Back Home Again, the blog, has moved. Find my new blog and new look here...
October 30, 2010
August 07, 2010
Today's Finds: Industrial Metal Cabinets and Swivel Stool
I was out scouring the country side for inventory today when I stumbled upon this fabulous {words can't begin to describe how great it is} old industrial stool! To be more exact it is an Adjusto Equipment Co. swivel industrial stool circa 1940s {I believe}. It is in amazing condition and I desperately wanted to put it in my Back Home Again inventory stock but the hubby says no. Some day we will be in our industrial loft and it will be perfect. For now, it can set at our little island in our suburban home. It's so comfortable and in such great condition. I only wish I could find another one {like that's going to happen}.
I also found this metal cabinet today. It is special for a couple of reasons. One, it is really old and rare {my best guess is 1940s}. Two, it has a sticker on it from Colorado A & M College {now known as Colorado State University} . This will go in to Back Home Again stock and will eventually be listed for sale.
May 1, 1957, the Colorado General Assembly approved the new name of Colorado State University for Colorado A & M College. No matter what you call it, it's a great school!
July 26, 2010
Nostalgia: Collecting Vintage Cookie Jars!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ideal for decorating or storing your kitchen utensils, vintage cookie jars are as eye catching as they are functional. I guess you could even store your cookies in them. Some collectors focus on a specific theme {think animals or clowns} while others collect from certain potteries {think Shawnee or McCoy}.
As with all vintage collectibles and antiques, prices vary depending on age, condition and rarity. I've paid as little as $5 for a McCoy 1970s cookie jar without the lid {think flea market, dirty with chip} or you can find some jars priced in the hundreds {think excellent condition, clean, rare and very old}. The key is to educate yourself and know your limits. Speaking of educating yourself, head on over to Muggsey and Mae's Vintage Collectibles for all you need to know about vintage cookie jars!
{American Bisque Vintage Cookie Jar/ Boy Pig with Patch on Pants/ 1950s}
Jazz Junque Inc. has the most amazing collection of vintage cookie jars you'll find anywhere. To find more visit her web site Jazz Junque Inc. or her amazing blog...
All photos are used with permission of the individual dealer but that doesn't mean they gave you permission. Please do not lift photos from Back Home Again {the blog} without permission from individual dealers. Thanks so much...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 25, 2010
A Little Vintage Shop
I'm in the process of researching new sites for Back Home Again (the shop) and the one I'm most impressed with is Big Cartel. I love the way it allows you to create more of an individual presence on-line and I'm starting to think it's a better business model for Back Home Again than Etsy. I don't know about you but I'm tired of working my butt off to bring traffic in to my store and loosing it to other sellers. I liken it to a brick and mortar having trap doors throughout. So anyway I've been browsing around over at Big Cartel and I stumbled upon this amazing vintage shop. Patti is the owner of "a little vintage shop" and she is doing so many things right that I just had to give her a BIG shout out.
Listen up people....
1) She has a warm and inviting look that draws you right in. It's warm, fun and most of all personal. You'll have to click on over to see her front door because I couldn't get a good picture of the entire front page. Isn't the banner awesome?
2) Information about herself. So many people are afraid they are going to be stalked if they put their info on-line. I'm not saying put up a bunch of personal data but people want to know about you and I think Patti has done a great job with that. It's important to personally connect with your customers and that sneaker photo does that in a BIG way!
3) Pictures that are interesting without being too over done! Good light, interesting backgrounds and variety make her pictures stand out and make you want to click to see more of the product. I can also see myself wearing this apron and using the typewriter in my home.
{vintage apron in delightful orange & purple fabric - free shipping!}
I would love to hear from sellers that are on Big Cartel and how you think it compares to Etsy! No bashing please, I just want a good honest business discussion about both models... Leave a comment!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 17, 2010
Vintage Toledo Scale, 1952
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, I've been gone awhile. Yes, I'm back from Indiana and we had a great trip. Unearthed some great finds while scouring the country side and was totally inspired by the lovely Indiana landscape. I've never seen the corn so high that early in the summer. It's been a busy summer with kids out of school, work schedules and scouring for inventory. Next week I'm going to share with you the process I go through recycling vintage textiles. We are going to take a look at creating a tote bag from a feed-sack and I'm still hooked on vintage tablecloths so yep we'll revisit that topic as well.
Hope you're all having a wonderful summer!
Take a look at what I found this week at a local Estate Sale. A Toledo hanging scale that came out of a local supermarket that closed a few years ago. I can't positively date it but I'm guessing 1970s, although the copyright is 1952, I'm not sure the scale is that old. It doesn't really matter to me because it's not for sale! It will hang in my studio and use it to store/display some lovely vintage feed-sacks. If you have any info about these Toledo Hanging Scales, I would love to hear from you. Just leave a comment!
