It struck me the other day that -perhaps because I'm the type of person who tends to (irrationally) feel very self-conscious if I voice what I want - in over three years of blogging here, I've never once made a birthday wish list. Well, with my 28th precisely one week away, I figured it was high time I did just that, and in the process helped myself get over being so silly about doing something so gosh darn fun!
The following ten items (ten because my birthday is on the 10th) aren't quite at the fantasy level of a rambling English manor house or a plump, darling pet pony, but they're still big time treats that fall squarely in realm of my frequent daydreams. As such, they are just the types of things that I would be over-the-moon happy to receive for my birthday - or any other day of the year!
{Jitterbuggin pinafore dress}
This timelessly beautiful, endlessly versatile dress has been at the top of my fashion wish list for ages now. I rarely wear sleeveless dresses (or shirts) even during the summer months, and feel that my wardrobe is massively lacking a fundamental piece like this that I can layer overtop of all of my favourite vintage blouses and (thin) sweaters, during the summer and each and every other season. I know that if I owned this wonderful Jitterbuggin pinafore dress, it would instantly become one of the most frequently worn garments in my closet.
{Any Lefton Bluebird item}
Bar none one of the most adorable kitchenware lines to ever be produced, the wide-eyed, ultra sweet Lefton Bluebird products have stolen my heart ever since I first learned of them as a youngster. One day, I hope that I'll get to have a precious teacup, teapot, creamer, or other Lefton Bluebird item of my own to treasure.
{Vintage doctor's bag}
Though getting our first car earlier this year has finally allowed me to stop having to haul around a huge purse (there are certain items I need, for medical reasons, to keep with me whenever I go out, but now I can just put them in a separate bag in the trunk), there are still times when - whether for form or function - I like using a larger bag. Few styles are more classic or practical in this regard than a perfectly time-worn vintage doctor's bag (like the one above), which I've been dreaming of owning for eons now.
{I'm a light sleeper, but a
heavy dreamer print}
I am an insanely light sleeper, to the point where it's actually quite problematic and disruptive to my ability to stay asleep, which can me feel like something of a sleep outcast at times. The moment I first spotted this I'm a light sleeper print on etsy though, its message spoke to me and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it describes me to an absolute tee.
{Singer limited edition sewing machine}
You know those items that steal your breath away and leave you speechless the nanosecond you see them? Oui? Well, my lovelies, this limited edition Singer sewing machine did just that for me. Repeatedly. I love it, want it, and would give it pride-of-place in my craft room forever.
{Red Apple Lipstick's gluten-Free lip gloss}
As a gal with celiac disease, I have to be exceptionally careful not ingest even the tiniest particle of wheat or gluten, which means that anything that goes on (or near) my mouth has to be gluten-free (including cosmetics). While I've had some degree of success in finding (mostly department store) lipsticks that do not contain gluten, the hunt for a lip gloss has been much trickier.
In fact, for about two years now, I've used Vaseline as a makeshift gloss, because I just kept getting "glutened" from the store bought glosses that I tried. This works alright on bare lips, but Vaseline tends to make lipstick blend, so I rarely put it on top of my lippy. Recently I discovered a US company called Red Apple who specialize in making gluten-free lipstick and lip gloss, and I've been coveting their products - especially their Firestorm gloss ever since, as I have total confidence that I could use them safely.
{Pink saddles shoes}
When I was a little girl, knowing that I was already obsessed with vintage fashion, my paternal grandma sweetly bought me a pair of pink and white saddle shoes (from the States, I believe), which I wore (no joke) every single day thereafter until the point that I simply could not squeeze my feet into them any longer. Thus began a lifelong love of saddle shoes, and my search as a adult for a similar pink and white pair. A US seller called Muffy's stocks them, and believe me, I've been very tempted to order a pair. The only thing that's held me back is their massively high shipping rates to Canada. One day though, I suspect I'll give in and order, then at long last, I'll have my own pink and white saddle shoes again.
{Cath KidstonCountry
Cottage Sewing Basket}
Though I don't own anything from her, I've loved Cath Kidston and her immensely pretty products for years now – during each one of which, I've added more and more of her products to my wish list. At the moment, I'm especially smitten with her whimsically darling, super useful Country Cottage Sewing Basket.
{What Shall I Wear? }
Have you ever encountered an item that you wanted, yet after a while the hunt for the piece itself at a decent price started to take precedence over just owning the actual item itself? That's how I feel with the classic book, What Shall I Wear?, by fashion designer Claire McCardell. I first got wind of it several years ago, and hunt as I could all over the web for weeks, I couldn't find a copy for less than $100.00. Nowadays $150.00 and up seems to be the going rate. I'm determined to find a copy somewhere, someday for a fraction of that price though, and hope it will be worth the long wait when I do.
{Vivicore Plaid Bouffant Suit Dress}
It's no secret that Canada has a natural affinity for winter, which means that it's mighty cold here for at least half the year. During that time however, one still wants to look gorgeously stylish and vintage appropriate, which means that full skirted, medium or long sleeved dresses are an absolute must. I've been pining for one of Vivicore's enchantingly pretty frocks for ages now, and know that this two piece plaid dress set would be just the ticket to stay fabulously fashionable and cozy in all fall and winter long.
Wish lists like this are a good thing, not only because they wrangle some of your most coveted items into one neat little spot (handy for sharing with others), but also because you can use them as a shopping list of sorts (if the financial fates on our your side) in the months to come.
I know that my birthday this year is slatted to be a low key one, and I'm totally ok with that, because there have already been so many beautiful gifts, priceless blessing, and positive surprises this year (thanks to our cross country move and new house in B.C.). So many, if not all, of these things will likely carry over to future wish lists.
That said, though, if the sewing machine is reading this, I know you know where I live! 
