Posted in Home Decor, Kitties, New Hampshire, The Holidays, Vintage + Thrift, tagged christmas, snow, the holidays, vintage on December 12, 2012 | 2 Comments »
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Our days are filled with comfort.
I hope your days are filled with cheer and joy. Spend as much time as you can with family, and show your loved ones how much you care. This part of the year never neglects me – I always feel the urge to share little happinesses with those around me.
Happy Christmas,
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Style, Vintage + Thrift, What We Wore, tagged for fall, how to style, how to wear, layering, style post, vintage capelet on November 5, 2012 | 8 Comments »
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Today was a wonderful day to live in a small town.
Snow started falling this morning putting Ryan and I in the most marvelous mood. We love snow and we love winter! I can’t imagine living somewhere that didn’t have all four seasons. Although there was no accumulation, the flakes we saw were all it took to get us all bundled and nearly running out of the house.
While living in Portland we became rather accustomed to spending our days off just walking around town and popping in and out of establishments. It’s much harder to do that sort of thing in an area where the downtown stretches less than a quarter of a mile, but we made our very best effort today for sure!
First stop – the post office. We checked our mail {I got a letter from my Lovely Letters pen-pal, Felicity!} and picked up a package. Our post mistress is the absolute best, so on our way out we decided to pick up a coffee to surprise her! Ryan got a pumpkin coffee and I ordered a pumpkin coffee and a pumpkin latte so Andrea, the post mistress, could take her pick. We always appreciate her kindness and efficiency so I really hope she liked her autumn treat!
Apres ca, it was straight to the antique shop! Our antique shop owner is fantastic. She’s a jubilant thirty-something always excited to help us learn more about the world of antiquing. She asked us to make a list of all our favourites today so she could keep an eye out especially for us when she’s buying. I swear we could pass hours {and we almost did!} just hanging around her store laughing about flask-sized secret compartments in vintage bibles and venting about that time a family member threw away something obsolete (ie. oh-so-valuable) without checking with us first! Next time we visit she said she’ll make us tea. We may just stop by weekly!
Next stop, the library to pick out a few movies. We haven’t been in awhile since we’ve been so busy and our librarian jokingly scolded us, “You could have at least popped in to say ‘hi!’” It was great to catch up a little with her and as we left from there on our way home Ryan and I were glowing with the joy of living in a small town. It feels so wonderful to get out and be social and I love how intimate relationships can be here even just with the post master or librarian.
I hope your day was just as lovely!
xx.
Posted in Home Decor, My portfolio, The Holidays, Vintage + Thrift, tagged alternative, candy bag, display ideas, goodwill, halloween, thrifted on October 6, 2012 | 11 Comments »
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Halloween is approaching fast!
And it has certainly been on my mind. This year, as much as I dislike certain aspects of our apartment, I really love its location. We’re just outside the tiny center of town – only about a minute’s walk from everything – so I’m really crossing my fingers that we’ll have a little trick-or-treat traffic. I’ve got my candy display all ready to go, and I came up with some ideas for turning thrifted finds into candy-carriers on the big night. Now all I need is my costume! I have some ideas, but really better get crackin’. I have been planning on sewing my dress myself – we’ll see how that goes!
What will you be for Halloween?
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Photobooth Friday, Vintage + Thrift, tagged apples, autumn, estate sales, fall, in new england, pumpkin patch, pumpkins on September 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
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our week in snapshots:
| highlights |
I read an article recently about stress. Obviously we all have stressors in our life, and they’re all relative, but in this article it said that the retired community is the least stressed of all Americans, and women in their 20s are the most. Huh. I have to say that I kind of felt a little better reading that because there’s a lot of figuring-out to do at my age, and at least I’m not the only one dealing with it. That certainly isn’t exclusive to women, we must just handle our stress differently than men, but it none-the-less made me feel a little less alone. Interesting, no?
