Tag Archives: Vintage

Something old, something new

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I went to the wedding of two good friends a few weeks ago, and decided to wear both something old and something new.  The old came in vintage accessories: a vintage purse (80′s, I believe), vintage pearls from a garage sale, and my grandmother’s ring.  The new came in a brand new (discontinued) Boden dress that I bought on eBay. I had to get it tailored, so this was its first official outing.

I didn’t get to take any photos at the wedding, but the location was gorgeous.  It was at Cross Creek Ranch, a little rustic spot just outside of Tampa. The ceremony was under a huge oak tree, while the reception was in a quaint renovated barn.  It was really beautiful all around, and one of the nicer, more personal weddings that I’ve been to.

Dress: Boden (via eBay)
Sandals: Dansko Novalee (via eBay)
Purse: Vintage
Pearls: Vintage
Ring: Belonged to my grandmother
Bangles: Jill Popowich

New York, New York

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No, unfortunately this post is not written from NYC.  Nor do I have any plans in the immediate future to go there (although if the chance came up, believe me I would go!).  But, I am wearing a little piece of NYC today in the form of my new favorite vintage scarf.  I found this one while shopping at a local vintage shop a few weeks ago and found this scarf while digging around there.  I immediately fell in love with it, and even though I sometimes have trouble styling vintage scarves, I went for it.  And I’m so glad I did.

 

The simple black, white and yellow color scheme is so “me”, and it goes with pretty much everything.  I styled it as a sort of handkerchief tie this time (tutorial up soon) and I really like how it looked.  Plus, the silk provided just enough warmth for a balmy 65 degree winter day (seriously, this winter is way too warm this year).

 

This is what the scarf looks like unfolded.  It has nine different panels, each with a different scene from 1960′s NYC.  The World’s Fair was held in NYC in 1964, and the location is show on the subway map panel.  Other panels include the Rockfeller Center, the Empire State building, Central Park, the United Nations, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the public library :)  It also shows lower Manhattan pre-construction of the World Trade Center, which started in the late 1960′s.  Kind of sad since that’s now how Lower Manhattan looks once again.

I’ve included thumbnails of several of the panels below.  Click on them to get a larger view.

 

Tee: Ann Taylor LOFT (via Revolve)

Cardigan: Bobeau (via Nordstrom Rack)
Capris: Erik Stewart (thrifted)
Shoes: Merrell Brio
Scarf: Vintage (via Sherry’s Yesterdaze)
Purse: Morelle

Etsy Love: Sparkles!

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*On occasion, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy.  Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character.  It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love.  If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

I’ve become mildly obsessed with sparkly and glittery things lately.  Maybe it’s the holidays and NYE, or maybe it’s just that glitter is awesome.  Either way, here are some of my favorite sparkly picks from Etsy:

Fine silver post earrings with iridescent silver sparkles $47

Tiny Galaxies (the whole shop is sparkly!)

Black Noir Resin Glitter Heart $20

I Sew Cute (lots of glitter here too)

Silver Sparkle Bow Clips $19

Janine Basil

Blackened Silver Sequins Clutch $45 (sale)

It’s So Clutch

1970s Sequin Dress  $64

Wildfell Hall Vintage

A neutral kind of day

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Okay, so I did in fact wear a very similar outfit last September.  But hey, that was a year ago, and I have long hair and glasses now, so I think it’s just fine for me to post this version.

I had originally planned to put together a mustard and navy outfit.  That is, until I realized that my favorite mustard cardi was in the wash.  So I decided for lovely and elegant neutrals instead, with a pop of mustard in my bracelet.

I love how this little navy dress can work with just about everything.  It really is a year-round staple for me.  The fit is absolutely perfect, the navy color goes with everything (although I often wish I had it in brighter colors), the length is perfect for work.  I can wear it alone in the summer, and layer it up in the winter.  It’s definitely one of my best consigning finds yet.


Dress: Soprano (via Li da la)
Cardigan: J. Crew (via eBay)
Tights: HUE
Shoes: Dansko Sallys (courtesy of Dansko)
Belt: Vintage
Pearls: Coryell Design
Watch: Fossil
Bracelet: Vintage

 

Mis-matched Day

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Remember back in school, when you would have Spirit Week and each day would have a different theme, like Sports Day, Twin Day, etc?  One fun thing about working in a middle school is that you get to experience that every year :)  Our Spirit Week was last week, and this is what I wore for mis-matched day, my favorite day of the week.  It’s so fun to put together an outfit that is as intentionally mis-matched as possible.  I tried not to make my outfit so jarring that it was painful to look at, and also not so shabby that I looked homeless.  I think I succeeded.

Leopard and polka dot = pattern mixing

I wore two different socks, two different styles of Converse Chuck Taylors, two different earrings.  I tried to keep the base of the outfit a little more simple, so the solid colors didn’t match, but also didn’t clash painfully.

I can French braid my hair again.  Yay!

Is it strange that I actually had more fun getting dressed when it was mis-matched day than on a normal day?  I love having a theme or challenge for an outfit – to me it makes things more interesting than just pulling clothes out of the closet and wearing them.

