It took 32 to years to happen, but at long last…

I am finally going to visit Edmonton, Alberta for the first time ever!!!

Must remember to breath...so incredibly happy + excited...

Okay, as you guys know, I'm over-the-moon wild about our whole stunning country of Canada and love few things more in this life than getting to explore it.

As such, it has long irked me that I'd not yet had a chance to visit Alberta's capital city of Edmonton, despite that fact that I've resided in BC (Alberta and BC share are neighbouring provinces, sharing the Rocky Mountains along their breathtaking border) for much of my life and even lived in Calgary, Alberta for over two years in my late teens.

Always, Edmonton - so close, and yet so far off in the middle of the province - had eluded me. Soon though, much to my unending delight, I will no longer be able to say as much and I genuinely giddy beyond measure about that the fact.

As many of you may recall, earlier this year, back in April, Tony and I were able to get away for a super fun "homemade long weekend" to the Kootenay region of British Columbia.

On the heels of that adventure, we'd been thinking about taking two small road trips at different points in the summer, however, ultimately we decided that for various reasons, it would most likely be smarter to combine the days involved with two getaways into one and have a proper length summer holiday.

We gave a lot of thought to where in Western Canada or the closest US states we might want to go and kept coming back, in the course of our discussions on such, to Edmonton. As, again, I'd long wanted - but had never been - to that city and Tony had only been there once very briefly for work a couple of years ago.




{Located approximately 10.5 hours, by car, from our home in Penticton, Edmonton is a bustling city of some 1.33 million people located in the heart of Alberta. 

It is famous for many things, spanning oil to hockey (legendary Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky was on the Edmonton Oilers during some of the best years of his career), West Edmonton Mall to its stunning river valley park system, and so much more. It's going to be amazing to finally get to experience much of that in person come the start of September. Vintage decal image source.}


The destination having been greed upon, we next looked at our schedules and quickly realized that, for various reasons (including the fact that today, as mentioned in my previous post, I'm having a routine medical procedure done at the hospital), we wouldn't be able to take a chunk of consecutive days off until late in the summer.

Thus, we decided that early September, to tie into the Labour Day long weekend, would be an awesome time and booked our hotel right away.

We'll be leaving bright and early on the morning of August 31st and returning on the evening of September 10th, which gives us about 1.5 weeks of holiday time (my sweet mom will be very kindly house and pet sitting for us while we’re away).

We're both elated about this upcoming trip and hope it will be one of the best and most enjoyable we have ever taken together.

Interestingly, unlike the other places we've gone on holiday over the course of my blog's life, as this is my first time visiting Edmonton, everything there will be new to me and I don't have any past memories of it to weave into today's post.

Part of me really loves that fact, and I know that I'll soon be making oodles of such to share with you here in future posts.

I'll have my cell phone and laptop both with me while we're gone and am sure I'll be online periodically throughout our trip. Not as much as when we're at home though of course, so during that time the blog will be filled with a blend of my own posts (that I'll pen and schedule in advance) as well as some really exciting guest posts from fellow vintage bloggers.

Then, if all goes to plan, I'll pick up as usual from September 12th onward (and have scores of fun filled fall related posts in the works to share with all of you).

If you should happen to live in/around Edmonton and/or have spent time there before and have any vintage/antique related shops, museums (we’re definitely going to try to make it to nearby Drumheller and the world famous Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum), sites or other cool places you think we'd enjoy seeing - or if you might like to try and meet up with us - please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments below or privately by email, if you prefer.

Naturally, as usual when we travel, you can bank on a slew of Instagram photos, and multiple blog posts pertaining to our journey to follow once we're back home.

There's just over two weeks to go until we embark for Edmonton and I honestly think I'm going to have a hard time sleeping between then and now, because I'm as hopped up on excitement as a hummingbird at a candy factory!

It will have taken more than three decades to happen, but at long last, we’re headed to Edmonton and I cannot wait to finally see this dynamic city and all the history, natural beauty and vintage fun that it holds in store for us with my own two eyes!

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.} 

♥ ♥ ♥

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!

Celebrate my Etsy shop's 2nd birthday with a 32% off flash sale!

