the Sweetest Thing

It's my birthday, and I'll wear vintage if I want to!

My birthday this year was very special and very fun.  :) 
Basically, I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world!  And here's the evidence:

My husband and in-laws made breakfast for me: eggs, bacon, Swedish pancakes (my in-laws are very Swedish), fruit, etc etc etc...  Breakfast is my favorite meal, and they all got up at 6:00am just to do this for me before work!
Not only did they do all this, but they got me the nicest gift!  Apparently, my hubby had it bought and hidden, like, a month ago!  Which--if anyone knows my hubby, they understand--is ASTOUNDING.  It is pictured below:

Eeeeee!!!  Designer perfume!  And not thrifted, either!

This is my all-time favorite scent!!  And my hubby remembered me remarking on it, and got it for me!  It came in such a nice gift set, too (his mom and sister helped with that bit heehee).

Then, that evening, my folks and lil bro took me out to my favorite little Italian place (where these photos were snapped) for dinner. 
I wore a vintage dress and Armani perfume and carried my Prada bag and just generally felt like a million bucks!!!
They got me a Goodwill gift certificate--the fruits of which you will be seeing soon, my dear readers--and a new CD:

I've been listening to it nonstop!

Lately on Instagram

 My lil sister-in-law also got my the lip color I'm wearing here.  :)

the Rundown

dress: thrifted || necklace: gift || lipcolor: Revlon || shoes: thrifted || bag: thrifted Prada || belt: White House | Black Market

50s Magic...

My BFF Piera (<--click to check out her blog [which is not a style blog, but rather a blog full of her thoughtful, lilting-yet-forceful prose]) is GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND!!!  To another one of my good friends, Aaron.  Even better?  I'M THE ONE who totally set them up.  :)  I'm no cupid wannabe, and I usually don't mess around in other people's lives, but so far the two couples I've set up have gotten married.  Not a bad track record, if I do say so myself.

ANYway, we showered the bride-to-be this past weekend, and did it in 1950s style!  I dressed her, her sister, and myself to the nines!  The 50s is my favorite era in style--so femenine, and somehow classy and flirty all at once--so I had a lot of stuff in my closet to share!!!  I loved seeing the peices get used.

Ready for photo-overload?  I'm not sure I am, but here goes:

First, a few shots of my outfit.  It was a hit.  :)  People kept saying that if I had red hair, I would look just like Lucy from 'I Love Lucy.'  Fabulous.  :)  (I slept in curlers the night before: that's how dedicated I was to this! haha)

Then, a shot of me getting in an hysterical fight with the doggy:

She goes ape if someone's on the swings, but she's the gentlest, most passive puppy otherwise.  That's why I'm laughing so hard while she's scratching my ankles: I was completely taken aback! she's like the Two Face of the schnauser world.  The second I stepped off the swing, she sat down and wagged her tail like nothing had ever happened!  It makes me smile just remembering her tiny tantrum...

NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THESE PHOTOS.  (Just my ankles were harmed.)


Now: some photos of my loverly friends (I made the photos look old, just for kicks...not super-authentic-looking, but still fun).

Emilee and Piera...don't they look just wonderful?  Em threw the shower.

 We made up that facinator just before leaving for the party!  Piera also borrowed my opera-length white gloves and my white faux fur wrap, but obviously couldn't keep them on for the length of the party.
Also: don't tell her that ladies in the 50s never crossed their legs! haha

The GORGEOUS Minte: sister of the bride-to-be and Maid of Honor

Piera proudly modeling our creation: a tissue-paper wedding gown complete with shoes, gloves, and veil

So: the shower was fun.  Pray that the wedding day is sunny!!!
I will leave you with one last photo (if you can handle it after all the other photo-spamming):

Piera as the STATUE OF HOUSEWIFERY

Poised with apron, whisk, and cookbook ready to please her husband by keeping house and cooking dinner and never questioning his decisions...lol.

the Rundown:
Necklace/Bracelet/Earrings: gift
Top: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: H&M
Shoes: gift
Bag: thrifted
Scarf: thrifted
Lipstick: Revlon