Four Hens A-Laying

Just a quickie outfit post from Saturday (old stuff, all second hand other than the boots, necklaces both from Milla :), and some fun news...



Yay, we've got eggs! The girls have been laying for about a week and a half now. We're currently averaging about 2 eggs a day between the four of them (apparently Hiccup was feeling camera shy that day), though today we found three!

Already plenty for our little family's egg consumption needs. Though still pretty small at this stage, the eggs are super yummy and it's exciting that we won't need to buy them anymore. Good news for friends and family too, it looks as though we'll even have some to share :)

Swap Magic and a Trip to the Christmas Tree Farm

There seems to be a continuing theme going on with my outfit posts. That being: Check out this awesome vintage dress given to me by *insert name of lovely and amazing lady here* and see how I styled it. It's a fun theme for me, that's for sure. Though, I can only take limited credit for the styling on this one.

You see, when this soft purple calico dress showed up in my swap package from this lovely and amazing lady, it was already wearing the beaded-granny-cardigan-of-my-dreams and flower necklace… a lovingly wrapped, pre-assembled outfit from a gal whose impeccable bohemian vintage style I absolutely adore. Pretty cool!

So true, so true... haha.

Swap treasures galore! I’m telling you, Nicole puts together a kick-ass package…

Even the boxes themselves are lovely, and if you’d like to get in on the action, hurry yourself on over to Nicole’s blog, Flaming Hag Folkwear, and sign up to win her giveaway! Yes, you too could have a box of amazingness show up at your very own door. Her blog is a favorite, definitely one to follow :)


While wearing this lovely outfit, I followed Lucas and Clover around the Victorian Christmas Tree Ranch in Sebastopol. Unfortunately, due to dumping rain, the outfit ended up mostly hidden under my big yellow raincoat :(

Luckily, I took photos earlier in the day, before all the storming began, when it was still possible to kid myself into thinking my outfit might be weather appropriate.

The purple bird-print tote recently migrated all the way from Finland via an awesome little birdie-themed surprise package from Milla! It was the perfect addition to my purple ensemble :)



We met some Christmas Tree Farm critters. Clover was totally creeped out by the turkeys. "Mama, I don't like their heads."

The beautiful beadwork on the cardigan continues all the way across the back! Nicole knew that one of these was on my wishlist, and this one is in PERFECT condition and sooo pretty. I love that it's pretty much the exact gray/green shade of spanish moss :)

Oh yes, the cheesy holiday family antics continue!

As does little Clover's Gretel obsession. Fueled, no doubt, by the adorable green corduroy folk skirt and wee embroidered peasant blouse that Nicole sent for Gretel in the swap package, SO CUTE. Seriously people, go enter that giveaway, before it's too late!

Saturday Afternoon

Hey, remember Hillary, the vintage dress fairy? This lovely tweed number was her doing as well. After patiently spending months in my closet awaiting wintry weather, her day finally came.

The heavy fabric with silk lining make it a perfect chilly day dress, and it’s got some really wonderful little details including the matching belt and little black velvet bow at the collar. I felt very prim and proper and ladylike.


We joined the holiday hustle and bustle downtown and ate lunch at Mac’s Kosher Style Deli and Restaurant, a yummy downtown Santa Rosa institution where the pastrami sandwiches can’t be beat. As you can see, Clover was in a particularly impish mood… which provides equal parts entertainment/exhaustion.

Oh these two… when they’re not drivin’ me batty, they’re warmin’ my heart with how sweet they can be together! Haha.


We decided to really up the cheesy holiday family ante by capping the afternoon off with a free horse-drawn carriage ride through Old Railroad Square.

Clarice (Rudolph’s girlfriend) thought it was really fun.

I must admit, I kinda did too.

Gretel and the Gunne Gift

About a month ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find a package at my door from the lovely and ever-charming Amy Merrick of An Apple A Day. I had almost forgotten her long ago mentioning a certain ebay-acquired Gunne Sax sundress that she thought might work out better for me!

The package within the package was almost too pretty to open, but I was pretty excited about what was inside...

