A little post with big news!

Hello, my sweet, wonderful friends! How are each of you as February wraps up? It's hard to believe that more than a month has whipped past since my last blog post here (for which I really cannot thank you all enough for your incredibly caring, supportive comments on). And - at the risk of veering into broken record territory - though this site remains very much on hiatus, I simply had to share some excellent news here with all of you.

As many of you know, Tony and I have been searching, ceaselessly, high and low for the past two months trying to find longer term housing (as our current digs were only temporary - especially since the lovely homeowners may convert it to an AirBnb soon and major renos on both floors have been underway for the last two months, whilst we were living here, to make the house even lovelier and more contemporary looking).

To say that this was one of the hardest and most stressful tasks of our entire lives would not be a stretch. The housing (especially rental) market around these parts is abysmal at best and laughable at worst. Think staggering high prices (even for shared accommodations; which was not something we were looking for at all), tons of competition for the few places that surface, homes that were/are often in deplorable condition, and a serious shortage of properties that accept pets.

Around the clock throughout all of January and very nearly the entire month of February, we searched, contacted listings, viewed homes, applied, and continually expanded our search radius as far as nine hours away from Penticton. With each passing day, our stress level rose and our already taxed nerves grew more frayed.

In the end though, mercifully, we didn't have to go anywhere near that far afield. As February started to draw to a close, we were elated and beyond thankful to have been approved and selected by the owners of a beautiful two-story home in the nearby community of Okanagan Falls and couldn't say "yes" quickly enough to their rentership offer.

This house was our favourite of all those we saw and the one we most hoped to be selected for. It checks off our major needs (including having a fenced backyard for our dog, Annie, to utilize), is in a safe, quiet neighbourhood, and is owned by really nice people who live right here in the Southern Okanagan, too.

Our new little community, Okanagan Falls (aka, OK Falls), is a spot that has appeared here in some of my outfit shoots over the years (such as this one from 2013), and which I've always enjoyed spending time in.

We're both delighted to be so close (just twenty minutes away) to Penticton (where we were living at the time of the fire) still and moreover to have a great new roof over our heads. As well as, we hope and pray, the ability to finally stop feeling like we're in a state of topsy-turvy flux and uncertainty (regarding housing) after what happened to us last October.

{Our boxes are packed, we've got a small team of friends and family to help, and tomorrow we'll be hopping from one side of Skaha Lake to the other when we move into our terrific new abode in Okanagan Falls. I truly cannon wait! Mid-century moving day photo image source.}


I've had to move houses really quickly a few other times in my life, but less than a week to pack, switch over services (utilities, internet, etc), get a new PO box, and scads of related things is definitely a new record for the fastest I've ever changed homes and we've not had a moment to even stop and catch our breath since signing our new lease.

I'm certainly not complaining though - far from it! This house (I don't have a photo of it yet, but will try to post one on my social media in the near future) is just perfect for us and we can't begin to convey how incredibly grateful we are for it (just as we were to have our temporary home in Kaleden over the winter months).

It is my sincere hope that once we're settled in and unpacked, I can finally allow myself some time to properly rest, recoup, recover, grieve (further), and get a better handle on where my health, life and very future itself are at this stage.

On the exact same day that we signed our new lease, our old house (the one that was destroyed by the fire) was finally demolished (they'd needed milder temps in order to safely do so). Some might see that simply as a coincidence, but to me it much more than just that and stands as the absolute perfect symbol of one chapter in our lives ending and another beginning.

None of knows what the future holds in store for us, but quite literally tomorrow, I know that we'll be moving into our new house and - even though my health is in shambles right now and I've rarely been more exhausted on every level than I presently am - I simply can't stop smiling and thinking positive thoughts about the life that we'll create and live in Okanagan Falls.

Returning home today

A few days ago, in my last post before we zipped off on holiday, I mentioned that we'd be returning home on September 11th, however, having so enjoyed overnighting part of the way through our journey to Edmonton, we decided while there to do the same on the way home.

Though not technically the halfway mark - or even really that close to it - between Edmonton and Penticton, we settled on a city that I love with every fiber of my being, Calgary, for a quick pit stop last night before heading back out on the road this morning.

Getting to see my favourite Canadian city (okay, technically it shares that spot with Victoria, BC, which I adore equally so, though often for different reasons) , even just for a few hours, is always A-okay with me and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do so on this final leg of our trip.

A little later in the morning today, we'll be packing up our car once and for all on this holiday and settling in for the eight (plus a bit more with the occasion rest stop) hour drive from Calgary to Penticton.



{The start of fall's changing landscape and many a long stretch of open road await Tony and I as we head home from Alberta today. I really enjoy lengthy drives, so am quite looking forward to this one - especially with the first jewel toned autumn leaves starting to appear around us. Vintage image source.}


We'll get into Penticton this evening after twelve wonderful days of travelling. Though the weather wasn't always ideal (the first few days in Alberta were unseasonably cold and rainy), we managed to get in numerous outfit shots and I'll be sharing each of those with you in the coming weeks and months.

I know that many of the details of my first ever trip to Edmonton will unfold organically in those posts, so I don't want to recap too much right now, but I will say that we had a really lovely time on our trip.

Edmonton is a fascinating and beautiful city of over a million people. Within hours of being inside of its farmland flanked borders, I was struck by how much it made me think of what a place might be like, were it possible for Vancouver (minus the Pacific Ocean) and Calgary had a child, with elements of Toronto swirled into the mix, too.

