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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Boxes and Boxes and...Boxes.

Well, quite a Saturday I had!  I've been wanting to get up to this HUGE warehouse in Philly, Bulk Vintage, that sells vintage clothing and (some) accessories for wholesale prices since a year or two ago when we received a postcard from them in the mail at the shop.  Since then I've been begging my boss to go up there and rummage through the boxes with me- but alas time has flown so I decided to take a visit myself!  The warehouse is open to the public on Mondays and Saturdays and the rest of the week is open by appointment only with designers, dealers, etc..  The summer probably wasn't the smartest time to check it out- since there is absolutely no temperature control in the building- but I went in hook line and sinker!  Up to my waist, throwing heaps upon heaps of vintage dresses up in the air, into other boxes, and sorting sorting sorting to find my treasures.  I didn't let the children sized gems discourage me (there were about 5 I wish I could've made my self 10 years old for again) and carried on loading pile upon pile into boxes.   
Another tip- wearing a dress like this probably isn't the best move, either.  Besides the whole "bending over issue" there was the issue of that lovely dirty clothing smell- being catapulted on to my nice, clean floral dress.  Of course this didn't stop me either- but I kind of wished I had worn pants and something a little less nice.  But hey, you live and you learn and then you get douty!  Or something like that...  At least I felt pretty after I was done!  I really love the print on this dress, I actually saw a vintage one on etsy.com that had a print just like it-if it wasn't my dress, I might guess that this one was vintage too.  It has such a retro look to it, a wonderfully flattering cut and fun colors (got to have fun colors.) 
 Boy oh Boy was that fun though.  There were a lot of "almost treasures" like the bright pink Mexican dress that was just far too huge, or the white peasant top that was sadly stained, of course that is par for the course.  It's the hunt that keeps you going, the thought of "what if I hit the clothing lottery???" that keeps you moving forward.  After two hours of digging, I did come out recovering two lovely pieces from the wreckage- one is a beautiful barkloth?  neon floral vintage dress that hugs the body in all the right places, the other is a groovy, quite possibly vintage scrub.  But I could not pass up that print!  
Outfit Details:  Headband: Fredflare.com, Bag, Pin & necklace- vintage, Dress:  Oasis, Asos.com, Sunglasses: On the Bright Side Shades, Shoes: Forever21  
 Daniel and I also had lunch in the city, hit up our favorite bakery, Sweet Freedom and visited a few of our other favorite boutiques around the city before heading home.  I have such a great time adventuring for vintage!  Even if I don't find anything, just seeing all of the fun pieces out there is so inspiring!
My two vintage finds from the Bulk Vintage warehouse, all washed and clean now! :)

Today is another family day, so it's off to Chesapeake Bay to visit with some cousins who are in town and maybe do some water tubing!  Then tomorrow I am teaching summer camp for 5&6 year olds at a nearby nature center.   I am excited to be teaching again, I couldn't teach camps last summer because of my job at the shop, but this week I am off so I can focus on my camp.  It's all about things that fly- Insects, butterflies, birds and bats- haha, so much fun :)  Hope you are all having a lovely weekend! 

xo, Alyssa

Monday, June 24, 2013

Pink Tulle and a Wedding Weekend!


This past weekend was full of a lot of family!  I sort of had an early weekend, with Thursday night starting my family time extravaganza with my two Great Aunts from out of town.   Daniel and I went over to see them at my parent's house for a night of conversation and catching up since the last time we saw them almost two years ago.  They were gracious enough to gift me with a late wedding present, a beautiful handmade Afghan that was my great-grandmother's- something I will surely treasure!  Then on Friday, my little cousin Tim got married to his adorable high school sweetheart, Breigh.  I am so happy for those two!  They started dating in 9th grade- which was about seven years ago now, and since then I have seen them grow from lovestruck teenagers to caring and responsible adults- it's amazing how time flies and how your "little" cousins seem to be marriage age before you realize it!  It actually brought out some emotions in me I didn't realize were hiding out.  I felt a little nostalgic- a little teary eyed- but I am just bursting with happiness for the two of them and am so happy to see them starting their lives together!



