Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear...

- 50s corduroy dress
- thrifted silk polka dot blouse
- 60s may-janes
- vintage umbrella
- vintage purse
- listening to: The Beatles - Abbey Road "Here Comes the Sun"



Today started out just like the last couple of days... rainy and grey. I didn't mind a bit since I know we need the rain, even though this rain is of the tropical, warm and humid variety. To take advantage of the rainy weather, I quarantined myself in the house for the past two days for some much needed work time. Everything went well until 10:00 last night when I got so stinkin' stir crazy Tom and I had to walk to the Turkey Hill to buy ice cream just so I could get out of the house for a few minutes. Nothing beats cabin fever like a chocolate milkshake!

I was still feeling a bit trapped this morning so I decided to venture out to a few thrift store. And boy, I'm glad I did! I found a couple of 60s dresses for myself as well as a vintage chenille bedspread. I've been searching for one of those for ages. Not to worry, I didn't only score things for myself. I stocked up on some silk blouses, wool sweater and cotton dresses for the Etsy shop. By the time I got home, the sun was out and the sky was clear.

I listen to my words but they fall far below...

photos by Tom b.

- 40s dress
- black wedge sandals courtesy of 13Bees Vintage
- vintage wool beret
- listening to: Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat "The Wind"



At one point during our explorations, Tom and I found ourselves in an abandoned bowling alley. Wouldn't it be fun to work in a place where they had a bowling alley on site!? I was really tempted to pick up one of the balls and roll it down the lane but I can't imagine how noisy that would have been in the silence of that room.

Last night and this morning is finally bringing some much need rain to the area. And much cooler temperatures too! I'm taking advantage of the rainy day and staying in to do some much procrastinated sewing, laundry and rewatching last night's episode of Mad Men (so good!). I'm also cooking up a big crockpot of potato and broccoli soup. Yummm!

photos by Tom b.

- Could've Woodland Cape courtesy of Modcloth
- UO skirt
- vintage silk blouse
- UO boots
- vintage Coach purse
- sunglasses courtesy of BonLook



How was your weekend? Ours was quite nice. Here are the rest of the photos that I was too tired to post last night. We took them along a foot bridge on our way to eat dinner at Iron Hill Brewery. We don't typically go there to eat but Tom had a gift card so we thought we'd check it out. We split the biggest plate of nachos I've ever seen, then a pizza made with local mushroom and topped it all off with creme brulee. But the best part? The beers! They make their own craft beers on site and last night we had two of the best I've tasted (that didn't come straight from Belgium). After dinner we headed home to watch the season premiere of Boardwalk Empire. The episode itself wasn't that great but I know it's just setting things up for the rest of the season so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's a good as last year's.

Cause nothin' ever doesn't change but nothin' changes much...

- thrifted silk blouse
- Fletcher for Lyell denim shorts
- Swedish Hasbeen clogs
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to: OK GO - Of the Blue Colour Of the Sky "White Knuckles" (seriously the cutest video EVER)



The weather is playing a little summer trick on us today with temperatures reaching the 90s for the first time in weeks. I'm taking it all in stride and trying to enjoy the last bits of heat before fall inevitably turns to winter. I'm quite sure I won't be wearing this hat all day!

I've bought a few pieces from the Fletcher for Lyell line at UO, but these shorts take the cake. I've pretty much worn them every day since I got them. Some of the pieces from the line have been sub-par (zippers broken after only a couple of wears, super clingy fabric) but these shorts are all I hoped they be.

A small remembrance of something more solid...

photos by Tom b.

- dress by Eve Gravel
- AA tights
- Jeffrey Campbell heels
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to: Blondie - Parallel Lines "Picture This"



As you may have already read on Starr's blog and Tieka's blog Canadian designer Eve Gravel has enlisted the help of a handful of bloggers to spread the word of her line to the big ol' US of A (and the rest of the world too!). They sent me a copy of their fall/winter lookbook and let me pick my five favorite items with the promise that they'd send one for me to try out. Fun, huh?!



But I haven't gotten to the most fun part yet... I'll be passing the dress along to one of you lucky gals! I have to admit when I first saw the lookbook I was a bit intimidated by all of the leopard print. I'm not much of an animal print kind of gal. But after staring at the Edge Kate dress for a while, it became my number one pick. While the print is on the bold side, there are lots of little details like the ruffle down the front and the ruching on the sleeves that make it pretty and feminine.