It turned out to be nothing short of a dream dress... velveteen lace-up bodice, ribbon-trim, tiny floral calico print... quite a lovely specimen indeed!

I'm so thankful to Amy for her generosity and beyond flattered that she even thought of me. As such, Thanksgiving seemed a fitting day to debut the dress. We spent a lovely afternoon with my family over at my sister's house, catching up and eating way too much... you know, the usual.

Though we did get some sunshine, it was anything but sundress weather, so layers were definitely in order. It has been all kinds of COLD around here lately.

Gotta love those hidden pockets! Amy, my gratitude abounds :)

If you've never crossed paths with An Apple A Day, I highly recommend doing so. Amy's posts are always beautiful with wit and charm to spare, and lately she's been posting the most wonderful photos of her travels through Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam with her sister. They've been filling me with wanderlust in a big way!

In other news, Clover's love for all things Gretel has not waned. This was a Gretel-inspired outfit from last week.

Over the weekend, she pulled this book of fairy tales out of my vintage children's book collection. I had forgotten that the story of Hansel and Gretel was in there.

Of course, she then wanted to recreate the Gretel outfit in the book.

And how many extra mom-points would you say this Hansel get-up is worth?... 'cause I'm thinkin' quite a few.

Not to be type-cast though, remember her interest in The Little Match Girl? Well, after watching this Disney short a few times...


Yup, you guessed it. It's amazing the little details she pays attention to, like the socks with no toes, she remembered that, I didn't. Though the best was when she got into character and then proceeded to warn me in all earnestness: "Mom, if I talk to you right now, it will ruin my performance."

I was like: "Ruin your what?" Her reply: "my performance." Though it's even funnier when she actually says it because of her tiny voice and the way she pronounces it "puhfoamance". Yeah, that one totally cracked me up.

Indian Mama

Awhile back I mentioned that I had been given a vintage 70’s sweater dress by my mother-in-law. Well, here it is, as worn to a local art’s district event the Saturday before last.

I love this dress. It’s super cozy and Clover took one look at me wearing it and said: "You are Indian Mama!" Haha. I got quite a few compliments on it that evening. Guess who got even more compliments though…

… Oh, Gretel.

Though everyone kept saying “Aw, Little House on the Prairie…” and she would get all agitated, “Momma, I’m NOT Little House on the Prairie.” I had to keep reassuring her by explaining that the prairie dress was throwing people off but that she clearly still looked like Gretel.

Another view of the dress… the shoulder flap thingies are a fun structural element and I love their patterns and tassels. Oosa used to manage a senior housing facility and was often given things by the residents there, which is how this dress came into her possesion.

The vintage leather belt is one I found at the final flea market of the season. It’s currently my favorite belt.



The event, a funky little annual street festival, known as Winter Blast, is an artsy block party of sorts. It happens in the south of A Street (SOFA) area of Santa Rosa which, over the past 5 years or so, has become quite the bourgeoning little arts community.



Many of the buildings in the area have been transformed into gallery and studio spaces which remain open to the public during the festival. Wandering through the maze of converted buildings and back alleys, art and live music were abundant.

A local theatre troupe member as the little match girl from the Hans Christian Anderson tale. Saddest story ever, by the way.

There was a darkened hallway in one of the galleries that people could walk through with "windows" that were lit up with christmasy paper puppetry scenes and this girl who would pretend to be sad and cold as fake snow fell on her. She would take out matches, light them, and gaze into the flame longingly.

As you might imagine, Clover was fascinated by her and I think a bit concerned for her well-being (rightly so if you know the story). She was calling her "the cold girl" and every 20 minutes or so would want to go back in and check on her.


Our friend Joey and his WhiskeyDrunk Cycles buddies set up their awesome cycling contraption, originally built for this year’s Handcar Regatta (one day I will do a catch up post on that event). The “Whiskey Drome” was constructed in homage to the turn of the century velodromes that would travel the country to wow spectators.

Specifically, Keith’s Bicycle track of 1901.

That night they even had a band playing in the middle as they rode, which was pretty cool. Here’s a little video I shot of the Whiskey Drome in action!