BOOK GIVEAWAY: Win a copy of I Love Those Earrings from Schiffer Publishing

For months, nay, years even before my 13th birthday, I knew exactly what I wanted as my gift when that milestone day finally arrived: to get my ears pierced. My parents wouldn't allow me to do so before then and I'd secretly dreamed for as long as I could recall of the right of passage that would be that big day. Naturally when my 13th birthday did finally arrive, I beelined it down to the local Claire's and got my ears pierced.

I beamed with joy looking in the mirror at the small pair of "sleeper" studs that the young woman at Claire's had shot through my lobes with that high pressure piercing gun. If the experience hurt, I didn't feel it at all. I was far too hopped up on excitement and joy. In quick succession over the next four years, I would get - and still have - three more holes in each ear. Making up, I'm the first to admit, in doing so for having to wait (unlike most of my friends and schoolmates) so long to get my first piercing and also because I've always adored the look of multiple holes in each ear.

Even with my pesky nickel allergy, I've been able to find and make some great, safe earrings over the years and wear a pretty pair in my lowest hole (the one I got on my 13th birthday) nearly every day of the year, very much including for the outfit shoots that we do here for my blog (simple studs usually call the other holes home).

Earrings are one of my favourite accessories ever and I adore that now my Etsy shop gives me the perfect place to sell those (vintage) ones that I come across, but know I can't safely wear myself due to the possible prescience of nickel in them. In general though, I've long been fascinated with this truly timeless accessory and was thrilled with my lovely friends over at Schiffer Publishing recently asked me if I'd like to do a giveaway for one of their marvelous books called (fittingly, I thought) I Love Those Earrings.




This expansive tomb is the most thorough work I've ever seen on the history, lore, social purposes, culture roles, and beauty of the humble earrings. Authors Jane Merrill and Chris Filstrup do a superb job of taking the reader through not only the history of earrings, but their own experiences with collecting these tiny works of jewelry, all the while highlighting their writing with scores of prints of famous works of art involving earrings, illustrations, and photographs.

This book traces the roots of earrings back to their earliest forms and continues that history right up to some of the best and most sought after modern designers. An engaging, eloquently written read that I couldn't put down, I Love Those Earrings is a must for any costume jewelry, vintage, antique, historical costume, or fine jewelry fan - especially since it's size (dimensionally, I mean) and hardcover make it an excellent choice for a coffee table book.

In addition to kindly sending me a copy to review, Schiffer has generously offered to send a copy of I Love Those Earrings to one lucky Chronically Vintage reader. This contest is open to readers worldwide and believe me, you'll want to enter - this is by far one of the most enjoyable, fascinating jewelry related books I've ever read and I can't imagine any fellow fellow of such not adoring this book as much as I did.



How to Enter

There are eight ways to enter this giveaway. You are welcome to do however many of these seven things as you like.

Please leave a separate comment for each method of entry that you do so as to increase your odds of winning. Single comments that list multiple forms of entry can only be counted as one entry, so again, please leave a different comment for each method that you enter with (thank you!).


1. Leave a comment below letting me know what your favourite pair of earrings that you own or, if you don't sport earrings, that you have ever seen is.


2. Follow Schiffer Books on Twitter.


3. Tweet about this giveaway, linking to Schiffer Books’ Twitter account and using the hashtag #ILoveThoseEarrings in your tweet.


4. Like Schiffer Books on Facebook.


5. Post about this giveaway on Facebook.


6. Sign up for Schiffer Publishing's mailing list.



7. Post about this giveaway on your own blog, linking to both Schiffer Books and this post when you do.


8. Follow (or be an existing follower) of Chronically Vintage on YouTube.


Giveaway Details:

As mentioned above, this giveaway is open to participants worldwide. It will run from today's date (August 6, 2015) until Friday August 14, 2015 at 11:59 PST. The winner will receive one copy of the book I Love Those Earrings, which will be mailed to them directly from Schiffer Publishing.

