summer wrap-up

Wow, Liza.  Good job on the whole "I'm gonna blog at least once a week ALL SUMMER LONG," thing.
 
I really knocked that one out of the park, didn't I?

But, in my defense, this summer felt like it was about two weeks long - amiright?  June was just like any other June except that I got my uterus issues ironed out (not with an actual iron) and our house nearly flooded (nearly).  July was a blur of hot weather and summer food and going for walks in the evening even though it was way too hot to be going for walks in the evening.  Then, August saw a trip to the mountains where it was just as hot and humid as it was in Florida, the welcoming of not one, but TWO new jobs, and ended with a hurricane that left us without power for four days. 

Whew.  Now that that's out of the way and we're firmly rooted in September, here's a little look back at what you might have missed if you don't know me well or don't follow me on Instagram.

1. I did a lot of reading.

 

2.  I wore a lot of seasonally-inappropriate hats.

3.  I frequently wore ballgowns for no good reason.

4. I did a lot of painting.

5.  I swam in every body of water I could find.

6. I went on a road trip with my mama and hit up every antique store, cold stream, and scenic overlook in North Georgia and the southern part of North Carolina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  I ate a lot of good food, met interesting people, bought too many hats, and managed to scrape by with only one sunburn.  All in all, a good summer.

Happy September!  

Maybe I'll actually blog once a week this fall.

(but I probably won't)

xoxo,

Eliza

~ the stray ~

Ever since I was little and read books like Alice in Wonderland, Linnea in Monet's Garden, and Anne of Green Gables, I've had dreams of running through the tall green grass in a vast meadow on a warm day.

Thanks to beautiful weather and a perfectly-placed flat, I lived out that dream.

And it was just as heavenly as I always imagined it would be.

{Photos by my sweet friend Sarah, who put up with my micromanaging beautifully}

It was a warm evening with a nice breeze (which gave a gaggle of university boys a nice look at my undies), so I whipped out my new (to me) 1980s-does-1950s dress which I picked up in Manchester, and paired it with my favorite bakelite bangles and hoops.

I'd be happy to do nothing but frolick in the Stray for the rest of my days.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ across the pond ~

For those of you who aren't friends with me on facebook, don't follow me on instagram, or keep your windows shut and therefor haven't heard my excited squeals, I am currently in England!  Right now I am resting comfortably in my friend's dorm room in Yorkshire, which overlooks a beautiful grassy field, sipping a cup of Yorkshire Red tea and preparing for a full day of wandering around city centre and exploring the York art museum.  After navigating three busy airports and juggling luggage, boarding passes, and my passport, a blissfully calm trip is just what the doctor ordered.  So far it's been nothing but wonderful!

Day 01.

I arrived at the Manchester Airport at 9 (UK time) on Thursday morning after a long day spent navigating three airports and attempting to entertain myself during a long lay over.  After meeting up with Sarah, we headed back home for a quick lunch and then caught the train to Stockport to explore the town and tour the hat museum.

After doing a little shopping, we headed back home to make dinner (bowtie noodles with a red pepper and mushroom red sauce and a fresh salad with balsamic dressing), and watch I Love Lucy.

Day 02.

After a great, and much-needed, night's sleep, we ate a quick breakfast and took the train into downtown Manchester.  Despite some key differences, Manchester reminds me of Philadelphia, PA - a bustling metropolis with incredible cultural diversity.

We shopped at several vintage clothing stores, ate at an incredible vegetarian/vegan cafe, and explored city centre (which was great for people-watching).

Day 03.

On my third day in the UK, we took the train into the Manchester-Piccadilly station, and then caught our train to York.  It was a gorgeous day, despite being a little cloudy and rainy, so the view out of our window was glorious!

After dropping our bags at Sarah's flat, we went into town for dinner and some sightseeing.

Day 04.

I spent day four exploring the beautiful land around Sarah's flat and getting reoriented.  We walked to the park, had a picnic on the bridge, watched people playing tennis, and got ice cream from a canal boat.  To top off an already beautiful day, we had a photoshoot in the Stray (details and pictures to come!), and had some delicious tomato and basil soup for dinner.

Ohhh England.  I'm falling in love with you.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ savannah antiques ~

I don't claim to be an expert in the Savannah vintage/antique scene (because I've only been there twice and only been to three shops total), but from my experience, little that it may be, Savannah is a vintage-lover's dream.  Last weekend I visited Alex Raskin Antiques, the Wright Antique Mall, and Southern Charm Antiques, and today I'm going to do my best to describe each as accurately and fairly as I can.

Alex Raskin Antiques:
Last year when I was in Savannah, we went into Alex Raskin's store (the basement of a large house) and snooped around for an hour or so.  Little did we know that we had only seen one out of four stories - so when we went back this time, we climbed every staircase (even though I had to be nudged up the final one thanks to a mild case of vertigo), peaked into every room, and heard every floor board creak as we cautiously passed over them.

The house itself was built in the 1850s - it's a beautiful representation of its era, complete with exposed beams and peeling paint.  Some might cringe at its slightly-dilapidated state and yearn to restore it to its original glory, but I strongly feel that it should be left alone to sag and creak as much as its 165 year old self wants to.  In some rooms, you can clearly see the passing of time and fading of styles by counting the layers of wallpaper that are peeling off the wall and will eventually flake to the floor.  The carpet has years worth of dust settled into it, the railings on the staircases are well-worn, and the house itself has clearly been well-loved by every generation of occupants, past and present.  To cover and sand and strip and paint would be disrespectful to the house's spirit (if you believe in that kind of thing, which I do).

      

      

Wright Antique Mall: 

I have a shocking number of photos of the Wright Antique Mall - zero, in fact.  Probably because I was way too excited to find several racks of vintage clothing, and boxes and boxes of new old stock hairnets, hair pins, and stockings (in my size!!!), from the 40s and 50s.  I already regret not buying more of the stockings (the opposite of buyer's remorse), but I did stock up on hairnets and postcards, so that kind of makes up for it.

Southern Charm Antiques:

Within fifteen minutes of getting into town, we found a parking place, ran into Southern Charm Antiques, and ran out with an amazing 30s hat, all before the meter ran out of time.  So, mission accomplished.

Southern Charm Antiques was cram-packed with vintage clothing, vintage jewelry, vintage shoes, vintage hats, furniture, dishes and silverware, grandfather clocks, and a plethora of odds and ends.  I easily could have spent two hours sitting on the floor, rifling through the stacks of magazines and brochures.

In between the shopping and snooping, we attended my best friend's graduation from SCAD (yay!!!), I got to walk in her senior fashion show, and we moseyed through blocks and blocks of beautiful parks and historical houses.  I miss it already.

xoxo,

Eliza