four years of favorites

Today is the day, four years ago, that I signed up for an Etsy account.  (To celebrate, the entire Etsy shop is marked down 20% now through tomorrow, October 30, so go shop!)  It's been four years of interesting and beautiful finds, and I decided to look through the archive of sold items and pick some favorites.  This was not easy to do--as you can see by the large number of items I picked!  My favorites aren't always the rarest, fanciest, or most expensive finds.  I definitely have a penchant for print dresses, novelty print skirts, and sweaters.  I hope you enjoy sharing my stroll down memory lane--as well as the variety of photo settings as my skills have (hopefully!) improved.

And thank you again to all the wonderful buyers who make Small Earth Vintage possible! 

1 / 1940s pewter gray whitecaps print dress with rhinestone buttons

2 / 1930s sheer sepia plaid chiffon dress

3 / 1920s red chiffon flapper dress with red velvet and rhinestone trim

4 / 1940s navy swiss dot rayon dress with rhinestones, by Georgiana

5 / 1940s Lilli Ann gray chevron stripe skirt suit

1 / purple print party dress with asymmetric bubble skirt

2 / tartan plaid dress with sailor tie neck, by R&K Originals

3 / Danish modern print dress, by Adele Fashions

4 / cabbage rose print dress, by Jean Leslie Junior

5 / blue rose print party dress, by Vago Juniors

6 / olive and copper dot print chiffon party dress

7 / blue rose print dress with scarf neckline

1 / batik print silk wiggle dress, by Johnnye Junior 

2 / golden cheetah print dress, Claudia by George Halley

3 / sunflower print dress

4 / raw silk little black dress and jacket set, by John Galanos

5 / pique daisy print shift dress

1 / peacock print novelty skirt

2 / novelty print musical birds skirt, by Ethelle of California

3 / flannel hound dog novelty print skirt

4 / Paul Klee "Magic Squares" novelty print skirt with matching sash belt, fabric by Fuller Fabrics

5 / spaniels novelty print full circle skirt

1 / 1940s red pinstripe rayon blouse

2 / 1950s jade green and white Orlon sweater with bows

3 / 1950s mid century leaf print zip-up cardigan, by Petti

4 / 1970s tree farm novelty print sweater

5 / 1960s trompe l'oeil belt sweater

1 / deadstock 1960s Russian Princess tapestry coat with faux fur trim

2 / 1960s large round made in France tortoiseshell plastic sunglasses

3 / 1940s tooled caramel leather peeptoe wedges

4 / 1964 Enid Collins Money Tree X wooden box purse

5 / 1970s gold belt with brass sleeping dove buckle

6 / 1950s navy suede pumps with cut outs, by De Angelo

7 / sled dog cowichan sweater

8 / caramel leather accordion fold purse with contrast stitching

9 / early 1940s or 1950s Vera Neumann silk scarf

xo

k

four years!

Yes, tomorrow, October 29, 2012, is Small Earth Vintage's four year Etsy-versary, marking four years since I first signed up on Etsy.  I stepped into selling there tentatively, but soon began listing more and more items.  I quickly fell in love with the site, and how much fun it was both to sell and buy there.  Things have changed a lot on Etsy over the past four years, and though it's been fun, it's also at times been challenging.  Occasionally they've been of the "oh man, what now?" variety, but mostly, these challenges have had a really positive effect.  They've made me evaluate and reevaluate how I do everything, from taking photos, to writing listings, to what I sell, and how I market the shop--and overall, I think they've resulted in improvements to the shop.

So thank you to Etsy, and also, thank you to the thousands of wonderful, charming, vintage-loving customers we've had the honor of meeting on Etsy over the past four years!  We love you, we love that you love vintage, and to celebrate that, everything in the Etsy shop will be 20% off now through Tuesday, October 30, 2012.  (No coupon code needed; prices are already marked down in the shop.)

By the way, the above graphic was made using a tiny snapshot of our shop archives on Flickr.  I'll be sharing a (very difficult to do) blog tomorrow, showing off my favorite Etsy items over the past four years, as culled from the archives.  But in the meantime, you can feel free to peruse the archives yourself, over at Flickr.

xo

k

400th sale!

We had our 400th sale in the Etsy shop tonight! Which is terrific in itself, but the best part is that, by chance, the 400th buyer was my very good friend, and old college roommate, Jessica, who happens to be one of the most stylish people I know. (She's also one of the smartest: she's a Doctor and an art historian, and writes about perfume on the Now Smell This blog, which anyone who has any interest at all in perfume or scented body products and candles should be reading.)

How cool is that? Thank you, Jessica--and everyone else who has bought from us! I have absolutely loved my first year on Etsy. Andy and I are full-time vintage sellers; it's not a hobby for either of us. It's a lot of hard work and it's often frustrating. We know we'll never get rich from it. But we are lucky to be able to do something we love and believe in. And the Etsy shop has totally rekindled my love for what I do.

In other cool news, my wacky vintage mod harlequin boots were on an Etsy admin-curated front page last night with a Holiday Gift Ideas theme. They do totally look like elf shoes don't they? Hmmm... *off to change some tags*

I hope everyone is having a good week. Andy and I are busy (um, well, in all honesty, Andy is doing all the work. Thank you Andy--you rock!) trying to get an indoor photo studio set up in the basement. Finding good light for photo-taking is a challenge in the gray Michigan winters. Wish us luck!

xo
K

it's our first etsy-versary!

Well, tomorrow, October 29 is the actual date, but we're starting the party early!

It's been a fabulous, fun-filled year. Seriously, I don't think I would be enjoying my work nearly as much right now if I hadn't found Etsy. And I am truly grateful--to the site, and to all the wonderful, vintage-loving, stylish customers I've had the privilege to share our finds with.

(Above image is from the Etsy shop of aymujer, who makes incredible papel picado banners and flags. I really want one of her gorgeous, intricate, colorful banners.)

To celebrate and to thank our customers, SmallEarthVintage is offering FREE US SHIPPING on all items (and $8.00 off s&h on anything shipped internationally) today, Wednesday, October 28 until Monday, November 2. Shipping refund will be posted to your PayPal account.

I'll be adding a few new items every day between now and then, too, so go shop--for yourself or early holiday shopping--shipping is on us!

xo
K