Two years ago, on a day both much akin to, and also very different from, today, I took my life - and career - in an exciting new direction and opened an Etsy store dedicated to selling vintage and antique treasures of the sort that have brought me joy ever since I was a young child.

This wasn't a decision that I rushed into, nor that I came to lightly. I poured countless hours of thought, discussion, and research into the topic before Chronically Vintage on Etsy came into being.

No matter how long I live, I will never forget the rush of emotions and thoughts that were swirling through my mind and heart alike when the big day came! It was a magical experience and I was touched to my core to receive some of my very first sales (as well as plenty of others since then) from my very dear blog readers here.

In the twenty-four months that have passed since that day in 2014, my shop has grown and flourished in ways I could hardly have conceived of back then. I've gone from less than a hundred listings initially to having as many as 1,100 items in the shop at once (a record that was hit last November and which I hope to surpass later on this year).

I've been honoured to receive a good percentage of my business from repeat customers around the world, supplied items to dozens of brides for their special days, sold vintage goods to numerous Hollywood production and theater companies in both the US and UK (including having some of my vintage gloves worn on the TV series The Astronaut's Wives Club), and grown both as a person and a business woman with each every piece that has sold from my shop.

With all my heart, I want to thank you, my readers and customers, for your fantastic support and business over the past two years. It has been an incredible experience selling to many of you and I look forward to continuing to do so as Chronically Vintage head's into its next year of life.







Whether you're a returning or first time customer, to celebrate this joyful occasion, I invite you to pop on over to my shop, where you will currently find every single item on sale for 32% off (I was planning to offer 30% off, but it struck me that since this is my shop's second birthday, "32" would make more sense :)).

This flash sale is on from today, May 6th, until Wednesday May 11th. All prices have already been marked down and no coupon codes are needed. Simply add any item(s) you wish to your cart and watch the savings pile up!

A lot has changed in my world and in some respects, with my shop as well, since this same date two years ago, but what remains the same is my commitment to providing top-notch customer service, wonderful vintage treasures, and a fantastic buying experience for each and every person who visits my shop.

These points will never waver and you can bet that as Chronically Vintage on Etsy heads into its next year of life, things will only get better and more exciting there!

Introducing a fun new post series: Links, Life, Love

 Soooooo, you guys remember back in early January when I decided to retire some of my long standing reoccurring blog post series? (As discussed in this post.) Though I've not yet regretted that decision for a moment and have greatly been enjoying exploring other writing channels in place of where they once occurred, the more time that goes on, the greater the sense of longing for some sort of regularly occurring link sharing post becomes.

I didn’t want to revive my "Vintage Link Love" series however, as I stand behind the reasons why it was handed a gold watch and sincerely thanked for its diligent years of loyal service. Instead I want to launch a new post right here, right now, that will combine elements of that past series with others topics that I often want to discuss with all of you, too, but don't always have the ability to set aside a whole post for right in the moment.

By the same token though, I don't want these posts to be a million miles long, nor will they necessarily be occurring here on a month-by-month basis. In fact, I want them to be as "on the fly” as possible.

They're going to combine a small smattering of (mostly vintage related) links from around the web that have caught my eye lately, include a (likely) brief look at some of what has been transpiring in my personal life lately, and also share some of things - online or off - that I've been loving and/or feeling deeply inspired by in recent weeks.

Generally speaking all of these are points that most of my readers really enjoy hearing about, so without further ado, may I present you to the first ever edition of Links, Life, Love.


Links:

I swear it was you, my dears, and your plethora of awesome posts in the first few weeks of 2016 that ultimately birthed this series. Try as I may, I couldn't stop bookmarking articles that spoke to me and that I, in turn, wanted to speak to each of you, my lovely readers, about. There's just too much awesomeness being created each day, week and month of the year online not to shine the spotlight on at least a wee fraction of it here.


-Detroit in the 1940s: Then as now, Detroit has not been without its highs and lows, struggles and beauties, as this striking photo filled piece from The Atlantic about the Motor City and its inhabitants during the mid-twentieth century heyday.


