Featured Explorer: Carrie Hill

Darling little Lucy, age 3 (curls!)

Handsome Eli, age 5, with his vintage coat from  Pursuing Andie.

Have you ever seen such a beautiful family?!? I FREAKED out!

These stunning shots were captured by Lila Armock Photography, based in Michigan. Lila so generously shared these photos! Her site includes gateways to her blog, Facebook, and galleries, all of which are packed with beautiful shots.

The little Michigan momma in the photos, designer of Wolverine's fist-pump-worthy Heritage line, purchased this pink coat from my shop especially for this photo shoot. It sets off her rosy skin tone and dark hair perfectly! 

I asked Carrie if she'd answer a few questions about her life in Michigan and her creative work.

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|| What's your favorite season in Michigan? 

Fall - it's so peaceful, beautiful and the best weather for biking and running.

|| Does your family have a favorite past-time?
Camping, hiking, yardwork, biking, playing board games and as my son puts it, "exploring nature." Halloween is also a pretty big deal for us. :)

|| What do you find most inspiring about vintage style?

There was a time when that vintage piece was new. I'm always intrigued with the inspiration behind pieces of the past. In most cases the inspiration remains a mystery and that opens a door to interpretation and imagination.

|| What's it like designing for Wolverine?
It's an American brand with so much history that goes beyond footwear. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is sifting through old archival photos of footwear and recreating the style 60+ years later.

|| If you had unlimited time, energy, and resources, what is the one project or dream you would be most excited to tackle?

One of my favorite past-times as a kid was climbing trees. There was always that rush in figuring out how the hell I would get down without calling for help. I also remember the feeling of independence while being perched up on the tree... that's a thrilling feeling for an 8 year old!

"One of my greatest joys as a parent is watching my kids explore nature, play independently and discover where their imagination can take them. It would be amazing to build a treehouse for my kids that stretches throughout the acre of woods in our backyard. A place for them to retreat to and build memories all in the comfort of our backyard." 

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Thank you, Carrie!!

Yeah, I remember that.

This is a post I've been wanting to do for awhile. Basically, if you one word could describe a certain short period of my life, it would be 'hat.' That sounds materialistic and doesn't make sense. Well, it actually is more real than the existence of physical hat, but I have to let the photos suffice for themselves.

The first and last hats are mine. Were mine. And actually, these photos are 'me in reality' minus the hat these days.

This sweater was abducted from the most beautiful person I know, who stole it from her older brother, who is a psycho genius and another beautiful person, who was given it by his older brother, who is a another beautiful person. I work out to the music of the pscyho genius every morning. *insert facial expression here*

There are all available in the shop here. I'm having pricing problems because of, to speak economically, the subjective nature of value. (My psyche won't let go) Soooo if you're thinking about one shoot me a convo and we can talk.

Keep your eyes open over the next two weeks. Exciting stuff is brewing.

P.S. Stay cool guys.

Frigid.

Top: Vintage blouse, sent to a friend in Texas, with love <3
Skirt: Vintage, thrifted, gorgeous (I have BIG plans for transformation!)
Boots: Mine. And don't I strut. *fist pump*

Hey guys. It's been awhile. But I guess I'm back... until I decide that I'm not. Meh.

I've been thrift-crazy lately. 

If something is twenty five cents, I just know it is a 'potential' work of genius. Basically, I haul home 50 bajillion potential works of genius, and, well, that's not as smart as it sounds. Really.

Recent obsession: Vinyl. A lot of vinyl. Beautiful vinyl. But... I don't have a record player. 

So I'm not sure how that makes sense. 

I have actually a lot to post about over the coming weeks. Amazing finds, amazing people, and p-p-p-p-project-t-t-s. Including a line of handmade/up-cycled crop tops, which I am SO stoked about.

So leave a comment and I'll track you down. Oh yeah, and I'm on Facebook, which is mystifying.

Featured Explorer: Madison Shoemake, aspiring photographer.

