**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!**
Hello and happy GRATITUDE MONDAY VINTAGE LOVERS!!!
If you’ve been a frequent reader of Sammy Davis Vintage [special shout outs to readers returning AND new today!] you know that one of my favorite days is Gratitude Friday, when I welcome an online vintage seller to host a giveaway of their wares to promote the love of vintage fashion, gratitude as inspired by my story of the week and of course — supporting small business by shopping vintage online and in brick & mortar stores!!
Because of Hurricane Irene, the normal Gratefulness Friday Giveaway as hosted by Vintage Envy was moved to TODAY! I wanted to make sure that we all had the Internet & electric hook-ups we needed to enter, and also the “mindset” to truly think of gratitude in the moment.
Hurricane Irene damaged so many personal properties, city infrastructures and the economy of many. I hope that today we can look ahead to opportunities of recovery AND growth by coming together in gratitude for what we have and the people who are there to help lift us higher from these hard times.
So vintage lovers … there is OPPORTUNITY IN THE OBSTACLE! And today I’m so excited to share the opportunity for another giveaway and chance to inspire vintage love and self-love for your perfect lives, too.
Keep reading after the jump to learn how you can enter to win the amazing vintage prize pack shown above as hosted by Vintage Envy, and to learn how in the darkness of Hurricane Irene this weekend … I found light under my bed!
There are a lot of great things on the horizon, vintage lovers! New York City Fashion Week kicks off oh-so-soon, and I can’t wait to interpret the trends and then re-discover them in VINTAGE so that you can look to the past for inspiration of your bold, beautiful stylish futures.
I can’t wait for you to read this week’s Gratefulness Monday story. I wrote it in a blissful state of inspiration, because as I was reflecting on the negative I realized that it was an opportunity to share some deeper thoughts with all of you. I realize that heavy topics coming from me may seem jarring at first — but I trust that you’ll see how positively productive these “dark reflections” can truly be.
Thank you for inspiring me to inspire you!
xx, SD
I AM GRATEFUL FOR … ENCOURAGEMENT!
As Hurricane Irene was making her way up the east coast this past weekend and covering the skies with her dark clouds, I was covered in a sense of my own darkness as well.
It’s not often that I feel a “low.” I’m blessed with an awareness of life that helps to put all circumstances — both opportunities AND obstacles — into a positive, character-building perspective.
However, I’ve lately been musing on a deeper subject that in those low moments, bring on clouds as dark and dangerous as those brought on by Irene these past few days.
That deeper subject is the one of self-realization, the question of “Why am I on this planet and what am I REALLY supposed to be doing here?”
It’s the question of mortality — and the realization that someday [perhaps sooner than I care to imagine] I will die. And in this understanding of my physical body’s limitations, I begin to stress about my life, how I am living it now and how I should continue to live it.
In these moments of darkness this past weekend, I felt an urge to reach under my bed and pull out a binder full of cards, flyers, papers, pictures and other memories I had stowed away for a future scrapbook, or — without knowing it then — to review in special moments such as these.
I fingered through a few of the papers buried under my bed and discovered that over the past 5 years, I’ve kept practically every single card that’s ever come my way. I have cards from my 91-year-old Great Aunt telling me to “share my amazing life with her so that she may feel young again.” I have cards from my mother telling me “how proud she is of me.” I have cards from friends in college I haven’t spoken to in nearly 3 years, friends who I’d like to be back in touch with and friends I admittedly had forgotten completely about until a return address provoked their memory.
One of the cards that stuck out most was the one you see above. It was a card given to me more than 2 years ago by an amazing woman I met in college at Temple University. Her name is Emily, and we met at Temple because I founded a student organization to provide aspiring magazine editors and journalists with the resources they needed to pursue their career passions. Emily joined the club and would go on to become one of its leaders and biggest cheerleaders.
When I received this card at age 23, I was about a year out of college and working as a web assistant for an online magazine. Emily gave this card to me whilst visiting New York from Philadelphia [where Temple University is located] to interview for a scholarship with a prestigious communications organization. I had written her a letter of recommendation for this scholarship — which she would later go on to receive.