Did you have mis-matched day at your school when you were a kid?  How did you dress up?

Cardigan: J Crew (eBay)
Top: Target (thrifted)
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Hue
Socks: Hue (grey) Smartwool (green)
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylors
Scarf (in hair): Vintage
Belt: Thrifted
Watch: J. Crew/ Timex

Customize Everything

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OMG, it’s an honest-to-goodness outfit post!  I was very uninspired outfit-wise all summer, but I feel like I’m finally coming out of my slump, and it feels so good.  With a few recent key purchases (you’ll see them soon) I’m starting to get back into putting together interesting outfits that aren’t just a repeat of something I already wore.

 

This dress fits in completely with my philosophy that pretty much everything I wear should be customized in some way.  I bought this dress on super sale at a local boutique.  I normally shy away from all black, but the material was so fantastic, and the fit so flattering, that I went for it.

 

Originally, there was no blue band at the bottom.  The sleeves were rolled up and secured with button tabs.  To make this dress my own, I first removed the button tabs.  Elbow length sleeves are considerably more flattering for me, and having all that extra fabric was not.  Then, I had the issue of it being too short for work, and too dark overall.  I didn’t want to wear it as a tunic, because all my leggings are dark.  Then I looked through my fabric stash and found a blue dress that I had wanted to alter but couldn’t figure out how.  I took both dresses to my tailor, explained what I wanted, and ended up with the above dress.  And I love it!!

Buy little, but buy quality as much as possible.  Tailor and customize everything to make it work for you.  And then you’ll have a wardrobe that you love, and that is uniquely “you”.

Dress: V Fish (via Why Not Boutique)
Belt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Dansko Sallys
Earrings: Wear-thou
Bracelet: Vintage

 

 

 

Etsy Love: Tick Tock

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*Every Wednesday, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy.  Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character.  It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love.  If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

I’m still in the midst of re-doing my kitchen, and it now seems that part of that entails getting a new clock.  I’ve had a reproduction kit-kat clock for years, but they just aren’t as good as the originals, which are way out of my price range (I saw one on eBay for $225).  My Kit Kat is starting to bite the dust, which doesn’t surprise me since it’s made out of cheap plastic.  So now I need a replacement.  Here’s my criteria:

  • It needs to be battery operated.  I think corded clocks look tacky and are potentially a fire hazard.
  • It needs to be readable/ have numbers.  There’s all sorts of crazy, artsy clocks out there.  I need something that actually tells me the time.
  • It needs to have a retro/mod feel (though not necessarily be vintage)

Here’s what I found:

Large Retro Modern Clock with Numbers, $62

Uncommon

Vintage Bulova Yellow Wall Clock, $38

Drowsy Swords

70s Modern Wall Clock in Faux Bois, $25

Zelda 110

Vintage School Wall Clock, $65

AM Radio

Etsy Vintage Love: West Bend

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*Every Wednesday, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy.  Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character.  It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love.  If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

Folks, I think an obsession is brewing.  It started with a small and growing collection of vintage Pyrex as well as a few Hazel Atlas mugs.  Now my love (cough, obsession) with vintage kitchenwares is expanding to a new realm: West Bend.

I first took notice of West Bend when I was putting together an Etsy Vintage Kitchen set awhile back.  I fell in love with the iconic mid-century look of the fork and spoons bean pot.  Then I did more research and realized that the penguin ice bucket I grew up with came from the same brand.  Now I’ve ordered a set of canisters for my newly painted kitchen.  It’s obsession I tell you.  Obsession.

West Bend Serving Oven, $9.99

The Treasured Past

West Bend Mustard 9 Cup Percolator, $17

Forrestina Vintage

West Bend Penguin Ice Bucket, $17

Marriane Clare

Mid-century Fork and Spoons Bean Pot, $10

School of Vintage

West Bend Mustard Striped Tin Canisters, $8.50 (sale)

Boots N Gus

Photo Friday: Vintage Pyrex

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*Photo Friday is an occasional feature where I simply post a few photos I’ve taken recently.  Sometimes there will be text involved, sometimes I will let the photos speak for themselves.  Enjoy.*Welcome to my latest obsession: vintage Pyrex.  It all started with my discovery of a lovely little blog called The Pyrex Collective.  Around the same time I started reading and drooling over everyone else’s beautiful pyrex, I bought the larger yellow mixing bowl you see in these photos (a yellow primary 404, I later learned).  From there, the obsession has grown.

For now, I’m focusing on collecting yellow pyrex.  I’ve currently got a small collection including three mixing bowls (yellow 401, 402 and 404), a sunflower yellow casserole with a lid, a cinderlla Shenandoah mixing bowl, and a square large yellow bowl.  Not sure what any of that means?  Check out Pyrex Love, where they have a fantastic pattern reference section.

Next week, I’m painting my kitchen, and I’ll be adding a few IKEA shelves in the process.  That will be my new display space for my quickly growing Pyrex collection.  I’ll be sure to post some photos :)

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