I was scanning through my closet for the "right dress" to wear to the wedding when I came across this fun retro-inspired pink dress by Minuet.  I got this from the shop some time ago and hadn't found the right occasion to wear it for so I figured I had finally found the time to style it!  It worked out perfectly and the bodice was fitted enough that I didn't need to worry about pulling it up all night and while dancing (which is something I sometimes have to worry about with strapless stuff!).  With just a few other bright colored accents it came together nicely and I completed it with a delicate gold and pearl headband I found for sale at Anthropologie a few months ago.  Voila! 


Outfit Details:  Dress and necklace: Clothes in the Past Lane, dress from Minuet, Tights: Target, Cardigan: Francesca's, Headband: Anthropologie, Earrings: H&M


Tim and Breigh coming down the aisle as husband and wife! <3
My little cousin, Jordan.  I can't believe how much she's grown!  She was the flower girl at my wedding too, which was a little more than a year and a half ago.  She looked adorable with her yellow gown and floral crown.  She is simply the cutest and is sooo ahead of her time- 5 going on 13- seriously!
The gorgeous bouquets and bridesmaid's accessories.

I caught Breigh for a photo together! :)





My favorite part of the reception was Jordan pulling me onto the dance floor over and over again to go dance with her- and telling me that I was her "fashionable cousin" because I "wore lots of dresses and bright colors".  When we were leaving the wedding, she requested we have a play date soon.  Daniel and I seriously need to get up to Maine sometime and make that happen!

Yesterday we ended our family packed weekend with a baseball game in Philadelphia to watch the Phillies play the Mets.  Sad to say the Phillies lost pretty bad, and we got rained on twice...haha!  But nonetheless it was a fun and interesting way to end the weekend, and a nice way to get a visit in with family before everyone went their separate ways.  Hope you are all having a great week to start and I can't wait to catch up on all your blogs soon! 

xo, Alyssa

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Sittin' at the Dock of the Bay..


Folks, I am not going to lie.  This week was really tough for me!  I came down with a Flu of sorts on Tuesday and had to leave work and come home to relax.  The days after consisted of the following:  a winter headband fashioned into an ice cube holder for my feverish head, delirious babbling for help in broken Bible verses, wanting nothing but oatmeal, potatoes, bananas and soup...and more soup, watching endless episodes of Kitchen Nightmares and singing the "Rainbow Connection" song from the Muppet Movie entirely out of tune, and needing Daniel to help me up every time I made it off the couch (and putting up with me the entire week), haha!  It was quite an adventure. I am so so happy to be feeling better.  I started moving around and getting out again yesterday, and today I felt great except for being really tired.  Every day is a work in progress, but man, that was really hard, and I truly have such an appreciation for simple, mundane things being well again- sometimes you forget how lovely things are until there is a little bump in the road.


Let's talk about these sunglasses!  Oh, I so love these!  They were custom made for me by my friend Allie.  She makes them for the shop I work at and she LOVES doing custom orders.  She hand embellishes with flowers, gems, bows, and any other little things your heart desires and does them in just the right way to enhance the shape and style of the sunglasses.  This pair is a 60s inspired clear and blue pair and I love how the flowers make them fun and quirky!  You can contact her at Apatt20@gmail.com if you would like a pair for yourself ;)

I found this top and pair of shorts at Forever21 yesterday and though I have been trying to avoid shopping there, I just couldn't resist these two items, as I can see them quickly becoming great summer basics- and in two of my favorite colors!

Bow and Bracelet: Target, Sprinkles Ring: Flea market, Necklace: Gift, Sunglasses: AlliePatt, Top and Shorts: Forever 21

For Father's Day Daniel and I got together with his family in the early afternoon for Brunch and then headed over to Chesapeake Bay (My Aunt and Uncle's place) to see my family for Dinner.  The weather was a little back and forth and finally a storm rolled through but afterwards the Bay was bright and calm and we got to watch the Sun go down-making the most beautiful colors in the sky.
My cousin's dog- Maisy :)
Gorgeous Sunset over the Chesapeake
My Dad and I on the dock :)

I had a really great day today.  It was fun just appreciating the little things again- like fruit salad, the sound of walking up the boardwalk, funny conversations with family, and a nice breeze off the water.  Hope you are all having a relaxing night; and I apologize if I have not been commenting on your blogs- I am still working on getting up to speed with everything so I will be sure check in with you all soon.  Have a great rest of your weekend! <3
xo, Alyssa 

