Tuesday, November 29, 2011

We're DIY'ers 'Round Here

Wow, these last few weeks have just flown by! I have been focusing on gearing up the shops for the post Thanksgiving rush. I worked on my keywords and tagging on Etsy and used the Etsy on Sale site to do my mass changes. If you have an Etsy shop and haven't used the Etsy on Sale site, give it a try. It is super easy to make mass tagging changes and to start/stop store sales. They charge a nominal fee and you can try your first few changes for free! Check it out here....Etsy on Sale website. Full disclosure, if you click through the link and sign up for a free test drive, I do get credits in my account, but Etsy on Sale has no idea who I am. Um, wow, I just said Etsy 6 times in that paragraph. Too bad they aren't paying me for the mentions!

I have been playing with my new camera and am still pretty confused on the majority of the settings. It is a Sony a55. A friend of mine made her own photo studio in her home and I was looking to do this on a smaller scale using a photo booth or light box type of set up. I could buy one on ebay with lighting for about the 40 dollar range. But being the thrifty person I am, I decided to try the DIY photo box first. You can find tutorials for this via a Google or Etsy blog search. Or you can link to one of my follower's blogs, Six Balloons, where she shares her DIY light box.

This is what I've come up with...so far:



I spent just over a buck for 2 pieces of white poster board (1 size cut for a horizontal fit and 1 size cut for a vertical fit), the rest, a plastic storage bin and sewing interfacing, I had. The *possible* Sonneman lamp is coming in handy, as well as some other vintage lighting fixtures from around the house. I have tested it out and I can see an improvement but I need brighter lights. Next time I am at the Goodwill I will pick up some of those clamp lamp things and put in some 90 watt lights. That should do the trick! Oh, and if you are liking the vintage Early American Pyrex in the light box, you can see more photos here in my shop.

Mr. TP worked on his own DIY project this past weekend...


A garden in our laundry room! I picked up this old school grow light at the same yard sale I found the lovely Herman Miller chair duo, and now it's being put to work. We are trying lettuce and Roma tomatoes. I'll keep ya'll updated on the progress.

No thrifting this past weekend, total bummer. But, I did step into a mall for the first time in at least 4 months! I took advantage of the Old Navy pay $10 get a $20 voucher Groupon X 2 and ended up with 2 new sweaters and 2 new shirts for just under $24 bucks!

Hopefully I will be able to rustle up an Estate or Yard Sale this weekend so I have some fun new stuff to show off next time :)

Thanks for taking a moment to visit my blog!


Sunday, November 27, 2011

Cyber Monday Etsy Sale 10% off at Vintage Dreams!

My Cyber Monday sale starts at 1pm CST today. Be sure to stop by my Etsy store, Vintage Dreams, for some vintage gift shopping or a little treat for yourself...Cheers!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

ETSY Shop Black Friday Sale!

Hey there ya'll! I hope every single one of you are about to embark on a Turkey day calorie fest complete with family and friends!

After (or before) the madness and a nap from ingesting that turkey chemical, stop by my ETSY shop, Vintage Dreams, and enjoy 10% off any purchase. The markdowns will automatically show when you arrive at the shop. The sale will actually start at 11p.m. CST tonight for all you night owls.

If you haven't visited the shop, I have a mix of vintage from the 50's, 60's, and 70's that includes kitchen items (Pyrex, Descoware, Foley), vintage Aladdin Thermos, magnificent purses and clothing, and other vintagey goodness.

My plan for the Holiday is to eat at Mr. TP's bff's mother's home for breakfast, then walk down the street to his parents house for lunch. Dinner will be at my aunties.

OK, I have to go starve myself before the gluttony commences! Bye...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bye Bye Hunk O Junk!

If you have been reading my blog lately, you have probably heard me lament about how much I dislike my current point and shoot, hunk o junk camera. With the blog, my etsy business, and my ebay business, it was time to graduate to a big girl business camera! Plus, I can take much better pictures of my dog...Here is his blog debut picture....isn't my little boo boo sweet. Love him!

