Midweek Artist Interview and GIVEAWAY!!! Reinvintage Jewelry

It's time for the midweek artist people!! Get excited!! Today I am welcoming Traci, the lovely wife of one of our previous featured artists Scott from Reinvintage Arts. (Love a creative duo in love!)  She is a jeweler that repurposes vintage wares into beautiful designs and sells the in her store, Reinvintage Jewelry.  Sustainable? yes. Creative? yes. Wonderful? yes!

Some of my favorite items from her store:

 Token Travel Charm 

 Keys, Keys, and more Keys Necklace 

 A Pair In the Hand Earrings

Hey Traci! Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your wonderful jewelry design.
I've been in Florida for several years now and it is, by far, my favorite of our temporary homes. My husband Scott of 19 years has a job that requires relocation from time to time and we've lived throughout the southeast. I have home schooled my two wonderful daughters from elementary to high school. They are my pride and joy. I work primarily in the re-purpose or altered art part of the craft, using vintage jewelry elements and an odd lot of antique collectibles, basically anything interesting I can fashion into jewelry. Whenever I look at an old object, whether it's a frozen Charlotte doll, a few milk bottle toppers or a tintype photo, I find myself asking “Can I use that in a piece of jewelry?”.

Besides the jewelry you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
I love music and I love to dance. Give me a new playlist and enough room to move my feet and I'll dance for hours. My girls and I frequently find ourselves singing and dancing until we collapse.

What first drew you to jewelry design, especially re-purposing vintage items?
I've always gravitated to older jewelry, but only recently stumbled across altering them, essentially by need. I had a couple of older pieces that were damaged and refashioned them into one new piece. At first I wasn't sure I could do it, but then I found myself “dissecting” other pieces I had that I didn't like the way they were. After a dozen new pieces, I was hooked.

What inspires what you put in your shop?
Everything inspires me. For instance, we went to the Renaissance Fair in early February and as soon as I got home, I started thinking of different ways to incorporate some of the feminine elements I saw at the fair. The lovely pinks and greens of the fairies and the deeper blacks and reds adorning some of the wenches. As a general rule, I never make anything that I won't wear myself. In fact, it's often difficult to let go of a piece once it's complete.

What advice would you give to aspiring artists and Etsy shop owners?
Whether you are online or working locally, networking is essential. I've learned so much from all the local craftswomen here and made some great new friends. Online, I've found more answers about the origins of my pieces from teams and forums than from the research sites.

Where else can we find you?
If you're local to South Florida, you can probably find me at any of the underground Craft shows. Next week I'm doing my first “mainstream” event, the Green Expo with the City of Plantation, comprising of eco-friendly businesses and vendors. In March, I have an event at the Kreepy Tiki, hosted by the Kreepy Kittens and also will be a vendor at the Odd Duck craft show. For more local events or to keep up with my new listings, visit my facebook fan page here.

In addition to such inspiring words, Traci is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! She will be giving away this Keying of the Forest Necklace. This one of a kind gold necklace has a painted turn of the century skeleton key, a lion pendant, and is accented with an orange ribbon and amber beadwork.

 

The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on April 23rd so be sure to get in your entries by then!

To enter, head over to her Etsy Store, Reinvintagejewelry, and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for: 1) becoming a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout 2) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog 3) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter 4) “Hearting” or adding Reinvintagejewelry to your “Favorites” on Etsy and/or 5) making a purchase out of her store (one entry for every purchase). Be sure to leave a new comment for each additional entry!

In addition, until April 23rd she will be offering a 10% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word “girlandherscout" at check out to receive your discount.

Artist Highlight and Giveaway: Mellow Mermaid!

 To get this spring break party started, I would like to introduce an awesome artist and vintage collector that not only has an Etsy shop for her vintage wares, but a brick and mortar shop as well.  Oooolalala :)  Lori has the cutest items in her shop, Mellow Mermaid.  I literally spent an hour going through it and had so many favorites that I had to remove half of them so my blog post was readable.  Anyways, you get the point... So without further ado here is Lori from Mellow Mermaid with an interview, discount (I'm totally using it!), and giveaway (a gift card!) here!

