easter

I know, Easter was so last week but I couldn't let it pass completely by without acknowledging what was such a lovely holiday. After church we spent the afternoon at my mom and her husband's new home in the country. It was the perfect setting for an egg hunt and a fun place to go exploring. We all walked to the end of their property and back and it was so nice to be outside together with the warm sun shining on our faces. You are more than welcome, Spring!

The girls wore vintage dresses like they have for the past two years, but I am thinking I need to bring the tradition of handmade dresses on Easter back (not that it was that long ago, ha). What I really mean is I would like to start sewing more again, which is code for 'I need to organize my craft room'. ;)

Oh, and that last picture? My mama heart is bursting. I love those girls.

little vintage style: welcome autumn

Hello, Autumn! We welcome you with pumpkin-colored pants and a big pink bow for good measure. 

We are so happy with the lovely weather you brought along with you, and the beautiful colors creeping down the mountainside closer to us everyday. 

We don't even mind that your arrival dried up the stream bed. We like throwing rocks just the same and even have our pick of the lot...

LM wore: bow headband + top, Target//pants, vintage//shoes, Saltwater sandals

Lark wore: top, thrifted Gap//pants, Old Navy//shoes, gift, Converse

Yes, we are pretty happy you are here - we just wish you would stick around longer!

little vintage style

Lark is a hugger. Like a wrap her arms around your neck and squeeze with all her might while she buries her head into your neck and giggles kind of hugger. It is pretty much the best thing ever. If she sees other people hugging she will crash the party and weasel her way in to join them. One of her favorite books has a line about hugs in it. The closer we get to that page I can sense her excitement start to build - her arms begin to slowly lift, a smile breaks out across her face, then before I can finish reading the word hug - bam! - she has that book in a full on bear hug.

I hope she will always embrace life with this same amount of excitement. And, of course, never stop freely giving me hugs.

Lark wore: romper, vintage//converse shoes, gift from this sweet lady

Mama wore: dress, vintage//belt, Target//shoes, BC from Ross

refashion: less is more

I love an easy and gratifying project that can be accomplished in one afternoon, and this refashion certainly fits into that category. When I came across this dress at the thrift store I immediately knew it could be something more - with less.

Out came the seam ripper with a fond farewell for the sleeves and lace. The ribbon was attached with a safety pin and that came off as well. Then I just had to sew the now raw edge of the arm opening down to finish it up. Twenty minutes later and voila, a whole new look!

More refashions here and here.

little vintage style: little patriots

We had a nice Fourth of July and hope those of you who are stateside did too. We spent the day with family playing volleyball, swimming, eating, and watching some firework shows from afar. Utah has been burning up with wild fires all over the state, and just this week the mountain next to ours went ablaze. It was heartbreaking and scary watching the huge smoke cloud billow up like a bomb as the neighborhood congregated on the street wondering if the flames would jump over to our peak. Needless to say, all fireworks were banned in our area.

The flames were mostly under control but still burning as we drove home late on the Fourth, so we went a little closer and watched them flicker in shock and awe...not the firework show we were anticipating this year, but mesmerizing none the less. Thankfully, everyone is alright and no homes were lost, but it definitely put the power of nature into perspective. Also, I love firefighters.

But, let's move on to happier subjects - like this face, for example:

I am telling you, this face has me wrapped around it's little finger. Lark is almost 16 months old and her personality is bursting out. She is so funny, and expressive, and learning new things faster than I can keep up. She loves looking at books and the other day I found her reading in the shower. Sometimes when she gets a little bump she will run to her sister for comfort. Watching the Little Miss hug her and pat her back while Lark buries her head in her shoulder and pops that thumb in her mouth... well, it's just about all my mothering heart can take. 

LM really is a sweetheart to her little sister. She cracks me up every single day. She is such a ham and loves performing whether she has an audience or not - I often walk in on her mid-song and dance routine and she is completely unashamed and just starts singing louder. Between the two of them I am completely done in.