Like most locations that one has long wanted to visit, it was both very similar and somewhat different from how I'd imagined it to be - and that's a good thing, if you ask me. I love it when a town or city surprises and delights me - and perhaps most of all, when it leaves me wanting to return again, which Edmonton most certainly did.

Over all we had a great, fun filled time in Edmonton that included multiple meetups with fellow vintage folks (some of whom will appear in the aforementioned future outfit posts), lots of sightseeing, some shopping (vintage and otherwise), exciting rural countryside exploring, peaceful walks, and plenty of fun photo opps along the way.

I wholeheartedly want to thank all of you who have left blog comments on recent posts during my absence, very much including those on the three fantastic guest posts from Nicole, Elizabeth, and Tanith, respectively, that appeared here last week. I know that each of those talented ladies appreciates your kind comments a great deal and I can't thank them enough as well for helping to keep things buzzing here while we were on holiday.

Aside from starting to unpack, it will be back to life and work from tomorrow onwards, very much including on the blogging front. There will be new posts coming down the pipeline this week (and of course, beyond then, too) and I fully expect to be back to my regular online ways in full force this week.

To give you a taste of what's to come here on Chronically Vintage in the near future, I'll be blogging about topics as diverse as my time spent with The Travelling Dress, shining the spotlight on dozens (seriously!) of recipes for one of fall's most classic and beloved ingredients, telling you about my all-time favourite fictional couple, and starting to write up a storm on all things Halloween related, while also sharing plenty of outfit posts and the latest entries in the fun ongoing Meet a Fellow Vintage Blogger series, amongst lots of other exciting topics.

No time of the year speaks to my soul as much as autumn, nor does any season light my blogging fires quite as much, so you can bank on an action packed, engaging, informative, and just plain cheerful slew of posts here on Chronically Vintage this autumn (coupled with, I hope/plan, a bevy of recently acquired new vintage and antique items appearing on the shelves of my Etsy shop).

A point that will be bolstered along all the more by the recharging of my batteries and clarity of mind that came with our lovely trip to Edmonton this month.

Travel, as I've talked about before (in posts such as this), always houses many wonderful blessings and surprises, and having a chance to unwind and, at the same time, plan for the future while away is most definitely one of the very best of these.

25% off Christmas in July sale on now in my Etsy shop (+ an update on the Canada Post strike situation)

In a statement that I don't often make, this July has actually felt like something of a long month so far. I don't see this as a negative or positive per se, but rather the by-product of a rocky June that progressed into a new month with somewhat unsure footing as well.

No small part of such was due directly to the swirling vortex of uncertainty that was the Canada Post strike situation, which I discussed in detail here back on the 1st of the month.

Though we experienced a wide range of postal service disruptions and ensuing ramifications (such as many online sellers having to temporary cease shipping and/or shut down their stores briefly), and while the risk of such happening isn't off the table yet entirely, so far a complete strike has not actually materialized.

This is absolutely fantastic, of course, and meant that - when the official news of a negation truce was announced - I was able to promptly reopen my Etsy shop, for business as usual, back on July 8th.

There is still the risk that a strike might happen (though, really, I suppose there is at anytime), but again, for now, Canada Post has officially said that there are no service disruptions or other issues that will impact the general public at the moment.

Earlier in the year I'd been planning to hold a sale in my Etsy shop to celebrate Canada Day, the 4th of July, and my birthday (on the 10th), but when the worst of the strike situation was underway and I was forced to temporarily put my store into Vacation Mode, that possibility went straight out the window.

Hop ahead some three weeks, and as things are back to normal on all fronts, I felt like I still wanted to off you all a fabulous sale. There's no major holidays here at the moment to directly tie this sale into, so instead I've decided to have my Etsy shop's first ever Christmas in July sale!





{All the fun of December sales without any of the seasonal hecticness, lineups, or holiday mail rush!}



That's right, months before jolly old St. Nick comes bounding down the chimney again, you can shop and save with the same sort of discount that I offer during the holiday season (you might even to do some actual holiday gift shopping now ahead of time).

Between today (Friday July 22nd and Sunday July 31st) absolutely everything in my Etsy shop - more than 950 listings (including hundreds of exciting new vintage and antique offerings that have been added there in recent months) - has been marked down by 25%.

This discount has already been applied to the entire store, so there's no need for coupon codes or anything of that nature. Simply shop and save big with this festive sale.

And, I'd like to mention, for those who may be new to my shop or otherwise unaware of such, that I happily ship worldwide, offer very low combined shipping rates on all orders, and only ever charge true shipping costs (refunding any overages of $1.00 or more, if such does occur).

So while July got off to a less-than-ideal start, it is my sincere hope that this sale can help the month do a full 180 before it wraps up, and love being able to offer you a summertime sales event after all (please note: the next sale in my Etsy shop won't happen until at least mid-autumn).

Thank you, truly, so much in advance to everyone who shops - and saves - with this fun Christmas in July sale.

New computer, new month, new approaches

March, the bridge of a month between the icy chill of winter and the first beams of spring's toasty sunlight is here and that point alone has me smiling up a storm. Add to it the fact that my new Dell laptop reached me at long last and I'm one very happy camper at the moment!

There's still some setting up, configuring and file transferring to do, but that will all get taken care of soon enough and the main point is that it's here and I was able to type these very words on it.

Naturally, I have a fair bit to catch up on from the past month and my blogging schedule for the first half of the spring has been thrown for an absolute loop (and then some!) because of the fact that I was computer-less for all of February, but as with most things in life, everything will get straightened out sooner or later and I'm trying not to worry too much about it.