June 17, 2010
Going Back Home Again in Indiana!
I'm headed back home again to Indiana for a few days to reconnect with my family and with myself. When I go home, I am able to center myself, be with people that I love and slow down a lot. When I'm feeling homesick, I like to browse through the amazing photography of a fellow hoosier in Cass County, IN. She has incredible talent and the true spirit of understanding the joy and comfort of being Back Home Again.
This is just a little sample of the beauty of the place I call home. A BIG thanks to Judi for her generosity in sharing her work and amazing talent. These photos were taken in Cass County, Indiana and can be found in her flickr stream. Not sure when I'll be back from my blog break but you can bet I will be. I hope you continue to have a wonderful summer season!
June 13, 2010
Online Selling: Surviving the Summer Months!
This time of the year is always slow for online sellers. Every summer you see people on the Etsy forums complaining and wondering what Etsy is going to do about their decline in sales. Of course, there's not a darn thing your online partner can do about it. Your buyers want to be out side soaking up the summer sun not setting in front of the computer. I, for one, think that's the way it should be! But there is much to be done during the summer months to improve your shop and your attitude. Like farmers spend their winter months fixing equipment and creating a strategy for spring planting you should be spending your summer months improving your online store. Here's some tips on how to survive the summer months selling online:
Go Outside: It's that time of the year when out door flea markets flourish. Find a local venue that you can participate in and “just do it”. We have a local market here in Fort Collins that promotes handmade goods, antiques and vintage collectibles. It's a perfect fit for Etsy sellers in the area and many participate. Think festivals, back yard sales and local antique malls!
Expand Inventory: Now is the time to prepare for the fall/winter shopping season. Yes, that glorious time of the year when the kids go back to school and people set down in front of their computers again. Your sales will increase but not if you don't have inventory. So if you're a vintage seller get out there and scour your local estate sales and flea markets. If you create handmade, lock yourself in your studio!
Create Marketing/Business Plan: Create a clear vision and plan for you online business. This is something that I'm currently working on. Without a plan, you will find yourself spinning your wheels and being very frustrating.It doesn't have to be a complicated thing (or so I keep telling myself), just think about your vision for your shop, put your goals on paper and take action!
Dust the Isles: With the beautiful summer sunshine, now is the time to improve photographs. It's also time to improve upon your shop announcements, policies and graphics. Does your banner reflect the “feel” of your shop? Are your return policies clear and concise? Does your announcement have the key words you need to be found in google search? It's time to put that biography together so your customers know who you are!
Turn off the Computer: I'm telling you right now you could set and look at that computer screen until the cows come home and it's not going to bring you an abundance of sales. Turn the computer off and go take a walk, spend time with your kids, have a glass of wine, watch the sun set. I guarantee your attitude will improve, if you step back a bit. It's summer and it will be gone before you know it. Enjoy it!
I'd love to hear from you.
Leave a comment with your favorite tip for surviving the summer months online!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 10, 2010
SALE: Vintage and Handmade Goods...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget that June 14th will be the last day to purchase from Back Home Again on Etsy. If you're looking for some vintage tablecloth scraps, vintage buttons or a handmade bag, all at great marked down prices, you may want to check it out! This bag that I created with recycled old Levi's, vintage tablecloth and button is marked down to $15...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 08, 2010
Middle Aged Humor!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please forgive me but I just had to share this with my middle aged readers (yes I'm middle aged). I'm still laughing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 27, 2010
School's out for summer: yippee!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been swamped the past couple of weeks with my kids “end of the school year” events and basically feeling pretty miserable about it. I've yet to master the art of being in two places at one time, having all the right snacks for all the right events and, evidently, I'm not quite as comfortable with being a working mom as I thought I was. Even though I only work 20 hours a week, my job can be demanding and I have a lot of responsibility so I don't attend every single school event or volunteer in the class room. But I have to be honest, even when I was a stay at home mom I never felt like my place was in the classroom. So why does it push my buttons so? The guilt, the anger over the expectations, the frustration and anxiety of not being there for my kids in the classroom. I would give you the long lists of events we've had on our plate the last couple of weeks but it would probably bore you to tears (I know it does me). It's been an intense balancing act and I'm starting to feel the stress in a big way. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to summer: kids sleeping in, hiking, reading, sewing, trips to the local pool, baseball, picnics, no homework, mowed grass, bike rides, trips to the park, antiquing (did I mention, no homework).....
I'm clocking out for the next week to recharge and work behind the scenes a bit. When I come back, we'll have another blog giveaway and a new FREE sewing tutorial. In the mean time, pick up your scraps and get to work on some place mats...
I admit to feeling a little sad about the end of June and the closing of Back Home Again the shop but I'm sticking to my guns and taking a break from that piece of the rat race. So don't forget to purchase now or forever hold your peace...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recent Comments