. tweed jacket, Pendleton wool jumper, a 70's knit white vest with wooden buttons, alligator pumps.. all of this (AND a pair of fringed shoes that Neil bought) for six dollars! That was all we were charged! How do these wonderful church ladies do it?
My favorite finds are the peter pan collar plaid blouse and the 1970's red, white, and blue pumps. The other two pairs are from the 60's, which makes me love them.. but not as much as the 70's heels.
I'm having a blast with the guys staying over (except for the toilet seat always being up). Joel and Duckie have even gone thrift store shopping with me and feigned interest in what I was buying! We've watched a million Harrison Ford movies, argued about politics and music, went to the best 24 hour restaurant in Nashville, played computer games, started a fire. It all just feels really natural, as though humans were meant to live in larger groups. We split a bottle of wine (red wine beats white wine up) when we got back tonight. And watched Harrison kick some bums, of course.
Photos by my friend Joel!
Vintage Plaid Jumper - thrifted
Zodiac Boots - thrifted (gift from Rhi)
Vintage Plaid Bow Tie - Venus and Mars
Lately, I've seen a lot of fall/winter collections on blogs and while I find something in every one of them that I love, there hasn't been one that has really hit me (except for maybe the Dear Creatures collection that Rhi featured last month, which was also beautiful). Well, I found one.
While reading NEET Magazine's September issue, I found Erika Hendrix's fall/winter 2009 collection.. and everything about it is absolutely right. The bows, the necklines, the cute structured shorts.. I love this collection.
I love Hendrix's use of pastels in a fall/winter line.. it works perfectly. Gray and sweet pink go so well together. And the model's hair, braided in the front in some photos, messy in others.. The loose turtlenecks and plaid are so beautiful, too. And awesome oxfords with shiny leggings?
My favorites are the plaid circle skirt in the first picture and the bubble shorts in the last.
Zach, Joel, and I went to Salvation Army today and I found some 1970s suede boots, as well as two military style jackets that I can't wait to post about!
Photos by Neil!
1950's Yarn Weave Wool Skirt - antique shop in southern Illinois
1960's Black Velvet Tank Top - thrifted at the Goodwill Outlet
Black Fringe Heels - Forever21
Cream Tote Bag - Shakespeare & Company in Paris
The skirt I'm wearing in these pictures is one of my all-time favorites. I bought it last spring from Neil's old piano teacher in his home town - she owns an antique store now - and bargained it down to $10, but honestly, it's probably worth so much more. It's a 50's skirt made in Greece with green and orange yarn woven into it and gold thread detailing. It's very stiff, so it gives an amazing shape! It came with a waist belt that you wear above the skirt. I hemmed it by hand (I didn't cut any of the skirt off because there's more yarn weave that I folded up and sewed inside!) and now that it's short, it's one of those pieces that instantly makes me feel good when I put it on.
Yesterday was a Winter get together on their new houseboat! On the way to the lake, Neil and I stopped at Cadiz, Kentucky, which has a reputation for a cute downtown and some awesome antique shopping.
I found a great clip on bow tie to put in the shop as well as those pretty 50's black bow heels in the picture (also headed to the shop - they're too big for me!). I also found a bag filled with sewing patterns, mostly from the 1960's! And a home improvement magazine from 1969 with gorgeous full color pictures.
Cadiz antique shops were pretty impressive. One in particular, Cherokee Antique Mall, had so many vintage dresses in fantastic condition (including a gold evening dress from the 1940's).. but everything was so overpriced! Well, maybe not overpriced.. maybe these antique shop owners knew exactly what they had and priced it accordingly. That doesn't make for a cheap shopping excursion, though.
Isn't that purple settee (pictured above with some cute guy sitting on it) wonderful? It was priced at $450.. I'm still trying to decide if that was a legit price or not. Man alive, what I would do with a million dollars. It would have nothing to do with expensive cars or name brands and everything to do with antique shops and Etsy.
After shopping, we hit the lake with Neil's parents!
Today, we're headed out for some barbecue at my grandparent's house. It'll be fun to sit around and eat good food and hear my grandpa complain about politics! That's what holidays are all about, right?
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