I'm not the best vintage shopper. At flea markets, I never seem to find the gems that everyone else does. Also, it smells weird.

So I was overjoyed to discover a growing collection of vintage shops on etsy marketplace. (Like eBay, but better.) The sellers scour flea markets around the world and sell the loveliest items.

My favorites are...

Ma Petite Amy, a Vancouver-based shop offering sundresses, 1970's secretary dresses and blouse-y tops. (She also uses belts to great effect.)

ShopGoodGrace, a shop from South Dakota that feels very 1970's Americana meets Parisian chic. (Not bad for $50 or less.)

Santoki Vintage, a Houston-based shop featuring dresses and tons and tons of boots.

Oh, Leoluca, run by Berlin-based artist Teresa Hu, who has a great eye for quirky-chic European vintage. (She also has an awesome star tattoo.)

Happy shopping!

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A few days ago, my friend Kate called me with a pressing question: She's heading to Florida and needs a swimsuit to cover up her post-baby tummy -- stat! I whipped out my computer and google skills and, within an hour, scored what she needed: a list of swimsuits that call attention to all the right places (neckline, shoulders, post-baby breasts) and none of the wrong places (tummy, sides of tummy, front of tummy). Here are some lovely options:

Princesse tam tam's strapless one-piece (above).
High-waisted numbers from Toast.
Bright, cheery one-pieces from J. Crew.
Victoria's Secret's retro bikini.
Boden's boyleg swimsuit.
A sweet flowery suit from Italian designer Laura Urbinati.
Princesse tam tam's Audrey suit, inspired by a little black dress.
Pinup-inspired suits from Anthropologie.
The Magicsuit collection, made with a genius figure-shaping fabric.

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When we were growing up, my mom taught us a special phrase. If we had something weighing on our little minds, we would simply have to say, "I need some private time." Then, she would take the worried child into her bedroom to sit on her bed with her and talk about whatever was the troubling matter at hand. We could tell her anything, even if it made us feel embarrassed, sad or scared. She would listen very seriously, rub our backs and make us feel better. I remember it quite fondly. And even though I'm almost 30, if I were to need some "private time," I'm sure she would still honor the request.

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I've officially become obsessed with this home video from YouTube. The two little brothers are so sweet, and they have the cutest British accents. I watch it every morning, and my boyfriend and I have even started randomly turning to each other during the day and saying, "Charlie bit me!" or "That really huht, Charlie. And it's still huh-ting."

Apparently, the video has a cult following in England, where it was taped, and it has even inspired a bunch of YouTube spin-offs of adults mimicking it. (Check out a few here and here.) How funny that this relatively normal home recording got such a frenzied reaction, but it really is addictive. Just try to get through it without smiling, I dare you!

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