etsy furniture finds

Killing time on etsy today, I decided to post a few pics of some cool vintage furniture. Enjoy sans my annoying commentary.

Daily Wear: Vintage Girl in a Vintage Store

I worked a full day at the vintage shop last sunday (i usually work bits here and there during the week..sometimes a weekend) and I took the opportunity of a rare quiet spell to take some pictures of my outfit. When i go in for a couple of hours during the week, i tend to justthrow any old thing on, well still cute I hope but nothing special. But the weekends are the busiest time and when I'm there for a whole day, I try to make it special by dressing up. I usually wear something vintage I got from the shop but this time I wore an unusual dress that sort of felt at home there.


It's a party dress that I have no party for, alas. I don't know if you can see it, but the print of the dress is....dresses! It's so meta, I know. haha

It has cute little panel pleats that flair out when I dance and twirl. I love the little pink tulle at the bottom. The straps are pink too. I kept it dressy with black fishnets and my favorite ivory heels.

My hair was still soaking wet when I had to leave the house so I just put it up in a bun and tied a pink ribbon around it. It was a very good day and I like to think I had some influence over it by dressing the part. It really improves my mood and gives me confidence when I think I'm well dressed. Even if I'm dressed a bit unusual. Especially if I'm dressed a bit unusual. ha!

I'm back?

I'm back from my vacation, bodily anyway. I arrived home saturday evening but I still haven't adjusted to this time zone. Which means trying to live a normal life, go to work, etc while also going to sleep at 8 p.m. and waking at 3 a.m. because I'm still 5 or 6 hours beyond. As a life long sufferer of insomnia, I'm really hoping to snap out of it soon. I'll have stories and pictures of my trip as soon as I find the little cord that connects my camera to my computer. I'm really hoping it's in my husband's messenger bag because I've looked in all our other luggage (all unpacked to various degrees).

What I do have though to tide my lovelies over is the rest of the pictures I took at the vintage shop where I work. The first edition focused on furniture and decor. And now for the clothing and accessories!



This is a little corner that I used to ignore but is now really my favorite part. It has lovely old nighties and robes and two piece pajama sets. My mom bought me a pair of baby blue vintage pajamas and now I'm hooked. I always thought they were so grandma-ish but they are actually cute and comfy and sometimes even glamorous.



I've found many many dresses on this rack. I buy most of my vintage here, most things never even see this far into the store. They're mine as soon as they come through the door.



This is the glamest checkout counter ever. It's mostly cameos and rhinestones and a few other valuable gems. You can even see my let's Go Western Europe travel guide in this shot!



This is more jewelry of the costume variety. Lots of beads and brooches! Lovely scarves to accessorize with.


A very small selection of the vintage shoes. I keep falling in love with shoes that will never fit. My feet are wide and the ladies of yesteryear had such narrow little footsies.



Another little sample of the massive amount of shoes i can never have. Or at least never wear.



There is nothing more perfect than a wool (or even cashmere!) cardigan. This section has expanded since I took this shot in summer.


And some of the hats. We got in those feather/veil headpieces so popular now but ours are original! I curse my oddly shaped head/face.


So please be patient (if you actually care to see my vacation pics) and thanks for stopping by.

Elements- part one

As I've mentioned here before, I work part time at a vintage clothing/decor shop in my neighborhood. It's where I get most of my vintage clothing/ accessories and my house is mostly furnished/decorated with things I got in the shop. Since I mention it so much I thought I'd post some pics so you can get an idea of how i spend a few hours of my life.



There is quite an abundance of kitchenwares: here is a sampling. Of course, the stock is almost completely different since I took these pictures last month. And that is part of what makes these places so fun.



Here's a good overall view of one of the rooms. The store takes up two floors, as big as a house, really. Everything is all thrown about here and there so you have to take your time and look at everything.



Here's a little corner near the front windows. This shop always has cute vintage furniture, in still quite good quality, at very cheap. Which is why I shopped here many many times before I worked here.




Really a bit of everything; including old makeup and beauty tools. Disclaimer:Yes of course I work here but the store hasn't even a website so there's no way I'm profiting from you looking at these pics. I guess I just like showing off the happy parts of my life.



An old sewing machine and vintage patterns/linens. If you're a clever girl (or boy...) you'll have noticed I haven't shown any clothing pics. Well, of course, i need you coming back for more...


Well, here's a peak at some baby clothes! They do seem to distract attention from the rows of barware. Stay tuned kiddos, the clothing pics will be posted soon enough. And do be a dear and forgive this lazy post. We can't all be stars!

Weekend Wear: Working Hard or Hardly Working?

I had to work all weekend so i thought I might as well have some fun with it and turn it into a post. Now this isn't my Job job that we're talking about here, the one that pays my way and corrodes my soul. I work that all week long ( so yes this means I'm on a 12 day work bender yikes!) But sometimes on the weekends and a few evenings I get to work at what my yoga instructor refers to as a Joy job. The one you do for personal fulfillment more than any financial gain.

