old tradition, new fun

At the beginning of every fall we make a point of attending Grand Rapids' Edelweiss Club's Oktoberfest. I need to go--to celebrate my German heritage, watch people dance, eat a brat, and drink good German beer. Andy needs to go, also--mainly for the beer. It's become a tradition, and a good way to welcome in autumn.

This past weekend was a big one for us. Oktoberfest and the start of Grand Rapids' gigantic, superfantastic ArtPrize. (Follow the link to learn all about ArtPrize.) We checked out some of ArtPrize's giant outdoor sculpture offerings by night with our friends Mark
and Roberta (who was celebrating her birthday--happy birthday, Roberta!).

I took some photos at both events. (And I promise--there's some vintage in here, too!)


Oktoberfest tents under a beautiful evening sky.




Dancers!




Zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi!




A cute Polish boy I met at Oktoberfest.




Puzzled. Why is the wiener schnitzel sandwich served with tartar sauce?




Random cute dog (okay, well, it's Lucy) shot.




This is the outfit I wore Saturday night. It's the dress I found on this thrift trip. Yes, it's on the dress form. Trust me--this is a lot faster and easier than directing Andy in taking 350 photos of me that I will obsess over and hate. I love the scalloped neckline on this dress, and I wore it with my go-to vintage black shrug, which has cute mini flower appliques all over it.




And now, a few ArtPrize photos. I have to apologize for the poor quality of my photos. I am not used to taking nighttime photos, or using my flash.

A streetlight through the trees.




Very cool work-in-progress glass sculpture.




Mechagodzilla?




Loved these little flying dudes--they look like something out of Star Wars.




Nessie in the Grand River. Love it, but thought the roaring audio effect was a bit over the top.




Taco truck. Not really "art," but a thing of beauty nonetheless.




Next weekend promises even MORE excitement, if you can believe it. My best friend Stephani is coming to visit, and it's her birthday! Not to mention, it's Pulaski Days.

xo
k

it's official!

I can see the leaves starting to change, cider is available at the orchard, there's Ichabod pumpkin ale in the fridge, and we just had brats at Oktoberfest--I guess it's official. Autumn is here!

Here are some things for layering and keeping you warm or cool (the weather can be fickle right now); some plaids and golden fall colors; some wool, cotton, and cashmere; and look--here comes a fab lined swing coat just right for the season!

Cotton Egyptian novelty print pintuck bodice sundress--great faceted buttons.

Love the drawstring neck on this 1960s blouse in autumn colors.

Slate plaid dress by Sue Brett.

An outfit! Butterfly print oatmeal-gray cashmere cardigan by Dalton, and a chocolate wool grid pattern pencil skirt.

Olive embroidered dress.

1950s navy plaid schoolgirl dress by Abby Kent.

Red wool plaid pencil skirt by Koret.

Olive abstract print dress with bow embellishment at neck.

Seahorse and starfish print blouse. Summery, yes, but too cute!

Silky green rose on sapphire Jonathan Logan dress.

Pendleton amber wool plaid skirt.

Truly fabulous amethyst wool floral print party dress by Mr. Mort!

Scottish red plaid blouse.

Olive plaid wool dress by Joan Miller.

Intricate print blouse.

Sapphire linen swing coat with floral lining, by Ginet.

Very soft seafoam angora/wool cardigan by Darlene.

1950s cherry red Bobbie Brooks blouse with leaf appliques on collar.

xo
K

two stout doors

My claim to fame as a youngster was that I read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books seven times over. My sister and I would play Little House dress-up--I was always Laura and made her be Mary--complete with bonnets, and with the teenage boy from next door mocking us. On one hot August road trip to visit relatives in St. Louis (in a Dodge Duster with black vinyl seats and no air conditioning), my dad, knowing of my obsession, drove us 100 miles off the interstate just to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum. (It was closed. I still hope to visit some day.)





But who wouldn't be obsessed? Log houses, playing catch with a pig's bladder, maple syrup candy, Pa's fiddle-playing, salt pork, Ma making hats from the harvest straw, the sod house, calico dresses, corn cob dolls, coyotes howling in the night, fever 'n' ague. And, of course, Garth Williams' beautiful illustrations. Williams was the illustrator of my childhood; all my very favorite books were illustrated by him. The Cricket in Times Square. Charlotte's Web. The Frances books. Stuart Little.




