polaroid versus instax.

I have quite a hefty polaroid camera collection; plenty of pretty and rare cameras that sit on my mantle and lovingly stare at me. But with discontinued film at a premium, I'm really wanting a new instant camera. Polaroid and Instax are both great cameras from what I've read; reasonably priced and film is decent. But I just can't decide. So I want to hear your opinions. New Polaroid or Instax? Why?

Polaroid?

Or Instax?

And can we agree that they both look identical? I just wonder about going with Instax and having to order film strictly online or drive an hour north to Urban Outfitter. Decisions, decisions. See you on {flea} day. xo.

lovely thanks.

I want to give a huge thank you to Chelsea, Erin, Kellie and Erin for guest hosting for me. These girls are truly amazing and I hope you'll click on each of their names and check them out!

via we heart it

I have a ton to do in the next few days, so I will see you all on Friday. I want to thank all of you to for coming back day after day and leaving me sweet messages. You have no idea how much means so much to me. I know that I've been fairly ominous, but I promise I'll be back soon; lots of things are happening and I can't wait to share them with you. xo.

they make me happy.

Hello there! My name is Erin Wallace, author of Dropped Stitches. I am so thrilled to be here writing a post for my buddy Roxanne. Blogging is a funny thing. You get to pour your soul out, and people actually want to read it! And you get to meet absolutely wonderful people. Roxanne is among the most wonderful of those wonderful people.

Dropped Stitches started out as a knitting blog, but then I started posting cool photographs that I took and that I found on the web. Pretty soon, I was writing posts about my life, a recipe here or there, and talking about my faith walk. My goal is to make my blog a thoughtful, often happy, and relaxing place.

Every Friday I write a post called “They Make Me Happy.” I thought a lot about what to write for Roxanne, and realized that my Friday posts probably sum up my blog best. Plus it gives me the chance to post some pretty pictures. I LOVE pretty pictures. For all of you, These Make Me Happy:

*peonies are one of my favorites -Rox

:: Large cones of unbleached cotton

:: Cicada song; the sound of summer

:: Watching my three-year-old “play” the guitar while he serenades me with his soul searching melodies: “The dog went bye-bye in the car, in the car. They are all okay in the car.” (I also learned today that he can do the belly roll. Now that was Something!)

:: Twilight fields full of lightening bugs, working their magic

:: Daisy chains

:: Lazy summer days lost on hammocks and porch swings

:: The first daffodils of spring

:: Hedgehogs. You should see my daughter’s hedgehog. Most adorable thing Ever!

:: Unexpected letters from long ago friends

:: Little girls walking around town in tutus and tiaras

:: Ice cream sandwiches

:: Fat robins, hopping through the grass, listening for worms

:: Old movies in Amazing Technicolor!

:: Big, old brick farm houses

:: Ancient, gnarled jade plants, preferably in bloom.

All photos property of Erin Wallace

Thank you, Roxanne, for having me! I hope you’ve had a day full of things that Make You Happy!

*Erin, thank you so very much. You're too kind. xo -Roxanne

super {flea} sunday.

Happy Sunday, kittens! It's an absolutely beautiful day here; perfect temps, perfect sunshine and a perfect breeze. Josh and I are going to hit up a few garage sales before tackling the mountain of things we need to get done. 

I have a few things in mind that I'm looking for, but one thing I wasn't looking for, is this week's {flea}.

You know when you spot something and you just 'know' that it's good, well I knew when I spotted this chair at my favorite thrift that there was something about it.

It's the most luscious shade of mustard leather with metal framing and wooden arm rests. To my surprise, the North Carolina company that produced this was huge in the mid-century modern heyday. After a little research, I realized that I found it for a song; similar, more damaged models are going for $250-$300. 

I also snagged the thermos set for three bucks! It should come with two, but one is good enough for me and I know I'll be carrying that bag come Autumn time. It's cute, but not on the chair, I have the perfect pillow to add once I get it all into place. It's making me itch more and more to start redecorating our living room. Soon...soon, I hope.

I hope you enjoyed this quick little {flea}! Tomorrow one of my favorite bloggers is going to guest posting for you and I'll see you soon after. Have an awesome start to the week! xo.

happy weekend.