Rereading this card in my moments of darkness brought my spirit back to light. Her words of thanks for my encouragement to HER were actually words of encouragement to ME in that very moment. While I had served as a person of inspiration to her in years past, rereading her card created a role reversal of sorts: She was a source of inspiration to me in that present moment.
I’m telling you this story because after stumbling upon such needed words of encouragement, I was reminded that even encouragers need encouragement too. It reminded me that while I serve as person of inspiration for others, that there are those in my life who continually serve as a source of inspiration for me. And that they too deserve to be inspired, to be thanked and to be encouraged to keep being exactly the person they are and nothing more.
I bold “exactly the person they are and nothing more” because in being encouraged by Emily’s words written 2 1/2 years ago, I’m reminded that I too am perfect exactly the way I am right now. And so are you!
Dark clouds cover my thoughts when I feel that I am not perfection. When there must be something more, something greater that I should be doing. And when I think these thoughts, I am neglecting to see the beauty that lies right before me, in this present moment of the people, circumstances, opportunities and obstacles of my blessed life on this day and in this second.
As we encourage others, we remind them that they are perfection and that they are happiness and abundance in that perfection. When we feel the light and not the darkness in who we are and not the darkness of “who we think we should be,” we have the greater ability to give encouragement to others, as well. And the best part is, it all comes back full circle, just as reading Emily’s card demonstrated to me this weekend.
Today, I encourage YOU to encourage OTHERS! I’m calling it the “circle of encouragement.”
Let me know how it goes, and when that boomerang of awesome encouragement comes swinging on back to YOU!
xx, SD
THIS VINTAGE PRIZE PACK FROM VINTAGE ENVY INCLUDES ….
(1) Hershey’s chocolate-colored 1960s “working girl” dress. Front button closure and built-in string belt. Garterised cuff and waist. Size small to medium (4-6).
(1) 1970s silk scarf from Florence.
(1) 1960s woven purse with removable shoulder strap. Zippered closure. Dual handle that appears to be bakelite. Made in Italy by Creazioni Alma.
(1) Pair of 1990s Kenneth Cole cream suede leather lace up shoes. 2.5″ heels. Made in Spain. New without box. Size 6.
HOW TO ENTER GRATEFULNESS GIVEAWAY #13
For a chance to win the entire vintage fashion prize packed listed above valued at $124, you must enter between today [Monday, August 29th] and by midnight on Wednesday, August 31st.
You can only enter once, and all winners will be drawn at random using the site random.org. Winners will be announced by Friday, September 2nd.
Enter by answering the following question in the comment fields or Facebook comment fields below this contest post:
**Describe how someone served as a source of inspiration or mentorship to you.**
OTHER IMPORTANT RULES
**Entrants/Winners must be legal U.S. residents of the lower 48 states (not including Alaska and Hawaii) and at least 18 years old as of August 29th, 2011.
**For full contest rules and regulations can be found here
**All information submitted by contestants is subject to Sammy Davis Vintage’s privacy policy found here
THE WORKING GIRL DRESS: VINTAGE FASHION TREND!
As shown above: “Working Girl” inspired dresses a la the ’70s secretary dress trend on the runways for Fall 2011. From left: Luca Luca, Adam & Jill Stuart.
Designers draw inspiration from the trends of yesterday to create the trends of today. This fall, shop for vintage dresses in midi lengths with collared necks, preppy front buttons and three-quarter length or bishop sleeves.
A lot like the dress up for grabs in this week’s Gratefulness Giveaway!
Vintage movie inspiration: 9 to 5! (1980) Check out the movie’s summary here. Netflix it and take pride that not only do we have limitless fashion choices today, but boundless career ones, too.
SPECIAL THANKS TO GIVEAWAY SPONSOR VINTAGE ENVY!
Sammy Davis Vintage Gratefulness Friday Giveaways are made possible thanks to the generous donations of online vintage sellers.
To spread vintage love, I host these giveaways to not only introduce one lucky winner to the world of vintage, but to introduce all of you to an online seller with other vintage finds that you may want to give a happy home.
This week’s sponsor is FASHION ENVY! Please give her Etsy shop a look, and let her know that Sammy Davis Vintage sent you!
Please support the Gratefulness Giveaway sponsors by visiting their online shops and saying hello!
