Michigan 2010 Part 3 - When it comes to vintage, God Bless America

Now for the final part of my Michigan trip post. It's been a while coming, but there's a good reason for that! Over the last year, I've had a little bit of a vintage 'drought'. I haven't bought very much as I haven't really had the spare cash, and some the things I have bought have ended up being a little bit of a disappointment (or too small, in the case of my favourite pair of shoes :( ) However, when Adam and I went over to America we set aside a small amount of cash each in case we found something we liked. Adam has been having a great time this year with vintage, finding some amazing shirts, suits and jackets, so the expectation was that he would be the one to find all the goodies.

But no! Instead I had a hard time choosing what to buy and what to pass up. But I hope you'll agree that what I did end up with is rather lovely...

This beautiful purse I found in a little vintage store in Holland, MI. We wandered into a jewelery store after admiring their front (very 50s brickwork) and got chatting to the owners about vintage. They thought we were bonkers, but sent us down the road to another shop they said had a vintage clothing section at the back. We walked down, only to be informed by the shop assistant that they no longer stocked vintage, and to try another store on the other side of town. So Adam and I, with my very blistered feet (oww), walked over to the other side of the town in the 30degree heat. But was it worth it! I found this purse with all its original accessories still intact, and beautifully lined in deep blue. I love the shape and the lucite handle.

This skirt I found in a vintage store in Royal Oak, MI. I looked at it and assumed it would be too big (I can never find vintage in shops in my size), but was so in love with the pattern I thought I might as well try it on. And it fit! Perfectly! And it matches the pink sweater I bought a few months back too. My favourite part is the glitter on the stems of the flowers, particularly as it's all in such good condition and hasn't worn off over time.

I found two (5 actually, but only 2 I really liked) vintage 50s hats in a warehouse Adam and I used to go to when we were dating. I had a good rummage around the place (it's HUGE) and found the two hats and a Lisner 50s necklace. When we got outside when we were done and spoke to the old lady who runs the place and asked how much she wanted, she said nothing! She let me have them all as a gift. Amazing. It was the first place we visited on our trip and what an amazing start. I really wish we'd had time to go back but alas, no such thing.

And last but not least the chalkware lamp Adam and I found at the same place we found my purse. Adam saw it and without even looking at the price said 'I want it. Can we have it'. Good thing it was only $49 really! Our favourite part is how they pressed real feathers into the lamp shade and base. The little china man is a bit beat up, but I kinda love him all the more for it.

There is one more thing... but I want to get a decent photo of it, as the photos Adam took didn't do it any justice. But I shall be wearing it on Friday most likely, so hopefully I'll get some better photos then!

Ximena x

Michigan 2010

So I've been dreadful lately and haven't updated my blog in about a month. However I believe that there is a good excuse for this, and that is the holiday Adam and I were prepping for most of May!

Adam is originally from Michigan and has been living in the UK since we got married almost 2 yrs ago now. Since he moved over here he hasn't been able to go back to see his parents, but last month we finally made it out there for 2 weeks, and it was wonderful, but 2 weeks was definitely not enough!

 On the first weekend we visited Mackinac Island, which is a tiny little island between the upper and lower Peninsula of Michigan. The unique thing about Mackinac is that there are no cars or motor vehicles allowed on the island. Instead, you drop your car off at a car park and take a ferry across to the island, where the only mode of transportation is a horse and carriage or a bicycle.

On the Sunday after we arrived we rented out bicycles and rode all the way around the circumference of the island (it's only 8.2 miles!) It started out really foggy, but by about 1pm all the fog had cleared for the most beautiful, sunny day.

The other thing about Mackinac is the fudge! It doesn't taste like British fudge at all, it's much creamier (and richer). I brought a selection of fudge back for my family, who devoured it in about a week (apparently my Dad even took possession of one flavour and wouldn't let anyone else have it!)

On the way back we stopped off at a few towns, including Traverse City, which has this amazing theater.

When we got back, Adam and I left straight away for 2 days by ourselves on the Western side of Michigan in Grand Haven. We visited Saugatuck and Holland while we were there, and Holland was definitely our favourite of the three.

After we got back from Grand Haven it was all systems go on meeting up with Adams friends that he hadn't seen since he'd left. Casey and Diane just got married a month ago, so we took them out for sushi, we then met up with Lisa the next night and checked out her great little (I say little but it's a lot bigger than ours) flat with a real retro feel. The next night we went out to dinner with everyone to Slows Bar-B-Que in downtown Detroit. The best ribs ever, and you get to pick your own sauce!

I wish I could share all the photos, but there are literally hundreds, as Adams Dad, Adam and I are all photographers. There are still more to come, on a slightly different subject though, so I will break them up into different posts x