Style Spots: Meet Me at The Village

Hey my lovelies! I am SO sorry that the blog has been so scattered this week. I think I'm still catching up on life after our trip to Indianapolis, plus this past weekend I had that extra day off on Monday, then we're leaving tomorrow to visit my brother and sis-in-law in Omaha and help them move into their new house and see that baby bump! Their little one is due on my birthday, so my fingers are crossed for that rare pregnancy where it happens on the delivery date. :)

But I digress...this past weekend we did some major hanging out with friends, which is one thing I'm happy to sacrificing some thrifting for, so I popped into a couple Value Villages later in the day on Monday to see if I could scare anything up. I found a couple vintage things, plus some cardigans for me, but not an overwhelmingly big haul. Want to see?

A wonderfully 90s purple high-waist skirt that actually fits me, so it's a keeper.

A cute little leather purse, for sale.

A vintage Lane Bryant dress, brown with white polka dots and a matching belt, for sale.

A vintage moo-moo! I think I might keep it and it will become my new work uniform. :)

Finally found some vintage sheets that fit the bed in the guest room.

A lightweight cream cardigan.

A cute little red cardigan from Target originally.

And two Vera fabric napkins.

How about you? Did you find time during the holiday weekend to get your thrift on?

Photo a Day May: Catching Up (Again)

Hey all! How was your holiday weekend? Ours was a wonderful combination of relaxing and productive. We got to hang out with some good friends who came in town for a visit, and who are expecting their first baby, so it was great to see that little bump! :) Then Monday was spent working away at that secret project, which I hope to spill the beans on in a couple weeks (I know it's super annoying when people do things like this...).

Amid all that, however, I was able to snap some shots for the Photo a Day May challenge, which is only two more days! Can't believe this month has already flown by...although I kind of can based on how hot it's become. I've taken to cold showers at night just to cool off before bed (which does wonders for my hair...or not). :)

Day 25: Unusual

Day 26: 12 o'clock

Day 27: Something Sweet

Day 28: The Weather Today (Hot...always hot.)

Day 29: A Number (Five has always been my favorite.)

Sustainble Style: Blisscraft & Brazen

It's been a while since I've done a Sustainable Style post, mostly because I felt like I kept finding different versions of the same things. So I decided to take it off the weekly features list and only post about something that I really fall head-over-heels for, whether it's the product or the cause. And today's is all about the product.

Aaron and Rachel, owners and artist behind Blisscraft & Brazen, are two people after my own heart: They make gorgeous pieces for the home from reclaimed wood and metal (I love a good repurposing of things) and they quote Journey in their shop description, which is my favorite band. (I might have walked down the aisle to a string quartet version of "Don't Stop Believin".) :)

But sustainability goes far behind their products and deep into their lives. According to their website, "We aim to live lives that have as small an ecological footprint as possible: We bike, we work from home so we don’t commute, we have an organic vegetable garden and we compost. We use lots of hand tools and look forward to the day we run our house entirely off the grid. We believe you can make beautiful things and have beautiful homes without adding to landfills and carbon emissions."

SO inspiring to see two people achieving such a lifestyle!

DIY Friday

My favorite DIYs this week...

Mini-Embroidered Cards by Say Yes to Hoboken

How to Make a Statement Necklace by Andrea Howe for Making It Lovely

Neon Animal Garland by Erin Loechner for HGTV

Painted Glass Tabletop by Kara Paslay Designs

Wooden Bead Necklace by Laura Parke

Floor Pouf From a $3 Ikea Rug by Retropolitan

Also...since we were on vacation last Friday, I didn't link to my latest DIY roundup over on papernstitch. It's all about "herbin' living," so don't forget to pop over there and check it out! :)

Photo a Day May: Catching Up, Big Time

I bet you thought I was giving up on this photo challenge, didn't ya? Well, trust me, after getting several days behind, I thought about it. But I rallied this week to catch up, and here are the fruits of my labor...

Day 17: Snack

Day 18: Something You Made

Day 19: A Favorite Place

Day 20: Something You Can't Live Without

Day 21: Where You Stand

Day 22: Pink

Day 23: Technology

Day 24: Something New

Almost there! :)

Favorite St. Louis "Hidden Gems"

Hey all! Today I thought I'd share the other places I recommended to Country Living as "hidden gems" in our fair city of St. Louis, i.e. places that most out-of-towners might not know about but won't want to miss. It was suppose to include places to go and places to eat, but we get so caught up in the food scene here that most of my suggestions were the latter. Hee-hee.

