delicious autumn!

"Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird

I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

--George Eliot

Boots, hats, scarves, and a traveling bar--all the things that make autumn delicious are coming soon to the Etsy shop! Here's a preview.

1970s russet brown leather stack heel boots with wingtip styling.

1980s multicolor mosaic oxfords.

1980s deep mahogany flat boots, by 9West.

1970s chestnut mary jane pumps.

Camel elfin-toe boots, from Sweden.

Deadstock black leather oxford booties.

1970s blond suede boots.

Mod forest green suede riding cap, made in Italy.

Black velvet beret with satin bow, by Sally Victor.

Striped brim alpine-inspired hat, by Belmar.

Gray and camel striped turban hat.

Chocolate brown Madeline hat with bow, by Martelle.

Midnight blue cocktail hat with bow, by Roberta Bernays.

My favorite! Black flower cloche by Martelle, Mr. Henri.

Gold Avon lion chain pendant necklace or belt.

Deco curlicues choker necklace.

Houndstooth red and navy clip-on bow tie.

Dotted olive and red clip-on bow tie.

Mustard yellow leather "french clutch" wallet, with original box by Amity/Baronet.

Floral canvas and olive green leather satchel.

Mid century portable party kit.

Metal Porta-File bills box (came with some cancelled checks in it!).

Chalkware mushroom, acorns, and oak leaves plaques.

Raspberry sheer chiffon scarf with gold-painted flowers and edging, signed Paris.

Cute novelty print cotton dog scarf!

Mod brown daisy print fabric, by Lonsdale Mills.

Horse and colt print scarf.

Green mosaic print scarf.

Silk chiffon grid scarf, made in Italy.

xo

K

dead leaves and the dirty ground

At last! Autumn is in the air and light here--is it where you are, too?

I don't go back to school anymore, but autumn always makes me want to shop and update my wardrobe. Here are some great items coming to the Etsy shop shortly in case you're looking to do the same.

The Peaceable Kingdom print dress.

1950s white lace and ruching blouse.

1950s plaid bow print rayon blend day dress.

Cafe au lait pointelle wrap cardigan.

1980s bubble skirt & bow party dress.

1950s plaid flannel pencil skirt.

1960s daisy spiral taffeta dress with belt.

1950s sepia rose print top, by Miss Sun Valley.

1980s silky bohemian jeweltone paisley print dress.

Art teacher novelty print top.

1940s red skirt suit, Weathervane tailored by Handmacher.

1960s children's flare pants with the most insane owl and kitty cat print.

1960s gingham print scooter dress.

1970s yellow ruffle collar sweater with embroidered and beaded flowers, by Country Craft.

1950s Royal Crown Cola blouse.

Ivory lace 1980s does 1920s ascot neck dress.

1960s psychedelic print blouse.

1950s L'Aiglon silky taffeta swiss dot shirtwaist dress.

Jantzen fawn cableknit polo cardigan.

Wool plaid romper with belt, by Junior House.

Cocoa sweater with lace collar.

1950s Jonathan Logan grid print dress.

Bright psychedelic vine shift dress, by Westover Twinkle Packable.

1950s buffalo check dress with awesome wooden cone-shaped buttons, by Julie Miller.

xo

K

autumn inspiration + a confession

Today I bring you two images that I've been saving in my favorites for five months now: autumn inspiration winging its way to you all the way from London in April! These images come from one of my favorite street style blogs, London's The Style Scout.

I love this first girl's color combo: red-and-blue plaid with a fabulous mustard coat. And the cardigan buttoned up over the dress is very me. This is the kind of eccentric, playful look I often wear in fall and winter--especially when I'm feeling brave about color!

This second look is much more aspirational--and here is where my confession comes. I absolutely love this entire look, top to bottom (and wasn't I just talking about dandy-ish dressing the other day?)! But what I'd kill for here are the pants. (Well, and also the velvet waistcoat.) They are perfection.

If we travel back in time on this blog almost exactly one year, you will see me, once again, talking about my pants obsession. Why do I still not own the pants of my dreams? Well, the truth is, as much as I love to shop for the business--to thrift, to antique, to church/estate/garage-sale till I drop--I do not love to shop for myself. Hence, 90% of my wardrobe comes to me by happy accident. Oh look, that dress I picked up for the shop fits! Into my closet it goes. But to go out on purpose to shop for me, especially if it's for a particular garment I need? No thanks--that is torture.

Anyone else feel this way?

xo

K

dandy

I watched Coco avant Chanel the other night and was inspired by the dandyish menswear Audrey Tatou wore in the movie--so it was time to break out the bow tie. I wore this on a little thrift trip we took on Saturday, when autumn suddenly hit us with cool temps and lots of blustery wind. Thus it was also time to wear my newly-thrifted vintage LL Bean sweater vest. I wish I could remember whose blog post it was that originally spawned my "Ah! I need a vest!" moment, but I do know that seeing this lovely blog post by Maria of Adelaide Homesewn wearing a vest over a wonderful dress with an ascot neck helped seal the deal.

The arrival of autumnal weather made it particularly necessary that Andy and I share a sausage plate and some delicious German beers at this nifty little rathskeller.

Speaking of sausages, on this trip I had to dig through the most nightmarishly tightly-packed racks in a dirty Salvation Army store ever. Andy always tells me that "Clothes in thrift stores are clean--people do not donate dirty clothes!" My response: that may be true, but I believe the employees of the Sal then go and pour cups of coffees on the racks, because inevitably everything there is stained and dirty. Nonetheless, I found a real bevy of cute dresses on this trip, so it all turned out well.

A couple of local sights.

Hope your weekend was beautiful and full of fun!

xo

K

random house

That's me and my dad above. Andy and I just spent a few days in St. Louis where we attended his retirement party. (Congratulations, Hoss!) He worked as a sugar salesman, and was given "vintage" bags of sugar as a gift, which was pretty funny. He was also serenaded in Italian by the owner of the restaurant where the party was held, which was pretty awesome. The people who have worked with my dad over the years universally praised his all-around niceness and excellent customer service. Any pleasant customer service you receive at the hands of Small Earth Vintage is pretty much directly attributable to my dad, so cheers and thanks to you, Hoss!

Anyway, the reason this post is full of randomness is that I'm all at sixes and sevens due partly the trip out of town and partly to the fact that Andy has begun our long-overdue home improvement project (first mentioned here). But we took a break from the scraping and painting and photographing and listing to go check out The Girl Who Played with Fire at the UICA. The UICA is moving to a new location, and I can't help but wonder what will happen to the neat sidewalk mosaics in front the building.

We had a delicious dinner at Bloom afterwards. Andy took this photo of me in front of the Civil War statue near Bloom.

And I took this photo of a cool old building across from the statue. The Kendall sign near the top made us think it must be an original location for the Kendall College art school, but having read up on the history of the school I don't think so.

I also love the yellow cornices on this old building, which sits at the corner, directly across from Bloom.

However, the neon strip mall signage of the tan and wax joint on the ground floor? Not so much.

Oh, but I do love the hiliarious tag I found this week on an old western shirt!

My plan for next week: get more focused! And as work on the house progresses, I promise to post some scary Befores and (hopefully) beautiful Afters!

xo

K