July 1, 2014

13 awesome Canadian vintage blogs

You've heard me say it before, and no doubt you'll hear me say it again in future posts beyond today's, but objectively speaking, despite its population of nearly 34 million people, Canada does not have a particularly large vintage community. This is true especially when it comes to folks like myself who wear mid-century vintage or heavily vintage influenced styles the vast majority of the time. In some cities, such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto, you find small groups of like mind folks running shops, holding vintage related events (such as those produced by the Toronto Vintage Society), and gathering to delight in their mutual passion for the past. By and large however, those of who share the vintage calling are spaced out far and wide across the vastness that is the world's second largest country.

Last September, as you may recall from this photo filled post, I had the great pleasure of meeting a fellow vintage fashion wearer and blogger, my very dear friend Laurie from one of the blogs featured in today's post, Retro Reporter, while on holiday in Alberta, but to date she's been the only fellow Canadian blogger I've had the pleasure to connecting with in person.

Though the power of the internet though, I get to chat with numerous others (as well as Laurie herself, of course) scattered far from one end of Canada to the other as we may be, through our blogs and social media, which is of course, fantastic! Even if we aren't the collective mass offline that you may run into in certain cities across countries like the US, Australia, the UK and various other European nations, we're still there for one another through our sites and the beautiful online friendships that we share.

In the spirit of the fact that today is none other than our mightily beautiful nation's 147th birthday, a holiday known as Canada Day, I wanted to take the opportunity to shine the spotlight on thirteen, one for each of the ten provinces and three territories that make up my resplendent country, Canadian vintage blogs that do exist.

This post, the entries of which are arranged in alphabetical order, is not intended an absolutely complete list of every single Canadian vintage blog around and there will of course be at least a few others out there still (by all means, feel free to list any you know of that aren't included here in the comment section below). I hope that it will help introduce readers, be they from Canada, American, or anywhere else in the world, to some homegrown Canadian vintage bloggers who they might not know about yet or haven't visited in a while, and/or celebrate those which they’re already a firm fan of.



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{Butterflies and Daisys Vintage}


Have you ever meet someone online and instantly clicked with them? That's precisely what happened a few years back when Lisa, the beautiful gal behind the Winnipeg based blog Butterflies and Daisys Vintage and I first crossed paths, and we've been enjoying each other's sites ever since. On top of sharing some of the marvelous outfits - many of which combine elements of vintage, modern and/or rockabilly style together superbly - that she enjoys wearing, Lisa also blogs about a diverse range of history and fashion related topics, as well as sharing some of the wonderful going ons in her life, reviews of many of the vintage shops she visits, and posts about her to-die-for vintage collections via her Show and Tell post series. I've never been to Manitoba, but since becoming friends with Lisa, this province, sandwiched as it is in the middle of Canada, has become the one I most want to get to for the first time in my travels, in no small part to spend some time, I hope, with this great vintage blogger.



{Charmaine Lowe: Life + Style Blog}


Run by one of the coolest jet setters I know, Charmaine Lowe: Life + Style Blog, teams with insightful, thought provoking posts, fabulous outfit posts, and scores of entries all about the eponymously named Charmaine's travels to many a destination near and far alike to her current Edmonton abode.



{Doll in a Sugar Coma}


One of only two British Columba based vintage blogs on this list (there aren’t many of us out there, trust me, I’m one of the very tiny number that do exist), Doll in a Sugar Coma is a thoroughly lovely look at the life, fashions, and interest of its beautiful raven haired writer, Dolly Von Sucre, who has a penchant for afternoon tea, vintage fashion including sublime lingerie, burlesque, music, and oodles of other equally splendid things.



{Elle Buckle Vintage}


The second B.C. entry in today's post, Elle Buckle Vintage is companion blog to a delightful etsy shop of the same name that is written by a friendly, wonderfully nice animal, vintage, and old truck loving lady (also, as you may have guessed, named Elle Buckle) who calls the Lower Mainland home.


