A very quick post to touch base

Good evening, sweet dears, how are you each on this last day in March? I hope that you’ve all been having marvellous weeks since we last spoke. My deepest and most heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who left comments (and emailed me privately) in regards to the health issue I mentioned in last Saturday’s post.

I had a very thorough doctor’s visit complete with various tests on Monday and also went for an ultrasound that day (which was preformed by the least gentle, most emotionally cold person I’ve ever encountered in the medical field, but I’m honestly trying to block the experience out of my mind, so I won’t be a negative Nancy (so to speak) and go into detail about it – let’s just say Genghis Khan would have been appalled by how viciously unkind and physically rough – for absolutely no reason – this woman was). I’ll be heading back up to the Dr.’s office next week to find out the results of all the tests and further discuss the situation.

In the meantime though I’m *trying* not to worry and am attempting to focus my thoughts on considerable more pleasant topics such as Easter, the inherent beauty of spring (which really has to arrive here any day now!), and my mother’s birthday on Friday. Even though we’re located on different sides of the country, I always get so excited when her special day rolls around – after all, of she wasn’t born, I wouldn’t be here typing this post right now!

Monday’s medical visits zapped my strength rather severely and I’m still recouping, so I’m going to continue resting tomorrow, but (baring anything unforeseen) hope to bring you a new edition of Vintage Friday Fashionista the following day.

Really and truly, thank you again, for your caring, understanding support and lovely comments. I can’t begin to tell you how much they helped lift my spirits over these past few days!


{A darling vintage card filled with springtime daisies to wish you the brightest and most lovely of April firsts tomorrow. Image via homanedheart’s Flickr stream.}


I hope that the month ahead is an amazing, sun-kissed, deeply joyful one for you all!

Taking a weekend medical leave of absence

Good morning my sweet dears, how are you each on this last weekend of March? I hope that you’re all doing beautifully and being treated to much warmer temps than Toronto has been experiencing this past week (it’s minus -7°C right now, can you believe that?)

This post is a fairly quick one to let you all know that I won’t be putting up a new edition of Saturday snapshots – or anything else for the next couple of days. As you may have noticed, I’ve been MIA since Wednesday, the reason being that late that night I experienced a new medical situation which really knocked me off my feet (figuratively speaking). I’m not going to go into exact specifics right now because I don’t have a conclusive diagnosis of the problem quite yet, but the symptoms are pointing towards to an issue with my gallbladder.

I apologize for missing yesterday’s regularly scheduled Vintage Fashionista Friday post, and for having to skip new posts this weekend. Tentatively at this stage, I hope to be back to blogging on Tuesday (30th) or Wednesday (31st) – if only to post an update of what’s going on.

Before I sign off completely for today though, I want to leave you all with something lovely and seasonally fun to enjoy, so I’ve grouped some of my most recent Flickr favourites together into a mosaic, which I’ve titled Prelude to a vintage Easter.


{1. Happy Easter, 2. easter chocs, 3. pastel easter cookies, 4. Nostalgia Organics, 5. easter easter, 6. Fleer's Dubble Bubble Gum ad, 1960s, 7. 1953_10, 8. Easter09, 9. Spring is in the air, 10. Renee & Denise, Easter, 1956, 11. Happy Easter, 12. Target Tuesday: Shabby Pink Easter Bonnet, 13. Easter Chick (With An Identity Crisis).}


I hope to be back really soon, everyone, and in am sending out wishes to you each for a gloriously wonderful weekend!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Fresh Mint and Fennel Salad with Shaved Parmesan

My announcement of spring's arrival last week, proved – rather to my surprise – to be a tad bit early. While we enjoyed a week ripe with sunshine and immensely nice temperates that permitted one to venture outside sans a winter coat for the first time in months, come Saturday morning we awoke to skies the colour of brushed steel, -2°(C) and whirling snowflakes! Winter, clearly, still had a little more snow to get out of its system – and it decided to do so on my love-i-versary.