Truth be told, I'm trying to worry less in general. I'm a natural worrier and I've battled various type of anxiety my whole life, so stress - especially unforeseen stress - tends to hit me hard.

During the past few weeks of being sans computer, one might have thought (understandably) that I might have taken a bit of a much needed breather, but instead I was hard at work doing as many non-computer dependent things for my blog and my Etsy shop as I could (from outfit shoots with Tony to sorting recently acquired merchandise).

Yet, in the midst of such things, I was able to find time for some areas of my life that I haven't focused on nearly enough in recent years (such as taking more outdoor walks), cataloging all of my modern books, and most importantly of all, reinforcing the concept that I simply must look at my work (blog, shop, and the other websites, such as Any New Books, that Tony and I run) as more of a 9 - 5 job.

At present, health permitting, I usually put in 40 - 80+ weeks between running this blog and my Etsy shop, plus at least several more hours for our other websites, each week. Each is a labour of love and I certainly won't be retiring off these efforts anytime soon.

When it comes to my blog and shop though, money has never been - and will never be (especially regarding my blog) the sole reason why I launched them in the first place (a love of vintage and desire to share in this passion with other like-minded people was a huge driving force behind both). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you however, that such a heavy pace is not only a recipe for burnout, but ultimately a less than healthy way to approach your work.

We each need and are entitled to down-time and to have clearly distinct lines between what is work and what is personal time. Can, and do, the two sometimes overlap, you bet your bottom dollar they do - especially when, like myself, you're self-employed - but in this ever more digital world, it's important to remember that we (usually) have the ability to set boundaries and to define how we connect with things, our jobs very much included, on our terms.

I know that in order to keep on thriving, and moreover, genuinely enjoying, my time online and the world that I've built here, I must continue to have better defined work and off-time hours and that, at least once in a while, I have to take full days off and not feel almost cripplingly guilty (generally for zero legit reason) about doing so - and if you're in the same boat, too, I truly hope that you'll be able to do so as well.

I don't say all of this to lead up to any sort of announcement about radical changes, retirement plans, or complete overhauls of my life - not in the slightest.

I say it, in no small part, to help hold myself accountable in terms of separating work from off time more frequently. To remind myself that I am less stressed and far happier when I create time to take nature walks with Tony and Annie, curl up with a good book and Stella on my lap, spend a whole day just visiting friends, rearranging my closet, cooking meals to freeze for future dinners, or who knows, maybe even finally crafting again.

{This matters just as much, when all is said and done, as this does...}

{First image source & second image source}

In doing so, I am able to give more of myself - in terms of the quality of the focused, clearly defined work hours that I put in - and to create an ecosystem that, hopefully, holds far more longevity than burning the candle at both ends until there's nothing but a fizzled out wick stump left.

I believe that we work better, smarter, and healthier when we balance the drive and goals of our career with the other passions in our lives, and though I've rarely been a shining example of practising such in the last few years in particular, I'm vowing - even as a natural born workaholic - to work on changing that.

It's not so much that I plan to work considerably less (I don’t), but rather that I will better define when and how I work, and set boundaries. If I need to post slightly less often here to do that, so be it. If I photograph a few less items for my shop each month, so be it. If I take a little longer to reply to never-ending mountain of work related emails in my inbox, so be it.

These things matter, undeniably, but they aren't the only ones that count and when the end comes for each of us as we look back on our lives, it won't be that we didn't have time to post anything on social media on some random Tuesday in August or the fact that we were five minutes late to the office on Friday January 12th that we'll regret. No, it will be the moments with family, pets, loved ones, nature, travel, great books, our spiritual paths, and our passions that we'll wonder, could I have made more time for?

Chances are, the answer is yes and it doesn't have to mean a total 180 of how you live in the slightest. And that is the beauty of it all. We're here now and we can continue to balance the scales, give a better version of ourselves to both areas of our lives, and find, in the process, that we're happier, healthier, and far less stressed.

I walked away from a month of being computer-less with this concept at the forefront of my mind, and I will embark on life spent with my new laptop better equipped to delegate my time spent on it due in no small part to this unplanned hiatus.

Lessons are everywhere, we just have to keep our hearts and minds open to them.

My computer died suddenly and other recent happenings

If you've seen less of me online this week, my dears, it is because this Monday, February kicked off by me attempting to turn on my computer and finding that it simply wouldn't do so. It was, as the old expression goes, as dead as a doorknob.
 
This was both worrisome and greatly surprising, as the machine was little more than two years old and was, in theory, a powerhouse of a laptop that cost quite a pretty penny when it was bought new at the end of 2013.

Hop ahead to this week and the issue lies in the motherboard, which is completely fried. The cost to replace such is comparable to that of many new laptops, so replacing this part isn't a logical route to take.

Thankfully, it would appear that the hard drive is intact and functional, so I should be able to import the reams of data on there straight onto my new computer and not lose anything vital in the process.

I'd honestly expected to get 4+ years out of my (now "old") laptop and was surprised that it would give up the ghost so suddenly. Even more jarring is suddenly being faced with the cost of new computer, something that falls under the heading of a business expense for me, and which has been quite a shock to the system and pocketbook alike!

After three days of nearly around-the-clock shopping, both online and off, I was able to determine that there was nothing locally that met my specs (chief amongst which was great screen resolution, as I do so much work with photos that I need to be as true-to-life as possible), so on Wednesday afternoon I placed an order with Dell and should have my new computer in two to three weeks time.

I opted to purchase an extremely extensive three year warranty package, so if - goodness forbid - my new computer were to run into issues in the next 36 months, it would be completely covered and, in theory, a replacement issued, if need be. Hopefully it won't be though and this new gem of a laptop will last be for that long and then some!