{Oh So Lovely Vintage}


You know those kinds of super pretty, super "I so wish I could make something that looked that cool" photos you see on Pinterest day in and day out? Well, if you're on the prowl for a Canadian blog that's teaming with them, as well in some cases as the instructions on how to actually create, style or otherwise whip them up yourself, look no further than Winnipeg based lifestyle blog Oh So Lovely Vintage. Run by two friends, Stefanie Hiebert and Erin Thiessen, this cheerful, wonderfully inviting site teams with oodles of posts, many of which sing with the pair's love of 1950s and 60s fashion and decor, that are sure to inspire and delight all who visit. The duo also run a vintage shop in Winnipeg smile-inducingly called Rhymes with Orange, and as well as selling vintage out of a cool 1956 Cardinal trailer around Canada during the warmer months of the year (they plan to head south to peddle their wares in the States one day, too).



{Pageboy and Petticoats}


Edmonton dweller (and fellow gluten-free gal) Erin Gross runs the charming blog Pageboy and Petticoats, which shines the spotlight on her passion for the 1940s, 50s and early 60s fashion in particular, as well including everything from posts about her travel adventures around Canada to her Instagram snaps and plenty more to enjoy.



{Retro Reporter}


Run by Laurie Callsen, aka the Retro Reporter, just like her wonderful blog's name, this site is chocked full of interesting going ons about the vintage scene in Edmonton, Alberta where Laurie lives, as well as happenings in her daily life, some of of the great vintage outfits she wears (including many featuring garments she's knit and sewn herself - talented gal!), her wedding plans (the big date is this coming fall), and other thoroughly engaging and enjoyable topics with a splendidly Canadian spirit to them.


{Shermette}


Interestingly, though we didn't know about one another when I living back east, Shermy, the fabulously stylish lady and skilled photographer behind the site Shermette, and I resided a mere stone's throw away from one another in Ontario's GTA region (if only our paths had crossed sooner, I'm sure we would have hung out together all the time!). On top of adorning, wearing and blogging about vintage, Shermy is wild about beauty, sewing, music, traveling, and taking photos, which she and her father delight in doing together professionally (check out their site Riddle Inc? Photography to see their work).



{Tea with the Vintage Baroness}


From the prairie province of Alberta, comes Tea with the Vintage Baroness, a wonderful site run by Jill, undoubtedly one of Canada - and the world's - best known lovers of, and experts on, the 1920s and 30s. In addition to her adoration of those two decades, Jill has deeply rooted passion for vintage in general, which shines through not only on her blog, but in her etsy shop, Adeline's Attic Vintage, and the fabulous looking bricks and mortar shop called Moon River Mercantile that she opened up in Edmonton earlier this year (which also has a companion etsy shop of the same name).



{The Vintage Inn}


If you know me, than you know that I'm unendingly passionate about history, so it's with no small amount of pleasure that the blog The Vintage Inn, penned by a fabulous Torontonian named Liz, is often teaming with it - much of which, to my absolute delight, centers around Canadian related topics. With a passion for the 1920s - 1960s, rockabilly and lindyhop, Canada, travel, fashion, and good, old-fashioned fun, Liz and her terrific blog are a must for all fellow vintage loving history buffs.


{Vintage Astrid}


Vintage Astrid has the distinction of being the only blog based out of the prairie province of Saskatchewan to appear on this fun list. It's run by a vintage, sports, Dr. Who, sewing, vegan food, and burlesque lover who posts on a wide range of topics, including some, much as I do here, that are reflections and musings on various points pertaining to our personal experiences with wearing vintage and living a vintage lifestyle (such as her easy to relate to post from February 2013 called Why do you do it?).



