Tags!

I made clothing hang tags! Here is the gun I bought off Amazon for only $6. It works pretty well too! I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared the first time I used it. I thought it would have like a kick or loud noise but no. See, what you do is stick the needle through the fabric and tag and when you squeeze the trigger it pushes the plastic tag through the needle and comes out a hole at the end of the needle to the other side!  It's pretty cool, I've always wondered how they those things.

Here's the tags I made, I'm pretty proud of myself (:

and the back:

In other news, I went to a vintage store downtown today to check it out and make an appointment to go talk to them about putting my clothes in their store! I'm going back Tuesday so I guess we'll see what happens.

Vintage Shops!

First I would like to announce that I've created a store at BigCartel. Here. I'm just giving it a shot?

Anywho, here is the last of the shops!

First up is one of my favorites just because it has a lot in common with mine: Twisted Moss

The prices are awesome, and the pictures are well lit. I like the way the outfits are styled. Everything is cute and I really like the bowtie necklace things! Her descriptions are very detailed and fun! They aslo include the era which I wish I was better at guessing! Hopefully next semester I can get around to take a fashion history class! From what I can tell she has a mix of vintage and upcycled clothes. Cool store!

The next one I have been eyeing for a while for their hoodies-pure awesomeness! Mungo Crafts

Ok, the last pic I added in because I think it's hilarious and awesome and unique. But I'm really writing about this shop because I love these hoodies! If I had $60 to blow, I would definitely get one of these. They look well constructed and I just love the color combos, they're all great! It would be hard to choose just one! I like the pattern and of course she uses upcycled materials in most (or all?) of them so that's a plus. Looove. This is going on the winter wish list!


This next one I've been a fan of for a while. Madam Chino.

Her models are all beautiful! All her clothes look like they've had some serious time spent on them and are completely unique which I love about her. I also like the different backdrops, all are equally interesting. All the pictures are very clear, well lit, and show all different views. Her listings start off with a fun little saying and are very detailed. Her clothes are reconstructed and on some listings, she even describes how she constructed it which I think is so cool. She does her own screen printing and even fashion shows! That is on my to-do before I die list.


Arrogant Loves- I admire this shop because there are some really awesome finds. 

You don't find things like this at your everyday thrift store. These are truly special pieces that are probably the only copies left in the world. It's a bit pricey but you get what you pay for I suppose. The pictures are well lit, the models are gorgeous, and the descriptions are short and sweet.

The Closet Stuffer is on this list because of the inspiring upcycled clothes.

I like this store because she uses vintage pieces and turns them into modern style clothes. They're not too extravagant, but they're very well constructed and have a bit of flair. There's definitely a personality to her store. You can see the vintage but in a whole new light! Her prices are pretty reasonable for vintage/upcycled clothes. The clothes are well lit. The descriptions start off with a quote and are very detailed about the item.

More Vintage Shops and a Tutorial!

So I have completed the first tutorial in the Vintage Renewal Tutorial Series! Bubble Shorts Tutorial , the title is pretty self-explanatory, go to the link for directions!

I learned how to do the border here.

And as I promised, some more awesome vintage shops. This batch I have chosen for unique vintage renewal/upcycling/reconstructing.

This first shop is called Bonder Girl.

The black dress is my personal favorite. She only has 13 items for now but is fairly new. Her prices seem about right for handmade clothes and I just love how unique the construction is! It's really just the attention to detail that makes them so special and different. Her pictures are nice and lit. They consist of all views of the clothes and I like that she includes a before picture. They look well constructed and very thought out. I always admire upcyclers that come up with creative ideas for clothes especially ones I've never thought of!

On to the second store of the day called,  In Love Again. I like the girly vintage touch she gives these.

I have a thing for florals, I can't explain it but they just make me weak at the knees. So of course when I came across the top above, I had to take a peak at the rest of the store. Her prices are pretty good for reconstructed clothes and I can't help but love the backdrop! It's got a very Urban Outfitters feel to it and as much as I don't agree with their clothing, I do like their interior decorating! Her clothes are well lit and each are a treasure. She also has a few other things such as wallets, purses, and clip on earrings which are all equally unique.

Next up is a store called Repurposeful Punk. I just love upcycling pants into shorts, I never buy shorts anymore because I make all of mine! Maybe that's why I was intriqued by this store.

First off, I really like her pictures. I like the plain backgournd, and the curved edges (teach me how to do this!). I also looove the sailor shorts and skirt. This store has a very 50's feel to it and the prices are really great for upcycled clothing. She's got more items than the last two but is alot older. She also makes "Made to order" dress of ghosts and skeletons which are just as cute as these. She is very cute and I feel like our stores kind of have a lot in common! I'm sure I (being a fellow store owner/model) am the only one that notices the camer a remote (: I know that trick! Mine unfortunately just broke and having to walk over to my camera after every picture is quite a hassle. Having a remote is a life saver, let me tell ya! Anywho I like this store, it's got a personality of it's own!

