Angela added some adorable new pieces to the shop this week--come & see! happy Sunday! xo. 

local goods: Gypsies and Ginger Snaps

Sometimes the best things in life are the things you stumble onto. Like the friend you meet in the most unexpected place, the amazing restaurant you find after getting lost in the middle of nowhere, the guy you meet after swearing you'll be single for a while....etc etc. Or sometimes, you're walking with a friend and you see the sign above on the street, wander into an alley, and find the most adorable shop you've ever seen. 

After an unsuccessful thrifting trip, my lovely friend Megan & I happened upon local shop Gypsies and Ginger Snaps and basically died of cuteness. They have everything from dresses, jewelry, and shoes to tiny animal figurines, candles, purses, sassy decor, and even espresso. Basically, the essentials. Some vintage, some new, and some in-between. The dream of owning a vintage & handmade shop is always humming in the back of my mind & perusing Gypsies and Ginger Snaps made that hum just a l-i-i-ittle bit louder. 

I picked out a few precious little things for a loved one, but in case she reads this, I'll keep them a secret. 

If you are in the Bellingham area, you must pop in to this shop. Bring a friend to ooh & aah over the items with--and, it is conveniently located right next to the Honey Moon, so you can wander over for happy hour after. Best. Day. Ever. 

insta peace

ohhh my, is life busy right now. so looking forward to summer & a chance to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. here are some instas of small, peaceful moments of late. 

may flowers | afternoon reading | fave from a design gallery | Capitol Hill dinner with my family | post-gym treat | packing pretty vintage

see more by following me on instagram @charityvictoria. xo! 

Sunday Sweet: Strawberry & Nutella Tarts

If you're not following Amanda's blog yet, you should be. She's another Bellingham blogger who just so happens to post amaaazing recipes (that are photographed impeccably). I want to make them all, especially these banana nutella popsicles, but when it was my job to make some treats for a coworkers birthday last week, I had to first try Amanda's recipe for yummy tarts. 

 (rule of thumb: always bake with a glass of iced coffee or wine in hand. much more fun)

I made some with just nutella, some with just (homemade) strawberry jam, & some with both. I marked the top of each differently so people could choose which they wanted! 

one has to sample their finished product, of course. 

Find her recipe here! This is a really easy and fun thing to bring to a brunch, shower, picnic, birthday party, etc. They're cute and yummy. And fun to make. Thanks for the inspiration, Amanda! xo. 

no one's gonna love you more than I do

nobody loves ya like a sister can. 

Recently I came home to this sweet care package at my door after a l-o-o-o-n-g week. how lovely is she? This sweet little necklace has become my new favorite piece. So delicate. Though I feel like I'm cheating on WA a little bit when I wear it here...oh, well. And please excuse the fact that I'm holding it backwards--geography never was my strong suit. Thank you, sista! 

last day to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway oui, today is the last day to enter to win beautiful vintage. all you have to do is tell us what you'd buy from our shop & you're in! We ship internationally! Have a lovely Wednesday, friends. xo. 

is right now

Today I did lots of small good things for myself; things that I never seem to have time to do anymore:

I made my space more alive: I deep-cleaned my room, reorganized my lovely little things to be less cluttered and more fresh. I filled a box with clothes and shoes and picture frames that I can do without. I washed all my blankets and fluffed my pillows. 

I picked white lilacs, filling a mason jar with their stems & my room with their scent. 

I opened a new bottle of red wine & sipped it while cooking myself a yummy, healthy dinner. 

I discovered and listened to new music. 

I read a magazine and had afternoon coffee, for one.

I carefully packaged a vintage blazer, sent with love to Norway.  

I found the sweetest new blog. 

I worked out, hard. 

These things seem slight, but put them all together in one day and I feel centered, at peace, and more in tune with myself than I have in weeks. I'm hardly ever alone these days, and I forget how much I need that until I get it. I'm so blessed. Love.

one more day to enter to win gorgeous spring vintage! 

Seattle, you so fly.

This weekend was spent reppin' my city: cheering on the Mariners to beat the Oakland A's on Friday and the Sounders killing the San Jose Earthquake on Saturday. Seattle, sunshine, friends, garlic fries, cold beer, cheering at the top of our lungs, completely carefree...Seattle, you'll always be my city. so good. 

don't forgot to enter our vintage giveaway before Wednesday! xo. 

this & that

just a little of this & that from lately. the third photo is from Easter weekend at my parents' home--my mom left the back door open and when she came into our living room, this tiny little bird had flown in and landed on a flower in the window. It perched there for almost half an hour, looking out at the world through the glass wall, before deciding to join it once again. Huckleberry Finn, the family pup, was quite confused by all of this, but we thought it was precious. life is so beautiful in color.

don't forgot to enter our vintage giveaway!  xo. 

Giveaway: $20 to East Magnolia Vintage!

Happy Wednesday, loves! Today I am so excited to be giving away $20 to our vintage shop, East Magnolia Vintage.  We have tons of adorable spring + summer pieces up right now, of all different hues and prints. There are lots of ways to enter this giveaway, even if you don't have a blogger account--start by browsing the shop & telling us what pieces catch your eye! This giveaway is open until midnight of May 15th & the winner will be announced shortly after. Thank you for following my blog, good luck! xo. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

when you have an excess of glitter

when you have an excess of glitter--well, you might as well display it somewhere that the world can see it. Glitter isn't meant to be stored away, you know. It has to be kept out, open, ready for extremely important projects at any given time. So if you find yourself in possession of a large amount of silver sparkles (perhaps even accidentally, like I did): pour them into a pretty jar, stick some cute somethings in it, and place it on your desk so you remember not to be so serious while you work. It will help, I promise. 

xo, Charity

afternoon antiquing

I learned everything I know about thrifting/antiquing from my mama, so taking her to one of my favorite antique spots in Bellingham last week was so fun! I'm not currently allowed to buy any more knick-knacks, since I have to be able to fit all of my possessions in my car come September (sighhh), so enabling others to buy them instead works well for me right now. What better way to spend a sleepy Sunday afternoon?