under the old oak tree

To me, there is nothing as beautiful as an old tree. When we made a trip out to Santa Clarita last weekend to meet up with Pete’s family for lunch, I knew I had to check out the native oak trees, which speckle the valleys and canyons and even the shopping centers in abundance. The road to a few of the oldest trees was marked with a “No Trespassing” sign, but I’m afraid I could not abide. Is it really such a crime to sit beneath an old oak tree as the wind runs through my hair and rustles my dress? What I love about oak trees is that each one is completely unique. The one featured in these photos was king of the hill, a loner, with arms both grazing the Earth and stretching up to the sky.

The wildflower dress, a perfect dress to welcome Spring, will be for sale in the shop come this weekend.

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
We fell them down and turn them into paper,
That we may record our emptiness.
~Kahlil Gibran

my film might be ruined, but my memories remain intact

Introducing some photos from last weekend when Pete & I took my niece hiking at the Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim Hills. Anna had a great time chasing lizards & bunnies through the forest. She only tripped about 3 times, which is a record for her. We played on the stage, introducing each other before our respective performances, and attaching many superlatives to our names. Anna sang “Hard Knock Life” and “Tomorrow” from Annie. I did a hand stand. Pete did some yoga moves. We are very good at entertaining ourselves. Anna dressed herself, which is why she’s not wearing vintage. I somehow looked like a massive Laker’s fan in my purple & yellow clothes. My dress is covered in a splatter paint print, but it’s kind of hard to see.

teaching Anna about Narcissus

making Oak tree shapes









This past weekend was beautiful, despite the fact that the film chronically it was somehow ruined. It’s a wonder that the photos from last weekend turn out when they were from the same roll of film, but I can’t dwell on it. On Saturday, Pete & I went to a musical called Rock of the Ages” featuring actresses & actors ages 60 and older. We went primarily to see the guest star “grandma” (Pete’s sister-in-law’s grandma), who is 81 years old, and who brought tears to my eyes with her rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams of You.” Grandma used to perform as a country duo with her husband, and they even performed at the Grand Old Opry. Rock of the Ages was super fun to watch & very inspiring; I just love the elderly. I wore a white 60s lace mini dress (hacked haphazardly by me) that features a large mint bow at the empire waist. The old folks seemed to love it because I received tons of compliments.

On Sunday, we spent the day in Lancaster to witness the blooming of the poppies, attend the annual Poppy Festival, and hang with family, including Pete’s lovable one-year old nephew. The poppies were not as bountiful as last year, but still they were a sight to behold. I wore two outfits. My first outfit (which I had saved specifically for this event) was a 1930s yellow dress with orange poppies & wildflowers with a straw 50s sunhat. My second outfit was a 1950s pouf dress featuring teal flowers & turquoise bow at the waist. I purposefully ripped out all the crinoline underneath, and I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of that earlier, as it always itched me like crazy. I suppose I will have to recreate and show you these quintessential Spring outfits another time.

This weekend I was also blessed with a dream that my siblings and I were riding around in my mom’s big old Dodge Van. My mother was swerving all over the road as usual. My youngest brother unwisely brought a glass of milk into the van & it spilled everywhere. Meanwhile, I was half hanging out the window, trying to jump onboard a moving vehicle. My mother was grinning widely, happy to have all her children together, while we were all crying, both from laughter & actual fear. When I awoke from this dream, I recalled our cross country trip from California to Windsor, Canada, and back. We were in Wyoming and I was jostled from my sleep to find my mother swerving into the night, lighting flashing across the sky, and rain pouring wildly. She was eating a slice of watermelon. “Mom, I think you should stop driving, and let David (my then boyfriend) drive. “Oh I’m fine, I’ve got this watermelon to give me energy.” We convinced her to let my boyfriend drive & she climbed to the back of the van into the pulled out bed and instantly fell asleep. The Dodge Van was far too big for her, but she wanted a vehicle that we could travel in as a family. She had the van for a long time, and it became a moving pig sty that embarrassed us immensely, even though we were the ones who destroyed it. In retrospect, it was fuckin comical. No matter how big or awful a situation became, my mother never admitted defeated; she just sailed into the night, oblivious to the thunder storm.

wishing you beautiful dreams,

Crystal Lee

Outfit: vintage splatter paint dress, Oh Deer shoes, (thrifted).

crybaby in the woods

my new car – a 1997 BMW Convertible. I cannot wait until it’s warm enough to put the top down, blasting Robyn, to the chagrin of my male friends. Other songs on my top down soundtrack, will be Stacey Q’s “Two of Hearts”, Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, and of course, Tigra & Bunny’s (L’Trimm) “Cars that go Boom.” Check out their music video below. Those are some killer outfits.




I purchased this Crybaby shirt immediately after seeing it on Calivintage’s tumblr. I bought it from Rock on the World on Etsy, and it was super affordable. Crybaby is one of my all time favorite movies. To this day, Tracy Lords in Crybaby is a style icon of mine, right up there with Kelly Bundy in Married with Children. I guess I’m fond of dressing look like an 50s/80s bimbo, and this is evidenced in my large collection of 80s bandage dresses and my love for 50s wiggle dresses.

The Oak Canyon Nature Center, in Anaheim Hills, was a teenage hot spot for Pete, and I was so happy that he shared it with me. Even though I grew up in Orange County, I had never been there before. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many old Oak Trees. I think Oak trees might be my favorite trees after Old Growth Sequoias.

Oh ya, and this denim jacket with plaid lining & tons of pockets can frequently be found at the thrift store. My pal Jesse owns one too. I’ve probably seen it about 50 times. I guess it was mass produced at some point in the late 70s, maybe early 80s? It’s made of the softest denim and the pockets are ultra convenient. Plus the plaid lining matches my 90s plaid bicycling shorts. Many years ago, I found a slew of vintage bicycling shorts at the thrift store – some plaid, and even a pair that reads “Jazzercise” all over.

Yay for Friday, friends! I’m selling vintage at the Long Beach Flea Market again this Sunday, and I’d love it if you stopped by. I’ll be selling with my gal, Stacy, of Fancy Disaster.

Much Love,

Crystal Lee

Outfit: denim jacket w/plaid lining, plaid bicycling shorts, vintage red keds (thrifted), Johnny Depp in Crybaby shirt (Rock on the World on Etsy).