Rain Rain

Ah, rain is a thing of beauty. Whenever it falls I think of this poem that I grew up with.

"The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea." 
{Robert Louis Stevenson}

D e t a i l s

{tights} - ModCloth

{belt} - vintage 70's, inherited

{rain boots} - Mel via ModCloth

{necklace} - handmade by Seven Finches

{dress} - vintage 60's, available in the shop!

Autumn Wool Tartan

There is something about that period of weather between seasons, that's a little bit magical. It can, of course, be frustrating as well-- all of that too warm, too cold, jacket-or-not, type of thing.  Despite those lovely spikes back up into the warmer temperatures, I'm pretty convinced that it is fully fall now.  It could be the fact that it's October, or the pictures of a first snow my Dad just texted me from Colorado.  Mostly, though, I'm convinced Fall has arrived because wool tartan skirts have woven themselves back into both my wardrobe and the shop, of late.

Even what I wore today qualifies!

I recently listed these other great examples of vintage wool tartan-- both hail from the 50's and had the same original owner as the skirt I'm wearing above! She is the sweetest lady, and spent so much time with me, telling stories about each garment.  I'll be listing a couple more of her wool skirts soon, so keep your eyes peeled! :) 

One of the awesome things about vintage wool skirts (besides keeping you toasty warm in chilly weather) is the huge variety of patterns and colors that they come in! I can't wait to post the two others I have yet to list, and other fall items coming soon!  I also have an exciting update I'll be making to Curio Vintage in the coming weeks, that I can't wait to share.  Stay tuned vintage lovers, and feel free to reach out in the comments or to ofDustandWonder@gmail.com via email.

D e t a i l s

{top} - brother's old Marine Corps boot camp tee

{skirt} - vintage 40's, thrifted

{shoes} - Julianne Hough via Sole Society

{locket} - handmade, gift

Lately - July Fade

Lately, I've been finding more vintage stock, when I still have stuff to list from Spring-- yikes!

One of my most recent finds is this amazing and demure 40's gown, coming to the shop soon!

I've been under the weather, and found that drinking hot tea in the summer is just weird.

Lately, there's been a lot of baby holding in my family-- Gunnar is already a month old! Here he is with my Mom (Grandma!).

I'm drawing nearer to cranking out my own pair of shoes at my apprenticeship-- these are a pair I'm assisting with while I learn.

I've been beyond blessed by this dear friend and her willingness to adventure and dream.

I've been trying to hold on to summer, while most seem to be rushing toward fall.

Introspection and Thanks

This summer has been so strange, traveling at a snail's pace one moment and blurring past the next.  The last 5 or 6 days (seriously, it's already Wednesday!?) went by like light speed and I'm floundering a bit to process it all.  Even excitement and joy need to be sorted.

I thrive on rumination, introspection and processing my feelings and thoughts-- A pensive stance is home base for me, so when things happen rapidly in succession (though I enjoy it), I need the time to sort it all out within myself.  Which is perhaps why I write.

Big time praise is in order for #sandblast14 and the way God showed himself (as always) to be thoroughly trustworthy.  The weekend was equal parts wonderful and exhausting, lived alongside amazing and authentic individuals and feeling the Spirit move deeply. I walked in partially blind on Friday, but it's become increasingly clear since, how necessary the rock and hard place circumstances of the past few months of my life have been to the plans God had for Sandblast concerning me.  Which is why I say again, my favorite times of life are when I literally have no choice in the matter.  When options don't exist and straight ahead is all there is, at least I'm going the right way.

Usually, coming home from these things is somewhat hard because of the shocking disconnection from constant community.  This year, I found that not a problem at all!  Even my first day back was relationally and spiritually full-- coffee with a newer friend who understands my depths and later, dinner with a good friend who has helped me to laugh and pursue action in life.  I could not be more thankful for being right where I am.

Father, I can't praise, thank or worship you enough.  You've taken the broken shell of a girl I once was (and occasionally still am) and reformed her-- into me, the real, joyful, confident, vivid person you created me to be.  Sometimes I'm just completely awed by the amount of healing you have done in my heart, and the work you are allowing my hands to do.  So, so blessed.

Details

{top} - Thrifted

{skort} - vintage 60's, for sale at Curio!

{sandals} - Seychelles

Shop Update - May '14

After some furious cleaning and photographing earlier this week, I've finally started cranking out some new listings!  Here are the May additions to Curio, some just listed and some soon to come.

50's ruffled, novelty print juniors dress

70's lavender scalloped blouse

60's ruffled bib collar, floral dress

90's yellow Boy Scout den Mom blouse

60's blue tweed Marshal Fields jacket

60's pastel paisley scooter dress/romper

60's red and teal striped day dress

70's red scalloped blouse

50's black and white Houndstooth, wool wiggle dress

60's teal wool, plaid dress

I always hesitate when listing chilly weather things (like the last two dresses) in the Spring but then remember my Australian friends who are just heading into Fall!  This is just a start, but it feels good to get some of these pretties listed-- more to come!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter or Facebook if you want to know when these are listed!

Bluberry Rose

I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I've been wearing a lot of blue and pink together recently, I knew I had a green + pink tendency but this is new.  This 1940's dress is very fun (in a curious sort of way) because it's actually shorts!  I'm hoping to wear it more as the weather warms up since it's lightweight and super versatile.

I've started the week off by washing and measuring my new found vintage stock-- or at least getting a start on it, there's a lot!  I'm so excited to start adding them to the shop in the coming weeks so keep an eye out!