No matter though, that’s Canadian weather for you an absolute nutshell and there’s no sense in fretting over it. Though the temps are still rather nippy, I’m optimistic that they’ll soon skyrocket back up and spring really and truly will commence soon (hopefully before Easter – I do so love taking a stroll around the block on the Easter weekend and admiring all of the gorgeous new flowers).

Even if winter decided to linger a little longer outside, inside my kitchen is setting its sights towards springtime foods, which for me always means scores of salads prepared with toothsome, crisp, gently flavoured new vegetables and fragrant herbs.

This lovely salad with its pairing of light and dark green, timeless flavours and ease of preparation makes it a snap to prepare any day of the week, even if your schedule only permits a few minutes to get lunch or dinner on the table.

You could certainly splash a little balsamic or other vinegar of your choice onto the salad greens as well, but I find that with the distinct tastes of mint and fennel and the salty, rich flavour of the parmesan, this dish really doesn’t need a vinegar based dressing.


{Very little olive oil is needed for the joyfully lovely springtime salad, so feel free to bring out the best your have on hand. I personally adore Italian varieties, but am in no way opposed to Greek, French, Californian, or Spanish – such as the tin shown in this vintage La Giralda ad, which comes via Gatochy’s wonderful Flickr stream.}


This fennel and mint salad (which can work wonders for stomach woes, thanks to the fact that both of these ingredients are natural digestive aids) is terrific accompanied by your favourite bread (I love it with Italian varieties such as ciabatta) and/or a light soup for lunch. It also works equally was as a first dinner course, perhaps followed by some wonderful new baby potatoes, grilled seafood or chicken, and finished off with a dessert bursting with gorgeous springtime berries.



Fresh Mint and Fennel Salad with Shaved Parmesan


Ingredients

• 2 large fennel bulbs washed, feathery ferns removed and set aside
• A handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly torn to your desired size
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (or more if you like) freshly shaved Parmesan cheese (Grano Padano would work great here too)
• A few snips of the feathery top ferns of the fennel bulbs
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste (both to taste)


Directions

Wash and dry the fennel bulbs throughly, then cut them as thinly as possible (either by hand or with the aid of a mandolin, if you have one).

Next put the sliced fennel into a medium to large sized salad bowl and gently toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the chopped fresh mint and mix it lightly through the fennel, being careful not to bruise it in the process of stirring.

Divide the salad between four individual bowls, place a few shavings of cheese on top and garnish with a few of the reserved, delicately wonderful fennel ferns. Serve this elegant, flavourful Mediterranean inspired salad at once – perhaps with your favourite vintage Italian movie playing in the background as you bring it to the table.


Serves 4 to 6 people (easily)

Bon appétit!

Announcing the winner of the $100 LA Vintage online shopping spree

This month Chronically Vintage had the pleasure of teaming up with one of the hottest online retro and vintage sellers, LA Vintage, to bring you a wonderfully fun giveaway for a $100 online shopping spree on their site.

Scores of entry poured in over the two weeks that this contest, which wrapped up at 11:59pm EST last night, was going on, and today I have the absolute joy of announcing the lucky winner (whose comment number was drawn using an online random number generator).

Without further ado, the winner is comment number 5, which just happens to belong to none other than the phenomenally gorgeous and talented, Mary Van Notes.


{Mary’s impeccable vintage style, intelligent whit, adorable cartoon drawings, and entertaining blog entries are endlessly interesting and inspiring. If you don’t already count her amongst your friends, hop on over to Mary’s blog and check out the world of vintage wonder this fantastic gal has created!}


Huge congratulations, Mary, I’m so thrilled for you and hope you have an absolute blast picking up a new vintage treasure or two for yourself amongst the wonderful wears that LA Vintage offers. Please contact me via email whenever you like, sweet dear, with your name and the email address you’d like to receive your $100 coupon code from LA Vintage at.

Scores of thanks go out to each and every one of you who participated in this contest (you left a combined total of 84 comments!); I sincerely appreciate you doing so and loved reading each of your comments. Fear not, even if you didn’t win this time around, there will be plenty of other contests held on Chronically Vintage in the future (I already have another one in the works for later this spring).

