Two birthdays, one awesome vintage style novelty print dress

Outfit details

Gold tone metal and orange plastic triangle shaped stud earrings: Claire's
Turquoise blue cardigan: Gap
Vintage style resin sunflower brooch: Erstwilder (purchased from Vintage Pip)
Handmade 1940s/1950s kitchen novelty print dress (with matching belt worn as a head scarf): Mode de Lis
Lime green faux patent leather skinny belt: (possibly, had for years) Joe Fresh
1950s/1960s brown faux patent leather handbag: Frugal Frocks
Yellow plastic bangle bracelet: Forever 21
Vintage bangle bracelets: Unknown, had for years
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Turquoise faux patent leather pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Party Line
Nail colour: Essie Roarrrrange

Photography by Tony Cangiano  

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On many a site the web over, I have hefty sized wishlists. In a lot of ways, I really don't mind that there are far, far more items in the world that I adore than I'll ever be able to actually acquire (for the record, I should mention that I don't actually consider myself to be an overly materialistic person at all; for example, on multiple occasions throughout my life, virtually everything that I owned fit into no more than two suitcases and purse, and I was totally okay with that).

Sometimes though, you encounter an item, fall madly in love with it, and then enter a proverbial game of chicken with said item and the unseen force that is the rest of the online shopping public.

The moment I spotted this awesome handmade, one-of-a-kind mid-century vintage style dress with its uber charming pattern of culinary related imagery and words (in fellow vintage blogger Lily's wonderful Etsy shop, Mode de Lis), my heart was a goner and I wanted to buy it instantly.

My budget, however, had a different agenda and so I knew that I would have to wait. And wait I did, for a few months actually. I kept the dress in my shopping cart on Etsy and would check in on it at least once a week, to see if it was still available.

Towards the end of 2015, Lily offered a generous coupon code for her shop and I knew that the moment had come to finally make this magnificent frock mine (in fact, it was my Christmas present to myself last year).

It is such an immensely sweet, pretty dress and I was shocked, down right shocked, I tell you, that no one one else had beat me to it in all the time it was listed for sale. In cases like this, I can't help but feel like the universe is telling me that it was meant to be.

Immensely summery looking thanks to its short sleeves and punchy colours, this delightful 1940s/1950s style kitchen novelty print dress is so "me", it's not even funny. From the longer length to the button front to the matching fabric belt (worn here as a skinny headscarf), it is the kind of garment that turns my knees to jelly and sets my heart ablaze.

Earlier this season, on my birthday, I wore nearly the same outfit that you see here in these snaps, however rain tumbled down all throughout July 10th, so we weren't able to take any outfit photos that day.

Hop ahead to this month. Tony's recent birthday on August 6th was a fairly warm, sunny day and as such, I knew that I had to sport this outfit again - it's too at home in summer not capture on camera while the season is still around.

I actually like this iteration of the look more than the one I put together for my own b-day, so really, it worked out better that we photographed it this month, not last. These snaps were taken in the very early evening hours in front of our next door neighbour's house.

A fabulous novelty print dress like this affords one a lot of styling possibilities. It's bold pattern meant that I didn't want to go too wild with my accessories, and primarily introduced more colour into the look care of my cardigan, handbag, and shoe choices, as well (in smaller doses) as a beautiful Erstwilder sunflower brooch (to echo the sunflowers in the dress' print) and fun triangle shaped orange earrings, plus a few bangles (natch!).

I beam with joy each time I wear this dress. It is an important reminder that patience can be rewarded and that sometimes wishlist items that seem like they may never happen for you, can suddenly become yours thanks to the right timing (or other circumstances).

This is my first piece from Mode de Lis on Etsy and let me tell you, Lily's incredible sewing skills (which are often seen in the pieces she makes for herself and shares on her blog) are off-the-charts. This dress smokes many offerings from repro companies out of the water and has the added special factor of being made by a fellow Etsian and blogger from right here in our own online community.

