Fresh Picks: Halloween Happy

If you like your Halloween more fun than frightening, consider these nostalgic vintage finds and crafty handmade-with-vintage decorations for your celebration! Follow this link for more Etsy Vintage Team Halloween Items.

vintage cast iron black pot ImSoVintage $39.00	Set of 5 Decorative Hallowe... TheHeirloomBou... $2.75	Rusty Shabby Halloween Harve... suchandsortalt... $9.00
Vintage Chenille Bedspread P... chenillaholic $15.00	Vintage 1960s Printed Linen ... anothertimeant... $25.00	Halloween Black Cat Noise Ma... VintageInspire... $19.95

Treasury tool by whalesharkwebsites

Cast Some Magic

Ask yourself, how do you like to find vintage? What setting fills you with anticipation and makes you curious what's around the next corner? I'm guessing it's not the sterile Target store type of environment we're all familiar with.

Antique Brass Fan offered by hurstdesigns

It's the same for our customers. I run into people fairly often that tell me they hate shopping on the web. When I dig deeper, they've told me that they can't hold the item, feel it and really know about it. I hear that the web is cold, unfriendly, untrustworthy and unfeeling. 

WWII USAF Military Hat offered by marybethhale

As sellers, it's up to us to craft an experience for each item we sell. It doesn't have to be complex. It doesn't need to even be specific. We just need to give an over all feeling. A store that is consistent goes a long way toward achieving this. Find a banner & avatar you like and stick with them. Use some of the same text in each ad so customers recognize your personal stamp in each ad. For me, this means starting each ad with "Offering" and ending each ad with "Satisfaction guaranteed". 

Vintage Red Egg Beater offered by moxiethrift

Cast some magic upon the vintage items you're selling. This can be done in the specific ad listing, the banner of our store, the text sprinkled throughout your store, and your photos. When you find an item, take note of the setting. What age is the estate? Is the heir around to ask a quick question of? Gathering those tiny details & providing them can help the customer recreate the thrill of the hunt, online. 

Vintage Embroidered Bird Linen offered by ImSoVintage

My store banner tag line is "straight from the barn". I want my customers to think of a big dusty barn in the country, filled with shadows and antique treasures. Or at least, that's what I like to think of and often what I really encounter. I keep it simple and let their imaginations do the rest. If they want a blue, red or green barn, that's up to them. This simple text invites thought and inspires imagination. 

Vintage Metal Lunchbox offered by Niftic

Descriptions of your items go a long way to helping your customer have a complete shopping experience. What is it made of? What does it smell like? What are the measurements-height, length, depth? What does it weigh? Now these terms won't apply to all your items, but saying your book smells fresh and is from a non smoking environment will help your customer experience it all the more. 

Vintage Owl Couple on Driftwood offered by TheOwlLady

Details help your customer make your item their own. While it may be tempting to list an item and say "in good condition for its age", resist. That doesn't help your customer in the least. Would you want to hear that about yourself? Ack! Provide the information they would gather if they were holding the item in their hands. Give them an experience. Cast some magic.

Member Spotlight: Im So Vintage

In the Etsy shop Im So Vintage, fabulous pillows and pincushions hand made with vintage fabric and lace appear side by side with fantastic vintage and antiques finds—everything from office and industrial décor, to books and ephemera, to wonderful china and glassware. We recently talked with the owner, Laura, about her vintage obsession.

Vintage silverplate tray

Q. When did you develop your love for antiques?

I have loved antiques for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I loved visiting my grandparents because their early 1900s home was filled with fabulous antiques. I would spend hours touching the wood pieces, admiring (but not touching) the delicate glass and china, and reading the old books (okay, I know it sounds a wee bit nerdy). As soon as I was on my own, I began to fill my own home with antiques and collectibles, including some fabulous pieces from my grandmother. Although I of course keep all of the family things, I continually filter other finds in and out of my home. Many of them eventually find their way into my shops.

Q. Describe your favorite day shopping for vintage items—where you go, with whom, what you buy

Thursday is my favorite day of the week because it is auction day. Every Thursday I head out in my trusty van to spend a wonderful afternoon bidding on all things antique and vintage. It is where I get many of the fabulous finds for my two shops and lots of goodies for my home. I also get to spend time with my fellow auction buddies. It’s an afternoon of laughing, swapping stories, and learning new stuff about antiques. Believe me, it’s a never ending learning experience (and I’m not just talking about antiques).

Vintage blonder tongue UHF television converter

Q. Tell us what you do in your day job, and how you balance that with your Etsy shop.

My Etsy business is my day job now. In the past I have been a talent manager, Hollywood mom, mental health counselor, and real estate broker. WHEW!! Of all the jobs I have had, I love this one the best. I guess it took me quite a while to find my calling. Moral of the story: think about what you loved as a child and kept on loving and turn it into a career. Oh, and I have two grown daughters and two grandchildren. They are the absolute loves of my life and guess what? The antiquing bug is being passed on down.

