los angeles, part 1

We've been home for almost a week now and I think I'm finally back to feeling normal with sleep schedules and all that mumbo jumbo! I've been laying around like a slug all week (staring at the computer screen and not actually doing anything) but, I just bought two little presents for myself on etsy (a new sundress and a pair of gold velvet hair combs) so, a blog update is in order as well!

There's so much to say about LA I don't even know where to start! We ate so well and the shopping was A+ !! Jennifer sent me the most amazing shopping list of all her favorite shops in the city, and I think it made the trip 100x better!

My favorite of all the stores was Flounce. The owner's collection is perfectly curated; filled with 40's rayon dresses, full skirts, and pretty tops from the 50's... I ended up finding a 1950's cotton coy fish bathing suit/romper type thing - it's the exact cut and material I've been searching and searching, and there's an adorable matching skirt! The romper is too big in the chest, but I'm not giving up on it just yet. I think I'm going to take it to a seamstress to have it fixed up correctly, because I know I don't have the skills to mess with all the darting and boning! But - the skirt is going onto etsy!!

It was so hot the entire weekend. On Saturday I ended up buying that little yellow dress and changed in the bathroom of a taco restaurant because I just couldn't take it anymore (I decided to wear jeans... which is a rarity, never-mind in a heat wave!) It's much shorter than I'm used to, but I ended up wearing it all weekend!!

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oh, ebay

I decided to try it out again and put some things on there…. I sure do need the practice. It took me an hour for each listing… I gave up and went to be after the 4th one. But, just to let everyone know - there will be another ebay listing next Wednesday, and then a BIG etsy update on July 4th! (And I still need to do some catch up work with tales of California!)

And yes, I’m selling that lovely button dress… I don’t wear it enough and I know another girl out there will love it to pieces!

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leaving...

We're just getting ready to leave LA......... I don't want to go home!
Everything has been more amazing than expected, and there's lots of photos and stories to share. More later - right now I need to figure out how to get all those dresses in my suitcase! (they're not for me, for the store - I promise!!)

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Las Vegas layover

I got a little taste of Vegas at the airport during our layover to LA.. Man oh man - slot machines in the airport!!!!!!!! Dream come true! And I won $41.75

PS We are in LA! It's 6 AM Boston Land time, yet we're still awake. Completely delirious and saying really silly things, but awake!

PPS I'm having a hard time with sentence structure right now. It's time for bed.

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LA? LA!

I'm going on a long weekend trip, to a strange and foreign place - California!!

I've lived in New England my entire life and I haven't really left. When I was younger I visited a few different countries (Costa Rica, Spain, Morocco, and the DR) but the sad thing is that I haven't done very much exploration of the good 'ol U S A. I love the idea of traveling, but I hate packing and I hate being limited to that suitcase. I usually change twice a day and have more than two bags on me at all times (all the embarrassing tidbits are coming out tonight!) so it can be frustrating and I always regret what I bring. No matter what.

This weekend should hopefully be different. I found three new dresses at Bobby's on Monday. This particular one was supposed to be for etsy, but I just can't part with it!




If you're wondering what on Earth I'm doing flitzin' off to the other side of the country for.... it's for this!

Beth asked me to be a part of a really exciting project a few months back involving a handful of amazing Wardrobe Remix gals and one traveling shirt. When she sent out the invite last week for the new website's launch party happening on Saturday - I instantly knew I wanted to be there! What she's doing is amazing, and I'm so so excited to be there for it all!!

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tomorrow's etsy listings

Only a teeny tiny etsy update for tomorrow. The past weekend was crazy, and working full time at a "real" job only allows for a few hours per night to take photos before it gets dark... it can be frustrating that I can't do Thirteen Eighty-Five full time... but I'm working on a balance of some sort.. kind of?

Anyway, I'll be listing that stuff tomorrow evening right before I leave for a long weekend trip! (more about that soon!)
I'll be brining my computer with me, but I have no idea what the internet situation will be like - I'm sorry ahead of time if anyone has any questions! Oh, and any purchases made after 12:00 PM EDT tomorrow will be shipped on Wednesday - double sorry!!

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back it up!

A good long while ago - (and I mean it) the super awesome amazing way too incredible for words Tara sent me a little box my way...
The box was wrapped in a NYC subway map and brought me two new favorite things!

Sometimes I think Tara and I are cosmically connected - and in the case of this bag, it's so true. The colors are perfect, and fit in with the new found interest in wearing only pinks! It's definitely an autumn bag, but I couldn't wait to wear it - so I paired it with one of my favorite dresses for a wedding shower I went to a few weekends ago.



(PS I spy a jokester boyfriend who thinks he's a funny one... see what I mean?)

She also sent a feather headband I'm wearing right now! The little package she sent made me 24380834x more excited to hang with her at Renegade this past weekend! Saturday was a funny day though. For the first half, it was humid and in the nineties (I do not function normally when it's like this!!) the second half rained like cats and dogs.