You’re all the greatest, thanks again for entering this lovely giveaway. I really hope you each have a gorgeous Monday and week ahead, my darlings!

Saturday Snapshots: March 20, 2010

"Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that." ~ Michael Leunig

{An attractive young couple smile gleefully for the camera, dressed to the nines – complete with lovely lapel accessories (I especially fancy his little floral brooch, it takes a dapper gent to appreciate such an elegant piece of jewelry), in this cheerfully fun shot from the 1940s.}



{The breezy, serene spirit of summer echoes through this forties snap of a young woman – sporting a cute jumper that would be very much in line with today’s fashion trends – and a poised, beautiful dalmatian. There are some darling details in this shot such as the thin dog leash and little envelope she’s holding in her hand, plus the fact that it appears her shoes are two different colours!}



{An amazing wealth of fashion history resides in this fantastic hand tinted class photo from 1934. From the fact that nearly every fellow is wearing a tie to the ladies’ immensely pretty assortment of skirts and dresses, each of these young students is impeccably – and inspiringly – dressed.}



{Four WAC (Women’s Army Corps) members clown around for the camera in this 1940s shot, though some of the gals seem to be in better spirits than others. Aside from the gals' uniforms, what really draws me into this great snap is the menagerie of ephemera and photographs on the wall behind them.}



{Grace, beauty and a sense of youthful vitality flow through this gorgeous hand tinted portrait of a woman (named Louise) whose hairstyle I would jump through hoops to be able to duplicate exactly – complete with darling white bow.}



{Four members of the Steiniger family are kitted out in lovely traditional costumes which I suspect maybe Austrian (as a different photo in the same stream shows a large group of people who were members of an American Austrian club). Don’t you just adore how sweet – almost like characters from a fairytale – the children look?}



{Ooh-la-la, three pretty young ladies flash their gams (and garters!) for a group of servicemen in this flirtatious WW2 era photo. No background information whatsoever is provided for this shot, which has left me deeply curious as to where this image was taken and who these titillating women were.}



{Pssst...I have a secret, I’ve always adored guys in classically tailored overcoats (only a perfectly fitted suit tops them on my list of favourite menswear pieces), just like the ones the five Spanish gents (who worked in a local mine) in this 1943 photo are sporting.}



{The colours in this slice-of-daily-life street scene photo – taken in Bakersfield, California – could not be more ironically 50s if you painted them by hand (which I really like, especially the hearty dose of coral pink).}



{A trio of lovely young women embrace their military beaus in this endearingly sweet 1940s photo. I wonder if the fellows were shipping out soon, home on furlough, or returning from action?}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


The words in week’s quote really drew me to them because March 20th just happens to be my love-i-versary. What, you may ask, is a love-i-versary? It’s a homemade word I use to describe the anniversary of the day that my husband and I first met.

Today marks six years since our first encounter, and what a jam-packed, amazing half dozen years it’s been! From a whirlwind courtship (we married almost seven months to the day after meeting) to living abroad, finding our way through the Canadian immigration system, several moves, medical issues, family visits, adopting our cat Stella, and a million ordinary (but not necessarily prosaic) everyday events that all work in harmony to create the beautiful life we share.

Yet Leunig’s words apply not only to couples. Their simple, immortal message that love begets happiness is something that I’ve always felt was true of humanity the world over. The more we love, the more we stand to make both ourselves, and the lives those went bestow our affection on, more joyful.

As we embark on the beginning of spring, it’s my heartfelt wish, sweet friends, that each of your worlds is filled with copious amounts of both love and happiness, now and forever.

