Pieceology Vintage + Moth Oddities: Across the Terrain

Across the Terrain | Pieceology Vintage + Moth Oddities Spring Lookbook 2016

Wardrobe + Styling: Pieceology Vintage + Moth Oddities
Photography: Moth Oddities
Models: Nico Flores + Divinity Veloz
Location: Austin, Texas

Here are a few shots from the Pieceology Vintage Spring 2016 lookbook, "Across the Terrain", in collaboration with my friends Moth Oddities. Yana and Ian are the co-founders of this online vintage shop based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yana shot these awesome photos with a disposable camera she bought off eBay and I'm so in love I just had to share them here!

I met Yana and Ian through my friend Gina who I've talked about here on the blog before. Gina is a vintage buyer for PVTG and Moth Oddities and when I was visiting her in California in December Yana and Ian just happened to be passing through while on a big cross country road trip (follow their travels on Instagram @mothoddities with #mothtravels) so I was able to meet them. They told me they'd be hitting Austin at some point and I immediately asked if they wanted to stay with me and/or collaborate on something while they were in town. They obliged and here we are! They came in town a couple weeks ago and we put together this very badass, Texas-themed lookbook. It was so much fun + Yana and Ian are such nice people, not to mention they were extremely respectful guests during there stay at my house. I'm so grateful that I've had the opportunity to meet such awesome people through starting this little business of mine. It's pretty rad.

Anyway, the full lookbook launched today so go check it out on the PVTG site now! You can shop all the looks there as well and be sure to visit Moth Oddities web shop, too. They have some majorly swoon-worthy vintage, y'all!

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Dixie Dude Ranch

This past weekend we hit up a dude ranch in Bandera, Texas. Yep, you read that right. Dixie Dude Ranch is a charming spot if you want the real Texas ranch style experience and you better believe everyone we met vouched for it's true authenticity. The ranch is about a 2 hour drive southwest of Austin. We rode horses, drank lots of coffee, read, did some much needed lounging, and ate some of the best meals I've had in a long time (breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided). A relaxing weekend well spent before coming back to reality this week ie. my very, very long to do list. TGIF, y'all!

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#SisterhoodXMarfa: Creative Ladies Road Trip Across Texas

 Images via #sisterhoodxmarfa

Let's discuss Marfa, shall we? What happens when you put six women in a Chevy Tahoe with A LOT of luggage, A LOT of snacks, and have them drive seven hours across the state of Texas? Well, first of all, lots of laughter and excitement, but also moments of anxiety and even tension. We are a bunch of ladies in a small confined space, cut us some slack OK?! But, damn y'all, it was fun. Unlike any other trip I've ever been on. I've never gone on a vacation where the intent was to hang with creative friends, bounce ideas off each other, take lots of photos and do all the "silly things" I like to do with other people who like to do the same "silly things" as me.

I've been thinking about friendship a lot in the last couple weeks since I've been back from Europe. I am super lucky to have an amazing group of friends who are all so different from one another which I think is a huge reason why we all work so well as a unit. Y'all know who you are (and thank you for reading my blog Annie, Michelle, Laura, etc, etc). But, for a long time I've been searching for a group of friends who share my same passions. I can now say that I have found that group... the group I went to Marfa with. Yes, of course we are also all very different but we share a special common ground. We are working toward the same goals. We are bloggers, makers, small business owners, photographers and super stylish, badass bishes (yes, I'm old and I know people don't say "bishes" anymore)! Each women is so inspiring to me and I am a better, happier person because of them. I love each of you and I am so happy that after a long weekend away we are all back in the same city and get to hang out even more!

I know this post is already pretty sappy, but here's just a little more sap for ya. This last year has been one of the roughest years of my life. Maybe the roughest yet. I started seeing my therapist almost one year ago to this date. I've talked about that decision before and how I felt so low at the time that I didn't know what else to do. The journey from then to now has been all over the place and at times it felt like this last year went on for an eternity. But here I am, one full year later and I'm so freakin' proud of myself. I've done so many things that the younger April would have honestly probably laughed at (I was kind of an asshole growing up). I started therapy, I vowed to travel more, I planned a solo trip to Europe then went on that trip for six weeks, I reached out to new friends (like Chelsea and Nicole), I dedicated more time to this blog, I got to know myself, I stood up for my feelings and followed my heart. And there are some other things I'm in the process of doing that I can't talk about just yet, but they are big, huge, scary, awesome things that I thought I'd never do. But I'm doin' 'em! 