My Joy job is at a little vintage store in my neighborhood. I became friendly with the owner from buying a ton of stuff there and in a round about way, she's the reason I found my house. A lot of my clothing and decor come from her shop. And I make sure I stop in to visit every few days even if I'm not working because she's constantly getting new stuff in and it's all so affordable. So while she was on vacation, I was manning the store.

I got to meet lots of people both interesting and annoying. And I got to play with all the stuff and pretend like I lived there. And of course, I took a few pictures. i think I'll save the shots of the store for another post and just focus on my playing dress up for this one. Here I am on Saturday, the way busier of the two days...



I'm wearing the purple and black paint splatter dress that was a recent purchase of mine. Still bravely baring my legs and wearing little silver flats.



It was a chilly day so luckily I had my little denim jacket with me. Every year I say I'm going to bring back the denim jacket and I never quite manage to do it.

Sunday...



Here I am hamming it up for the camera in that pink sailor-esque dress, actually bought from that shop. The sunglasses are vintage French, borrowed from the store. They're a pinky-mauve color with a blue marbling effect.



Here I am pretending to read an old gossip magazine about Elvis, sitting in a chair made by a local artist. I'm also wearing my cream heels (my wedding shoes, darling) and little blue and white striped ankle socks.

Playing dress-up helped the weekend fly by but now I must be off to my real work week. Blah. I've also killed some time buying some lovely things which i will share with you soon. You can help me figure out what on earth I'll do with it.

Vintage London

I'm super excited about my upcoming trip which includes a short stop in London. Naturally, I'm looking forward to the city's famed museums and historical sights but I'd be lying if I said a major appeal of a trip anywhere, especially London, wasn't shopping. Of course since I'm a retrophile, I'll be checking out area vintage shops, but part of London's uniqueness is its many many many markets. I've done some research and compiled a list of interesting places. Of course, I'd be lucky if I made it to even a few of these so I'm not going to spend my whole stay running around from shop to store to market. Even so, I'm sharing some of my research with you, just in case....

Probably the most awesome thing I've come across is the London Vintage Fashion, Textiles & Accessories Fair. This fair draws dealers from all over the U.K. and has, I'm guessing, spectacular finds worth the admission price. It take place about once a month but sadly not while I'll be in town. I'm likely to plan my next trip to London around this event because it seems not to be missed. Well, not to be missed twice anyway.



London's markets can provide you with everything from apples to accordions! A lot of the markets I've researched carry second-hand clothing but only a few have a reputation for being a good place to be on the look out for vintage clothing. The two that keep popping up again and again are the Greenwich and Portobello Road markets in the south and west, respectively. Although an honorable mention must go out to Camden Lock and Alfie's Antique Market.



If you don't want to waste too much time walking around and rummaging, I've also compiled a list of some one stop shops for vintage finds. I've looked up several "best of" lists and there are five shops, or shoppes if you please, that continuously earn praise. They are, in no particular order...

Beyond Retro, tube: Old St. This is a huge warehouse drawing a fanbase that includes celebs and specializes in "American Retro", whatever that is. Cowboy style?



Steinberg & Tolkein, tube: Sloane Sq. I couldn't find a website for this shop, but it had mostly very high user reviews. The only complaint seems to be about price, but most costumers view it has a fair trade off for getting something one of a kind. Apparently the staff is a treasure as well!

Butler & Wilson, tube: South Kensington This store has two locations but I provided the tube stop for the one in Chelsea to make it convenient to Steinberg & Tolkein. Those looking for jewelry and accessories have hit the jackpot with this store.



Rellik, tube: Westbourne Park Rellik carries a nice assortment of vintage and designer couture pieces. Apparently stylists use this place as a source, so it must be good?

Palette London, tube: Islington This shop gets rave review after rave view for its vintage as well as contemporary designers. Bonus points for cleanliness and pristine condition.

A warning, a disclaimer, and a shrug of my shoulders: The places I've listed above are just the most commonly praised and mentioned on various website, such as urbanpath and timeoutlondon. I have never been to any of them and to not make any claim to their value or integrity. I also recognize that I may have left off some great gems, which I'd love to hear about. I've also come across some warnings, online and in travel books, about problems with authenticity with London vintage. Apparently some places are misleading about what is vintage and include items from earlier this decade in a retro style but at an inflated cost. I've also read warnings of London shops being stocked from American and Canadian companies much like our Gabriel Brothers chain. I'm not saying that this is true or not true. Just be careful, (at home, online, and abroad) and know what you are getting before you buy it. Also, perhaps because of currency conversion, the comparative cost of vintage clothing is much much higher in London that here at home. (Unless maybe if you live in New York or LA?) So be smart and have fun. Sometimes just looking can be as enjoyable as buying.

Cheers!