Thank you for supporting vintage sellers to spread vintage love!
HAPPY ENTERING & GOOD LUCK!!!!
The scarf has gorgeous equestrian print too! Good luck!
My husband is my constant inspiration. He can handle ME! Even I can’t do that! But in all reality of this – he handles my ups and downs, and my crazies (including all the couponing and thrifting). I can definitely say that he is my number 1 inspiration and mentor! Thank you, Sam, love you always!
We all need to be encouraged. We all ask the same questions. Am I loved? Am I valuable? Why am I here? Does my life have a purpose? Will someone be there for me when I can’t get out of bed and make it through another day? Will that someone fail me when me when I need him most? And the deepest question in the darkest hour, what will happen to me after I die? There is only one true source with the answers to all these questions. God. He promises that you are loved. That from the beginning your life was known and a source of great joy. He promises that He will never leave of forsake you. His love will never fail you. And He sealed all of these promises by sending you Jesus.
Sammy…I know this is going to sound cheesy but you are TOTALLY my muse for everything vintage!
If it wasn’t for you and that e-mail you sent me two years ago I would’ve never even thought about wearing vintage as an adult. In college I used to shop in thrift stores out of necessity (I was BROKE!…lol) but when I got a job it was all department stores for me!
However, now that I’m totally married to the idea of vintage I feel more fabulous than ever AND I don’t have to look like every other girl in the office because I’m finding one of kind pieces.
Thanks for the inspiration girl! Keep on spreading the vintage love!!!
Great Giveaway!! Your question makes me think of my friend Kendall instantly. We met not even a year ago but found ourselves to be “soul sisters”. She encouraged me to pursue my dreams even if it meant not staying on course with my “plans”. She’s constantly helping me see that every little thing is not a big deal and that I CAN achieve my dreams and try new things! If I won, I’d share the prize pack with her!
I would have to say my present partner has inspired me to be at ease about the world and the beauty of it.
I used to be a very serious work driven type of individual. He is an artist and a philosophical being who has opened my eyes to things I used to be judgmental about and helped me learn to relax.
What he taught me I can be grateful for the rest of my life.
I no longer see my life as point A to point B. I appreciate the beauty of the in betweens and give myself the time to appreciate them.
Great post Sammy, it’s always important to show appreciation for the blessings we have received in life!
I lived on a hippie commune which has been around since the 60s, a couple of years ago. There were two chicks there that I met named Jude and Sage, who taught me to embrace my femininity and inner Goddess just by being around me. They were so graceful, elegant, nature-loving, motherly, and gentle, and those were attributes that I was really needing in my life at the time. For years before, I prided myself on being “one of the guys” but unfortunately, it was preventing me from having deep, personal relationships with woman or just having some good gal pals around. I never realized how alienated I was from my feminine side until I hung around Jude and Sage.
The best part about it, was that they never did anything extraordinary or went out of their way to show me “how to be a lady”. They were just themselves! Sweet, assertive, and caring. To this day, I still feel a strong connection to them even though we haven’t hung out together in almost 2 years. They are my soul sisters and always will be!
Bloggers inspire me every day. Bloggers, that write and express their view to anyone that is there to listen. Why? Bloggers may just be every day people, but they are brave enough to voice their opinions to the world. I admire that!
Sammy, you rock my socks, and YOU inspire me all the time to find inner peace. This post was just what I needed to read today. :)
People who inspire/mentor me:
1. As a 9th grade teacher for students in social and financial need, my students are a huge inspiration to me. They make me a better person every single day. It doesn’t matter if I’m having a bad day or if I’m feeling negative over little things. My students look to me to be a model of positivity, and their hope in me is inspiring. It inspires me to work hard and be the best person I can be.
2. When that gets to be too much, my fiance inspires me to take it easy, put my grading away for the night, have an ice cream cone, and watch reality tv with him. I wouldn’t get through my week without his “relaxation inspiration.” :)
Good luck and happy Wednesday to all!
My boyfriend/best friend has become a source of inspiration for me. He was so much of an inspiration that I wanted and needed to have him in my life, so I made him my boyfriend ;). He is the hardest working man I know. He inspires me to be the best and to never be afraid of myself.