South Shore

It was such a spectacular day out yesterday. Colors and shapes were so crisp as the haze and gray decided to let the sun out for once. I went for a walk down at South Shore in Little Compton and was blown away by the surreal winter beach landscape. The second pond was actually quite a raging river as all the melting snow and rain made its way down to the sea. Huge chunks of ice cracked and fell in wonderful geometric patterns, giving the sense of being in Norway or Iceland (or so I imagine.) The landscape was just so amazing and was a wonderful reminder of how beautiful Rhode Island can be in the middle of winter.

Swap!

I had such a great time at the swap last night! This one was much bigger than the last one I attended and it was held at the Armory for the Arts in Somerville, a wonderful castle-esque white building that hosts everything from Arabic calligraphy classes to open mic nights at the little cafe in the front. It was the perfect venue. There were tons of clothes and I scored some pretty amazing pieces as per usual including an Ungaro jacket, some snakeskin print platforms, duck boots, a few nice wool sweaters, a J Crew button up shirt that actually fits me, and a stack of yoga pants to name a few of the things that came home in my three reusable shopping bags. Books were included in the swap as well this time so I picked up some great cook and design books as well. My sister joined me for her first event of this kind and stumbled upon a Betsey Johnson sweater dress with the $290 price tag still attached. It was a wonderful evening. To find out more about swapping, check out the Swapaholics.

Winter Beach Scenes

I've been feeling a bit cooped up lately as I've mostly been spending time in the abode, so today on an errand trip to the bank and post office I decided to get side tracked at Colt State Park. This lovely park is just a few minutes away from my home and has beautiful walking trails by the water, a small but cozy town beach and a recreational area featuring a playground, basketball courts, and a small skate board park. In the summer this place is teeming with people enjoying the beautiful weather but not so much this time of year when the trees have no leaves, the picnic tables are piled up, and snow covers the grounds. However, I've always loved the beach in the winter time. It has a completely different personality than it does in the summer and I've always loved the juxtaposition of snow and ice with the sand and shells that litter the shore. I brought my camera and took some shots of this lovely gray winter seascape. The water is always very clear in the cold months and seagulls still bob in the small waves while adorable plovers sprint with the tide looking for a tasty snack. Needless to say, I was the only one there and really enjoyed the fresh air and the redding of my cheeks and nose in the cold. Here are some of my favorite shots. Enjoy!












See also my bike ride in Tiverton and my first photo walk in Bristol.

Free Clothing and Rhody Farmer's Market

Phew, what a hectic last few days! As previously mentioned, I headed up to Boston on Thursday evening for my much anticipated first Swapaholics clothing swap. What an adventure! My evening started out getting stuck in traffic heading up there and then getting wicked lost in downtown Boston during rush hour, what a mess! It is definitely time for me to upgrade to a gps from my current driving directions system of scribbling notes from google maps on a scrap of paper before I leave the house. Luckily Brian was able to help me get there via looking at maps on his computer and guiding me over the phone. When I finally pulled into the parking garage I realized that it was in the same building as his cousin's wedding that we attended in June, ha! Unfortunately I wasn't able to help set up as much as I would have liked but the event was great nonetheless. I got to meet some really interesting people and I even scored some pretty awesome clothing including a few cardigans, a lovely Velvet black knit dress, and some Joe's Jeans with $200 tags still attached. I'm sure you'll be seeing these items in future outfit posts!


A swapping bunch including Julie from Orchid Gray and the one and only Amy from Punky Style and the Swapaholics. I'm wearing a thrifted tee, an altered vintage skirt, black tights I've had forever, and thrifted vintage everything else. The top two photos are courtesy of Amy Chase.


On Saturday morning, Brian, Caitlin, Jeff, and I went up to the Winter Farmer's Market in the Hope Artist Village in Pawtucket. It was really wonderful and the place was totally packed! I just love seeing all the delicious local veggies, breads, and seafood in one place and it's so nice that others appreciate it too. The small boutiques that are in this old mill building were open as well including this amazing handmade violin shop. I wouldn't know what to do with a violin if you handed me one , but I can certainly appreciate the sculptural beauty of these music making objects. I wasn't planning on getting anything but we left with a loaf of seeded sourdough bread from Seven Stars Bakery (Brian ordered it as "sweet and sourdough bread" because he though that was what I said, but honestly, not a bad idea...), some handmade pasta and bolognese sauce from Venda Ravioli, a block of queso fresco from Narragansett Creamery, and a collection of small cacti and succulents that I can't wait to see grow!

New on Etsy and Excited Events!

First things first, check out these amazing silvery necklaces that I posted on etsy this morning. Click here.



Second things second, I am so excited for the Swapaholics Clothing Swap in Boston tonight! I can't wait to get there early and help Amy and some other fellow bloggers set up before the chaos really ensues. It's really quite simple; bring a bag of used and unwanted clothing and walk away with a bag full of fun new (to you) items. A great way to refresh your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets. I will tell you all about the event and my new found treasures tomorrow!

And lastly, come visit me this Friday evening at the yearly Downtown Bristol Holiday Preview. I will be setting up shop outside Bristol Looms at 49 Bradford Street in downtown Bristol, RI with some other immensely talented local artisans. In addition to my usual awesome array of vintage wearables I will also be selling some select vintage accessories for your home and vintage sewing notions and fabrics, perfect for gift giving and stocking stuffers! The event runs from 5-8 and we will also be serving up some delicious home baked goodies and spiked hot apple cider. Yum and yum! I can't wait to see you there and please let me know if you are a blog reader, I love meeting you all!

Photo Walk

I've been really into taking pictures of my surroundings lately, so a few days ago I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood with my camera in tow. I am astonished at the results! It's amazing how different the world looks when you are viewing it through a camera lens. There is usually so much going on in our field of vision that our brain eliminates what it deems not important, which unfortunately is most of what we actually see. We unconsciously ignore most things, from the beautiful pattern of a simple brick wall or the color and petal variations of a traditional fall mum plant. Even places we've seen a million times before are somehow much different when you really take the time to look at them. I encourage all of you to try this simple experiment and walk around your neighborhood and look at things closely, or far away, or from underneath, or from above. When you look at things in a different way, you see them that way too.