A tiny peek at what's to come!

Details

{dress} - vintage 40's, thrifted

{cardigan} - J.Crew

{belt} - Target

{necklace} - handmade by Seven Finches

{boots} - handmade by me

153 Fish

I'm so bursting with excitement today!  I've actually come down a bit by now, but the glow of being so provided for by my heavenly Father and seen in the tangible way that I was yesterday, does not fade quickly (nor should it)!  I've had such a weird and interesting season the past few months, lots of unexpected changes and lurches along the way-- some big (my nephew!) and some small (my loveseat).  

I've not written very much here about my business as a vintage clothing dealer, but the past year has been a struggle.  Since I'm in close proximity to Chicago, finding stock is a constant battle.  Locating it is one thing, but getting it in the company of other hungry dealers...complicated.  I've encountered peers along the way, some pleasant kindred-spirits and others self-serving, competitive jerks.  I myself absolutely have within me the ability to throw my proverbial weight around, to abuse my gifts of a quick tongue and a sharp mind to get what I want-- but I don't.  I learned a long time ago that I do not want to be that person-- though it often means humbling myself and not retaliating. In that I have had to trust that God will provide, when and what He so desires.  And friends, yesterday He did in a big way!

I decided in the middle of the week that I wanted to attend an estate sale this weekend, something I haven't done as much this year as in years past.  I had let my negative experiences discourage me-- experiences of foul play and political moves on the behalf of other dealers, right before my eyes.  This was both infuriating and disheartening, and I let it keep me away a lot this year.  But a few days ago I felt a surge to get back at it, I found an interesting sale and planned to go Friday morning.  Friday morning bright and early, my Father allowed me to be blindsided with emotional realization, with pain and anger at myself about areas in my life where I might not be putting Him first.  Not exactly the best state to enter a vintage war-zone in, but I responded and let my heart be broken before God.  

In the end, God designed the most unusual and beautiful circumstances for me to walk into at the sale yesterday.  My freshly raw heart expected the usual chaos, but found a sale full of vintage clothing, and void of other dealers.  What in the heck.  That's pretty much all I could incredulously think when I realized.  Not only more stock than I could hope to find in one place (I've only twice encountered the like), not only was I alone to actually take my time, but the woman who owned and wore the clothing was present at the sale!  Because most estate sales are company run I rarely have the opportunity to come face to face with the owners and story holders.  Dorothy was such a blessing to my heart, telling me which pieces she made, where she purchased or wore others and all sorts of tidbits about labels and days past.

It amazes me daily how well my God knows me, knows what will delight me to my toes and what I need in each and every moment.  It makes every struggle and trial so obviously necessary in hindsight, for where would my joy come from without them?

And what's more, He feels that way about all of us.  What a guy!

Sigh. Sorry for the novel, I just had to tell that story!

Needless to say, a large shop update will be coming soon!  I still have things that needed listing from before this sale, so I have my work cut out for me!

If you are curious about my title, it comes from John 21:1-14 which was the focus of She Reads Truth this morning.  Crazy, because it so fits with my day yesterday!

Details

{dress} - vintage 50's, thrifted

{shirt} - J.Crew

{cardigan} - vintage 50's, thrifted

{tights} - ModCloth

{heels} - Seychelles

{necklace} - vintage, antique market

Hunter Gatherer

It's been a bit since I last wrote, but I'm back to normal (or some semblance of it)!  This past weekend was largely spent with family; my Dad flew in, we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday and my parents and I did some local sightseeing.  I thoroughly love to spend time with my family, but it also feels good to have some alone time today and sort my thoughts out.

I love to mix hard and soft and this outfit is no exception, pairing my shooting patch polo with a floral skirt feels like an inside joke with a large dose of truth.  What can I say, I enjoy irony.  I know it's not something everyone connects with-- my own Mother tends to tilt her head to the side and say, "hmmm." when I don ensembles like this one-- but I love the ironic blend.  I even think it's a metaphor for myself.  One half strong and capable, one half thoughtful and gentle.

Silly as it might be, I dare say it fits.

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Details

{skirt} - vintage 50's skirt, for sale at Curio Vintage!

{polo} - Ralph Lauren

{tights} - ModCloth

{ankle boots} - handmade by me

{necklace} - thrifted

Curio Vintage: Early Spring Update

It's been far too long since I posted here with new additions to my vintage shop!  Here's what is newly listed and coming soon for Spring:

This sweet and springy 1960's peach hued dress is freshly listed!  It's effortless and is definitely a throwback to the 20's in style!  Whether you prefer mod or Gatsby, this coy number does both.

These charming 50's clip earrings are beautiful and so nostalgic, they'll make an appearance in the shop in early April!

This 1960's grapefruite wool coat is the perfect lighter weight for the last bits of spring chill.  It's most charming details are the row of pearly buttons, front slit pockets and cuffs.  I just listed it today!

Vintage strawberry earrings, need I say more?

This green 50's cashmere sweater is classic, beautiful and due to the shop in early April! 

Oh, the detail on this gorgeous 1920's peacock wallet!  It's beaded, embroidered and has wire elements, all on a velvet background.  This gem will be listed in the shop in early April!

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Keep an eye on the shop for the above and more in the coming weeks (including some adorable vintage children's clothing!) not to mention all of the other springy goodness already for sale.  

Here's to the thaw of winter '14!