Hi everyone, it's Kellie from On The Brink Of Something Beautiful to wish you a happy weekend! Weekends in Spring and Summer in FL are the best. It's the perfect time to spend more time outdoors and one of my favorite outdoor activities is going on picnics....whether it be with a friend or 2, a cute boy, or even just by myself.

So here is my list of essentials for the perfect summertime picnic. Enjoy!

- fresh fruit

- a starbucks frap

- a good book

- a journal and pen

- an amazing sandwich

- a frisbee

- the cutest quilt to lie on

-my ipod

-flip flops

- camera

and because my life isnt complete with music- heres my picnic playlist:

oh no oh my! - walk in the park

camera obscura- the sweetest thing

feist- i feel it all

mgmt- kids

lenka- the show

the temper trap- sweet disposition

phoenix- the girlfriend

passion pit- moths wings

regina spektor- eet

louis armstrong- a kiss to build a dream on

slow club- thinking drinking sinking feeling

sam phillips- how to dream

jamiroquai- 7 days in sunny june

the byrds- hey mr. tambourine

What does your perfect weekend picnic look like???

happy friday!

 - Kel

the little things.

Sometimes all it takes is an act of chivalry to make a girl smile. Josh and I went to the arcade over the weekend and he'd secretly been hoarding our tickets. He asked me to wait outside and came out with this...

I'm eight on the inside and named him Mr. Fuzzy Pickles. He's squishy and adorable and silly little reminder of just how much I have fun with my husband. Thanks, babe.

I'm really am a very lucky gal.

My friend Kellie is going to be wrapping up the week for me tomorrow and I'll have another guest {flea} on Sunday. See you all next week! xo.

summer charm.

Hi there, this is Erin from Pear & Peacock. I was so excited when Roxanne invited me to do a guest post on her blog. Not only do I get to help her out during a busy week but I get to share some of my favorite finds with you.

Summer has me longing for a wide open field or a pretty park, a picnic lunch and some quality time with loved ones. I hope these ensembles inspire you to dig through your closet and put together something beautiful to enjoy the warm summer weather in.

Molded and Melded Shirt by Anthropolgie

Vintage Charm Bracelet by Vintage Envy

Daredevil Skinny Jeans by Guess

Floral Undertone Wedges by ModCloth

1970s Cotton Seersucker Prairie Sundress by Tree and Kimball Market

Goldie Straw Floppy Hat by Free People

Wreath Necklace by Pear and Peacock

Outlaw Western Boots by Ruche

Ribbon T by Gap

Weave Around Gladiator Sandals by Ruche

Vintage Rhinestone Owl Ring by Tryst by Kerry

Jumper for Your Love by ModCloth

To finish off your new outfit don't forget the perfect picnic basket. I am in love with these gorgeous vintage wicker baskets. Many of them can double as a handbag when not filled with delicious treats.

Vintage Wicker Picnic Basket by Chase Vintage

Reed Basket no. 6 by Toino Abel

Vintage Woven Basket by The Fancy Lamb

Vintage Half Circle Picnic Basket by The Vintage Vendor

Retro Metal Can by Antique Grrl

1980s Painted Picnic Basket by Zwzzy

Enjoy the lovely weather! Make sure to stop by Pear and Peacock and tell me all about your picnic.

Hugs,

Erin


PS. Just a little note from me, Roxanne. I want to give Erin a HUGE thanks for being so awesome. Blogger went kaput on me today and she was so sweet about it. Please be sure to visit her blog and say hi!

heat escape.

Happy Monday kittens! I hope your week is off to a great start. I wanted to pop in and say hello, I miss you bunches. Did you read Chelsea's Super {flea} Sunday yesterday? I'm really lusting after her typewriter.

I have another fabulous guest for you tomorrow, but to today I wanted to share a few quick pics from my little weekend adventure. Josh knows I really like the winter olympics and surprised me on a scorching day with a trip the US Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame. I knew that alot of olympic training went on here in town, but has no idea there was a museum. 

I kind of geek out over figure skating, when I was little I wanted to be Kristi Yamaguchi. It never really happened for me, but I loved seeing all of the costumes, medals, olympic paraphernalia and learning alot of the history I had no idea about. 

This was most definitely the highlight for me. An Andy Warhol original of Dorthy Hamill. It wasn't behind glass, and there were no curators. In fact, we were encouraged to touch and take pictures of whatever we liked. It's not every day you get to run your fingers over his brushstrokes.

