When I used to live in the city, my absolute number one favorite thing used to be taking my pup to Central Park.  We’d walk for HOURS on end, exploring every inch of the fascinating eco system that is the Park.  If you don’t know, Central Park isn’t just the Great Lawn and Bethesda Fountain, it contains actual forest areas where you can get lost in nature; you can’t see the streets and you’re completely surrounded by trees, rocks and waterfalls.  Yes, WATERFALLS! Not huge ones of course! Nothing you could go white water rafting on, but big enough to make you stop and watch.  Or, if you’re a pup named Bodie, try to swim in!  These journeys were especially enjoyable when my boyfriend joined us and we would have little picnics in the park.  We’d go to our local Pick a Bagel, order our usual Chicken Salad on a toasted plain bagel (everything bagel for him!), grab a Yoohoo and a Naked and walk our way to the nearest park entrance to find our usual picnic table on a hill, secluded, shaded by trees, and that housed a lovely plaque on its bench, dedicating itself to a deceased wife.   Now, we never brought a “picnic blanket” with us or an official “picnic basket,” but we scraped by with our beautiful bench and our bagel napkins.  Also, I don’t think a pleasant picnic would have ever been in order due to our highly energetic dog who has the patience level of about a three year old, but maybe one day we’ll actually be able to do it!  I imagine it would be a lot like this, plus the presence of the beau and the addition of some really fabulous vintage clothing:

How adorable is this Vintage 1960s/1970s Pink Knitted Summer Sweater at StuckOnVintage!  I adore the white floral design that doubles as a tank strap! So cute and unique!  I would defiantly wear this tucked in to a pair of high waist denim or under a cute pair of overalls!  In good condition, this one-of-a- kind tank is only $40! Not bad for a top your friends will never be able to buy!

You can make fun of me all you want, but I will still forever love high waist denim.  Not only does it give you a great shape, your tush in particular, but they just give you that straight backed, sucked in, walk with shoulders back feeling.  I mean you feel like a super hotty when you have a pair of high waist denim on!  Plus, you don’t have to wear a belt if you really don’t want to!! And for all these reasons, I love this pair of Vintage Navy Sailor High Waist Sailor Flared Jeans at Love Street Vintage!  Not to mention that the pockets are a key selling point! Such a comfy feeling to be able to put your whole hand deep in your pockets when you are having a relaxing walk.  Only $45!

These are my shoes! Well, not actually, but these are the exact type of shoes that I love to wear!  These Vintage 70s Platform Sandals from Raleigh’s Vintage are to die for and the best part about them…they have NEVER BEEN WORN! How awesome is that!  Perfect Vintage condition.  No cracks in the leather, no foot prints from a previous owner and no black scrapes on the wedge from being knocked against the ground.  This my friend, is a vintage lovers dream!  “New” Vintage shoes…still in the box!  How could someone never of worn something so cute? $70 on Etsy.

I LOVE these Vintage 80s Wayfarer Tortoise Sunglasses at Forsythia Hill! I am crazy over the bright pink color mixed with the tortoise pattern and the green lenses! Labeled 95% UVB, 60% UVA blocking these glasses are substantial, they are not “flimsy” or cheap.  These NEVER WORN sunglasses can be worn by both men and women, but lets get real, if my guy touched these puppies I would have a freak attack on him! They are too cool and too unique for anyone but me to wear!  Does that sound too selfish? A bargain for $38!

I am infatuated with any sort of jewelry that has a type of stone in it, especially turquoise. So, it’s really no surprise that when I stumbled across this Vintage Sterling Silver Turquoise Cuff that I was immediately drawn to it.  The turquoise just caught me right away merely because the color was so bright and then I also love the stamped leaf design that parades behind the stones.  Such a beautiful piece of jewelry.  $29 at Sparkling Lotus Design.

I searched and searched for the PERFECT picnic blanket and finally found one at MistyOrcutt!  This Vintage Red and White Picnic Cloth is the definition of what I picture as the quintessential picnic blanket! I mean, do you not always see cartoons or characters in children’s books eating off of something that looks exactly like this? Or have I just gone completely off the deep end? Well, either way, I think its adorable and would totally use it to have my picnic on! $27.99.

Every picnic needs some sort of picnic basket, but what about a picnic purse?  How cute would you look walking down the street with this Vintage 60s Basket Weave Purse? No one would know that you have packed away a tasty picnic and besides, who wants to lug around a huge basket anyway! So inconvenient! Especially in the city! I can just imagine myself hitting passerbys and the nasty looks they would give me.  Yep, for sanity’s sake, I think I’ll stick with the purse! $24 at Vintage Stew.

My Pup Bodie! He is not for sale!

Stuck On Vintage is actually in my shop favorites in Etsy!  Based out of LA, SOV carries a wide variety of both men and women’s vintage.  And while I adore their super cute vintage clothing, perhaps one of my favorite things that they carry are vintage  sunglasses.  They have such a variety of vintage frames varying from the 1960s round “John Lennon’s” to the big, overstated lenses of the 80s.  What’s great too is that these fabulous sunglasses are all sorts of colors and some come with colored lenses! I love it! How original!  You should defiantly stop by SOV when you have a moment to spare!!

Love Street Vintage is an Etsy Vintage shop based out of San Diego that specializes in Women’s Vintage from the 60s and 70s.  And let me tell you, as you thumb through LSV, you will defiantly get that message.  Not only is the store name inspired by a Doors song, but about 75% of LSV’s vintage is incorrporate Aztec prints, floral patterns, and extremely bold colors.  Clothing that you can just picture people wearing to Woodstock or on the streets of San Francisco.  To be able to wear these psychedelic, bohemian clothing you will have to be a person who is utterly at home with themselves and someone who is free spirited and perhaps fitting with the hippie mentality of a flower child. If that is you, then you will have no problem finding items that fit your personality at LSV! Happy Hunting!

Perfect for those who like a bit more order to their lives, Raleigh Vintage, an Etsy shop, carries clean cut, sophisticated clothing for the Vintage Woman.  While they carry vintage from the 50s to 90s all picks are very reminiscent of the 50s/60s wardrobe.  That is:  light, delicate patterns, sharp lines and a more muted color palette.  Perfect for the working lady who wants to add a little character to her office outfit! The most awesome part of this shop?  That it is cared for and stocked by a vintage-loving couple, Isaac and Andi.  How cute is that! Check them out!

While Forsythia Hill, an Etsy shop based out of VA, carries other Vintage, mainly home goods, the heart of her store rests with her amazing Vintage sunglasses.  Her impeccable taste in unique eye wear is what makes her store so special and keeps me coming back for more.  Her NEVER BEEN WORN glasses come  in styles such as Wayfarers, John Lennon round wires, and BIG 80’s.  And for every pair of eye or sunglasses purchased, Forsythia Hill makes a matching donation to the Lions Club that distributes glasses to an abundance of needy organizations.  How admirable is that? Why wouldn’t you check her out?

Sparkling Lotus Design is a new find for me and while the store isn’t packed with jewelry as of now, the things they do have are actually very lovely.  If you like stones, then you might find a couple of items here that you will adore, as I certainly have.  Some of the jewelry that you will find at SLD are handmade creations by its owner who contends that her store has been the result of (her) compulsion to create in (her) spare time. And while she does carry vintage jewelry, she hopes that her customers will find some inspiration in her personal jewelry.   I guess you’ll have to stop by and see if that is the case!