Thursday, January 3, 2008

a day off

After all that work getting ready for the home inspection and, ultimately, our new adventure in foster parenting, I decided to play a bit of hooky today. And oh what fun I found...
















All of this exquisite loveliness is vintage stock inherited by Lisa, the granddaughter of the founder of Danzinger's, once dubbed Africa's largest Haberdashers. She brought all of this loveliness overseas with her and, with her husband Andrew, just a few months ago opened up what is the most amazing treasure trove of vintage wonderment!


The store, Accessories of Old, is located in Bethesda on St. Elmo Avenue. If you are local or are planning to visit the DC area, you really must get thee to this store just as fast as you can. It's open everyday but Sunday. And you'll love Lisa and Andrew, the owners.


After a long visit in there, I headed to Kensington to my friend Maria Peck's store, Tiara Day. She's been open for over a year but it took me this long to go here. Oh, what a fabulous store. Well, just see for yourself....










I fell completely in love with the brown ruffly coat and the lace skirt. If only my purse were lined with dollars...oh but wouldn't I make the best dressed rich gal!

I have so much more to show you, including some goodies for sale. Tomorrow, my parents arrive for a short visit. Daddy just had eye surgery and has a shiner. It looks like Momma belted him one. Maybe she did. ;) He sent a picture but he looks so pitiful in it that it makes me cry. Maybe I'll get a better picture of it tomorrow.

Hope all's well in your world.

35 comments:

said...

Ooh! I want to play in all those yummy vintage trims! Wow!

Amy said...

What a wonderful vintage store! What a great shopping day you must have had. Thanks for sharing! Amy

tongue in cheek said...

Be still my heart...too late it has jumped to the states!

Unknown said...

ooh, the eye candy! thanks for sharing. i too wish my purse was lined with dollars. that would be lovely! :)

Rhondi said...

What fabulous looking stores. Aren't you lucky to live close by! Great pictures.

Unknown said...

I think maybe you have discovered a little bit of heaven, right here on earth! Sooo delicious...

everything pink! said...

ohh la la i am going there tomorrow.
thanks

Mod and Mint said...

Oh my! I wouldn't know where to look with so many gorgeous items!
Jealous that i'm not in the DC area... Lucky you.

Anonymous said...

What gorgeous stuff!! I am drooling over those hats -- can't find anything like that here.

beki said...

oh my, is that heaven?

Leisa said...

I think I would play hooky too if I lived near stores that had such beautiful things to look at! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful pictures with us.

Saucy said...

I am always amazed with your excursions Amy and the fact that you get away with taking so many wonderful photos. Tell us, do you mention to the store owners that you plan to put them on your blog? I'm sure that would entice them. What advertising. I am thinking of going to Washington DC just for the dry goods now.

Anonymous said...

Darling Amy,

I am so flattered to make your blog! What an honor! I am so sorry to have missed you at the shop today. My dear mother truly enjoyed your visit.... We both agree that the darling vintage sugar and spice cards had Inspire Co. written all over them.--Can't wait to get into the shop tomorrow and unpack vintage valentine goodies! Oh so much fun!!! Thanks a million!

Yummers! said...

I love all the trims and goodies in the stores. Really like the writing on the wall above the buttons too. One of my daughters in the DC area this week... I need to send her shopping. She works out of Rockville but lives in Pownix so she's out there at least 1 week a month. And she is a shopper!!!
Hugs from my heart,
Joni

Yummers! said...

PS YOW... please excuse the typos. I'm typing with my left hand.
Joni

Tammy Burks said...

Eye candy, lovely eye candy!!!
I love, Love, LOVE the ruffled coat!!
Such inspiration!

BailiwickStudio said...

Oh the ribbon! the buttons! the lace! What an incredible store. And ditto for the second store! What fun!

kristen said...

I. Can't. Breathe.

Wow, what an amazing store and you can bet your sweet bippy that when I'm up there this October, I will be a shoppin'. I may have to rob a bank or sell an organ, but I'll be shopping.

Happy New Year my sweetness!

Anonymous said...

Amy,
I don't think I would have come home! Everything looks so delightful and fun, like you!
Kim

Anonymous said...

i love, love, love all of that, especially the ribbons and buttons...my favorite and frivolous weekness. i also wanted to tell you that your childrens' room is absolutely darling, darling, darling! and i must admit i would have never thought to do something so colorful in that way...it would never have occurred to me...but i absolutely love it and thinks it's just so, so fun and cheerful and cute! i love it when i get to rethink things! blessings!

Anonymous said...

We have to go shopping again when I come back there in June...these places look FABULOUS! And, just my style.
Glad you took off a day to play.
Carol

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

Oh my! I HAVE to go there! We are setting up an aprtment outside of DC, as soon as I figure out where Bethseda is, I am heading that way!!!

Thanks for the great info

Megan said...

Amy,

I was able to hit both stores today! Thanks for sharing - can't believe I did not know about these two.

Megan

Missy said...

Wow, look at all of those yummy buttons, ribbons and trims!
Thanks for sharing!

Babelfish said...

Oh gosh, the loveliness is too much to bear...lucky you to be able to visit such wonderful treasure troves.

Merci-Notes said...

Hi Amy,
Now that is some wonderful shopping!!! I made a skirt similar to the coat (ruffle action) in H.S. I was hoping that you would tell us that you did Wear it home! It would look fabulous on you!
I hope that you Dad is doing fine now and that the surgery has been deemed a success.

Hugs,
Mary

julie (jane's apron) said...

wow! I think my favorite is the wall of buttons...looks like candy.

gkgirl said...

so much so beautiful
but i mainly had to comment
to say how much i heart
that skirt in the last picture...
wow.

kitten said...

Wow I'm so jealous! I wish we had something that amazing in my hometown.

Samantha Caffee said...

I could just cry looking at all this!

Anonymous said...

Check out page 65 of Romantic Home's February issue. The writer is wearing the Brown Ruffle Coat!

Anonymous said...

Oh MAN! That notions store looks like HEAVEN on earth! What a treasrue trove!!

Congrats on your n visitor...savor every moment! xoxo

Ann Christine Dennison said...

Oh my goodness I would be in seventh heaven in those shops especially the lace and ribbon shop, never seen anything like it in Denmark!

Betz White said...

Thanks so much for the tips about these shops! I am new to the DC area and these look fabulous!

Take care,
Betz

secretleaves said...

Elizabeth (of Elizabeth House) has that brown coat!!! She is wearing it in a post on her blog that is up right now! And you are right--it is just as fabulous in person.

Man, I wish I could visit this shop...

Sharon