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Archive for the ‘Shop Talk’ Category

My new favourite dress from J2 Vintage!

Posted in New Hampshire, Our personal history, Shop Talk, Style, Vintage + Thrift, What We Wore, tagged , , , on September 10, 2012 | 14 Comments »

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There is nothing more exciting than getting a package in the mail!

When I see one of those little yellow slips in my post office box, I flip! My post master must think I’m rather silly. But, when this package arrived I was even more excited than usual. I knew just what it was! My friends Jessa and Judd of Pearl + Earl’s Good-Time Vintage Blog sent me a dress straight from their Etsy shop! Yesterday was the best day I’ve had in a long time, partly because I got to wear my new dress.

Ryan and I were lucky enough to have the day off together, something that doesn’t happen a whole lot anymore, and fortunately it was on a day when our new favourite coffee shop is open! So, we drove to the cutest little town in the area, grabbed some lattes, and started snapping pictures of my new vintage dress. It was such a wonderful way to spend our time!

They sure do know my taste! Doesn’t this look like something I would have picked out for myself? I paired it with one of my scout style ties, a big ol’ belt, and moccasins on this day, but can’t wait to style it for cooler months! This dress is perfect for September weather. The sun has been out, but there’s definitely a chill in the air. And, -gasp- some colour coming into the leaves! I’m so happy that I can enjoy my new dress now, but it will transition well into the winter since it’s thicker material and it’ll go so nicely with tights and boots! Transition pieces are the best when you live in New England and have to think about layering a lot.

In exchange for this gorgeous dress, I sent Jessa + Judd their own ties from my Etsy shop which they styled and blogged about the other day. Make sure to check out the post if you have a moment – they’re both so much fun! I just know you’ll be charmed by their blog and style. It’s always neat to see how other people style my pieces, and makes me feel all warm + fuzzy to see my creations find new homes.

Thanks, Jessa + Judd for sending me such a lovely dress! I’m so happy to be able to share your shop and blog with my readers, I just know they’ll all love what you have to say and show. This dress is obviously darling with it’s dramatic collar and adorable shape, but there are so many other fantastic pieces in their curated vintage shop, so head on over and pick something out for yourself!

Have a wonderful day!

xx.

P.s. The giveaway is now closed and I’ll be announcing the winner in the next couple of days – stay tuned!

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“August” Giveaway with Olive Manna! – CLOSED!

Posted in Crafting, Free Giveaways, Home Decor, Shop Talk, Vintage + Thrift, tagged , , , , on September 6, 2012 | 32 Comments »

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When it comes to giveaways it’s better late than never, right?

The bulk of online stores these days sadden me because of their lack of a regard for their social or environmental impact or their capitalistic tendencies. Yet, there are still shops out there with integrity who seek to make a living doing what they love without compromising their ethics or selling out. I found Olive Manna only just a few weeks ago, but immediately loved everything in her shop {crafting supplies, vintage housewares, handmade decor, even iPhone covers!} and wanted to be able to share her beautifully curated collection with you, my readers. So I contacted her to see if she would be willing to participate in a giveaway.

She generously offered to provide one lucky reader with a $25 voucher to her online shop and a 15% off code {enter JEEZEJULIA15 at check out! Good until Thursday the 13th!} for those readers who don’t win, but would still like to pick something out. Then, she stunned me with her integrity; as is common with blog giveaways, to enter, one often has to “like” a page on facebook, follow on twitter, etc., etc. but Natalie of Olive Manna said she preferred not to gain followers in this way because she wanted to know that those who favourited her shop, read her blog, and kept up with her listings were doing so for genuine reasons. How refreshing! I’m so honored to have Olive Manna working with me on my August giveaway and I’m happy to support her shop for so many reasons.

Here’s how you enter: Just visit her shop and pick out your favourite item then leave a comment on this blog entry telling me which it is! That’s it! No nearly-endless list of social media links, no half-hearted tweeting – just pick out one thing you like the best from her and you could win $25 towards purchasing it! The contest will close Sunday night {September 9th}, so make sure you don’t wait too long to enter! I’ll be announcing the winner sometime next week, so don’t forget to check back in otherwise you may not know if you’ve won!

Good luck, everyone!

xx.

P.s. This giveaway is now closed. Check back this week to see the winner!

{Click photos for sources!}

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How to : Tie a bow tie (video tutorial)

Posted in How We Wore It, My portfolio, Shop Talk, Style, Vintage + Thrift, tagged , , , , on August 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

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When I made Ryan his first bow tie, I knew I’d have to find him a tutorial.

I found one online to show him, and together we both learned from that. Now he’s gotten pretty good at it since I keep making him new ties. And even I can do it without looking, thanks to testing out each one that I put up in  my Etsy shop! So we thought we’d make a video tutorial of our own! I had lots of fun working with video editing again {I haven’t done it in years!} and finding my way around iMovie 09 which I had never actually played with. I hope this helps any of you out there who have been wondering how it’s done!

Happy bow tying!

xx.

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A peek into my shop…

Posted in Crafting, Home Decor, Home Tour, Sewing, Shop Talk, Vintage + Thrift, tagged , , , on August 6, 2012 | 11 Comments »

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This year Etsy opened up an About page for every shop!

It’s a space where each shop owner can go into greater detail about their process, inspiration, and work space, and I love that idea! So I’ve been very excited to update my own and this week I put the finishing touches on it! I’m so pleased with how the page turned out that I thought I’d share it with you. There’s only space for five photos on there, so the extras here are just for you. Enjoy!

