Chalkydoodles Blog » Vintage Finds

Gettin’ Chalky: Vintage Love Bug

Lyn Pollard — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:58:42 +0000

Another great chalky find…

Found this online a while back. You just can’t get much cooler

than a vintage VW Bug turned into a groovy chalkboard!

Oh, how I love chalkboard paint…

Photo by John Cachero

Gettin’ Chalky: Live Life on Purpose

Lyn Pollard — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:13:47 +0000

I love this simplistic vintage chalkboard sign and message.

The summer is getting a little long and hot, but I am loving the extra time with my kids at home. Yesterday I played a nice, long game of Scrabble with my son, looked through my daughter’s baby book and photos (per her request), and sang lullabies from when they were both infants.

Good, purposeful stuff.

“How It’s Done” with Emma Dear – Part 2

Lyn Pollard — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:48:00 +0000

We’re wrapping up our time with Becky from Emma Dear. Yesterday, we learned about Becky’s background and love for all things vintage and handmade.

Today, we get to learn a bit more about how she maintains a successful Etsy vintage shop while maintaining a successful family at the same time! All of the lovely photos in today’s post are vintage finds from Becky’s Etsy shop, Emma Dear.

~When people ask you what you “Do” how do you respond? Usually I say I’m a work at home Mom with an online business.

~How old are your kids? Teddy is 3.

~What are your top goals for your business? I would like to have a steady flow of business of both my vintage and handmade items. I have so many personal responsibilities that I have to keep my goals small.

~What are your top goals for your family and marriage? I would love to go on vacation at least twice per year. My husband and I really enjoy the beach so taking a couple of weeks each year to relax in the sun by the sea is very important. Also I want to be prepared financially for when my son gets older and goes to college. Since we have our dream house already my goal is to get everything super organized and finish up all the small, lingering projects that we have. Life runs smoother when you’re organized!

~What are the top 1 or 2 things you do to keep your life in “balance” while you work toward these goals? Exercise and taking time to relax. When I exercise regularly I feel better, sleep better and things just go smoother in general. Also listening to music and singing…it causes such a release!

~What is the greatest obstacle or challenge you face in reaching these goals? Don’t laugh, but my consumption of sugar. I am convinced that a sugar addict suffers with health and exhaustion issues that a non-addict would not have. I am a sugar addict and it’s terrible to realize that sometimes I am shooting myself in the foot! I am working on the problem though, but just yesterday I had two doughnuts! I know I’d get more done if I didn’t eat sugar because it often robs me of energy!

~What resources do you use (books, blogs, websites, people) to help encourage and educate you? I love browsing Etsy to look at what other artists are doing. I find it inspiring to see success on Etsy because if someone else can do it, so can I! I love reading self help books because there is so much knowledge and education one can obtain by reading! I’ve been able to change so many of my old, stagnant attitudes with these sorts of books.

~What do you feel is your most important characteristic in helping you live your life well and keeping things in balance? Not doing too much of one thing. A little exercise, a little pc work, a little housework, a little time with Teddy. It’s hard sometimes to jump to another thing when you’re on a roll (and sometimes I don’t) but if I switch off to another thing during the day the house stays clean, my business runs smooth, my son is happy, etc.

~What advice would you give to another working/blogging mom if they asked you for it? I am convinced that if you work very hard you can achieve your goals. Sometimes you feel like you’re going in circles but make some goals, keep your eye on what you want and just keep working hard. When you’ve reached your goals you will be even happier because you know it’s because of your OWN hard work and no one else’s.

And that’s “How It’s Done!” Thank you so much, Becky. It’s been fun sharing your story this holiday weekend.

“How It’s Done” with Emma Dear

Lyn Pollard — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:28:00 +0000

This Easter weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to visit one of my favorite Etsy shops, Emma Dear. In our “How It’s Done” series, we’re getting to know women who balance work, motherhood and homelife.

Becky, a designer, seamstress, Etsy vintage shop owner and mom to little Teddy, has a great story and a great deal to share about what it takes to run a successful online business while maintaining a happy home.

I first got to know Becky as a frequent customer in her original Etsy children’s shop, Little Empress. Oh, the things I found in the Little Empress shop! Everything was handmade, hand embroidered and creatively designed using bits and pieces of lovely vintage laces, fabric and trims.

Becky just has a way with combining vintage with new to make just lovely, joyful pieces for little girls to wear. And, as a wonderful surprise, I found that Becky also sold boys clothing in her other Etsy shop, Oscar and Theodore where you could find equally delightful designs with a vintage twist on traditional boy’s wear.

But, the CPSIA legislation came to pass, and Little Empress (and Oscar and Theodore) passed away. Initially, Becky made the decision to close her Etsy children’s shops due to the regulations regarding testing of children’s items. But, in the end, Becky told me that she is very happy with the way things turned out.

She opened her new Etsy shop, Emma Dear, which focuses exclusively on vintage finds, handmade creations and trims – and is having a ball with it!

Happily, Emma Dear also offers many of Becky’s handmade items, like darling sachets made with vintage sugar sacks, embroidered vintage pillowcovers and cases as well as hand-quilted vintage patchwork squares and circles.

Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on the Emma Dear shop home page on Etsy:

“I find an exuberance in collecting the things of days gone by. Life would be no fun without old stuff and so I surround myself with them in my home (much to my husband’s dismay) and sell them here in my shop!”

I especially love the “Old Made New” section in the shop where you will find many of the items that were available in the Little Empress shop (thank goodness!) Here are a few of my favorites:

Now, I’m going to stray from the “usual” format in our series which features a little Q & A, and start today with sharing from Becky’s Etsy profile for Emma Dear. I absolutely love Becky’s description of her life, shop and story:

“My name is Becky and I’m the daughter of junk hoarders. I grew up in a small house on Long Island that was literally filled to the brim with vintage stuff.

Back in the ’80’s when I was a kid, this was rather embarrassing.

But now it’s all hip and chic to collect all things vintage, haul things home from the dump, scout out garage sales and thrift stores. WHEW! I am certainly glad of that!

Not only did I inherit the junk collecting gene from my parents, but also a creativity gene. So you will find various things in my shop handmade by me…

I have a three year old son called Theodore (Teddy) who enjoys picking through my vintage button collection and using my serger thread spools as binoculars as he roams his pretend safari looking for wildebeests (his favorite animal), warthogs and lions.

I have a large house that often defeats me by constantly remaining dirty even though I swore I cleaned it. I love to read and spend a lot of time at night cramming a New York Times Notable as my eyes tear with exhaustion.”

Don’t you just love it! Come back tomorrow for more about Becky and how she keeps everything in balance.