8 Ways to Wear Vintage Flower Pins

Ooooh lalala I love vintage jewelry! And one of my absolute favorites are vintage enamel flower pins from the 60s. Colorful and bold…girlie but graphic, they are like having a secret little garden in your jewelry box! Just take a look:

I’ve been collecting vintage enamel pins for years and just love the variety I’ve unearthed. The flower pins come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Some have stems. Some are multi layered. All are colorful and fun!

Look how beautiful these pins are! I’m also a fan of the sparkly rhinestone ones—especially those in whimsical shapes like starbursts and butterflies

Vintage pins are the perfect way to add a little extra color and oomph to your wardrobe. The classic way to wear a pin or brooch is to wear one in the upper corner of your shirt, cardigan or dress. I love them this way!

While you can definitely wear pins on cardigans and shirts, I wanted to show you some other ways to rock the vintage pin. It’s the perfect way to add a little punch to any outfit!

If you’re not in the mood to wear a bright accessory on your outfit, think about adding a little touch on your coat. The nice thing about this is you can keep it on your coat long time! If your coat is more of a neutral color—like black or grey—this is a GREAT way to give it a little refresh! TIP: If you have longer hair, avoid putting extra pointy flower pins on your collar. Your hair will catch on it like crazy! Trust me…

I’m a maximalist—so one is never enough. Don’t be afraid to pile them on! Two is the perfect number. Three can be fabulous too, but they DO start to get heavy and can wear down the fabric of a more delicate sweater.

Who says your pins have to be at eye level? This is such a sweet and unexpected way to add a little personality to your jeans! I did this one day many years ago on a whim, and I can’t tell you how many people went bonkers for it.

Look cute from head to toe—after you’ve tackled your cuff, why not add a fun pin to your hatband? It works on any kind of hat (floppy sunhat! cozy ski cap!) but I love the incongruous look of a masculine fedora with a quirky flower.

I bought this simple fabric tote at Old Navy years ago. While I loved the houndstooth, it looked a little plain, soooooo I added some a handful of my favorite pins to liven it up. If you have a tote with wider straps, try adding it to the base of the strap, so its visible as it hangs from your shoulder.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I find that most people always wear their pins like a corsage. Try wearing it smack dab in the center of a dress—or even at the waist band!

Scarves can be slippery little suckers. A sweet pin guarantees your scarf stays in place. It’s also a fun alternative to a necklace. I’m using flower pins in this story, but a rhinestone pin would be just as fabulous! BONUS— wrap the scarf around your head and add a sweet little pin.

Mmm hmm. On your shoes. And why not?? Thread the pin through the knot of your bow and VOILA! Insta-update on your tired old kicks.

So there you have it. Pins, pins pins aplenty! Cheerful, sweet and super easy peasy to style! Are you feeling a little pinspired?? I sure hope so!

{Psst! One word of caution. If you are a mama, the pins with separate petals can get a little pokey when you go in for a cuddle, or so Wolfie tells me. “OW! Mama. Your flower poked me!”}

{Double Psst! People are charging crazy prices for them lately, but you shouldn’t have to pay more than $15-18 for them. $10-12 is a really fair price. I might pay more if it was a REEEALLY spectacular or unique one! The best place to find them is the thrift store or flea market but scour Etsy and eBay for bargains too! Happy Hunting!}

The Most Colorful Mommy + Me Photos

Photographing children can be incredibly rewarding but it’s also extremely challenging.

Hailey & Andrew are a talented photographer duo who live in Brisbane, Australia. They have two gorgeous little girls (and one mischievous Great Dane!) and their work just radiates happiness.

The wonderfully sweet Hailey sent me this beautiful ‘Mama & Me’ shoot with the very lovely Kass and her sweet little girl Paloma. I’m so taken with this shoot! It clearly reflects their personalities and is just so colorful and fun! There’s nothing wrong with a more formal style portrait—anything that captures your family and a moment in time is a wonderful thing—BUT I have to say this more editorial style approach is so playful and really captures the SPIRIT of the family!

I had a chance to chat with Hailey and asked her if she  enjoyed shooting families (which was probably a dumb question—one look at these photos and you can just see how much fun they had!). Here’s what Hailey told me:

“I think there is nothing I like photographing more than families! I am obsessed with capturing parents enjoying their kids and kids enjoying their parents or siblings. It makes my soul leap eveytime I get these types of images. It is definitely easier to get two people to engage really well with each other but I really love the challenge of seeing a whole family engaged and delighted in one photo. It is something I love to chase!

