sad news

charlie, the dog i grew up with, passed away yesterday. she was an old lady and lived a long (112 dog years!) happy life so i'm trying to think positively. but man, i thought she was gonna live forever.

wonder bread

trying out a little white on white before labor day is here!

i got the blazer and blouse on the same shopping trip and just knew they needed to be a pair!

just 18 hours till i hit the road! i better get going- gotta go finish up packing and making snacks...

thrifted blazer, blouse, shorts, purse, vintage shades, etsy flats

this post is

just for the sake of showing these 2 year old photos which i only got developed last week, me at a beach in texas

can't wait for my hair to be that long again! almost there..

and alex being goofy

these are making me sad i didn't make it to any beaches this summer!

PHL->STL

this is a map of the planned trip:

View Larger Map

the letter markers being the thrift store stops, chosen for their excellent reviews on yelp and thriftshopper (aka roll of the dice).

and this is a map of all the white castles:

View Larger Map

haha so yes, i plan to cheat vegetarianism for a slider (or two). i've never eaten white castle! feel like it's a right of passage.

we leave wednesday. the drive takes about 16 hours, which we're splitting up on the way there with a night couchsurfing- also a first. and once we're in st louis, well, there's plenty more shopping to do! thanks for all your tips guys!

i'm bringing my laptop, but posting will still probably be limited, if at all. but i'll try to take notes just in case anyone ends up taking a similar trip some day!

tuesday

before the sunglasses=mad grumpy face

after the sunglasses= all better

i have some exciting plans coming up in the way of an end of summer road trip! see my parents are going away on a 2 week european vacation through dublin, northern france, and italy (lucky them!), and while they are away they have generously offered me their car. i am taking it on the road to st louis- alex's old stomping grounds (gonna meet his family and old friends, eep!). on the way we'll be stopping at as many thrift stores as possible. i am so psyched! more road trip themed posts ahead! if you have any tips, or know some must see places between philly and st louis, please do tell! only 8 days to go till i'm off!

vintage sunglasses, vintage 80s ruffle top, vintage plaid slacks, thrifted shoes and purse

shop update!

top:

pink clutch

pink bow blouse

harvest shirt

woven oxfords sz 7

scalloped jacket

bottom:

lace slip dress

floral romper

brown tea dress

60s bright flower shift

floral maxi dress

it's been a little while since i did one of these. i have some exciting plans coming up at the end of the month and want to empty out the shop a little. so everything is 20% off until august 24th! just send me a message saying you read my blog. yay!

antiquarians delight

antiquarian's delight is an antique mall in what used to be a synagogue. there are a bunch of venders set up inside with stalls, antiques, furniture, etc. only a couple of the stalls have clothes and they aren't cheap, but there are definitely some treasures. one vendor's collection of vintage eyewear fantastic, if i even need frames i would look here. that said i've never purchased anything form here yet.

pros: cool building, overload of stuff to look at, everything is old and interesting, open till 7 (most of the antique stores in the city close by 4), there's a downstairs open on weekends with more furniture.

cons: the prices are high because these people are antiques dealers. it's fun to just look though. some (most?) of the vendors are unabashedly surly. i guess they assume that since i'm young i'm not going to buy anything. and whatever you do, do not touch the fur coats! they will get downright mean if you are caught 'pettin' the furs. you can read more about the mean furs guy on their yelp page (haha seriously).

grade: 2/5

sodas and stripes

here i am wearing a lazy hot day outfit and drinkin coconut soda. cannot believe it's been a week since i last posted! been keeping way too busy i guess. tonight i rented a zipcar and went to ikea and trader joes. and that was kinda super exciting! (oh what am i turning into??) i got a salad spinner and a new shower curtain and maybe just maybe a new contraption for my shoes...

but seriously, is summer over yet? can everyone pitch in a little more so next summer is not this god awful global-warming-ed? i cannot wait to wear jackets and sweaters three pairs of tights and obsess about all things cozy. okay enough ranting. time for some zzzs.

vintage stripe tee, thrifted shorts, keds shoes, thrift purse, coconut soda

thursday

can't believe it's already august and i haven't worn these shorts out! about time. i was in the mood for something a little longer than my usual coochie cutters daisy dukes.

i bike to and from work and the first thing i do when i get home is peel off my jeans (yay for casual but freezing offices) and throw on something lighter and short.

oh, thanks for all the book recommendations guys! i have a long list to take over to my local library. let you know if i fall in love with something and demand everyone to get a copy!

thrifted BDG cardigan, f21 white tank, vintage floral shorts, vintage shoes from etsy, vintage purse from punk rock flea

circle thrift

next up in my guide to philly is Circle Thrift! there are two locations, one up on frankford in north philly, and one down in south philly. the north one is far superior in contents and friendliness, sadly it is also farthest away from me and hardly ever go- until yesterday! i found a cute striped sweater and a record of 20s music- though i ended up not liking the record. my favorite find at the south philly location was a bracelet with the photo of a newborn baby, which i regret selling at punk rock flea last year.

pros: they have half off color days and 50 cent colors (and, lucky me, i got both things for 50 cents!) they (used to? sometimes?) carry new factory rejects from urban outfitters and free people. they held a clothing swap that i attended earlier this summer, and though it was rather disapointing i think if they continued to host swaps it could get better.

cons: they are run by a strange hari krishna organization that may have some sort of secret agenda. there's a high ratio of newer mall clothing to vintage, and it's pretty hit or miss. probably due to the fact that it's a well known thrift spot and picked over by, ahem, hipsters. the south philly location has played some especially bad music when i've been in. should i be grading these places as well? i guess circle thrift gets a 3/5.

sea scallops

these photos were taken a little too close to sunset which explains the grainy/blurriness. i'm flirting with the idea of a new camera... as if i had enough extra pennies for that. (speaking of which, i wonder how many pennies are in my extra change jar? maybe that will be my new fancy camera fund!)

i've been working on getting some reading done this summer. well, starting last week. so far i've read in cold blood, and i'm 1/4 way through watchmen. the moon is down is next in line. these have come borrowed from the bookshelves of friends, and i am at a loss for what will come next (i'm a rather speedy reader)! please dear readers, share with me your summer reading lists or old favorites! i want to spend much more time with my nose in books than in front of the glowing laptop screen.

scallop 70s jacket, vintage dress, oxfords from retrospect, purse from punk rock flea market($2!)

the past few days

i have been selling my junk at flea markets

chowing down

and hanging out with a dog named lima bean.

i make so much better use of my free time when i feel like i have so little! is it really monday already??