So thank you Chelsea, Katie, Nicole, Pei and Stephanie, my Marfa ladies. Thank you for playing a huge part in pulling me out of a dark place. Thank you for being my friends, my cheerleaders, my confidants and thank you for being my sisters. Without y'all I don't know if I would have found the confidence to be doing all the things I'm doing now. Y'all are all rockstars and I am so excited to watch you continue to kill it individually but I'm also so stoked to grow in life together!

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Denim Forever

Forever 21 Dress, Kork-Ease Wedges (similar), Urban Outfitters Bag (similar), c/o Limbo Jewelry Earrings, Urban Outfitters Sunglasses, Necklace was a gift from my roommate

Photos by Chelsea Laine Francis

I'm definitely a print and texture mixing kind gal. You won't see me all that often in an outfit that doesn't have one or both of those things incorporated into it... Unless of course it's denim! Really, pretty much the only time you won't see me in some crazy pattern is when I opt for denim which has been quite a lot lately. I love my vintage Levi's cutoffs (major outfit throwback in them here!), my fringe top, my most comfortable jeans ever, my denim jumper, and of course this airy baby doll dress you see above, just to name a few. I have so much denim in my wardrobe and I've been a fan of it for as long as I can remember. It's so versatile and always makes me feel super cute. I've even been known to where a Canadian tux from time to time and I'm not even a little bit sorry about it! Denim forever, y'all.

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Weekend Trip To Gruene

As I mentioned earlier this week, we visited the little town of Gruene, Texas this past weekend which is located right outside of New Braunfels. Gruene is considered by some similar to Fredericksburg but more quaint and less crowded but still just as charming and I'd have to agree. The town is pretty much just one street which houses cute shops, places to eat and a few bars here and there for drinks and dancing. All in all, I had a great time and would definitely visit again. Being only about an hour south of Austin it was a great little weekend getaway. If you ever find yourself heading that way here are a few recommendations you should check out while you're there.  

Gruene Mansion Inn - This is where we stayed and where the majority of the photos you see were taken. This bed and breakfast is awesome. They serve breakfast every morning in the main house and also have rooms you can stay in. Additionally they have cottages in the back that sit right on the Guadalupe River which is where we stayed. I really enjoyed staying in the cottages. The room was adorable and it felt more private being on the backside of the property.

The Gristmill - There are only a handful of restaurants in Gruene and this one was right next to our B&B. Literally right next door. The food was pretty good and the atmosphere was great. It was really chilly out the night we went but the patio was covered and heated so we were able to sit outside and actually enjoy it.

Natural Bridge Caverns - This is a must. It's about 20 miles further south toward San Antonio, but is worth the short, scenic drive there. The caves at Natural Bridge Caverns are so beautiful and the tour guides were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. If you are even slightly interested in the outdoors (like me) you will enjoy this.

Mozie's - This is a bar/restaurant right across the street from our B&B. It has the longest bar I've ever seen and even though you'd expect there to be only half decent bar food there is actually a full menu. I got the fish tacos which were great. They even serve pasta which was also very tasty.

Vineyard at Gruene - Naturally, we went wine tasting one night, because... well I don't need a reason for drinking wine. We went in the evening when it was pretty quiet but the space is huge and would probably be beautiful during the day. I'm more of a red drinker but I actually liked one of the white's (a Chardonnay) we tried best and bought a bottle, again, because I need no reason for wine drinking. It's just necessary.

Gruene Hall - We actually didn't go to Gruene Hall but heard good things about it. It's mostly live country music from my understanding which really isn't my thing but I think this would be an enjoyable spot for a lot of people to check out while in town. It is also right next door to Gruene Mansion.

I hope this little guide helps if you ever go out to Gruene for a visit. I highly recommend it! Happy Friday!

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Janis in Winter Whites

Forever 21 Sweater, Thrifted Dress (worn as a skirt, similar), Free People Coat, Rag & Bone Booties, Cleobella Fringe Bag, Ray-Ban Sunnies 

Happy New Year! I hope your year is going well so far. Mine has gotten off to an awesome start. And by awesome start, I mean we went away for the weekend on a little staycation in Gruene, Texas, about an hour south of Austin. I'll be posting later this week about our stay and things to do in the area so stay tuned for that. I really like the idea of starting the new year with a vacation. Taking time to fully indulge yourself and recharge before the first full week of the new year begins and shit gets real, ya know? Plus I kinda felt like a bit of a rock star in this outfit. I had a friend recently tell me that my style reminds him of Janis Joplin. Huge compliment, of course. I was definitely channeling Janis in some whimsical white, a fur-collared coat and fringe bag. Let's rock on 2015!

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