I will draw the winning comment using a random number generator and announce the winner on Facebook and/or Twitter shortly after the giveaway has wrapped up. If such information is readily available on, the winner will also be contacted directly via email or Facebook private message. If you have any questions about this giveaway, please don't hesitate to email me. 

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It's been a long, long time since I first got my ears pierced back on my 13th birthday, I still get excited each time I buy or create a new pair of earrings for myself and felt a similar thrill as I read, and found myself thoroughly captivating, by I Love Those Earrings from Schiffer Publishing.

And speaking of birthdays, today's just happens to be Tony's (we'll be celebrating it, much like mine last month, together once he gets back in September from working in the States this summer), so I thought that I would share in the festive spirit of such with all of you by starting this fun book giveaway today on August 6th.

Best of luck to everyone who enters this giveaway and many sincere thanks to Schiffer publishing for teaming up with my blog for another stellar book giveaway!

My July 2015 vintage thrift haul!!!

As I've said many times here before, and is the case for a lot of folks around the world these days, the vintage thrift scene around these parts has been pretty darn slim for the last several years. It's not uncommon for me to many months or longer, if we take super basic costume jewelry and home decor pieces out of the picture, between when I find vintage items - let alone ones for myself. As such, I haven't had a post like this up here in an age and half!

Last month however, the thrifting gods smiled on me and I found several fabulous vintage - and one vintage appropriate - item for myself, all of which I highlight in this new YouTube video (below) that I made really recently.






I've been trying to thrift a lot lately, when possible, and while the end of July yielded fewer pieces than the start, if things continue to go in my favour on the thrifting front in August and/or September, hopefully I can bring you another video with lots more cool finds down the road in a few more weeks.

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It's truly awesome to be filming again! I've shared two more videos between my "I'm back" one and this thrifting haul, which are 25 random fun facts about myself and a Vintage related, cookbook, and crafting book haul, respectively, so please be sure to check out both of those videos,  too, if you haven't done so already.

Thanks so much for watching this new video, dolls and gents, and again for all of support and encourage regarding my return to YouTube this summer.

Have an awesome Tuesday everyone!!!

25 reasons why British Columbia is awesome

This is, without a doubt, a list that could stretch on for the rest of eternity. I say that with out a speck of bias. British Columbia doesn't, objectively, need a PR department, one has only to spend a few days here, especially if you're traveling around and seeing its stunning natural beauty to realize that there is something incredibly special about Canada's most westerly province.

Tomorrow is the August Civic holiday, also known as the August Long Weekend, the only official holiday that most Canadians get between Canada Day at the start of July and Labour Day on the first Monday is August. Here in British Columbia, it's also referred to as BC Day sometimes.

It is something of a midway point in the season, too, and as a child I remember that it always instilled a wave of panic in me, because I knew that school would be back in session in about five weeks. Not that I dreaded school, quite the contrary, but like most kids, I loved summer vacation even more and wasn't keen to see it end.



{The August long weekend, a time of fun, connecting with nature, great barbeques, and heading to the beach, if you live near one. It's basically the breather we all need in the middle of the summer to kick back, let lose and celebrate a lot of what makes summer so spectacular!}


This holiday is akin to what is commonly referred to as a bank holiday in Europe and does not have strong historical ties to any particular event or public figure. Interestingly, and rather unfortunately for those who live there, it is not even observed uniformly across the nation (Quebec, Newfoundland, and the Yukon don't formally observe it and some of the other provinces don't currently recognize it as a statutory holiday). Thankfully here in British Columbia we not only observe it, but it's a stat, which means that we get a day off from work and believe me, we put it to good use!

As you guys know, I'm flat out wild about my country and will talk about Canada until the cows, err, I mean, moose and bears, come home! Today, in celebration of the August Civic Holiday tomorrow and that fact that there are few times that can revival August when it comes to the sweeping beauty of my home province, I thought it would be tons of fun to share some fascinating facts about British Columbia here with all of you.

This is by no means an extensive list, but it touches on many of the many reasons why I absolutely love this corner of Canada, as well as some of the things that help it stand out from its other provincial and territorial peers.

