Thursday Thrill – Date Week Adventures

Oh man you guys! A week of dates was THE BEST!! We had such a magical time and I have so many things to tell you! This is going to be too hard to fit in just one post, so I think I'm going to have to spread the story out a bit. Don't start yelling at the screen now! I know that I've given you all waaaaaay too many teasers already, but a week is a long time. A week of dates takes a while too!

Don't worry though, the Bucket List Outfit is revealed below. You can breathe easy now. :-)
If you haven't tuned in until now, you can catch up by clicking here (shoes), here (hat), and here (dress).

First, let me give you the run down of the week. We started our date week with a night out dancing. My favorite band, Mint Julep Jazz Band (check them out, they're wonderful!), was playing last Saturday night and we got dressed up and went to dance and listen. It was quite crowded though (Mint Julep draws a crowd!) and we wanted to hang out together, so we left early and went to a local wine bar. We drank wine and ate bar food (a deliciously salty pizza) in our fancy duds while angry men screamed obscenities at the hockey game on TV. It was wonderful.

Next, we visited Duke Gardens, the loveliest of local outdoor settings. Many of my Wordless Wednesdays feature photos from there. It was overcast, cool, and completely void of other people that day. Which was perfect. We strolled for hours, had a picnic overlooking a gorgeously scenic garden scape, and enjoyed listening to birds and watching the ducks. Later that afternoon, we went to the movies (Iron Man 3) and had root beer floats at home following.

On Wednesday, we left for a bed & breakfast and stayed for 3 days. It was raining for almost the entire time we were there, but it was still beautiful, relaxed, and romantic. More on this later. We returned home on Saturday (which is when I'm writing this post). Tonight is the last night of our date week and we are going to end it how we began, with the Mint Julep Jazz Band. We're going to hear them play in an outdoor setting where there will be relaxed listening and maybe a few dancers too!

So there is the overview of our date week! I'm going to put up a couple more posts about the week with more details later. But for now...

Without further ado, I present to you, my Bucket List Outfit!

Dress: Swanee Grace (recent post here)

Hat: Flatiron Vintage (recent post here)

Shoes: Honey Talk Vintage (recent post here)

Undergarments: What Katy Did (post to come)

Sorry about the photo quality, but it was raining and we were late late late for dinner. The hubs clicked a few pics for me next to the window of our B&B room. My hair wasn't exactly as planned. I did pin curls that morning, but apparently put a little too much mousse in because I had CURLS. Like poofy poofy curls. Oh wells, c'est la vie right? I still thought it was fun, just a bit poofier than expected. Pin curls are still a work in progress for me...

I tried to keep accessories to a minimum because I already had a lot going on. I paired the outfit with small black faceted drop earrings, a tiny pink seed pearl bracelet, and my grandmothers purple stone ring. I also used a black sequined clutch that isn't pictured here.

There is a whole under-layer of goodness that you aren't seeing right now (more on that in another post). It was a Bucket List Outfit after all, so I got some Bucket List underpinnings to go along with it (40s style bra, slip, garter belt, seamed stockings). You can see my contrasted seamed stockings in the photo with my back turned. So fun!

This last photo is just silly nonsense, but I love it. It makes me feel like a wealthy heiress from the 40s about to walk out onto my English garden terrace! :-)

Last Week's Thursday Thrill:

Gone Loving!

Wordless Wednesday – Nature's Brushstrokes

Last Week's Wordless Wednesday:

One Fancy Onion

Treasury Tuesday – Summer Travels Afar

June is in full swing and summer vacation is upon us! Many people like to pack their bags and do some traveling now that the school year has ended. My hubs and I love to travel and we are hoping to take a trip to Europe in the next couple of years. We've been before and had the most magical time. 

Today's treasury celebrates this love of Italian escapes. Curated by Marite of Maritebee Photography, the collection features tasty treats, gorgeous art, and scenic photography. I particularly covet the mid century landscape painting of a rustic countryside. Feeling right at home in this Italian grouping is my antique grapevine button pendant, "Under the Tuscan Sun".

To view individual items in this treasury, click here.

Last Week's Treasury Tuesday:

High Above the Earth

The Sunday Snag – The Bucket List Dress

Teaser Trois!

Here it is, my googly eyed friends! Behold the glory and splendor! 

{Pull all jaws from floor before reading further}

My Bucket List Dress. This is it. Now I can definitively answer someone when asked, "If you could buy just one dress...". Well, within reason of course (I couldn't entirely break the bank or this would indeed be my one dress). Nonetheless, this is the prettiest thing I own. My closet's new sugar coated candy treat. Do any of you play that game? The "If you could buy just one {enter object here}" game? I would love to hear and/or see your answers (just leave a comment and/or link to share with me)!

I purchased this dress from a wonderful shop on Etsy called Swanee Grace. The owner was a lovely gal who answered all my questions and sent me one of my dreams wrapped in tissue. Seriously. 

You may recognize this dress if you've been following my blog for a few months. I featured this dress in my Amethyst post for those born in February. Often, the dresses I feature are ones that I would love to have and wear myself. This was obviously no exception, but I set it in the "Do Not Touch" section of my brain. When my husband gave me the green light to get my Bucket List outfit (click here(shoes) and here(hat) to catch up on the story), I ran to the computer and looked to see if this beauty had been snatched up yet. And there it was. Waiting. Just for me. 

Click. Bought. Started crying. Giggled with delight. That is how this dress found its new home with me. She is a mint condition, 1940s rayon jersey in black with purple peonies, green leaves and a novelty print. The jersey is heavenly, drapes so well, and has the slightest bit of stretch due to weave. Hard to see here, but the print is really interesting too. Each little square frame pictures scenes from country life. One shows two women and a child with water or feed buckets, one shows a little donkey eating grass, and one shows a mother and child on a bike riding to town. How delightful is that?! 

The dress has the typical sleeve type, shoulder pads, and peplum of that era. The peplum has a crisp sheer mesh edging, the waist has a fabric tie of the same pattern, and the neckline! Oh that neckline! It is scooped with a sheer mesh panel, edged in ruffles, and accented with a wee bow.

I will have already worn the full outfit with the shoes and hat by the time you are reading this. My scheduled date night wearing this dream was on Wednesday, but because my date week continued, you'll have to be satisfied with enumerable teasers until I can get back to the real world and post photos of the ensemble. 

Thank you all for waiting so patiently and for falling in love along with me! I hope to have an outfit post this week as my Thursday Thrill, so stay tuned!

***Updated: Click here to see complete Bucket List Outfit post!***

Last Week's Sunday Snag:

A Sparkling Night Atop the Stars