I Can't Make Up My Mind How I Feel About Snow

In my last post I complained about how much snow we have in our fair city of Winnipeg. If I remember correctly I wrote that I wished it would melt already...

Well...it seems that I'm feeling fickle about snow right now, because today I'm going to tell you how beautiful snow is!

The Boy and I went to Lac du Bonnet (pronounced "Bonnie") to stay with friends and go snowmobiling this past weekend (hence no posts!). It was just stunningly beautiful out there!!!

Now I'm sure many of you may be saying to yourselves "What? Another post about snowmobiling? This is supposed to be a blog about vintage!"
Well to you I say it's my blog and I'll do what I want.

But really...to me being out in the bush and witnessing how beauitful the world can be is (bear with me here and watch out for cheesiness) a lot like the way I feel when I see a really special vintage piece (did you see the cheese?).
Really. No joke. (even if it is cheesy)
I get overwhelmed. Being outside in the wilderness and vintage both make me deliriously happy. They make me feel connected to life, the past, the world, the future. Everything. See? Overwhelmed.
There's really nothing like riding a snowmobile through trails in the middle of nowhere and seeing this:

It's really magical. It makes me think of all those Canadian pioneers who would experience this without all of our technology.

Vintage is magical too I think. Vintage clothing makes my mind race: I think about way it was made, I wonder who wore it and I think about the life that it's had.

Thanks for indulging me. Oh! And for good measure, here's my armslength outift photo! haha!

Lisa.xo

It's Snowing Again...

with no signs of letting up! We have had so much snow fall this year and today some more fell. LOTS more. I've tried to take a few photos from the house windows so you can see, but they just don't do the reality outside my door any justice. What you can see though is that it is truly some sort of winter wonderland. (I for one wish it would just hurry up and melt. But that doesn't happen here until April or May. *sigh*)

Just to give you an idea of how much snow that is. That bush is taller than me (I'm 5'3"). The fence is 4'.

 This is out our front window. Don't mind the glare!

I become a hermit when it's like this in Winnipeg. I dislike driving in this weather because it can be so dangerous. The roads become icy, or you can get stuck on an unplowed residential road. So I prefer to stay in when I can.

This is the reason for the lack of outfit posts of late. I've been bundling up so I can brave the elements. Which is usually less than fashionable.

So as I sit on my couch in my sweats I surf the net in search of inspiration. Since Dita appeared in my InStyle this month I've once again become obssessed with Googling my favorite burlesque star. Here is some of the eye candy I've procured. (Sorry, I don't have sources for all of these. I've been collecting them for a while. Most of them are probably from JustJared. I know, I'm one of those people. What can I say? I'm obssessed!!)

 I love this photo of Dita. This is often my desktop. I love the dress and her bra peeking out.

I wish I looked like this while I lounged around my house!

LOVE this outfit! LOVE her hair! I'm going to wear mine like this when it gets longer.

Great hair!

I really love Dita's casual looks. Especially her Coachella atire. So good.

Still just gorgeous without makeup! Glowing!

 

I want my hair to look like this everyday.

Good day to you! Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa.xo

My Dressing Table + A Wardrobe Project Update.

As inspired by one of my favorite blogs: Penny Dreadful Vintage. Last week there was a wonderful three part post on dressing tables (SOO many wonderful inspiring pictures! Do go check it out!). I couldn't help but share my own.

I am a very lucky girl and have an entire room in our house dedicated to my "toilet".  A real dressing room. (this room currently has brown shag carpet and one very bright blue wall which I am not a fan of, but I can't really complain. I have BIG plans for this room).

See? Brown shag and blue wall...I suppose it could be worse. Anyway, this is where I get ready every morning. I bought my vanity at a Salvation Army for $200. The chair is from a telephone table set I got from a neighbour. The table is in my front hallway. The vanity used to be black and gold, but I painted it white about 9 years ago.

I really know nothing about it's age. I just know I love it and will never get rid of it.

Here's the other side of the room next to the closet. My dresser, jewelry etc...



The jewelry box is vintage from The Boy's Great Aunt Mary. I love it!


This post is kindof a two-in-one. While we're on the subject of my dressing room I feel it's time for a Wardrobe Project update. Since I've made some progress on some of my goals.

While we're talking about goals. Here's a recap of what I'm trying to accomplish and since I'm a type A personality I've crossed off those which I've accomplished!

1. Edit my closet leaving only those pieces which I love and wear reguarly. (missed the progress of this one? Click here.)
2. Once edited, figure out which wardrobe basics I am lacking. (Stay tuned for an update on this)
3. Hunt/Shop for those wardrobe basics and only purhcase quality items.
4. Define my style and look for trend pieces/accessories that match it. Only buy pieces I absolutly LOVE and ADORE.
5. Get a great haircut and buy the products my stylist reccomends.
6. Organize my wardrobe effectively. Including separating summer and winter items.
7. Pretty up my wardrobe. Including buying matching hangers and storage boxes.


Not too shabby! And the best part! The pretty pictures of my progress on #7. Ta Da!

