Watkins Glen, NY

September 2, 2013November 11, 20144 Comments

I’m going to be totally honest and say Matt and I didn’t do as much hiking and exploring the great outdoors while camping this time around. We spent our first two nights in Watkins Glen State Park, and the following two nights in Taughannock Falls State Park. We were both pretty disappointed in Watkins Glen State Park. I think the Bruce kind of ruined everything for us. We just kept comparing the two, and well, State/Provincial Parks just can’t compare to the natural beauty of a National Park. We were not close to any body of water in Watkins Glen, and you could literally hike about 20 mins to the village. Which ended up being fine, as we spent a lot of time exploring the small villages around the Finger Lakes. These towns/villages have the most insanely beautiful and historical homes. I would kill a man just to live in one of them.

We were however very close to the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen. So we hiked over, and did quite a bit of the walk. It was very touristy, and was a huge disappointment to find there were so many rules. You had to stay on the path, and that was it. Boring! Totally different from hiking in the Bruce. Wow, I sound totally disenchanted here! It WAS beautiful! Waterfalls everywhere you looked, standing hundreds of feet above, looking down at the gorge. It really was quite stunning. We spent the remainder of the day on a beach and explored a little of Watkins Glen, and it’s neighbouring village, Montour Falls. Such charming places! NY State is full of these gems!

I have a butt load more photos to share – some from the town, some from the beach, some from Farm Sanctuary(!!!), and a little photo shoot Matt and I did in the Blair Witch forest behind our camp site. I also thrifted so many great things during our trip, so keep an eye on the shop for magical small town thrift shop goodness!

would just like to formally welcome chin zit to the majority of photos taken this past week 🙂

and this is me dying after walking up i don’t even know how many flights of stairs to the top of the gorge. goodbye life.

Shirt, shorts and belt: thrifted
Bowtie: handmade
Socks: H&M
Boots: Timberland
Knapsack: from my best pal Kristen

Larkspur and Madalynne

August 27, 2013November 11, 2014Leave a comment

I am heading off to Ithaca, NY and the Finger Lakes now, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! But before I go, I thought I’d share a little collaboration I did with Maddie, the lovely lady behind the blog Madalynne. I told her a little bit about my mother and the tutus she used to sew for me, and she made a lovely post on the construction and history of this exceedingly frustrating and time consuming garment. Check out her blog and our collaboration – if you love sewing, or even just have a slight interest, she’s your gal!

It’s the house telling you to close your eyes

August 26, 2013November 11, 2014Leave a comment

It wasn’t until I started this blog that I really felt interested in photography again. It was always something someone else did, and I thought it was fascinating, but I didn’t feel I had a place in that world. I have always felt more comfortable in front of the lens. I took a course in high school, but I really wasn’t that great. Mostly because school always bored me, and there were many constraints. I mean, this is high school, there isn’t a lot of room for artistic freedom and personal growth. After that, I kind of put away my SLR and told myself, well this is not your strong suit.

The internet is full of inspiring people. This blog has opened up another side of my creativity, next to dancing, that I wouldn’t have tapped into otherwise. Because, at the end of the day, I love having a place to share.

Matt bought me a Pentax K1000 for my birthday. I had been dying for a great SLR camera. So I did my research, and found most people raved about this one. I did a lot reading up and re-teaching myself, and then passed on that knowledge to Matt so we could shoot some images together. This here, is the first roll of film. Quite a number didn’t turn out, either because I was making a horrendous facial expression, or we didn’t quite get a harmonious aperture/shutter combo. But this is quite all right, it’s a learning experience, and one I am excited to further dive into.

First oufit
1960’s nightgown: Larkspur sleepwear

Second look
1920’s silk camisole: Lawrence
House coat: thrifted vintage
1960’s high waisted undies: Skomoroki

I’m off the Ithaca, NY tomorrow to do some camping in the Finger Lakes with Matt. The blog will be a little quiet for the week because of this. Larkspur is still having a 30% off sale until Aug. 31st. Anything purchased between today and Aug. 30th will be shipped the following Monday. Have a lovely week all!

New at Larkspur

August 22, 2013November 11, 2014Leave a comment

1. 1960’s Style Pastel Plaid High Waisted Pencil Skirt (S)

Just a small update today! I listed what’s leftover of the Summer-ish items before I start stocking some Fall goodness! Come by the shop and grab em up! Dont forget, you still have about 1 week to get 30% off all items in the shop with coupon code OYVEYSOLEIL. Have a lovely weekend all!

2. 1960’s Coral High Waisted Skirt (S)

3. 1970’s Edwardian Style White Lacey Puff Sleeve Dress (M/L)

4. 1990’s Candy Striper Bustier (M)

Red Valentino F/W 13-14

August 21, 2013November 11, 20143 Comments

I posted about Red Valentino back when we started the blog, and I have been following their collections since, but hadn’t really fallen in love with any of them…until now! Their Fall/Winter 2013-14 collection is my favorite to date. Gah! The prints have killed me. Seriously. I am now writing from the grave!

They stick to what they do best through and through – 50’s, 60’s and 70’s silhouettes with their own modern twist, and some feminine charm. I am more drawn to their longer dresses it seems. I appreciate that they give you a long sleeve with a maxi dress. It’s conservative done so, so right. It’s Amish for the electrical city loving folk. I truly harbor disdain for fashion do’s and don’ts like, “If you are wearing a long skirt, you should pair it with a short sleeve. It looks too matronly otherwise” Nay! Give me that long skirt, and that long sleeve. You cannot see any of my skin minus my neck and head? Don’t care. If dollhairs grew on trees, I would like to fill my closet with this, this, this, this, this and this.