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!!

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. :)

Featured Explorer: Monica Barleycorn of Whitby, England

My favorite part about vintage trading is meeting incredible people from all over the world. I would like to introduce---drumroll---the beautiful vintage fashionista Monica Barleycorn!

This lovely foreign girl purchased one of my favorite Tandem Vintage pieces---an incredible wool-blend, tribal-inspired cardigan from the 70s. And, I must say, she makes it look pretty good! So good, in fact, that I invited her over here to tell us about herself.

Check out her blog here. I'm excited to see where her journey takes her...

Tell us about yourself.  

My name is Monica Barleycorn and I'm a 17 year old student from Whitby, England. I've just finished my first year studying Business and Economics, Maths, English Language and German. 

Any habits, hobbies, addictions, or obsessions?  

Fashion is my greatest hobby. Every spare minute I'm bidding on ebay for a vintage piece, browsing websites or trying on outfits! I'm a bit obsessed with animal jewellery at the moment. I'm also a very keen tennis player which most people don't know about me! So I'll be spending most of my summer playing matches and working on my game.

Describe your "style" or how you dress. What are your essentials?  

I don't really have a specific 'style' as such. I guess my fashion changes depending on what mood I'm in. One day I'll wear a pretty floral dress and the next day smart chinos. I guess I'm really versatile. I can be really girly but at the same time very indie. My essentials are knitted cardigans, brogues and my bowler hat.

What do you see as an upcoming trend, if any?

I don't tend to follow trends that much when it comes to my personal style, I kinda just go for what I like. I can see aztec and navajo patterns being huge this summer and I'm loving feathered jewellery at the moment.

What are you listening to right now?  

A bit of everything really. My favourite bands are Daughtry and Maroon 5.

Any major ambitions, projects, or goals?  

My dream is to work in the fashion industry, to be backstage at catwalk shows and to be running around a city in sky high heels. 

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?  

NYC. After watching The City, Gossip Girl and Sex and The City, I just feel like its the place for me. Also as a fashion capital of the world, I imagine its filled with style opportuties.

What is your favorite thing about Vintage?

I love that fact nobody else has it. I love the originality and the preciousness of vintage clothing and accessories.

The lovely gold Elephant Brooch I snuck in Monica's package. SO happy she's enjoying it!

Thanks again, Monica! 

Kudos, all...