Fresh Picks: Conjure a Costume

Last week we showcased vintage Halloween decorating ideas…now it’s time to think about you! With a little imagination, your one-of-a-kind costume awaits. Best of all, when the parties are over you have a fabulous vintage piece to add to your wardrobe. You can’t do that with a packaged costume! Use these examples to get your creative juices flowing, or follow this link for 1,500+ more ideas in Etsy Vintage Team Clothing.

Vintage Antique Ankle Boots ... designarchives $89.00	Groovy Shrug Top retrothreads $35.00	1940s 1950s U.S. Navy Cracke... kricketts17 $45.00
1970s Wayne Rogers Skinny Bl... Jonquil $45.00	1960s mod red white and blue... dustyrosevinta... $60.00	50's Will Steinman Tiere... ladyjanedesign... $150.00

Treasury tool by whalesharkwebsites

Gimme a V - I - N - T - A - G - E !!!

With falling leaves and harvest time comes the great American tradition of Homecoming, when alumni are welcomed back to campus and celebrations are centered around the big game with dances, parties and parades. For the Etsy Vintage Team and our love of all things retro, Homecoming means Varsity "V" for vintage!

We have gathered a fun and fabulous group of treasures for your shopping pleasure, all related to the Homecoming theme: including party dresses and accessories, sports clothing and memorabilia, books and ephemera, and fall party essentials.

Follow the fun at the EVT HOMECOMING SHOP and check back often, as new items will be added all month long!

Homecoming is also a celebration of our Class of 2005 and 2006, those EVT members who joined Etsy.com when it was a fledgling Handmade and Vintage shopping destination. Cue the band! Here comes our "Homecoming Court"...

Bonton Vintage

Cemetarian

Cowgirl Junk

Opalessence

ReBop Shop

Retro Threads

Runz With Vintage

Sassy by Design

Second Hand News

So gas up your hot rod, wave your pennant proudly and get out your best formal duds....it's Homecoming and you are invited!

Graphic by minicoops.

Vintage Buzz: Duck, Duck, GOOSE!

Do you remember sitting in a circle, all giddy and giggly, waiting and hoping to be bopped on the head and called 'Goose!' so you could jump up and chase after the cute little boy with the peanut butter breath? It was the ultimate social stigma for a five-year-old to never be called 'Goose'!
Play your own game with these fine aquatic feathered friends from the Etsy Vintage Team, or click to search for a duck, a goose or a flock of geese.

1930s Child and Goose Plaster Bookends
from Deer Path Vintage hold your books sweetly.
This little Vintage Children's Hankie from the 1940s
is a sweet treasure from Treasure Hunt Vintage.

This Vintage Cloisonne Style Duck Trinket Box will happily hold trinkets or your secret stash of chocolate!
(Don't you love his little feet on the bottom!?)
Visit Dandelion Girl for more vintage essentials!
This Vintage Ceramic Planter is the ultimate in 1970s ceramics class kitsch,
offered by Moxie Thrift.

This Vintage Kids Costumes Pattern is just in time for Halloween!
From Retro Threads it's just ducky!
For a bright, vintage Disney room, try this Very Vintage Donald Duck Chenille Bedspread
from Haute Country Vintage.

Day 18 of 'Walking in a Vintage Wonderland'-Retrothreads!

EVST member 'retrothreads' is today's featured shop, and if you love vintage and needlework, this is your lucky day! Retrothreads not only has wonderful vintage clothing and accessories, but also handcrafted items made many years ago and her own upcycled clothing made from vintage fabrics and trim, like the groovy halter at left made from a vintage skirt.

Vintage is 'green' in that vintage things, whether it is clothing, furniture, jewelry or just about anything else, are well-made and made to last and by using vintage items or making them into something new, you are doing 2 things: showing your originality and individual style, and helping to save the earth by reducing the number of things destined for the landfill.

