a moment to boast

please induldge me for a moment with this post so i can tell you about the most incredible find i had the other day.

have you ever had something that you wanted that was rare or hard to find? where whenever you go to certain stores or places you have to look for it even though you know it's probably not gonna happen? that was me with the rare out-of-print book below; The First Book of Jazz by Langston Hughes. This version (the first version published by Franklin Watts) is nearly impossible to find unless you happen to see it on the internet for $100 and up. There is a different, newer publishing co that sells this on amazon for around $50 but the cover is different and not as good! It became a sort of small obsession over the last few months where everytime i stopped at a thrift store i would have to scour over the books just in case i would get lucky (which is actually how i found all those great classic books i blogged about earlier).

anyway, a few mornings ago, on jeremiah's day off, we wanted to go to zia records and get the new black keys lp that had just come out. so we grabbed a few old records to trade in and remembering that one zia location also takes books we rounded up some that were dusting away on our shelves. while we waited for them to sort through our stuff, we did what we always do...jeremiah went to the records and i, with my small obsession, went to check out the music section of the books. i quickly scanned over the area about jazz and didnt see what i was hoping for but then looked again. low and behold there she was... small and modest with that orange binding tucked in between the larger books. i took the photo below with my phone to show why i didnt see it on the first glance. curious how much they were asking for it, i turned it over to see that the price tag said $4.99.

$4.99 that's it? are you kidding me?? i walked... no more like paced over to jeremiah, slapped the book down in front of him and said, 'look what i found!' a few minutes later they finally called his name for the trade credit which was enough to pay for the lp (score!) and when we got up to the counter jeremiah remembered that he had a discount left on his card...which made the grand total for the book $1.87. And it is here that i will note that before we had left that morning he had found $2.00 in the pocket of his jeans...BAM!

here are some photos of the incredible illustrations inside. he gives all the history of how and where it all started as well as his 100 favorite jazz, blues, folk etc. songs which i totally appreciate!

missoni for target

my convictions about high-end fashion designers doing affordable limited edition lines for the general mass at places like target and h&m was totally put to the test yesterday...and i lost. or i should say that the excitement i had when my mom came over and brought a bag full of missoni in clémence's size totally contradicted where i said i stood on the subject.

right or wrong, i felt like designers who make lines for these stores, do it solely for a quick buck, and in my opinion, (in a non-literal sense) it sort of cheapens it. isn't the fact that these clothes are unattainable for most of us somehow part of the appeal? or when you do get crazy and invest in an amazing piece or find it somewhere (like last chance or even goodwill) there is an immense satisfaction that emerges. but even in a less superficial way, one of the most frustrating things about the idea is that most of the people getting to these stores at 3am to wait for the doors to open aren't doing it for the love of the designer or the art that they make in clothing, they are doing it to slap it back up on ebay to, again, make a quick buck.

that all being said, i couldn't help going against my own view on the subject and gladly accepted my mom's amazing gift for clémence. because after all, i have got to start her early right?!?

local wanderings.

been thrifting a bit lately. i've missed it. hit up one of my gems and found the following 3 skirts and the blouse for a total of $15. it felt good!

 

i paired the skirt with an older vintage find. the silk blouse has a
blueprint map on the
front and the arrows match the skirt perfectly.





you can never go wrong with mint.





red and pink? i think so.

 

 



my new favorite prize for our home!

she now lives in our bedroom and carries salinger's franny and zooey and merton's life and holiness on her back.









local wanderings.

i've had the opportunity to do a little thrifting and vintage shopping this past week and came home with some fun prizes that i am excited about. we live in a great area where there are a pretty decent amount of places and options to go so i have gotten a good little route down. here's what i found:



a couple of silk scarves since im obsessed with wearing them on my head lately. fun skirt with nice big pockets--always a good idea for a mama!

a birthday present from my dear friend brittany who was shopping with me. oh and thank you mary wherever you are!

a cute cropped little top.

so excited about this dress! it was such a steal ($6)! can't wait to wear it in the fall with some tights!

i guess you could say im going through an orange period. totally okay with it!

san diego.

okay, i'm ready to go!

(the giraffe is her new favorite friend and was made by a sweet and very talented friend of mine)

the beach.

she was so excited about it she just had to take a nap first.

toes in the sand for the first time...

annnnd she likes it!

i love her little tippy toes in this one, so delicate.

our little beach babe.

the next day.

sometimes you just gotta stop and smell some flowers in the mornin'

my mom got her some new kicks.

we had some brunch at the Hash House A Go Go. its one of our favorite places for breakfast out there. the proportions are ridiculously large, but i don't think clémence minds at all--that pancake was as big as her!

my little brother bo and his ceasar salad that could feed 10 people.

we stopped off in normal heights to visit a couple of places we like to go. the record shop is owned by 2 ladies in their 60's. In addition to value in buying record collections, they place strong emphasis on the unusual in both artists and cover art. For example, behind one section in their store titled "Music for Dining" is a "Smoking Section." All of the artists are pictured holding or smoking cigarettes. Their expertise was combined and in 1984 Nickelodeon Records was opened. The store opened selling only vinyl and continues to sell only vinyl.

this place was pretty great and super reasonable. pretty similar to SAS.

got some fun fabric for a few projects i've had in mind for clémence's room.

last day.
captivated by a pinwheel. the simplest things go a long way. this was a lifesaver for a good portion of the ride home although i almost passed out from making it spin!

leaving for home.

a conversation with mr. owl.