Vintage Fashionista Friday: March 19, 2010

{Made of soft crocheted rayon, this vintage inspired hair snood in bright tomato red is just thing to keep your locks out of your way when you’re hard at work. Happily, it looks equally elegant as a stylish accessory with your favourite vintage ensembles, too! This lovely snood – which appears as though it could have hopped right out of the pages of a 1940s fashion magazine – can be yours for the bargain prise of $2.99 (US) from the eBay shop K and Katie.}



{Add an adorable dose of sweetness to any look in your wardrobe with the charming gold toned necklace featuring a metal bow and a glass sprig of lush red cherries on a 16 inch chain, for $6.99 (US) from GirlProps.com.}



{With toasty spring and summer weather on the horizon, it will soon be time to turn to short sleeved, breezy shirts to help beat the scorching heat. This darling red bandana print “rodeo girl” top is made from 100% cotton by Heartbreaker Fashion, and would look fantastic with your favourite pair of high waisted (or low waisted, if you dare!) shorts or trousers. “Red Rockabilly Bandana Print Twist Tie Top” available in assorted ladies sizes, $42.00 (US) from BabyGirl Boutique.}



{A streamlined, classic shape lends elegance and functional beauty to this 1950s era purse which was once owned by the wife of the actor (Ray Bolger) who played the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Featuring a subtle dose of femininity thanks to the little bow on the front, this Koret brand taupe leather purse (with a detachable strap so that this bag can also be used as a clutch) measures 7.5 inches high by 10 inches wide, and is can be found for $30.00 (US) from etsy seller Vintagestorm.}



{Evoking thoughts of Hollywood’s leading ladies who wore trousers with aplomb, these timelessly fantastic, wide legged pair of sailor pants are the sort of style our vintage girl Frankie would definitely have sported at her war ammunition factory job and on the weekend when she was kicking back with the gang. Brown sailor, button front pants, available in assorted (modern) ladies sizes, $99.00 (Australian dollars) from Tiger Rag.}



{Forget about modern day utilitarian fabric lunch bags and haul your daily nibbles to work (or play!) in this marvellously fun vintage metal lunch pail featuring the US Postal systems beloved character, Mr. Zip. This delightfully endearing lunch box measuring 8 3/4 inches wide by 6 3/4 high, can be found for $22.00 (US) from etsy seller Wyatt Edward Vintage.}



{Both gorgeous and versatile, these wonderfully ageless tan hued, jute heeled wedge shoes are made from supple leather and feature a buckle strap slingback. They would look amazing paired with pants, shorts, skirts or dresses – you name it! 4 1/2 inch heeled Matt Bernson “Bo Peep” wedges, available in ladies sizes 5 to 11, $191.00 (US) from Zappos.com.}

♥ ♥ ♥


Speaking of all things fun and fashionable, if you haven’t already done, so be sure to enter Chronically Vintage’s giveaway for a $100.00 online shopping spree from LA Vintage. The contest is on for two more days (it closes at 11:59 EST on Sunday night), with the lucky winner being selected – and announced in a post- on Monday March 22md. Massive thanks go out to all those who have entered the contest so far, I love the wonderful response that this giveaway has generated and cannot wait to draw the winner’s name at the start of next week!

Scores of thanks as well to each and every one of you who have left wonderful comments on recent Chronically Vintage posts, your words always brighten my day and mean a tremendous amount to me.

Wishing you all a bright and beautiful, entirely enjoyable weekend as we officially kick off the start of spring 2010!

I won the most darling Lagelle hand-knit, vintage inspired hat!

This post is massively overdue, and I really must apologize about that. Last December I was selected as the lucky winner of a giveaway that the fantastically wonderful Lagelle held on her blog, Lagelle, the Art of accessorizing.

Her contest was the first (and to date, only) blog contest I’ve ever had the joy of winning. Given the time of the year lovely news that I’d won arrive during, it literally felt like I’d received an early Christmas present.

Lagelle has a passion for the vintage fashions of several decades, as evident by the continually delightful array of wardrobe filled posts (both of herself and those she finds inspirational), and which shares through the wonderfully chic, delightfully fun hand-knit, 1920s inspired hats she creates and sells on her site, Lagelle.com.