Some of my favorites from her store:

Vintage Train Case

Upcycled Wall Sconces 

Stiched Map of the South Pillow

Fabulous Vintage Crewel Work

Besides the vintage items you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
My college degree is in Studio Art & Art History. I've been fortunate to have always worked in the arts. My many "Art" hats include: Gallery Artist; Art Teacher; Artist in Residence; Summer Art Camp Director; Gallery Sales; Ceramicist; Painter; Mixed Media Artist; Decorator; Creative Recycler.

I opened my brick & mortar shop in 2005 in a rented space at an Antique Mall in Virginia Beach. My plan was to use this as a test market for a shop I would open in a historic beach cottage 2 blocks from the Oceanfront. Six years later, I still fantasize about my vision for Mellow Mermaid Studio, but my terror of being trapped indoors keeps me from seeing it to fruition. My shop at Barrett Street Antiques is still going strong. I work there 1 day every week or two, rearranging, restocking & merchandising. I spend the rest of my time working in my home art studio, where I can see the ocean from the deck where I prefer to work whenever the weather cooperates.

I treasure hunt regularly & especially love it when I'm traveling. Thrift shopping is like a social experiment for me. I learn so much about the people from the things they cast aside. I love imaging the stories of how an item ended up on a shelf in Goodwill store. I even once found a pair of framed postcards that I had designed for a postcard company, while living in New Orleans. The cards were large colorful underwater & beach scenes that sold in the Caymans, Bermuda & Virgin Islands in the 1990's (Maybe still do). How they ended up professionally framed in Virginia made me wonder, smile & know what it feels like to have your "art" be discarded. Better that than in a land fill, anyone's trash is someone else's treasure, no matter who you are.

I make up my days as I go. My time goes to gardening in my over crowded cottage rose & perennial garden, photographing & posting Etsy finds, making stuff in my studio, loving my family, wishing I had a personal organic chef to feed us, and collecting washed up sea glass, shells, driftwood (& trash) while I walk the beach with our very funny looking dog, Josie. Running on the beach helps keep her personality disorder in check. She probably says that about me.

What first drew you to vintage wares?
My parents both were thrifters & vintage recyclers long before it was chic. Dad used to pull our green Chevy station wagon over on trash day to pick up floor lamps & lawn furniture from the curbside, while I hid on the floor biting my finger nails & praying no one from my junior high school would id the car. Mom painted, refinished or 'antiqued' every piece of furniture in our house. They taught me to see possibility in everything. When I was 9, we moved from coastal California to the east coast & our new home was near a landfill turned city park, called Mount Trashmore. I made a decision to do my part in not adding any more than was absolutely unavoidable to any more mountains of trash.

What inspires what you put in your shop?
I'm like a magpie, with an eye for anything that glitters with images from my childhood. I'm always attracted to things we had in our homes in the seventies & eighties. Often times, that meant mid century modernist, crushed velvet upholstery, swag lamps and seventies crafts. I love finding things that make me smile. I figure if it works for me, it probably will for someone else. Color is my muse. Every room in my house is a different color, I can always find just the right spot to suit whatever my mood happens to be. I have to rearrange my Etsy shop whenever I post new items, so the many colors aren't conflicting.

What advice would you give to aspiring vintage artists and Etsy shop owners?
Don't be afraid to 'just do it'. If you find you aren't getting as much activity as you'd hope for, join a team. Make treasuries. Help others when you can, I've found that my most active selling times coincide with when I've been paying it forward by promoting other Etsy sellers. My main attraction to Etsy is the spirit of sharing the love & encouraging others. I've found that whenever I get outside of my own concerns about if MY shop is successful enough, & focus outside of MYself, the positive energy flows. Kind of like life, huh?

