New to the ConstantlyAlice Shop!

Holiday shopping is not over yet!  Here are a few of the newly listed items at ConstantlyAlice on Etsy.

Hugs and Smooches,
D

A Sorta Fairytale..

A while back, I wrote a post about some changes to the blog, the shop and my life in general.  I felt like I had lost a little of my direction and needed some time to find my way.

After some brainstorming, I've come up with a few ideas:

• The stunning model in the photo above is my lovely daughter, Shannon.  You will be seeing some more of her and her best friend, Jules, as I transition the clothing photos in the shop over to live models.
• The appearance of the shop and blog will be taking on a bit of a vintage/fairytale/literary quality.  You will see a more consistent theme and a lot of the new handmade jewelry and accessories coming into the shop will be inspired by my love of literature.  (Plus there will still be plenty of vintage!)
• I am moving towards making ConstantlyAlice a more permanent source of income.  This means you will see more merchandise coming to the shop on a regular basis.  You may also see me branch out to ebay in addition to my etsy store to give you more purchase options.  Finally, you will certainly begin to see more activity here on the blog!

I have some other treats in store for you..like a holiday season launch beginning at the end of september/beginning of october and maybe even a look book to show you some styling options :)

It's good to be back, and I'm so glad to be sharing with all of you again!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Crafty

There are few things that make me happier than a paint in my hair, hands covered with glue, little scraps of fabric and paper everywhere kinda day.  Saturday was one of those days.

Butterfly Earrings in Sunshine Yellow and Deep Red $8

I decided to sit down at the table in my craft room and several (5!) hours later, I had a big pile of earrings, hair clips, pins, little miniature portraits I had painted to go on brooches and headbands.  It's so cathartic for me, I lose all track of time.  The only thing I'm thinking is what I can put together next to create something that has a little bit of my heart in it.

Whimsical Vintage Inspired Barrettes, Set of 2 $6

Whimsical Vintage Inspired Barrettes, Set of 2 $6

I have an equal amount of passion when I sew, knit, crochet, paint or embroider (even better when I can combine two or more of my loves into one project!)  It's such an amazing feeling to take something from an idea to an actual, physical object..and the best part..the more you work at it, the better you become!

Sweet Little Red Bird Brooch $6

The items listed here are in the shop now, and there are lots more to come (along with some fun new vintage and a few reproduction items from vintage patterns.)

Whimsical Red and Yellow Felt Birdhouse Brooch $7

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Interview With a Danielle..

Hiya all!

French Press Vintage has started a great "Spotlight" blog series featuring different shop owners.  Check out the interview with yours truly here :)  Annnnnd, get a discount on items from my Etsy shop!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

My Grown Up Christmas List

The holidays are always a source of joy for me...

Pssh.  Who am I kidding?  I would LIKE the holidays to always be a source of joy, but sometimes, just sometimes, they make me a big ball of stress.  But I want to love the holidays.  I want to soak up all the family time, drive around and look at the beautiful decorations and enjoy the gift giving.  Which is where my steps for holiday planning come in..

I am an organized soul (no really!)  I know it doesn't appear to go hand in hand with creativity, but the only way I can truly feel free is to have a place for things.  Knowing where my supplies are, having a system of organization for my clothing and accessories and a process for buying, cleaning and selling my vintage items allows me to not have to think about the details.  The same holds true for planning my holiday gift giving.  Here are some of the steps I like to take to make the holiday season a joyous one.

• Make a list (and check it twice!) - Write down all of the people you need a gift for (don't forget teachers, postal workers, etc.!)  You can do this in a notebook or, if you're like me, on an excel spreadsheet.  Next to each name, jot down a few gift ideas and a budget.  As you gather gifts, check them off the list and adjust your budget accordingly.  If you plan on making gifts, this is also a good time to create a separate list of what you plan to create, along with a column of supplies that will be needed.  I like to use a second tab on my excel spreadsheet for this purpose (..and I maay cross reference it with the database I created that lists all the supplies I have on hand..  I told you I liked organization ;)

Sock Octopus from my Inspiration Pinboard on Pinterest

• Start gathering ideas - I like to begin with places like Etsy and some of the blogs I follow.  Sometimes something will get my creative juices flowing, and other times I will just purchase an item outright.  I like to use Pinterest as a tool for tracking my ideas, but you can also print down pictures and keep them in a folder, or add to your favorites on Etsy.  If you prefer to buy from more mainstream shops, you can also go through sale fliers from your sunday paper to get ideas or check out Black Friday ads for deals.

Image Credit

• Create your plan of attack! - Schedule in time for gift making.  Make it fun!  Have some girlfriends over, make some cookies and cocoa and have a gabfest while you create.  Give yourself plenty of time and make it enjoyable.  Then, schedule a few shopping trips (or an evening to shop online) to fill in the items that you will be purchasing.  Try to schedule it so everything is completed one or two weeks ahead of the holidays so you can relax and take time for some fun ( like picking out your tree or watching holiday movies!)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

• Wrap, Decorate, Give - Plan a day to wrap your gifts.  Include friends and loved ones (but not their gifts!) to make the time fly by.  Make the wrapping just as thoughtful as the present.  Everyone loves getting a pretty package :)  You can also plan to decorate your home or tree together on that day.  You are now prepared!  All that's left to do is give your gifts and receive hugs and smiles in return ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Getting to Know You - Barnshop Antiques

About a month ago, I posted a discussion thread on my etsy team page asking for victims *ahem* participants to answer a few interview questions so that I could feature their shop here on the blog.  Carol of Barnshop Antiques is our first taker!  (Thanks, Carol :)

Carol of Barnshop Antiques on Etsy

Welcome to the ConstantlyAlice blog! Tell us a little something about yourself.

