Day in Portland

Tuesday was our only full day in Portland, so we mostly ate, shopped, and ate some more :) Breakfast at The Morningstar Cafe, (really good bacon!), then went and saw Transformers :) After that we picked up some things at H&M and Forever 21, Sam went to Powells and found some books, and I went to Anthropologie and tried to fit my vintage figure into modern dresses. Didn't even come close, but I did pick up these sunglasses which were just what I was looking for :)

For a very late lunch we had Sushi at Moi Sushi, and then later dinner at Deschutes Brewery, the mac and cheese is amazing, just in case you ever go ;)

LoveCats

For our two year wedding anniversary, Sam treated us to a stay at The Ace Hotel, but more on that later! Magpie, my favorite vintage shop in Portland is right down the street, and they just happened to have this amazing kitty lovers dress, in my size too!

How perfect is that?

Dress-Magpie Vintage

Blouse-Rays Ragtime

Shoes-Thrifted

Belt and Purse-Urban Eccentric Vintage

How to tie a 1940s turban

A while ago I came across this 1940s British Pathe video on tying turbans. I was hooked instantly. They seem to be seeing quite a revival right now, and with good reason: they're awesome.

I do them on days my hair is a mess, or just when it would seem to suit an outfit. I think they are great to sport poolside too! So take a look at the video clip if you have a chance, and the others that are related, they are really interesting! But here's my little interpretation :)

You will need all the things pictured above for this turban. You can always replace a pretty brooch or bunch of silk flowers for the hatpin though :)

If you have long hair, pin it up. 

Wrap the cotton headscarf around your head. This creates some volume, so the turban isn't flat, and acts as a gripping point between your hair and the silk scarves. 

Take the large silk scarf and fold it into a triangle. 

Place it on your head with the point at your back. Pin each side at your browline. 

Take the sides of the scarf and bring them right up, and tie once. The pins just placed at the side will act well to hold as you are folding. 

Tuck in the crown. 

Bring the tip of one of your floppy ears to the center, and use a bobby pin to hold in place. 

Same on the other side. 

Now take your small scarf and thread it through the knotted bit. 

Bring the ends to the center, just as with the other scarf. 

Pin the this scarf with the hatpin. 

Open up the loops. 

Fluff fluff fluff!

Tuck the back point under the first cotton scarf, it should hold well. 

Ta da! You are now effortlessly chic.

Fruit basket

A little Carmen Miranda style, but I need more fruit!

Photos by Ruth

Dress-Beach House BBQ Dress courtesy of Modcloth

Shoes-Cherries Shoe-Bilee shoes courtesy of Modcloth

Everything else-Vintage, various estate sales

4th of July gathering

Every year family and friends gather at my brothers house to celebrate the 4th of July. Their backyard has a beautiful tulip tree right in the middle, that acts as a perfect giant parasol for everyone. There was of course, lots of food and drink, watergun fights, good company and conversation.

I hope you all had a nice weekend, I had a fantastic one! Summer in the Northwest is great :)

Balcony garden

It's kind of silly how long it took me to utilize our little balcony as more living space. Considering how small our apartment is (550 square feet), it's good to use every bit of space possible. I'm not quite finished, I still want a little bistro table for outdoor dining, and some more details here and there, but I have the garden space finished and I love it :)

We've got basil, mint, rosemary, cilantro, chives, and tomatoes. All growing like crazy! Josh and Amy are letting me use their pretty ceramic planters, and I have a wine bottle to water the plants in the morning. All housed on a vintage vanity found at a yard sale.

I found the perfect chairs at Most Everything, a vintage store downtown, thats has some really cute furniture. And the "rug" I made from a burlap sack, I just did a checkerboard stitch for strength.

So there you have it! Hopefully soon I can get those finishing touches done!

Partridge family

This Swirl dress was in a big ol' lot of vintage clothes my sister in law Amy gave me, although at the time, I didn't know what a Swirl was, I just thought it was cute! It seems to have little partridges hanging out all over, and best of all, huge pockets!

Swirls are wrap dresses most popular in the 50s and 60s, that started out being sold as aprons, but come on, they're just too cute to stay at home! They seem to be quite in demand now, and I see why, they're the perfect "just throw on" dress. And in this case, a "hide a gross scaly sunburn" dress.

And of course, little cousin Dottie wanted in on the photos. She blows you a kiss, and wishes you all a happy weekend!

Photos by Ruth

Dress-Gift from Amy

Spanish Trails Hat-Courtesy of Modcloth