Dress: Thrifted at Annie Cream Cheese (J Crew) / Heels: Sears clearance / Cardigan: Gabes (Express) / Necklace: France Vintage
Seven for Spring Break
1. The Husband didn't get to come. Why doesn't everyone get a spring break?
Why?
2. I didn't relax on an East coast beach, like in my college days.
Oh, how I miss you, Ocean City, Chincoteague, OBX, Myrtle, Hilton Head, Cocoa, etc...
3. I did enjoy old musicals with my mom and National Geographic with my dad.
Who can resist Doris Day and sea critters?
4. I didn't take advantage of the hot-tub in my sister's new home.
T'es dingue*, Cassandra! Dingue!
5. I did teach my cousins to play Settlers of Catan.
I didn't win.
6. I did take a road trip with my bro and shop with my sisters.
I've got 3! Isn't that fun?!
7. I did stay 3 days in DC with my adorably preggo cousin where we enjoyed vintage and cupcakes!
Per the title, this post is about lucky number 7. My brother and I, the rogue westerners of the family, planned our trip home together and headed to our cousin's place in DC first. We chatted till the wee hours catching up and reminiscing the old days playing police with the food storage in our grandparents' basement {
You know, where patrolling police throw citizens in the prison under the stairs unless they've gathered sufficient nutritional content for their doll family. Oh, you don't know? It's great fun.}
We explored the city, dined at
Bertucci's in Old Town Alexandria and
Bistrot du Coin in in Dupont Circle, {
highly recommend both}, met up with mutual friends
{Great to see you, Steph!}, and chatted up pregnancy while riding the Metro. I relished in the warm weather and city atmosphere {it makes me feel
alive} and feasted on visions of popcorn and cherry blossoms, green hills and deciduous trees.
But best of all, we went on an expedition for vintage and cupcakes in Georgetown.
Ah, Georgetown. How I've dreamed of living in an apartment above a quaint shop with wrought iron and potted flowers around my windows, tucked amongst twinkling lights, pastel hotels, elegant, artsy, and funky shops and eateries, and 3-story brick homes with private, blooming gardens.
Our first stop was supposed to be
Georgetown Cupcake, also known as DC Cupcakes on their
TLC show. But on our way, we came to an
Annie Cream Cheese!
Eeeeeeee! Cream cheese is the perfect name, because it's decadent, rich, and scrumptious. Just like the vintage apparel found in this little gem of a boutique.
I was on Cloud 9, I tell you. Fancy schmancy to the extreme vintage jewels and hats, glitzy dresses, shoes, scarves, and even unders in form of bustiers and petticoats! I so badly wanted to have a place to which I could appropriately wear these lovelies! The only part that wasn't so fabulous was the prices. We're talking vintage couture here, which translates to prices in the hundreds, even several hundreds. So after a brief peek at the designer duds, and an illegal photo {we didn't see the sign till after...and please pardon my plastered hair...}
...we moved on to the more modestly priced, non-designer pieces. We're still talking up to $100, with pieces old and newer. Lots of polka dots, ruffles, taffeta, and lace. My mission was to find something {I simply had to find
something} under $20. At the last minute I found the dress I'm wearing in the photo up top and below for $15. It had just a small problem. It was petite and featured a side zip that I couldn't zip the last few inches over my ribs! Sucking in only made it worse. But I said "To Hades with you, petite waist" and bought it. It's from
Annie Cream Cheese, people! I was hoping a cardi would hide my zipper issue. I think it worked spectacularly!
While we fawned over the vintage, my bro got in line at DC Cupcakes. We thus commenced our cupcake tour. After D.C.'s, we hit up
Baked & Wired, a new hot spot in town, and
Sprinkles, which originated in Beverly Hills as the world's first cupcake bakery. One had recently opened where my brother lives in Cali and he'd waited 2 hours to get cupcakes for his girlfriend. The one here had been open a week, and we, fortunately, didn't wait long at all. Here's the breakdown of our Delectable Cupcake Tour:
Georgetown (DC) Cupcakes: We got Pumpkin Spice, Ringling Brother's Red Velvet, and Key Lime. Best: Key Lime. Cost: $2.50 each. Size: Small. Aura: Fluffy. Evidence: Lots of pink; fresh flowers on tables.
Baked & Wired: We got Strawberry, German Chocolate, and Menage à Trois (chocolate, cream cheese, & raspberry). My fav: Strawberry. Cost: $3.00 each. Size: Large. Aura: Funky. Evidence: The chocolate peanut butter cupcake I photographed for the Husband, who'd appreciate the flavor and name play:
Sprinkles: We got Chocolate Banana, Coconut, and Vanilla Milk Chocolate. Favorite: Coconut. Cost: $3.50 each. Size: Medium. Aura: Hollywood green. Evidence: Classy decor; natural ingredients & vegan options.
I recommend all 3 establishments for the
experience. Baked & Wired, however, won my heart, or rather, my taste-buds. Theirs was the largest, the cake was dense and moist, and the icing was confection perfection. Sprinkles was second, only because they were pricier and a bit smaller. Georgetown/DC was definitely third. Their cakes were rather dry and the taste just didn't knock my socks off.
There's an also a cupcake bakery at the National Harbor and we saw another in Dupont Circle. DC's been hit hard with the cupcake fad, and I intend to enjoy it to the fullest. I'm already planning cupcakes into my next visit to meet the baby.
As we strolled down M street, checking out the vintage and cupcakes, we came across a thrift shop called
Second Time Around that looked promising {ie: in my price range.} I got a springy baby-blue tweed skirt and flowery wrap skirt for $15 total, which I'll feature later since this post is already tantamount to
Les Mis in length.
My new dream in life: To own a vintage thrift shoppe {
spelled just so} with a cupcake bakery, selling vintage named cupcakes.
Can't you just taste the Strawberry Chantilly, Lemon Seersucker, Pinup Poppy Seed, Antiqued Pumpkin, Crêpe de Chine Salted Caramel, and Rustic Red Velvet now? I'd also like to offer a styling service within my shop. And make lots of money, so the Husband can go on spring breaks with me. And so we can travel the world. Extensively. And pay for our hound to ride in the plane's cabin with us {she was traumatized after her first flight in cargo, and we
won't be doing that again.} There, is that so much to ask for? ;)
Oh, how I miss living near D.C. and springtime back East! One day, when the Husband and I are old and withered, perhaps we'll live in Georgetown for a bit. We'll ride bicycles with wicker baskets to the market. We'll grow vegetables from a little garden. We'll wear vintage and eat decadent, frivolous cupcakes every single day.
Meanwhile, I've got to stop making cupcakes. I made strawberry champagne almond cupcakes twice last week {recipe
here, but substitute natural applesauce for oil, instead of 3 egg whites use 2 whole eggs and 1 tbsp milled flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, add 1 cup of ground almonds to batter, use strawberry champagne instead of red, and for the frosting use almond extract instead of vanilla and only 3 cups of sugar.} I've had cupcakes for breakfast and lunch far too many days in a row to admit to...
P.S. Post linked
here at Tiff's cute party and
here for All Dressed Up!
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*T'es dingue = You're crazy!
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