Instagram-ish

I always feel a little jealous when I see other bloggers' Instagram feeds. I don't have an iPhone, and my iPod Touch's camera isn't quite up to snuff. So in lieu of a post containing photos taken with Instagram, here are some pictures I took in my apartment on a day when the morning light was especially pretty.

I've been looking for an old rock collection for a while now, and I picked this one up at an estate sale last weekend.

The rose quartz is the star of the collection, in my opinion.

Community yard sales are sort of a tradition in Pittsburgh, and I went to one in Highland Park at the beginning of the month. I didn't have a whole lot of luck, but I did find this Native American clay pot for a whole lot less than a similar one I've been admiring at a local antique store.

This little tin came from the estate sale of a doctor. It was a great sale--with boxes and boxes of vintage pharmaceutical bottles. There was also a beautiful old Gladstone bag (that I reluctantly left behind on account of some mysterious, sticky staining) and a silly old postcard advertising a hypnotist (which I brought home).

And finally, the only "new" item in this post: a ceramic cat dish by Leah Goren. That pose just kills me!

Fields of purple

Guys. A couple minutes away from my parents' house there is a lavender farm--technically a lavender, fresh-cut flower, and berry farm--and today my mom, sister, and I visited for their annual Lavender Festival. I had no idea what to expect, but it was gorgeous--rows and rows of fragrant purple flowers tucked away in Washington, Pennsylvania. We made lavender sachets, then sampled lavender-infused honey and lavender blueberry gelato. But my favorite part was heading into the fields where visitors were able to pick their own lavender. My sister took these photos while I wound through the rows, carefully snipping flowers and avoiding the bees.

Outfit details:
1940's dress purchased from local vintage sellers Vince and Michelle
J.Crew seahorse print shirt
Anthropologie sunglasses

Recital season

I wore this dress to my dance students' year-end recital. When it comes to getting dressed, recitals are weirdly difficult for me. I always feel a little out of place in fancy vintage clothes. Plus, I generally spend most of the evening sitting on the [filthy] floor backstage and sweating as I race around helping kids get dressed and onstage in time. But I had a sudden urge to wear this dress, and since it's been hanging out unworn in my closet for about a year, I figured why not?

This dress is awesome for a number of reasons. First, it cost a whopping 8 bucks, and second, it does not require a bra and reduces my chest to an absolute minimum. It's also pretty unique as far as tiki-print 50's dresses go, what with the enormous bow and unusual straps. Plus, my students really seemed to love it, which is the best way to tell if an outfit is a success.

Outfit details:
1950's dress purchased at an estate sale
J.Crew belt
H&M flats

Macarons and marigolds

This week has been pretty crazy, between my dance studio's dress rehearsals and recitals and a truly absurd amount of schoolwork. Today was a nice break, though. My mom, sister, and I decided to spend the day hitting a few estate sales, buying enormous macarons from a French bakery, drinking coffee, and finally, stopping by a local farm for their annual strawberry festival.

I rarely put any effort into getting dressed on estate sale days, but I decided I wanted to be a bit fancier today. This breezy rayon skirt (printed with columns!) and chambray top with candy-like buttons seemed just right. The top was pretty rumpled by the time I got around to snapping photos, but it seems silly to post only photos of clothes that look barely lived-in.

This year, I convinced one of my senior dance students to use the song Ghosts by Laura Marling for her solo. The music video definitely references the Day of the Dead, and since marigolds are associated with the holiday, my sister suggested that I make my soloist a marigold barrette to wear onstage. Marigolds have been on our minds ever since, so we made sure to pick up a few particularly fluffy-looking ones.

Outfit details:
1960's chambray top via Lawrence
1980's skirt via Allen Co.
Anthropologie sunglasses
Forestbound bag
H&M flats