Below are a few more examples of retrothreads' wonderful upcycled offerings--a cute tote bag made from a vintage apron, a shrug made from a 70s dress and a tube dress with a skirt made from the same dress as the shrug:


If you're looking for something both beautiful and unique to wear for your next holiday event, check out retrothreads' assortment of vintage clothing. You'll find beautiful jackets, dresses and lots more!

Here below we have a very chic vintage faux leopard beret, a slinky red dress with roses and glass buttons, a beautiful tailored wool suit in black and pink and a gorgeous white formal swing coat with metallic thread decoration, and for the guys, we even have a funky vintage bow tie:


We haven't forgotten the handcrafters of the past either! Retrothreads has lots of great things made by the hands of some very creative and talented people from long ago like this elegant knitted sequin evening jacket and a pair of beautiful vintage crocheted and beaded bracelets.

Retrothreads also carries her own knitwear, which are beautiful and very well made, and just right for those chilly evenings, so go over to the shop and check out all the great vintage and handmade finds at retrothreads!


To see more of the wonderful things at the retrothreads shop, and to enter to win a $10 gift certificate from retrothreads, just go on over to the shop, find something you love and come back to this post and leave a comment with a link to the item and your e-mail address. This evening, one winner will be chosen at random from all of the entries and that lucky person will win a $10 gift certificate!
One entry per person, per day and EVST members are not eligible.
A big 'Congratulations' to Mollie who was yesterday's winner of a $10 gift certificate from emmasgems!

EVST Daily Dose 9.22.08

Today was the first day of Autumn, and although it was hot here in California, I'm sure it's cooling down somewhere. You might need one of these fabulous 70's shawls (patterns to crochet and knit) at Retro Threads. (I want the pink one.) ;-)

Retro Threads description: "This listing is for a set of two 2-page Columbia-Minerva leaflets published in 1971 and 1973. Together, they feature a total of 12 shawl and cover-up patterns to knit and crochet. I can imagine how gorgeous these could be, made with a beautiful hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn. Condition of the 1971 leaflet is very good, the 1973 leaflet has been folded down the center, but is otherwise in good condition."

Have a nice evening, dahlila.

RetroThreads: An Interview with Carol Holmes

Carol Holmes is the proprietor of RetroThreads, one of Etsy's many wonderful vintage stores. It's a fun mix of clothing, jewelry, accessories, supplies, and little of this and that. She graciously agreed to share with our blog readers a little bit about her background and her store.

You mention in your profile that you’ve been fascinated with fabric and knitting since a young age. Tell us a little bit about your growing obsession and how vintage came to be a part of it.

Ever since age 8, I have always craved sewing, knitting, or any activity involving fabric, thread, or yarn. My dad first showed me the old 1919 sewing machine that belonged to his grandmother, which I used all the way into my 20s. My grandmother, aunt, and various sewing teachers gave me sewing lessons and I sewed all my own clothes in high school. Later in college, I became a die-hard thrifter after my roommate showed me the bountiful selection of wonderful vintage dresses and clothing I could find (not so anymore, but that was 25 years ago!).

Your shop, RetroThreads, has such a charming mix of items. Could you describe for us the types of things you like to carry.

Thank you for that compliment! I like to mix interesting pieces of vintage clothing with related accessories and artifacts. I'm fascinated with the lives of women at a time when beauty and industriousness in the home were the most highly valued attributes. I can't pass up an apron, which always speaks to me about the woman who wore it while cleaning or cooking, or stored it carefully only to be taken out for a special occasion. I had such a large collection of aprons that needed a new life, that I started restyling them into tote bags, which will show up in my shop next week.

It sounds like your store is going to be expanding soon, with the closure of your vintage clothing store. Can you share some of your experiences as the owner of a B&M store, and the pluses or minuses of selling clothing online?

