I know you by your legs

Okay, potentially creepy/stalkerish sounding post title, I know, but I promise you there is an entirely innocent explanation behind it! :)

You see, as a general rule, when reading posts in my feed reader (Bloglovin'), I do so by starting with the oldest posts first, which are at the bottom of the page of new entries. Thus as I work my way from the end of the list to the top, I often see a person's feet and/or legs first as a photo accompanying an outfit post appears.

{1940s image source}

I've been reading my feeds like this for years now and have been following many of the blogs that those gams belong to the authors of, for far longer still. As such, I can often tell who a new post is from before I even scroll up to the part that says the blog's name, simply by seeing their feet/legs. I find this rather charming and hope you'll see it as such, too, for it leads me to a far greater point.

In about two weeks from now, this blog will hit 6.5 years of life. In that time I've had the great pleasure of getting to cross paths with literally thousands of fellow bloggers (vintage and otherwise). Some for the briefest of spells, others for multiple years, and some for longer still than I myself have been penning a vintage blog (I started following their sites prior to launching to my own). Quite a few of these folks have become friends - also for varying lengths of time - and a few have become so dear to me they feel like sisters.

It's scarcely a state secret that the vintage blogging world has shrunk somewhat in the last (roughly) three years (a point that I briefly touched on in this post). There are a plethora of reasons (the rise of certain "instant share" sites like Instagram certainly being one them) for this and I won't go into great deal about such here now. Suffice it to say, the vintage blogging pool is not as vast as it once was and that makes me all the more grateful for those who are still keeping at 'er, as I myself am, too.

No matter if such folks are blogging peers, personal acquaintances, friends, or die-hard BFFs, I know them - or in other words, I know you. Whether we've only talked through our blogs - perhaps even one sided-ly (in other words, I've commented on your site, but you haven't on mine) - or have conversed elsewhere, too, by sheer virtue of the fact that you've been sharing part of your life with me - and the world - online for quite some time, I genuinely feel like I know you and this is a beautiful thing unto itself.

I appreciate all of my fellow bloggers, particularly the vintage ones, as we walk a similar path in this new found digital world of ours. I find myself remembering fellow blogger's birthdays, anniversaries, and even due dates. I know who adores 1940s swing dresses, who can't get enough of two tone 30s shoes, and who 1950s circle skirts make go positively weak in the knees.

From BF/GF/husband/wife/partner's names to what people studied in school to favourite colours and foods, a body of knowledge has been acquired and cataloged for many of my fellow bloggers simply by virtue of the fact of how long I've known them and how frequently I've read their wonderful blogs. I have know doubt that many of you reading this post today can say the same about me and I love that fact.

Even the most raw, open and honest person never shares everything about themselves online - and that's a good thing (we all need and deserve some privacy, after all), but we all present a certain version of who we are to the world via our blogs (and social media presences) and what we opt to divulge or not.

Whether we chose to be an open book or present a very curated picture of ourselves and our lives, we still share who we are and those who give of themselves and their time to kindly follow our sites, learn about us through our photos, what we write, and sometimes even what is left unsaid.

I guess what I'm trying to say is how much I care for and appreciate every single one of you, my fellow bloggers and friends. Thank you for opening up your lives with me and allowing me to do the same here day after day, week after week, and ultimately year after year.

We've shared so much and I hope that a great deal more lies in store for all of us who continue to keep our blogs alive and going strong. I look forward to getting to know you even better - shoes and all - and hope that we can keep on supporting one another's sites, efforts (long term frequent blogging is a huge amount of work and very often a sheer labour of love for those doing so, especially in a relatively small niche like the vintage world), and cheer each other on as we continue to blog, share and grow as both individuals and an online community as a whole.

When a friend gives you the Lemonade Stand Award, make more friends by passing it on :)

It seems that those in the fashion, vintage and crafting blog circles are amongst the friendliest and sweetest people I’ve encountered online. Chronically vintage is scarcely three months old and I’ve already been honoured with wonderful blog awards from several immensely lovely people (talk about making a girl feel welcome within the blogging community).

A few days ago the immensely dear Nora (of The Johnson Diaries) and her darling canine companion, Lola, bestowed the Lemonade award upon Chronically Vintage (if you’re not familiar with this wonderful blogging duo be sure to scoot on over to their blog and get acquainted with the wit, wisdom and kindness that flows through their posts).

