Stop, Look, and Listen

Hey all - hope that you had a wonderful week so far and are getting ready for a relaxing and fun weekend. 

Amy and I took these pictures last week and we had such a blast! This little kid song popped into my head when I saw the stop sign that went "Stop, Look and Listen." We were trying to find the exact one that I was singing, but instead we found this hilarious (and kind of creepy) one and this really adorable one with British children. It doesn't get cuter than British children - am I right or am I right? 

Well, I best cut this short because it is past midnight and I have to wake up early to meet my mom - we are heading to a Mennonite discount grocery store that we love. Plus, it was a long day - I went  to an auction and thrifting with my cousin - it was a lot of fun. Can't wait to show off some of my finds! Also, this weekend I'm advising the youth group's car was and then hopefully, I'll get to meet up with some friends for milkshakes! Do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend? 

Amy: 

Tank: Old Navy

Jeans: PacSun

Sandals: Thrifted 

Headband: Urban Outfitters 

Scarf: Ross 

Earrings/Cuff: Gifts 

Laura: 

Top: Hand-me-down from Amy! :) 

Jeans: Thrifted (originally Gap)

Necklace: Thrifted 

Belt: Given to me by my sister-in-law; it was originally her grandmother's. 

Sandals: Payless (old)

Have a wonderful weekend! 

xoxo, 

Laura 

P.S. I linked this post up to Thrifter Thursday over at Coffee and Cardigans! Check it out! 

The Downside to Thrifting: Vintage Alfred Angelo

Hey all - I didn't really have a blog post planned for today, but then something happened last night that broke my heart. 

 I have a small confession to make: I have been keeping my eye out for my wedding dress. Now, I can tell you I'm no where close to getting married. At. All. 

However, I'm also a realist. I know that I will want a vintage dress and I know that I will want to thrift it - I wouldn't be me if I didn't. Now, I'm not going to thrift store to thrift store, wedding dress shopping because for someone who isn't engaged, I ain't got time for that! But, I do usually just look through the gown section, see all the Princess Di, poofy 80's craziness and move on to the dishware section, dresses, or whatever department I need to checkout. 

So, last night after taking some outfit shots with Amy, I headed over to one of my favorite thrift stores right near my house - they have a "bargain basement" where most of the clothes are a dollar. I was doing a little searching for a new blog segment (more to come on that later!) 

In the Bargain Basement, I always do a first sweep in the dishware (got to keep my eyes out for some Melmac and Pyrex!) and then head over to the dresses. I turned the corner and literally gasped out loud. There was this gorgeous vintage lace wedding dress. Now, it was fairly yellowed, but the detailing was beautiful and the price was just $2. I figured if fit, I could do something with it; when I looked at the tag and saw that it was Alfred Angelo   - designed by Edythe Piccione: who, I discovered through simple research, was Angelo's wife, who started designing for the company in 1935. 

Now, honestly, I felt a little odd trying a wedding dress on so, I did what thriftaholic would do - texted my most reasonable friend to talk me out of it and went to look at shoes. I walked around the whole store - twice. But, I couldn't get my mind off of that dress. 

So, I gave in. I tried the dress on. Well - I attempted to try the dress on. It was tiny. Now, I'm definitely used to finding too small vintage clothing, so I just sighed, sent up a little hope that it would go to someone who would love and respect it, and put it back on the rack. 

I was back in the dressing room trying on a really cute sweater when I heard these kids yelling through the basement. I then heard this boy who was probably about 12 or 13, saying "OH GOSH, IT IS A DRESS!" I exited the dressing room and walked over to the furniture room. But, I kept hearing this child saying "IT IS ONLY $2. I'M GOING TO GET IT. IT IS ONLY $2!" 

Now, I can only imagine what a pre-teen guy wants with a vintage wedding dress, but I can assume that it has future of dirt or fake blood instead of be transformed to its former glory. 

I'm telling you, they just don't make dresses like that anymore. I wish that I could save all gorgeous vintage clothes - especially wedding dresses, something that someone wore on one of the most special days of her life - but, unfortunately, I don't have the room, money, or sewing skills to fix everything. Plus, I'm pretty sure that my mother wouldn't be too happy if I did. 

However, I have to say - this one hurt. It is so easy to hope that a gorgeous vintage item goes to someone who respects it when you are unable for whatever reason to purchase it, but to know that it and its history won't be appreciated - it can really wound a vintage purist. 

So, I thought I would share the two pictures I snapped of it so that its history, previous owner, and beautiful style would get a little bit of the respect that it deserves. 

xoxo, 

Laura 

UPDATE: I know that a couple of you all found this story just as heartbreaking as I did. Well, the other day, I got a text message from Amy with a picture of what looked like a pile of lace, saying "IS THIS THE WEDDING DRESS?!" And indeed it was. Amy was in her church's youth group room. Their group decided to do a thrifting fashion show for one of their activities. So, while this dress won't be walk down a wedding aisle anytime soon, it will be used to strut down a catwalk. I'm just relieved "zombie bride" isn't its future. 

Fergalicious

Oh hey there, everyone! 

I hope that you are all having a beautiful start to your summer season! 

Things are going really well since I got home from internship training. Some of the great things going on include: 

- getting to see one of my best friends, Maggie after she returned from U.A.E. after 4 months of being abroad. 

- giggling with Bethany and Maggie after getting some yummy ice cream. 

- working on my sermon for July - it is about Esther. 

- heading up to school for the weekend to help out with alumni weekend. 

- watching 'Toddlers and Tiaras' as a way to detox from a super creepy 'Law and Order SVU.' Does anyone else need to watch something truly terrible after  watching something scary? Also, 'Say to the Yes: Bridesmaid Edition' after watching CSI if it is a crazy weird one works too. 

- reading Harry Potter...again. 

- watching Warm Bodies with a friend at her cabin. 
- filling a friend's room with balloons when he was out of town. 
-taking these pictures with my amazing housemate - thanks, Bethany! 
- and finally finding a lot of really awesome thrift finds including this great vintage dress for $5 and these amazing 'Fergalicious by Fergie' slip-ons that are still in stores for $1.50. Got to love half-off day. 

Dress: Vintage: Thrifted 

Belt: Thrifted 

Shoes: Fergalicious by Fergie: Thrifted 

Bracelets: Clothing swap 

Headband: Kohl's (old) 

Oh. Because I had to: Enjoy. 

xoxo, 

Laura 

Life Lately: Summer Home and Traveling Adventures

the most amazing doughnut ever from a new coffee shop in town//my niece's end of the year concert - she is growing up so fast: her 10th birthday is today! Happy Birthday, hon! Love you!//aunt and niece dresses//play-doh night with a gal from the office who let me crash with her over graduation - best. thing. ever.//my mom got me shoo-fly pie - yum!//the most adorable high school interns ever//selfies on a Sunday morning/vintage pillowcases//a card from my cousin - can you guess what it says on the inside? Hint: 500 Days of Summer// oh - I randomly chopped seven inches of hair off. What do you think?//sunset on the Fox River in Illinois//mini-golf//this little guy scared the crap out of me when he showed up in front of my cabin door in Iowa - he just wanted to get out of the rain//T-dogg and the Diesels heading back to Illinois from Iowa