Inspired by Skittles?

I confess I have been eating my share of candy lately! My shop seems to be reflecting that too this month, that's for sure. Skittles and Starbursts come to mind when I look at all of the colorful items I've been posting.
Again, here I am inspired by edibles. :-P

I'm just sorry that I don't send along a bag of sweets with every order. heehe!

{Visit the SHOP}

Dance till you Drop (literally)

As much as I *love* to dance, I don't believe there is any amount of money that would ever persuade me to do what desperate couples were doing in the 1920's & early 1930's. 
During an awfully difficult economic era, The Dance Marathons were endurance competitions that became a fad in which couples danced until they dropped (literally) for a chance to win cash prizes if they were lucky to be among the last of the contestants on the floor. Times must have been tough for people to be dancing in these contests for as long as they did (some lasted months, yes, MONTHS) to beat out their competitors. The marathons also served as a form of cheap live entertainment for the many, many people who made up the audience. Kinda disturbing, isn't it?



Dancers were automatically disqualified if either partner's knees touched the floor.





Dancers were usually given 15 minutes every hour for rest/bathroom use/etc. I cannot imagine how many people must have felt like they were going crazy after such an odd sleeping pattern. The exhaustion must have been unbearable!



I'm on a history kick lately, and this is the library book (below) I found myself absorbed with this week. This youtube video makes me sad to watch, but it shows actual footage of some of the marathons that were held in the U.S. I couldn't believe the parts where dancing couples would just suddenly FALL DOWN, sometimes toppling over their partners. How horrible! There's also a movie based on the marathons called "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" starring Jane Fonda. Find the trailer here.

PC: flickr

Dollop o' Cream

Just a little Tuesday morning shop update, featuring some pale colored items, a few just recently added to the shop. That first dress has a lovely bow back, and the beige romper I listed last week just below the first dress is a linen blend, and has the cutest lace trim. I was just noticing by the title of this post how easy it is for me to associate everything with food! What does it mean? heehee ;)

{Shop Lola}

The Red Rose Girls

We've been taking many trips to the library during these summer days as a result of Lukas being off of school now. Last Thursday we spent nearly 4 hours there after I became lost in this beautiful {true} story of the 3 women known as The Red Rose Girls. Some of their names sounded familiar to me because they're artists, but I never knew the story behind their work.

Elizabeth Shippen Green, Violet Oakley, and Jessie Willcox Smith were three artist friends who made a pact with each other to live together forever. During the time of their lives together at the Red Rose Inn, (the early 1900's) the women were highly prolific and created some of their BEST work. The woman "tending" to the roses in the picture below is Henrietta Cozens, another friend of the three, and the keeper of the house and all other domestic responsibilites. Love this picture!

I found the story particularly interesting because of the pact they had made with one another. What if one of these women wanted out eventually? That very thing happened when Elizabeth Shippen Green met a young man and married. But it wasn't without grief that she moved away from the close friends she thought of as her sisters.

Violet in her studio (below) became famous for her murals and work in stained glass, while Elizabeth and Jessie were both appreciated for their illustrations.

I couldn't help getting caught up in the story of these three women! I found the unconventional way they chose to live most of their lives (especially for the era) very interesting. Imagine having no domestic responsibilities and being able to be creative all the day long, all while having the support and inspiration of a few creative dear friends! 

P.C. Villanegativa, wordpress
Smithsonian

That 70's Girl

Lots of pretty goodies from the 1970's have been making their way into the shop this summer! I'm crazy about that first pantsuit - the color, the sleeves, the high waist! I just know some tiny girl is gonna rock that outfit!

The second dress pictured is an XL, it's not often I find such a cute dress in a larger size, but I'm always happy when I do. I want my shop to be full of vintage pretties for ALL sizes! That's something I continue to work on.

I'm off this weekend to my family reunion for my Dad's side. And in two more weekends from now, it will be time to for a reunion on my Mom's side, what a busy month!!

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend! XO

Visit the shop HERE.

J.A.M. for July

It was on the daydream lily blog that I saw this cute little post called J.A.M, which stands for Just A Minute. It's a little break from regular blogging to let your bloggers (especially the new ones) in on what's keeping you busy currently in life. Thought I'd do one today since I've noticed a few new followers and commenters lately. :)

Here's what I've been up to! 

Loving . . . summer, SO much I can't even tell you! Hands down my favorite season, and I think just laying in the grass watching clouds is so very underrated. Being able to spend time with my niece, nephew, and son is also so PRECIOUS to me. They're crazy happy when they get to see one another as well, and it's so funny being the one telling them, "you know when I was your age. . ." now! I still vividly recall my elders saying the same thing to me, seems like just yesterday. ;)




Reading. . . Many cookbooks lately, actually. I feel like summer is such a creative time, and I'm trying my best to learn some new recipes to keep my taste buds excited throughout the year. Oddly loving being in the kitchen, but cooking has a way of calming me it seems, any of you feel this way as well? Also reading Fuel, poems by Naomi Shihab Nye, and I LOVE this one so much.

Listening to . . . The High Highs, introduced to me by a twitter friend Ruby Heels Vintage. Love 'em! Also recently found out about Esperanza Spalding. She's pretty amazing, huh?

Watching . . . Twin Peaks! Never was able to view it during the 90's so when I found it on netflix, I knew what would be taking over the next few weeks of my evenings at home. It's SO weird, but entertaining nonetheless. The odd characters are the best part! Also love watching Jack dig holes & try to catch fireflies in the backyard. Is he adorable or what?!


Buying. . . my brother recently gave me an essential oil diffuser and I'm IN LOVE with it lately. I've always wanted to get into aromatherapy, and I've been really excited about buying new essential oils now. It's neat how scents can really have an effect on your mood. My favorite oils so far are tea tree, eucalyptus, and lemon. They make my apartment smell so lovely!

Wanting. . . this dress from AntiqueAddictions on Etsy. No idea where I would even wear it to, but it's pretty gorgeous, isn't it?

Working on. . . being organized, believe it or not! It's really just papers. Papers galore! Pictures too. These things all need a place and I think I need to invest in more filing organizers and photo albums. I try to set aside at least an hour every day just focusing on organizing. (least favorite hour of the day) :-p

Wishing. . . That my parents lived closer to me. And that I wrote more in my journal. And that I could be a better blogger with many more outfit posts. ;)

OK, friends, it's your turn! If you'd like to participate in J.A.M. be sure to leave a link in the comments about your post, I'd love to see what you're up to! I had fun writing this one up, think I might try to post one every month. 

♥ Have a wonderful weekend! ♥

Someone Else's (Summer) Memories

Etsy never lacks in awesome vintage photos. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent just looking at other people's memories - a past time that will never cease to fascinate me! Here are a few fun pics of some ladies of yesteryear delighting in their own summers. I especially love the shoulder ride pic, so cute! Enjoy, and Happy Saturday to all of you! Promise to post some photos of my own special summer moments in the coming days. :)

TheIDConnection

pixbycat

ephemera obscura

CassiesTaleVintage

maclancy

foundandunbound