{Being computer-less for long  periods of time is simply not on option for me, especially considering that I make my livelihood online through my blog and Etsy shop, so a new one had to be ordered on the absolute double!!! 1950s photo source.}


This is, of course, not how I expected February to play out online in the slightest! Thankfully I have a fair number of this month's posts already written and ready to go live, so things will not be a ghost town here this month, fear not!

In general through, operating just off of my cell phone, or a borrowed computer, when I can get access to one, I know that much in the ways of my online plans and productivity for February will be temporarily curtailed.

I will be doing my best in the coming weeks to stay abreast of blog comments that I receive here, my emails, social media PMs, and your wonderful blogs. If something is very important/time sensitive and you need to get ahold of me, please email me with the word "Urgent" in the header of your message.

In other recent news, my family suffered a heartbreaking blow last week when my 95 year old step-grandfather - a wise, warmhearted, extremely hard working man - passed away after a long battle with various medical issues. His departure did not come as a shock to our family, given his health, but it is certainly painful all the same, especially for all nine of his children (of whom my step-father is one)        and their families.

Under our own roof, Tony and I have completed (or at least made serious in roads) a lot of home organization, DIY, and (early spring) cleaning jobs that we opted to tackle in January, which is awesome! Some remain to be wrapped up, but such is certainly in sight and we're delighted about that.

Speaking of Tony, the poor dear has been experiencing some rather serious back problems for several months now, which have only worsened in recent weeks (I'm sure that the above mentioned heavy-duty work around the house didn't help matters there for him one bit) and is going for a doctor's appointment to hopefully get the ball rolling on some answers at to what is at the route of this issue a little later today (he and I are leaning towards a herniated disk, but of course, until we find out more, that is just our educated guess base on his symptoms and our research).

Aside from those points, and some (normal level, for me) flare-ups with some of my medical conditions, we're okay and certainly hanging in there. Despite the various difficult points that have been, and continue to be, on our plates, we're in good spirits and remain hopeful that February will ultimately turn into a lovely, enjoyable month (very much including Valentine's Day itself, which I have some really fun posts already lined up for).

I truly appreciate your understanding regarding my computer situation and look forward to hopefully getting 100% back to normal on that front by the end of the month.

Wishing you all an awesome, fun filled February!

What's been going on in my life this month and a VSS check-in

Yesterday marked exactly five months since my last birthday. It's staggering how quickly time flies, one month tumbling into the next, life a series of moments and emotions, smiles, highs, lows and memories. I'd hoped to get a new outfit post up this week, but there was no way that was going to happen as the days progressed.

This month has been - and will continue to be - staggeringly busy. The most jam packed, hectic one of 2015, topping even October, and while there will be outfit posts as the weeks progress, again, there was just no way for one to be squeezed in at present. Soon though, including a couple of stellar holiday season dresses that I can't wait to show you guys!

Since getting back from Vancouver last week, I've been crazy busy both vintage Vintage Secret Santa happenings, as well as packing up and shipping out a ton of wonderful Etsy shop orders that have been pouring in recently. I had some requests from blog readers for such to cover payday today, so I've extended the 25% off VSS coupon code there until tomorrow.

If you'd like to purchase anything for your VSS match, yourself, or someone else, you can take 25% off all orders when you use the coupon code VSS25 at checkout until December 12th.
 
Keeping pace with those happenings has been the holiday season itself, which as we all know, usually only gets busier and busier as the 25th draws nearer!

Also, before the end of the month, as a small business owner I need to file my Canadian PST and GST tax reports, which essentially means doing all of my 2015 taxes (in order to generate the precise numbers for each) this month, too. Not exactly what one wants to be dealing with for several days during Christmastime, but it must be done, so no sense in bemoaning it too much.
 
Further on top of those things - and very exciting - Tony and I recently decided that the time had come to get a new (be actually brand new or just slightly use) car. Our current one - which was actually our first car ever - was bought secondhand for a stellar deal back in early 2012 and has served us well for nearly four years now.

However, for a myriad of reasons, it's no longer the best fit for our current lifestyle (a big one being that we need a great deal more room than it provides, including for Annie, our energetic 65+ lbs dog, as well as for when we travel and for when I sell in person at vintage shows) and so this month we've been pouring our a lot of time, thought and energy into researching, test driving, and hunting for our next vehicle.

{The models – and prices! – might change, but the act of buying a car remains much the same as it did back when this photo was taken around the start of the 1950s. Vintage auto dealership image source.}

 
We haven't found "the one" yet, but we're getting closer and are both incredibly excited about this prospect. We've needed a bigger vehicle for ages and knowing that one will soon be ours is giving me some much needed pep to get through these crazy busy weeks!
 
Back, for a moment, to the VSS. For those taking part in this year's Vintage Secret Santa, 100% of the match emails were sent out to all participants by the (PST) morning hours of December 2nd. If you have not yet seen your email in your inbox (it should have been there about 1.5 weeks ago now), please check your spam (a lot of users who signed up with a Hotmail email are having their VSS messages land in their spam filters for some unknown reason - maybe Hotmail isn't in a festive mood this year ), deleted message, and archived message folders going back to November 30th.
 
If you don't see your VSS match email in any of those spots, please contact me by email right away and I get your match info out to you again. There's less than two weeks to go now until Christmas and if you signed up for the VSS, it's very important that you honour your commitment and mail out a gift to your match, who, just like yourself, is no doubt excited for, and expecting to receive, a festive gift as part of this fun online gift swap.
 