As the sort of child who was perpetually setting up stands of all sorts to sell treats to my neighbours (I also had a door-to-door homemade bookmark business with my younger siblings when I was 11, we made about $150 in profits over the course of a summer and learned a lot of important lessons about business and marketing at an early age, but I digress), I can really appreciate this award and the cheerful message it’s designed to convey. Sometimes all it takes is a lemonade stand to help bring people together.


{A mere 35 cents is all it took to start a lemonade stand in the 1950s according to this adorable ad. Image via jbcurio’s Flickr stream.}

According to Nora, the idea behind this award is to share some of your favourite newly discovered blogs with your readers, who in turn, may click on the links to said blogs and discover them, too. As someone with a bulging Feed Burner, I can certainly say that I never tire of unearthing new blogs and likewise sharing my finds with my dear readers.

Lately a number of awesome blogs (some well established, some brand new) have caught my eye, and it’s with pleasure that I pass along this wonderful, cheery award to the following twelve sites (all of which I’ve discovered over the past month or so).

{Lemonade Stand Award Recipients}



Gina from The Modern Pinup Girl

Kirsty from Giggly-Cupcake

Diva from Vintage Me

Karen from Bobbins and Bombshells

Stéphanie from Le Blog de Stéphanie

Rosina Lee (and her gorgeous blog of the same name)

Angel from Vintage Angel

Erin from Follow the Tide

Shallow Mallow from Diversions

Guilia from Gone With The Voile

Kathie from My Net Finds

A Vintage Spirit

You are each resplendently lovely ladies with sites teaming full of inspiration and beauty. Thank you for creating the marvelous blogs that you do!



{To give this award to your favourite newly discovered blogs, please save the image below to your own computer or online image hosting site and distribute to whomever you desire.}

If you’ve been tagged above and would like to share this award with others, Nora suggests the following rules:

1.) Accept the award; post it on your blog together with the name of the person who’s given it plus his or her blog link.
2.) Pass the award on (or not, if you’d prefer) to other blogs that you’ve recently discovered.
3.) Link to your nominees within your post.
4.) Contact the nominees to let them know they've been chosen for this award.



{My own photo of a bowlful of lemons, something I always like to keep at the ready for a multitude of culinary uses - most definitely including making lemonade for friends who stop by.}


My very heartfelt thanks to Nora and Lola for bestowing this terrific award on Chronically Vintage. I adore you both and want you to know that you are always welcome for freshly squeezed lemonade, macaroons and a chat at my house anytime, sweet dears!

Absolutely beautiful photo booth friends

Sometimes I find myself thinking about all of the incredible pictures – whether for their subject matter or skill level – that have been taken since the invention of photography. I would venture to guess that most of them were taken with the hope of preserving a moment in time for as long as possible. This common thread amongst photos is a large part of why people adore taking them so much. We all want to grasp onto the present, however fleeting it may be.

Many of the photos taken over the decades – and now centuries – have been lost to the hands of time, but thankfully (and perhaps almost amazingly given the very delicate nature of photo paper) some of them have been preserved. I adore old pictures even if I haven’t the slightest clue who the people in them are. In fact sometimes not knowing is part of the joy. You can write your own narratives for the faces – and the lives behind them – of the people in these wonderful snapshots of history.

Such was the desire I was struck with as soon as I chanced upon the photo below. The two women in this seemingly simple photo booth shot are undeniably gorgeous. Their hair, make-up and outfits appeal to me on so many levels. Yet I am equally struck by how happy – content in the moment, perhaps – they both seem. There is a glint of flirtation in the brunette’s dark eyes, a sense of worldly wisdom in those of the blond. Each woman is strikingly attractive on her own, together they are even more majestic.

I wonder, looking at this decades old photo, who were these gals? Were they friends, sisters, cousins, classmates, coworkers? Had they been in each other’s lives for years or only recently meet? Were they taking the photo to remember they day themselves or to pass it along to someone else? Could they have possibly known at the time how wildly stylish they were?


{Vintage photo discovered via Hastingsgraham’s Flickr stream.}

I like to think they were lifelong BFFs. Deeply similar in many ways and starkly opposite in others. Through the good and the bad, the rough and the incredible, they were always there, with perfectly coiffed hair, for each other. Their unwavering bond preserved forever in this moment as photo booth friends.