disneyland-ish.

well, we are not quite in disneyland, but just about as close as you can get...and, when in rome...(or just about as close as you can get)...

channeling minnie mouse to be best of my abilities.

vintage glam.

a little vintage glam flower for a little vintage glam town.

first day in california!

merry christmas!

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? Dr Seuss

Merry Christmas!!!

lovely.

earrings make great flowers, too.

earring flowers instead of a pin for wednesday's flower adornment.

great find. forever 21 for all of $5.00.

silk scarf? yes, please.

taking a hint from vintagebouquet on etsy, I paired one of my favorite flowers with my new love, silk scarves. this coach-esque blue scarf with gold chain links matches perfectly with the vintage two-toned enamel flower pin.

"Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box."

so here's the story. Madeleine Albright, first female secretary of state, which makes her kind of a badass anyway, was called an "unparalleled serpent" by saddam hussein. she decided to strike back (get it?) in what better way? vintage brooches. that's right. badass. she went to meet Iraqi officials donning a pretty little vintage snake brooch.

all of a sudden, wearing a brooch, got very deep.

my favorite?

"hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" pin worn to meet vladimir putin.

so, she decided to write a book, "Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box."

and, her pins were displayed in the Smithsonian this year.

and I love it.

here's more info

etsy treasury

etsy treasury!!!

so you don't have an hour (or two) to cruise etsy for the best vintage flowers out there? don't worry...I do.

not only that but in my search I found a great etsy seller...vintagebouquet...

for only about $20.00-$25.00 a piece, vintage bouquet has paired gorgeous flower brooches with silk scarves. need I say more?

christmas-ish.

poinsettia take 2.

I often get swept up in the christmas spirit early...some may say too early.

around the beginning of october, I am ready to decorate. I love that target puts out their christmas decor in july so I have plenty of time to plan my holiday festivities. each room deserves it's own christmas tree, in varying themes and colors. you can never have to many stockings. we have approximately ten (not including those for the animals.) you never know---santa might need more room and you must always be prepared. twelve days of christmas are not enough.

this year, though, something funny happened. a few weeks into november, no christmas tree in sight and with a strange feeling in my tummy, I asked myself "where is christmas?"

it was at target. the isles and isles of holiday cheer staring back into your soul. it was at lowes. the garden reindeer nodding knowingly, "you do not want us". it was on our street. the christmas light balls hanging, sighing, "you must hate christmas." all while our little house sat christmas-less.

depressed yet?

I'm not. this might be one of our best christmas' yet. in our avoidance of "christmas" (due to crammed schedules, or speeding time, or low budgets, or just plain scroogy-ness with the whole mass-marketed idea) we might actually discover what it's really all about.

instead of loading up on lots of presents, kyle and I are limiting it to one gift, and saving the money to fulfill new experiences over the next few weeks. (come on, we couldn't say no presents, that would just be ludicrous.) instead of exchanging gifts with friends, we are going out to beautiful dinners---memories that will last longer than ipods (unless you were actually going to get me an ipod and then I might reconsider the whole dinner thing).

most importantly, though, instead of the traditional one-day of holiday cheer, we are spreading out the joy of the season to be the witness to a wedding and the start of a new life together.

so, I wear my poinsettia proudly. and I am lucky enough to say, this year, I don't need a thing.

holiday cheer.

a very special holiday gift.

beautiful topaz rhinestones and a light chocolate pearl center.

formed resin or bakelite petals.

perfect.

more dots.

personally I do not think you can ever have enough polka dots. three in three days? yes, thank you.

black and white again. fabric. probably hand made.

mom's.

red white and fantastic.

continuing with the polka dot theme, red and white this time. this enamel pin is in beautiful condition. minnie mouse in flower form.

the picture doesn't do it justice. this is pure apple red. no orange tones.

found: thrill of the hunt

70% off. so excited

glam take two.

so in my research about my new favorite flower pin, (see prior post) I came across these---the matching earrings---on etsy! so excited.

yes, I bought them. in, like, all of 30 seconds.

they had me at NIB.

in addition to this marvelous find, after multiple google searches, the real news is that this glam collection is the avon "spectator flower" circa 2002.

adore.

snowy date night. glam.

black and white polka dot flowers with fabulous rhinestone centers.

avon made.

etsy found.

perfect condition.

love vintage avon. more information needed.

hello love.

no flower here. today is all jj telephone pin in gold and rhinestones.

could not be happier with this find.

not only is the pin so fantastic, there is actually a good amount of information out in the world about jj and all it's vintage glory.

in fact, here's an entire blog dedicated to the collection of jj pins....

JJ Pins Collectors Club

want one?

amazon etsy

love.love.love.