{Vintage in a Modern World}


With the biggest population of any Canadian province or territory, it should come as no surprise that numerous vintage bloggers and lovers call Ontario home, including a splendidly talented seamstress with a particular passion for the earliest decades of the 20th century, named Kate, who blogs at Vintage in a Modern World. Here she shares some of her vintage sewing projects (including many that she creates for her etsy shop, Phonograph Fashions), vintage magazine and ephemera scans, helpful how tos (including videos, which she also posts to her Youtube channel, The Long Haired Flapper), and other lovely slices of vintage goodness.



{Vixage}


By way of Manitoba's capital city, Winnipeg, comes another thoroughly fantastic yesteryear focused blog called Vixage, in which Daphne delights readers with everything from her awesome thrifting adventures (and finds) to scrumptious homemade recipes (for example, the wildly tasting one for Blueberry and Lavender Earl Grey Brownies pictured above), wonderfully easy to replicate DIY and craft ideas to beauty related posts (I especially liked her advice on how to repot eyes shadow vintage style this past February).



{All images above by way of their respective blogs. Please click on an image to be taken to the blog it hails from.}


♥ ♥ ♥


The largest group we may not be, but we're a passionate bunch, searching high and low for vintage treasures at yard sales and outdoor flea markets during the warmer half of the month, hunkering down inside from winter's wrath during the cold half, our vintage overcoats never far from reach. We're drawn to a range of different eras, styles and sources of inspiration, but are united both in our nationality and in our unending love of all things vintage, something that we share in common with our brethren the world over.

I feel blessed to know each of the wonderful women behind these blogs and to count them all amongst my dear online friends. They inspire, entertain and impress me year after year with their captivating posts, amazing wardrobes, beautiful photographs, and shared zeal for all things yesteryear. One of my greatest goals in life is to travel to every province and territory in Canada at least once, and as that process continues to happen over the years and decades, I hope that my adventures will led me to each city and town where these ladies live and that we can, just as Laurie and I were able to do last year, meet up in person.

From the bottom of my heart, to all my fellow Canadians, whether they're bloggers, vintage fans or otherwise, I wish you a safe, joyful and immensely fun Canada Day - and to all those outside of Canuckland, a fabulous July 1st and start of this gorgeous summer month to you as well!

43 comments:

  1. Happy Canada Day, Jessica! I, like a lot of others, am the only one in my community that even remotely dresses vintage, so being able to visit blogs is how I get to see what others are doing, and, of course, for inspiration!

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    1. Thank you very much, my sweet friend - and lone wolf vintage wearer, as I've taken to calling those of us who are the only (or very nearly so) vintage wearers and/or bloggers in our respective areas of the world. I feel precisely the same way and am so grateful for the internet and the opportunity to connect with other vintage lovers that it provides us with.

      Have a stellar 4th of July!
      ♥ Jessica

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  2. Thanks for introducing us to such a wonderful group of bloggers! I'm going to visit them today. And Happy Canada Day!

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  3. Thanks so much for sharing! I already follow a few of these ladies but now I've got some new blogs to check out! :D

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  4. what a great list of fellow canuck vintage enthusiast! i know none in my state. though i don't live far, i think only three hours, away from va-voom vintage. which there has to be a blogger meet up some time soon.

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  5. Is there no one in Québec? I know we're not real Canadians here, but I would love to find others who enjoys wearing vintage and vintage looking clothes.

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    1. Hello Genny, at present, though I do know of a small number of vintage wearers in Quebec, such as my friend Josee whom I met via Facebook, I am not aware of anyone who has a blog (they would have been included here big time, had they been, as I personally view Quebec and its people as being every bit as much a part of Canada as those from any other province or territory). In fact, further east than Ontario, it seems there is fewer and fewer vintage wearing and/or blogging folks. I'd love to connect with more in Quebec and the Maritimes if they exist, so I'm glad you commented and welcome you email me anytime if you'd like to get to know each other further.

