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2015-04-22

Flare

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Dress? Vintage via A Darling and A Dear (she sells at my shop and has a blog too!) Shoes? Guess, thrifted 
Mesh clutch? Vintage Cuff? Vintage (very similar one on my Etsy) Sunglasses? Tom's

I'm always excited to find a new colourful good wall to use for my professional modelling career. Matt's always excited for good walls too because they enhance his professional iPhone photography career. We're just a bunch of professionals over here...
Joking aside, we all know I love a good wall. It adds something fun as a background but mostly it keeps picture taking super efficient. And efficiency is the most important part to maintaining a happy marriage and a blog that has gone on for too many years. When I have a good wall in full shade, I know how the pictures are going to turn out and Matt can do pictures in 3 minutes. When you've been asking a guy who has no inclination towards photography or artistry to take your picture for over 6 years, you make the process as painless as possible. 
So yay for conveniently located lime green walls. And yay for Matt, who caught some accidental sun flares across the pictures, which give the illusion of effort...

2015-04-14

Keeper

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Dress? Vintage Shoes? Coach Cuff? Unikati (here) Bangles? Clyde's ReBirth (here, wear them all the time...) Clutch? Vintage

There are four ways vintage makes its way from the shop into my closet*.

First of all, there are the things that I see and know immediately will never even make it on to the shop floor. When I do a big buy off an individual I try to limit it to one piece in the entire haul but vintage can be like Lays chips; 'bet you can't have (eat) just one'. This dress for example, was never really up for debate. I saw it, I loved it, I wore it. And I will keep it.

Another way things end up in my closet is if something is damaged and is not worth the fix or not able to be fixed. Vintage clothing has a few years under its belt and flaws come with the territory but some things I can't sell, even at a reduced price with the flaw obviously pointed out. I notice that if there is something I really like but feel guilty about keeping, I try to drink very full glasses of staining red wine in the general vicinity... By the time I spent the money to make this dress a skirt because of the huge holes in the top, I figured I would not get a return on my investment and happily just kept it...
Sometimes if the store is dead or if I am taking pictures for the shop Instagram, I end up trying things on and styling them up and an occasional piece slips its way into the warm embrace of my closet. It doesn't help when I send a text to a friend with the question 'what do you think?'. The answer is almost always 'keep it' because I have a good group of supportive friends;) I fought keeping this jacket for so long (like a month!) but I eventually gave in, like the weak fashion lover that I am.

Finally, there are the pieces that don't sell in the shop. And I get so frustrated because how can anything that I lovingly hand-picked not make get snapped up in a jiffy? What is wrong with you people? Do you not understand my vision? Ha. Sometimes having a shop is super humbling. 
This dress for instance never sold. It is super soft, has fringe, a full skirt and deep pockets. What more could you want? I mean, I know it has a touch of sister-wiveliness to it but nothing super high heels and a well-placed belt can't remedy...



*Don't worry, I leave lots of good stuff and also take stuff from my own collection to put in the shop when the time is right. Having a retail shop is not always fun and games but getting first pick is an undoubted perk. 

2015-04-02

Camp

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Top? Jen's Pirate Booty Jean via consignment (as top here or maxi here) Shorts? Vintage 
Boots? Steve Madden (similar here) Purse? Vintage Earrings? Bebe Sunglasses? The Edit (re-stocking soon!)

Sometimes I repeat my jokes. Yes, it happens, even to good people... 
One of my oft repeated jokes is when I say that the best reward of blogging all these years has been great friends... and my clipless hair curler*. I know, not my best material, but we can't set our standards high every day. 
The great friends part is the biggest reason I decided to go down to Austin for TXSC a few weekends back. I was on the fence about going but when the organizers said it was the last conference they were doing, I thought it would be cool to be there when they close a chapter of what has been a great part of many bloggers' story. 
I don't do a lot of conferences because the whole lack of money and time thing and the fact that I have just recently learned the art of handing out business cards without breaking into hives but I think it terms of conferences, TXSC has always been fairly laid back. This year they made it even more laid back by hosting the conference at a remote Girl Scouts Camp... 
I shall be honest, at my advanced age of 31, I have discovered I can be a little high maintenance and I am a big fan of big fluffy hotel beds and giant bathroom counters to spread my arsenal of products on but it was kinda a hoot to kick it low-key and share a bunk room with Merl, Andrea and Jessie. I got the top bunk and it was the squeakiest thing of life and I would be dying to go to the bathroom in the morning but I knew that getting off the bunk would wake up everyone in the room and well, you are welcome Merl, I did what I could to ensure you got your beauty sleep...;)

The conference itself was well organized and beautifully set up. I felt so bad that it rained at first though because so many awesome activities had to be pared down or cancelled (ropes courses, archery, horseback riding...). But at the end of the day, the conference was about creating a meaningful presence and I think the laid back camaraderie of the weekend was a testament to the success of its theme (Julie's picture round-up and post gives a good idea of the time at camp). 
Merl, Andrea and I did a work shop on taking your blog into the local world or 'turning your online life into your offline career' was the tagline a glass of champagne and I decided on. I think sometimes people think that having your blog become your full time job is the only measure of success for your blog but that might not be for everyone. It's funny how having a 'silly fashion blog' has shaped so much of my life in ways I never expected.
It was just nice to see so many friends and meet new lovely ladies. Everyone group hug now... And props to Indiana for taking on way too much and organizing these things...  Thinking about how much work it must have been makes me want to break into hives for the second time in one post...

And these glowy pics are all Andrea. My drapey sheer top and some sunshine must have inspired her because she was sure yelling 'ethereal nature princess' at me a lot... Thanks lady, I love them!



*This clipless curling iron. If I hadn't accepted it back the day, I would probably still be fighting my waves into submission with a straightener...