Feedsack and crochet pillow

FOODIE FRIDAY --- A is for APPLE

Welcome to the first FOODIE FRIDAY post on the EVT blog.  I'm Nora, and in addition to running 2 shops on Etsy (among other ventures), I am an avid cook, baker, caterer and personal chef.  Every Friday, I will be sharing recipes, nostalgia, reviews, menus, fabulous vintage cookbook and gadget finds--you name it!  If it involves FOOD, expect to read about it here!

Nesting Canister Set from dandeliongirl.etsy.com

The coming of fall, with its cooler temps, bountiful harvest, back-to-school rush,  etc. etc. has me thinking about APPLES.  While other fruits may be more exotic, APPLES seem to represent comfort, vitality, and well...AUTUMN. 

Apples have their place in the bible, as well as mythology.  Even APPLE quotes are commonplace:

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
"The apple does not fall far from the tree."
"The apple of my eye..."

Hoenig Apple Bowls from jenscloset.etsy.com

I can't easily think of a fruit that is more revered!  So many varieties, some perfect to eat straight from the tree, others best when baked or cooked.

interesting tidbits about apples

If you have a food related topic to share, or one you would like to see covered here, please post a comment, or email me: treasurehuntvintage@ gmail.com


Here is one of my favorite APPLE RECIPES:

EASY FALL APPLE CRISP

Ingredients:

• Filling:
• 6 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I like GRANNY SMITH)
• 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar sugar
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp ground cloves
• 1-2 TBS lemon juice
• Topping:
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (I prefer regular)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preparation:

Mix filling ingredients together; spread evenly into a lightly greased 11x7x2-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Cut in cold butter until coarse crumbs form. Stir in chopped pecans or walnuts. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit and press down lightly. Bake at 375° for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until topping is browned and fruit is tender and bubbly.  Serve warm.  Great with vanilla ice cream or all by itself!

Apple Cutting Board from Kultur.etsy.com

Apple Cream Sugar Set from ImSoVintage.etsy.com

daily dose: jazz

jazz it up, friends. my most recent garage sale outing revived my love for old blocks. and i have an unquenchable drive/obsession/desire to spell out fun words. for starters, our living room is now home to vintage blocks spelling out our last name. i like the idea of spelling out words like jazz, or say, horse or friday. i love fridays, why not?

check out imsovintage. yeah. it's really, really good.

The Daily Dose 9.19.08

Hello All,

It's Friday! Everyone take a deep cleansing breath and sink into the sofa for the evening. It's a good night to curl up with an old movie. (TCM is the best!) I found this Life Magazine of lovely starlets at I'm So Vintage including the dear Miss Loy whom I love in The Thin Man movies.

I'm So Vintage's description: This vintage February 19, 1971 Life Magazine is a great collectible or perfect for all your art needs. Lots of pictures and advertisements.

Have a most wonderful weekend, dahlila.

EVST Daily Dose: 7.22.08

Huge classic 50's black roomy vinyl frame handbag from ImSoVintage. Ideal for work or play!

How stylish is this? 1950s back faux leather purse marked on the inside DOVER Made in USA. Very nice condition. Gold is wearing off the metal. No rips or holes. One zippered pocket on inside. Measures 10" across at widest point, 7" high and 3" deep.

EVST Daily Dose: 7.16.08

Elegant and classy black shiny patent purse from ImSoVintage is a steal at just $10!

Can't you just imagine going to a luncheon with this charming little purse wearing your pristine white gloves?

My friend's 88 year old mother said she remembers having one like this back in the 1930's. She and this purse have worn pretty well over the last 70 years. There is some minor wear on the back edge of the purse as shown in one of the pictures, a little wear on the bottom of the handles and the inside back of the lining has pulled away from the back of the purse. The purse does have its original mirror and snap closure.

Measurements are:
9" long
4 1/2" wide
4 1/4" high

EVST Daily Dose: 6.10.08

What fun little child's cup and bowl set from ImSoVintage. Life's a Circus!

This is an absolutely adorable child's cup and bowl with wonderful pictures of circus animals. I thinks it is probably from the 1950's.

EVST Daily Dose: 5.31.08

This is something every vintage kitchen needs to have. These classic primary colors nesting Pyrex bowls from ImSoVintage are a must for any respectable vintage lover!

AHHHH the memories these bring back. Warm gooey chocolate chip cookies, licking the chocolate frosting off of the beaters,....whoops I'm sensing a theme here and I am making myself hungry. I bought these bowls at auction about ten years ago, because my mother had a set when I was growing up, and had them displayed in my vintage kitchen, but now that I have moved I unfortunately don't have a place for them and so I am passing them on to someone else to enjoy.

These will look wonderful in your retro kitchen or make a great addition to your Pyrex collection. These bowls are being sold in used vintage condition. The blue and red bowl have some wear on the outside, but there are NO chips or cracks.