I credit my dad for my love of the winter games and I know he would've loved all of the pins from over the years. His collection is small in comparison to this one; there were literally thousands.

I remembered some of the costumes vividly from my childhood and seeing the graphic posters, skates from the 1800's and actual gold medals was really, really cool. 

The museum was also really true to the spirit and history of figure skating. The world's first competitive female figure skater actually places first, but was given second place because she was a woman.

I also had no idea there were synchronized skating competitions. Yes, a  dozen women all on the ice, twirling and swirling to music. They had a video loop of the shows and I kept hoping they wouldn't all run into one another or fall and collapse like dominoes. 

I enjoyed their trophies the most; they're made just for synchronized skate competitions and have perfect vintage style.

It was a great surprise and way to beat the heat. If you're ever in the Springs, I highly recommend it. What other museum can you get into for just five bucks? 

Enjoy every moment of your week friends. I'll see you later this week, but be sure to come back tomorrow for a super, super cute guest post! xo.

super {flea} sunday.

Hello, hello friends!! How you derr’n? {Wendy Williams-style} My name is Chelsea. You may have seen me hanging out here, or even here, formerly. But today, I’m delighted to be here with you all at The  60/40 on this pretty Sunday!

When Miss Rox asked me to guest post her famous Super {flea} Sunday I was elated and honored! Not only is it one of my favorite blog features around, but {flea} markets, thrift stores, consignment shops, and junk yards are my specialty! I could spend hours wandering through other people’s trash and come out with some impressive treasures- and maybe in need of a few tetnis shots… but whatever. I’ve got some great stuff to show you, so let’s get started!

There is no way I could narrow down my single favorite thrift store find. Most of our house is made up of fabulous, mis-matched {flea}-finds- including my closet! So today I’m going to show you a few finds that I’ll never tire of.

This amazing green typewriter was buried beneath piles of sports equipment (ew.). It still has the original brushes, the keys still work, and the previous owner was kind enough to leave me some paper! On the case a name and address are scrawled in pencil. I thought this particular typewriter was especially wonderful because it’s my favorite shade of vintage mint-green- even the keys!

This next find is awaiting a facelift, but I still get use out of it every single day. It’s a mid-century spring-loaded rocking chair! I’ve never seen another like it. The day I found it was really magical. It was beginning to snow and I wanted to get out of the house before the blizzard hit so I decided to do some “light” thrifting (read: major retail therapy to ward of winter blues). I found this beauty and had to fend off other buyers while trying to convince Ryan to bring his truck to haul it home! I ended up carrying it to my little car in the heavy snow and carefully driving it home. I love it so much and hope to re-upholster it and use it in a nursery *some day* (if my mother in-law is reading this, we’re not pregnant. Just FYI)

Last but not least, I definitely found my wedding dress at a thrift store! Yep. While shopping for bridesmaid dresses, I literally tripped over a wadded up frock – and maybe cursed a little. But after further inspection, I realized it was THE dress. The one. Gorgeous silk with lace and embroidery- it fit like a glove and felt like I was wearing lingerie. I didn’t have to do any alterations. All it needed was a little steaming, something new, something borrowed, and something blue! My grandmother made a mantilla veil and hand-dyed it in coffee to match, I wore my mother’s locket (handed down to her from my grandmother), and of course had my blue under-things on (TMI for our first meeting? No? okay.) making the wedding day outfit absolutely complete.

Phew. What a novel. Well, that’s it for me, folks. I hope you enjoyed my Super {Flea} Sunday Greatest Hits! Now get out there and start hunting! {Oh, and be sure to stop by Red Dirt Revivalsometime and say hello!}

Yours very truly,

Chels

happy weekend.

These past two weeks have been going entirely too quickly for me. But here we are at the weekend again and I'm ready for some fun! Josh and I are going on a movie date tonite, then heading to the arcade; it's quickly becoming one of our favorite places. I also plan on catching up on my 30 Day Journal Challenge; technically it's all over, so naturally I'm behind.