-The Ultimate List of Maternity Friendly Retro Clothing: Recently the immensely lovely Bethany from Miss Betty Doll gave birth to her second child, a gorgeous new daughter and little sister to her first sweet girl, and as she rocked vintage/repro/retro styles through her pregnancy, she decided to put together an excellent and very thorough list of some of the best sources for just such fashions when one is expecting. It's a must bookmark no matter if you ever plan to have wee ones of your own or not.


-Women of the Big Band era that everyone should know: My good friend - and fellow Canadian gal - Liz from Vintage Inn excels at penning informative, exciting, and just plain awesome history filled posts and one of her latest, which takes a gander at some of the female stars of the big band era, is no exception.


-Things Pale Girls are Sick of Hearing: Given that I've actually been called "a vampire" before in public by complete strangers, even when I wasn't wearing goth fashions or makeup, simply because of my light complexion, this great Forever Amber post hit home for me big time!


-How to alter clip-on earrings into post earrings: Let's face it, objectively, few people find clip-on earrings to be as comfortable as pierced styles, provided you have holes in your lobes, so if you've ever wished you could comfortably sport a pair of clip-ons without their pinchy pain, this wonderful DIY tutorial from Christina, that shows you how to convert clip-ons to post style earrings, is definitely for you!


-Vintage stocking guide: In need of a vintage stocking 101 class or just want to brush up on the details of sporting old school hosiery. Emeleigh to the rescue with this terrific entry on the subject.


-6 ways to temporarily trim a plain hat: Ever wanted to jazz up a ho-hum hat without permanently altering it? Enter these six stellar tips from endlessly talented milliner, my dear friend, and fellow vintage blogger Tanith Rowan to the rescue!


-And speaking of vintage hats (something that one should do often! :)), how fabulous is this detailed look at How to refresh vintage hats/veils from none other than the thoroughly lovely Emily from Emily's Vintage Visions. You'll never look at a bedraggled hat the same way again!


-And last, but definitely not least, a really sweet Facebook friend, and fellow old school adoring lady, of mine, Elizabeth, recently took the plunge and launched her own mid-century fashion blog called Gloriously Vintage. If you haven't caught wind of it already, I highly encourage you to go check Elizabeth's site out and shower her with love and comments as she begins her own exciting vintage blogging journey.

{Those hats though!!!}

Life:

First and foremost, thank you very, very much to all those who shared their thoughts with me in the comment section of last week's post about some of the substantial changes that Etsy has been making lately.

I won't lie, I was pretty shook up by the major overhaul of that site (chiefly in terms of how seller's shops now look) and am still battling some stress and anxiety from it, but being a glass half full kind of gal, I'm trying to just buck up and make the best of things, believing wholeheartedly that when the reno dust has finally settled (even if that takes a few months) things will largely get back to normal there and my shop and I will have weathered this suddenly storm intact.

Secondly, it's spring! I know, stop the presses! But seriously, it is and that has me beyond jazzed. Though I was going through a rather rough patch on the health front throughout all of March and very early April (I was only well enough to leave the house twice in six weeks and then only for a little while each time; this sort of thing is super common for me, so it didn’t phase me too much, but I was starting to get cabin fever a bit as the sunshine rolled back into town and I really hope that April will be kinder to me in so much as my health is concerned).

Things are well here in our wee abode. March 19th marked the three year anniversary of the day that we brought home our darling dog, Annie, and the following day marked the 12th anniversary of when my husband, Tony, and I first met back in 2004. How time massively flies!




Speaking of my Italian cutie pie, he's headed to Austin, Texas at the end of this month for a brief work trip. It's not possible for me to tag along with him (it just doesn’t make sense for us to spend several hundred dollars on a ticket for me when he’ll be there for such a short time), but I'll definitely be saying hello to the Lone Star state in spirit and can't wait to here his first impressions of this very famous corner of the U.S.A..

With spring's arrival, even in the face of not doing too well health wise in recent weeks, I've been in a very creative, energetic mindset lately and have been a seriously productive panda in many areas of my life and work. Trust me when I say that, thanks to such, there are so many fun new posts coming down the pipeline this spring and summer - and I can hardly wait to share all of them with you!



