Almost all of our grandgirls have been visiting grandma's nursery since the day they were born. There is sweet lace hung at the window, and cabbage rose curtains which at times have come crashing down with great rambunctiousness.
And there have always been little white dresses hanging about here too.
So many of you left wonderful comments on my vintage dress and parasol post, and so when Marilyn of the blog Delights of the Heart asked if I had ever taken pictures of the girls in vintage clothes, I thought I would re-post a few from my early days on the blog.
I have a long history of mixing joy and frills. My own daughter's blouse from a Laura Ashley pattern hangs next to last in the row here.
And many other sweet frocks have found their way to loving homes from the Cabin & Cottage shop. But sometimes, before they go out the door, they have their day in the sun at a photo shoot or two.
We have started a tradition of "Granny Camp", and sometimes it has been actual camping like this occasion in the mountains a few years ago when I brought a few props along for a photo shoot.
Little girls love to dress up and pose for the camera, but I am always looking for more candid shots. I sometimes have to do some real talking or storytelling while I shoot to catch them all off guard. And of course I am only a picture taker! I have so much respect for the art of children's portrait photography. It has to be one of the most challenging jobs around!
The pages of the old Victoria Magazine were full of nostalgic photos of girls in pretty dresses, and that was the mood I was going for.
These three cousins have all just had their tenth birthdays.
Emma and I celebrated age six on the patio for tea one summer in a pink dress that just recently sold in the shop. I'm also often asked about how I can bear to part with so many lovely things, but that's the life of a vintage Gramma! And maybe like the song says, "Love isn't love 'til you give it away!"
Our dress up days have been a good time for brushing up on curls, and winding up pigtails as well as hearts together.
And I think that vintage hearts are born young.
Soon enough, a fragment from one summer day will pass on to other hands.
I love a vintage life in which the soulful artifacts of the past can live on with new memories. One can either put things on display and wonder at the history, or one can add a page or two of one's own. Perhaps on one otherwise uneventful summer afternoon under a cherry tree. . . .
I love capturing the girls in all their moods. These days little people have lots of opportunities for smiles into the camera. A thoughtful moment is much more rare.
A girl and a popsicle and a little white dress.
A simple beginning that can add up to so much more. . .
Thanks for joining us on memory lane!
I hope you're having a beautiful White Wednesday!
Jacqueline
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