Mini Greeting Card

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I love freebies, especially when they are as cute as these mini free card sets from Eat, Drink Chic. I have been on the hunt for a few cute cards to use (or make) for upcoming birthdays and holidays. I think these will do quite nicely.

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You can snag your free set from Amy over at her blog (Eat, Drink, Chic). Just follow the link and download and print to your heart's content.

Mini Greeting Card Set Link

Vintage Back Talk:: No Carantions

Meet Sheena the face behin No Carnations

Hello everyone! Today I am once again thrilled to bring you an amazing vintage colector and seller! Today please welcome, Sheena of No Carnations a vintage clothing shop on Etsy. She also has a home decor vintage etsy shop too No Carnations Home and she is a fellow blogger.

1. Why Do You Love Vintage?
Tatted lace with unbelievable detail, embroidery, hand-stitching, printed fabrics from the 40's with such great shapes and color combinations that don't appear in the mass produced labels of today.
I often think about what modern items could be vintage treasures in 50-110 years.
Will any of these modern clothes be able to stand the test of time? With the exception of a few designer labels, I still don't have the answer.

2. What got you started collecting vintage?
I started buying and collecting vintage at a very young age. I remember finding a beautiful pair of antique lace gloves and wearing them to class in the 4th grade, a la Madonna. It wasn't Halloween, it was just a Tuesday. Lots of bangles and some teased hair. I must have looked crazy. Fun, but crazy.

3. Do you have any tips or tricks you would share with htose interested in getting started collecting vintage?

When I got started, I didn't know anything really. I knew what I liked and what drew me in, but not which time period it was from or how it might have been made. Experience taught me so much and talking with my fellow Vintage sellers. The learning curve is off the charts once you immerse yourself in vintage. Reading about textile production in the 30's can lead you to fabrics and their availability during and after the second world war which takes you to cut and design of the 50's and then on to copyright and so on. All of which knowing can help you date a piece. With that said I learn something new every day and sometimes I still don't know exactly what I am looking at when I come across a new piece.
Some books I recommend and that you can find in the student union of any college with a fashion design program- Very different from the vintage books at your local Barnes and Nobles

Survey of Historical Costume- Tortora & Eubank
The Fairchild dictionary of Fashion- Calasibetta & Tortora
Ready-to-Wear Apparel Analysis - Brown & Rice

Thank you Sheena! Be sure to check out Sheena's Shops No Carnations and No Carnations Home & Her Blog too!

Vintage Back Talk:: Rachael Brooke Designs

Hello friends! Today I am thrilled to share with you an interview with artist Rachael Brooke of Rachael Brooke Designs. She not only is going to share her beautiful vintage upcycled jewelry with you today, but she is also offering 1 GoatNotes reader a chance to win $40 to her Etsy Shop! (See Giveaway Below). But, enough chat. Let's hear what Racheal has to say.

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In Rachael's words:

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I’m Rachael Brooke Winkley and I’m a jewelry artist. I have been selling my work at art fairs, outdoor markets and to stores and galleries since 1998. I began my adventure as a full-time artist just a few years ago and launched my Vintage Metals Collection in June 2010.

I became an artist-in-residence at Mendota Mental Health Institute (MMHI) and moved into my studio there in May 2010. I’m part of a group of artists who teach classes or facilitate other arts/creative projects throughout the facility. I teach a Monday afternoon art class with a group of 4-6 men.

I’ve just started my studio blog for several reasons: to give readers a view inside an art studio; to share the fun I have in the process of creating my jewelry; and simply as a way to connect with the world after spending so much of the day alone in my studio.

1. Why do you love vintage?


My parents sparked my love of vintage things by instilling the thrill of the hunt for treasure and a love for selling it at an early age. They were broke college students with loads of creativity and a knack for finding great stuff at rummage and estate sales. I grew up in a small Wisconsin town in a very eclectic 1970's home (i.e. artsy-hippie-bohemian) filled with second-hand furniture and vintage decorative items. My parents would also take their finds to sell at the 7-Mile Fair Flea Market in Milwaukee, WI to make rent and grocery money. A few times, they set me up with my own table where I sold old beer cans my dad and I had collected (i.e. they threw really good hippie parties). I made my first $200 selling those beer cans somewhere around 1978

2. What sparked your interest in using vintage pieces in your jewelry?


My love for vintage clothing and jewelry started in high school. I went to all the dances in head-to-toe vintage outfits. Back then (in the now vintage 1980's) I could score vintage wear for super cheap at the second-hand stores. That was before they knew what they had and started tagging stuff as "retro" or "vintage". At some point after high school, it occurred to me to start taking apart ugly costume necklaces with great crystal beads and use the beads in my new jewelry designs. I started Rachael Brooke Designs selling my vintage crystal jewelry.

3. Where do you get your ideas for new jewelry?


I’m always looking around at shapes and designs and thinking about how I might use them in jewelry design. I use plastic design templates for many of the shapes in my Vintage Metals Collection. I have a simple fan shape design that is the corner piece of a sectional sofa on a furniture template. I also make my own templates by tracing designs on to Lexan (plexiglass) and cutting them out with my jeweler’s saw. I get the Lexan scraps from the framing shop at MMHI. I also find fantastic designs on the tins I turn into jewelry. I traced a design from a Russian tea tin that I call my “pointy cloud” design which you can see in my Barn Dance necklace:
www.etsy.com/listing/73801298/barn-dance-vintage-candy-tin-necklace

4. Where do you find all of your vintage materials you use in your jewelry?


I find my materials at flea markets, estate sales and resale shops. I'm also game for picking through curbside piles of garbage or diving in a dumpster now and then. It's very time consuming and sometimes a bust, but I love digging around at the markets and shops for tins, trays and other metal objects to turn into jewelry.