Sweet-as-a-cupcake Lagelle gave me the choice of a few different hat styles and colour combinations to pick from, and I settled on a timeless mix of burgundy and grey (complete with a darling little knit bow) for my new hand crafted chapeau.

I honestly did not have a single cold weather hat when this winter rolled around, so not only was winning Lagelle’s giveaway a beautiful boost to my wardrobe, it also proved to be immensely practical in the face of a typically chilly Canadian winter.

I wore my new hat nearly every day over the course of the colder months and received scores of compliments and "Where’d you get that adorable hat from?" queries (from bank tellers, strangers on the street, people in line at the grocery store, cute hispster girls at the mall – even a charming elderly woman on the bus one morning). I was only too happy to inform each and every one of them that my hat was a handmade creation from Lagelle.com.



{An entirely “of the moment” snapshot (in other words, we didn’t plan a photo shoot) that my husband nabbed of me wearing my gorgeous Lagelle hat one weekend afternoon last January. We’d just returned home from a day of running errands in the bitingly cold winter wind – during which time my head stayed wonderfully warm thanks to this darling knit chapeau.}


While I’m eager to welcome spring’s arrival with open arms, one of the very few things I’ll miss come the dog days of summer will be wearing my sweetly adorable hat out and about wherever I go. Until next winter though, my charming Lagelle creation sits atop the head of a dear pink teddy bear of mine (a beloved gift from my mother many years ago) on my bedroom nightstand, ready at a moment’s notice for an unseasonably cold day or the first hint of autumn's return.

Thank you so very much, Lagelle, for selecting me as the winner of your marvellous giveaway! Receiving your timelessly pretty, soft wool hat was one of the highlights of this past winter for me. Functional and stylish, your hat makes me smile every time I see it and is such a fantastic reminder of the shared passion for vintage fashion we both share.

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Pan Cooked Irish Soda Bread

Every cook should have a bevy of fail-safe recipes in their repertoire that can easily be whipped up in the blink of an eye. This spin on a true Irish classic is one such dish in my arsenal of “on the table in minutes” recipes that can be enjoyed long after the green beer of St. Paddy’s has stopped flowing.

Utilizing just four ingredients, this recipe naturally lends itself to variation. You can easily enhance it with a handful of your favourite fresh herbs (chives are wonderful here), dried fruit (cranberries or blueberries, for example), spices, cooked and crumbled bacon, or a couple of tablespoons of jam or fruit preserves swirled through the uncooked batter.

This wonderfully simple and deeply delicious recipe resonates with the spirit of Irish cooking and pairs just as beautifully with other Celtic flavours (think cabbage, gammon, leeks) as it does with dishes from other ethnic backgrounds. I love this hearty soda bread alongside barbequed foods, corn on the cob or simply paired with a flavourful salad for lunch or a light supper (it’s also rather spectacular spread, while still piping warm, with homemade peach jam).

I’ll be firing up the stovetop and cooking a pan of this classic soda bread with a slight twist, tonight as an accompaniment to soup made with the first tender spring vegetables that are starting to appear at the market, baked potatoes, and blackberry sorbet for our celebratory March 17th dinner.

Wishing everyone a delightfully festive St. Patrick’s Day that’s as bright and enjoyable as a spectacular Irish rainbow!





Pan Cooked Irish Soda Bread


Ingredients

•1 cup buttermilk

•½ tsp fine sea or kosher salt

•1 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

•1 cup self-rising flour


Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl then turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough with your hands for about 4 minutes, then shape into an 8-inch (wide) ball. Dust the blade of a sharp knife with flour and slice the ball in four equal sized quarters.

Heat a non-stick griddle or frying pan over medium high heat (if your stovetop veers on the really hot side, “medium” heat may be sufficient) and place the 4 dough portions in the pan (note, if you don’t have a non-stick pan, use a cast iron griddle or heavy bottomed frying pan in which you melt a tbsp of butter before placing the dough into the pan).

Cook the soda bread for about 5 minutes on each side, ensuring that it’s cooked through evenly. You will want to watch it carefully and check often to make sure that the bread in not getting too dark for your taste (if it’s browning before you feel it’s cooked through, reduce the heat).