I feel like the images of a child alone are lovely but to be honest, they don’t excite me as as much personally [as family photos] because it is the joyful connections between loved ones that really makes me happy!”

Um, the polka dot flamenco shoes?? The matching dresses?? HOW AMAZING! I think Hailey said it best, “Our job is to capture joy and fun moments in peoples lives through photography and film…and family photography is the best kind of fun. Kids make everything very exciting and unpredictable and oh so hilarious!”

This really makes me want to do a fun photo shoot with Greg and Wolfie. We take tons of pictures of Wolfie. And we have photos of me and Wolfie….and of Greg and Wolfie….but really hardly any of the three of us. Formal portraits are great, but there is something about this more free form shooting that just captures the laughter and life of each family so perfectly. Have you ever done a more editorial style photo shoot? Would you ever?

By the way, If you are interested in having your own portrait session but bummed because Hailey lives allll the way in Australia, YOU’RE IN LUCK!  Hailey and Andrew are going to be in the states this summer! Here’s their travel schedule:

Melbourne 20-25th April

Newcastle 28th April – 4th May

New York 9th – 15th June

Los Angeles 19th – 24th June

Sydney Mid to late July.

You can reach them via their site. Thank you Hailey for sharing these wonderful photos!!

Crushing on our Lab Partners.

I know. The word magical. It’s kind of over used in the blogging world. But truly? These illustrations are magical. Part whimsical. Part sophisticated. Totally vintage-inspired yet somehow utterly modern. Can you tell I love them? Yes I do. But just who are the masterminds behind this fabulous work??

Meet Ryan Meis & Sarah Labieniec. Also known as, Lab Partners.

This awesome husband and wife duo are the brains behind Lab Partners (aka LP) and the most wonderful, fantastical illustrations you’ve ever seen. Ryan and I worked together at Goodby and I can tell you for certain he is one of the nicest, coolest guys you could ever hope to meet. We had lunch a few weeks ago and I finally got to meet Sarah too and she is not only adorable but every bit as awesome as her partner in crime—I think I could have sat with them all day trading silly stories.

So who are these lovely people? Well, Sarah originally hails from Connecticut where she grew up dreaming about being a Zoologist/Disney animator (my kinda girl!).  Sarah has previously worked as a designer at Berkeley agency Tomorrow Partners and you probably have seen some of her exquisite letterpress work for hip stationer Hello!Lucky. Ryan was born in Tokyo and grew up all over the world—living in places like Germany, Hawaii and Texas. He’s also worked as a designer/art director  here in San Francisco, which was how we originally met.

Thanks to their generosity, I am now the proud owner of a nifty selection of LP prints, and they’re all SO GOOD I just had to share them with you. They have two cool new series I think you guys will love!

1. All Together Now. This is a music inspired series that is colorful and vibrant and would look fantastic in a children’s room or simply a playful home. There are five little merry musicians to chose from!

2. California Gold. This is a really incredible collection. The large prints are done in black and white with a fabulous gold metallic ink that looks gorgeous. The series is an homage to the many natural wonders of California. The best part? 5% of all sales are donated to the California Nature Conservancy. I love this. Super chic and sophisticated.

3. Hunt & Gather. This is an older series, but was so popular they have re-released them. Each pretty little letterpress piece is inspired by the thrill of treasure seeking at flea markets and all the fabulous oddities found in between. I just adore these shoes…but every piece is really fun.

See? Aren’t they awesome??

 

 

 

Which is your favorite? The playful little violin player? The sleek mountain lion? Hmmm. So tempting to get THEM ALL. You’ll definitely want to visit their site. And you’ll DEFINITELY want to order a print from their shop. They are simply gorgeous! Thanks so much Sarah & Ryan for letting me share a little bit of your magical world with everyone! I’m looking forward to our next lunch date and trading more kooky cat stories. {And O’Malley says ME-ROW!}

Sacre BLEU!

Mon Dieu!  Who doesn’t love blue? And clearly it is a popular color for kiddo clothes! I hustled through a few dozen pages of Etsy goodies to find this list of pretty things.

Check out this royal blue beauty. I know it is tough to think about buying a sweater dress as we head into spring, but seriously, this is worth putting this aside until Fall. From Etsy seller, Salvaged Style Vintage.

Stop the Clock Vintage, are you kidding me?  This blue romper is great not only because it is blue but because it has a freaking bow tie wearing giraffe sneaking around the corner looking oh so charming.