I still have my original yellow cardboard boxed set of Little House paperbacks and am now re-reading them for the eighth time. They are just as wonderful as when I was eight or nine--I still get a little scared when Ma pets the bear, thinking it's Sukey the cow; I still get worried that Jack the bulldog won't made the swim across the rushing creek. I still want to live in a sod house and eat salt pork.

But instead, I made a Little House-inspired Etsy Treasury.

xo
k

scenes from a short thrift trip

Etsy Weekend Deals!

Ready to start shopping for the holidays? Or just in the mood to pick up a little something special for yourself? Well, this weekend, I and many of my fellow Team Treasury members will be participating in Etsy's Weekend Deals.

My Deal is 10% off everything in my shop (excluding shipping). The sale runs Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27. The 10% off will be given as a refund to your PayPal account.

Be sure to check out the weekend deals offered by my fellow TEAMT members (Etsy group Team Treasury). Simply search at Etsy all items for TEAMT and start saving. Here is a list of the TEAMT members participating in the weekend deals special, each offering 10-25% off specialty items ranging from art, bath and body, knits, jewelry, pottery, clothing, bags, vintage and more. Take a look at the individual shops for instructions.

it gives a lovely light

And scent! (Forgive me, Edna St. Vincent Millay.)

Along with my red lipstick, perfume, Etsy jewelry, and small ceramic animal issues, I have a candle problem. (I don't consider the vintage clothing a problem. After all, you need clothes, right?) I've managed to keep it in check recently. I think the last candle I purchased was my birthday gift to myself from LafcoNY, the Santa Maria Novella Melograno (pomegranate) candle. (My visit to Lafco was a hoot, actually. The sales staff is delightful, and they were excellent at entertaining--or was it being entertained by?--Andy and my best friend, Stephani, while I plowed through the store like a crazy lady, oooh-ing and aaah-ing to myself. That's my default setting when surrounded by good-smelling things to purchase. Anyway.) The Melograno candle has only been lit once or twice because unlit it perfumes our bedroom in such a fabulous manner. It was my favorite candle.

And then I met JenSan's Nutmeg & Cedar candle. It is a glorious spicy, cedary, slightly sweet and very cozy scent that is perfect for this time of year. I've been burning it yesterday and today, and while it's not covering the scent of the nasty stuff Andy painted the bathroom floor with--I don't expect any candle to do that--its lovely scent is totally distracting me from it. It has a pretty good throw to it, too, meaning, I'm burning it in our big main room and I can smell it!

You can find JenSan's shop here, on Etsy.

And now I need to make it an early night so I will not be a monster when I have to wake up at the crack of dawn for thrifting tomorrow.

xo
k

mullet post

Business in the front, party in the back.

Business: we are taking a kinda impromptu quick trip up north for thrifting and fun on Tuesday. I love being in northern Michigan this time of year. Cooler temps, country drives, beautiful views, good places to eat. Maybe even leaf-peeping!

The shop will be open, but any purchases will not be shipped until we come back on Thursday. I don't think we'll get to make it up to Legs Inn, sadly, but hopefully we can have dinner at this place, which is housed in a former mental hospital.

That's Trattoria Stella. I will have a Manhattan, and pork belly if it's still on the menu. Go to their site and take a look at the menu. If you're ever up Traverse City way, Trattoria Stella is one of the best places to get a meal.

Okay, here's a little more business. Well, business and pleasure, since it's vintage. This shop preview has some great autumnal colors: mustard, grays, cocoa brown, olive. And a really fab angora cardigan.


Charcoal polka-dot capri pants and motorcyle-inspired jacket with the cutest clothing label I've ever seen!

Vine print blouse in autumn colors.

Sage crosshatch fabric dress with Peter Pan collar and cute pockets.

Pine green wool plaid pleated skirt.

Mustard wiggle dress by Minx Modes with amazing triangular cut-out back.

Winter woods print angora cardigan.

Jonathan Logan turquoise check dress.

Suzy Perette white eyelet and satin ribbon dress.

Woodcut floral print dress by Cos Cob.

Mod cherry red knit dress.

1950s blue rose and stripes dress.

VERY Joan Holloway. But how much did you love that blood-spattered green number she wore tonight?

Okay, I promised party. Here it is.

Caramel apple rice pudding. In vintage highball glasses. They were really good. The caramel isn't the typical sweet, thick caramel. The cider in it makes it tangy and a really nice counterpoint to the milky rice pudding. I posted a link to the recipe the other day, but here it is again, via Bon Appetit.

See you in a few days, hopefully with some newfound treasures!

xo
k