I was absolutely captivated the other day at work when I accidentally glanced out a window and my eye caught on a flaming maple. Maples are the most beautiful trees in the fall. On the drive to work with Ryan yesterday our car climbed and dipped along the loopy back-woods road consistently being showered with fluttering yellow leaves. It was surreal. We have taken a liking to that scary road I described a few months ago. You know, the road with the one lane tunnel under the curved stone bridge? That part is still slightly terrifying. My heartbeat increases whenever we pull up to it, stop, roll down our window and honk our horn to warn anyone else that may be about to enter the tunnel from the other side. But the rest of the road makes up for it with its lakeside meandering and all of those gorgeous trees.
We caught the most fantastic estate sale on Saturday! I was so in love with the house, the yard, the pieces being divvied out, but on the other hand, thinking of the woman who spent so many of her years there and now has to be moved into a nursing home was heartbreaking. So many little memories handed out to strangers. We excitedly accept them and fill our house that will one day also be distributed in such a way. Everything is cyclical. We must each do our best to live a life that we truly enjoy. It’s so, so important.
Happy Friday,
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Our personal history, Style, Vintage + Thrift, What We Wore, tagged autumn in new england, blazer and boots, goodwill, thrift store style, white rabbit on September 25, 2012 | 2 Comments »
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Our temperatures are starting to drop!
You know what that means! Ryan and I piled on our fall flannels the other day to scope out a potential wedding venue! We’ve had several ideas so far for venues and themes and I am so, so excited to start making some serious decisions. But right now we’re just enjoying this great excuse to mosey around some really beautiful places we’ve never been before!
Traipsing around farms, camps, and woods is definitely the right occasion for boots and flannels. We weren’t quite sure what to expect while we checked out this area, so Ryan dressed his jeans up a little with a cardigan, and I wore my blazer, too. We didn’t end up meeting the owners of the property on this day, but we were fortunate enough to meet Snow the bunny!
Every season is lovely in New England, but now that summer has melted into fall I’m happy to see apples in wooden crates and to step on crunchy leaves. We weren’t the only ones who were enjoying this little afternoon trip. The lady we spoke with while there told us that our new bunny friend gets super excited for fall. Can’t you tell? Just look at all of those apples she gets to eat!
We think this might be the right place for our reception, lots of trees, mushrooms, and there’s even an airstream trailer (I know, right?)! Of course, the last place we looked at was fantastic, too. We’re feeling inspired by the little details of the natural world. And remembering, as our friend Courtney said, “if we’re married at the end of the day, it’s a good wedding.” Everything will fall into place. ♡
Happy Tuesday,
xx.
On the Ms.
Blazer | Thrifted from Find
Flannel | Thrifted from Goodwill
Jeans | J Brand from Bliss
Bag | Thrifted from Goodwill
Boots | ModCloth
On the Mr.
Tee | Thrifted from Goodwill
Flannel | Thrifted from Goodwill
Jeans | Levi’s
Boots | Thrifted from Material Objects
Posted in My portfolio, Style, Vintage + Thrift, What We Wore, tagged autumn style, black eyed susan, brown eyed susan, fall style, fashion, kitty and buck on September 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
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This week I was so honored to write up a guest post for Kitty + Buck!
I love Shell’s blog so much! She marries bright color, beautiful photography, and a crisp eye for style to make her beautiful blog. A lot of blogs are alike out there, but Shell has a fun and unique way of approaching her daily life that comes through in her blog posts. Plus, she’s a member of the Turtle Love Co.‘s Vintage Style Council with me! For her it’s almost springtime in Australia, but I did my guest post on our approaching autumn. It was the best excuse I could think of to wear my newly thrifted wool skirt! That’s reason enough, right?
Have a great Thursday!
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Things I Love, Vintage + Thrift, tagged community building, good ideas, thrift, town wide, vintage goods, yard sale on September 16, 2012 | 6 Comments »
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A town-wide yard sale? Holy brilliant!