Where else can we find you?
If you're ever visiting coastal Virginia, you can check out my shop at Barrett Street Antiques. You'll find beach inspired home decor, cottage style brightly painted furniture, hand made souvenirs & things you just have to have to make you smile! I also have a 1950's-80's retro home decor shop there, as well as an antique, vintage & hand crafted jewelry display case. The warehouse is nearly 30,000 square feet of showroom space where 200 vendors sell their vintage wares. Great fun on a rainy day! And... Greyhound will ship your loot home for you if it doesn't fit in your luggage, or you could just purchase a vintage Samsonite suitcase from me while you're there. :)
 

Also, my website is embarrassingly amateurish, but is on my list of things to focus on in 2011, you can find it here. 

In addition to such inspiring words (for real!), Lori is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! She will be giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to be used in her Etsy shop, Mellow Mermaid to use on cute things like this:

  Antique German Children's Dish

The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on March 30th so be sure to get in your entries by then!

 

To enter, head over to her Etsy Store, Mellow Mermaid, and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for: 1) becoming a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout 2) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog 3) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter 4) “Hearting” or adding Mellow Mermaid to your “Favorites” on Etsy and/or 5) making a purchase out of her store (one entry for every purchase).

Be sure to leave a new comment for each additional entry!

In addition, until April 7th she will be offering a 20% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word "girlandherscout" at check out to receive your discount!!!

Thanks again Lori for your inspiring words! 

Midweek Artist Highlight and Giveaway!

 

Wooden Bowl with Spindels 

This week we are welcoming vintage artist/collector Patti who has two great vintage stores cabin windows and Northern Lodge.  They are both filled with so many beautiful goodies! She is here with an interview, a giveaway, and a discount for our readers so CHECK IT OUT!!!

Some of my favorites from her stores:

Vintage Clutch 

Vintage Baby Dress 

Vintage Tin

Rooster vase

Hey Patti! Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your wonderful vintage collection.
I'd love to tell you that I come from a family who LOVES antiques, and that someday I will inherit wonderful things that have been passed down for generations. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that my mom thinks everything looks better with a NEW coat of paint, and she is horrified that I am enamored with chippy paint. Anything that once resembled a "family heirloom" was left behind at our cabins when my parents sold our island property.  I got started collecting antiques when I owned my own landscaping business...people were always giving me "junk" to haul away. Before long, I had a booth in the antique mall and a new business..dealing antiques.  One of my favorite past times is collecting things that remind me of my childhood in Canada..berry buckets, minnow pails, fish decoys to name a few.

Besides the vintage items you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
I'm a Biologist-so anything that involves Nature or the outdoors is my idea of wonderful. I canoe, fish, garden, and chase birds around with binoculars. I write poetry, dabble in nature photography, and I hike with my three dogs. I love to read and spend time with any of my four great kids-who are all grown-up now-sigh.

What first drew you to vintage wares?
I was drawn to vintage because I wanted to create a comfortable, warm "day at the cabin" feel in my home. I want people to feel like they are on a mini-vacation, when they step into our cabin. I love to tell stories and when someone asks me..what is that, or how was that used..they get one of those stories, and in return I often get one of their childhood stories.

What inspires what you put in your shop?
I love anything with a story..patina and chipped paint tell stories. I am especially attracted to the things that remind me of my Canadian roots-snowshoes, sleds, ice skates, fishing tackle.. Love the naive, primitive look too.

What advice would you give to aspiring vintage artists and Etsy shop owners?
Your Etsy shop is never finished..keep working to make it better. Find yourself a wonderful friend on Etsy like I did.. Anita from Rollinghillsvintage is my Etsy bestie and we both inspire each other to new heights.

In addition to such inspiring words, Patti is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! She will be giving away this vintage crock, and some wonderful vintage linen from her stash.

The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on March 16th so be sure to get in your entries by then!

