Me: What’s your favorite thrift store in town? Why?
April: The Downtown Salvation Army gets me every single time.  It’s a great stop for clothes, cute, cheap shoes and even old furniture. In terms of vintage stores I’m quite fond of Blacklist Vintage—it’s a great place to play dress up and they have, hands down, the best hat and fascinator collection in town.  Oh, and I shan’t fail to mention that the little ladies that run the place are always so very pleasant and charming.  I miss their cozy old location, but their new one will do just fine too, I suppose.

Me: Your house and closet are full of awesome thrifted goodies. What are you top tips for successful thrifting?
April: A. Take your time, don’t be afraid to dig and disregard the current context. Much of the time, if I simply see something on the shelf or in a bin, I’m not all that excited about it. I have to think about how something would look either being worn (paired with something I already have in my closet) or on my shelf in my home if I’m looking at housewares, etc. It’s easy for things to look dusty, dingy and drab in a thrift store, but part of the fun of thrifting is realizing the potential in old, forgotten or disregarded items.

Me: Do you have a favorite piece of vintage clothing?
April: I have a set of kerchiefs that my grandmother gave me that I simply adore.  They are so feminine and proper, but I rarely drop one into my purse because they are so precious to me.  Since being the proud owner of said handkerchiefs, I can say confidently that no gal should be without at least one.

Me: It’s summer! What are you excited to do?
April: See ponies! I’ve only been to Canterbury once, but I’m hooked and I’m really looking forward to going back and betting on the horses with clever names. Admittedly, I know close to nothing about horse racing and have nothing else to go off of. [I was there, and yes, picking the best names was indeed her strategy. I admittedly fared no better, though, betting only on horses from my home state.] I’m also excited to grow a few things of my own. Unfortunately, I don’t own a home and my gardening prowess and space is limited, but I purchased a beautiful lettuce and tomato plant a few weeks ago that I’m pretty jazzed about.

Me: Your Tulabaru shop is clean sold out, girl! What are some of the new things you’re working on? And please say you’ll be restocking soon!
April: Oh, poor Tulabaru.  It has been somewhat tossed to the side over the past few months for more important, yet less fun, tasks that life has demanded. But! That’s all about to change. There will be new items up for sale on Etsy in no time at all. [Yessss!] A few weeks ago, I picked up some beautiful vintage brooches and lace that I’m really excited to use for hair pins and headbands.  I’ve also been making a lot of big, billowy bows that I’d like to incorporate more. Another goal is to make more items for all of the kiddos out there.  Maybe it’s just me, but I think every little girl should have a bow, ribbon or headband to wear proudly atop her head.

Isn’t she a sweetie? I put together a little slide show so you can take a peek at more pics from our little photo session. Some of the photos stars include Joe (garage owner), Kiki (adorable husky), cops (arresting someone for a DUI) and an awesome 1946 Dodge Ram that I’m utterly gaga over.