That is right up my alley. Who thought of this concept? I want to meet them. Yesterday my little town filled up the park with tents, tables, and totally kitschy housewares. You can’t really tell from these photos because the park slopes downward toward the water, so most of the tents are out of view, but look at all of those cars! The turn-out was great. I just wish I had spent more time there!
Two police officers on duty in this sleepy New England town? That’s a big event! A month or so ago I tried to call in a dog that was roaming around in front of our apartment, thinking that it might be lost. Getting ahold of a police officer was actually incredibly difficult! I mean, I’m not dissing the town – if it were a real emergency I would have called 911 – it’s just such a sign of how rural this part of New Hampshire is. I called and the phone just rang and rang and rang. I hung up and called again a little while later and pressed some button to be sent to the dispatcher who then told me that the officer on duty was out on a call and he’d swing by my part of town after he’d finished up where he was. Charming?
I never see this many people in the center of town so I love the idea of a town-wide yard sale. It’s such a great way to bring the whole community together and made for some great thrift shopping! There was so much to see, and I barely got a chance to check it out because I was on my way into work. We did, however, catch some of the leftovers that were still around today, so that was worth it! Maybe next summer we’ll get to make an afternoon of it!
Have you ever heard of a town-wide yard sale?
xx.
Posted in New Hampshire, Our personal history, Shop Talk, Style, Vintage + Thrift, What We Wore, tagged j2 vintage, mod style, pearl and earl, peter pan collar dress on September 10, 2012 | 14 Comments »
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There is nothing more exciting than getting a package in the mail!
When I see one of those little yellow slips in my post office box, I flip! My post master must think I’m rather silly. But, when this package arrived I was even more excited than usual. I knew just what it was! My friends Jessa and Judd of Pearl + Earl’s Good-Time Vintage Blog sent me a dress straight from their Etsy shop! Yesterday was the best day I’ve had in a long time, partly because I got to wear my new dress.
Ryan and I were lucky enough to have the day off together, something that doesn’t happen a whole lot anymore, and fortunately it was on a day when our new favourite coffee shop is open! So, we drove to the cutest little town in the area, grabbed some lattes, and started snapping pictures of my new vintage dress. It was such a wonderful way to spend our time!
They sure do know my taste! Doesn’t this look like something I would have picked out for myself? I paired it with one of my scout style ties, a big ol’ belt, and moccasins on this day, but can’t wait to style it for cooler months! This dress is perfect for September weather. The sun has been out, but there’s definitely a chill in the air. And, -gasp- some colour coming into the leaves! I’m so happy that I can enjoy my new dress now, but it will transition well into the winter since it’s thicker material and it’ll go so nicely with tights and boots! Transition pieces are the best when you live in New England and have to think about layering a lot.
In exchange for this gorgeous dress, I sent Jessa + Judd their own ties from my Etsy shop which they styled and blogged about the other day. Make sure to check out the post if you have a moment – they’re both so much fun! I just know you’ll be charmed by their blog and style. It’s always neat to see how other people style my pieces, and makes me feel all warm + fuzzy to see my creations find new homes.
Thanks, Jessa + Judd for sending me such a lovely dress! I’m so happy to be able to share your shop and blog with my readers, I just know they’ll all love what you have to say and show. This dress is obviously darling with it’s dramatic collar and adorable shape, but there are so many other fantastic pieces in their curated vintage shop, so head on over and pick something out for yourself!
Have a wonderful day!
xx.
P.s. The giveaway is now closed and I’ll be announcing the winner in the next couple of days – stay tuned!
Posted in Our personal history, Photobooth Friday, Vintage + Thrift, tagged instagram, our week in pictures, photo booth, photographs, picture show app, vintage filter, vintage images on September 7, 2012 | 6 Comments »
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our week in snapshots:
Well, that one flew by! Honestly, where did it even go? I was just writing my weekly summation for last week, wasn’t I? Honestly, I can hardly recall anything of note that happened this week besides that on Wednesday I was able to go thrifting with the other Julia and brainstormed with her some ideas for upcoming blog posts. It’s so nice to have people around me that are supportive and invested in my projects. Thanks to Julia and Ryan for being the best friends a girl could ask for. I’m so lucky to have you both.