Definitely lots going on this month on our for sure, which is great! I've also been giving a lot of thought to the direction of my blog, my wardrobe, my social media accounts, and many other important aspects of my life and work as we head into 2016, so I've got oodles on my (vintage china) plate right now and am seriously excited to see how it will all play out in the coming year.
 
I hope that you're each having a terrific December and that, hopefully, yours is at least a bit less harried than mine!
 
Have an awesome weekend and countdown to Christmas, my dears!!!

A much needed impromptu getaway!

Tony has been traveling up a storm this month for work, in fact, by the time November is over, he will have taken four separate business trips, including one (back to) San Francisco. Talk a busy month for my uber hardworking chap!

The last jaunt of the month is closer to home. In fact, it's to that most gorgeous of Pacific Coast cities, Vancouver. It’s a drivable journey of just 4.5 hours and as such Tony asked if I'd like to tag along with him. Umm, super-duper yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



{Vancouver always hums with excitement, energy and culture, points all captured in this wonderful nighttime shot from 1951 of Granville's theater district at the time, and I can hardly wait to get back and experience that sense of vitality again. Vintage image via Museum of Vancouver.}


We just made plans to travel together a few days ago (and it is fully a business trip for him) and will be leaving early tomorrow morning, so unlike usual I didn't have time to save up my pennies in advance like I usually do when we take trips. That means I won't be doing scads of buying, be it for myself or my Etsy shop, but it being Vancouver, there's no way I'll come home empty handed. There are too many cool shops, be they vintage or otherwise, in that thriving city not to pick up a few must-have goodies. :)

As Tony will be working most of the time that we're there - which is until November 30th December 1st (the final date of our stay was changed during the trip itself) - I'll be taking my laptop along and getting some work and usual blogging related activities in, too (including posting this month's new vintage blogger interview and 2015's Vintage Holiday Shopping Guide). Though I also hope to make/have time to sightsee, do a little of that aforementioned shopping, perhaps visit a museum and/or gallery, and perhaps most importantly, simply unwind and relax as well.

While this isn't a full on vacation for either of us, it is as close as I'll come to one this year and I need it something fierce. I haven't done any traveling since our trip to Vancouver Island at the start of fall 2014, and as someone with a perpetual sense of wanderlust, this is such an awesome way for me to (very nearly) wrap up a year of incredibly hard work and no (prior) getaways.

So my sweet dears, this very morning (originally we'd thought we'd be leaving on Tuesday, but another work event arose for Tony tomorrow, so we're leaving today on the 22nd instead), I'm off to one of my favourite cities on the face of the earth for a week of fun, productivity, moments of tranquility, and hopefully a great vintage treasure or two as well!

If you want to tag along with us on this trip, be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I'll be posting lots of delightful snaps from our travels to good, ol' Van!

Lately I've been...

Spending this summer living on my own (while my husband has been away working in the States) has been a unique, fascinating experience (I haven’t lived solo since 2004). Many elements of my daily life are the same, or very nearly so, as when he's home by my side. Others have been more, or conversely, less, challenging, and some have come as total surprises (such as that I've had an even greater degree of difficulty sleeping than usual).

Ultimately though, I'm made the most of this summer and while I've missed Tony - who will be home in about three week's time - with every last ounce of my heart and soul, I've still been able to do a lot of work, a ton of introspective thinking, and also made some time to simply relax and unwind, even if it was just for half an hour at the end of the day while I painted my nails and watched Netflix.

Last month the smart, lovely, inspiring Madison from the blog Minnie Muse shared a fun list of things that had/have been filling her thoughts and days lately. This entry really spoke to me, especially since I've had such a great deal of alone time with my own mind as of late, and thus, inspired entirely by her post, I thought that I'd take a few mid-August moments and pen one of my own.






Dreaming of: Traveling. Realistically, if possible, to somewhere in BC or Alberta. In my totally hypothetical daydreams, to any one of a dozen or more countries in Europe that I've always longed to visit.

Moving back to: A greater degree of work-life balance, with actual days off (yes, I'm still struggling big time to create those for myself), an ongoing emphasis on more time spent outdoors, and not letting myself get so wrapped up in my job in the moment that I forget about the bigger picture that all of my tomorrows hold.

Reading: My usual – about five books, all history/vintage or science related, all on the go at the same time.

Watching: Some of favourite 80s and 90s sitcoms (like Home Improvement, Fraser, and Roseanne) on Netflix and YouTube. I can happily rewatch those over and over again, without ever tiring of them.

Eating: As much locally grown summer produce as I possibly can!

Creating: Aside from blog posts, not nearly enough. This is something I need to work on (and this isn't the first time this year, I've mentioned as much, I know). Crafting has always been vitally important to me, yet I struggle immensely to find time for it in the context of my current daily life, where work and family almost always seem to win out for me when it comes to what I spend my time and limited energy on.

Photographing: Flowers, the sun-kissed Okanagan landscape, and the occasional selfie, especially since my sweet photographer hasn't been here to help me document my outfits (see my Instagram for plenty of those things and many others, too).

Wearing lots of: Shirtwaist dresses, turbans made from long scarves, and the colour pink, which usually comes out in full force for me during the summer.

Writing: Blog posts, Etsy shop listings, email replies, and blog comments - the usual, really. :)

Listening to: Oodles of great classic rock, Motown, and big band - all genres of music that go hand-in-hand with summer for me.

Painting my nails: I seem to be hopping back and forth primarily between different shades of coral, red, and blue this season.