So sit back, grab your favourite summer beverage (it is a holiday weekend after all) and join me on this fun, fast paced look at 25 reasons why British Columbia is awesome!!!

1. According to leading authorities such as the United Nations, we have some of the most livable towns in the whole world

2. We have a fantastic living Victorian era gold rush ghost town called Barkerville (where I had my first "grownup" job in my teens, as a waitress)

3. There are hundreds upon hundreds of lakes and rivers in BC, making for some of the best fishing to be had anywhere in the world

4. Our official provincial animal is the ultra rare Spirit Bear, which is only found in BC!

5. British Columbia accounts for approx. 10% of Canada's total land mass size

6. We have some of the best ski hills in the world (they didn't host the 2010 winter Olympics here for nothing!)

7. The (huge!) Trans-Canada Highway starts in Victoria, BC and stretches out across all ten provinces

8. The first, and oldest, Chinatown in Canada is located in Victoria (only San Francisco's is older in North America)

9. BC has the closest thing anywhere in Canada to a desert, and it's located right here in the Okanagan Valley, where we live

10. This province has produced a lot of great artists, performers, musicians, scientists, and other seriously talents folks, ranging from Michael Bublé to David Suzuki to Emily Carr

11. Canada's tallest waterfall, Della Falls, resides in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island

12. We have some unbelievably gorgeous sunrises and sunsets

13. BC has a high number of annual Sasquatch sightings/encounters

14. The vast amount of stunningly beautiful, highly diverse wilderness makes it an outdoor enthusiast, camper, nature lover, or photographer's paradise!

15. There is plenty of world class surfing to be had here on the Pacific Ocean, especially in Tofino on Vancouver Island

16. We're the birthplace of the fabulously delicious Nanaimo bar!

17. Vancouver (and its surrounding area) is nicknamed Hollywood North, with many world famous movies and TV series being shot here each year (X-Files being one of the best known)

18. Orca whales!!!

19. We're an extremely tourist friendly province, which is great as BC begs to be explored from tip-to-tip and side-to-side

20. You can see the breathtaking Northern Lights from various parts of the province, including - but by no means limited to, the Rocky Mountains

21. We're home to Canada's smallest official town, Greenwood, BC (with a population of around 700 people)

22. BC produces a massive volume of fruit, vegetables, and spirits (particularly wine) each year, with the Lower Mainland and Okanagan Valley both excelling in these kinds of areas in particular

23. The Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver

24. We have the oldest operational movie theatre in Canada, Patricia Theatre, founded in 1913 and still going strong to this day in Powell River

25. A legendary lake monster named the Opogopo is said to inhabit Okanagan Lake, located right here in my own town!

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

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Now tell me you aren't itching to visit BC? If you do, be sure to shot me a line, if you're headed through the Okanagan, we could certainly try to plan a meet up, such as the one that I had with my lovely online friend, Rachel, last year.

Nearly ever corner of the globe has its charms, its strengths, and is fascinating facts. BC does not have a monopoly on such things in the slightest (nor is it necessarily the only place where you can find each of the things on this list), but it is an incredible province. I've lived in two others (Alberta and Ontario) and visited areas of two further provinces (Saskatchewan and Quebec) so far and while I loved each of them and would highly recommend spending time there to anyone, no other part of our vast nation has yet to grab my soul and heart alike quite like British Columbia.

While I'm quick to cite Calgary, Alberta as my favourite Canadian city, I really do believe that British Columbia will be my favourite province for all time. I was born here and though I've ventured fairly far afield at times (including living in Ireland for a while), I find that something akin to an internal magnet draws me back time and time again.

I've had the good fortunate to reside here again most recently since early 2012 and to welcome my Italian born and raised husband, Tony, into the BC fold for the first time in the process (he'd previously only lived in Ontario when it came to his time in Canada). I could happily live here for the rest of my life and I love knowing that no matter where I go in this vast, amazing world of our, British Columbia will always be home.

And you know, at the end of the day, that is the number one thing that makes BC awesome for me - though of course, the points highlighted here, and scores of others, certainly go a long way there as well!