Behold the perfect starter wallet for a kiddo! Remember them? So great!  From Etsy seller, Audrey Blissful.

What little kiddo wouldn’t want to wear this sweet little blue bathing suit at the beach this summer. From Etsy seller, Rox & Sam.

WHOA!  Stop the presses–this little polka dottie jacket friend is terrific!  With a little friend on it to keep you company. WANT! From one of my Etsy seller, Fuzzymama–her prices are also so reasonable too!

You know I have a weakness for cool vintage plaid pants! And I’m totally crushing on these navy plaid pants! Too cute! From Etsy seller, Dream Queen.

I really like this light blue sweater with the wee horses on it! So darling and can be worn by  either boys and girls! From Etsy seller, Old Shep Studios.

I’m in love with this.  Such a sweet little playsuit. Perfect for upcoming heatwaves! From Etsy seller, Kim Vintage.

Etsy seller Hart & Sew always has the best stuff–like this daisy delightful dress, which I adore almost as much as the girlie in it.

 These vintage little shoesies are killing it with cuteness. From Etsy seller, Pearage.

Happy Monday!

 

Friday Link Hootenanny :: Cool Things to Browse


image: Erin Hanson

Oh happy joy! We are having GLORIOUS weather here in California. FINALLY! We had weeks of rain and cold and fog. And the sunshine is soooo welcome. The only person not thrilled with the heat? Sammy (our dog….he’s got a big ol fur coat!). We have a busy weekend….little league games, science fair project prep, greg’s band has a gig….lots going on! Also, I’m super excited because my parents are coming out for a visit next week. We’re calling it a “work visit” because they have agreed to help me clean out our basement—aka the vintage wasteland. It’s a huge undertaking but one that has been YEARS coming. My friends will know, I’ve been complaining about the mess down there for ages. AGES! So look forward to some updates on that—and plenty of Instagram documentation of vintage treasures as they are unearthed (I’m “galexina” on there….dottie is “missdottie“). Oh, and if you haven’t entered our Big Kate Spade Giveaway, you MUST! You have til this coming Thursday at 11:59pm, PST.

OK. Continuing on with our Month of Color, some super bright links for you this week! HAPPY WEEKEND!

1. RAINBOW ART

Crafted out of rows of plastic clothespins, Peg Carpet was created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets and is simply incredible. (via plentyof colour)

2. RAINBOW CHOPSTICKS

Color, color, color. These chopsticks would make any meal more fun. They’d look awesome in a cup in the center of a table.

3. RAINBOW EMBROIDERY

This mixe-media artwork by Jose Romussi is so pretty. (via whorange)

4. RAINBOW MARNI CHAIRS


I love Marni’s shoes and handbags (even though I can’t afford to buy one). Now they’ve created something else for me to covet— a collection of 100 colorful wicker chairs. Each one is made by an ex-convict in Colombia re-assimilating into society. Dang. (via coolhunting)

 

5. RAINBOW ORIGAMI BOAT CANDLES


How lovely are these Origami Boat Candles by designer Roman Ficek? Available in six colours, they are beautifully crafted facets of thin wax. I would love to see a pool with thousands floating about… (via plenty of color)

 

6. RAINBOW ROYALTY

This is awesome. Vogue magazine has studied every outfit The Queen of England has worn in the last 12 months to see if they could find her favorite. Like any good royal, she favors a regal blue and finds beige boring. As well she should. See the entire collage of her outfits here. So fun!

7. RAINBOW  ART SUPPLIES


Todd Oldham + Target = Awesome. Those diamond shapes? Yeah. They’re crayons. Coming May 20. See more here.

8. RAINBOW RECORDS

Sweet Modern Kiddo friend Deb (of Amongst the Knick Knacks) sent me this awesome photo….she used vintage children’s records to add a splash of color to her son Wolfgang’s wall. I just love how it turned out! By the way, Deb is not only sweet as can be, her son is also named Wolfgang AND her husband is also named Greg. WILD!!

9. RAINBOW RUN

This race I saw over on Gala Darling sounds (and looks!) amazing. I’m not exactly sporty but this is something I’d love to try.  The Color Run is a unique 5 kilometres event unlike any other. As the founders describe it, the run is a one of a kind experience that is less about speed and more about enjoying a color crazy day with your friends and family. All levels of experience are welcome, all that matters is that you participate… & that you wear white clothing! Why? Because at every mile marker, volunteers throw coloured powder on the runners, turning the procession into a moving rainbow. Sign me up!

10.BONUS VIDEO: RAINBOW DANCE with OK GO