To enter, head over to her Etsy Stores, cabinwindows, and Northernlodge and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for: 1) becoming a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout 2) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog 3) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter 4) “Hearting” or adding cabinwindows to your “Favorites” on Etsy and/or 5) making a purchase out of either of her stores (one entry for every purchase) 6) following Patti's blog found here

Be sure to leave a new comment for each additional entry!

In addition, until March 23rd she will be offering a 10% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word “girlandherscout" at check out to receive your discount.

Thank you for sharing such inspiring thoughts Patti!

MidWeek Artist Review and Giveaway!

 

Vintage 8mm Camera

I am excited this week to announce that our artist is a vintage collector!  I love vintage items for so many reasons.  They help to conserve material and energy by not having to make new stuff, prevent waste, and always provide a unique touch of character to your decor.  

This week, Scott from ReinvintageArt has a great interview, a giveaway and a discount for you! 

Hey Scott! Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your wonderful vintage collection.
I'm currently living in Plantation, a small suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but have lived a nomadic life in the south from North Carolina, George, South Carolina and Alabama. I've been lucky, for the last nineteen years, to hold on to my wife Traci. She has blessed me with two sweet little girls, who are now both in high school. I've been a collector my whole life, primarily of vintage and antiques. I love the craftsmanship and quality of older things – the phrase “they don't make them like they used to” is one that I truly believe in.

Besides the vintage items you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
I love to create, but have a very short attention span. This, unfortunately, means that I've always got a few “projects” in the works. Currently, I have a Victrola cabinet I'm restoring, several 70's harvest boxes to update, and a 1940's parking meter that needs a good cleaning and a new stand. Not complaining – I love to bring items back to life, but I don't usually start and finish a project without finding a few new ones along the way.

 

Woodstock Piggy Bank

What first drew you to vintage wares?
I'm sure this answer should start with “when I was a little boy...”, but I can't remember if that's accurate. I do remember when I was going to art school, back when Winthrop University used to be Winthrop College, going to a thrift store and stumbling accross an old Scooby Doo lunchbox that reminded me of the kind I carried in elementary school. Maybe that's how most people get started – looking for things they had when they were young. I still have the lunch box.

What inspires what you put in your shop?
It's probably easier to answer the question “What sort of things do I look for to put in my shop?” I seek out items that I want to have in my home; things that have a history or story to them. Of course, like most men, I'm attracted to rusty treasures and mechanical wonders, but my “artsy” side is attracted to interesting colors and textures. Between the two sides, I get a pretty diverse mix.

Vintage West German Alarm Clock

What advice would you give to aspiring vintage collectors and Etsy shop owners?
Buy what you like, when you like it. Regret eats at a collector. I passed up a 1967 Beatles Beat Time pinball machine at an antique store in 1990 that was in mint condition, only $400. When I went back the next week, it was gone. Still bugs me...
I'm more likely to ask advise on Etsy shop owning than give it, but I will say that I've learned how important the quality of the pictures in your listings are. The first few pics I took were awful. My wife told me that I needed to represent what I was selling. Since I started working on the quality of the pictures, I've had more hits and been included in more treasuries.

Email Scott at reinvintagearts@gmail.com if there is a specific item you are looking for and he will keep his eyes open!

In addition to such inspiring words, Scott is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! He will be giving away an early 1900's Nippon Dish with a windmill scene.

 

The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on March 23rd so be sure to get in your entries by then!

To enter, head over to his Etsy Store, Reinvintagearts, and leave a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for: 1) becoming a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout 2) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog 3) Posting this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter 4) “Hearting” or adding Reinvintageart to your “Favorites” on Etsy and/or 5) making a purchase out of his store (one entry for every purchase). 

 

Be sure to leave a new comment for each additional entry!

In addition, until March 23rd he will be offering a 10% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word “girlandherscout" at check out to receive your discount.

I might have been scrolling through the Anthropologie Sale Land and found a couple of cuties....

You could totally rock this all fall. Throw on a cute cardigan and you're good to go.

Definitely would work well with some boots.

This one reminds me of an actually antique pitcher in my house growing up.

All found at Anthropologie.