For a chance to win this dress (it's an extra small and should fit a size 0-2) just visit the Eve Gravel shop then leave a comment on this post letting me know what your number one pick would be. Make sure to leave your email address so I can get in touch if you're the lucky winner!

In the space between our cities, a storm is slowly forming...

photos by Tom b.

- 50s dress
- UO boots
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to: The Church - Starfish "Destination"



Yesterday Tom and I went for a Sunday morning walk and ended up right outside of an old church just as the services were starting. We were looking for an inconspicuous spot to take photos when I saw that the church doors perfectly matched my dress. What a coincidence! We watched people filing into the church wearing their Sunday best and listened to the church bells toll before moving on.



That's one thing Lancaster is blessed with... beautiful old churches! Being from the south where most old churches are small and quaint I'm always blown away by the architecture of the grandiose stone churches here. Tom and I are planning to go on a walking tour of the city next month that will let us go inside some of the beautiful old buildings we're always admiring from the outside. We'll have to take some photos to show you!

With every mistake we must surely be learning...

photos by Tom b.

- Fletcher for Lyell silk blouse
- vintage cropped pants from 13Bees
- vintage felt fedora
- vintage shoes from 13Bees
- listening to: The Beatles - The White Album "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (George is my favorite Beatle)



I have to start off by apologizing for the photo heavy post... Tom took so many great photos this day, I couldn't narrow it down to just a few. This was one of my favorite spots to explore in the old lace factory; the auditorium! I imagine they probably made their own lace curtains for the stage. ;) The floors were all buckled from years of neglect which made navigating my way through the space a bit tricky. At some point, the auditorium had been used for storing huge bins of lace and there were still piles and piles of it laying around.



I'd also like to say a huge thank you to Megan from 13Bees Vintage for letting me play dress up in some of her amazing vintage finds. The original plan was for me to wear these adorable britches for photos then send them back to her but I fell in love and snatched them up for myself. Sorry! I just couldn't help myself. Oh, and the shoes too. ;)

I only ever lie to make you smile...

photos by Tom b.

- vintage corduroy jumper
- Fletcher for Lyell silk blouse
- Jeffrey Campbell heels
- vintage silk scarf
- listening to: Interpol - Interpol "Memory Serves"



Here we are back in the abandoned lace factory. As we were exploring, there were signs throughout the complex that had been tied to pieces of the machinery stating "do not destroy". They were being marked as historic pieces and saved by a local preservation group. So often when we explore these places, it's just heartbreaking to see the amazing things that are rotting away or lying in wait for demolition.

photos by Tom b.

- 60s cotton dress
- vintage denim jacket
- Rachel Comey boots
- vintage wool beret

I've just added something to my wardrobe. Something I've been searching for, not quite sure which one was right for me. Can you spot it? It's a watch! Someone commented to me years ago that wearing a watch was becoming obsolete. If one needs to know the time they simply consult their cellphone. So true! However, my disdain for cellphones is a constant joke to my friends. I have an little flip phone with some prepaid minutes in my purse that I save for emergencies. I check it about twice a week to see if anyone has called it (they never do, I don't even know the phone number for it). If someone texts me, I usually return the favor about three days later. I just don't know how people function with them constantly in their hands!

OK, enough of sounding like an old fogey. The point is, I don't ever know what time it is... so I bought a watch. It took me forever to find an affordable option that I really liked. There are some seriously tacky watches out there folks. Since I couldn't lay down enough cash for my dream watch I settled for a Swiss Army Garrison. It's simple, classic and goes with everything.

photos by Tom b.

- silk blouse by Alexa Chung for Madewell
- vintage dirndl borrowed from Iron Orchid Vintage
- Topshop boots

One of my sponsors, Iron Orchid Vintage, was kind enough to send me a box of clothes to play around with. In the box was this vintage dirndl which somehow seemed perfect for the slightly fall weather we've been having. I paired it with a silk blouse from last year's Alexa Chung collection and ended up feeling like I matched my surroundings with the blue sky and the golden corn fields that fill Lancaster county.

They smoothed her hair with cinnamon waves...

photos by Tom b.

- 30s wool jumper
- Fletcher for Lyell silk blouse
- vintage Ferragamo shoes
- vintage felt hat
- listening to: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood "Margaret Vs. Pauline"



Many times when Tom returns from his photography explorations, the first thing he'll tell me is, "you'd love to take photos for your blog in that place!" Well, he's been telling me about this one particular place for ages. It's an old lace factory that used to make things like lace curtains and lace table cloths (table charm!). During WWII they stopped manufacturing lace and started making parachutes and camouflage netting. What else can I say about it except, he was right! This place had wonderful light pouring in every window. Perfect for photos.

