West Coast Wanderin' II

Here's the second in a series of picture posts about my time on the West Coast of the US last year. I spent a few days in Washington State and a few days in San Francisco (separate post coming up!) but most of my time was spent in Oregon: the south east district of Portland, to be precise. I felt very at home in the city - rain, old record shops, friendly people, deadpan humour - it was almost like being back in the North West of England! The local neighbourhood where I was staying had lots of good nooks and crannies to explore...

As well as wonderful record shops that reminded me of home, Portland had incredibly good vintage stores. There's definitely nice vintage clothing to be had in England but you have to hunt quite hard sometimes. Older items have become more difficult to get hold of so often shops are left with all the scratchy synthetic leftovers that people don't want or they're disappointingly over-priced (for me, at least!). The shops in Portland all had lots of nice quality, reasonably-priced clothing and I was very tempted to go crazy! Fortunately my budget didn't allow that but I did end up choosing two dresses that I really liked, which I'll take some photos of for a future post.

Vintage A Go Go!

The swing coat I'm wearing in this final photo is the other item I brought home with me. It's beautifully made and really warm too. It has a union tag inside and I keep meaning to work out its exact date on the Vintage Fasion Guild site. The coat came from a lovely shop called Lulu's Vintage in the Downtown area. The owner was really friendly and had lots of nice items for both men and women.

 

Etsy Update

The flakes of snow I mentioned in my last post turned into a blizzard which turned into a thick, white, fluffy blanket. 

So, this is the coldest shop update yet - all photos taken wearing fingerless mittens and thick thermal tights! A couple of new items went up this afternoon, including a grey tunic dress that I'm very fond of, and there'll be more pieces to come later in the week. The tunic dress belongs to a collection of clothes made by Topshop in the 1990s that I've been slowly adding to the shop. Two items have already sold and I only have a couple more pieces from this stash left. The rest of today's update includes some really nice, bright, cheerful pieces - good additions to gloomy days! I hope you find something you like! I've also knocked down a couple of prices in the shop so take a peek around the rest of the items too...

West Coast Wanderin'

Following on from my last post about Honey Talk, here are some photographs from my stay in Washington State. The San Juan Islands, just off Seattle, are one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited - a strange combination of evergreens and driftwood with different views at every turn. Lots of sandy shores, mountain panoramas and dark forest...

Seashore finds: a driftwood tent...

and washed-up balloons

Choosing these pictures brought back happy memories this afternoon, especially with flakes of snow drifting outside the window. The weather's suddenly turned very chilly here but I've used the cold snap to choose and wash new items for the shop. Lots of nice '80s and '90s items for the next update I think... Then I'll be rewinding to the '50s after that. So expect more soon! And I'll also share some more photographs of my travels (and American vintage finds!) in future posts.

Honey Talk

Last month, a parcel arrived containing a new dress from one of my favourite etsy shops, Honey Talk Vintage. It is a really lovely store, filled with unusual vintage treasures (it's currently running a  giveaway if anything takes your fancy). I'd been looking at this particular dress for a while before I bought it, thinking how pretty it was, and I was so pleased when I opened the package - it ended up being even nicer in person. It fits perfectly and has the nicest sleeves and buttons up the back of the bodice.

Lisa, who owns Honey Talk vintage, has a blog full of lovely photographs of the Pacific Northwest. I love looking at pictures of her beautiful surroundings - the landscape looks so otherworldly, especially sitting at my computer under drizzly skies. 

 

Her photography makes me really nostalgic for when I spent a few days on the San Juan Islands in Washington State at the start of last summer. It is such a magical world over there. I'll share some of my own pictures of this beautiful place in a future post!

Twenty Thirteen

From Rescued by Rover

 Happy 2013! And merry belated Christmas! The holidays are over and I've just finished nursing myself through a bout of lurgy, which has meant shivering under a blanket watching M R James ghost stories - a very good tonic! While I was sniffing away, I also discovered this flickr site full of wonderful archival photographs and postcards. I wanted to share the one above to start off the new year - Bonne Annee!

A new year also means - finally - some new items for the shop.

Pretty button from a pretty dress

Take a look here to see the latest additions. And I've gathered together a new pile that needs photographing so weather allowing - and there are some bright skies forecast! - expect more updates very soon.