Olivia turned 1 September 13, 2015. It seems like yesterday she literally came out of me. The first 4 months were pure hell but now that she turned one I have totally forgotten what it was like being pregnant, giving birth and going through the first months of having a new born. For the occasion of her first birthday we had a party in Italy. This was very special as Olivia met many of her cousins, uncles, etc. I wanted to have an american first birthday party with a theme, cute decorations and awesome pretty food. This is how I managed to organize her first birthday party. 

First Birthday Party Ideas:

1. I bought a party kit at Marshalls containing cupcake wraps, balloons, decoration for the table, straws, and name tags. For the price of $14. The theme was glittery and pink. 

2. I made vanilla cupcakes with a prune butter cream icing, wrapped them in cute paper and embellished with glittery gold tags.

3. Drinks were served in glass jars and we decided to have grapefruit (pink), pineapple (yellow) and just water. We then served coffee with desserts which we had in a thermo.

4. To make it simple but impressive we bought from a local farmer some pecorino and served it on a big fig leaf. It was gone by the end of the party.

5. The easy way to decorate with food and fill a table is to use long toothpicks filled with cherry tomatoes, small mozzarella or feta. Then cut a watermelon in half and place it upside down on a cake stand. Insert all the toothpicks in the watermelon as seen in the picture.

Five easy ways to glamor up your baby first birthday party. We had tons of food and took one week to plan it, but it was all worth it. The cakes were ordered in this local pastry shops that specialized in chocolate (Caniparoli) and everything else my mom cook. It was much easier to divide core. I set up the tables and room, my mom cooked, and we bought desserts and few other things in local places. That way we actually enjoyed the party. 

I have written another post on where to buy vintage shopping from the 1950s. This time I want to provide a list of my favorite vintage shops online and in Tallahassee.

Tallahassee Vintage Clothing Shops

Curio Goods: Located in RailRoad Square Curio is the real deal - a curated good quality vintage shop that organized clothes by color like me :) You will find dresses from the 1920s up to the 80s, including furniture and accessories. The store owned by Jackie just turned one year recently. Read more about my chat with Jackie on my previous post on vintage clothes in Tallahassee.

Wearing Curio's Vintage Dress and bag

Diva's and Devil's: This store used to be on West Pensacola in a tiny street mall. I must be honest the selection of the clothes is great but the owner of the store is far from being pleasant. She charged my friend $96 for 'vintage' boots she claimed were unique. The same day I found the exact pair for $26 on Ebay. I have gone to her new location only once when I was desperate to find a Mad Man dress for a party. At that time Curio was not opened. Again, great selection but be ready to pay and meet a real Diva.

Online Vintage Shopping Clothes

It's Vintage Darling: This store has a wide selection of real vintage clothes. It seems focused on the 1950's and 1960's with cute flower jumpsuits and checker 1950s dresses. It gets better because they have home and decor section with some unique finds. Spend some time on here to go through their database.

Asos: Believe it or not Asos has a sister site called Peekaboo Vintage with clothes categorized by size,  designers, colors, etc. The focus is on the 1990s but you will see once in a while some pieces from the 1970s.

Back In Style: For Florida residents (although the store ship elsewhere), this store is nostalgia heaven. While the site might look old and outdated their inventory is impressive. With designers from Pucci to Dior and affordable prices this place is one of my favorite vintage online shops. Just sit back and sip on coffee while going through their inventory.

Cry Violet: Curated vintage clothes from Canada. Cry Violet does not offer a wide selection like other online stores but the pieces are well chosen and in fact they sell out quickly. If you are not one of those people who like to scroll down for hours this site is made for you.

Want more suggestions to find vintage clothing online? Read my other article on shopping for a 1950s style.  Did I miss your store? Just comment below and I will add your name to the list!

**All pictures taken by Mallory Brooks. Thank you Curio for letting me wear your awesome clothes.

Wearing Curio's Vintage Clothes, Glasses, and Bag

I am finally on a semi-vacation (I am actually working but enjoying the view of my hometown Lucca, Italy). I will be posting randomly for the next 4 weeks. You should follow my Instagram account and follow me through the wonders of Europe. In the meantime enjoy this photo from Mallory Brooks when we collaborated with Curio. Actually if you are in Tallahassee don't miss out on Curio's Fall Sale. You could score some really awesome vintage clothing like this one I am wearing.