I was at Renegade for the hot/humid part, but despite the melted popsicle feeling - it was great! I have so many great business cards and it was nice to be able to put faces to etsy shoppes! We went to Roebling Tea Room for lunch, and as we were walking to the subway - little drops started falling from the sky. We made it into Manhattan, and when we got out of the train station in Union Square the skies OPENED up. We stumbled into the nearest door to take shelter from the rain and it just so happened to be a two story Forever 21. The biggest and worst Forever 21 I've ever been in... That place was trashed and filled with bad stretch cotton dresses and tee shirts. But, once the rain let up a bit, we purchased one of those big golf umbrellas and headed for Fanny's. It took an hour to walk there... three of us squeezed under that umbrella... by the time we finally got to Fanny's we were all pretty soaked and burnt out on New York. I did end up finding a pair of glasses that I'll be converting to sunglasses tomorrow, but the lense-less version will be popping up in some etsy/ebay photos to come!

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yayayayayay!

What excitement!
I feel like from here on out, the next week and a half is going to be a whirlwind!

First big news - I'm typing this blog entry from my brand new COMPUTER!! A black macbook that feels like a dream under my fingertips! I am so, so happy it's here finally! (and thank you to everyone who purchased anything from etsy!)

Second, I'm going to New York for the day on Saturday! This is going to be amazing for three major reasons, we're going to Lyell to exchange my skirt, finally going to Renegade (I've wanted to go since high school!) and the best part, hanging out with the super amazing totally awesome Tara! For that last reason I'm the most excited! (but very nervous my skin will break out or something equally dweeby like that! haha)

As if this wasn't enough, I'm also going to the Bobby's warehouse on Monday... (this means lots of really lovely dresses for etsy) 2,000 square feet of women's vintage is enough to make any girl's heart skip a beat!

Then ... I can't believe there's more - but, on Friday, I'm going on a very impromptu weekend trip. I don't want to say where just yet, because I'm scared something won't work out and we won't end up going, but as soon as I know for sure I'll tell you all about it!

Sorry for the lack of photos in this entry - this computer still has all the factory settings and no music, but there will be much more to come! yayayay!

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family photos

My grandmother's house... It always amazes me. I swear, I've looked at everything in each little nook and when I go back - I find something new.
I went to visit her last weekend and I found a photo album in her living that I've never seen before, all full of photos from my dad's baby years.
I found some great pictures I want to use for sprucing up Thirteen Eighty-Five's website..... there were a bunch that aren't right for the store but are still amazing anyway!

. . . . . .

Dear cousin of long ago - standing on the left. You are wearing my dream dress, paired with amazing shoes, and adorable hair on your head.... and your mum's not lookin' too bad either!



. . . . . .

This is my grandmother, with some cute dog. I'm really hoping that this dress still exists somewhere. I bet it does. I hope it does.


. . . . . .
I love this silly thing on her head, whatever it is.

. . . . . .
This is my dad as a little guy. He looks totally crazy... but I love all the little details of the house - and the birthday cake, and the opened present!

. . . . . .
For this last one, I don't have any words ...

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heat waave

(I've been living in this outfit since Saturday afternoon.)

I sure was complaining in February about the cold, and now I'm complaining in June.....
IT'S TOO HOT.

I was a total slug all of Saturday/Sunday/today due to the humidity and heat. (and humidity.)
My hair is reaching new zip codes too, I swear!

The only good thing about this weekend was this pretty little sunset we had last night. I think I fell asleep almost immediately afterwards though. I went to rest on the couch, hit my head on the arm rest the wrong way, and then I was out like a log for the rest of the night.



PS I bought that lovely skirt at Bobby's this weekend - I want to do something nicer with it, but for right now I'm only operating in tanks/potato sack dresses

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broken shoes = broken heart

Dearest brown leather shoes. All the brown flat leather shoes I own ... why do you have to fall apart on me? The pair above is on the fritz, the pair below is d-e-a-d. You're the only type of shoes I want to wear. And I can't find anything to replace you with.
My heart is breaking for the next four months, now that summer is here....



(does anyone know of any stores that have similar pairs? I don't care how much they are - if they'll last me, I'll pay a pretty penny!)

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My mother's favorite colors are pink and white. Growing up she always had pale roses in old milk glass around the house and pretty pieces of lace in her bedroom. Whenever I see these colors and those little intricate flowery details I think of her (and her mum)
She used to tell me that I should dress in only light colors, pinks and whites and creams - and finally it's sunk in!


Today at the flea market there was this wonderful table filled with pretty lace trimmings, and old fur. It was run by two sisters who were as sweet as can be. Their things immediately reminded me of my mum and I think I visited that table a total of six times.

I ended up purchasing that lace shirt and some trimmings for packages (I wish I could share photos, but it wouldn't be a surprise!) and this amazing crazy quilt pillow! The silks are disintegrating (hmm, just like everything in my life right now) but, I stuck it up on one of my shelves, and I'm just happy to actually have a crazy quilt piece!

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