Loving: My friends, my family, my pets, and all of the other blessings in my life. Also, the fact that it's almost pumpkin-spice-everything season again! :D

Wishing I had a...: Way to inject hundreds of hours more into each day! As well as a self driving car (so that I could finally experience driving on my own). A few more months of summertime weather would be pretty fabulous, too! :)

Planning: This year's Halloween costume and party - there's less than 2.5 months to go and I can scarcely wait!!!

Thinking about: What, ultimately, really does matter to me at this stage in my life and what is just familiar routine (that could use some shaking up, I mean); some of my blog posts and outfits for the fall; how much I miss Tony; and about taking lots of nature walks while summer (and then autumn) is still out in full force.

{To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Thank you very much for writing your great "Lately post", Madison. I love the simplicity and relate-ability factor behind it and think that I may have to repeat this idea with new answers down the road one day - perhaps at this same time next year. We'll see!

It's always wonderful to have a snapshot of where your thoughts and days are at at any given point in time. I don't keep a journal or diary, yet I've long viewed my blog as such and genuinely adore recording views into my world here to look back on and see both how far I've come, and what has remained the same, since then throughout my site's more than six years of life.

If you've never written a "Lately" style post, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do the same, be it a one off event, an annual post, or even a far more frequent occurrence, such as every week or month. It's important to capture the present and let it help guide and inspire us in the future, and I really feel like today's entry will do just that for me.

Long after my husband has returned home and even more of the usual ebb and flow fills my days, I'll have this post to remind me of where my thoughts and dreams were at in the midst of a summer spent alone, but never lonely, thanks to my family, my work, and of course, Tony's love which keeps me company in the most beautiful of ways, no matter where in the world we each are.

Guess who's (finally!) making YouTube videos again!

Around a year ago, for the first time in my life, I began making YouTube videos. Tony and I - he behind the lens, I in front of it, as per usual - filmed a few and then as we got busy with our awesome trip to Vancouver Island, another bracingly cold winter set in (we were filming our vids outdoors), and as life in general stole the show, YouTube got put on the backburner for me.

Well, no more...I hope! This week, for the first time ever, I filmed a little “I’m back” video myself using my Canon Rebel T5i camera. In it I expand on the points above, delves into some of my plans for my channel, and invites all of you to ask me anything you'd like to know or to suggest topics for future videos (which you are super welcome to do here in the comment section of this post, too).





I know myself, I know my health, I know the complexities of my life, and I know that promising you a new video on X, Y and Z days every month is a recipe for failure (to be able to do so) on my part and potential disappointment on yours, so I won't say anything that set in stone.

I will however give you my word that I have every intention to continue posting YouTube videos again on a considerably more frequent basis (in an ideal world, at least once a week - but again, we'll see, and I'm happy with pretty much any frequency that beats about 11 months since my last video, which was what this unplanned YouTube hiatus lasted for!).

Thank you so much to all those here who is already following me on YouTube and if you haven't done so already, please feel free to subscribe to my channel there.

Huge thanks, everyone - I'm massively excited to share lots of new videos there with you in the weeks and months to follow!

*PS* If you need more incentive to follow my channel, I will be wearing some outfits there - especially when Tony's away this summer - that will not be appearing (in the moment at least) in blog posts. So you can get more of my vintage style on YouTube - yippee! :)

Sporting a vintage rainbow in downtown Penticton (plus an important note about my summer)

Outfit details

Red crochet snood: eBay seller tina.g-2008
Gold tone stud earrings: Either Payless or Claire's
Coral/orange cardigan: Thrifted
C. 1960s blue berry and gold tone metal brooch: Jardin Antiquesin Okanagan Falls
Mid-century vintage "rainbow" dress: Now So LA
Gold tone metal bangles: Payless
Vintage red plastic bangle: Thrifted
Blue cross body purse: eBay
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Red patent pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red


Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

In the last month or so, we have had numerous rainy days, many of which were accompanied by thunder and lightning storms, and which inevitably - and much to our viewing pleasure - resulted in tons of flat out stunning rainbows. In fact, at one point, Tony and I started sarcastically joking each time one popped up by saying, "Ooooh, how original Penticton, another rainbow!" :D Of course we were totally kidding and adored seeing all of these majestic meteorological phenomena added an incredible vibrancy to our skies.

Inspired by the plethora of 'bows, I felt that it was high time I shared one of my very favourite warm weather dresses with all of you, as its palette takes a serious cue from rainbows everywhere and also suits the sizzling hot season that we're heading into so nicely.

This is, there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it, a boldly hued frock and as such, it’s wise to keep accessory colours both in the same tonal range and to something of a minimum. One red and two gold bangles on my wrists, a cute c. 1960s berry brooch, a red snood, and a blue cross body/shoulder bag, plus red patent heels were it, save for my coral hued cardigan.

As a massive fan of celebrating the importance of colour in your wardrobe, this is a fun, cheerful outfit that embraces that concept head on, and while it might brighten the day big time, it would be  apt to feel rather out of place in the fall, winter, or early spring. It screams late spring or summer and is instantly reminiscent of not only a rainbow's symphony of hues, but of those found in the sort of glorious, heat baked sunrises and sets that usually only appear during this chapter of the year as well.

These snaps were taken right here in downtown Penticton on a small foot bridge that connects Ellis Street with the back of Main Street. As two of the oldest and most historically riches streets in the town, this is spot that always seems especially natural to me for a vintage outfit photo shoot (we've shot here once before, as you may recall from this 2013 outfit post), even if the wee bridge itself is quite modern.