Next week is going to be super busy in here, I'm sort of not looking forward to it. But, I have some of my favorite bloggers stopping dropping in to keep you entertained all week long! I'm so grateful to have them helping me out, you're really going to enjoy it. The lovely Chelsea of Red Dirt Revival is going to be kicking off the week with a killer {flea} on Sunday.

via we heart it

I hope whatever you're doing this weekend, you stay cool. It seems to be heating up all over the country...blech! I encourage you too, to check out The 60/40 Pop-Up Summer Shop. There's still lots of pretty things available. I'll see you Monday for a fun little adventure Josh and I had. Until then, happy weekend! xo.

pretty packages.

Did you order a little something from The 60/40 Pop-Up Summer Shop? If so, your pretty little package is on its way and should be there super soon! If you didn't order a little something, please pop on over to the shop and check it out. There are plenty of goodies to still go around; some beautiful yarn, summer cardis and whimsical necklaces. 

 Can you guess which package is yours?

See you this evening for a quick little post before the weekend. xo. 

sweet berry baskets.

Farmer's Market season is in full swing and nothing is better than bringing home your goodies and plucking them right out of a cute little container to eat. I swooned when I saw these little china containers in my latest issue of Country Living.

via velocity

They're made by Roost and available through Velocity Art and Design. Don't they make you want to head out to the berry patch right this second? I may just do that.

wild and wonderful.

No, no, not West Virginia; my weekend! Having my sister-in-law Rebekah here was loads of fun and I found myself wishing over and over that she didn't live on the other side of the country. We ate lots of fantastic food; explored the neatest little shops and spend every minute laughing 'til it hurt. I wanted to share with you all some photos from our fun times!

It rained alot of the time here; storms like I haven't seen, but we managed to squeeze a day in at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with my friend Julia and her son. Going to the zoo is a serious blast, but going with a kiddo? Even better.

The big cats are always my favorite. They remind me of my Hank, just bigger. The Mountain Lions were really active that day and this pretty lady, the trainer told me, is head of the pack. Purrty, right?

I was totally impressed to with the amount of interactive exhibits they had and the strong message of conservation. We even got to feed the giraffes!!!

Look at it's tongue! It was so cute and we even fed it's little baby (insert 'aw' here). I wish I had the picture of Rebekah to show you. She shoved the cracker in it's mouth and threw her hands up! It was hilarious.

 We ended the day with a ride on the carousel; something I haven't done in a long time. We managed to capture this gem. It perfectly sums us up!

The rest of the week was spent exploring and making Josh take ultra goofy photos of us while doing so. We did a little hiking, some shopping, and even managed to hit the arcade. Rebekah totally rocked the pinball!

On our way there, I made JR pull over for the ultimate photo op! Out front of the local Art Center is my favorite piece of art in all of the Springs; an enormous school chair! 

Is this not just plain awesome? I'm unsure if it's the 'largest', but it sure was a pain to get up there. Regardless we spent a good thirty minutes climbing, swinging and laughing. It made the whole trip! 

All in all it was a fantastic week. Josh and I are exhausted, but I can't wait for her next trip out here. Now who wants to come visit next?

See you in a bit with some cute Summer goodies. xo.

bus love.

I've been noticing something lately around the Springs; I have moved into the land of my dream car. Now lots of people will say their dream car is something fancy; a Ferrari, BMW, or something obscure like the Bat Mobile. But me? I'm a simple gal. All I wish for is a VW Bus.

 The Springs is covered in them; to the point where I'm starting to recognize each bus and the driver. Cool, right? My favorite is a mandarin orange and white little number that I constantly see cruising around town.

I find myself day dreaming alot lately about what color combination I would paint my beloved. Turquoise and White tops my list, followed closely by this fantastic paint job. So pretty and feminine, *sigh*.

and this one...

What would your paint job look like? Bold or subtle? There's even a bus in town that's completely covered in stickers! 

(Is anyone else scared for the donkey in this photo? I am)

I used to think owning a Bus was an unattainable goal, but moving here has restored my faith. A junky little mechanic shop down the street has one sitting out front....with a for sale sign. This week Josh and I plan on inquiring about it. Something about the dirt cheap price tell me it either needs a ton of work or is a kit car, but cross your fingers for me, please?

pictures from all over the web, please leave a comment if you have sources.

Who knows, maybe someday soon we'll be taking sweet photos leaning against our psychedelic and totally rad VW. A girl can dream, right?

See you kittens tomorrow with some fun weekend photos and pretty inspiration. xo.