First stop is the sewing station {above} where all of my products come to life. Bess is my trusty sewing machine, always ready for more work and easy to run. It’s smooth sailing when we’re working together…most of the time.

Also in my shop space is Ryan’s Grandmother’s old sewing machine / my packing station. I stitch all of my packages shut to avoid all of that obnoxious packing tape {photos of my packages here!} so having two machines is a real help.

With every order I tuck three snapshots inside. They’re all freshly printed from this station, but some of them are photos taken of my family throughout the years. The rest are little moments that I couldn’t stand to see disappear.

More photos of the room itself later! Thanks for visiting.

xx.

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100 Sales Sale!

Posted in Free Giveaways, My portfolio, New In My Shop This Week, Shop Talk on August 2, 2012 | 2 Comments »

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I’m nearing 100 sales in my Etsy shop!

To say thanks, and because I’m excited to hit that mark, I’m having a sale! All sales until I hit 100 {and including the 100th sale} will be 15% off with the discount code ONEHUNDREDSALES. Plus, the hundredth person themselves will get an 8 1/2 x 11″ framed print of The Days Are Long image that I made and shared last week. Wouldn’t that look lovely up on your wall?

Happy shopping!

xx.

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How To Wear: The Scalloped Collar

Posted in How We Wore It, My portfolio, Shop Talk, Style, What We Wore, tagged , , , on July 31, 2012 | 5 Comments »

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Adding something unique to a wardrobe can be a difficult step.

Most people find that their closets contain very similar styles, but in varying colors and patterns, or very similar colors and patterns, but on different articles of clothing. We all have particular trends and habits within our comfort zone, so even if you like something new and different on someone else, it may be hard to take the plunge and add that piece to your own collection.

One thing that helps me to branch out from my norm is to test out or imagine the article I’m considering with various pieces that I already have. Sometimes I’ll find that one little accessory can change the whole look of an outfit I wear a lot, or that it encourages me to mix in things that I already own, but don’t often wear.

To imagine my scalloped collar as an element of my wardrobe, I added it, like a cherry on top, to three different looks created from my closet. I found that it works very nicely with any top that has a higher neckline, but it could also be worn with the right lower neckline, if it were treated as a statement necklace instead of a collar! Which look is your favourite?

Look 1 | Feminine, and slightly dressed up, this is a great look for a work day. It’s just a boxy top and a skirt that are polished off with my detachable collar and a belt!

Look 2 | You may remember this Alice in Wonderland outfit! It’s so simple – just a dress, some flats, and the collar!

Look 3 | Can you say day off? This is an ideal way to be comfortable and ready for anything, while still keeping things cute!

How would you wear the scalloped collar?

xx.

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Now accepting sponsors!

Posted in Shop Talk, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

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I’m now accepting sponsors!

If you’re looking for a way to get your blog, company, or shop’s name out there into the blogosphere, sponsoring a blog is an excellent option to consider. My readers are interested in handmade items, vintage styles, home decor, and fashion, so websites within those categories would likely draw a few clicks.

I’m excited to add some more links to my sidebar so my readers can have similar blogs + shops to explore! I’ve found some of my all time favourite blogs through their sponsorship of other blogs and I hope I can do the same for my readers.

Click here for more details!

xx.

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Interview on Life Like Honey!

Posted in Sewing, Shop Talk, Style, tagged , , , , , , on June 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

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Do you know Teaka?

If you don’t know her yet, you should certainly head over to her blog and take a peek around because she and I have a few things in common. She’s gearing up right now to open an Etsy shop for her beautifully designed clothing line {check out part 1 here, and part 2 here}, and to lead up to it she’s interviewing selected Etsy sellers on her blog. This week she interviewed me! Don’t miss out on reading : )

I’m so excited to see her shop!

xx.

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Thursday inspiration…

Posted in Inspiration, Music, Our personal history, Shop Talk, tagged , , , , , on June 21, 2012 | 2 Comments »

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You can and you will.

I’ve been listening to this song all morning {because I love it}, but still I believe that I can and I will. I love the attitude that our generation has – we’re inspired and we refuse to believe that we have to conform. True, it’s tiring, it’s stressful, it’s exhausting. Sometimes I get worn out, too. But we can use all of this action and ambition to our advantage and keep pushing one another to try harder and work harder. We’ll make our dreams our lives. We got this. We can and we will.

xx.

{click image for source!}

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Photo Booth Friday – No. 40

Posted in Crafting, Photobooth Friday, Shop Talk, tagged , , , , , , on June 8, 2012 | 2 Comments »

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Our week in snapshots:

| highlights |

It’s been almost a month since I’ve opened my Etsy shop and I am happy {and a little surprised} with the results! Before I closed, I was making far fewer sales than I am now, and I felt much less focused – it was a messy combination. Now, I feel as though I have a specific look + feel for my shop that is translating into satisfied customers. This is exactly what I was hoping for and my fingers are crossed that things continue in this direction!

We’ve been renting a lot of movies from the library lately. In Portland, it was our habit to frequent VideoPort at least once a week {sometimes more!} and each pick out one movie to watch together. They had their daily deals that would always send us home with one free movie, so we loved the ritual of our browsing there. We miss VideoPort a lot. A lot, a lot. But our humble little library does have its fair share of classics so we’re working our way through those. And, in so doing, I came to the realization that one simply cannot be in a bad mood after watching Say Anything. That Lloyd Dobler’s spirit is infectious, and this movie just works its way a little further up my favourites list every time I see it.

I’ve got a few new items in the works for my shop, too! Keep an out out for new solid colours and lacy collars! Can’t wait to share – these are some of my favourites yet!

Have  a great weekend.

xx.

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