summer's last gasp

Summer came back with a vengeance yesterday: 85 degree temps and lots of humidity. But it allowed me to wear this new find that otherwise would have hidden in my closet until next year, a Swirl-style wrap dress with a pretty vineyard-like print in greens and plums.

It was the perfect, comfortable dress to wear on the buying trip we took yesterday to Kalamazoo and points south. The shopping was pretty good (I found a wonderful silk 1960s Tina Leser dress!), and we got to visit the Bell's brewery for lunch and pints, always a treat.

Speaking of treats, here's Lucy proving she is not to old to do a circus dog dance for one.

I loved these old school chicken swings spotted at an apparently deserted (nap time?) preschool.

We ended the evening with cocktails (racquet clubs and Moscow Mules!) and snacks at the Viceroy with a lovely friend who brought me perfume samples! Does it get any better?

xo

K

keepers

I was all set to sell this great print blouse--but it fit me! It's a keeper.

Isn't the print great? It looks like surfboards and bow ties. I wore it on our thrifting trip last weekend.

I thrifted with this handsome guy. He's a keeper.

Lucy came with us. She's a trouper--and a keeper.

We didn't find much for the shop (the purpose of the trip), but we found a keeper! Andy spotted this cool folding cart at Goodwill. Once it's cleaned up with some steel wool and whatnot, I think it will make a great drinks cart for the house. Only $2.00!

And in an unusual (for me) (nowadays) spending spree, I found a few keepers of my own on this trip: a 1950s yellow print blouse, a weird 1930s child-rearing book illustrated with photographs, and a velvet tapestry purse that will be perfect for fall.

I also took this photo of a very cool old city hall building, shaded by trees.

And although we didn't find much for the shop, we had a great day: lunch and beers at Saugatuck Brewing (their Scotch session beer is delicious!), driving around the gorgeous Michigan countryside, and finally, celebrating 1000 Etsy sales on the way home with dinner at Bistro Bella Vita and drinks at Viceroy. In this business, you just have to go with the flow!

xo

K

city mouse or country mouse?

Having lived for 11 years in New York City, a part of me always has been, and still is, a City Mouse. Though I escaped the city to live in what is, essentially, the country, I still love my trips into "the city"--whether that be to visit friends in New York, my best friend in Detroit, or more frequently, downtown Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids is not a big city, but its downtown is pretty thriving, especially lately. It seems like a new bar or restaurant opens every week. Saturday night was evidence of this. We went out to celebrate 900 sales on Etsy (yay! Thank you to our lovely customers), and had to drive around forever to find parking. Public transportation is one of the things I really miss about New York. Anyway, I wore this wonderfully lightweight 1950s dress with matching belt, and because the dress is fairly sheer, a vintage deep blue Van Raalte full slip underneath. The slip came from our big estate buy last summer. And I added this chalkware dogwood brooch, which I appropriated off another dress from that same estate buy.

Here's Andy, all dressed up in his favorite style: 1960s prep. As you can see, he also is sporting a new haircut. It's a little shorter than I like on him, but I think it goes well with his vintage plaid shirt.

We had a lovely night, meeting up later with friends for cocktails at my beloved Viceroy.

On Sunday we spent a little time on the lake. Here's Country Mouse me (and Lucy) in the canoe. I'm in my typical lake gear: swimsuit, gingham shirt as cover-up, water shoes, and giant hat. This was taken just after I had a small freakout about a bug that I had to remove from my decolletage.

Ah, nature.

I am not really an outdoorsy person. Well, I shouldn't say that. I'm not the type of outdoorsy person who likes: sports, loud and fast boats, heat and humidity, bugs.

I am the type of outdoorsy person who likes: slow paddles around the lake, hearing and watching the birds in the trees, shady walks in the woods, and floating in the lake with a bottle of beer.

Sunday was pretty bustling (with human life) on the lake. But there were other creatures, too.

There are always lots of dragonflies (one bug that doesn't bother me a bit!). This one caught a ride on the canoe.

I guess I love the city and the country. I'm very lucky to be able to get frequent tastes of both. I hope your weekend was lovely, wherever you spent it!

xo

K

a calico skirt and the summer moon

Last night Andy and I went to check out a new brewery in Sparta. Sparta is a tiny farm town near us surrounded by fruit orchards. So, going for a microbrew in Sparta is kind of like looking for fine art at the mall's Thomas Kinkade store. Nonetheless, the beers were pretty tasty.

I wore this calico print wrap skirt I recently found while thrifting. (By the way, that sweet ride isn't mine. I wish!)

There were three handmade wrap skirts, all together in a row on the rack at Goodwill. It was obvious they were all made by the same person. Each had a little extra patch pocket sewn onto one of the hip pockets. Two were calico; I kept this one but gave the other (in a spring green floral print) to my best friend. They are amazingly well-made, much better than anything you'd find in a store nowadays--they even have linings! I love the contrast piping. And the two calico skirts both have a really clever belting system that involves D rings at the front waist, rather than the traditional belt ties.

As cute as the skirt I wore last night is, it's not the cutest of the three. This one was a bit different and I almost didn't pick it up at the store. It was unlined and just a plain stonewashed blue with a leaf print. It wasn't until I looked near the bottom hem that I saw this:

How adorable is that little mouse? And the mushrooms! Had to keep it.

The blue in that skirt is almost the same color as yesterday evening's sky. I took this photo at about 9 pm--the sky still blue with a pretty crescent moon.

As we drove through the countryside, the sky remained blue well until 10 pm. With the surrounding trees black against the blue sky, it reminded me of Rene Magritte's L'Empire des Lumières.

Here's to long, lovely summer evenings!

xo

K