As soon as this rustically lovely soda bread is finished cooking, transfer it from the pan to a serving plate and bring to the table, complete with plenty of creamy butter (if you can find actual Irish butter, all the better!), and commence eating at once.

Wrap any leftovers in brown paper and then plastic wrap, store in a cool spot for up to two days.

Makes 4 side dish sized portions of soda bread.

Erin Go Bragh!

Today’s Vintage Treasure: March 16, 2010

{While sunlight as a gentle and soft as a kitten’s paw streams through the burgundy damask curtains in our living, the temperate climbing today to 15°(C) for the first time since early last spring, I feel giddy with excitement over the coming season – and anything the embraces a springtime feeling.

This immensely cute embroidered handbag from the 1950s fits that bill to a tee! Swirling with a flock of vibrantly hued butterflies, this wonderful chain strap purse would look amazing as part of an Easter outfit, garden party ensemble, or as a beautiful everyday bag that would be sure to garner compliments everywhere you went. If you’re a fan of butterflies on your accessories (and vintage ones at that!) – as I definitely am, flutter over to etsy seller Allen Company Inc., where you can net this darling purse for $72.00.}


While I’m anything but superstitious, I’m almost Leary to say that winter appears to be on its way out the door here – lest I jinx things and awake to a ferocious blizzard (this is Canada after all, such radical changes over night in weather are by no means unheard of). Realistically though, I think it’s broach the subject and say that spring really and truly does appear to be on its (long awaited!) way.

Autumn in Toronto this past year was both very short and unseasonably chilly, making many here (myself included) feel as though we’d been gypped out of a proper fall. It also means that it’s been many months since we last experienced weather so pleasant would could safely venture outside without a coat on.

Today, as the mercury hovers well above freezing, my mind turns to thoughts of sending out Easter cards, the first weekends when the local farmer’s market returns, ripe with just-plucked-from-the-field produce, and daydreams of having a house with a yard so that I could string a hammock and take a cat nap with the toasty (almost) spring sun caressing my face.

What are you eager for this lively, gorgeous season to usher back into your life?

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with vintage photos of famous Irish people

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day this coming Wednesday, I thought it would be oodles of fun to depart for a change from the usual weekend edition of “Saturday Snapshots” (which is geared towards featuring vintage photos of everyday people), and instead bring you a selection (ten to be exact, the same number of images I always include with Saturday Snapshots) of photos of famous Irish faces.

Some of these people were born on Irish soil, others carried Irish blood in their veins, but all are widely known to have (genealogical) ties to Éire.

To accompany each vintage photograph, I’ve paired an engaging quote said by the respective person in the picture, which I hope helps to provide a window into the minds of these well-known, and much loved, illustrious sons and daughters of Ireland.




{“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met.”
~ William Butler Yeats}




{“Above all else, deep in my soul, I'm a tough Irishwoman.”
~ Maureen O’Hara}




{“If the American family has seemed in danger of disintegration, I believe and hope it will survive, and I think America will return to old values.” ~ James Cagney}




{“Other women looked on me as a rival. And it pained me a great deal.” ~ Grace Kelly.}




{“I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.” ~ James Joyce}





{“It's nice to be immortal. Film has given us immortality. Now my children are going to appreciate Tarzan.” ~ Maureen O’Sullivan}




{“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw}




{“I feel there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore.” ~ Georgia O’Keeffe}




{“I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls.”
~ Gene Kelly.}




{“After all, tomorrow is another day.” ~ Margaret Mitchell}



{The images above are from are from Wikipedia and IMDB, please click on a specific photograph to be it to be taken to its respective page (and to learn more about each of these fascinating Irish figures).}




Though I am a complete and utter Heinz 57 of European nationalities, to date I have not yet found a drop Irish ancestry in my past. Nevertheless, I like to think I’ve made up for this in part by the two years (between 2004 and 2006) that my husband and I lived in the Emerald Aisle.