As I'd touched on briefly in this post earlier in the month, Tony is going to the States for work this summer. In fact, he left yesterday and will be gone until the first week of September. That means it's just me and the adorable pets for the next few weeks and as such, this summer is going to be very different in some respects.

All though the prospect of Tony heading south for the summer came about relatively quickly, in a matter of just a few weeks during the second half of the spring, in that time, as much as my health would permit, we scrambled to get as many outfit photo shoots in as we could before he left.

While I may have posted a few more between June and September had Tony been here all summer like usual, over all we were still, fortunately, able to nab several and thus I'll be able to continue to share new vintage outfits with you all summer long (yippee!), even though my darling photographer will be over 1,500 kilometers away.

Without Tony home to help with certain aspects of daily life, and because I don't drive (though thankfully my parents do and can give me lifts sometimes for things like grocery shopping and doctors appointments; I'll use a taxi or public transportation for those when they're not able to), I know that his absence will have a deep impact not only on my heart (as in, I'll miss him dearly!), but significantly on the state of my health at times throughout the next 2.5 months, too.

I can only guess as to how big of an impact that will be and how it will play into my day-to-day life, including blogging and running my Etsy shop, but as always, I'll hope for the best, think positively, and do as much as I realistically can. Though this time apart will be a hard on both of us (prior to this, the longest we've ever been apart since tying the knot in 2004, was 8 or 9 days), thanks to the fact that summer passes at the speed of light no matter what, I bet it won't feel like long until we're back in each other's arms again.

In the meantime though, there will be lots keeping me busy this summer on top of work. From my birthday next month on the 10th to Peachfest in August, time spent with family and friends to hitting as many yard sales on foot as I possibly can, I know I'll be on my toes all summer long and I think that's a very good thing when one is missing the love of their life something fierce.

So, my dears, while this summer isn't likely to unfold quite how I'd envisioned earlier in the year, I have no doubt that it will still be plenty of fun, full of hard work, and perhaps, who knows, maybe even include another rainbow or two. If not, there's always this fab sunrise hued dress to keep me covered in that department! :)

If I could turn back time (aka, in which I join Lookbook.nu)

Gosh, I'm on something of a borrowed-from-a-popular-song title kick lately, aren't I? (See this post and then this one, for other recent examples of this in action.)

It must be something about the return of warm weather, as that always puts me in the mood to crank up the tunes and let the music play out as the natural soundtrack that it is for the summer.

But I digress...today's post isn't an introspective look at great regrets (of which I've had a few - oh, see, there I go again with the song references... :)), instead it's a brief reflection on the fact that after more than six years of blogging, it's safe to say, there are some things that I would do very definitely, if I could turn back the hands of time.

In reality, making a list of such things is largely pointless, as I've either since done them, fully realize that it's too late, or that some of them, objectively, wouldn't have actually been smart moves for my site and it’s better that I skipped them from the get-go. Some, and these I'm rather excited about, can still be done though and that is awesome!

It's easy, very easy actually, as an established blogger to fall into a certain pattern and to forget that just because you're not the freshest greenhorn on the blogging block any more, it doesn't mean that you can't go be newbie elsewhere.

When this blog began life back in in the spring of 2009, for a myriad of reasons (the incredibly poor state of my health at the time and for the first three years of my blog's existence being the biggest one of them), I didn't pen outfit posts on a frequent basis. There were a few prior to 2012, but they were very few and far between to say the least.

I think that had the two gone hand-in-hand from day one, I would have joined the wildly popular outfit photo sharing site Lookbook.nu straight out of the gate. There is zero, and I mean absolutely zero, reason why I didn't do so when I began sharing outfit posts on a regular basis over three years ago now and I do regret not joining back then.

But as they say, there's no time like the present and so I am delighted to report that a few days ago, as part of my very active ongoing desire to introduce some great new changes into my life, I joined Lookbook!

{A quick screenshot that I grabbed mere minutes after joining Lookbook.nu and uploading my first photo there.}

Please feel free to follow/fan me there: http://lookbook.nu/chronicallyvintage


I'd love to connect with those of you who use this site, too, and will try to follow every one of my readers who follows me back (you can always leave a link to your Lookbook page in a comment below to ensure that I can easily do so).

I realize that Lookbook may not be as wildly popular as it once was (especially after Instagram took off like wildfire), but it's still a very thriving site and I'm happy to be there all the same.

This is just one small example of things that I plan to, or are already, change/changing in my life, online and off alike. It’s also a testament to the fact that no matter how long you've been blogging, you can always introduce something new into your world - especially if you've been meaning to do so for years now, as I did with Lookbook.nu.

So while we can't actually turn back the hands of time (epic 1940s shopping spree, if we could!!!), we do have the power to decisions of all kinds of magnitudes right here and now, and that fact alone can help propel change like nothing else!

Have you received your Vintage Secret Santa present yet?

Though you wouldn't know it by the towering hills of snow around town that have such a perfect December 25th quality to them, another Christmas season has come and gone and we're now officially half way through January (what a lightning fast couple of weeks it has been!).



{A full twenty days have passed since Christmas and while most folks have happily received their Vintage Secret Santa presents at this point, a few have not and are still waiting patiently for them to arrive. If you're in that group, please let me know by email asap. Image source.}



Thanks to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and emails, I know that many of you have received your Vintage Secret Santa gifts already. A few "Santas" were a little late in mailing their gifts out and where such was the case and I was informed of it, I have emailed their respective recipients to let them know about it.

However, a few folks are reporting that they haven't received their presents yet and in most cases, I haven't heard from their Santas. As the holiday mail rush is winding down now, chances are (again, unless your Santa mailed their present fairly late) you should have received your gift by now. It's possible though that if you haven't, you may still and I certainly wouldn't give up hope quite at this stage in the game.

