Etsy: Sheer LBD

I usually try not to be too much of a picture whore when I post my sets, but I have so many favorites from today's post that it's kind of hard to get around that. It's been a lot easier to photograph a couple outfits in the early evening before the sun goes down than to do one big massive shoot. The temperatures are much milder and the sun is shining just where I like it. I really love the dress that's going to the shop day even though it's so far away from my typical style. I could never make a dress like this work on my big hips, but it's definitely a style I like on other people.

Sheer Lace Shoulder Body Con LBD

Etsy: Lula Inspiration & Daisy Crowns

The day I bought that white lace dress in my latest Saver's excursion was the same day that my sister showed me that new wooden swing in our neighborhood. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to photograph that dress there. It reminded me a lot of the 'Crown of Love' editorial in Lula Magazine and made me wish for a daisy filled crown to style it with. It just so happened that on that exact same day my sister introduced me to one of her friends who's just getting started in the hat making business. She brought a bunch of her designs over and let me 'ooh and aah' over them as I set them on my head and posed for the mirror. I told her I'd help her photograph them and show a few off on my blog once her etsy store opened up. In the meantime, she agreed to make me a daisy crown for the lace dress photos! I showed her the Lula inspiration photo just two days before I needed the crown, and after staying up til 1am the first night and 4am the second night, she had the crown ready to go! It's made of a wire base and can be adjusted to fit any size. I have it listed in the shop along with the white lace dress that Katy is modeling for me.

Inspiration:

Outfit:

1.Daisy Crown
2.Lace Dress

Etsy: Pretty Little Lady & (thoughts on double posting)

It's funny I was feeling so down and uninspired early in the week because the past few days have been filled with tons of inspiration online and in real life! I've had lots of outfit/shop photos to show you and lots of 'favorite photographers' and designer collections to gush about too, but there's no way to fit them all in without hitting you with the double post like I did today. Part of me is like 'if it inspires you, post it', but the other part of me is questioning whether or not two or three posts per day is too much! It's a very petty dilemma, I know and at worst, nobody reads them, but it's still something I've been thinking about. I figured I'd just ask you guys to see if you had any thoughts on the topic?

Aside from all that thinking, I added a pretty dress to shop today.

Floral Blouson Dress

My day of brunch & kickball.

I tried to do good and take lots of photos of my day yesterday, but you know how it goes when you start having fun. You start talking, distractions happen, the camera gets forgotten, and before you know it the day is over. I think I managed to do at least a decent job of documenting it though.

The day started off with a brunch date to Yaya's Euro Bistro on the other side of town. If you ask me, the place serves one of the best brunches I've had in my life. First off, it's a buffet which means you can not walk away hungry. There's eggs benedict, shrimp cocktail, salads, pasta, eggs, biscuits, bacon, cookies, brownies, tarts, and brulee. I was hoping the jazz band next to the line didn't count how many times I went for a new plate! It was to die for. I went with two old pals from my working days at Bonefish and enjoed a nice morning with the girls. Here they are below. That's Megan on the left and Jenn on the right.

After that I rushed home to help Jake finish making his ninja turtle shells.

Our town has a huge kickball league made up of three different levels: leisure, intermediate, and competitive. Jake plays on the leisure league. In that league you pretty much just goof off. Everyone has a beer in hand (even if they're running the bases), and their championship points include a category for style (which explains the turtle suits). Jake spent a few hours on Saturday night making some shells out of foam board we got a hobby lobby. He drew up a design on paper and transferred it to the foam board, then finished them off with a little bit of spray paint and a pair of elastic shoulder straps.

The other graphic designer came up with something too!


This is Candace. Or Kandace. I'm not sure how it's spelled. I met her at White Water where we shared a drunken conversation about fashion. She studied fashion at the University of Auburn and has dreams of getting involved in millinery design. I thought she was super cute and talented and encouraged her to start a blog. We'll see if she ever gets around to that.

This is Sam, another old Bonefish buddy.

And this is Baxter. He belongs to our friends Peter and Heidi and was one of many, many dogs out on the kickball fields.

Here's both the teams at the end of the game. We were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the opponents went with an Alice In Wonderland theme.

It started lightening in between their two games, so we got out of there before it turned into a massive storm. Sadly, that left me little time for outfit photos. It was really too nasty to get out in a field anywhere, so I settled for the front porch for this set of photos. It ended up being a lousy day to wear this yellow garden dress, but I figured I'd photograph it anyway.

At the end of the kickball game we realized that I was dressed like April from the ninja turtles. Do you remember her yellow jumpsuit? It was completely unintentional but worked out for the theme I guess. It's funny she was a reporter in the show, and I was the only person with a big camera on the field. It looked like I was really playing the part!

This is completely random, but look at the yellow box I found on Saturday. I spotted it when I was taking pictures next to those old tires and rusty cans and carried it home with me despite the fact that it was rusty too. I really like it, especially sitting next to that old red office chair on the front porch, and now it gives the mailman something to put my packages in. It bothers me when they leave them sitting in the swing.

Dress: Ebay $15
Blouse: Ebay $5
Shoes: Goodwill $4

Etsy Update 6: Here comes the bride.