A super fun garment for special occasions, I love that this dress was at the heart of both mine and Tony's respective birthdays this year and don't doubt for a moment that I'll turn to it for celebrations and everyday outfits alike for many a sunny season to come.

Plus, if one day I ever had the chance to write a cookbook and needed a book jacket photo or was interviewed about cooking, I can't help but think that it would be the absolute ideal dress for a vintage gal like me to sport for just such an occasion. :)

Links, Life, Love: June 4, 2016

Summer is approaching, fast and powerfully, its air a fragrant blend of thunder storms, honeysuckle, sandy shores, and the first locally grown tree ripened stone fruits in nearly a year. A lively month fills our days now and before we know it, the next season really and truly will be upon us.

Nearly two months have passed now since I launched a new periodically occurring post series called Links, Life, Love here and it seems, now that we're into June, like high time for the second installment of such.



Links:

Thoughts on Modern Vintage Style: I greatly enjoyed and appreciated Bonita's heartfelt look at this topic and how it relates to her own life and wardrobe. It's something that I think many of us will be nodding up a storm as we read and I really commend her on tackling this important vintage style related subject.


My Favourite Instagram Accounts for 1920s Style Inspiration: Searching for some of the best and most arrestingly chic jazz era fashion wearers to follow on Instagram? Look no further than this curated and entirely fantastic list that Jessica from Zella Maybe recent put together. Le swoon!


Spring & Summer Vintage Accessory Essentials: Bianca rounds up several of favourite must-have warm weather vintage accessories, from high heeled sandals to pretty parasols, and highlights them care of some seriously soon worthy yesteryear images in this fun spring + summer fashion post.


The Lifesaving Powers of Vintage Turbans: You'll want to run, not walk, to your scarf collection the moment you read this terrific piece from Nicole at The Artyologst, and then proceed to spend the whole summer sporting the most glamorous vintage style turbans imaginable.


Why I don’t like capsule wardrobes: Personally, I'm quite neutral when it comes to capsule wardrobes and have zero against them personally, but I did find this post on why its author, Christina Fleming, isn't a fan to be a thought provoking, interesting read.


Edwardian Pomade Recipe: Kate's super simple and very natural recipe - complete with a great how-to video - for such will have you running to the local health food or holistic related shop and then your kitchen in a heartbeat.


Flea Market 101: A Beginner’s Guide: Jackie of the always enjoyable blog, Let's Go Thrifting, dishes out some super handy, and very detailed advice, on what to know/do/take with you/expect when you go flea market shopping. This post is a great read for all outdoor second hand market fans, be they newbies, veterans, or anywhere in between.


A Man Took Hundreds of Photobooth Self-Portraits From Between the 1930s and 1960s. But No One Knows Who He Is and Why?: Tell me this doesn't intrigue you something fierce!


5 Keys for Mid-Century (Decor) Style: A quintet of fun, easy ways to inject more of the mid-century awesomeness we so adore into our home decor care of Sabrina over at the delightful blog, Inky Notions.




Life:

In many respects, I feel like I've already shared most of the highlights that have filled our days lately, including our wonderful little trip to the Kootenays, but that doesn't mean that other things haven't been happening behind the scenes, too.

Tony recently returned home from his latest work trip to the States, which saw him touch down for a few days in Denver, Colorado. Save for the airport there, he'd never been to Denver before and really enjoyed his time in this beautiful state, which geographically speaking, share many points (mountains! evergreen trees! vast expanses of wilderness!) in common with our own province of British Columbia.

Much as with Austin, Texas in April, he adored getting to explore more of America and is looking forward to wherever his company may opt to send him to next, be it in America, Canada, or even further afield.

And speaking of Tony, both he and I have birthday coming down the pipeline in the not-too-far-off future. Mine will roll into town on July 10th (I'll be 32) and his appears again on August 6th (he'll be 36). We've always adored that we're both "summer babies" and while we don't have any mega plans in the works for either day yet, are certainly looking forward to celebrating them together.






