Tasty Snack - Yum!!!

I think my boyfriend gets a little bored when he is taking photos - every once in a while he will write something goofy on the inventory sheet (the last one was a sheet he titled "Yet Another F*ing Picnic Basket"), or I'll find a photo like the one I just found when I posted this listing (click to enlarge):

This week's auction goodness...

I actually did manage to list some new eBay auctions last week, amidst all the craziness... Some cool things, if I do say so myself... let's have a look, shall we?

Mid-Century Modern Candle Holder Set

I'm so in love with these candle holders that if I had room for them anywhere in my house there is NO WAY they would be for sale...

Vintage Mexican Pottery Bird Candle Holder Set

I picked up over 20 vintage Mexican pottery figures at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago - I just love the detail on them, they are always hand painted with the prettiest designs! I have a buyer on Etsy who collects them and always gets first dibs, she chose these 6:

Cute huh? She has great taste! ;)

Vintage Mexico Pottery Toucan Bird Figurine

Painted Blue Floral Mexican Bird Figurine

I have lots more listed, clickety click if you want to check them all out!

Vintage Plastic Trash Can & Tissue Box Set

Another estate sale find, what a great (and practical!) way to accessorize a vintage styled bathroom! I love the blue, black and white color combo, and the butterflies and leaves are just perfect...

Vintage 1940's Table Globe

I love old globes - this is another piece that we would be keeping if we had room for it, because Will loves them too! It has some condition issues, mainly surface scratching - but that's part of the charm sometimes, am I right? ;)

Vintage Ucago Ceramic Bust Figurines - Japan

I love that these busts are of a little boy and a little girl - and all white! They would look so great on a bookshelf or mantle...

Vintage Chinese Wicker Basket Canister Set

I went to a really crazy estate sale a few weeks ago - the man loved to travel, and he collected all kinds of unique things - pottery, artwork, religious pieces... most of it I knew nothing about, so I didn't come home with much, but I did pick up this pretty wicker basket style canister set.

Vintage Kromex Metal Pasta Canister Set

I also got this really unusual vintage aluminum Kromex canister set from that sale - I've never seen canisters this shape from Kromex before, they would be perfect for storing pasta!

Vintage Ceramic Rooster & Hen Figurine Set

There's something about these that makes me love them - they are a larger size, which helps, but really I think its their shape - especially the rooster's tail... I'm hoping there is a collector out there who will give these beauties a good home! :)

As always, this is only a partial list... click here to see everything that is up for auction right now!

Planning for 2009...

Now that the holiday shopping season online is winding down, I am starting to think about 2009. I can't believe it is really almost here, first of all... Where did this year go?!? Seriously?!?

Ah well, there's nowhere to go but forward, so I've been trying to point myself in the right direction for the new year. That means deciding where I will be directing my energies, what my priorities are going to be, and where I would like to be at this time next year!

Here is what I have come up with so far:

Vintage Goodness

Right now Vintage Goodness consists of three online shops (one eBay store and two Etsy stores), eBay auctions, this blog, and half my house. It's the half my house part that is causing me the most trouble - I'm out of room!

I can't expand any more with the types of items I've been selling. It's just physically impossible. So I am going to focus the next couple of months on expanding into a few areas that I have been putting on the back burner for a while now...

Costume Jewelry

I have a huge stash of vintage jewelry waiting to be listed - easily 100 pieces or more. It's small, easy to store, easy to ship - exactly the type of item I need to be working with! So I have a plan... I am going to list them in my main Etsy shop, and cross-list them into my Vintage Goodness booth on Bonanzle.

Bonanzle is a great new selling venue, and I have loved becoming a part of the community there through doing the Brainstorming Bonanzle podcast with Walt. Listing is free, so I won't be out a dime giving it a try! Gotta love that...

Children's Books

I have a huge stash of vintage kids books too - I can't pass them up when I find them! They are destined for my 2nd Etsy shop, if I can ever find the time to get them listed! I will - think positive, right? - because they are also easy to store and easy to ship - and again, those are the two most important criteria right now!

Ephemera

The other thing I have a TON of is paper ephemera - I've experimented with listing some of it in my main Etsy shop and it has done pretty well, so it is definitely on the to-do list to get some more up there. And there is NOTHING easier to store and ship than paper - a big thanks to the USPS for offering cheap 1st class shipping and flat rate Priority envelopes!

The Vintage List

My little vintage shop directory that could is growing, slowly but surely. I've finally nailed down the membership pricing and structure, and the blog is gaining a bit of traction - just the other day Ina from AuctionBytes linked to it in her NewsFlash article! I was doing cartwheels. ;)

I've also made a couple of great partnerships, with the RubyLane blog and with RetroRenovation.com - both of which should really help getting some good quality traffic to the site!

