suddenly...summer?

Yesterday was Memorial Day, which means everyone is talking about summer already. Even though it's not officially summer yet. And even though here in Michigan it seems like our lilac bushes and apple trees have only just sported their spring blooms.

And after a cool, rainy weekend, it did seem like summer suddenly appeared here on Memorial Day, with sunshine and temperatures in the near 90s. So naturally, we joined the rest of the neighborhood out on the lake.

Lucy encounters a turtle.

Wild strawberry blossom.

xo

K

a man in a uniform

I don't mean to be flippant or disrespectful, but since it is Memorial Day, this blog would seem to be the place for vintage photos of men in uniform. These photos are all of relatives who served.

My mother's uncle Henry, circa 1940s. I love this photo because he reminds me here of my #1 political crush, Howard Dean.

And this is my mother's uncle Frank, with his wife Dolores, also circa 1940s. Isn't Dolores lovely, and isn't her outfit amazing? I love the big buttons.

Here is my dad. I think he's pretty handsome here, although the haircut makes me laugh. This is a high school photo, from 1959, so Dad would be 17 or 18. He went to a Catholic military high school and later entered the Army.

Dad and his date for a dance (I'm thinking high school junior prom). Her dress is...wow!

Dad and his mother, my grandma Edna, in 1958 or 1959. Dad looks quite sharp in his uniform here, but I daresay my grandmother holds her own in her taffeta dress, pretty corsage, gloves, and wonderful eyeglasses. I do love this photo.

This is Dad at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1964. Dad told me this was a summer ROTC training camp. He was very lucky--a spot on his lung kept him from being sent to Vietnam. He instead ran the bakery and mortuary services on a Kentucky Army base. Weird, but I'm glad of it!

xo

K

sunshine and clear skies

We returned home from (an abnormally rainy and gray) Colorado to (a completely normal) rainy and gray Michigan--and foot-high grass in the yard. After two days of this, the sun has come out...so this shop preview starts with bright yellow sun and ends with blue skies!

(By the way, all the Denver Max Fund items we've listed to date have sold, and thus, we have raised--with FuzzyLizzie's and your wonderful help--$85.00 for the MaxFund! More items are coming, including one in the update below.)

Sunny yellow shantung dress with tie belt.

Kelly green gingham check blouse, by Karelle.

1980s deadstock gray button-bib dress, new with tags.

Boxy floral print cotton blouse/jacket, by Beeline.

Gorgeous 1950s shirtwaist dress--pintucked back bodice with rhinestone-studded cutwork lace flowers, by Parklane Juniors. (A special listing for Denver's MaxFund no-kill animal shelter!)

Butterfly and daisy print golf skort, by Malia.

1960s lavender embroidered linen dress.

1960s paisley print blouse, by Queen Casuals.

1940s black taffeta suit with rhinestones and passementerie trim, by Doris Dodson.

1980s nautical rayon blazer.

Waterflowers maxi-dress, by Keram.

Khaki floral print skirt, by Herman Geist.

1960s aqua Emma Domb dress and jacket.

xo

K

from the road

That's Lucy and me at an Iowa rest stop. I drove about 600 miles comfortably in the above outfit--dress, leggings, cardi, flats. The drive was also made tolerable by five hours of Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer's Sylvester aloud, and many more hours of Sarah Vowell reading her Unfamiliar Fishes. (Yes, I have only just discovered that audiobooks are pretty much the best thing ever when you have to spend two full days in a car.)

I did not eat one of these.

Photos from western Iowa. (The perfect soundtrack for looking at the hundreds of wind turbines along I-80 is Elbow's song "The Birds," FYI.)

Every thrifter's dream--a basket of wigs! Spotted in a Nebraska Goodwill.

Denver, mountains in the distance.

We had a relaxing trip, and I was able to archive tons of old family photos from the 1800s to the 1960s onto my computer, with the help of my mom and dad. This was lots of fun, and I can't wait to share them!

xo

K

hitting the road

Small Earth Vintage will be hitting the road next week (Lucy makes a great driver when we get sleepy), so we won't be around to ship items for about a week. However, the Etsy store will remain open for your shopping pleasure.

There will be no shipping starting on Tuesday 5/17, so make sure you place any orders by 12:00 PM noon EST on Monday 5/16 if you want them shipped right away. Shipping will resume when we return on Thursday, 5/26.

xo

K

mix and match?

With apologies to Lauren of Dear Golden, whose "Maybe an outfit?" posts I love, I bring you the first (and maybe only) Small Earth Vintage "mix and match?" I could probably spend a goodly amount of time going through the shop and finding things that I think go together--and maybe I'll do it again someday--but for now, just this one. I was inspired when I saw that seersucker skirt and those red espadrilles together.

1970s red espadrille wedges

1950s seersucker skirt

1950s golden bow sweater

xo

K

getting shirty

For all of you well-dressed (or just wannabe well-dressed) gentlemen out there, we have a selection of garments to cover your torso coming soon to the shop! To wit:

1950s print cotton foulard oxford shirt.

1960s mustard plaid shirt, by Mr. Jeff.

1950s Berkray velveteen and houndstooth jacket.

Owl print disco shirt.

1950s terracotta threaded seersucker shirt, by Towncraft.

Amazing 1960s Henry VIII print polished cotton oxford, by Campus.

Roaring 20s print disco shirt.

1950s tan and gray plaid cotton oxford, by Young Alumni by Pleetway.

xo

K

finally spring

It's not really spring here, in my opinion, until it's comfortable enough to drink beer outside. Saturday--at last! I mean, it's freaking May, already--was nice enough for us to do just that. We ventured with Lucy to the dog-friendly patio at Hopcat and enjoyed a couple delicious brews while we watched the local cowboys and cowgirls headed to the Kenny Chesney concert. (Trust me, it was pretty good people-watching.)

Perfect weather. Warm enough to go bare-legged, but cool enough to require a cardigan.

While we were downtown this amazing old doorway caught my eye. It's in a spot I've walked by hundreds of times--I've no idea how it escaped my notice before now. It looks like the entry to a jazz age speakeasy. I particularly love the vines creeping across the bricks near it.

I've always loved the Noble Wood Products sign. I captured the building here in the evening sun, with the shadows of streetlights cast on it.

A crescent moon!

xo

K