      Big hugs from a fellow vintage lover in B.C.,
      ♥ Jessica

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  6. Thanks so much Jessica! I tend to love my Canadian based vintage blogs more than any other, glad to see so many of my fellow Winnipegers here as well all I frequent regularly! Winnipeg is definitely a vintage loving city. I am going to spend a good chunk of my Canada Day oogling these new to be blogs:)

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    1. You're very welcome, sweet dear. It's true, from my online impression of things, it really does seem like Winnipeg is one of the biggest vintage loving cities. For that reason, and others too of course (not the least of which is that I've never been there before), I really, really want to visit one day and have let Tony know that it's on my top list of spots I hope to see in Canada. We'll definitely have to try and meet up if/when I finally do make it to Manitoba.

      Big hugs & tons of happy Canada Day wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  7. Happy Canada Day and Happy Birthday a little early!

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    1. Thank you very much on both counts, my lovely friend.

      I hope that this month is off to a splendid start for you as well!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Thanks very much for this list, Jessica! I'm always on the lookout for new vintage blogs to read and there are quite a few on here that I haven't come across before. I'll be working my way through them in my free time (such as it is) over the next few days.

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  9. Dude - I so did not expect to see my face here! Ha ha, thanks, Jessica! You are the best. Happy Canada day!

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  10. I've got some new blogs to discover then :3

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  11. Love this post, I have a huge reading list for tonight! I don't feel there is a huge blogging community for vintage in the UK! Maybe I should move to Canada! Have a happy Canada Day! (I wore red to surprise my canadian colleague at work to celebrate!) :) xxx

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    1. Isn't it fascinating how one perceives things from the inside and the outside of a situation or scene? Bar none, the UK has the largest vintage scene in the world, very much including on the blogging front (though the US has become a relatively close second in recent years, with Australia, IMO, in third place, followed by various European countries, then way down the list Canada). I constantly wish I was on the other side of the pond, if only on holiday, to avail of the many amazing vintage events, fairs, shops, meet ups, car boot sales, cottage industries, magazines, repro sellers, and other vintage amenities and services that you have in the UK which are either unheard of or few and far between at best (in most areas at least) here in Canada.

      Aww, that was really sweet of you to do! As a canuck who lived abroad in Ireland for a couple of years, I can tell you that if someone had done that for me, it would have brought tears to my homesick eyes.

      Thank you for your lovely comment, dear gal. I hope you have a gorgeous July!

      ♥ Jessica

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  12. What lovely blogs! I was disappointed to see that the last post on your link to Dolly's blog was in January; is there something more current? I'm attached to BC bloggers myself, you know. ;) And as a vintage lover and budding vintage wearer, I would love to read more about the BC scene! I hope you have a delightful day and are able to see the fireworks. If nothing else, I hope you feel festive!

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    1. You know, it's very interesting to me that despite having the third largest population, British Columbia has so relatively few vintage wearers and bloggers (or shops, for that matter, especially outside of Vancouver). Those listed here are the only ones I know of (outside of my own of course :)) in our gorgeous province, but should I ever come across another or hear of a new one springing to life, I'll certainly try to remember to share it with you right away. I hope Dolly returns to blogging again, too. She and her site have always been deeply beautiful parts of the Canadian vintage scene and ones that I really hope we don't ever lose (there are two few of us for members to start vanishing!).

      Big hugs & happy start of July wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. Happy Canada Day my friend!

    I am thrilled to be on this list! Thank you so much for all of your beautiful, kind words. I feel exactly the same. :D

    It's chilly here today and I think we're gonna lie low with our new pup Chopper (check my instagram feed for pics of him and Dave). Chopper doesn't walk well on a leash yet and we don't want to leave him home alone. So it'll be a low key day here for us. I hope you and Tony have a wonderful day!

    Lisa.xo

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    1. You're super welcome, my wonderfully dear friend. I'm so, so happy our vintage loving paths crossed online and that we've been in each others lives now for multiple years. I hope that we always continue to be and cannot wait until we finally get to meet in person one day, be it in Manitoba or BC. It will happen, I know in my heart of hearts that it will.