For their patriotic attire this year Lark wore a vintage dress that you may remember LM wearing as a top. LM wore a vintage sleeveless shirt in a fun red, white, and blue print. See what she wore last year here.

Lark wore: dress, vintage//sandals, Target hand-me-downs

LM wore: top, vintage//worn-in pants, Target//sandals, Saltwaters

easter

We had a fun Easter weekend and hope you did too! On Saturday we dyed eggs naturally using beets, blueberries, and onion skins and I think the colors turned out quite lovely. The Easter bunny dropped off the girl's baskets later that night and decided to make it a tradition to give books, art supplies, and a few snacks each year. 

(I never know when I will be married to a civil war general - Husband likes to surprise me with different facial hair, ha!)

After church on Easter Sunday, we spent the day with my family and had a big dinner, egg hunt, and games. LM and Lark both wore a pretty vintage dress. I had been saving LM's dress for quite some time and it is one of my very favorites ever with that darling scalloped eyelet lace yoke. As I was dressing her I realized this makes two Easter's in a row she has worn a yellow dress with that purple headband. Lark's dress was a darling pink floral print and she looked so cute with those knee-highs showing off her chubby thighs!

 

LM wore: dress, vintage//tights & headband, Old Navy//shoes, Nordstrom Rack

Lark wore: dress, vintage//socks & shoes, Target//headband, gift from my sister

Now we are looking forward to a week of egg salad sandwiches, jellybeans, and lots of sunshine! Happy Easter friends!

little vintage style: the birthday dress

I love picking out a pretty dress for the girls to wear on special occasions. It makes me happy and I think they look darling, plus I plan on storing them so they will each have a box of their own special dresses to keep as heirlooms.

This year for Lark's birthday I had the three options above to choose from, so I had her try them on one afternoon for a little instagram fashion show. They were all cute, but the clear winner, and my favorite as well, was option number one:

I love this dress! The colors and little details are just perfect for a birthday girl. I bought a huge gold number one balloon for her party, envisioning her wearing the dress while holding it for a fun birthday photo (picture this background, the planets aligned, angels singing...). The weather, however, didn't get the memo and turned out to be quite windy. This was the best shot I could get, ha! She was frantically signing 'All done!' and trying to protect herself as the balloon bounced off her head. I quickly realized it was not going to happen and abandoned the idea. Thankfully, my mother was helping me and had a hold of the balloon, otherwise it would have blown away.

We'll try again next year with another dress and a number two.

Lark wore: dress, vintage//tights, Old Navy

little vintage style: one year old

Lark's birthday fell on Sunday this year, so we didn't need an excuse to dress up for the occasion. The weather was so nice we stopped by the park after church and managed to capture our little Lark the day she turned one before our visit was cut short to avoid a potty emergency. Can't wait for the park bathrooms to be open again now that the weather is warming up!

She still looks pretty bald in pictures, but in real life you can see she is finally growing some hair. And, not only is she growing hair but so far it is coming in RED! I must now publicly apologize to my mother who has said from the beginning she was going to be a redhead and we never believed her - a mother really does know best!

At first, LM said she didn't want to be in any pictures, but the inner child model in her couldn't resist pulling out a pose or two, ha! I swear I only told her to "go over by Lark."

I am going to miss the fun pop of color a pair of tights adds to an outfit, but it will feel so nice to have some sunshine on my legs. I have been dabbling in the world of lipstick however, so I suppose I can still get a bright pop of color that way. Are you a lipstick wearer? I never wore it until recently. I decided I wanted to feel confident wearing lipstick if I so chose and it has been really fun!

I just got this skirt on sale (it seems to be gone now) and even though it's knit, I think the light colors will translate well into Spring. You've seen LM's dress before almost one year ago here (she looks so much older now!).

LM wore: dress, vintage//cardigan and tights, Old Navy//shoes, Nordstrom Rack

Lark wore: dress, vintage//tights, Old Navy// shoes, Target

Mama wore: shirt, Layers Clothing//skirt, Anthropologie//tights, Target//belt, Nordstrom//shoes, Anthropologie

And, here is Lark doing a happy dance for turning one! Yay!