May 31, 2013

Looking back at May 2013


The nineteenth century American poet and diplomat James Russell Lowell once said of the month we've just experienced that, "May is a pious fraud of the almanac". This strikes me as a bit harsh, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment and see where Mr. Lowell was coming from.

May, that month in which we've been led to believe April's showers will give way to boundless fields of flowers and picturesque sunny days in not always the case. Or, conversely, sometimes it is - but in such abundance that you wonder if you overshot your alarm clock and woke up in August.

For the first half or so of the month, that was precisely the case here, as we slogged our way through numerous days of +31C temps and sunshine so brazenly bright you could all but get a tan just by thinking about.

The second half of the month proved more in keeping with the seasonal norm, and included a handful of much needed rainy days which helped welcome an abundance of greenery - as well as the beginning of tourist season - once more.

In many respects, it felt like a quick month as each day ticked by, yet as a whole it was a somewhat lengthy at times, too. Overall though, it was a pleasant enough month - certainly less stressful than the previous one and towards the end, I even felt well enough (following last month's surgery) to venture out a couple of times, one of which I blogged about here two days ago.

While I wouldn't say May was the most action packed month (phew!) on the home front, here in blog land things were buzzing up a storm (that reminds me of the immensely charming magazine cover from June 1954 pictured below), which was spurred on in no small part by the necessitated two week blogging hiatus after my surgery in April and my zeal to throw myself back into blogging big time!


 photo tumblr_l14uhnHinB1qagc5do1_500_zps7d23d2ec.jpg


Some of the highlights of this past month for me included the return (after more than two years) of the popular Vintage Fashionista Friday series, an exploration of the role that nostalgia has played on my life and wardrobe, a fresh edition of Vintage This and That, a peak at the history of Cutex nail polish, and the super easy (and dirt cheap) way in which I store my stud earrings.

On the wardrobe front, I reviewed the latest dress I received from eShakti (it fared much better, I'm happy to say, than the previous two), sported an outfit comprised of numerous vintage pieces (including my dress itself) that I've received from treasured online friends, and traversed a wildly dangerous and incredibly narrow road to enjoy the view from Skaha Bluffs in my beloved Freddies of Pinewood overalls (a snap from which post appears below).




May ushered in an extremely exciting new chapter in Chronically Vintage's life when, mid-month, I put out my first ever official call for blog sponsors.

The response to this post has been wholly positive and very encouraging, and I'm pleased as punch to announce that I'll be collaborating with some seriously stellar sponsors in June and beyond. I'm always looking for further and/or future sponsors, so if you've been considering blog sponsorship here, I would absolutely love to hear from you anytime.

As we embark on the very last morning of May, I'm not entirely sure what June - the final month of spring - will entail for my day-to-day life. I don't have too many big plans, especially as I'm still recouping (and am in the midst of a massive flare-up of my one of my conditions right now, too), but I sense that barbeques, yard sales, walks on the beach, sundresses, and capri pants will be on the agenda for sure.



{Beautiful as a vintage bride, sweet as a popsicle, and as invigorating as the first late springtime dip in lake or sea, June has the potential to be a glorious month from start to finish, and I really hope that such will be the case this year. Image source.}


Much as with May, I've got a bevy of fun post ideas just bursting to appear here in June. Throughout the coming month, we'll be getting to know some of my new blog sponsors, chatting about 1950s eye make-up, taking a gander at some classic menswear pieces (in celebration of Father's Day), talking about how to throw a great ice cream sundae party, and I'll debut my first ever garment from Jitterbuggin, amongst numerous other topics.
 
James R. Lowell was right about May in that it can often be hard to predict, the weather unreliable (just ask most of Europe, where temps have been well below the seasonal norm in many countries as of late), and it's appearance a bit more of an idyllic mirage of how spring is supposed to look than what reality often serves up, but it is - and was - also a gorgeous, pleasurable, lighthearted month that smells of honeysuckle, lilacs and freshly mowed grass.

