I smile. 7.30.12

On Mondays I smile.

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

When people ask me if I miss living in New York, my answer is usually an emphatic no. The traffic!, I complain. The noise!, I whine. The expense! I moan. But after my recent trip to the city, I am forced to change my answer. Sending a long weekend with my family was enough to make me long for a move back. Or at least another visit.

My personal philosophy, in a nutshell: Ain't no party like a vintage sequin party cause a vintage sequin party rocks.

To the person who decided to donate this 1930's typewriter to Thrift City in Richardson, Texas: I love you. For reals.

Two reasons why I need to learn how to sew. Aren't those full skirts divine?

The grand Weatherford, Texas courthouse, as seen from the Parker County peach festival. Not pictured: The homemade peach iced tea I guzzled while taking said photo. It was delicious.

This 1940's record console was approximately the size and weight of a small automobile.  I could imagine it in the home of a family who spent afternoons listening to Dizzy Gillespie, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. While it had fallen into disrepair and was beat up and dusty, it was begging for me to take it home. Sadly, as I have no experience repairing old record consoles, I left it behind.

Now it's your turn:

What are some things that make you smile last week?

Share your smiles in the comments!

{I Smile} Week in review 6.17.12

I smile. 

I share these moments with you. 

Enjoy.

 

I was greeted by this lovely handmade flyer while grabbing coffee at my favorite little coffee shop. This week I chose faith. What would you chose?

These faces always make me smile. 

This is a pirate ship-themed shaved ice stand near my house, complete with cannons and a mast with a carved well-endowed lady pointing the way. This is totally awesome.

Your eyes are not deceiving you: This is a marvelous display of human hair in a can, spotted at the thrift store. This is most definitely not awesome.

Fact: A breakfast burrito in the shape of a heart tastes much better than an ordinary breakfast burrito.

My job at a vintage shop has presented me with a quandary. I am absolutely thrilled beyond measure working there...but I want to spend my entire paycheck on the clothes I'm surrounded by. Case in point: this fifties swimsuit with ric rack trim. I want it with the desperation of a toddler begging for a lollypop.

Now it's your turn:

What are some things that make you smile this week?

Share your smiles in the comments!

On Fridays I Smile - Week in review 6.8.12

On Fridays I smile.

I share these moments with you. 

Enjoy.

I thrifted this insane Victor Costa gown at Goodwill for about $12. Normally I wouldn't spend over six dollars on something from the Goodwill, but I was powerless against all those glorious hot pink ruffles. I plan to wear this score to a really, really special place, such as my breakfast table where I drink my morning coffee.

My kids are officially home from school for the summer, which gives me a great excuse to spend my days doing fun things like seeing movies at the dollar theater and swimming and pottery painting. I painted a mug. It was awesome.

On Thursday I ran six miles. Just kidding I ate gelato.

I've spent a considerable amount of time mentioning Vintage Martini on this blog. I shop there. I take photos there. I obsessively stalk new things there, such as this vintage Ferre corset and orange Ferragamo spring 2009 runway one-piece. I drool over things I will never, ever be able to afford there - things like Louboutain pumps and Fendi bags and Chanel jewelry and 1970's furs and beaded vintage flapper dresses.

This week I started working there. Consider me to be the happiest girl on the planet. If you're anywhere near the store (located in downtown Carrollton, TX) come on by. I'll show you vintage that will blow your mind.

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

On Fridays I Smile - Week in review 5.25.12

I've been posting pics of things that have made me smile on Sundays for just over a year. I love sharing daily snapshots of my everyday life with you. But I'm not sure how many of you actually catch up on blogs over the weekend. So I've decided to start sharing my smiles on Friday, when y'all  have the chance to drop by.

So here we go...

On Friday I smile.

I share these moments with you. 

Enjoy.

It's already sweltering here in Dallas, so on Tuesday I decided to escape the heat with a trip to the Dallas Museum of Art to see an exhibit on art of the twenties. Among the painting and sculpture, there was an instructional film clip from the mid-twenties introducing people to the rotary phone, and teaching them how to use it. It's hard to believe rotary telephones were once considered so technologically advanced.

Rad El Camino parked outside the Goodwill outlet in Sherman. The fact that the owner named it the Royal Knight makes it even more awesome.

Bruno Magli snakeskin and leather pumps, snapped up at Goodwill for fifty cents. You'd better believe I smiled BIG that day.

I took my kids to McKinney Trade days last week, where I drooled over antique furniture and housewares and my kids ate corn dogs and fried pie made by little Amish ladies and we all felt infinitely better about ourselves.

 

Last night I attended the inaugural event for the Dallas Blogger Society with my friend Metsy. I dropped my business card into a fishbowl and won a gorgeous pair of Kendra Scott earrings, which thrilled me because 1) I have never won anything in my ENTIRE LIFE, and 2) I love earrings. I also drank a Russian Mule (a cocktail comprised of vodka, simple syrup, ginger beer and lime juice) served in a copper mug. It was divine.

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

On Sundays I Smile - Week in review 4.22.12

On Sundays I Smile.

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

On Wednesday I attended an event with the Social Media of Dallas Club featuring Sean Jackson of Copyblogger. I have never seen such a large gathering of nerds in. my. life. It was awesome. Many of the topics discussed were over my head, but it was interesting to mingle with so many social media professionals, and I even learned a thing or two.

 Of course, a pre-event beer with my friend Julie didn't hurt.

Spotted at the thrift store this week: Brand new $400+ Isabella Fiore pumps (with the Neiman Marcus tag still on) for $4.99. Not in my size. Clearly, the universe hates me.

