Last night I stumbled upon this amazing set of hardcover books from 1955. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them! Each book is in amazing shape - the only wear is from the sticker I had to peel off that had the price on it. (So angering!)
These are so visually pleasing. I can see these in someone's home, proudly displayed, as well as someone buying these for their children.
Here are the pictures from the listing, plus a few more:
I also found some other great antique books! This one caught my eye right away
I have a soft spot for these Junior Deluxe Books - you can probably buy the entire collection in my shop! Plus, this one is about a dog, which I love.
Friends, I just created this one of a kind tote bag and I am in love! It's always an amazing (and doesn't happen regularly) feeling when you set out to create something and you do so with out any major mistakes in the process! I feel like I'm finally starting to get good at this sewing thing.
This tote was made with a variety of products:
A vintage dog patch that I thrifted years ago
Gold and White striped fabric that I got from my mom's stash
Floral fabric that I bought in Chinatown in San Francisco
Sheer Polka dot fabric (the lining) that's from my mom's stash as well
Seafoam stripe fabric that I thrifted awhile ago
That's kind of a lot of stuff!! I love that my fabric stash has things from all over. It's so fun to just go in and put things together, and then think "what part of the world is all this from?" I have fabrics from Bangkok, London, all over the US, Cambodia, etc..
Anyway, this tote is for sale in my colorblock shop!
Here are some extra photos of the tote, since Etsy only allows 5:
A blend of floral & seafoam.. so visually pleasing!
I love the polka dot lining, it's the perfect touch!
Things have been quiet over here. I turned 26 in January and decided to spend my birthday in Hawaii :)
I climbed to the top of the Koko Crater, swam in the Pacific, took a road trip around the entire island and saw whales. It was a good birthday, if I do say so myself.
Tonight we're expecting yet another attempt of a snow-storm. I just heard about it an hour ago, that's how big of a deal it really isn't. These things always have a tendency to happen when I'm not working, though, so I'm thankful. I'm debating if I want to move my entire apartment around tonight (I'm really in the mood for a change). I think it will happen, if I don't go out for margaritas first..
And in other news, I posted some new things on etsy in the last week or so! Check it out..
I love this fuzzy bag. It's in perfect shape, too.
A super sweet unicorn sun catcher
Floral Wedges.. I'm kind of in love.
electric blue 80's clutch/purse.. still has the tags!
big shop update tonight! I did end up posting those shorts & i listed some handmade items by my mother, a blazer & an adorable vest.
It might seem weird to be listing something handmade with love by your mother, but she won't be wearing them and neither will i! so why not pass it on to someone who will love them? that's what i'm all about - it would make both of us feel better to know they're not sitting in a chest but instead being worn and shown off somewhere around the world :)
i also listed a lovely skirt that i've had for almost 2 years! I bought it thinking it was a skirt, and when i went to model it, i discovered that it was a pair of shorts! now, i have respect for garments in their original form, but i knew it would be 1000x better as a fun and flirty pleated skirt. and of course, with it's design, it's perfect for fall!
there are some other great items as well & more on the way of course!
i also can't wait to post what i found at garage sales this past weekend - some amazing necklaces, including the one i'm wearing in all of my new listings! I also went to the flea market and found some great treasures - i will try to post those tomorrow!
This morning, even though I biked to school instead of taking the el (can you believe it takes the SAME amount of time!?) I was early to class. As I sat down to get my books out to start studying, I was joined by another classmate of mine. We started talking about things, like Chicago, California, school, and then work. I don't know how we got on the topic, but I had mentioned that money alone doesn't motivate me and how I don't really need nice things. She responded with "Oh not me, I'm so greedy".
I don't know why, but that comment struck me as so unappealing. I never thought I'd hear someone boast on how greedy they were, or talk about it like it was a good thing. Yet she talked about how she lives in a nice place and wants to be famous and likes nice things and just wants a lot of money. None of this is a bad thing, it just made me realize I'm in a totally different world. (Which, I gotta say, I'm totally okay with.)
Money is complicated. I have always much preferred trading (although I will be honest, I am not a good candidate to trade on Etsy. Since I don't personally NEED things and try not to get things that I don't really want, I almost never trade - but i AM open to it so PLEASE ask!) or bartering. I think you get more out of life that way. But, that's just me and I am not in any way saying that this way is better than $$. It is just who I am!
A good thing that happened today: for some reason, several students asked me how old I was. I said 23. They were all shocked and said I looked younger. Win!
A few days ago, I was sitting here surfing the web and I just thought I'd see where the "Promote your page" button would take me on Facebook. Before I knew it, I had my credit card out and I was placing an ad! This entry is all about that in-between process.
