Fresh Picks: Handbag Heaven

For the price of one designer handbag, you could purchase this entire collection! The designer’s mega-corporation won’t notice, but six small businesses you will be patronizing certainly will. And you will have a bevy of bags for all seasons and all occasions. Best of all, each is one-of-a-kind with a story to tell…if only these purses could talk!

Vintage Black Leather Box Pu... MoonOverMarily... $48.00	Vintage 80s Summer Purse Emb... judygovintage $18.50	Whiskey Western/ Vintage too... dahlilafound $34.00
DOUBLE RAINBOW knitted clutc... RainbowVintage $18.00	Vintage Lucite Tortoise Shel... VintageJunkInM... $59.00	Vintage Golden Shimmer La Re... GeneralWhimsy2 $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Want to create your own vintage handbag wardrobe? Follow this link for more than 300 bags and purses from Etsy Vintage Team Certified Shops!.

The Littlest Details Make the Biggest Impression

You've got the lighting right. You finally got the mannequins head at the proper angle. The fabric drapes just perfectly. You capture what you think is the perfect shot. Later, when uploading it to Etsy.com, you realize you cut the head clean off.  The thumbnail photo is how you attract your buyer. If they don't click, you don't sell. This first impression is vital to your success.

Thumbnail version

Vintage  navy blue dress by jojosretroandvintage

The photo above by Jojosretroandvintage is fabulous. First, she's using a live model, which is always attractive to buyers. Second, the model has a cute pose that brings style and attitude to the outfit. Third, she's using a plain white background, making the dark hair, red lips and blue dress just pop. Fourth, she got the face of the model in the thumbnail.

Thumbnail version

Red Industrial Box by dahlilafound

The above photograph by dahlilafound has everything just right. Notice how the red box is centered with equal white space around three sides? The thumbnail is clear, easy to define and stands out. There is no clutter to distract the eye, which goes with the industrial theme of the item. The old wooden stool contrasts with the smooth metal nicely. The thumbnail is sharp and easy to see.

Thumbnail version

Antique French Opera Glasses by hautecountryvintage

This photograph of opera glasses by hautecountryvintage is very different than the previous examples, but captures the proper elements perfectly. The tan colored box in the back brings out the coloring in the mother of pearl detailing around the eyepieces and the white book contrasts enough to emphasize the tan.  The book also brings a sense of history to the photo.  The thumbnail is visually interesting and draws the eye in. Overall an excellent way to photograph an antique. 

I'm still working on my photographs. I took hundreds of photos when I was madly getting ready to list. Now I realize that they're horrid thumbnails. My goal for January is to retake all the needed photos and clean up the shop visually. Not a fun task, but one that will set my items apart. Join me!

Member Spotlight: Dahlila Found

When they’re good, online vintage stores can offer the same excitement as a brick and mortar store—an eclectic, surprising mix of wonderful items, and something unexpected each time you turn the page. Meet Dahlila Found, “California vintage, accessories, and decor.” We recently had a chance to speak with the proprietress, Debra (aka Dahlila).

Q. How did you come up with the name of your shop?

Back when e-mail was new—yes, imagine!—I had an epistolary romance with an Englishman with a 1930s aesthetic. We were both story tellers at heart, writing e-mails to each other as antique “telegrams.” We were our own protagonists: two lovers, miles apart living in another era. It was Out of Africa meets The English Patient, and Dahlila was a pistol and adventurous woman. Her spirit runs through me and Dahlila Found.

Vintage orange oxford box heel

Q. Describe the aesthetics behind your shop.

Eclectic, colorful, bold. I am drawn to color. Sometimes I’ll pick up a piece just because the texture and color are fabulous. The shop changes constantly as I never really know what I will find on my ventures: 30s silk scarf, 70s industrial lamp. There’s nothing like the element of surprise. I love it. 

Retro polka dot scarf

I’ve never been a purist. I like to mix up eras in my shop and in my wardrobe.  I’ve been thrifting since I was in a teenager, because that’s where all the exciting clothes were. I’d buy 1920s mourning dresses, wear them with black tights and cowboy boots. Louise Brooks meets Siouxie Sioux. I’d wear shark skin ties and men’s jackets with big floppy hats: Annie Hall. I had tons of hats and I wore them all. Dress-up was my favorite activity.

Q. What does your family (or friends) think about your on-line vintage business?

It’s a toss up. When I worked in editing, at cocktail parties I’d simply say “I’m an editor,” and people would swoon like I was writing for Vogue or Forbes, when in reality I was covering the most tedious magazine in existence: California Geology. May it rest in peace.

As a shop keep—an on-line shop keep­—people have this notion I’m throwing junk on EBay between episodes of Jerry Springer. It’s a hard sell, and honestly, I still trip up explaining what I do. But often, when they see my excitement over a sale or fun purchase they brighten up to the idea. They can sense my happiness.

My mother warmed to it when she saw my sales numbers rising. She invited me to a Gatsby themed fund raiser once. I showed up with a suitcase (vintage) filled with trinkets, dresses, hats, jewelry. We spent all day playing dress-up and were the smash of the party. She kept telling her friends, “These are from Debra’s shop.” It made me smile.

Vintage mosaic floral cookie ti

My father is a historian and art dealer. He has two Etsy shops! We swap goods, trade secrets and sales stories every day. It’s in the family, really. My great, great grandfather was an apothecary in a wagon train medicine show. He sold crazy tinctures in glass bottles that promised cures. My great grandmother sang and danced for the show too. Traders, makers, tinkers, pickers, artists, crows. I’m just keeping it in the family.

Q. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“It’s all beautiful, but you can’t take it with you.”

EVST Daily Dose 8.28.08

Hello All,

My name is Debra aka "Dahlila." I'm a fellow Etsian. My vintage shop is DahlilaFound. I'll be taking over for Justine on the Daily Dose as she is ubber busy with her new job. I'm sure she will be lurking about though so let's all wish her the very best!

So, today I'm all about ephemera, paper, art, scrapbooking supplies. I found this fabulous vintage find over at AnnDouglas: Child Life Magazine, 1945. The cover alone is worthy of framing; instant vintage art for your stylish abode.

Ann's Description:

"This vintage magazine features stories and poems, activities, articles, and more. Some of the highlights in this issue include:"Little Miss Chief Justice""Your Own Book Shelf""Fourth Child Life Fashion Design Contest Winners""Good Citizens' Score Board"Enjoy!Child Life, April 1945. Cover illustration by Katharine R. Wireman. Glossy cover with newsprint-quality interior pages. Interior pages feature a mix of black-and-white and spot-color line-art illustrations. 50 text pages plus cover.Cover is missing a small piece (1/4" x 1/2" on bottom outside edge). There is also a small rip on face of boy (paper is still there, so damage can be repaired). Name "Beck" has been written on cover and title page of magazine. Cover condition: fair. Interior pages in very good to excellent condition."