Johnny Cash Is A Friend Of Mine

Hello there beautiful. That's exactly what I said when I walked out of Ina's restaurant and saw this motorcycle. The leather seat, satchel, and wooden handles make this the most stunning bike I've ever seen. Luckily, the owner was eating breakfast so I could snap these photos, but part of me wanted the guy to come out so I could see what kind of fantastic person owns this bike. I was really tempted to slip a love note into his satchel. I know, that would have been a little odd, but I couldn't hide my admiration for this bike. So if somehow any of you know the owner of the motorcycle, please don't inform them of my creepy obsession, but do tell them that I would like to be friends.

Until next time, Mandy

Blue Daisies

dress: thrifted. bag: vintage. boots: vintage.

These are my go to boots and bag. I can't help it. I love them so much. The only thing that bothers me is that the boots are kind of painful if they touch your leg so I always have to wear knee highs with them. That's okay though. I went to catholic school for 13 years. By now I know how to rock a pair of knee highs. And look at this blue dress, a two dollar thrift find. The daisies and shape give it a very 60s feel, which I adore. As you can see, my bangs have reached the grown out stage. Although I enjoy how they look in these photos, they can be a bit unruly at times. So my question to you is, do I continue to grow them out until I have no bangs at all or cut them again? As much as I enjoy bangs, I would really like to have long enough hair to leave it with its crazy curls every day. The hair dilemma has struck again.

Until next time, Mandy

Project Restyle: Floral Shorts

After months of wanting to learn how to sew, I finally had my first sewing lesson the other day. My grandmother's friend is brilliant at sewing. She actually made all of her own clothes during high school. She offered to teach me awhile ago, but due to busy schedules, we never got around to it. However, on Friday we were both free, so I brought over some dresses to her house so she could teach me how to alter them. We spent the afternoon chatting and sewing, and when it was time to go home I didn't want to leave. I was inspired to keep on sewing, but since I'm still a newbie I wanted some cheap clothes to practice on. Saturday morning, I woke my grandma up for a trip to Savers, one of the thrift stores near my house. I always see clothing at thrift stores that I think would be cute if only they were shorter, smaller, and often less grandma-y. Somehow the long mumu baggy dresses always seem to have the best patterns. Finally, I was able to buy those potentially cute clothes because I now know the basics of altering. I walked out of the store with three bags full of clothes to work on. My first challenge: these floral shorts.

What the shorts looked like before. I loved the pattern and color, but I didn't enjoy the baggy, to the knee length.

After cutting off 6 inches, I began to sew the hem. I ended up sticking myself with the pins a few times and I almost sewed my finger, but there were no major disasters. 

shorts: thrifted. shirt: urban outfitters. boots: urban outfitters. sunnies: anthropologie. 

Voila! I can now wear them in public. I love the finished product, and my successful first sewing attempt has made me want to sew every day. So I have decided to start a new project/blog series in order to inspire me to work on my skills. What do you think? Each week, I will write a Project Restyle post about a thrift or vintage find that I have altered. They may not be the most elaborate projects, but I feel accomplished when I am able to wear the finished piece. Also, if any of you restyle your thrift and vintage finds, I would love to have you as a guest blogger for the series. Some weeks I may not be able to finish a piece, so I would love to have some other bloggers as part of the project. If you are interested in guest posting, email me at graceandviola@gmail.com for more details. 

Until next time, Mandy

Silver Tin Vintage

While at the vintage bazaar, the most adorable mobile store caught my eye right away. I mean how couldn't you be attracted to those pink and green stripes? After looking through the rack of clothes outside, the girls informed me that there was a whole shop inside. Karyn of Dethrose Vintage and Jen of Jenstyle were the sweetest ladies with the cutest style, and they just opened Silver Tin Vintage. I was so glad to meet them and take photos of their shop because it's just so darn cute. This gave me some inspiration for the airstream that I hope to make into a shop in the future.

Until next time, Mandy

Food Trucks And Furniture

The vintage bazaar moved to the Aragon ballroom this month, but half of the bazaar took place outside. I really liked the flea market atmosphere, as opposed to the crowded booths. Another perk of being outside was the mobile shops and food trucks. 

I always enjoy a good food truck, and these were super cute!

I wasn't trying to get a photo of this girl, but I'm glad I did because I am loving her dress. 

I'm not sure if this was an old kitchen cabinet, but the color is fantastic. If I had a house of my own, I would have purchased this piece right away.

It looks like someone else shares my orange obsession. I wish I could have bought all three of these.

Vintage signs and letters are always a good decoration, especially in a brick walled loft, that's where I always picture them.

My retro bike fascination continues. All weekend I've seen the cutest people on the cutest bikes and my jealousy increases. The girl I saw on a pink bike with the pink dress and pink helmet was perfect. Along with my bike obsession, I also have a thing for vespas lately, but I think that I should probably get back to riding bikes first.

As always, the vintage bazaar was an amazing event with creative and fascinating people. It made for an exciting, inspiring afternoon. Does anyone in the Chicago or Boston area know of any vintage events, flea markets, or blog events coming up? I would love to find some new places to visit.
Until next time, Mandy

Fence Of Frames

dress: bazar. shoes: jc penny. bag: vintage.

While my mom is working in Atalanta for the next couple of weeks, I am staying with my aunt in the city. On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at the vintage bazaar, which is where I found this fantastic fence of white frames. I love going to artsy events where everyone's creativity can be seen in different ways. Walking through the tents of vendors, I couldn't help but notice how many interesting people there were. I found inspiration in their clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, and personalities, which is why I love life in the city. Suburban life isn't all that horrible, but it is all the same, well at least where I live. I appreciate the diversity, culture, and history of cities, so I cannot wait until I move to Boston in a month. 

Until next time, Mandy

Broken Walls And Record Trees

romper: vintage. vest: vintage. boots: vintage. bag: vintage.
My family's estate is the perfect place for pictures with the dilapidated house, old barn, and acres of woods. Personally, I love the look of the broken down walls, but I do not think that I can convince my mom to keep them that way. I think that the pink, brown, and rust colored walls are beautiful. Lately, I've been really into furniture, but being a teenager without a house of my own means that I can only dream about where I will put it someday. I did happen to get the most gorgeous white leather chair the other day from an all French furniture estate sale. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be a chair hoarder because I cannot keep from buying ones that I love.
Until next time, Mandy