Ryan discovered some secret paths in the woods just a short distance from our house that are amazing. Pine needles carpet the ground and the trees are so thick that it seems to be dusk when you’re beneath them although it could be noon without. My only dislike for this new area of exploration is that to get there, you must go directly through a neighbor’s driveway. Ryan asked permission of the person, and he said he didn’t mind, but still it’s a bit unnerving to feel like I’m trespassing in order to get to the woods. What would Thoreau say of that? Every day I wish more and more to have our own little piece of land to wander and roam and let grow as it will and just watch it change with the seasons as though I’m not even there.
By the way, if you ever think it’s a good idea to move into a basement apartment, think again. In our haste to get back to New Hampshire, we signed a lease here and I’m still having a really hard time with it. They say home is where the heart is and home is where you hang your hat, but for us, home is where the most random things {cowboy boots, laptop bags, pillows} start growing mold and we have to turn our guest bed mattress on its side once a week to let the damp floor beneath it dry. Lesson learned.
This is certainly not the venue to complain, but the truth is that it’s hard to live without sufficient sunlight and to feel like you’re entering a cave every time you step through your own front door. But in the toughest times, it’s important to remember that things will change for the better. I want to harness this energy that could be lost to listlessness, and use it to propel myself forward into our next stage of life. In May we’ll be able to move and we’re hoping to make it our last. By then, you may be seeing us purchase our first house {if everything goes as we hope}. As for now – the sun is shining outside, our weekend approaches, and fall comes soon enough. I hope you’re all doing quite well.
See you tomorrow!
xx.
P.s. I should add, to end this on a positive note, that I couldn’t be more thankful for the cricket songs that fill the air 24 hours a day in this location. I leave the windows open as much as possible so I can hear these little darlings. They have such a comforting sound and I am so happy they’re here.
Posted in Crafting, Free Giveaways, Home Decor, Shop Talk, Vintage + Thrift, tagged blog giveaway, handmade, olive manna, shabby chic, vintage on September 6, 2012 | 32 Comments »
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When it comes to giveaways it’s better late than never, right?
The bulk of online stores these days sadden me because of their lack of a regard for their social or environmental impact or their capitalistic tendencies. Yet, there are still shops out there with integrity who seek to make a living doing what they love without compromising their ethics or selling out. I found Olive Manna only just a few weeks ago, but immediately loved everything in her shop {crafting supplies, vintage housewares, handmade decor, even iPhone covers!} and wanted to be able to share her beautifully curated collection with you, my readers. So I contacted her to see if she would be willing to participate in a giveaway.
She generously offered to provide one lucky reader with a $25 voucher to her online shop and a 15% off code {enter JEEZEJULIA15 at check out! Good until Thursday the 13th!} for those readers who don’t win, but would still like to pick something out. Then, she stunned me with her integrity; as is common with blog giveaways, to enter, one often has to “like” a page on facebook, follow on twitter, etc., etc. but Natalie of Olive Manna said she preferred not to gain followers in this way because she wanted to know that those who favourited her shop, read her blog, and kept up with her listings were doing so for genuine reasons. How refreshing! I’m so honored to have Olive Manna working with me on my August giveaway and I’m happy to support her shop for so many reasons.
Here’s how you enter: Just visit her shop and pick out your favourite item then leave a comment on this blog entry telling me which it is! That’s it! No nearly-endless list of social media links, no half-hearted tweeting – just pick out one thing you like the best from her and you could win $25 towards purchasing it! The contest will close Sunday night {September 9th}, so make sure you don’t wait too long to enter! I’ll be announcing the winner sometime next week, so don’t forget to check back in otherwise you may not know if you’ve won!
Good luck, everyone!
xx.
P.s. This giveaway is now closed. Check back this week to see the winner!
{Click photos for sources!}
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