It is a habit we all are guilty of - buy clothes because they are trendy but that we never wear. These clothes end up in the back of our closet still with a tag on. We refuse to return them and tell ourselves that we will wear them on that special occasion that never comes. How do we stop buying clothes we never wear? How do we stop buying clothes we don't need? I will discuss in this post only how to stop from buying at the store, but in reality a good look at your closet will benefit from understanding what you really need to buy.

1. Consider your lifestyle:
Who are you and how do you dress everyday? What is easy for you to put on as you wake up in the morning and stumble inside your wardrobe? Are you leaning to comfortable shoes even though those stiletto shoes look really good? What is your job? Do you stay on your feet all day? Those are some of the questions to consider when facing the many fashion choices at the store. Think about whether you would want to walk out that store wearing the item and if you can match whatever you are buying with what is already in your closet.

2. Is this clothing item just a passing trend?
There is nothing wrong with buying some trendy pieces that you will only wear one season, but don't make your entire wardrobe with one-time fashion trends. Invest in timeless items even if they cost more and get few trendy items from cheaper stores like Forever 21 or HM. Think in terms of how many times you could wear a particular piece beyond a season.

3. Don't buy just because it is on sale: This is something I struggle with. I like good deals and bargains and if I see something for $10 I need to buy it even though I would have never bought it for full price. Stop buying clothes just because they have a red tag. Repeat with me: "I will not buying something just because it is on sale even for $10."  Understand why you grasped a particular t-shirt or  pants. Was it the ad on the store? Was it the price?

4. Can I mix and match with what I already own?  When you walk into a store and try clothes on ask yourself whether what you are trying on could work with what you already have in your closet. If it is a top, would it look good with dress pants or just your casual jeans? Could you dress up or down an outfit with this particulate piece? This is going to help you avoid buying clothes that need to be matched with more new clothes.

5. It is not love at first sight: If you have doubts from the beginning ditch it. Don't convince yourself that the dress you are trying on will look good if you lose 5 pounds, or with the right shoes, or if you had make up on. If you need to find excuses to buy a clothing item it means that you will never wear it.

Those are for me the top tips on how to stop from buying clothes I never wear. There could be more rules but I like to stick to few and test them out next time I am shopping. And if you subscribe to my blog you will learn how to clean your wardrobe to help you even further on how to stop buying clothes you never wear. If you have other tips please leave a comment and share with our readers.

***Photo by Mallory Brooks. Clothes by Curio Goods Vintage Clothing Store in Tallahassee, Florida.

Vintage Skirt by Curio Goods in Tallahassee

I used to love vintage clothes. My favorite decade is the 70s with big sunglasses, high waisted jeans and flare. I stopped wearing vintage when I moved to Tallahassee because there were just not authentic vintage stores. On my seldom trips to Europe I would indulge in vintage shopping to pick some key fashion items to add to my wardrobe. Things have changed since then. Vintage shopping in Tallahassee has changed since 2014 when Curio Goods opened its doors to vintage lovers. Jackie Skelding fresh out of college had a mission driven by her passion for history and fashion - to open a vintage store in Tallahassee with hand-selected and in pristine condition vintage clothing items. The inventory ranges from 1920s to 1980s with few replicas accessories like the oversize shades I am wearing in this photoshoot. Those are a big seller at the store as well as on Etsy. For the next weeks or so I will dedicate a post to this vintage gem in Tallahassee wearing some of Curio's vintage pieces (on sale at the store). I hope you will have fun going through these pictures like I did and get yourself to visit the store located at 1046 Railroad Square, in Tally. When you go mention my name to Jecki and she can help you identify few pieces based on you fashion decade you like. And get the details on this dress at the bottom of this article.

*** Photos by Mallory Brooks. I am wearing a Vintage purple floral dress from the 1970's. Size M/L $42. I usually wear a size small but this fits me as I like comfy dresses for the summer. You can also wear it with a belt if you want more definition. And if you are pregnant it is the best stylish dress.