In fact, we're genuinely psyched to be spending the summer as a whole in one another's company, after being apart while he was in San Francisco (for work) for nearly the whole duration of last summer.

Though we both fared well during that time apart and stayed in constant contact online, it truly wasn't the same letting the most stunning, sunny and light filled (aka, prime outdoor photo taking season) chapter of the year go by without each other's companionship and we feel very fortunate to have this summer together again.

We're also excited about Canada Day on July 1st (it's one of only two days each year - the other being New Year's Eve - when our town puts on a small fireworks show), the prospect of a summertime road trip or two, the return of cherry + peach + apricot + plum + nectarine season, days of weather so stunning it almost makes you weep, and making plans on various fronts for the second half of 2016.


Love:

-Muted colours, as I blogged about recently in this post, are something that I simply can't get enough of at the moment. I recently ordered a fab new fifties dress in these earthy, goes-with-everything shades for fall and am already planning an outfit for October around it.

-And speaking of thinking ahead when it comes to my ensembles (ahh, the life of a full-time fashion blogger), a recent Etsy search for "Christmas pudding brooch" lead me to discover the most delightfully cool handmade fruit and veg themed jewelry shop on Etsy called By the Shed, and I'm not even joking when I say that I want every single thing that they're selling. If I receive some birthday money this year, I uber want to put a portion of it towards my first purchase from this awesome shop.

-Wearing all the vintage straw hats and carrying all the vintage straw/bamboo/raffia handbags. Hands down one of my favourite elements about summertime fashion is this point right here and I've wasted no time this year in putting my straw (et al) accessories to good use!

-Shopping my own closet, so to speak. As evidenced by some of the comments that I received on this  post last year (and various others, too), I know that many of are firm fans of putting existing wardrobe pieces to continued use in new and exciting ways, and that's something that I greatly enjoy and make a point of doing as well.

There is, objectively, relatively little I truly *need* when it comes to clothing and the older I get, the more I want to keep enjoying and experimenting with my existing wardrobe, which naturally means blogging many such outfits here with all of you.

-Kailey Flyte, better known to many online as Mermaiden's, cuter-than-cute collection of cell phone cases that she designed in collaboration with Casetify.

-Magnum Double Raspberry Ice Cream Bars: Oh my stars, are these things amazing! Tony and I just discovered this particular Magnum offering last month and to we're both beyond addicted to them now. Hands down these Double Raspberry Bars are in my top five favourite store bought ice cream products of all time. If you love the taste of raspberries, I seriously can't recommend them highly enough!




-Nestling our camping chairs into the sand down at one of the local beaches here and watching the sky transform from butter yellow to tangerine, coral, lilac and amber as the ever-hotter sun sets over either Okanagan or Skaha Lake.

-This adorable elderly British couple who finally tied the knot after dating for 42 years (aww!).

-When my wonderful Etsy customers blog about their purchases, such as Sara from In a Nutshell, Sarah (with an "h" :)) from Sew Characteristically You, as well as Jessica from Zella Maybe , and Elizabeth from Gloriously Vintage have all done did in recent weeks.

Thank you wonderful ladies each so much, I truly appreciate it! (Check out snaps from each of their awesome posts below, in order from top to bottom: Jessica, Sarah H., Elizabeth, and Sarah.)

{To learn more about a specific image used in today's post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.} 

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What are your plans for this first Saturday of June, my dear friends? Recently my awesome sister, who lives in the nearby city of Kelowna, caught wind of a brand new vintage sale called the Okanagan Vintage Fair, which is holding its first ever event today, and rushed to tell me about it (isn't she the best!).

I didn't feel that I found out about it far enough in advance to attend as a seller (I usually need, due to my health, several weeks to prepare for an in person selling event, which then, there's never any guarantee that I'll be feeling well enough to attend; thus selling online via my Etsy shop, as I do, works so much better for me!), but I am hoping to bop up to Kelowna this weekend and attend as customer, if possible.

