[Clockwise from top left: Minimal Art Deco Diamond Ring / Art Deco Diamond Pinwheel Engagement Ring / Asymmetrical Art Deco Diamond and Sapphire Ring / 1930s Shield Diamond Ring]

Oh, and I have to give shout-outs to the friends of Stockroom who swooped in with DIY support for this event. Jamie of Owl Really hosted a killer craft night for two at her house (which is as cute and vintage filled as you’d expect!) to help me crank out miles of the bunting, which you can see surrounding the bar area above. And my hubby made the cardboard inner structure of those ginormous 3D popsicles. They were more than four feet tall! I wrapped them in craft paper and hand-painted them to make them display ready.

In the DIY spirit of the event, I hand-painted the mason jars you see on the tables to bring some summery sherbet hues into the space and play off the popsicles on this year’s Porter Flea t-shirts designed by Friendly Arctic. I don’t consider myself a craft goddess by any means–I’m an impatient crafter, so the final product is not always as perfect as I’d like–but, if the number of questions I fielded about them were any indication, these pastel painted jars were a hit. OSHi flowers designed the pretty blooms inside.

I also tucked a lounge area into a nook near the Beve mobile coffee bar. That tufted white settee truly is a workhorse (and a cute one, at that!). It seriously fits anywhere, and that pop of white is great for dark corners like this one. Every time I would sneak away from my booth, I found the Stockroom seating areas packed, which still makes me want to do cartwheels. Bringing vintage to masses is such a dream come true. And styling events? Well, that never stops being fun. If you’re interested, here’s where I get chatty about Stockroom Vintage’s styling services.

My hubby, who took home top honors at the Flea’s Street Fighter tournament (and got a trophy to boot!), kept referring to the event as Stockroom’s official coming out party…and it very much felt that way. Though I spent most of the day stationed at my booth on that lovely orange chair, spreading the word about Stockroom Vintage and meeting so many awesome, encouraging people, I was able to sneak away to make a few laps around the venue. Seeing people perched at our tables and lounge areas seriously gave me chills. What can I say? I’m a sucker for giving vintage pieces new life and purpose.

I wanted the booth to be sweet, simple and chipper, so I brought in our Cobbler’s Rack, which housed some of my favorite smaller pieces from our collection, including our Transistor Radio, Spools & Spindles and a few members from our Family of Owls. By far my favorite element was the boho bunting I whipped up the night before the Flea. Seriously, this is the easiest project of all time. I picked out some favorite old family photos, created some easy lace and tissue paper tassel details and just added a few more bits and bobbles with tape and clothespins. Lots of ladies snapped inspiration pics of the bunting and leaned in for closer looks throughout the day, which is, like, the greatest compliment ever.

I was also super proud of how the lace-lined wood crates turned out. I wanted a simple way to add some light and interest to my booth (and it had to be something that didn’t require electricity). The inspiration for these light-filled lace crates came to me right before a stellar nap. I took a few of our Vintage Wood Crates and used my trusty staple gun and some old lace curtains I found at Goodwill to make it happen. Then I placed some stick-on LED lights inside for a glowing effect. Quite a few Flea attendees asked if the lace crates were for sale, so maybe I should a few to the inventory. What do you think?

A million thanks to all of the friends who showed up to support Stockroom–and to the many new friends who stopped by the booth to say hello.  Saturday was equal parts exhausting and exhilarating, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll check in later this week with more photos of our Porter Flea lounge areas and vignettes, and I’ll be sharing some snapshots from the photo booth we styled as well. (Can’t wait to see the moments Mandy Whitley Photography captured of people getting silly with our props!) Vintage loveliness will abound on the blog this week!

Since I’m sure you’re all grilling or sunning or melting away in the early summer sun (like all of us Nashville ladies), I wanted to drop in and say a quick holiday hello. And what better images to make you feel like celebrating than these dreamy, sunny shots from Oyster magazine issue #95? I first stumbled upon this shoot via Jen Gotch on Pinterest. (Side note: If you’re not following her, you should be.)

Anyway, it may be too hot to bust out a vintage pair of roller skates and hit the pavement, but oh what I wouldn’t give for a pair of red rhinestone cat-eye sunglasses to rock today. Uh-amazing.

After all our collective celebrating comes to an end, please be sure to check in tomorrow for a very special announcement you won’t want to miss on this little blog of mine. It’ll be better than BBQ and spiked sweet tea, I promise.

xoxo, Elizabeth

Hello, lovelies! Did you see that Ashley’s Bride Guide featured Stockroom Vintage today? Yeah, it has me in happy cartwheel mode for sure. Especially because Ashley really gets what Stockroom is all about. Not to mention, she called me “a passionate chick with an old-soul,” which is pretty much the best thing ever. But enough about me. Let’s talk vintage styling. You can read more about my inspiration for the wedding inspiration shoot (and see tons more photos) on Ashley’s Bride Guide, but here’s the gist. Aside from vintage, I’m obsessed with three things: Kate Spade. Gold confetti. And graphic black-and-white prints (chevron love!).