5. Tell us more about your studio


My studio is in a 1920’s one-story bungalow style building on the MMHI grounds that was built to house World War I veterans who were being treated for “shell shock” symptoms. It’s just under 200 square feet (198 to be exact) with high ceilings and three huge windows. I've decorated it with the really exceptional tins I can't bring myself to cut up. I love being part of a group of artists who share the same building. It’s simply the best studio I’ve ever had. Of course, my last studio was in our basement so I would have been excited to move into a big walk-in closet on the first floor.

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GIVEAWAY!!!

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Rachael is also offering 1 lucky reader a $40 gift certificate to her Etsy shop! To enter do one of the following 3 options. Do all three to increase your chances of winning! A winner will be announced on Saturday July 1st by 12:00 PM PST on GoatNotes.
1) follow Rachael on Twitter, tweet about this Vintage Back Talk post and about Rachael and post a comment on Goat Notes
2) Like Rachael's Facebook page, post a comment there about about this Vintage Back Talk Post and post a comment on Goat Notes.
3. Or Become a follower of Goat Notes & Leave a Comment that you have done so!

Monday Wisdom:: How You Take It



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 ***Monday***

Today is just another Monday for me. Working, resting, and moving along in my daily routine.

This week promises some wonderful moments for me and my loved ones. Hopefully time well spent with cousins from the East (coast, that is!), more time spent playing with some very special friends outdoors and fingers crossed we hear some news on this BIG transition I keep hinting at (seriously, more to come on that once I know more).

So, yes it's all about that road and how you take it. No matter how quickly you travel along the road of your day, week, year or life it's all about enjoying the moments along the way. Stop and take a moment to absorb some peace. Smell something you love. View something that makes your smile. I know, I will be doing that this week!

Wishing all of you a joyful Monday and week friends. Check back in this space for my second rendition of Vintage Back talk (See last week's HERE).

XOXO,

Julia

PS: If you didn't see yesterday's post check it out. I have some special ways to promote and celerbrate YOU!

Call for Features & Sponsors

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Yes, get filled with joy and become a guest blogger or sponsor! GoatNotes is looking for sponsors and blogs to feature for the months of June-September. Sponsoring GoatNotes is easy, and FREE! Here are just a few options:


*FREE Option 1: Let's Swap! I will send you a little package of my handmade creations for you to share as a giveaway or just as a post on your blog. Link to my blog and place my button on your blog/web page. Send me a few of your handmade creations and a button/picture to link back your blog/website. You will be listed in my sponsor section for three months! Use my contact page to discuss details. Subject Line: "Let's Swap"

*Free Option 2: Swap blogs for a day! Come over to my space for a day and share a little about yoruself and what you do! And have me share on yours! I am always looking for fun craft tutorials, home decor tutorials, recipes, outdoor games and fun for children and families, gardening, Go Green posts and DIY. Let me know what you would like to share and we can discuss what works best. I will list you among my sponsors for three months! Contact me via my contact page. Subject Line: "Blog Exchange"

*Free Option 3:  Get Featured! Over the next few months GoatNotes will be undergoing some renovations and that includes developing new regularly featured articles, which I am looking for others who wuld be willing to share their expertise with my readers on one or more of the following topics:

-Vintage Selling, Collecting, Crafting, Vintage Revamp
-  Thrifting & Money Saving
- Gardening in small spaces
- Craft-Business How-To

I will share a link to your blog/shop/website and promote the post through my network and you post through yours. Contact me via my contact page. Subject Line: "Get Featured"

For any of the options above I will...

• list you among my favorite blogs on the Blogs I Heart page
• I will include a button to your blog/shop on the upper right-hand column of GoatNotes. 
• I will promote you and your post throughout my blog network.

Check out more details on my Sponsor Page. Contact me HERE

Vintage Back Talk: Jean Jean Vintage



Meet Duff of Jean Jean Vintage

 

Hello readers! I have an exciting new vintage feature to share with you. From now through the end of summer expect a fabulous interviews with some very talented vintage gurus, collectors, sellers, artists, bloggers and many more- every couple of weeks. You can expect these features to appear on Tuesdays.

If you are involved with vintage goodness, please don't hesistate to contact me! I would be happy to feature you too!

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To kick off the first Vintage Back Talk I am honored to share with you one of my favoirte vintage sellers from Etsy,

JeanJean Vintage.

In her words...



1.How long have you been shopping vintage? What got you started/ interested? I've been shopping for vintage clothing since I was in middle school. I like the thrill of the hunt. Regular stores organized by size and style make me sad! I started collecting vintage and antique jewelry about three years ago. I really don't know why!

2. Why do you love vintage?I appreciate things that are well-crafted and built to last. I am also very nostalgic and I like the hidden history in old things.

3. Do you have any tips or tricks you could share for those interested in starting to collect vintage pieces?
 I think the most important thing about collecting is to buy what you like and don't overthink your purchases. Yes, that Art Deco necklace at your local antique shop might seem a little expensive, but in 10 years it will be twice as expensive and in 20 years you might not be able to find it at any price. In other words, think about the long-term and don't fret so much about finding a good deal. When you buy great vintage and antiques, you are making an investment.

 You can see more of Jean Jean Vintage jewelry in her Etsy shop.

Also check out Duff's blog: jeanjeanvintage