I made a bold decision this week to trade in my much-loved, gas-guzzling, environment-destroying Navigator for a more economical and fuel-efficient Mazda. The Navigator has seen me through countless road trips and made me feel somewhat powerful and intimidating while commuting, but it was time to let it go. I'm not gonna lie. It sucked. Bu it was the right thing to do.

A book that encompasses my life. I was both delighted to find this tome at Half Priced Books and frustrated that I did not think to write it myself.

Things were extremely stressful and chaotic in my home this week. But a sleeping puppy on my lap somehow made up for it.

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Some photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

On Sundays I Smile - Week in review 4.15.12

On Sundays I smile.

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

When things get stressful, I have an overwhelming urge to escape my house and spend time outside. I recently discovered a lovely park with biking trails not too far from home. There are ducks and winding paths and acres of trees and streams. I love it there.

Of course, there's also another little thing called retail therapy. Specifically, that involving shoes. These are just perfect for spring.

And let's not forget cupcake therapy.

 

Last weekend my family and I went to an outdoor car show. I have a thing for classic cars. Well, truthfully, it's more than a thing and closer to a mad passionate love affair. I was particularly smitten with this fifties pickup and sixties VW minivan.

Yesterday I went out to get a new car. Instead I got a dog. Dogs are much cuddlier than cars, you know. Max is a thirteen month-old chiuahua whom I adopted at the shelter. He has the sweetest disposition, is already house-trained, and fits into our family just perfectly. My kids are thrilled.

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Some photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

On Sundays I Smile - Week in review 4.1.12

On Sundays I smile.

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

All great weeks in Dallas start with coffee, cheese grits and people-watching at Oddfellows in Bishop Arts. This cozy little restaurant draws all sorts of people, from professional types in business suits to tattooed and bearded hipsters. And they serve one of the best cups of coffee in the city.

I am not an especially athletic nor adventurous person. I could never hike to the top of a mountain or zip down the advanced slopes on a pair of skis or attack a triathalon. Bike riding, however, I can do. This week I tossed my bike into the trunk of my car and eagerly rode down the scenic Chisolm trail in Plano. Then I got a flat. It's times like this that I ask myself, "What would Lance Armstrong do?"

On Friday I took a little road trip out to Forney for some antiquing and thrifting. Forney is a tiny dot of a town alongside highway 80, notable for a strip of warehouse-sized antique malls containing some of the most bizarre and questionable things you've ever seen. Need an entire 19th century circus, complete with covered wagon and tent? Looking for stacks and stacks of vintage suitcases? Have the inexplicable desire for a rusting small airplane? Forney's got it.

Also in Forney: adorable puppies. I was thisclose to bringing this little guy home with me.

On Thursday I attended a trunk show for Chadwick Bell at Stanley Korshak and had the opportunity to interview the designer and drool over clothes worn by celebrities and socialites alike. This was the first time I'd ever sat down with a designer, and it was fascinating to learn about the process behind creating a collection. And the clothes were absolutely stunning.

Big news: My book is now available at Vintage Martini in downtown Carrollton, Texas! Vintage Martini is my absolute favorite vintage shop in Texas and I'm so thrilled to partner with them. I'm planning a book signing at the store on April 28th. Mark your calendar and come on by!

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Some photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

 

On Sundays I Smile - Week in review 3.25.12

On Sundays I smile. 

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

 

One of the things I miss most about living in NYC are the bagel shops that dotted every corner. I'd order a cinnamon raisin bagel the size of a hubcap and a steaming cup of coffee, read the New York Times, and study the atmosphere. The bagels at my local shop aren't quite up to par, but they'll do.

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was ride my bike around my neighborhood with a book in the basket, looking for the perfect shady spot to read. When my daughter asked to get the tires on her own bike fixed, I became so inspired that I decided to break mine out for a spin. I have not ridden my bike in four years. Hilarity ensued.

I met my friend Erin at the Grand Lux Cafe, where we ate things like goat cheese caesar salad and potato stuffed spring rolls and skillet macaroni and cheese with bacon and I ogled her rhinestone collar necklace which she wore with a vintage rock tee and looked amazing.

I continue to be haunted by this incredible vintage Charles Jordan python bag I spied at Archive Vintage Clothing in Dallas. Of course, I have no need for a vintage python Charles Jordan bag, but I want it all the same.

Yesterday I jogged six miles. Just kidding I ate pancakes.

I was interviewed on the blog 33 avenue Miquelon this week for it's Follow Friday feature. Drop by and check it out!

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Some photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage

On Sundays I Smile - Week in review 3.18.12

On Sundays I smile.

I share these moments with you.

Enjoy.

My idea of heaven looks somewhat like this: a gigantic warehouse filled to the brim with vintage dresses, blazers, blouses, lingerie and pants, some dating to the Victorian era, and all priced between $2 and $9. I bought enough dresses, blazers, and blouses to warrant a $100 dry cleaning bill and fully stock my vintage shop (coming soon to Etsy.)

The weather has been so spring-like and pretty here in Dallas that I was able to take my kids to the Dallas Arboretum this week for Spring Blooms. The Arboretum is one of my favorite places in the city, and if you ever visit Dallas I highly recommend you go (and come and visit me too!) It's a perfect little slice of beauty is this great big bustling city.

The Arboretum is also a popular place for girls celebrating their Quinceaneras to have their photos taken. These are just two of the many girls I spotted. I'm not going to lie - their dresses make me insanely jealous.

To  conclude this post, here is a photo of the hot toddie that I drank last night out of a very special mug my daughter made. I have pneumonia. Again. Trust me when I insist that the extra whiskey added was for medicinal purposes only. I'll be taking a couple of days off from blogging to recover.

Now it's your turn. 

What were the best parts of your week? Leave a comment and share your smiles!

Some photos taken with Instagram: dresscourage