I would like to introduce Tandem's photographer, Madison Shoemake. If it were not for Madi, there wouldn't be an Autumn look book for me to brag about!  This lovely miss also happens to be my sister. The jury's still out on our level of family resemblance. Madi has shared my childhood and put up with my personality flaws. She's loyal, sweet, excitable, and shares my sense of humor. We have an absolute riot. Literally, at times. (We beat each other up, but that counts too.)

We shot these photos at one of our favorite spots. I have been so excited for this interview! 

Tell us about yourself.

I have blond, curly, semi-tamable hair; and greenish, slate-blue, gold eyes. I live in rural Northwest Washington (you know, the rainy part with absolutely no reliable weather forecasts) Nature is my thing. So are animals; at one time (in my earlier childhood) we had over seven cats all living under the same roof. 

None of my socks have a mate (they are always filing for divorce somewhere between the washer and the dryer) so my feet never match, but I like it that way. 

My favorite food is steak. (Ha) And I am quite partial to the Winter season (I start listening to The Sinatra Christmas Album shortly after Halloween). Most importantly, Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of my life.    

               

What was your favorite part about shooting Tandemʼs just-released autumn look book? 

Hmm... we had so much fun. Where do I start? Simply put, I love being around happy, willing, humble people. And to top that off with spending the most amazing of days with the most amazing of cameras? Enough said. <3

Any habits, hobbies, addictions, or obsessions? 

One of my favorite things (I have many favorites...) is creative writing. Reading, editing, composing, scribbling. Someday (in the nearest of futures) I hope to have my initials on one of those books engendering the Historical Fiction section of a local library. And- obviously- I have a passion for photography. (You would hope so!) 

I also have a nasty habit- and quite pleasurable, I must admit- of pestering a certain person who just happens to share my last name. (Smooch! Forgive me!) 

(Actually, she’s usually punching me. But I digress.)

She’s a pretty good person to watch old movies with; 

even though she appreciates actors like Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant,

and I usually lean towards Gary Cooper and John Wayne.    

Okay, Dead Reckoning and Action in the North Atlantic are pretty good shows- but Reap the Wild Wind and Sergeant York are still my favorites. (To see my whole history of viewing, go here)

Describe your style. 

I don’t really tie myself to any trend or style.

 I suppose I could be described as miscellaneous. 

I can be feminine but I can also be the jeans-and-sweatshirt type.... it depends on when or where you catch me. ;)

Any major ambitions, projects, or goals? 

Well, first things first. For my thirteenth birthday I had asked for a camera. A nice camera. Yes, unrealistic, but I did it anyways. To my surprise, I got one! A Nikon Coolpix, yes, but I cherished that beauty. Every time I saw its slim little black body sitting atop my desk, I couldn’t resist. Within two months I had taken over 2,000 pictures. Three months after my fourteenth birthday, my beauty broke. I swear pieces of my heart fell with my tears. Resolving not to let her death drag me down, I set my eyes on a better, more expensive prize: the Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD. A truly handsome fellow. This was, is, my dream. For now, I use my mum’s Panasonic. It shoots fairly well, but I am slowly- surely- making my way up to The Goal. 

If were sentenced to a desert island for the rest of your life, 

what is the one thing you would take with you?

Hmm... A Costco Wholesale Warehouse?

That’s cheating.

Once again, love and kudos to Madi! Thanks for reading, peeps. :)

Keep a Lookout, Lass.

Vintage Gloria Sachs blouse, In Store Now.

Vintage Polka Dot Midi Skirt, In Store Now.

This shoot turned out even better than I envisioned. Love and kudos to my photographer-sister! I can be the worst backseat driver when it comes to photography, and I really had to focus on not micro-managing her during this shoot. My trust is well placed. She's fantastic.

I happened to find this polka dot midi and blouse on the same day, and randomly decided to pair them. They have interesting chemistry. But it works. Both are now available in the shop. Instead of the usual two-week turnover cycle, it has only been five days since I found them! Sometimes when I'm excited about a concept I just have to act on it.

This Gloria Sachs blouse is simply incredible. The color is so vibrant. The gorgeous vintage flower brooch is a gift with purchase for whomever nabs the blouse! Tip: never pin, just slip through a button hole. :) 

What has been your favorite autumn color this season?