My goal for 2009 is to devote more time and energy to the blog, and to continute to forge relationships that will grow traffic for the site!

Podcasting

If you check out my sidebar you will see two fancy new widgets - one for the AuctionWally show, and one for the Brainstorming Bonanzle show. Both are now on TalkShoe - it's a great platform that works well, and allows people to sign in and chat during live shows, follow their favorite shows, and access all past episodes in the archive. We can also upload recorded content, which is a big plus!

I think 2009 is going to be a fun year for both shows, with lots of great content and guests - stay tuned! ;)

Figure8Jeans.com

My non-vintage side project - selling plus size women's jeans - is coming along, I should hopefully be ready for an official launch sometime in the next month or so! I was debating on where to have my main storefront, but I've decided to put it on BuyItSellIt.com - it's a great platform that has everything I need to run a professional stand-alone store.

I am also going to do a blog, focusing on the business as well as on plus size lifestyle issues in general - fashion, media, health, etc. I am pretty excited about it, it will be fun to blog about something new that interests me (being a curvy girl myself!). I am trying out Typepad for that blog, hopefully it will do everything I want it to do...

BooksFYI.com

I think I have mentioned here before that I have taken on a freelance project getting some local dealers of antique and collectible reference guides up online. It has been quite an adventure, and we are coming along quite nicely - the website is up (on BuyItSellIt, using it for this project and liking it is what swayed my decision to put Figure8Jeans there!) - booksFYI.com - and we are listing on eBay, Amazon, and a few other book sites.

I would say it will be growing in leaps and bounds over the next several months... It's been fun learning more about the online bookselling market, and I'm excited to help them grow their online presence!

Hrm, is that everything?

Oh yeah - I guess I'll need to find some time to eat, sleep, and shower... Wish me luck!

Antique Week asks - is vintage on Etsy the future of the antiques trade?

I just found out about a truly amazing article from Antique Week about the vintage sellers on Etsy! I am so happy to have the hard work that all the vintage sellers are doing on Etsy finally be recognized... Most people still don't even know that you can sell antiques and collectibles there - it is kind of the site's best kept secret, really!

My favorite quote from the article:

"The growing legions of Etsy sellers and buyers are establishing an important Internet marketplace for vintage – as well as handmade – goods. This young and vibrant set may be the future of the antiques trade"

This is a very thought provoking idea - just like every other market, the antiques market changes and evolves over time. (The people who are active within it, as well as the items they buy and sell.) What worked 20 or even 10 years ago may not work now, and what no one was interested in then could now be the new hot thing...

Are the vintage sellers on Etsy helping to shape the market for the future? Have they tapped into what a younger generation of collectors are interested in, maybe things that older people (who have been in the trade for longer than some of us have been alive!) would never look at twice?

I guess only time will tell, but as a vintage seller on Etsy and a member of the Etsy Vintage Street Team, I can tell you that you will not find a more passionate and committed group of dealers - hard working, forward thinking, and completely in love with what they do!

This might be a good time to remind everyone that the Walking In A Vintage Wonderland holiday promotion from the EVST is still in full swing - we are giving away a $10 gift certificate to a different Etsy shop every day- click here to get all the details on how to enter!

Good Night, Bettie Page.

Bettie Page, the 1950s pinup credited with helping to spark the next decade's sexual revolution, died in Los Angeles yesterday from pneumonia. She was 85.

My Dad rocks.

I think I've mentioned before that my Dad likes to go to auctions and buy things for me to sell. He's getting really good at it! Look at the cuteness I've got listed right now that he found:

Vintage Lefton Owl Ceramic Cookie Jar

Vintage Ceramic Mama Squirrel w/ Babies Figurines - Japan

Vintage Karoff Federal Glass Shell Shrimp Cocktail Set

My Dad rocks. :)

New Favorite Link - Plaid Stallions

I just discovered a site that I can't believe I haven't seen before - Plaid Stallions. It's tagline is "Mocking the 70's One Catalog Page At A Time." Perfect. :)

Have A Very Vintage Christmas!

I'm a little bit biased, of course... but I have to point all of you who are looking for Vintage items to give as gifts this year to check out the amazing group of shops that are listed on my directory, The Vintage List... So much cool stuff I can't do it justice in words! Just click the graphic above to check it out! :)

Win a $10 gift certificate to my Etsy shop today!

Today is my day to be the featured shop in the Etsy Vintage Street Team's "Walking in a Vintage Wonderland" holiday gift certificate promotion!

All you have to do is head over to this post on the EVST blog and leave a comment that includes the url of one of the items that you like in my shop (it doesn't have to be the one you will use your gift certificate on) and your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner! Easy peasy.

So run over there and enter right now! Seriously, don't wait - you might forget, or your internet might go down, or you might suddenly stop loving vintage (ok, maybe not that one)...