Holiday Greetings!

I've been debating this year about what to send as my Christmas cards.  Do I send the usual cards I pick up at the store or do I make personalized cards instead?  Some of my favorite cards to receive are the personalized ones from friends and family but they are a dilemma for me as I am not married or have children and fell that I don't really have anything to showcase in my picture.  I do have a couple of friends who have taken pictures of their animals and used those instead.  An idea...

Anyways, I've been looking through various photo card websites and some of my favorites have come from Shutterfly.  Shutterfly has so many options that you can use for your Holiday cards.  They have Christmas, New Year, and general Holiday cards available.  They have so many designs to choose from that it makes it hard to just pick one.  Here are a few of my favorites.

While looking around at the different options, I also noticed that Shutterfly has Christmas Invitations available.  A great way to incorporate a picture into your family get-together for the holidays.  Here are a couple of those that I like as well.

Another fun project that I like that Shutterfly offers are their Photo Calendars.  I did one of these a couple of years ago for my parents with various pictures of us from the previous year and they really enjoyed having it.  As you can see, this is a great way to showcase your pictures and share your memories with friends and family.  I highly recommend doing something like this for your family and friends.

Which Holiday cards do you like?  Are you sending a personalized one this year?  I hope you're Holiday season is going well so far!

Images: Shutterfly

Orla Kiely Radio

I happened to see this the other day over on decor8 and wanted to share it with you all too.  A cute new EVOKE Mio radio designed by Orla Kiely.  Isn't it cute and a great inspiration for Fall with the warm colors and Orla's iconic leaf design.  I hope you're all having a great week!

Image: Pure via decor8

Brits are the Best

Aren't these two just the cutest!  I love me some Carey & Keira and I can't stop looking at their adorable outfits.  Ahhh, to be in England...

Image: via The Neo-Traditionalist

Fall Inspiration

Today I wanted to share with you some pretty inspirational photos to help get you in the mood for the cool weather of Fall.  It's supposed to get down into the low 40's here in the South tomorrow so I'm looking forward to wearing a sweater or long sleeves!  Let's hope this cool weather stays around for a while now.

Images: 1. Hilda Grahnat  2. Stab stencil  3. How To: Simplify  4. little brown pen

Give Thanks + Gather

I've been looking around for some creative ideas for decorating for the Fall season and the holidays that come with it.  The other day I was perusing through the EmersonMade website to see what new items that had to offer and I found these linen table runners that would be perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday.  My favorites are the Giving Thanks and Gather runners.  I love their simple look and the directness of each of the words.  I think it would make your guests really think about the reason for the holiday.  Have you already started thinking about decorating for the Thanksgiving holiday?

Images: EmersonMade

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

What a great weekend! Over the weekend I had a fun Fall Celebration Day with some of my girlfriends.  We went to the local Farmer's Market, then to The Great Pumpkin Patch and then did a little holiday shopping at our local Hobby Lobby.  That evening we all gathered at one of our friends' houses and ate pizza and watched Sleepy Hollow.  A great time was had by all!  Here are a couple of shots from our trip to the patch!

Images: vintage yankee

Summer to Fall Dress: Two Ways

I recently purchased a cream colored linen dress on ASOS and since we've come into a cold snap here in the South, I have been searching for a couple of different ways to wear my new dress and still keep warm.  I've put together two different ideas: the first is a budget friendly version and I have a couple of the accessories already at hand.  The second version is more of a dream version of what I could get to pair with it.  Do you have outfits like this?  Ones that can go easily from summer into fall?

Summer to Fall Dress

ASOS CURVE Linen Pencil Dress, $15
Old Navy Womens Corsage Cardigans, $20
Women's Xhilaration Salina Pump - Black : Target, $20
Forever21.com - New Arrivals - 1078456004, $6.80
Cloche To Me in Charcoal | Mod Retro Vintage Hats | ModCloth.com, $40
Carlsbad Bag - Anthropologie.com, $178

Summer to Fall outfit take 2

ASOS CURVE Linen Pencil Dress, $15
Flanders Fields Cardigan, $128
Hidden Sun Mary-Janes, $95
Five Points KINSEY, $345
Coral Corral Necklace | Mod Retro Vintage Necklaces | ModCloth.com, $24

lovely lockets: the vamoose

In the current day of statement jewelry, some of us just want something simple and elegant to wear with our classic outfits.  If you are that person then I've found just the jewelry designer for you.  The Vamoose is a company out of the UK run by Kathryn Blackmore.  Kathryn uses vintage and found ephemera and stones to make her simple but chic necklaces and other jewelry.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces but she has many more over in her shop.  Go check the rest of them out!

