July Blog Giveaway Winners

Retro Revival's joint giveaway contest with J&O Fabrics on Facebook was a big success!  And lots of fun.  Here's a recap in case you weren't following it on Facebook...

53 people entered the contest by becomming likers of Retro Revival's Facebook page and J&O's page, and then submitting pictures of their retro-inspired creations or pictures of their Retro Revival purchases.  Then the public voted on their favorite entries.  Over 300 people voted ~ it was very exciting!  The winners:

4th place is Suzanne Lipa Webber:

Suzanne made this awesome dress and matching purse with retro pinup girl fabric.

3rd place is Iris Stump:

Isn't this a gorgeous retro apron?!

2nd place is Tracy Windsor:

Ha!  This is NOT Tracy!  She was too shy to model her Retro Revival apron (made from a vintage tablecloth) so she hornswaggled her husband Mark into doing it!  What a sport!

And 1st place is Charity Bish:

I'm not surprised Charity won ~ with that winning smile, how could she NOT have?!

Thank you ALL for participating ~ entering and/or voting:)  You all made this my most fun giveaway EVER!

{And thank you for all of your beautiful and encouraging comments to my blog post last week about my mother's passing.  You warmed my heart!}

Remember that each comment you leave on one of my August posts enters you for this month's giveaway!  Click HERE for details.

I Guess I HAVE to Mow

Sewing, sewing, sewing to the exclusion of everything else!

Look closely.  Can you spot Twyla?

I've been neglecting the farm!  Poor Twyla's just about disappearing ~ ha!

Despite the unrelenting heat and humidity I'm heading out to cut the grass.  Hope all of you are managing to beat the heat and staying comfortable and cool!

Important Reminder!  This is my last July post and chance to remind you about my AWESOME blog giveaway ~ over $200 in Retro Revival products and J&O Fabrics gift cards!  Click HERE for entry info.

If you don't care to enter, please take a moment to vote for a couple of my customers who have entered, including Charity...

(Modeling her Retro Revival Caps for Locs in "Animal Instinct Pink")

...and Paula

(Modeling her Retro Revival 1950's Style "Spring Leaves")

...and Tracy (well, that's her hubbs modeling her Retro Revival vintage tablecloth apron!)

(Modeling Retro Revival's "Peace Hope Joy" Vintage Tablecloth apron)

To vote for them, simply go to J&O's facebook page, click on Photos (left side of the page), then scroll down a tad and click on their pictures to open them up and then click "Like."  When you've clicked "Like," you've voted ~ easy peasy!

Good luck ladies!  And THANK YOU for voting ~ you've helped make this giveaway super fun!

 

Retro Rita Interview: Handmade Success with Susan Schneider of Shandell's

Hi all!  Retro Rita here.  I'm delighted to share my interview with Susan Schneider of Shandell's with you today!  (Unless noted all photos belong to Susan.)

Shandell's is the creative home of Susan, a longtime collector of things vintage and a passionate recycler, turning them into things that make you smile.

(Susan Schneider)

Susan's lampshade and vintage lighting studio is chock full of thousands of unique handmade papers, antique wallpapers and other speciality papers she uses in her handmade pretties.

(A peek into Susan's studio)

(Shandell's lamp finials and baubles)

Retro Rita:  Share with us, Susan, how you began your business.

Susan:  I started my business in 1991 by opening an antiques group shop.  I started collecting lots of lamps and other items to turn into lamps, but the problem was I couldn't find cool lampshades to go with them.  I bugged a  customer of mine who was a lampshade maker to teach me, but she said no.  A couple of years later I purchased the guts of the business and taught my self how to make lampshades.  My first shades were made using vintage wallpaper and now I use all different papers from around the world, but my favorites are still the ones I make using my vintage wallpapers.

Retro Rita:   Tell us about your products

Susan:  I have quite a range of products, including lampshades, one-of-a-kind lighting, matchboxes made from vintage imagery, tissue boxes and wastebaskets.  My newest product is "The Original Cloth Cord Swag and Pendant Kits," that allow you to turn your lampshade or just about any found object into a swag light; the materials and compenents of the cloth swag and kit are the same that I use in my own high-end creations and are all made in the U.S. and assembled-to-order in my workshop.

Retro Rita:  Where do you find your beautiful fabrics, wallpapers and other supplies?

Susan:  I am very lucky; my wallpapers come from my collection of over 5,000 rolls of vintage wallpaper.  I source my contemporary papers from local artists and paper makers from around the world.  The fabrics I use are either vintage, silk or linen.