Love:

Before I go any further, I would be truly remiss if I didn't thoroughly thank my beautiful friend Vanessa, from the blog, Nessbow, for inspiring this portion of my latest blog post series care of her own terrific ongoing series called Things I Love Thursday (in which she details some of the various things that she's been wild about lately).

These posts of hers have long struck a chord with me and I always knew that it wasn't a matter of if, but when, I finally took her lead and implemented something similar here on my own site.

So far spring I've been seriously crushing on the following things:


-Purple - as in the colour: Suddenly, I can't get enough of it in any form. Clothes, flowers, desserts, craft supplies, home decor, you name it, violet is my new game!

-The fact that, for the first time ever, my Instagram account hit more than 5,000 followers. This has been a milestone number that I've been working diligently to reach for quite some time now and I can't thank every who follows me enough for making it happen.

-Baby/new potatoes: A timeless favourite, I've scarcely been going more than three or four days without serving these scrumptious little nuggets up garden grown goodness - often with fresh mint, dill, or chives, a ribbon of butter and a glorious springtime sunset cascading over our dinner table to help make things even more sublime.

-The smell of fresh cut grass wafting through the breeze again (it is, after all, one of my top ten favourite scents of all time).

-Fellow vintage blogger Sabrina’s super cool newly launched Etsy shop, Inky Notions, which abounds with her splendid hand drawn illustrations, many of which are thoroughly vintage focused (watch for a collab post between Sabrina and I a little later this year – it’s going to be a blast!).

-The latest season of House of Cards. Action packed, riveting, and so full of that characteristically conniving, brilliant, megalomaniacal Frank and Claire Underwood goodness that we all adore.

-My new oversized blank page notebook that I've been cramming full of hand written notes and simple sketches for blog, Etsy and crafting related ideas that have been flowing like a waterfall from my mind in recent weeks.

-The Daily Otter. No matter what life throws my way, this site never fails to perk my mood back up in 0.005 seconds flat.


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

♥ ♥ ♥

So there you have it, sweet darling, links are back, you get to find out more about what's taking place in my life outside of the vintage realm, and I cap off the whole kit and caboodle by sharing a wee array of things that I'm crazy in love with right here and now. Delightfully fun, oui?

Again, I'm not setting a schedule for these posts. They'll appear here every so often, once I've built up at least a few entries for each of the three sections they entail and, you know, the fact that I have a place to share these things with you all again is my final "love entry" for this inaugural edition.

Have a marvelous Monday and gorgeous week ahead, everyone!

Merry Christmas Wishes, One and All!

On this endlessly marvelous and magical of mornings, with all our might Tony and I (and our pets, Stella and Annie, too!) want to wish you each a truly happy, fun filled, safe, fabulously festive holiday!

{Victorian Christmas greeting image source}

Without a doubt one of the most precious and important gifts in our daily lives is all of you and the support that you give to my blog, Etsy shop, YouTube channel, and other online presences.

Today, tomorrow, and every last day of the year, I hope that you know how much I sincerely cherish, appreciate, and am forever grateful for each and every one of you.
 
We'll be delighting in the joyfulness of the next few days with loved ones, while also continuing to bring you fun new posts throughout these final days of 2015, such as December's vintage blogger interview and my glamorous vintage New Year's Eve party outfit (which I can hardly wait to share with all of you!).
 
Merriest Christmas and happiest holiday season wishes from our hearts and home to you and yours!!!

Tony returns, happy Labour Day weekend wishes, and TMI?

After nearly three months apart, my beloved husband, Tony, returned home from his action packed summer of working in the States on Thursday afternoon. We proceeded to hug each other like it was going out of fashion (we've always been giant cuddle bugs), then indulge in a heart feast of honey garlic chicken wings, melon wrapped prosciutto, late summer veggies, and GF marble cake with (fittingly :)) neapolitan ice cream to celebrate his awesome homecoming.



{Jump ahead a few decades, and this photo could pretty much have been Tony and I the moment his feet hit our entryway on Thursday afternoon! It is such a blessing and joy to have him home again and we're eagerly looking forward to making up for our summer apart by enjoying a leisurely long weekend followed by an exciting, action packed autumn. 1940s photo source.}


We both absolutely worked our tails off and our fingers to bone this summer, so we're taking things really, really easy this Labour Day long weekend. Catching up on some much needed zzz's, savouring one another's company, noshing on tasty leftovers, and just unwinding after a season - and the proceeding months of this year - that were immensely hectic, before launching into an autumn and winter that promises to be the much the same (and then some) - including plans for the second annual Vintage Secret Santa gift exchange here towards the end of the year.

