Fresh Picks: The Gift of Glam

Vintage jewelry makes an endearing gift, and these splendid finds are perfect examples! Choosing the right piece takes just a bit of detective work: observe what she wears, peek into her jewelry box to learn if she likes demure or bold, colorful or subdued. Once you’ve found your treasure, present it in a special box for that extra wow factor, and your lucky lady has an instant heirloom she will treasure forever.

Bracelet Necklace Set: Hemat... SterlingDeligh... $100.00	Vintage brooch - Aqua and di... reconstitution... $34.50	Vintage Jewelry Locket Neckl... TreasuresByTes... $18.00
Vintage Fish Pin Brooch Esta... modgirlvintage $40.00	1960's Heavy Link Costum... darlingblu $28.00	Vintage rhinestone Necklace ... popgoesmyvinta... $39.00

Treasury tool by whalesharkwebsites

Welcome New Members: Reconstitutions, PeacockGypsyVintage, PeacockGypsy and BackHomeAgain

Vintage Coro Necklace - Gold tone with Rhinestones

Reconstitutions is a wonderful shop full of fabulous vintage jewelry. On offer is a lovely selection of jewelry, including earrings and necklaces, many of which are made by well known designers particularly Coro. Here's what Shelley has to say about her shop; "I have a passion for vintage jewelry as well as recycling and re-purposing. In my search for amazing vintage jewelry finds, I collect broken and battered vintage jewelry which I disassemble and offer for use in your projects."

Oriental Theme Tasseled Metallic Lame Headband Turban

PeacockGypsyVintage offers a unique selection of handmade and one of a kind, Flapper style head wear. PeacockGypsyVintage is the result of Linda's career as a costume designer. "I am well-traveled and have lived in Europe buying and selling antique textiles. I incorporate all of those experiences of color and texture into my art and collections. I have been collecting, studying and selling vintage, antique clothing and textiles for over 30 years and managed a high end vintage clothing store in the 80s."

Masterpiece Beaded Bird Antique Vintage Floor Lamp

PeacockGypsy is the sister shop to PeacockGypsyVintage. On offer in this shop is a gorgeous selection of handmade, one of a kind, artistic lamp shades on period bases. As Linda states in her shop; "These shades are covered with antique and vintage metallic laces, lames, nets, voided velvets, embroidered and beaded fabrics. Shades rest on refurbished and refreshed, painted bases from the 40s era or earlier."





Vintage Spice Jars and Rack

BackHomeAgain is an online emporium of antiques, vintage collectibles and handmade items whose motto is "a delightful collection of goods sure to remind you of the joy and comfort of being... back home again." LuAnn has this to say about herself and her shop: "I like to tell people I like all things old. I even have a degree in Gerontology. I'm passionate about working with older adults and the stuff they call junk. I started Back Home Again many years ago as a way to channel my creative energy and stay connected to my roots. I was born and raised in Indiana where I learned to sew sitting at my grandma's feet. I've collected vintage items for years and am especially proud of my Russel Wright collection."

Beat The End of Winter Blahs & Sell!

It's that blah time of year. The weather is overcast, likely chilly and seems like it's been the same for days. Combine that with tragic events in Japan and it's easy to see why people may not be buying.

What do you look for at the end of Winter? A change. Cheerfulness. Gardens. Moving homes. Rearranging furniture. Spring cleaning. Freshening up. Summer vacation planning. Weddings. Graduations. Mothers Day. Fathers Day. Anniversaries.

Green Enamel Brooch & Earrings by reconstitutions

Why not provide what people are yearning for?


Brighten up your shop. Look at your shop with an objective eye. Stand back from your computer by 5-6 feet. What primary color do you see? Brown? Grey? White? Just like everyone loves the feel of crisp white sheets in the Spring, they'll be attracted to your shop if it feels light and bright. Make it feel fresh, alive.

Vintage Cake Pan by CheekyChicVintage

Make your shop feel all new, ready to be discovered. You can either re list items or use the custom sort feature. Think of it like a treasury-give your customers a reason to come back to your shop. I like to swap out my featured items every 2 days and rearrange the front page every 3-4 days. I have noticed the featured items get marked as favorites every time I change them.

Vintage Suitcase by MellowMermaid

Rephotograph older items to give them a new look. While your old photos may be fabulous, if the item is still in your shop, perhaps it needs a new perspective. I recently bought OTT lights. Wow. My lighting has improved 100% and so have my photos. I'm now slowly going back and redoing all my original photos. It's been working! Several items I've done this with have sold within 10 days.

Citrus Litho by vintagegoodness

Raise your prices! While this may seem counter intuitive, it's actually quite sound logic. As I've blogged about here before, it's vital to know who you're marketing to. Since we can't read minds, you can operate with some general information. What's the pricing comfort zone for an item to decorate the home? If you're drawing a blank, look at Potterybarn.com or CrateandBarrel.com. Both are very popular with the 30-50 age group. Both companies are blatantly copying vintage designs-and you're providing the real thing! Raise your prices and show that your items are worth it. Nothing causes the "what's wrong with it?" suspicion more than prices that are too low.

Pear Pottery Bowls by Shoptastic

Provide companionship. Are you talking to your Facebook fans? Do you treat them as potential friends or just as an audience to sell to? No one likes to be advertised to all the time. Stop just showing them your new listings and treasuries. Ask them questions. Tell them an anecdote about yourself. This also works well on your blog. Everyone likes a conversation to contribute to, especially in these bleak last days of Winter.

Seed Starting Tray by birdie1

Think of all the catalogs that come out this time of year. They likely arrived a few weeks ago to get you in the mood. The scenes in them are staged differently for each season. Spring is about bright colors, a fresh palette and a clean slate. Update your shop and see your customers respond!