In the fragrant evening air

Just a few glimpses into some of those late spring evenings when the air is saturated by all that's in bloom. How I miss those lilacs already. Oh, and here's an I-can't-believe-someone-let-this-dress-go sneak peek!

Flea Market Finds

This morning I decided to check out the local flea market. While I'm content with poking through thrift stores, flea markets are a different story. My attention span and eagerness to dig around for stuff diminishes quickly under the blazing sun, and so, it had been a while since I'd gone down - I'd say maybe since last summer or the summer before. I stuck it out this morning, though, figuring that because it's a holiday weekend there would be more vendors and more variety. I happily meandered from table to table gazing and laughing to myself at all kinds of old things and oddities. As for my loot, I found the sweetest little Mitterteich Bavaria tea cup for 10 cents. While I have a retro/vintage mug collection, I also like to pick up other bits of porcelain here and there. They make the perfect little bureau-top containers for buttons, jewelry and whatnot.

The lot where the flea market is held is behind a building that houses a restaurant and various shops, among them a few antique & collectibles shops, so I stopped by a few to escape the heat. Much of my time indoors was spent raiding a basket full of costume jewelry (I snagged a brooch and a necklace). I also happened upon a small brass Conestoga wagon pendant in the same shop. My inner-excitement level nearly shot through the roof because I've been searching Etsy lately for this very thing, but couldn't find one that was exactly what I was looking for. I ended up having a nice chat with the vendor (about Gunne Sax dresses!) and when I went to purchase the brooch and necklace she gave me the wagon pendant for free. So sweet! She bagged my little trinkets up in a paper bag printed with old advertisements, so naturally I had to include that in my photos.

Grand total: $6.10

A squirrel! That little detail sealed the deal!

I was instantly drawn to this lilac/hyacinth metal brooch. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll be able to remove that mystery stain, but it isn't really a big deal.

I have no idea if this is actual scrimshaw or not (I'd like to think that that discoloration on the one side is dirt from age and not whale blood...), but I liked it nonetheless.

Perfect advertisement to photograph the wagon with, non? Oh, and the wheels move!

P.S. Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I had a little laugh at myself after going back and reading past birthday-related posts. They were all so succinct and to the point while this year's was long-winded and verbose. Anyway, thanks again!

Golden and Gingham

Yesterday was my golden birthday! I turned 26 on the 26th. Fun, right? Yes! To celebrate I wore this blue & white gingham dress that I had been stalking Target for for months. After seeing it in several magazine ads the act of procuring it became somewhat reminiscent of last year's stalking of H&M for a pair of tapestry flats (that story to come at a later date). Anyway, I finally happened upon it on Tuesday. My thought process went something like this: "Ooh, it's the dress! Grab it! Wear it on your birthday!" Frivolous? Perhaps, but a few dresses I hardly wear anymore have been designated to the donation pile to make room for this beauty. It is the perfect go-to summer dress and I'm happy to have my little mitts on it at last.

Dress: Target, Sunglasses and shoes: TJ Maxx

I had a nice, low-key birthday as usual. That's how I like 'em. Morning coffee was spent in the company of my dad who so lovingly greeted me with "Happy Birthday, Em! Another year down the tubes!" Classic Dad-ism. My sister will nod in agreement when she reads this, hehe. On my drive to work I opted out of listening to Northeast Public Radio (news and weather updates - I'm a nerd, I know) for one of my very favorite albums: Basia Bulat's Heart of My Own. At lunchtime I skipped on over to Starbucks to use a free-drink-on-your-birthday postcard they sent me. I got a mocha coconut frappuccino. Yes, it's as good as it sounds! After work I changed into the aforementioned/pictured dress and went over to my grandmother's to watch the Mets play the Chicago Cubs. Our starting pitcher got hurt early in the game (sadface!) and the Mets ended up suffering for it. That's not to say they wouldn't have lost if he hadn't gotten hurt, but I was hanging on to a little hope that they might win. Wow, talking baseball two posts in a row... sorry if I've bored you to tears. The rest of the day revolved around food. My mom took me out for dinner and let's just say there was a lot of hollandaise sauce involved. Mmm. For dessert I tried crème brûlée for the first time. Incredible. I want to eat it everyday. After stuffing ourselves silly we went back to my grandmother's to have birthday cake with the family. My sister couldn't be there, but it was still nice to hang out with my grandmother, mom, brother and his girlfriend for a little while. Oh, and I had to share a picture of the birthday card envelope my brother gave me:

Typical. Younger brothers are a breed all their own ;)

For a countless number of years now it's been tradition to have lemon pound cake on my birthday. Today has been all about the leftovers!

Simple Sunday

It was far too chilly to wear shorts today, but after putting this on I was too lazy to change. After taking these photos I headed over to my grandmother's to watch baseball. I threw a denim jacket on while running out the door and decided I liked my outfit better with it, but was too lazy to set up my tripod again. Lazy was most definitely the word of the day. As for the baseball, it was the New York Mets (our team) against the New York Yankees. The Mets let their 3 to 1 lead slip away in the 7th inning. It was painful to watch, but Mets games usually are.