I am a brave soul who does not fear change. I have reinvented myself a few times. I strive for improvement of myself and my surroundings. I recommend staying positive but also sticking up for oneself. I am a wife, mother, and grandmother. I am a writer, artist, lover of antiques, old houses, animals, and farming.

What made you decide to start your own shop?

My daughter Amanda, showed me. Seeing was believing. I knew my husband and I were buying more than we could ever use and I was getting tired of the clutter it creates. I didn't feel in harmony with that big commercial site that helps people auction off merchandise. We plan to eventually convert one of our barns into a brick and mortar, or barn board and peg shop. Now it houses many extra vintage items, and cast offs from family and friends who know we have the storage space. My Dad passed away and the treasures in our barn included some of his artwork. This prompted my second etsy shop called WhatDadloved2do which is therapeutically helpful to me.  I love having my etsy shops for now, until our barn is ready to be a physical shop. Once it is, we can have both.

Magic Conversation Starting Spoon

What is your favorite thing about being an Etsy seller?

I love learning new things and meeting awesome people, Etsy makes that possible.

What is your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge is figuring out how to be more organized. I'm still working on it and improving every day.

Recommend 3 of your favorite etsy shops and 3 websites or blogs you can't live without.

• I have to recommend my daughter's shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/ItchinStitchin, not because she's my daughter but because she amazes me. She is my daughter but she is not my clone. There is often a role reversal and she becomes the teacher and I am the student. We have some things in common, but she has talents I don't possess. I don't envy but I admire her. I can't live without her blog. It actually brightens any kind of day I am having just to read one of her posts. http://itchinstitchin.blogspot.com/
• http://www.etsy.com/shop/TobyCreek. I found this shop when I first started on Etsy and I find myself going back over and over for the laughs and inspiration. I think it is because I am a past positive person.
• http://www.etsy.com/shop/thehouseofoliver. I love the merchandise. I love the write ups. I love the improvements since I first found this shop. I love everything about this shop.
• http://www.houseofhawthornes.com/  because this woman from Ohio cheers me up with her wit and has similar tastes. I love to read about her tag sale and decorating adventures.
• http://serendipitychicdesign.blogspot.com/ because this woman is awesome with a capital A. I find her to be fascinating and amazing. I am a sucker for before and afters. She delivers.

19th Century Atterbury Shaker Set

Where do you see your shop in 5 years?

In five years my shop will be more fantastic than it is now. It will be linked to my physical barn shop and our B&B will be open for wonderful families to enjoy. I am also a children's author so I hope that little venture will have improved as well because I love to welcome fellow artists into my life and my home. Five years from now I hope I am inspiring others to follow their dreams because all of mine have come true.

Vintage Bloomers with Eyelet Ruffle

Well, that was fun!  I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Carol as much as I did.  You can also follow Carol on her blogs, B&B In Progress and Carol A. Bender Children's Author Extraordinaire. 

If you would like your shop to be featured as a ConstantlyAlice Getting to Know You post, email me at constantlyalice@gmail.com or join our Etsy Team TogetherEveryoneAchievesMore.

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Promoting a Sense of Community

Recently, Brittany over at Eating Bird Food had a great post about rising above negativity.  Initially, I thought her post was about negative blogging (it wasn't, she covered some great tips about how to handle negative comments left on your blog/fb pages/twitter accounts) but it got me to thinking about the blogging community and, by extension, the social network communities.

As a relatively new blogger and etsy seller, I have not yet directly experienced negativity from my readers or customers (and since you're all so wonderful, I don't expect to ;), but as someone who has been buying vintage for a while and follows a number of blogs and shops online, I have come across the occasional unsavory post, tweet or status update either snarking about fellow etsy members, bad mouthing customers or generally unloading about a personal bias.  Each time I've seen this kind of behavior, it has made me sad and a bit uncomfortable.

This is not to say that I believe people should not have different opinions or feel free to express their views, but I prefer to see it done in a constructive manner.  I'd like to see etsy entrepreneurs and bloggers supporting each other (I'm pretty confident we all do what we do because we have a passion for it!)  I'd like to believe we can share our expertise with each other, help mentor a new blogger or shop owner and generally offer each other our support.

Along those lines, I'm going to take this opportunity to promise to keep it positive.  My blog will be negativity free, and if I have an opinion to state, I will do so in a manner which does not judge.  I will appreciate and respect my customers and readers.  I plan to share what I learn with others and be a source of support for my fellow bloggers and etsy entrepreneurs.  (And I hope you will all keep me in line and let me know if you think I've gone off track!)

If you'd like to join me, please copy the badge below and post it on your own blog.  (Feel free to link back to this blog post as well!)



(On a side note, the lovely gals in this photo are my Gram and Great-Aunt with their friends.  How cute are they??)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

PS - I'd love for you to join me in promoting and mentoring my fellow etsy sellers!  ConstantlyAlice's Etsy group is here TogetherEveryoneAchievesMore