Retro Rita:   What is your best selling product and what makes it such a great seller?

Susan:  My matchboxes.  They are the best handmade gift you can get for under $20.00 and are made in the USA.  They are perfect as hostess gifts and last longer than a bottle of wine or a box of cookies.

(Sampling of Susan's matchboxes)

Retro Rita Note:  House Beautiful chose Shandell's matchboxes as "The Best:"

(How great is THIS?!  Image courtesy House Beautiful)

Retro Rita:   Tell us about your shop and your customers

Susan:  My studio just moved to Pine Plains, New York, to a much-needed larger space.  I have two different types of customers.  I have a wholesale side of my business and those customers are from around the country and include retailers and museum shops, small and large.  My other customers are individuals that walk into my shop and for whom I make custom lamps and lampshades.  I have so much fun creating for both types of customers.

Retro Rita:  Running a business can certainly challenge a person’s time management skills.  How do you manage your time to get it all accomplished?

Susan:  Some days I don’t.  I just have a large to-do list going at all times.  I have two offices, one at home and one in the studio; at home I can get lots of paper work done, including the printing for my matchboxes, and at my studio I do more hands-on work.

Retro Rita:   What does handmade mean to you?

Susan:  Made by an artist who takes an idea and brings it to life.

Retro Rita:  Why should people buy handmade?

Susan:  This country was built on handmade.  I think it is the only way to bring back craft and quality into the daily things in our life.

Retro Rita:  What are your hopes and aspirations for your business and where do you see yourself in the future?

Susan:  I see my self growing both sides of my business and promoting handmade in America the best I can.

Retro Rita:  What handmade possession do you cherish most?

Susan:  A 19^th century wallpapered box.  Someone took the time to cover an old candy box with wallpaper to make their world prettier and now I use it to make mine a better place.

Retro Rita:  What is your favorite indulgence (activity, food, etc.) to treat yourself?

Susan:  Spa day ~ facial, massage, pedicure, hair cut.

Retro Rita:  What would you do if you won a ba-zillion dollars?

Susan:  Buy a house with a large yard and get lots more dogs.

(Susan's Jack Russells, Pansy & Tonto)

Retro Rita:  Thank you, Susan, for sharing with us today.  I hope Cindy's blog followers will visit your studio, your online shop and blog!

Friendly reminder ~ only a couple of days left to enter to win this month's blog giveaway!  Click HERE for details ~ good luck!

Retro Revival Shower Caps Adorn Hollywood Heads!

So a couple of weeks ago I received the most exciting phone call.  Mindy Weiss's (Hollywood's go-to wedding and party planner with a client list including Eva Longoria, Ellen Degeneres, Heidi Klum, Gwen Stefani, Brad Paisley, Jennifer Lopez, Brooke Shields, Pink, Sting, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Reba McIntyre and Wolfgang Puck) assistant called me to ask if I could custom make some shower caps for a bridal shower they were planning.  Eke!

Of course I said YES!  This was about 5:00 p.m. on a Monday and they needed them in their Beverly Hills office by Friday morning!  Yikes!

I immediately set about sewing.  Hardly slept for two nights straight and sewed non-stop.  Literally, the fabric was aflyin!  As I frantically sewed, I kept day dreaming, wondering what celeb might be wearing one of my Retro Revival shower caps!  Yes, I was a bit delirious by Thursday morning ~ ha!  But I finished, 32 shower caps, all adorned with a faux diamond ring:

I packaged them all up and headed straight to FedEx.  Friday I received a very sweet message from Mindy's assistant saying they loved the caps.  Weeee!

A couple of days ago, Mindy blogged about the bridal shower (you can read it by clicking HERE) and included these pictures.  They placed a candle inside each shower cap and cinched them with a bow:

Hoping Mindy's order and her blog will lead to more shower cap sales!  A couple of my friends have teased that I should get Mindy to plan my daughter's wedding ~ ha!  I'd need a bazillion more shower cap orders to make that happen!

July's quickly coming to a close so if you haven't already, please click here to enter this month's blog giveaway ~ over $200 in Retro Revival products plus J&O Fabrics gift cards!

We're Planning a Wedding!

My daughter's engaged!  Eek!  We're so excited!

(Calling me with the news!  In the airport on the way to Tokyo)

Natalie and Daniel met two years ago and fell madly in love.