For the camera, I ended up with a sweet Sony DSLR. It has so many cool functions that the sales dude showed me at the camera shop, that I can't even remember how to do them. Thankfully, they will have a 2 hour class I can take to teach me all about my new DSLR. Problem is, the class is not till January. Guess I will have to read the manual, ACK!

Ok, enough dog and camera gushing, let's get on with it...

I went to zero, yes, 0, sales this week. I can't even believe I just typed that! Part of the reason was that we were out of town on Saturday.

This is what I was doing on Saturday night...ladies, pay attention! I attended a friend's bodybuilding competition in Davenport, Iowa. Our friend Shawn, a USMC veteran, dietetics major, and all around good guy, was competing in his first ever competition. Here he is!



It was such a quick trip, otherwise I would have totally strolled through some of the thrift shops. Make a note pickers, downtown Davenport, Iowa is a thrifting haven! I saw soooo many cute little second hand shops. I vow to make more time for thrift shopping on our next trip.

Back in the hometown, Craigslist was pretty much a bust as far as sales went. But, I did go to Goodwill for myself and ended up with a pair of Charlotte Russe and Ann Taylor Loft jeans and a black cable knit chunky Liz Claiborne sweater all for less than 10 bucks, woot!

Here is an item I acquired a few weeks back that I hadn't posted on but definitely deserves a spot on the blog, a beautiful Papal Edition Bible from the 1950's.



The page edges are all gold tone and the illustrations are absolutely incredible. I acquired this at an estate sale and I cannot believe the family would sell such an amazing example of the Word. I have it on ebay and hope a collector of religious pieces will find this beauty.

In my last post, yeah, I know, it's been a few weeks...I promised a cool Mad Men-esque item:


Here it is. A chromed-out shiny ball ashtray stand! Totally mid-century and atomic. What a fantastic addition to any man cave or basement bar...hello gift idea! Yep, it'll be in my etsy store in time for the weekend shopping rush.
 
Will any of you be going out for Black Friday or purchasing online for Cyber Monday? Feel free to comment with any hot deals you have heard of.

I will probably stay at home. I'll be manning the e-shops over a cup of hot coffee with the doggie keeping my feet warm.

 Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

Linking up with Homemaker on a Dime's Creative Blog Hop, stop by and check it out!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Seasons Are A Changin'

We saw our first snow this past week! The snow was that 'pretty' kind of snow that had big, fluffy flakes, and only stuck to the grass. The sales listings on Craigslist are starting to dwindle here with the cold weather setting in. Funny thing is, it seems the fewer sales, the better the vintage stuff I find, and the better the prices are. I will put on my 13-year-old LL Bean campus parka and knock-off Uggs and head out into the cold for that!

First stop was an estate sale of an old couple who is done living in the country and are ready to move into the big city. They had a gigantic shed with a few fun pieces of vintage goodness. I didn't make it the first day, and judging by the stuff stuff that was in the sold and to be picked up pile, I probably missed out on some choice items. Bummer, but there is always another sale...
Second stop was in an uppity neighborhood and the prices reflected this. For goodness sakes people! If I wanted Goodwill prices, I would go there! G-sale prices y'all, g-sale, gosh!
Final stop wasn't listed on Craigslist but you couldn't miss the signs luring you off the main road.

Ok, so here's what I picked up...


My first piece of vintage Denby, isn't it beautiful? The pattern is called Midnight. Kinda want to keep them (I found a pair) for myself, but do I really need another coffee/tea cup? No. Ok, it will be in my Etsy shop...


What is this you ask? A vintage bun warmer! Just in time for the Holidays. Like it? It would make a great retro hostess gift or would be great to use at Thanksgiving/Christmas time. Find it at Vintage Dreams.


A vintage Singer buttonholer...what a weird word. This thing is still in the box and barely used, in the shop.


Vintage silk Christmas ornaments, bell shaped.


Lilly of California sweater, vintage, never worn. Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship on this sweater.
 



And the steal of the day? This vintage Dymo label maker. It is heavy duty metal and comes with a boat load of label strips in all different colors.

Next post will include a cool Mad Men-ish type item that could easily fit in on the set!

Linking up with Her Library Adventures: Flea Market Finds...check it out to see other fun, thrifted finds.