Facebook ads, and I'm sure there are plenty of helpful links on FB explaining this - are fairly easy to figure out. You write a description of what you're advertising ("Affordable and colorful Vintage Clothing and Accessories by Marjie W! New items added daily!"), upload a photo and choose where you want your ad to link. For me, I chose my Facebook page, simply because people can become "fans" (or whatever the term is these days) right away. You have to be a member of Etsy to favorite a shop, and a lot of people don't feel like going through that process just to be like "I want to favorite this shop!" Sure, they might see my shop and say "oh my gosh I NEED to buy this!" but I figured I'd just play it safe and link it to my FB page.
You can choose to pay by clicks or per 1,000 impressions. I chose impressions because I know there will be tons of clicks and not a lot of saving-of-the-page going on. I pay .28 per 1,000 impressions. You can bid on how much you want to pay - I actually just changed my bid to .25 to see what happens. I will let you know.
Another cool thing is that YOU set your target market by putting in keywords. Since I am very international-shipping friendly, I chose to target a couple different countries. I added a lot of tags such as "vintage clothing, 80s, retro" etc. to narrow it down. Just put what works for you! And the great part is that you can always go back and change the ad! If you don't like the photo you chose or you'd like it to say something else, it's easy to manage!
So far I've noticed about 17-20 new fans. It's great! I really have no idea how many sales are from fans, but I don't really mind. I set it to charge me $2.00 a day so that's a couple thousand impressions. I think it is totally worth it to try and you don't really lose that much money!
I'm doing my first ever GIVEAWAY! I made a video ALL ABOUT IT! Watch here:
So, in case you didn't catch it in the video or don't want to watch it, here are the rules for the giveaway:
To be officially "entered" to win something, you must do 1 of 2 things (or both!) 1) Go to one of my shops (www.marjiew.etsy.com OR www.acinom.etsy.com) and find something you REALLY like, come back here and post a link! Don't forget to tell my WHY you like it! (And don't worry, I don't expect you to BUY anything!) 2) Post a minimum of THREE things you do frequently to help the Earth! Please be honest, too! Tell my WHY you do them or what inspired you to do them. So they can be "I use reusable bags, drive a Prius, and drink out of the tap instead of buying bottled water!" Feel free to put down more things - I want to learn other ways to change my lifestyle to help the earth. And remember, Earth day is April 20th!
Each person is allowed TWO entries. They don't have to be both options, you can do two of the same! (ex: pick TWO items from my shop, or post two separate comments on eco-friendly things)
Also, this giveaway is NOT limited to U.S. residents- you can be from anywhere! But the packages I will be sending are small, so they will take a little bit longer to ship. Also, please be aware that First Class International Postage cannot be insured, so there is no guarantee you will receive your item. (it's likely you will, though)
Thanks so much! I will be posting the giveaway items shortly, so stay tuned!
Oh yea! I meant to say "Make LESS of an impact on the environment" not "Make an impact!" haha, oops! Sorry about all the rambling!
It's Friday! Which means two things: I should've went to my math class today, and Friday begins with an "F". Let me elaborate....
First off, everyone deserves ONE day to NOT go to class, right? I'm not really one to miss, but today it's 40 degrees, I have a car, and I just had to go explore!
Second, Friday begins with an F! So does the word FINDS! So... FRIDAY FINDS! How many times has this been done before? Probably too many, but ah well!
This week I found some AMAZING shops. Chouettes, based in LA, makes absolutely gorgeous jewelry. I am in love with her color choices, the simplicity of some of her earrings, and of course the color mixtures that she uses in some of her items. So amazing! I will definitely be picking up some of her items in the near future. Vintage Inspired Glass Ball Earrings with Bows- Mint Green
When I saw this item in the voter, I fell in love! It's made by Imaginationkids, who are based in Indiana. I love the shades of blue (I definitely love light blue) and the lovely design. I love nature as well, so it all comes together. I can see this on my desk in the future, or as home decor somewhere else.
Iceberg Stacking toy- Natural Wooden Toy
LOVE! These lemendrop earrings look delicious. I am not even a lemon drop kinda girl, but these look amazing! Made by Erika Price from the UK. Again, something I'm going to have to pick up sometime in the future. I never wore earrings before, but after finding all these items, I really want to start!! Fun Lemon Yellow Dolly Mixtures Sterling Silver Earrings, Haiti Relief
Check out this super kawaii bow made by BlueberryShoes!! I am a HUGE fan of Kawaii things, bows, pink.. anything girly! (although you wouldn't know it by looking at me!) Check out the rest of her bows, too - everything is super cute and full of girly goodness!! Pink Kawaii Hair Bow
Well, i hope you enjoyed these finds! Ok time to go out and make some guacamole!!