First up is Crown Candy, which I actually haven't been to yet (I know, I'm a bad St. Louisan), but anyone who has lived here more than a year will have heard about it. I definitely have plans to make a visit this summer and hopefully redeem myself. (Image source)

Carl's Drive-In has particular value to me, as my great-aunts used to take us frequently for foot-long hot dogs and root beer (back in the days when I was a meat-a-tarian). Each time I drive by, I make a mental note to take the hubs there, so I guess that's another one for the summer to-do list. I think my favorite thing about this place is the unwritten code that once you've had your fill, you promptly vacate your seat so one of the many people waiting on the wall behind you can sit down and eat. Old-school manners...very cool. (Watercolor by Marilynne Bradley)

Aahhhh, Sweet Art, how I LOVE your cupcakes. This is one of my favorite places in our neighborhood. It has such a welcoming vibe, and the decor is right up my alley: mismatched vintage chairs and tables and old windows used as a see-through wall on the counter. And they're not just gifted with baking; last year I picked their veggie burger as my favorite of the 15 that I tried at different establishments around town. I actually haven't had anything from here that I didn't like. (Image source)

Missouri Bakery (or Missouri Baking Co., if you want to be precise) is definitely known among locals, but I figured most visitors go to The Hill for the pasta and maybe don't know about this gem. Their cookies and baked goods have been a staple in my life since I was little; I even made my parents haul several pounds of them to California so I could serve them at our wedding reception. Yum...maybe I'll go get some Chocolate Drops this weekend. :) (Image source)

Nora's is a relatively new-to-me place. The hubs introduced me to it, since him and his business partner frequent it for lunch. The decor is simple, lots of dark wood and wooden booths, but I love it (especially that giant chalkboard pictured). They serve salads in stainless steel mixing bowls, and the first time I was there, the server was wearing a vintage apron that looked suspiciously like one I used to have. Turns out she had bought it at my first indie craft show last year, which was fun. But the food! Really tasty and a great lunch spot. (Image source)

This list of places I love to eat around here could really go on and on...and I guess I should have included some fun things people can DO as well (ha), but there is just never enough space, is there?

What are some of your favorite places in St. Louis?

Style Spots: The Indy Way

Hello, hello! How is your week going? Mine has been filled with catching up on life since our weekend trip. It's crazy how being gone for four days can leave a pile of to-dos waiting for you at home. But I won't bore you with that; let's talk about thrifting in Indianapolis instead!

As I mentioned yesterday, the hubs, being the kindhearted man that he is, allowed me three thrift stores on HIS birthday trip (whatta man!). The first stop was Terre Haute, which is just south of Indy, and I sneaked into a Goodwill there for what was suppose to be 20 minutes, but turned into an hour (oops!). Here's what I picked up there...

A red, white and blue straw clutch, for sale.

Two wallets, one a lovely mustard yellow, the other a red faux snakeskin pattern, both for sale.

I love, love, love the texture of this dress. Vintage size 18, for sale.

This and the next dress seem like good candidates for going sleeveless.
Love the color and lace detail of this one, for sale.

Love the gingham pattern on this one (and the ruffles), also for sale.

This '70s cream dress has a really fun back (for sale).

Front (for sale).

I also found a whole bolt of this gorgeous vintage black, mustard and gray fabric.

On Sunday, the hubs allowed me a little jaunt to the Goodwill in Indy before we went to the Heat/Pacers playoff game. Here's what I found there...

Totally '90s, but I like the pattern. :)

This is a vintage handmade dress for an itty-bitty person.
Wouldn't even fit on Esmeralda!

And on the way home, we stopped at the other Goodwill in Terre Haute, which turned up some gems...

Another nightie! :)

My favorite find, this cream and teal maxi dress. So pretty (and for sale).

A beautiful etched glass plate/cup set from the '50s, for sale.

And a set of four yellow and orange color block glasses, for sale.

One thing I noticed about the Goodwills there was the housewares sections were tucked in the back in a separate room, so the first one I went into, I assumed they didn't sell housewares until I stumbled upon the entrance on my way to the fitting room (here the stores have everything in one big room). All three looked like they were older, so it was interesting to see that setup, which I hadn't before. The big plus was this meant they had tons and tons of clothes, with the men's section rivaling the women's for once. Or maybe there are just more men up north? :)

How about you? Find anything good this weekend?

Linking up with:
Thrifty Treasures
Flea Market Finds
Thrift Share Monday
Magpie Monday

Country Living's "50 Things to Do This Summer"

Hello, my dears! You'll have to excuse me one more day to photograph and post all the vintage lovelies I found this past weekend. The hubs was kind enough to indulge my thrifting addiction and we stopped at a couple places in Indiana, where I found a lot of cute clothes that I can't wait to share with you! I'll also post some pics from his surprise trip, which I think was pretty much perfect. :)

I do, however, have something exciting to share with you today. A writer with Country Living contacted me some months ago, asking if I'd like to contribute to the "50 Things to Do This Summer" story, where they asked a blogger in each state to talk about a "hidden gem" that out-of-towners simply must not miss! I was absolutely flattered (I mean, who would say "no"?!), and came up with a list of about 10 places that I love here in St. Louis (most of them food-related, surprise, surprise). I'll share those all with you tomorrow, but for now, hop on over to the CL site to see which one they picked. :)