I've got so much to be smiling about this week:

First off, school is over. I've got lots of plans for the shop and the blog, and I can finally give them the undivided attention they've been needing. Summer life is beginning, and I am soooo excited. I can't wait to have my head in crafts and photography full time.

Second. There are tons of shoes and accessories to photograph for the shop this week. Lots and lots, and they're things that I really adore. Hopefully I can get them up next week (or maybe even by the end of this week). If not, I'll try to at least give you some sneak peaks.

Third (and an important one), there's a camera remote in route to my house. Hallelujah!! I can't believe I've been shooting without one for almost a year, but I have finally reached my wits end. I refuse to go out anymore before it gets here! I mean, the old way was so exhausting. I had to run to the camera for every single shot that I took (for a year), and I have finally had enough. It leaves me tired, sweaty, and exhausted, and there's no way I can deal with another hot summer of all that jazz. I tried to do this sooner (twice), but something always 'happened' with my order and I never finished the process. I fixed that though, found one for cheap on Ebay!

Here's the last set of shop photos I have for now. I'm trying to get a list of models to use so I don't have to bother these girls every other Sunday, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up this outdoor, editorial type photography for the shop. I really do appreciate all the time these girls have given me though. Thank you Gracie, Marisa, and Hannah. You girls are beautiful, and I appreciate all that you've done for me!

1. Victorian Lace Blouse
2. Sweet Peach & Lace Wrap Dress
3. Victorian Crochet Doily Wedding Gown

Etsy Update Pt. 5: Ivory

Just a couple more days of this store update jazz before my blog gets back to normal. I'm knee deep in finals right now, and I couldn't even dream of originated some other content. I know it's been a kind of a long, drawn out process, but soon I will have a free schedule to do whatever I want with my time!

Even though I said the other set was my favorite, mostly because of the scalloped dress and all the photos that turned out from it, this set is a very close second. I'm not too wild with the shots that I got (it was the first set to shoot), but I do love how unified and romantic these looks are together. I'm extremely in love with every single piece going up today.

1. Grecian Goddess Gown
2. Glam Diamonds Swimsuit
3. Doilies & Lace Day Coat
4. Ivory & Gold Crochet Mini Dress

Etsy Update Pt. 4: Blues

Hopefully you guys don't hate me for today's teaser. I added two shirts and two skirts to the shop earlier this evening, and just as I was about to list this sweet vintage swimsuit (seriously, I had the title written and everything) I decided that I needed to keep it for myself. I've had it for a little over a year now and never got around to wearing it, so I thought, why not just let it go to someone who would use it. But then I got to thinking, I don't have a swimsuit anymore. I don't swim. But what if I go to the beach? I don't want to have to go try on a million different swimsuits in the nasty fluorescent light that haunts girls in department store dressing rooms. And well, since having a boyfriend the past couple years, I can't exactly see myself in a bikini anymore either. This vintage swimsuit fits me perfectly, and it doesn't make me feel like I have a big belly and chunky legs. But as for the whole boyfriend/putting on weight thing, I've gotta get that in check before it becomes a huge problem. I need accountability.

1. Ruffles & Stripes Western Blouse
2. Navy Gingham Skirt (also seen in this post)
3. Linen Pin Tucks Blouse
4. Chambray Skirt

Etsy Update Pt. 3: Dreamy Wanderers

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but I used to have another vintage shop on Ebay at the tale end of the 'Myspace days'. I think I may have posted some old photos from it before, and I know I talked about it in my recent interview with Rachel if you got a chance to read that. Even though I sold about 70 items in a very short amount of time, it ended up being a very short lived venture. It was a lot of work, and a business that I knew absolutely nothing about. I didn't know much fashion terminology or details about fabric, and I was selling things that I didn't 'love' just because they fell into the vintage category.

That's what I wanted to change about this shop.

After blogging for nearly a year now I've really become familiar with the fashion language, and I've also really figured out what clothes I like and exactly why I like them. I've got this rule now that if I don't love an item than I absolutely can not sell it. It has to be something I would wear or would like to wear if I had the right body for it. And while all the pieces coming to the shop this week have a special place in my heart, there's something about this set that takes it to the next level. The pieces are romantic and daring each with their own particular personalities that make me swoon. I wanted to save my favorites for the end, but I'm a sucker and gave in on day three!

1. Scallop My Heart Dress
2. Floral Summer Maxi
3. Ivory Crochet Blouse
4. Yellow Linen Pin Up Shorts

Also, on a very important side note, you all may or may not heard about the floods that began in Tennessee over the weekend. Our Tennessee friends saw the rise of extremely high waters in a very short amount of time, forcing them to evacuate their drowning homes and leaving several people without food or shelter. This is a pretty serious disaster, and these guys really need our help! If there is anyway you can pitch in on the effort by either donating money to the Red Cross or CFMT Flood Relief, or by reposting this message on your blog it would definitely not go unnoticed. Also, Rachel over at Mousevox Vintage, who resides in Nashville, is having a two week storm sale where 50% of her store profits will be donated to disaster relief. Even if you do nothing else, I encourage you to at least go have a look around her shop!