      Your new pup is crazy adorable!!! I'm thrilled for you and your family and really look forward to watching sweet Chopper grow on your Instagram. If it wasn't for the fact that we live in a small condo with no fenced yard, we'd get a second dog for Annie to play with, as she's incredibly social and would really benefit, we feel, from having a constant canine companion. One day, when we have a house with a yard, we most likely will. We may even get a second cat, for Stella (her and Annie like each other in some ways, but have very different energies and ways of behaving, so they don't really hang out with each other), too.

      Big hugs (including scores for both of your darling dogs) & tons of happy July wishes!
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. Ahhh!!! Thanks so much Jessica!!! So kind of you and YES, I assure you we would have been hanging out all of the time if we were aware of each others existence!!!! So funny how life happens!

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    1. Hello sweet Shermy, you're super welcome! It really is funny, I agree. I tell yah, if we ever live back east again (or should you ever opt to move out west), you and I will have a lot of lost time to make up for! :)

      Big hugs & joyful Canada Day wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  15. Thank you for sharing - the vintage thing is HUGE in England - every second girl of a certain age has a vintagey blog! I am glad to hear of fashions I will be able to relate to in this country - and even in my province!! Happy Canada Day!

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    1. Hi Holly, so true, the UK is the epicenter, IMO, of the vintage scene (followed by the US, Australia, and then various other European countries, and way down the list one gets to Canada) and so many of the coolest blogs, companies, and vintage loving folks come out of it.

      Canada's vintage scene isn't huge, but it is devoted and close knit, and on behalf of all of us, let me just say how thrilled to have a new transplant from across the pond (you!), who loves vintage, too, here with us now. The more the merrier!

      Have an awesome Canada Day!
      ♥ Jessica

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  16. really awesome girls!!!!!
    what i like about them is that they´r so individual and special on their own. thank you for putting together so much interesting read for me - house and garden will be less thankful ;-)
    hugs&kisses!

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    1. Very good point, sweet Beate, there is a lot of diversity at work amongst our modest sized vintage community here in Canada, and you know, come to think of it, I feel that that is a stellar representation of the diversity of Canada and its people as whole. We've long been a super multicultural nation and one that allows folks to march to the beat of their own unique drum, so it stands to reason that the vintage ladies (and gents) here would rarely be cut from the same cloth.

      Big hugs & happy start of July wishes, my dear friend!
      ♥ Jessica

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  17. Im going to be checking all of these out I am only familiar with a few

    retro rover

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  18. Hope you had a great Canada Day. I always enjoy finding new blogs and there are several on this list that I don't know so I am off blog visiting!

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  19. Ooopsy! Happy Post-Canada Day to you! Wonderful post - always looking for Canadian vintage blogs to scan, and "window" shopping on Etsy for Canadian shops to peruse...and favourite. :)

    Hoping all is well with you, my dear!

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet gal! I hope that you had a stellar Canada celebration as well. Ours was really, really lovely, complete with a 25 minute firework show over Okanagan Lake to cap the evening off. I feel like the whole long weekend celebration helped to really kick this summer off on a positive note and I hope its indicative of how the rest of the season will unfold, too.

      Tons of hugs & happy July wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  20. ahhh Jessica! You make me blush like nobody can :) thank you so much for including me in this amazing list of other fellow Canadian bloggers, I'm totally honored! Now I'm going to add all these fellow bloggers to my reading list too.

    Hope you had a wonderful Canada Day!

    Liz :)

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    1. You're super welcome, dear Liz. I adore (underline that a million times) your fabulous blog and that we share in common the fact that we've both lived in the GTA and that I can stay even more connected to it to this day through your fabulous posts (and also Instagram photos). Thank you very much for being one of the few fellow Canadian vintage bloggers out there.

      Tons of hugs from sunny Penticton,
      ♥ Jessica

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  21. How nice to introduce me to your friends, Jessica! I can't wait to check out their blogs. I love you Canadian ladies!