[photos by Stef Atkinson / rentals and styling by Stockroom Vintage]

So when I began to plan this Kate Spade-inspired shoot, which was photographed at WestLight Studios in downtown Nashville, I knew I wanted the perfect mix of quirk, sparkle and girly glamor. So I splashed the walls with gold polka dots, hand painted gold glittery spots on the dinner plates and made tons of confetti. I basically wanted it to look like a gold confetti cannon had dusted the place in shimmery goodness…in the most artful way imaginable.

[photos by Stef Atkinson / rentals and styling by Stockroom Vintage]

Yards and yards of black-and-white fabric and tons of DIY arrangements featuring ranunculus, tulips and other big pink blooms from Import Flowers completed the look. Of course, the shoot wouldn’t have been nearly as special without photographer and friend Stef Atkinson at my side. Aside from her obvious talent, Stef brings a lightness to every shoot. She’s the kind of photographer who will dance and DJ, all while sneaking bites of rock candy from your styled dessert table. Basically, she’s a fun lady who you would’ve invited anyway…even if she wasn’t capturing the most beautiful moments ever. Really, she is the queen of amazing vignette snapshots.

So, I hope you all enjoy checking out this shoot as much as I loved putting it all together. Thanks again to Ashley’s Bride Guide for the love. Be sure to mosey on over to the full blog post for more photos from the shoot and to read the Q&A, in which I blather endlessly about how much I adore vintage and appreciate the opportunity to share it all with you.

P.S. When you see the dessert table in the shoot photos, be sure to ogle the artisan marshmallows from the super-talented folks at The Bang Candy Company. We couldn’t wait for the shoot to end so we could finally gobble them up!

xoxo, Elizabeth

The oodles of bicycle accessory options only add to the bliss factor. A bike basket filled with flowers. A mounted crate full of cute props. A bunch of tin cans tied to the rear fender. Amazing photo ops abound. That’s why I couldn’t resist buying this unbelievable cherry red 1960s Columbia Twosome bicycle built for two and adding it to the Stockroom Vintage collection. Now it’s ready for a new life as a photogenic, couple-toting machine. So who will be first to take it for a spin?

[photos via: 1. A Cup of Jo by Inbal Sivan (pinned by me) / 2. Just Married Flag via Martha Stewart Weddings (pinned by Nicole Kathryn) / 3. Bike Blow Out by Bash, Please via Design*Sponge (pinned by me) / 4. Real Wedding of Rebecca and Derek photographed by Rachel Thurston via Martha Stewart Weddings (pinned by Erika Rae) / 5. Temecula Wedding by Jill Thomas Photography via Style Me Pretty (pinned by me) / 6. Kate Spade Holiday Shoot by Styled Creative + Alison Conklin via Style Me Pretty (pinned by Maia McDonald)]

I love doing my hair. Blow-drying, I hate. But styling, well, that’s a different story. Most days, it’s my only “me” time. My hubby and the dogs want nothing to do with my straightening iron, hairspray and shine serum. That allows for plenty of quiet time in front of the mirror, and I like it that way.

Ever since I got a vintage-inspired hairdo for my wedding, complete with plenty of Texas-style teasing at a San Antonio salon, I’ve fallen deeply, madly in love with retro hairstyles. That means, of course, that I’m head over heels for my teasing comb, which I’ve found to be the key to any and every kind of beehive-inspired volume.

If you’re with me on retro hair, you’ll love the DIY vintage hairstyle posts on A Beautiful Mess. Wouldn’t these styles be amazing for a group of bridesmaids? Elsie, and her oh-so-lovely friends, make it easy to nail classic coifs with their how to styling instructions. They’ll take you step-by-step through each of these hairstyles, all of which are just so darn pretty. P.S. How amazing is Katie’s red hair? I can only dream of such fiery locks! You can check out more of Katie’s looks on the Skunkboy blog.

Happy hair teasing, lovelies…and an even happier weekend!

xoxo, Elizabeth

Hello, friends! Today I have the most exciting news to share: Stockroom Vintage is teaming up with Porter Flea for the third edition of Nashville’s premier modern independent handmade market on June 16. This summer, Stockroom Vintage will be infusing Marathon Music Works with lots of vintage charm, outfitting every nook and cranny with retro wonderment. (Those of you who have been to shows at Marathon know it’s a stylist’s dream!)

