i’ve been happily on vacation visiting with my family in redlands since thursday, and i’ve certainly been taking advantage of the mild winter weather! i’ve gotten away with bare legs and light coats just about every day, and i’ve been soaking up the clear skies and valley views of the san bernardino mountains around us, and spending every minute with my family. it was my brother’s birthday on friday, and i feel like we’ve been celebrating non-stop since then. last night i decorated christmas cookies with my cousins, and today we’re getting ready to feast on chicken with mole before turning around and stuffing ourselves with tamales on christmas day.

these pictures were snapped at the historic train station in downtown redlands, before we headed over to my grandma’s house to enjoy the holiday.

wearing: hot to trot dress courtesy of nanette lepore, vintage coat from pretty penny in oakland, vintage salvatore ferragamo vara pumps, furla candy satchel, nars schiap

back yard by calivintage

i’ve been using polyvore a lot lately, pulling together dream outfits that i hope to someday wear, and creating variations on outfits i’ve already worn. i’ve been neatly organizing my favorite collages into collections, and cataloging all of my favorite pieces. it’s one of those activities that feeds the part of my brain that likes to make lists and put everything into order. here are a few examples, but you can see the rest of my collages here.

plaid pinafore by calivintage

leaves and lace by calivintage

fancy florals by calivintage

on saturday, i got all dolled-up for no reason in particular. we were in the middle of a four-day rainstorm and i was lounging around in my pajamas, drinking coffee and slowly mustering up the energy to get dressed for the rainy day outside. i went into the bathroom and spotted a new set of fancy false lashes (mac #6) and decided to give them a try. i’ve only ever worn individual lashes from the drug store, so seeing these big doll eyes stare back at me was inspiration enough to try out a new do, so i went for it with a silly beehive bouffant.

and in the spirit of trying new things, i pulled out this bright pea coat that i procured on etsy several weeks back in an effort to incorporate more print and color into my life. and it certainly came in handy on such a gloomy day. in fact, i’d like to think that these bright flowers inspired the clouds to part with just enough time for a quick stroll through the mountain view cemetery.

wearing: thrifted vintage silk blouse, vintage floral pea coat, family affairs frankie leather skirt, target tights, vintage mary janes from pretty penny in oakland, ca, orla kiely gold leather holly bag.