I bought those white storage boxes at Walmart right after Boxing Day. And I bought hangers on sale yesterday. Doesn't it look great? I think so.
Considering it looked like this a few months ago:

Ugh. It was a mess.

Lisa.xo

Dita: The Showgirl Nextdoor

Ok, is it just me geeking out about Dita's house in the February edition of US InStyle?

I heard Dita Tweet not long ago her house was being photographed by a US magazine and have had my eyes and ears peeled since trying to figure out which one I needed to get my hands on. Turns out I already have a subscription and it was in my mailbox two days ago! Score!

Her house is just spectacular! If I was a single gal it would be the vintage home of my dreams. I only wish they had shown more photos of her dressing rooms.

If you can't get your hands on a copy of the glossy pages where you live I did find the complete article online here (click on the photos of Dita to see the article).
But if you can get your hands on a copy, please go buy one. Trust me, it's so much better in person (well, the magazine is...I've never been to Dita's house...you know what I mean...).

Or maybe I'm just an old fashioned girl who loves to cart around a good book or even a magazine...

Did you love Dita's house too?

Lisa.xo

The Rest of the Goods

I hope you all enjoyed my luggage yesterday.

Here's the rest of the goodies I brought home:

I'm starting to amass a collection of enamel flower pins. I just love them.

The beaded clutch on top was $1.50 at Goodwill. I'm still learning about dating purses and clutches. I think this one may be 50's or 60's.
The one on the bottom I just couldn't leave at Value Village. It's a little dingy, but I just love the embroidery and the shape of the flap. This one I'm sure is 40's. The zipper and lining are a dead give-away. Maybe I can research how to clean it up a bit. Or maybe I should just leave well enough alone...I'm torn. It looks a lot better in the photo than it does in person.

Oh you fashion bloggers influencing me! It seems to me that everyone has a cute pair of vintage ankleboots that they wear with tights or socks and a dress. I've been on the hunt for a pair. The hardest part has been finding the right pair for my average size 8 1/2 feet. These are just PERFECT!! Everything I've been looking for! They will need to be re-soled soon, but I will probably wait for a few months. They also need a good cleaning as you can see. They're a bit dusty. Maybe some new laces too...
(P.S. you can see my suitcases stacked in the background!)

This wool skirt was a real steal at Goodwill. $5. I just love thier prices! The size is perfect. I love it! Can't wait to wear it! And it's reversable!!

Voila:

Two for one!

 The tags.

It's a size 16! It's a small 16! Even for a vintage skirt! I'm usually a vintage 12.

I actually bought one more thing I didn't photograph for you yet. I bought a very cute secretary-like 60's dress. I'll wear it soon and do an outfit post for you.

Lisa.xo

EDIT: I'm Packed!

Yesterday after work my Mom made me go shopping (well that's not true actually...she told me cherries were 99 cents a pound at the grocery store which happens to be right next to Value Village so I went to both. Then to Goodwill...)

It's a good thing I went! I bought some great stuff! Today I'm going to show you one of the things I bought. A fabulous vintage briefcase. $3!! Here I've got it stacked (it's the top one) with my other two vintage suitcases:

The two suitcases are pretty special. They both belonged to family members. I've had the one on the bottom for years now and the middle suitcase was gifted to me this week. I knew I wanted a third piece of luggage to complete my stack, but I never knew I'd find it so fast!!

 Here's my new briefcase. It's in great condition! No holes, the leather isn't brittle, all the pockets on the inside are in good condition.

I've got the first initial, but those other two aren't mine!

This suitcase was given to me by The Boy's Mom this week. Isn't it just darling? I was so flattered that she gave it to me. The Boy's Grandma brought it with her to the hospital when she had all of her babies and The Boy's Mom brought it with her to the hospital when she had her boys. That is easily the best part about this suitcase. It just makes me swell when I think about it.

This suitcase is also pretty special. It belonged to my Dad's grandfather. It was given to him when he retired from Manitoba Hydro. I've actually used this suitcase many times while traveling. It's got SO much space. Really! And it's tough as nails. The only downside is that it is HEAVY when it's full of stuff.

The Boy told me yesterday at dinner that I don't need anymore old suitcases! haha! I think he's afraid I'll start another collection! Who could blame him...they are lovely...

I of course, bought more stuff yesterday. I'll show it to you tomorrow. The thrifting gods were smiling down on me I'm telling you. I bought some awesome stuff!

EDIT: I had a interesting comment from wolfsong this morning concerning bedbugs and how I protect myself from them while thrift shoppig. Winnipeg seems to be experiencing a bit of a bedbug epidemic right now. Walmarts and thrift stores seem to be part of the problem. Let's just say I've been thrifting a lot less since the news came out (a lot less...). I actually left this suitcase out on my deck in a gargage bag over night to try and freeze out anything that may have been there. I also look over everything I buy very meticulously. I also wash and disinfect everything that can be washed when I get home. So far I've been able to avoid them. 

Want to learn how to spot the gross little creatures? Check here.  

I hope that helped answer your question.  

Lisa.xo