And last but not least is a store called, Dalat Designs

I like the simple and clean-ness of the pictures. She has a lot of shredded things which is in right now. From what I've kind of researched, that takes a lot of time. I'm interested to know how she does it... Anyways I noticed she has a lot of halter style tops which is cool. It's always interesting to notice everyone's own little niche, what they specialize in.  I like the design and silhouette of her clothing. They're not typical of modern clothing but that's what makes it unique and interesting to me. The lighting is great and the prices are reasonable. The blue ruffled jumper is what caught my eye, I want it!



I'll have atleast one more post about vintage renewal shops, possibly two. If you're interested in some constructive critisicm and you do vintage renewal, drop me a comment! Thanks everyone!

Mini Post- Signature

I decided to create a signature! Do you like? Go here for the tutorial.

You got a pretty face, and a crooked smile

I've got two exciting announcements to make!


NUmero 1:  I've decided to make a weekly newsletter of tutorials on vintage renewals/upcycling clothes! They are going to be simple, loaded with pictures, and most importantly fashionable! Here's a sneak peak of the first one I've set up. (I don't know how to send it as the letter so it will be sent as a PDF).

I'm probably going to post them here on blogger but for those that don't do blogs, I'm going to do the newsletter thing.

Numero 2:  I've created  a "Store Questionare" for everyone to get 25% off any one item in my store! Or 10% if you fill out half. It's located in the tab directly below the header up there ^^^^^^ So take advantage of it, I'm really looking forward to hearing what people have to say.



In other news, in my advertising class I'm learning about differentiating products and "knowing" the market. So it really got me thinking and I started researching my competition. I never really took the time to look at other vintage sellers/upcycled clothes sellers on Etsy. So I will be doing a bunch of spotlights and really looking at what makes each store special! The first three I've chosen, I like because of the graphics/pictures.

This first store is called Pinup Dresses.

She's got some really awesome dresses and I love the heart details! I love that her pictures are very nice and clean, very professional looking. The lighting is great and I like that her clothes are catagorized by decades. The prices are on the high side but these garments are legit and look like they are in very good condition. They're very unique and just not any old vintage dress.

The next store is called Eleventwentyeight.

She does a lot of vintage renewal (a phrase I'm really starting to catch on to, it sounds much more professional than upcycling.. in my opinion). I love how her pictures are nice and bright. My opinion might be a little biased though because I have a little obession with white brick... Anyways, I also like her store graphics. It's got a very fresh, modern look to it. The prices look about average for most vintage stores on etsy.

And last but not least I would like to introduce Peeko Apparel.

Let me just start off by saying, Wow! These pieces are really awesome. She makes these out of natural or recycled fibres but you couldn't tell by looking at them! These are awesome. I love the grey background, I tried it but mine didn't come out this good! I also love her models. Besides the fact that they are gorgeous, I'm kind of obsessed with all of the one above's tattoos and piercings. Most designers don't use people like that for models but I think it's great. If she was my friend, I'd have her modeling for me every week! Um, getting back to the store, I also really like her banner. It's simple, cute, and screams sewing. The prices are high but the garments look well worth it, each looks like a lot of time and money were poured into them. The store looks very organized and I like that it has an edge to it.

Stay tuned for some more awesome shops, and if you want to be a part of the Upcycled Clothes Tutorial Newsletter (I suppose I need a better name?) then just drop your email in a comment and I will send you a tutorial each week! Thanks for reading (:

Oh! And if you've got any suggestions for sending newsletters, let me know!

You, You've Got What I Need

I know I've been absent for a while. Life has been hectic. This post might be a bit random but this is what's going on.

I'm trying to get a second job (other than etsy) so I can save up money for a house. This is proving to be quite difficult in this economy. Now I know what everyone was talking about! I have been searching, applying, and interviewing for about a week now and no luck so far but I'm not getting my hopes up! I'm determined.

School is going good, keeping me very busy. We just came back from a weekend in Austin, maybe I'll post some pics later.

While in Austin we got to ride around town on bikes and I decided I need a good bike. We have mountain bikes but that's not what I want. So I've been searching around Craigslist and this is what I've found.

Ladys Raleigh Sports 3 speed bike - $75

Isn't it cute?! I need something that is a comfortable ride, has some gears, has nice sturdy handles (I don't like road bike handles), and is of course, cute! I pretty much love everything about this bike, especially the fenders.

To compensate for the Austin hills, I learned I can readjust the gears to make them shift lower. I found this out at a blog I found called Lovely Bicycle! It's an awesome blog and is totally getting me into bikes. Here is the one she has, I love it because it's so authentic looking!

Here is me trying to find some lighting for store pics, it was raining and my camera fogged up but I think it looks kind of cool?

I ended up just setting up some lights in my usual place. It's a little different, still learning about lighting and what not.

These items expired so I retook the pictures and am in the process of relisting.

Hope everyone is well!