We have exceedingly few vintage related events, let alone sales, in this corner of the province and I really like to support as many of them that do exist as I realistically can (interestingly, a few days after my sister texted me about this event, the organizer - who I'd not interacted with before - contacted me via Facebook to invite me to attend, which was so sweet and thoughtful of her to do).

I know some of the folks who will be selling there and look forward to meeting others who are new to me, as well as to attend the premier occasion of this fun sale. Hopefully I'll return with a vintage treasure or two enrich my wardrobe and/or home with!

Aside from that, we're keeping things nice and on-the-fly this weekend, with few set plans and even less of a desire to be rushed or overly busy. These warm, gorgeous months are all too brief and one should savour them at a leisurely pace as often as possible (even if that means for just a few hours on the weekends or after work).

Have a stellar, delightfully fun - and hopefully relaxing - weekend, everyone!

Orange you glad we got these birthday photos?

Outfit details

Orange hair flower: Ardene
Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12
Peach rose earrings: Handmade by me
White cardigan: Suzy Sheir
1950s silver coloured poodle brooch: Gift from Tony ♥ White vintage slip: eBay
Cobalt blue wrap top: Smart Set
Orange vintage a-line skirt: etsy seller Lady Kitschener's Vintage
Orange bangle bracelet: Forever 21
All blue bangles: Thrifted/second hand
White bangle: Me She Designs Striped bow adorned sling-back wedges: Payless
Lip Colour: Red Apple Lipstick's Almost Red lip liner

Photos of me and the dining room by Antonio Cangiano, photos of the two of us together, taken by my mom with Tony's camera.   ♥ ♥ ♥
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For years Tony has maintained that we do not have enough photos of the two of us together, and he's completely right. I've always agreed, yet year after year, it seemed we'd be lucky if we got even so many as a few snaps of the two of in the same shot. In part this was because our social circle wasn't always huge, and also due to the fact that I was/am often not feeling well enough to accompany him when he goes someplace.

Fortunately however, since moving to Penticton and suddenly having lots of more friends and family members around, we now often have people at the ready for those times when we want a photo of the two of us together. Few times of the year lend themselves as naturally to the act of taking pictures then holidays and birthdays, and it was precisely the latter which we celebrated last month when Tony turned 32 years old.

Far and above Tony's favourite colour is orange, so ahead of time my mom and I decided that we'd adorn her dining room (pictured above, where we celebrated his birthday) with orange birthday decorations, and to keep the colour theme going, I slipped into one of the few orange pieces in my closest. This was going to be a day dedicated to both Tony and his most beloved hue.

As we all know, orange can be a tricky colour to wear. It's very easy to unintentionally veer into Halloween territory if you partner it with black, brown, grey, or even green sometimes, or to look a bit like you got attacked by a highlighter if you opt for head-to-toe bright orange. This punchy colour also looks better on some people than others, and certainly not every shade works on me (so hence the scarcity of it in my wardrobe).

I have a few orange pieces however, chief amongst which is this fun skirt. Knowing that I definitely did not look like I was ready to celebrate All Hallow's Eve, I opted to pair it with crisp white and a shot of upbeat cobalt blue (which, ultimately, is only one colour off of the classic red, white and blue nautical palette).

I liked how this outfit came together and would definitely sport these three colours together again. Had I not gone white blue, beige or pink might have worked, too. I don't wear this skirt all that often though (it will definitely need to get more play next summer), so it was a treat to bring it out for this wonderful occasion.

I'm happy to report that the birthday boy had a marvelous celebration from sun up (in the morning he and my parents went fishing at Skaha Lake where he was greeted by a lovely peachy-orange sunrise that he grabbed a snap of, pictured above, with his iPhone) to sun down (we shared a scrumptious bbq dinner with family at my parent's house where he opened his gifts - including fishing related ones from me), and that this was the most orange he'd ever been surrounded with on his special day.

Mission successfully accomplished - complete, finally (!), with photos to document this awesome birthday celebration.