Two birthdays, one awesome vintage style novelty print dress

Outfit details

Gold tone metal and orange plastic triangle shaped stud earrings: Claire's
Turquoise blue cardigan: Gap
Vintage style resin sunflower brooch: Erstwilder (purchased from Vintage Pip)
Handmade 1940s/1950s kitchen novelty print dress (with matching belt worn as a head scarf): Mode de Lis
Lime green faux patent leather skinny belt: (possibly, had for years) Joe Fresh
1950s/1960s brown faux patent leather handbag: Frugal Frocks
Yellow plastic bangle bracelet: Forever 21
Vintage bangle bracelets: Unknown, had for years
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Turquoise faux patent leather pumps: Payless
Lip colour: MAC Party Line
Nail colour: Essie Roarrrrange

Photography by Tony Cangiano  

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On many a site the web over, I have hefty sized wishlists. In a lot of ways, I really don't mind that there are far, far more items in the world that I adore than I'll ever be able to actually acquire (for the record, I should mention that I don't actually consider myself to be an overly materialistic person at all; for example, on multiple occasions throughout my life, virtually everything that I owned fit into no more than two suitcases and purse, and I was totally okay with that).

Sometimes though, you encounter an item, fall madly in love with it, and then enter a proverbial game of chicken with said item and the unseen force that is the rest of the online shopping public.

The moment I spotted this awesome handmade, one-of-a-kind mid-century vintage style dress with its uber charming pattern of culinary related imagery and words (in fellow vintage blogger Lily's wonderful Etsy shop, Mode de Lis), my heart was a goner and I wanted to buy it instantly.

My budget, however, had a different agenda and so I knew that I would have to wait. And wait I did, for a few months actually. I kept the dress in my shopping cart on Etsy and would check in on it at least once a week, to see if it was still available.

Towards the end of 2015, Lily offered a generous coupon code for her shop and I knew that the moment had come to finally make this magnificent frock mine (in fact, it was my Christmas present to myself last year).

It is such an immensely sweet, pretty dress and I was shocked, down right shocked, I tell you, that no one one else had beat me to it in all the time it was listed for sale. In cases like this, I can't help but feel like the universe is telling me that it was meant to be.

Immensely summery looking thanks to its short sleeves and punchy colours, this delightful 1940s/1950s style kitchen novelty print dress is so "me", it's not even funny. From the longer length to the button front to the matching fabric belt (worn here as a skinny headscarf), it is the kind of garment that turns my knees to jelly and sets my heart ablaze.

Earlier this season, on my birthday, I wore nearly the same outfit that you see here in these snaps, however rain tumbled down all throughout July 10th, so we weren't able to take any outfit photos that day.

Hop ahead to this month. Tony's recent birthday on August 6th was a fairly warm, sunny day and as such, I knew that I had to sport this outfit again - it's too at home in summer not capture on camera while the season is still around.

I actually like this iteration of the look more than the one I put together for my own b-day, so really, it worked out better that we photographed it this month, not last. These snaps were taken in the very early evening hours in front of our next door neighbour's house.

A fabulous novelty print dress like this affords one a lot of styling possibilities. It's bold pattern meant that I didn't want to go too wild with my accessories, and primarily introduced more colour into the look care of my cardigan, handbag, and shoe choices, as well (in smaller doses) as a beautiful Erstwilder sunflower brooch (to echo the sunflowers in the dress' print) and fun triangle shaped orange earrings, plus a few bangles (natch!).

I beam with joy each time I wear this dress. It is an important reminder that patience can be rewarded and that sometimes wishlist items that seem like they may never happen for you, can suddenly become yours thanks to the right timing (or other circumstances).

This is my first piece from Mode de Lis on Etsy and let me tell you, Lily's incredible sewing skills (which are often seen in the pieces she makes for herself and shares on her blog) are off-the-charts. This dress smokes many offerings from repro companies out of the water and has the added special factor of being made by a fellow Etsian and blogger from right here in our own online community.

A super fun garment for special occasions, I love that this dress was at the heart of both mine and Tony's respective birthdays this year and don't doubt for a moment that I'll turn to it for celebrations and everyday outfits alike for many a sunny season to come.

Plus, if one day I ever had the chance to write a cookbook and needed a book jacket photo or was interviewed about cooking, I can't help but think that it would be the absolute ideal dress for a vintage gal like me to sport for just such an occasion. :)