I had a vintage clothing booth at an antique mall for 4 years and I loved watching customers try things on and ooh and ahh over certain pieces. I got great pleasure in looking at my sales sheet and having my taste in clothing validated. Online, you don't get that until you have a sale and receive feedback (if you do). Also, it takes me forever to put new items in my Etsy shop because of all the photographing, measuring, and write-up work that's required. I have never been able to get a good shot of anything black, and I have tons of gorgeous black dresses. Anyone want to model for me ? I pay in vintage !

You’re also a very accomplished bead weaver. Tell us a little about your other Etsy shop, AmbrosianBeads, and other hand-made crafts you’re involved in. What inspires you?

Ambrosian Beads carried over from a harp and violin duo called Ambrosian Strings. I was the violinist (that's my career), and my harpist friend introduced me to gemstone jewelry in 2001. Shortly after, I found my niche with beadweaving because it is a needlework skill. I get a lot of inspiration from the friendly, caring, and above all, fabulously creative group of beadweavers on Etsy (http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com—come vote for your favorite piece in our monthly challenge—I know, shameless plug!). My beadweaving etsy shop is AmbrosianBeads, and I also belong to a co-op fiber art gallery in Alexandria, Virginia.

Do you have a favorite style or era? And does what you would pick out or create for your shop differ from what you love or wear yourself?

I used to wear a lot of black dresses, skirts, and blouses as my orchestra formal wear. My all-time favorite piece I wore for some special concerts is a late 30s bias-cut silk velvet gown with draped sleeves. (I call them batwings!) I use an image of it as logo. I wore a 60s cocktail dress on my first date with my husband. Then at a certain age, my vintage stuff didn't fit well anymore (boo-hoo !), but I still love to collect it. I tend to go for items that define a style trend or go overboard in the trend (check out my mod seersucker suit!).

What is your favorite part about selling vintage clothes or related items (the search, the repairs, the research, etc.)? And what do you find most challenging?

My favorite part is the search and only the search. I'm like a bloodhound. Point me in the right direction and I'll be sure to sniff out some cool vintage piece. And it has to be dazzling if it needs repairs or I'll pass on it. I love sewing, but hate repairs.

In your 6 years selling vintage clothing, I’m sure that you’ve learned a lot from a lot of different sources. What has been the most helpful in terms of expanding your expertise? And do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out in the business?

My business knowledge is limited to two things: (1) don't buy anything that you can't charge at least 3 times for, and (2) pay your retail sales tax on time or else it will cost you a $20 fine (off to pay my overdue retail sales tax now!). I have a fear of getting burned out on my obsessions if I know too much about them, so I never spend much time researching. I just know what I like and hope that others will like it too.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

I'm thrilled to find such great vintage on Etsy, and to be able to make a connection with other sellers and shoppers. I hope to be able to devote more time to my RetroThreads shop in the coming weeks and months. Thanks for letting me share my obsessions with everyone !

Thanks, Carol, for sharing your passion with us. Be sure to check out RetroThreads, and mention this interview to receive free worldwide shipping.

EVST Daily Dose: 6.1.08

I am a sucker for plaid, and well, plaid madras is something I'm a total sucker for. This fantastic summer pantsuit from retrothreads is just awesome. It may be a bit much to wear together but as separates the possibilities are endless. And fabulous!

Dress for success ? Do it right with this flamboyant cotton/poly two-piece suit featuring vivid shades of yellow, orange, red and blue. Classic 70s wide lapel notched collar jacket and cuffed wide leg pants make this suit unforgettable.

EVST Daily Dose: 5.22.08

Time to get your groove on with Marie Osmond! This retro chic and totally collectible piece of kitsch from retrothreads would make the perfect birthday present for that Osmond fan (or just a really funny gag gift!).

Here's a rare 70s collectible, especially if you are an Osmond fan. It's a Marie birthday gift book! Complete with photos of Marie at age 15 in her matching wide-leg tan pantsuit, cheery text extolling the value of family and friends, blah, blah, blah and then more photos! Gotta have it!