It's bare toes, the first bonfire of the season, camping trip filled weekends, picnics on the beach, and the making of joyful plans and dreams for the coming summer, which we'll hit before next month comes to a close. It might not always be the most reliable of months weather wise, but I love May and the one that we just experienced was certainly no exception.

Here's to the hope that June is every bit as lovely - if not more - for all of us!


21 comments:

  1. That uber-adorable picture of you had me sighing deeply. And I'm proud to know someone else who uses the word "bevy"!

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  2. I love May too! It was a great one! Here's to a lovely june for you!
    xx
    http://thescreensiren.com

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  3. Hi Jessica,

    We had a special May because of a week-long visit from one of my nephews. He had never been out to California before, so he really enjoyed it.

    We've had delightful weather this May.

    I am really looking forward to June. Although summer does not officially begin until nearly the end of June, for me it always begins with June 1st.

    Looking forward to reading what you have in-store.
    ♥Hope

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  4. I can not believe that May is over and we will be six months into the year already!! I look forward to your upcoming blog posts!

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  5. Hooray for June and a fun-filled Summer! Thank you for this happy post! I can't wait for BBQ's and long, warm evenings. I guess there is life after Italy...maybe! ;)
    ~xoxo, CoriLynn

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  6. I love your June offerings particularly looking forward to your jitterbuggin outfit as I have two. I find u inspirational 4 my new vintage blog and my other older dog focused blog. I would love done tips on how u take your gorgeous photos I don't think my outfit photos look that good yet maybe your makeup advice will help! Also thanks 4 your lovely comment on my looking younger then I am had me in a fan mood all day u r quite young and youthful yourself it all speeds up after 30
    Kate the old fashioned way

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  7. Hi Jessica! This year has been a whirlwind, and May in this neck of the woods has been a long, soggy month! Thank goodness we escaped to sunny South Africa for a bit to absorb some warmth and sunshine! But, June promises longer, hopefully more balmy days! Here's to the next half of 2013!
    Tania ♥
    P.S Excited for you about the sponsors, and look forward to hearing and seeing more!

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  8. The reverse seasons are so neat! While May for you didn't bring the promised fields of flowers for us, it didn't produced the beautiful cascade of fallen autumn leaves. The days have taken longer than usual to cool down here but as I type this, it is the first day of winter and it's pouring down with rain! :)

    Can't wait to see the ice cream sundae party post!
    xo

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  9. Sounds like june is going to be great :-)

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  10. I hope your summer starts well, Jessica! Looking forward to seeing all your future blog topics.

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  11. Can't wait to see more in June - and good luck with the sponsors, I am sure they are chomping at the bit to be apart of such a fabulous blog.

    Hope your feeling better soon!

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  12. May was rubbish here!! Full of rain and clouds.

    Those overalls are so cute.

    Corinne x
    www.skinnedcartree.com

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  13. Looking forward to all the June posts that you mentioned. Gosh, the bride on that Bazaar cover looks gorgeous.

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  14. Happy June sweetie!!! My May was low key too hehe xox

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  15. Oh, I cant wait to see your Jitterbuggin outfit! I have them on my "must have" list.

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  16. I really am happy to hear that your eshtaki dress worked out much better than the first. And now I am so eager to see how wonderful you put together an outfit featuring the jitterbuggin piece. :D I hope June is as wonderful to you as May is! :)

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  17. I'm quite happy to put May behind me. My entire year has been centred around work, work, work and I'm looking forward to the prospect of less work in June and even less in July. Four more weeks to go until I'm on vacation! :)

    Lisa.

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  18. May seemed to go by so quickly! Happy beginning of June!

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  19. You look so very pretty in pink! I love your dungarees my dear, casual vintage glamour at it's finest! May was quite beautiful here in Blighty, once the rain clouds cleared. I'm hoping for a warm June too - the flowers are in bloom and the sun is shining yay!

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  20. Ice cream sundae party?! I can't wait to read your post on that - what a fabulous idea!!! :)

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  21. Love your summer agenda and hope it is not copy righted? ;) Looking forward to reading lots of fab blog posts.

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