Indeed, both Tony and I are still waiting on each of our VSS gifts and are keeping a (Christmas candle) flame of hope burning bright that they may still reach our mailbox.

That said, if you haven't received your Vintage Secret Santa present as of today and you have not gotten an email from me letting you know on behalf of your Santa that it's going to be late, please email me whenever you'd like so that I can get in touch with your Santa (the person who was supposed to send you a gift) to see what information I can find out for you about it.

Ideally, I want to ensure that everyone who signed up for this exciting first ever Vintage Secret Santa receives a present. I have a few folks who have very kindly offered to send to a second person, if an individual's original VSS gift fails to arrive. If you're available to help in this capacity, please email me and I will put your name on the list (could those who have already offered also email me to ensure that I have your name and that you're still able to so generously help out in this way).

Hopefully between such incredibly kindhearted people, late deliveries and other possible reasons for delay, even if it ends up being closer to Valentine's Day than Christmas when the last parcels arrive, we can try to ensure that everyone who took part receives a Vintage Secret Santa present.

Many thanks, everybody - very much to all those who have been sharing their gifts on social media using the #vintagesecretsanta hashtag. Tony and I - and I'm sure many other participants - have adored seeing what you've been posting. There were some seriously awesome presents involved in this fun holiday swap and I love the thought, detail and festive spirit so many of you put into your wonderful VSS presents.

Let’s all pull together and ensure that each person who signed up can experience the joy of having a gift of their own arrive.


*EDIT* If by January 31, you have still not yet received your gift and your Santa has not mailed it very recently, please let me know so that I can add your name to the list of people to try and match up with someone who can send out a second VSS gift.

An IMPORTANT MESSAGE to all Vintage Secret Santa participants

First and foremost, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking part in Chronically Vintage's first annual Vintage Secret Santa gift exchange. The number of participants that poured in far exceeded my initial expectations, with the final count, landing in the 260s. What an incredible way for so many of us to come together in the spirit of the winter holidays - whichever those may be for you personally - to celebrate not just this festive time of the year, but also our mutual passion for vintage.

I'm penning this quick post this morning to cover a couple of further points as well.

First and foremost, I want to ensure that everyone has opened their Vintage Secret Santa match email at this point. We quadruple checked that everyone was sent an email, so if you signed up and haven't received/seen yours yet, please check through your spam/junk mail, deleted messages, and achieves folders going back to November 25th, which was the first day we started sending VSS match emails out (and by "we", I mean Tony and I; he has been incredibly helpful throughout this whole process, even writing the script that allowed us to quickly assign random VSS partners to one another).

It's integral to the success and spirit of this Secret Santa exchange that if you signed up, you receive/view your email and please send out a gift to the person you were partnered with. If for any reason, especially with Christmas Day so near now, if you aren't able to carry through with sending a VSS gift, please email me immediately. Likewise, if you can and still want to take part but can't seem to find your match email, again, please email me right away.

I know that if you follow Chronically Vintage on Facebook and/or Twitter, I may sound like a bit of a broken record here, but again, I really, really want to make sure that everyone both sends and receives a VSS present.

And on that note...we all know what a three ring circus of (hopefully jolly!) activity and excitement this time of the year is, so I ask one and all who are taking part to please be patient with your Santa (the person who is sending a gift to you). I'm starting to get a flurry of messages from Santas informing me that they are just now sending their gifts out, which is totally okay (I didn't set any hard and fast "mail by" dates, simply suggesting, if possible, that folks do so by December 12th) - the important thing is that they get in the mail.




{The real St. Nick might live at the North Pole, but this year over 260 Vintage Secret Santas from around the world joined together to each make this season an even more joyful another member of our fabulous online circle and the outpouring of support for this fun holiday season project, which I truly plan to make an annual event here on Chronically Vintage, has been nothing short of overwhelmingly positive. Vintage image source.}


If you're taking part in the Vintage Secret Santa and haven't received your gift by Christmas Day, please try not to worry. On top of how early or late your Santa may have sent their gift to you, most postal systems slow to the speed of molasses on ice at this time of the year and there's a very good chance that it will reach you in the last few days of December or early January.

Should you, however, have not received your gift by January 15, 2015, then by all means feel free to contact me and I'll get in touch with your Santa to ensure that they did in fact mail out your gift. Over the years I've had parcels I sent via Air Mail in early December not arrive to international locations until early February, so if you haven't received your VSS gift by then, I wouldn't give up hope entirely.

If, ultimately, your present fails to arrive for whatever reason, and we are working on the honour system here of course, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are sent a belated gift. A few incredibly kind and generous Vintage Secret Santas have informed me that they can send out a second gift (to a second "match", that is), if need be, and I want to truly thank those folks for this kindhearted offer. Ideally, I won't need to take them up on it, but if needed, I certainly will.

Thanks to the power of social media and the handy-dandy #vintagesecretsanta hashtag, we're already starting to see some people's gifts arrive and be shared on social media (chiefly Instagram and Twitter so far). If you opt to share a photo (or photos) of the gifts you're sending and/or have received, please don't forget to use that hashtag so we can all delight in viewing what we've each received as part of this awesomely fun holiday gift exchange.

Once more and with an endless amount of joy, thank you to each and every person who took part in this first Vintage Secret Santa present swap. I've (very touchingly) had several people tell me that the VSS has been the highlight of their holiday season and I know that for all of who joined in, it is undoubtedly a bright spot in our wintertime festivities this year.