The year is drawing to a close...only a few days left of 2011 and that same old question rolls around: "What is your New Year's Resolution?" Back in December of 2009 I made it my one and only resolution to abide by this quote and ever since then I feel like my life has only improved for the better. I don't plan on making any other New Years resolutions, this one I made a couple years ago works for me and it's realistic.



So how about you...what is YOUR New Year's Resolution?

image credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

One of my favorite blogs to peruse is Honey Kennedy and I chanced upon a post featuring an outtake photo by Lisa Warninger. It was love at first sight. I quickly clicked over to her photography portfolio and was so inspired by her photo essay Nearly Lost that I had to share!


You can find more photos from the set here.

I wanted to introduce to you a new etsy shop called The Priory which blends industrial vintage, World War II memorabilia, and Americana all into one. My favorite piece (which is sold out) is this 1920s wooden toolbox.

The Priory has a lot of fantastic little storage bins and boxes for all your pretty what nots like these vintage barn feed bins and vintage handy andy storage box.

Life has definitely been crazy this year. And as the year draws to a close I have to take this moment to reflect and recap on the big changes I went through for 2011. Well, I'm not going to recap it here, I'll just skip to the whole point of this post which is the rebranding of Adorevintage, my vintage shop.



Many years ago (well ok, not that long ago) I started Adorevintage because I was running out of closet space and I started on Ebay. Throughout the years I thought it was a good idea to brand AV like it was a bigger company and most people would be so surprised it was only little old me doing everything for the shop. And to this day it STILL is ONLY me. So, I thought, ok...I need to rethink a few things. Not to mention life threw me quite a few curve balls this year and in heart, mind, and body I could not focus on Adorevintage.

So now, that things feel more settled, my feet aren't so shaky to stand on... I can finally focus back on my passion and love for vintage. I definitely will be more true to what Adorevintage is...a vintage clothing shop run by a young woman who is crazy about vintage clothing. Not a corporation, not a business with lots of interns and people doing everything for her... it's a mom and pop without the Mom or the Pop. :) What would you call that?

So above... is the new brand/look inspiration board for Adorevintage. You can already see some of it in action on my blog... but the new site design as well as any media I will be doing will be brand focused. A lot of my inspiration came from this amazing design blog Pugly Pixel. I feel so much more sure about my place in life right now.

What a fantastic feeling to have going into the New Year!

I cannot believe how quickly this year went by! Or the month of December for that matter, it's only 4 more days for Christmas! I've been so busy with everything this year I didn't even get a chance to send out Christmas cards, oh dear, maybe next year... *le sigh* I wanted to send out vintage Christmas cards, I found a few at a couple different antique malls, but like I said, didn't get around to it.

Anyhow, to make up for it, I wanted to share these really sweet vintage Christmas and holiday cards I spotted on flickr. Vintage cards are just so cute, don't you think? And some are terribly cheesy which I like. I hope you like these vintage Christmas cards!



credits // one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

I spotted these beautiful wedding brunch photos from a wedding florist website and unfortunately I cannot locate the original location (when I do find it I'll update this post, but if anyone else knows please feel free to share!)

I adore cream and white linens and pretty vintage inspired dinnerware. This wedding table setting is so lovely and pretty and can work for any formal brunch or dinner. Just add a few touches of color to make it less wedding themed. :)

Oh goodness me, there are so many cute vintage clothes and accessories to be found at Revolving Styles Vintage... Anna has a vintage collection with a little bit of something for everyone like sparkly party dresses, beaded tapestry bags, art deco inspired jewelry... Here are a few of my favorite vintage pieces from Revolving Styles Vintage.


1.] This vintage 1950s beaded sweater is so sweet, I love the greens. If I were headed to Ireland any time soon I would definitely be packing this in my suitcase. { buy it }

2.] This vintage 1960s cocktail dress has sweet little ruffles on the sleeves and hem, such a darling dress for a holiday party! { buy it }

3.] Usually I prefer more feminine vintage handbags, but this 1960s mod bag really caught my eye, I love the colors. { buy it }

4.] I don't wear jewelry often, but when I do it's usually a statement making ring. This vintage filigree ring dates to the 1940s from Germany, love! { buy it }

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You can find out more about the owner Anna and her vintage shop on her blog, facebook, or follow Revolving Styles on twitter.

I love when modern clothing has a vintage appeal and the A Détacher Spring 2012 RTW collection by Mona Kowalska certainly had a vintage inspired look, but very modern too. I love what Maya Singer had to say about the collection... "There's generally nothing coy in her covered-up looks, and nothing risqué about them when they're revealing"



The collection used vintage scarf patterns for the prints, I'm wondering if that's what the lovely polka dots are based off of. I love the color palette, but then again I'm very partial to the color grey blended with subdued tones. The accessories are so clever too, the skinny belts and little harnesses especially. Although, I doubt I could ever pull off a harness! Which is your favorite look?

I meant to share these photos from my quick trip to Wertz Brothers Antique Mall much sooner... but it's a bit of an understatement how far behind I am on "work"... in due time. One day at a time.



Wertz Brothers has one of the most well curated collection of antiques I've ever seen. At a very pretty penny. It's where I got my vintage Wolf dress form about a year and a half ago. Hmm... how times have changed. Anyhow... if you are in search of a vintage dress form, then Wertz Brothers is the place to go. They run about $450-$800. If you're lucky one of the booth vendors might be having a sale. It's how I got mine for a little under $390. *le sigh* But she was so worth it!


There are quite a number of vintage dress forms at this antique mall. Wold dress forms, PGM, a couple Acme forms. I'm still in search of a size 0 form, but no luck yet!


I can honestly spend HOURS here, but I mostly go there for vintage design and decorating ideas. I love the mix of industrial with shabby chic and French frou frou. I think that pretty much sums up the decorating phase I'm in right now. This weekend I think is the Irvine Flea market, so I'll probably head out on Sunday bright and early to see what wares I'll find.



Shop Information:
Wertz Brothers Antique Mall
1607 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 452-1800
Mon - Sat: 10 to 6 • Sun: 12 - 6