Sunday, June 9, 2013

She's a Free and Gentle Flower, Growing Wild

 Ah, easy like a Sunday morning.  This weekend has been pretty nice; a full weekend off to start, which is always wonderful.  I got my first dress pattern EVER pinned this week and Daniel's grandmother is going to help me cut it out and get it started.  I am beyond excited.  This will finally give me the instruction I need to get started on making dresses and skirts out of my own fabric.  I've made a mint version of my moth print and I am very happy with it.  I have ordered the pink version in an organic cotton sateen (such a beautiful and quality fabric) and eagerly await it's arrival.  After it comes in I will start working on a dress, pronto!  For now though, I wanted to post an outfit featuring one of my favorite vintage accessories- enamel flower pins!  Every flea market and antique mall I explore- I am scouring and hunting down these bold and colorful pins.  They add so much "pop" to an outfit, and really give it that extra touch of fun and retro. 
  This dress totally looks vintage but it's actually from ASOS.  I found it last summer and kept putting off purchasing it and then Daniel gave it to me for Christmas (so sweet, haha).  By then it was ridiculously on sale so it was probably good that I waited.  It is hard to see, but it actually has small cut outs in the front and in the back- just the right amount without being too revealing.  The pattern is very reminiscent of the flower power 60s and the fabric is nice and light, perfect for Summer.  I am so glad I can finally wear it! 

Delaware is having quite the weather right now.  One day it's pouring down rain, the next it's perfectly sunny and clear- and then the next it is as humid as anything.  Hoping that today is a "sunny and clear" day (can never get enough of those).  For now though- I am happy enough that Summer is approaching; along with pool days, light and bright dresses and the sun on my face <3


Dress: ASOS, Earrings, Necklace, and Pin: Vintage, Ring and Bracelet: Clothes in the Past Lane, Headband: Claire's

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing day. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! <3

xo, Alyssa

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Field of Acid Color Dreams

Oooooh guys.  I am such a lover of 60s florals.  I am always on the lookout for the brightest and most mesmerizing psychedelic prints, and this dress happens to be one of them!  I picked up this fabulous frock on "When Decades Collide" a vintage dress shop on Etsy.com, during their Memorial Day sale.  I check up on this shop pretty often because they always post amazing items; but some of the time their highly curated collection winds up costing a pretty penny- luckily I found this dress in the back of the listings and wondered how I had missed it all this time! There is nothing like a bright, bold 60s print to me- they are some of my most favorite items in my closet- and I intend on wearing and posting a lot of them this summer :)  

Daniel took these photos for me after work on Friday.  You know that kind of ug, end of day "gotta refresh my makeup and hair before we go out again" feeling?  That's how I was feeling before this shoot.  I did a quick touchup on the way to the park and then I just let loose.  I LOVE Fridays!  Who doesn't, really?  But it was also a "I work the next day but I'm still happy it's friday" Friday, haha.  This field got me in the right mood, basically it's this dress's natural setting- and man do I love meadows- even in this hot weather we are having.  For some reasons open fields and meadows make me feel so happy!
Because yesterday was mainly spent at work, today I intend to spend a lot of my time outside.  Walks and swimming are on the list :)  Then this evening I will be getting together with my friend Stephanie for drinks and a movie, and maybe painting the town red...or maybe not haha.



More of my signature ground shots ;) I just love how these photos come out!  Somewhat surrealistic between the pose, the bold colors and the way they "pop" with the reflection of the sky beating off my skin.  


Dress- vintage, WhenDecadesCollide, Necklace: Self-made, Headband- Claire's, Bangle- Forever 21

I was excited to work one of my new illustration-to-wood necklaces into this post.   This is the "Bullseye Moth" from Madagascar.  I will be posting them up soon on my Etsy, "The Lemon Moth" but am waiting to get yardage of my fabric so that I can post some cloth items up too- stay tuned!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!!  Do you enjoy wearing bold vintage floral prints too?  Or maybe I have inspired you to try something new!  Thanks for reading :)

xo, Alyssa