6.28.2011

Summer Fun: Interview with Sugarcube Vintage


sugar_cube.jpg

Hey guys. Hope you have been enjoying the first week of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere!

I sure have been. The boyfriend has a boat along the Pacific Ocean here in Southern Cali, and I just enjoyed a wonderful weekend down there. And just to be clear, when I say wonderful weekend, I mean a weekend in which I did absolutely nothing except for taking long naps in the warm afternoons, and eating the yummy Mexican food Cali has to offer. There's nothing quite like the food down here, I must say.

So besides taking time to work on things at Vintage Fix, lately I've been collaborating and meeting tons of wonderful folks on Etsy as well. I'm very happy to be a part of a wonderful team there called "The Brigade" where we spend a lot of time encouraging each other and helping to promote each other's shops in any way we can.

Today, I wanted to introduce you to my friend Bec at Sugarcubevintage, who also sells amazing vintage. Her story starts in the mid-west where she spent her childhood in auctions with her grandparents (how cute) and ends in Portland with a Double Soy Latte in a coffee shop with her Mac. My kind of woman.

Enjoy!

~~~~~

Vintagefix: How did you get interested in vintage?
Bec: When I was little, my grandparents lived in the Midwest and used to take me to
auctions every weekend, early training in finding a bargain. We’d pile into the
wood panel station wagon, drive through the countryside, sit for hours on high rise
bleachers in dusty overcrowded auction houses, usually bid on some boxes of fabric
for my grandmother who was a quilter, or some carpentry tools for grandpa, then stop
for ice cream on the way home – sometimes I even got to hold the bidding paddle!
I loved every second of those days!

antique industrial wooden peg leg milking STOOL - side table display pedestal plant stand gardening - so rustic farmhouse
Milking stool




Vintagefix: How long have you been collecting/selling vintage?
Bec: I’ve been collecting for as long as I can remember - cameras, globes, tins, books…
I just started selling last July on Etsy after moving back to Portland from Tokyo
(where I lived for 5 years).


what's your sign, midcentury metal WORLD GLOBE with astrological zodiac signs and months - ohio art company - so old school astrology
Midcentury Metal world Globe


Vintagefix: What is your favorite time period or era you like to sell?
Bec: If I had to pick I’d say Mid-century but mostly I buy things I would like in my own
home. Unfortunately that often means it’s hard to part with things. My husband is
convinced we’re going to end up on an episode of ‘Hoarders’ .


for the mystery man, vintage 1960's hardcover book complete stories and poems of EDGAR ALLAN POE - deckle edged paper - so classic
Edgar Allen Poe Hardcover

Vintagefix:What else do you do apart from working on your shop? job, hobbies, etc?
Bec: I was trained and worked as a designer but somehow I always managed to make
vintage part of the job. I worked as a graphic designer and photo stylist for different
ad agencies, and an illustrator/animator for a media company. While in Tokyo I
worked as a trend researcher for a New York company. I started Sugar Cube Vintage
on my return to the US but still take on freelance projects doing prop and photo
styling in Tokyo and here in Portland.

for the collector, vintage floral wooden russian babushka MATRYOSHKA NESTING DOLL set  - red orange yellow blue green - so adorable
Matryoshka Nesting Doll Set




Vintagefix: What's your favorite part about selling vintage?
Bec: The fact that every piece is unique and has a story keeps me inspired.
Of course I always love it when other stylists and producers from big retailers (sorry,
my lips are sealed…) use my products for their shoots.

for the writer, vintage industrial portable sage green OLYMPIA sm4 WERKE TYPEWRITER  - west germany original case manual set  - so mad men
Portable Sage Green Typewriter

Vintagefix: Was there any particular item you were selling that you wanted to keep for
yourself, or felt connected to in some way?
Bec: When I first started on Etsy I sold a librarian bell from an estate sale that I still regret.
It was one of the most interesting estate sales I’ ve ever been too. It was the estate of a school librarian who traveled the world when she retired. She had the most amazing collection of vintage books and trinkets. The bell would have been a nice memento to keep. I still think about that sale and all the things I passed up and should have bought.

L is for....love, vintage 60's lime green metal capital letter L - initial monogram sign - so industrial
Initial Monogram sign

VintageFix: Describe a perfect day for you. 
Bec: My ideal day would go something like this: double soy latte with my Mac at Portland
Stumptown coffee, hitting estate sales for new inventory, lunch at the farmer’ s
market, hike at forest park, happy hour margaritas at Por Que No with friends, eve at
home chilling out with my hubby and 2 ragdoll cats, Winston and Pimms.

vintage HAEGER TERRA COTTA pottery planter 225 with rose glaze - kitchen herb garden plant container pot - so summery
Haegar Terra Cotta Pottery Planter

Vintagefix: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Bec: I would love to move back overseas and open a second Etsy shop selling local items.
I’m pretty open to wherever I land and a bit of a gypsy at heart so I don’t plan too far
in advance.


Thanks for sharing Bec! 


xo. Brooke

6.08.2011

Wooden wedding inspiration

Wow. What is it about this time of year that makes everyone want to get married? The warmth, the holiday get-togethers, not to mention we are finishing up spring here in the U.S. and the birds and the bees have been doing just what God intended them to do!

I was a bridesmaid in my older sis' wedding a couple weeks ago, and my roommate AND bf's sis are planning their weddings as well! Talk about wedding feva!

So it's pretty hard for a girl not to have wedding on the brain. Instead of wondering why is hasn't happened for me and my bf of 6.5 years, I decided to become inspired by all the amazing loveliness that Etsy has to offer. Many of my pieces are wood or french related, which I'm majorly swooning over at the moment!

Enjoy! And let me know your thoughts/comment on all this wedding stuff too! I love to hear what you guys think!

Retroheart

Mrstiddlemouse

PurplePeonyCouture
Braggingbags

Rootsjewelry

Amazing right?

Oh, I forgot to mention, I also included these items in my newest Treasury HERE

xo, Brooke

6.03.2011

Etsy Front Page Feature!

Hey guys!

How are you doing on these lovely spring days? So I know I've been a little MIA, but....I figured I could make up for it by sharing something I'm super excited about. My team (the Global Arts Team) and I made it to the front page of Etsy, thanks to an inspirational treasury I made the other day! This is not only exciting for me, because I feel like I was FINALLY noticed for one of my treasuries (which I take very seriously by the way) but it feels good to do something for the team I just became a part of.

Thanks to everyone for the inspiration on the team. Hopefully it brought you guys some well deserved success in your shops!

Happy Friday!

xo, Brooke

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