While there it was fascinating to see what famous names are held in the highest regard (and/or which garner the most notoriety). Though modern day celebs like Colin Farrell, Liam Nesson, Pierce Brosnan, Sinéad O'Connor, Bono, Enya, and Michael Flatley are certainly popular, I found that Ireland did a very good job of keeping past figures of note (such as Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, and Bram Stoker) squarely in the present day limelight, too.

The selection of photographs above includes a selection of my favourite Irish stars of stage, writers, and artists, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the world. As St. Paddy’s Day approaches, I would love to hear who some of your most beloved Irish celebrities (past or present) are – who knows, they may appear in a future post centered around celebrating March 17th! :)

Vintage Fashionist Friday (special St. Patrick’s Day edition!): March 12, 2010

Last week’s debut of the new post Vintage Fashionista Friday, received a very warm welcome and a slew of wonderful comments that led me to know I’d selected a great theme for Chronically Vintage’s end of the work week article.

I’m delighted to know that so many of you like the idea of assigning a lovely girl’s name to each outfit I put together, and sincerely hope that you’ll enjoy today’s festively verdant and shamrock filled homage to the Emerald Isles and (next Wednesday’s) St. Patrick’s Day, which I like to imagine being worn by a fair skinned, redheaded Irish lass named...


{Whether you live in Dublin, Dresden, or Delaware, keep spring’s bounty of rain from ruining your stylish vintage hairdo with this terrifically fun green and white polka dot umbrella (which comes with a cute matching rain hat) from Samsonite. Available for $23.67 (Cnd) from Overstock.com, this 100% polyester umbrella is travel size and can easily fit into a purse or even large coat pocket, ensuring you’re never caught off guard when a spring shower hits!}



{Adorable, dimensional leaves wind their way up the front of this pretty Kelly green, ¾ length sleeve, cotton and cashmere cardigan. Perfect for nippy March days – or an under-heated pub! – this whimsical sweater, which features a snap front and beautiful lattice work around the collar, is available in sizes XS – XL, for $98.00 (Cnd) from Anthropologie.com.}



{Help impart the luck of the Irish into your wardrobe with this timelessly charming necklace featuring a 1” sterling silver horseshoe and an itty-bitty brass shamrock strung on an 18” sterling silver chain. This dainty, elegantly fun piece of jewelry is available for $29.00 (US) from etsy seller Luxe Deluxe.}



{There is something so understatedly lovely about this classic, modest vintage frock with its moss green and white gingham pattern. Trimmed with white eyelet and sporting a row of wee little buttons down the front, this sweet dress fits up to a 36 inch bust/28 inch waist, and can be had for $74.00 (US) from etsy seller Thirteen Eighty-Five’s shop.}



{A lady can never have too many pairs of gloves in her arsenal of accessories, and this sophisticated hand crocheted cotton pair would make a welcome addition to any gal’s closet (or glove box!). This “new old stock” pair of gloves was sourced in Ireland and is described as having a bit of stretch to it, thus allowing it to fit most hand sizes. Gorgeous for any event from a wedding to a night out at your favourite Irish restaurant, these wonderful gloves are available for $29.00 (US) from etsy seller White O'Morn Cottage Shop.}



{Carry around a burst of jolly green clover in your pocket or purse everyday with this lovely little embroidered linen handkerchief. Measuring 9”, this hemmed vintage hankie comes packaged in its own clear top box, and is available for a mere $2.88 (US) from etsy seller Vintage Sew and Sew.}



{Let your feet imagine they’re wandering through a grassy Irish meadow in these immensely lovely green suede pumps from the 1950s. A classic cut and hue, paired with a subtle bow detail, ensure these shoes will forever hold court amongst your footwear. This marvellous pair of heels, which fit a (modern) US size 6.5 to 7, is available for $45.00 (US) from etsy seller Carnival Moon.}

♥ ♥ ♥


Wishing you each a weekend that glistens as enchantingly as the colours of a rainbow, and which is filled with the merry spirit of St. Paddy’s Day!