Images: The Vamoose

Halloween Decor Ideas

Last night I pulled out my Halloween decorations and started to decide how I wanted to decorate for the holiday this year.  I love looking through archives on the Martha Stewart website to get ideas for how to change up my decor every year.  Here are a few of my favorites.  I'm thinking bats and lots of black!

  

Images: Martha Stewart Online

British Week - Union Jack Bunting

For the last day of British Week, I wanted to share with you a fun project I did recently for a party I had with some of my girlfriends.  We try to get together once a month and have a dinner party where everyone brings a dish.  Sometimes we choose a theme and this month was British Nite.  We had fish and chips, a ploughman's platter and a great autumn fruit pudding for dessert.

Since I hosted the night at my place, I decided to make a bit of themed decor to hang around my apartment.  I made banners with the Union Jack flag with blue papers and red Japanese tapes.  As an added bonus for British Week, I decided to have a download for all of my readers of these banners.  Here are some shots of the banners and how I used them for British Nite, but you can use these in many different ways to add a bit of British flare to you party or home.  Thank you again for joining me for British Week and I hope you have a great weekend!

Download: Union Jack Banner

Images: vintage yankee

British Week - Etsy Favs

Today for British Week, I thought I'd share some finds on Etsy that have a British theme to them.  What I love about Etsy is that anything you think of is probably made by someone on Etsy and you can do a simple search to find it.  I even found a Union Jack Dress Form and Wedding Invitations with a British theme.  How awesome are these great items!

Items: 1. Queen Elizabeth II Cross Stitch  2. British Race Car Print 
3. Union Jack themed Wedding Invitations  4. Union Jack Dress Form

Items:1. Union Jack Gift Tags  2. God Save the Queen themed Magnets 
3. Union Jack Brass Ring  4. Union Jack Bunting Kit

British Week - Chatsworth House

Today for our British Week I wanted to show you some shots from one of my favorite houses in England, Chatsworth House.  If you recognize this house, it is probably from familiar because it was used as Pemberley in the recent production of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.  Chatsworth is the home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has been in their family for years and years.  I love how picturesque the house looks on the grounds and how the grounds just roll around the house so perfectly.  This year is the 90th birthday of Deborah Devonshire and the family is celebrating with many activities and an interesting celebration of her life.  This is definitely a stop on my next trip to England!

Images: Chatsworth House

British Week - Designers

This week is British Week here on the vintage yankee and I will be sharing some of my favorite things British.  The week will culminate with a fun project tutorial and download (a sneak peek is in the British Week header above)!  Today we start with some of my favorite British designers.

First up is Cath Kidston.  I have loved Cath's style since the beginning.  Her use of bright colors and prints and her ability to mix old with new is amazing.  I love how she is able to produce items for her line that are new but evoke an old world, vintagey feel.  Even more exciting is that you can view the Cath Kidston website in American currency and have her items shipped to you here in the states!

Images: Cath Kidston

Next up is Lisa Stickley London.  Lisa's fun, funky use of florals just makes me smile.  She uses a lot of basic black and light blue but adds in a smattering funky colors like neon pink and yellow.  Lisa just recently came out with a book, Made at Home that has lots of fun and simple sewing projects for your home.  Definitely a book to check out.

Images: Lisa Stickley London

My last shop on this post isn't really a designer but is a very fun shop, Caravan.  A cute little shop in London, owner Emily has done an amazing job of putting together fun obscure objects from past and present to sell in her shop.  Even though I've never been to Caravan, just looking through their website gives you a feel of how fun the place must be.  Take a look at some of the style boards they have put together to give you an idea of what they shop is all about. (I really want to purchase the cute little caravan for my office!)

Images: Caravan Style