As many of you know, one of the most exciting (and rewarding) highlights of this summer for me has been my return to making YouTube videos. Though, at present, I am not creating blog posts for each video that I make, I have been, and plan to continue sharing, sharing some of the videos that I create here on my blog so that you guys can catch wind of them, if you haven’t already done so directly on YouTube or via social media.

Recently I learned of the TMI YouTube tag and thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so I pulled by a chair, settled in, and plowed my way through the 50 different questions that this tag houses.

Despite it's name, the TMI tag is not so much about sharing scads of super personal information, instead its perhaps slightly misleading title is more about the sheer volume of facts and tidbits of info that one reveals about themselves and their lives in the course of answering these fifty questions. If you'd like to learn a whole lot more about me, including some (not to contradict what I just said about the questions in general) deeply personal facts about my past, please feel free to check out my latest YouTube video.



{If you haven't done so already, please be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I'm putting out new videos on a regular basis and have lots of fun, exciting vintage and autumn/Halloween related videos in the works for the coming season. }


It's hard to believe that we're already five days into September, but that we are and this coming Monday is Labour Day, which makes this a holiday long weekend! To all those who live in countries that celebrate Labour Day in September, I wish you a truly marvelous, fun filled, and hopefully (much as mine and Tony's is slated to be) relaxing weekend – and of course the same to those for whom it is simply the first (weekend) of the month as well.

I am so jazzed about autumn's (almost) return and the slew of posts, videos, and outfits highlighting this glorious season that I will be sharing with you guys in coming weeks and months - new outfits posts very much included now that I have my soul mate and awesomely talented in-house photographer home and by my side once more!

Happiest long weekend wishes, everyone - here's to a stellar September and whole sunny, gorgeous autumn ahead!

You just couldn't let 2011 wrap up nicely, could you, universe?

✯ Day 347 of Vintage 365 ✯

There comes a point, in the midst of tough weeks/months/years when you just have to roll your eyes, take a deep breath, and let out a good laugh. Catharsis comes from that simple act, during which it's as though you're letting life know that it hasn't worn you to the ground or frayed your very last nerve entirely yet.

A week ago today (on the 6th), in what can only be a called a completely silly accident, I injured my left foot quite badly.

I'd been reclining on the couch for just a few minutes with both of my legs tucked up beside me. I went to get up to check on the meal I was cooking at the time in the kitchen, and didn't realize until it was too late (aka, the moment my feet were ready to hit the ground) that my left leg had fallen asleep.

As a result, I didn't have that usual sense of stability one needs to remain upright and ended up losing my balance. Luckily I was able to catch myself on the coffee table before taking a complete header, but in the process I somehow managed to mangle my left foot up rather badly in the process.

As a result I'm currently laid up and using crutches/a wheelchair until my broken foot has healed. Hopefully I'll be able to put weight on it again before Christmas arrives, as I didn't get a chance to put out my holiday decorations before this accident occurred. Right now I don't know if such will be the case though, I’ll just have to take things one day at a time and keep my fingers crossed.

{Hmmm, I’m not sure if I look as alluringly cute and cheerful as Marilyn Monroe when she was on crutches, but I'm certainly giving it the old college try! (At least I’ve got the vintage wardrobe side of things covered.) Image via whorange.net.}

 

While naturally, I'm a bit irked by the injury, things could have been worse and I should be back on my feet in a few weeks, so it's really not the end of the world by any means.

It does however make me laugh (as mentioned above) a tad, because (as I said to my husband last week) it seems that 2011 (a year that was fraught with significant problems, stress, and unexpected lousy situations like this) just couldn't even let December play out peacefully for us.

Oh well, I’m a perpetual optimistic and enjoy knowing that there's always the prospect of a better year come 2012. A thought that will definitely help keep a smile on my face as I hobble my way through the holiday season.