And now we fade out fast to the blackout...

photos by Tom b.

- vintage lace mini dress
- AA tights
- Jeffrey Campbell splendid heels
- vintage silk scarf
- listening to: Kent - Isola "Unprofessional"



Did everyone (stateside, at least) have a wonderful, long holiday weekend? Ours was quite nice with lovely fall-like weather, a family cookout and Mad Men watching. It was nice and lazy, just like I like it.

photos by Tom b.



- H&M dress

- UO fatigue jacket

- Hunter Wellies

- sunglasses courtesy of BonLook







This weekend we were all prepared for a visit from Hurricane Irene. Fortunately all we saw was a lot of rain and wind and a few branches down in the backyard. Yesterday when the rain finally stopped we walked downtown to the Spring House Taproom to celebrate a friend's birthday. I wore my rain boots in hopes of splashing in some puddles but everything was already dried up. The wind, however, was still going full force which made for some pretty interesting photo-taking.



I was also wearing my new sunglasses from BonLook. I am blessed with good eyesight so when they offered to let me try out a pair of their glasses, at first I almost declined since I don't need to correct my vision. Then I realized they also offer nonprescription lenses and sunglasses so I gladly took them up on their offer. I'm wearing the Weekend @ Bernie's style. If you check out their site and see something that catches your eye (no pun intended!) you can use the coupon code BONLOOKGIVE to receive $10 off your purchase.

I'd rather be blue than to be all alone...

photos by Tom b.

- UO sheer polka dot camisole
- thrifted pants
- 60s fringe loafers
- thrifted belt
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to: Candi Staton "I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')"



I thought I'd give the whole high-waisted-pleated-pants thing a go. It wasn't too bad! They were actually quite comfortable. Since it was something I wasn't sure about, I went the cheapo route and bought a pair at the thrift store. I just cut them off a bit at the bottom and ironed a cuff into the bottom.

Someone commented the other day that my beret is back. The cooler weather we've been having certainly warrants wearing a hat, but truth be told it's less of a fashion accessory these days as it is a clever way of covering up all of my roots that are growing in. The hair growing out process is in full swing and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I know I'm going to let the bangs grow out but I'll have to see how I feel about the color (I think it's going to be a dark blond - we'll see!). I haven't dyed it in months and it's turned sort of an orangy shade. And yes, I know it matches my shoes. Completely unintentionally!

Mt. Gretna

photos by Tom b.



- Topshop sailor shirt

- Fletcher for Lyell shorts

- Topshop boots

- Fieldguided tote



Earlier in the week Tom and I took part of an afternoon off (a pretty novel idea for the two of us in the middle of the week) and drove up to Mt. Gretna. We'd been there once before the first summer we moved to PA for an arts & crafts festival which was packed with all sorts of, well, arts and crafts. This time the place was a bit more subdued and reminded me of the summer resort where Baby and her family stayed in Dirty Dancing. That's a good thing, by the way. There was a little man-made lake with a diving platform built in the middle. You could rent a canoe or a paddle boat but Tom and I just opted for a walk around the edge of the lake. After our walk we treated ourselves to an early dinner at the Jigger Shop. We had the only two vegetarian options on the menu, a portabella sandwich and a hummus wrap. Or course we were still hungry after that so we added a scoop of chocolate almond and butter pecan ice cream.

With a scent of rain upon her neck...

- 80s plaid shirt
- 60s wool skirt
- vintage boots
- vintage John Romain bag
- vintage wool beret
- listening to: Danzig - Lucifuge "Her Black Wings"



As always, the blogging world is a-twitter about the weather. I've heard lots of complaints about the grey, hazy days we've been having in the northeast but they've been some of my favorites! This is the first day in ages that I've been able to break out a wool skirt and feel comfortable. I spent part of the weekend going through all of the fall and winter clothes I had stored in the attic for the shop and spent today taking photos for the shop. Lots of good stuff coming in the next few weeks!

photos by Tom b.



- 60s cotton dress

- vintage hat

- Topshop oxfords

- Field Guided tote



Tom and I were out for a drive and decided to check out a trail we'd heard about that leads to an observation tower. It was one of those beautiful days that felt more like fall than summer with bright blue skies and big puffy clouds. We found the trail with no problem but not long down the path we discovered a long fence with a blocked gate. Fail! We weren't able to make to the observation tower so we just wandered around through the fern covered paths for a bit. I could have stayed out there all day!