    Sarah

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    1. You're very welcome, dear Sarah! Speaking on behalf of us Canadian lasses, we absolutely adore you as well. We're all North American vintage lovers after all and I can't help but wish that there was even more cross border vintage meetups and other going ons to unite all of us (Viva is a good start, but there should be oodles more events that bring us together, IMO - I swear, one day I'd love to begin one of my own and hold it right here in the Okanagan).

      Have a fabulous 4th of July!
      ♥ Jessica

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  22. Hello pearl, how are you? Thanks for sharing!!! Sure i'll check them out <3 xxx

    vintagepri.blogspot.com

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  23. Some of these ladies I've seen many times (Jill.. how I love her frocks!); but some of the ladies I haven't had the chance to see yet. Again, here you are, introducing us to a whole new folks who's blogs I can enjoy.
    You say your "scene" is not huge; I say ours is next to non-existant. :)

    I hope you're cope with these last few days of this working week, so that you can enjoy weekend. I guess you had a lot going on this past few weeks, and it must have taken toll on your body.. so rest is essential. I recomend it, in large amounts! :)

    Hugs
    Marija

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    1. Thank you very much for caring friend. It's true, the last few months in general have really taken a toil on me physically. I'd hoped Vancouver, last month, would provide some R&R, but in reality it only delivered a bit of one of the R's - relaxation. Rest, was essentially non-existent, as it's largely been for quite some time now.

      I'm not burning out (thankfully), but I am pushing myself hard for the sake of the shop. I truly must as it's is just getting off the ground and needs to grow. I don't think a lot of people realize this but I'm trying to make it into a thriving, large business and source of livelihood for me (not "just" a hobby or tiny side job). I investing quite a bit of money to get off the ground (and stocked) and it will probably take months before I'm even close to being in the black there (which of course is the goal!), so I really need every sale I can get and to establish my shop as one that people know and are quick to turn to for their vintage fashion needs.

      I'm delighted to have introduced you to more of my fellow Canadian vintage loving ladies. Some, as you say, are quite well known, but others aren't and they deserve to be every bit as much as the biggest Canadian names. We're all equals through our shared interest and a small blog deserves just a much love as a household name, IMO.

      Very true. Though to my eyes extremely small, the vintage community in Canada is still larger than that in many nations the world over and we are fortunate to have the pint sized group here that we do. Have you ever encountered anyone else in your country that loves vintage, too?

      Big hugs & many thanks for your wonderful comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  24. Happy belated Canada Day my dear! What a lovely introduction to more vintage lovers....and thank you for the kind wishes. Have a fabulous weekend!
    May x
    www.walkinginmay.com

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  25. What a great list! Many are familiar faces, but there are a few new to me so I will be sure to check out each of their blogs. It is always great discovering new vintage blogs, especially those written by fellow Canadians. And thank you so much for including me on your list! It certainly brightened my day :)

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    1. You are wholeheartedly welcome, sweet Kate. Thank you for brightening and bettering the blogging world with your wonderful blog.

      ♥ Jessica

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  26. These blogs are so lovely, Jessica! You chose them well, but your blog itself surely belongs to the top! My other favourite is Charmaine Lowe blog, which I follow almost daily. I am not all about vintage clothes and antique stores, though I have one handbag, which I stole from my mum years and years ago, and it is the best accessory I have. How the vintage pieces are of such high quality is a nice mystery to me. Thanks for all the beauty and inspiration you have put in your blog, it is a treat for my eyes!

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  27. Such a great idea for connecting others with like minded people near them. As someone who lives in a rural area of the southern U.S., I can say that it is the online vintage community that keeps me inspired and enthusiastic about wearing vintage sometimes.
    I do sometimes wish I lived closer to someone who shared my enthusiasm for dressing vintage, but then I also look at it as an opportunity to introduce folks in my area to the idea of dressing vintage.
    Sarah

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  28. I've started a blog full of Vintage Ontario photos. http://www.vintageontario.ca/?view=flipcard

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