My dreams, schemes, and plans for mypiggywiggy's first brick and mortar has changed quite a lot due to Covid and to be quite honest I have decided to scale back on plans for the retail shop until some time in the future (bit hard to set plans these days). In the meantime I have been returning to searching and finding inspiration for the retail shop when we do reopen to full capacity again and with a slightly different model and concept. It all remains to be seen and at the moment the best thing I can do is just...

Sylvie dropped her small suitcase in the hall, the soft thud of the leather case lightly echoed along the wallpapered walls. She let out a soft sigh mingled with hope and grief as she glanced around her new home. New in some ways, though familiar in many ways.  Mid morning light streamed in through the lace curtained windows and as Sylvie walked around the small house, the sound of running feet, a tea kettle coming to a boil, and a fire crackling at the heart wafted through her mind. Memories of a carefree and happy childhood spent at her grandmother's home in...

In August I find myself always drawn to mauves, muted pinks, and soft rusts to accent the whites and creams in my wardrobe and I feel this is quite an August color scheme. When I am making decisions for what to bring into the shop, I tend to select items based on my mood or whatever has been inspiring me the past couple of weeks. All the modern clothes in the shop are hand selected by yours truly and I am quite selective as to what I bring into mypiggywiggy. I like building color stories and themes when I am purchasing...

The old library stood stoically at the end of the street, a burnished red brick building with simple white pillars showing years of wear and tear. The weather is overcast, the clouds promising a late afternoon shower and you quicken your pace down the hedge lined path tugging at the sleeves of your cardigan sweater and adjusting your hair scarf. As you push open the heavy wooden doors the hinges groan a tired but friendly "Welcome" and instantly the smell of old pages and books and weathered pine fill your senses and you're transported back home, 3000 miles away. A wave of...

Here at mypiggywiggy we ardently believe that abiding by Henry David Thoreau's quote "live the life you have always imagined" doesn't mean living a life of extravagance and luxury. Quite the opposite really as we aspire to live lives of simple and attainable beauty rooted in kindness, nature, and community. This small sampling of found vintage photos from the 19th and 20th century depict women in fields and meadows, luxuriating among the flowers with dear friends or in solitude. We hope these photos inspire you to go and seek out a field of flowers this summer season, to pack a...

Oh summer does cast her own magic spell and you with your love for Autumn cannot help but long with a slight sigh on your berry stained lips for those cool winds, moody mornings with the signs of rain, and leaves turning shades of gold, rust, and amber.  Perhaps this is why on this uncommon cool summer evening you're especially excited to snuggle into a cozy new lightweight sweater (though it should be noted that you're still barefoot in the grass) while you await the symphony at dusk conducted by the neighborhood birds.  Here at mypiggywiggy it is our ardent hope that our...

I so look forward to perusing through a monthly issue of vintage Victoria magazine to share with you dear friends it's wonderful pages and how they inspire me so! I missed May and June is nearly over (where is the time going??) so I snapped these shots really quickly of a lovely June issue from 1994. This is probably one of my favorite June covers, though the issue itself isn't my most favorite, but there is plenty inside to admire. A few things are a little "too frou frou" for my more simple country sensibilities, so I've just snapped my...

Multonomah County officially entered Phase 1 of reopening, one of the last, if not the last county to reopen in Oregon. While I am partly excited to reopen the doors of the shop, I am also pretty scared at seeing the rising new cases of Covid in the city. Many of the new cases in Oregon are centered around the larger cities (makes sense, there are more people) so I'm worried we might be asked to scale back again. As of right now, my plans are just to be open on weekends. We will reopen cautiously and slowly and take it week...

"Flowers have always been the most important gift of beauty in our perilous and often drab existence, and from the earliest ages they have been endowed with meanings and mystic powers..." A few years ago on one of my many varied antique haunts I came across  a set of paperback books from England featuring flowers that bloom throughout the season. Oh, what an absolute delight it was for me to find this! My collection of floral related books in my "vintage library" is quite small but the books I do have I really adore and wanted to start sharing them...

Oh how I adore a good ole fashioned photobooth. I've never really taken the time to pen down my thoughts as to why. I suppose it is similar to the reason I adore polaroids, they are photos that live in the center realm between film and digital. Perhaps a crux between past and future. It is the real present moment. I'll muse on this some more, but for now, I wanted to share these photobooth photos from the past. Who were they? Where did they live? What were they doing that day? What was the significance of these photos for them? Alas, we shall...

On a quiet rainy afternoon in June, with Nina Simone in the background, I snapped these photos around the mypiggywiggy shop and studio. I hugged the Taters. I walked around barefoot. I saw a couple gals try to come into the shop wearing floral print masks (my kind of gals!) and let them know we are probably reopening sometime in August. It's been a quiet week spent much in reflection. I'm taking it one day at a time. There really is no other option these days. I will continue to share things of beauty, continue to hopefully inspire you to live...

The sun begins her descent behind the softly sloping hills far ahead. You quicken your pace slightly, lifting the hem of your lace detailed dress as you step into the tall summer grass. The fabric of oxeye daisies and wispy blades of grass are ruffled by a brisk and welcomed summer breeze. The sun dips lower, a golden haze befalls the field around you bathing it in warmth and for a moment you experience true real magic watching the waltz of the wildflowers their heads glinting and bowing in golden light. A group of birds twitter over head, a symphony. Your hair...