Levi's jacket: thrifted, Shirt: Bass outlet
Necklace: Forever 21, Shorts: Target, Shoes: Zara

P.S. Isn't that little necklace funny? I thought so.

Sunset on the hills

I was going to include some lines from a Longfellow poem to accompany these recent sunset photos until I remembered that it's titled Sunrise On The Hills. My brain and reality were about 14 hours removed from each other, apparently. I can still talk about Longfellow though, can't I? Last summer I found a delightful edition of his complete poems at a town-wide yard sale. The woman whose table I found it at sold it to me for half-off and told me she was happy to finally meet someone else who enjoys Longfellow. I thought that extremely nice of her considering that for a book published in 1902 and in very good condition she could have easily charged me an arm and a leg for it. Her full asking price wasn't even a lot - $5 whole dollar and she would only accept $2.50. Thank you kind yard-sale woman. Since then when I need some solace from things, I gingerly open up my little book and read to my heart's content. I always fall asleep when reading Evangeline, though. I will make it through to the end one of these days!

On another note, I'm surprised at myself for not taking my outfit photos in this spot more often. In my previous post I was standing somewhat adjacent to where I am in these photos, but this post is the only other I can recall where I've set up in this exact locale. And a few other posts have featured a scene several yards off as my background. As you probably gathered from those last few sentences, I have a fondness for this hill. Beautiful and secluded, it is a panorama of unrivaled views. Well, at least in this sleepy town anyway.

Top and cardigan: Target, Skirt and belt: thrifted
Sandals: Seychelles, Locket: flea market

Big Sky Country

No, I'm not in Montana as my post title suggests. Does it? Maybe not. ''Big sky country'' is an unofficial nickname for Montana and even though I'm currently in New York, I can't help but like the way it sounds. It has, as they say, a nice ring to it. Hmm... I am donning a bison ring and thunder bird moccasins, though, which may lead the unsuspecting to believe I am actually west of the Mississippi River. Hehe. I tend to ramble. Did you notice?

Well, I selected the sunniest spot in the yard to take these photos this afternoon. I didn't have any sunglasses on me, but squinting sufficed for the duration of my running-to-and-from-the-tripod session. It wasn't a real bother as I was just happy to be outside. In (super-wrinkly) shorts! Without a coat! A cardigan + a pair of shorts is one of my very favorite outfit options. It really allows you the best of both worlds. You're not too hot or too cold, but perfectly comfortable. While speaking of favorite things, this yellow cardigan is one of them. I wear it quite often, but it's only appeared on the ol' blog once before. And this shirt. Oh, I've been wearing it about once a week since finding it (and its peter pan collar cuteness) for a whopping total of 49 cents. It's soft and plaid - what's not to love?

Vintage cardigan and shirt: thrifted, Ring: Sea of Bees, Shorts: Target, Moccasins: Minnetonka, Yorkshire Tea tote: gift from Emily

Psst! Did you see that uh-mazing Yorkshire Tea tote in that picture up there? Emily of the blog Ruby Slipper Journeys kindly sent it over to me. It was such a surprise especially since they're not available for purchase outside the UK. Thanks again, Emily! If you haven't had Yorkshire tea you're definitely missing out. It's de-li-cious. I initially fell in love with the blend when a friend of mine brought some home from England and insisted I try it. There was no looking back! The tea itself can actually be found Stateside. I see it often in supermarkets and at discount retailers. One of these days I want to start baking with it. Mm! I've made Earl Grey shortbread before, but I'm thinking that Yorkshire tea shortbread (or cake!) would be even better.

The First of May

Hello! It's May! Excitement always overtakes me with the arrival of this fine month which I consider to be the best of the entire year (hence the exclamation points). Why? It finally starts to feel like spring outside! The air is fresh, clean and fragrant! Everything that was reluctant to turn green and bloom in late April does so in May! And, the ladies in my family (my mom, sister, and I) all have our birthdays within a span of eleven days! 'Tis a good, good month.

"That is one good thing about this world. . .there are always sure to be more springs."
- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

How beautiful the quotes of L.M. Montgomery are when the world is overflowing with warmth! Spring is my favorite time to read (or re-read!) Montgomery and while I've devoured much of her written works, there are still a few titles I have yet to get acquainted with. I think within the next few weeks I'll pick up The Story Girl, Magic for Marigold, or Jane of Lantern Hill. In the past I've been eager to read all of her books in rapid succession, but refrained to prolong the enjoyment over time. And ''time'' in that last sentence equates to more than half of my life thus far.

Shirt: Target, Scarf: gift, Ring: Charlotte Russe, Belt: thrifted
Skirt: F21, Tights: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Aldo

I know it's practically impossible to discern in these photos, but my tights are actually not white, but a creamy-oatmeal color. Great, now I'm making myself hungry! Anyway, it is absolutely gorgeous outside today. I'll be quick to hop back out once this post is finished to soak up the mild sun.

Happy May!