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I've moved! Nest Vintage Modern is now AlanaWPiper.com

Nest Vintage Modern is now AlanaWPiper.com

I’ve expanded my content to all things creative. Nest Vintage Modern is a chapter that I feel has passed. I’m leaving the blog up and am changing everything over to a personal blog:http://alanawpiper.com/I love so many creative outlets and being stuck in the confines of “vintage” was limiting. Then I thought about just trying to rebrand what Nest is and…

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Let's go to the French Quarter

Let’s go to the French Quarter

Last weekend I had to fly to New Orleans. I thought I’d share an afternoon stroll down Royal through the French Quarter with you all. Enjoy! <3 More videos over on my YouTube channel. Click here to watch & subscribe.

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Vintage postcards as art

Vintage postcards as art

Every now and then I get homesick and tend to take it out on my decor. Our dining room is very old school New Orleans. And my great aunt mentioned, “Your living room looks like mine!”  At the time she as in the home my great-grandfather built in Galveston. 

I like surrounding my family with the comforting reminders of the environment I grew up with. It’s a lucky thing to grow up in an area with…

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Vlog: Hanging out with Gaga’s man Ok, well I wasn't exactly hanging out with him. I was hanging out near him. As in, the office I work in is across the street from where they were filming…

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Giveaway: Any budding filmmakers out there?

Giveaway: Any budding filmmakers out there?

ANY BUDDING FILMMAKERS OUT THERE? I’m giving away a sweet digital audio recorder. Read on… (more…)

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It was supposed to just be lettuce. 

I stopped in a Target on the way home this evening to get lettuce. 

And this guy…well I’m a Texan and if you’re in Chicago and you’re a Texan well its just not right to leave this at the store. I mean, come ON.  

Then that whole plaid thing happened.      

And you can’t put a plaid tablecloth in a room with teal damask drapes. What are we, tacky? Oh hell no. 

  And that’s how I spent $140 on…

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Vlog: Renegade Craft Fair Chicago 2015

Vlog: Renegade Craft Fair Chicago 2015

Yesterday Chrisa, Colleen, and I Ubered our way over to the 2015 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair. Jeez what a GORGEOUS day. And so many ways to spend all my money. I came home with a few great finds. Click below to get a pretty decent overview of the day. Links for the various artists are in the video. You might find some new Etsy shops to love!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYsjSZwxHJk&w=6…

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Vlogging, new-used camera, and video I got my first camera when I was 5. It was a Kodak Instamatic. I still own one, just for sentimental reasons.

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Camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

I recently accepted a new Art Director role at a really wonderful agency in Chicago, and while I was between the two positions I decided to pack Sophia & Will up and go on a road trip. We decided to head to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to do some camping in our vintage trailer before school starts. -One last escape before we all head back to work and books. (more…)

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Pictures of cute vintage trailers (Part 1)

Pictures of cute vintage trailers (Part 1)

We went to the Northern Indiana Vintage Trailer Rally to do some filming for “Aluminitis: Our Modern Love of Vintage Trailers” this weekend. SO MUCH EYE CANDY! I love vintage campers. The history, the sentimental journeys, the stories…and the people in the community are so smart, kind, resourceful, and FUNNY!

The first night I took lots of photos of glowing campers in the woods. They look so warm…

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Vintage trailer rally Instagram party!

Vintage trailer rally Instagram party!

If you looooove looking at pictures of adorable vintage trailers, this is the time to subscribe to my Instagram account. I’m heading to an area rally in the morning to participate and do some filming for our documentary, “Aluminitis”.

Click the image below to head on over and  follow along. And if you have any cute pics of your own vintage trailer, be sure to use the hashtag #vintagetintrailer so…

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Road Trip: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Road Trip: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In a couple of weeks I’m loading up the Avion with Fi & Will and heading to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a few days. I’ve been once with my oldest daughter, but that was over 10 years ago. We’re all looking forward to another fabulous road trip. Earlier this summer we all drove to DC, Annapolis, New York City, then the Adirondacks. It’s great timing that we’re going to get to squeeze…

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Fountain pens

   I’ve always enjoyed fountain pens. I think they’re so romantic. I remember my grandmother having a large antique secretary desk in her living room. Aside from her stationery, it also contained a glass inkwell, ink, and a dip pen. Fountain pens have come and gone from my life over the years but right now they’re back full throttle. Maybe it’s because I spend my whole day staring at a computer,…

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Old House Love

 We spent yesterday just wandering and exploring downtown Geneva, IL. Geneva is a suburb about an hour outside Chicago and Sundays they host an absolutely charming French Market. 

Amongst all the eye-catching charm of the town, these homes stood out as truly swoon-worthy. Who doesn’t love a crisp white clapboard house with dark shutters and bright flowers? The third home has been converted to a…

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What next? Blog mishmash

What next? Blog mishmash

Hi guys!

I’ve been wondering what’s next for this blog. I enjoy so many things and wonder if there’s enough commonality to just tie them all up in one place, or do they need to be in separate sites? I had a fun chat with a very sweet friend last weekend who recommended that I just treat this like a collection of all the things I enjoy and not to stress to0 much about making this a vintage trailer…

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New blog series: Alana Makes Martha Stewart Crafts

New blog series: Alana Makes Martha Stewart Crafts

So I’ve been bouncing around, trying to figure out what my next big creative Mount Everest will be. What’s the next thing I’ll just sink into and surround myself with for awhile?

In the quest for a new creative project, I wandered over to Martha Stewart Crafts and started clicking around. All of a sudden I lit up. “I want to make that! And that! And oooh, I could make that with the kids!” Then I…

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DIY: How to make a Midori style Traveler's Notebook for under $5! 

DIY: How to make a Midori style Traveler’s Notebook for under $5! 

I have been big time down this whole planter, journal, organization rabbit hole lately. And one thing that is amazing to me is how expensive the Midori travelers notebooks are. There’s no doubt there beautiful, and the simple design is so attractive. And I love that you can swap in and out any notebooks that serve your immediate needs. But at 45 bucks a pop, I just can’t drop that money for…