(In Copenhagen)

They're incredibly kind to each other

(In Madrid, on the way to Barcelona)

They support each other

(In Stockholm)

They are making big plans for their future

(In Prague)

They are great friends

(In Munich)

They make each other laugh

(In Tokyo)

They've traveled the world together ~ 12 countries so far!

(In London)

They're perfect for each other

(In Venice, Italy)

Natalie has told me her love for Daniel is like knowing your favorite color or icecream ~ hands down he is absolutely her most favorite person she's ever known and is "over the moon" about spending the rest of her life with him by her side.

Yep, perfect for each other!

(New Year's Eve in Paris)

They're getting married in December.  Yikes, we've got a lot to do!  I'm heading to Atlanta in a couple of weeks to meet Natalie and go dress shopping ~ won't that be great fun?!  I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, please take a moment to enter this month's giveaway ~ over $200 in Retro Revival products and J&O Fabrics gift cards!  Click HERE to enter.

 

Best Summer Pasta Salad

A couple of years ago my friend Robin hosted a party at her home and served the most delicious pasta salad.  She shared the recipe with me and every since, it's my "go to" summer salad.

After boiling your pasta, the salad takes only about 5 minutes to prep.  Here's the yummy recipe if you'd like to give it a try:

ROBIN'S PASTA SALAD
Ingredients:
1 pound pasta (I like to use bow tie)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (if you don't have a fresh lemon on hand, a tablespoon of store-bought juice works)
Olive oil to moisten cooked pasta (I use about 1/4 cup)
2 handfuls of toasted pine nuts
2 handfuls of dried cranberries (cranraisins work too)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon dried sweet basil (fresh basil if you'd like)
Salt & pepper to taste (I like using Lawry's)

Directions:
1. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions
2. Add all of the ingredients and toss well
3. Enjoy!

On a different note, I've discovered a fun blog that you might enjoy too ~ Kristin's Bringing Pretty Back.  Hope you'll check her out and tell her I sent you.

Please remember to enter my super fabu giveaway this month ~ over $200 in Retro Revival products and J&O gift cards!  Lots of people have already entered and I'm having a blast seeing all of the pictures, including this one from Charity:

Charity's wearing a custom Sleep Bonnet I made for her.  Isn't she just gorgeous?!  As far as I can tell, she's in the lead right now with the most "likes" for her photo.  I'm hoping that one of you, my loyal blog followers, will win the contest ~ good luck to you all!

Bejeweled Vintage Dress Form

Oh, how I've yearned for a beautiful vintage dress form.  One that can join my other "assistants" at my arts & crafts fairs and model my aprons during photo shoots.

One that has just the right amount of shabby and vintage charm to compliment my products.  One that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg ~ afterall, they don't have arms and legs, so why would I pay hundreds to satisfy my obsession?!

Looky, looky!

I'm in love!  I've been searching and searching with no luck.  Until now.  Just like they say with love...stop looking and you'll find it!  I went to one of our local thrift stores looking for some vintage candle sticks for my dessert pedestals and...

Aaaahhhhh!  Angels sang and trumpets trumpeted!

There she was, shoved in a back corner, all dusty and crudey!  Got her for $50 ~ yep, $50!  I lugged her home (she's heavy with her cast iron legs) and cleaned her up a bit.  Isn't she gorgeous?!

So what should I name her?  My other "assistants" are Coco and Brigette and the twins are Babette & Beatrix (click here to meet them).  Thinking Bebe, to continue the "B" theme or maybe Sally since that's the manufacturer's tag on her chest.

Until my next show I think I'll keep her on my bedroom dresser where she can display my brooch collection.  I was inspired by this photo by Bejeweled By Gwen.  Isn't this an incredible work of art?!

For Bebe/Sally, I draped a vintage, hand-crocheted doily collar over her neck, layered on a few necklaces and then randomly pinned on my broches.

Like a little old lady, I've been wearing broches for-ev-ah!  I usually pin them on my dresses and t-shirts rather than jackets, figuring this is a bit more modern.

My collection includes a mix of newer and vintage pins in lots of different colors.

(The photo brooch is my friend Suzy and me in a photo booth, I think from 6th grade ~ ha!)

And as you can tell, florals are my favorite.  I made the fabric flower pins myself, usually using silk flowers cut and glue-gunned to a craft pin:

I just love the way Bebe/Sally looks now!

Hey, my friends, please don't forget to enter to win my super big giveaway this month ~ the one worth over $200 in Retro Revival products and J&O gift cards!  Click here for entry instructions.  Good luck!