End of Summer Sale

While I eagerly await the crisp fall weather, let's have a sale in the shop!

SHOP THE SALE

Now through Sunday the shop is 35% off.

No reserves, layaways, or coupons can be used during this sale.

It's Okay to Change

  

For as long as I can remember, most of my inspiration when it came to fashion and home design came from either the 1940s or the 1950s.  The clothes, the furniture, the films -- just everything about these two decades felt like home to me.  But lately, I am being pulled in a different direction and am finding that the vintage world has much more to offer than just that of the early mid century eras that I had restricted myself to for all these years.

The challenge I face now is allowing myself to embrace this new direction.  Self admittedly, I am very hard on myself and I have been struggling with convincing myself that it's okay to change what you like.  I think one of the downsides to living a vintage lifestyle is the strange connection we have to our stuff.  I often find myself feeling a certain responsibility to my vintage possessions, making it really hard for me to let things go. 

Now I know what you're thinking, "...but Emily, you sell vintage clothing.  How can you let go of those items and not others?" All I can say is somehow, it's different.  There is a mental divide between my shop items and my personal items -- I don't form attachments to the vintage clothing and accessories I offer for sale in my shop, most of which were bought with that purpose in mind.

I've taken this move (which I actually have a move-in date for now -- yay!) as an opportunity to severely downside and weed through my stuff, attempting to narrow it down to include only items I really truly love and actually use on a somewhat regular basis.  Because, this gal doesn't want to be featured on an episode of "Hoarders" anytime soon.  I know I will feel much better once I have a small load of stuff, but the road to get there hasn't come easy.

So this is a reminder to myself, but also for anyone else who is struggling with letting go: It's okay to change what you like.  It's okay to get rid of vintage items that no longer serve your aesthetic.  It's okay to change.

The Dollar Dress

When I was little and just getting into sewing, my grandma used to tell me the story of her collection of dollar dresses she sewed during the 1950s.  At the time, you could get three yards of fabric for $1 -- just the right amount for a simple day dress.  Not only were these dresses practical, but they also allowed for the frugal housewife to add to her wardrobe without breaking the bank.

| my grandma in 1955 wearing one of her dollar dresses |

Although I didn't know it at the time, my grandma was teaching me an important life lesson when it comes to the value of a dollar and how to make it stretch.  And, while I would be hard pressed to make a dress for today's equivalent of $8.89 to 1955's $1.00, I definitely have adapted this concept to 2014 living.

| 1950s sundress, thrifted for $5 |

It never occurred to me, until a few weeks ago, that all my thrifted dresses were kind of the modern equivalent.  For the most part, you can walk into any thrift store and find many dresses marked $8.99 or below.  Even if I were to walk up one morning and decide that I was done with wearing vintage clothing, I still would be a regular thrift store shopper.  I always find it so thrilling to see how far I can stretch the $20 bill in my wallet and what amazing treasures await me.  So Grandma, wherever you are, thank you for sharing the gift of spending wisely on fashion.  I know you'd be proud.  :)