And a collab with Porter Flea? Well, let’s just say I was ready to say a big “Hell, yes!” before I even got all the way through that initial email from the ladies behind this modern handmade marketplace. At my first coffee date with Porter Flea mavens Katie Vance and Jessica Maloan, I fell in love before I even finished my iced coffee. If you’ve met Katie and Jessica or attended the first two iterations of Porter Flea, you know how passionate they are about promoting Nashville’s indie craft movement and supporting local artists and small businesses. I’m so excited to share in that mission.

I’ll spend the next month happily combing through the Stockroom Vintage inventory, handcrafting lots of special touches and channeling that inspiration into styling the heck out of this amazing event (think lounge areas and vignettes galore). So, as you’re fawning over the handmade goods crafted by dozens of juried vendors (who offer a one-of-a-kind selection of paper goods, apparel, antiques, artwork, posters, furniture, home goods, and jewelry), enjoying the live DJ and noshing on some local food truck fare, I hope you’ll make yourself at home in one of our many vintage lounge areas.

Many thanks to Katie and Jessica and the rest of the Porter Flea team for bringing Stockroom Vintage on board. I’m thinking the result will be some serious summer loving. For more details on the event, check out the Porter Flea site. And, of course, you can follow Stockroom on Twitter and Facebook, where I’ll be sharing lots of inspiration and sneak peeks about this dream collaboration along the way.

xoxo, Elizabeth

Days when I’m feeling like my least glam self are the days when I’m most in need of a good dose of glamorous vintage inspiration. So, before I head out into our sweltering backyard to sweat and curse whilst hanging miles of string lights for a vintage-inspired BBQ shindig I’m hosting to celebrate my hubby’s grad school commencement, I thought I’d spend a few moments in dreamland.

And what better place to start than with this Lolita-esque Elle magazine editorial shoot by Ellen von Unwerth? With that retro winged cat-eye makeup look and that pink velvet pillbox hat (with all those girlie bows!), this shot embodies all of my vintage styling fantasies. Seriously, if I could pull this off, I’d look like this every minute of every day—even at the grocery store or over my morning coffee.

[photo of Hillary Kerr's vintage dresses by Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur]

Usually, all of my vintage glam fashion binges now end at The Coveteur, which I first found through SF Girl by Bay. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re in for such a voyeuristic treat.  The Coveteur lets you peek inside the enviable closets of the most fashionable trendsetters around, giving us mere mortals insight into their covetable personal style. Here you’ll find the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous belongings (like the above vintage dresses from Hillary Kerr’s closet) and nice tales about what makes these pieces so meaningful.

[photos via Emily Current's closet by Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur]

So, let’s just take a moment to stare at those sheer lacy vintage numbers from the closet of Emily Current and dream of all of the romantic adventures we’d have while donning them. Sure, we can’t be those vintage girlie-girls all the time, but we certainly can dream.

If you haven’t seen Jessica’s lovely and oh-so-sweet blog post on The Budget Savvy Bride about my own July 2011 wedding, I’d love to share it with you. Over on her blog, I’ve dished all about our tight budget (less than $5,000!), why we decided to skip a caterer and opt for a food truck, how my mom and I crafted tons of pretty paper garland and sewed miles of vintage fabric pennants on my living room floor, and my advice now that I’m on the other side of planning (like why you should go vintage and try on your wedding gown on the regular). And you can also find a list of the Etsy vendors who provided my favorite handmade and vintage accessories.

I also share lots of serious, personal things, like how my husband Will and I honored and included his late mother in our big day. (Hint: It has something to do with that amazing vintage Fleur de Lys locket pictured above). And about how we scrapped all of our original plans once my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer to move our wedding closer to him in Texas. (You can also read more about that in the article I wrote for Her Nashville.)

And if you have your heart set on using any of the props pictured throughout our wedding on your big day, you’ll find them in the Stockroom Vintage inventory. Please visit The Budget Savvy Bride to see more beautiful photos that Nashville photographer Stef Atkinson snapped at our wedding. If you’ve never checked out The Budget Savvy Bride blog before, you’re in for a treat and lots of serious eye candy. I love that Jessica has committed her blog to budget weddings that will still knock your knickers off. Don’t get me wrong, I love glorious wedding porn where every scene looks like a zillion-dollar shoot for a wedding mag just as much as the next girl. But I also love seeing the magic crafty brides can work with realistic budgets. Thanks a million times over, Jessica, for featuring my own Stockroom Vintage wedding! I always hoped someone would deem my wedding blog worthy one day.

xoxo, Elizabeth