Vintage Clothes = Awesome Halloween Costumes

Some you may know that I love me some vintage.  Some of you may also know that I am a regular blogger over at the Vintage Etsy Society Blog.  So check it out! 

Spooky Halloween Garland

I just posted some fun ideas for Halloween costumes derived from vintage clothes over here and gave a great tip for Vintage clothing sellers on etsy this spooky holiday season.  It's pretty much awesome and you shouldn't pass up the chance to check it out!  See it here.

Check it out!

In case you haven't been checking on the Vintage Etsy Society Blog, I've been a regular poster!  Check out some of the posts I've written over the past few weeks and be sure to leave a comment so I know what you think!!

Quick Etsy Shop Tip

Wedding Time!

Thrifting (and store stocking) Tips for all you Thrifting Lovers!

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.

Midweek Artist Interview and Giveaway! HelloAgainVintage

Here's a little midweek interview, giveaway, and discount code from vintage dealer Grace from Hello Again Vintage who has the cutest vintage clothes in her shop.  I could totally rock this emerald dress tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day :)

My faves:

1970s Samuel Blue Emerald Dress

1960s Vanity Fair Dress Slip 

Cheetah Pendant Necklace 

 

Hey Grace! Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your wonderful vintage collection.
I have lived in New Jersey all my life. And I’ve always had a love for fashion. After graduating college in 2006 and getting caught in the economic slump, I started my own business, Hello Again Vintage. Since then, it’s been my priority and I love it.

Besides the vintage clothing and accessories you have in your Etsy store, what else do you like to do?
I recently learned to sew so lately have been working on reconstructing old, drab clothes.

What first drew you to vintage wares?
My parents were always pretty cheap so ever since I was little, going to garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores became a weekend ritual. My very first find was a Vintage 1980’s Orphan Annie Doll – I loved her little red dress.

What inspires you?
A lot of my inspiration comes to me while browsing fashion/design blogs & magazines and from seeing others personal style. Here is my little collection of photos, videos, and quotes that keep me motivated.

What advice would you give to aspiring vintage artists and Etsy shop owners?
Buy and sell what you love. Because vintage clothing and accessories are not always perfect, you’ll have to follow your gut. After a while, you’ll get a feel of what’s sellable and what’s not.

Find Grace on her blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.

In addition to such inspiring words, Hello Again Vintage is hosting a giveaway here at A Girl and Her Scout! She will be giving away this Vintage 1980’s Flower Necklace.

 

The winner will be chosen (via a random assorter) on April 2nd so be sure to get in your entries by then!

To enter, head over to her Etsy Store, Hello Again Vintage, and leave
a comment here about your favorite item(s). Additional entries for:
1) Become a first time follower of A Girl and Her Scout
2) Post this giveaway with a link to my blog on your blog
3) Post this giveaway with a link to my blog on your facebook and/or twitter
4) “Heart”or add Hello Again Vintage 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 March 31st she will be offering a 15% discount to all A Girl and Her Scout readers! YAY!!! Just use key word GIRLANDHERSCOUT at check out to receive your discount.

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend everyone!  I hope your weekend is as sunshiny as it is here in Knoxville!  Pretty sure me, the hubz, and the pup will be spending the rest of the afternoon at the park. Yay Spring! 

I wanted to formally invite you all to check out my guest post for the Vintage Etsy Society blog!  It is more of an introduction to myself because I will be a weekly poster over there, but I'm pretty sure you might learn an interesting thing or two about me if you head over.

Check it out here.

And last but not least, in case you missed it... I hosted a totally awesome three day spring break party over here this week featuring three fabulous artists along with three giveaways and three discount codes for their online stores.  It was complete awesomeness and the great thing... in case you missed them, you can still enter the giveaways and use the discounts.  

Check them out here, here, and here.

and don't forget those other long ago giveaways that will be ending this week... support those artists and enter to win today :)

Enter to win a $150 limited edition print here.

Enter to win a vintage crock and linens here.

Well that's enough sitting around inside... warm, sunny day-- here I come!