Who Am I

About me.. My name is Jennifer. My mom named me after an African American classmate in the 1960s whom she thought was breathtakingly beautiful. I suppose she hoped I too would be beautiful. I like the name, especially when said as the full name. It sounds sophisticated and maybe even sexy. But that is not me. I am more of a Jen. Not Jenny or Jennifer just Jen.

Jen just seems so much more down to earth, don’t you think? I think of myself as down to earth. I don’t worry too much about how I look, though I don’t wear a bathrobe and slippers everyday. I always wear sneakers because they are the most body conscious shoe I can find. And I wash may hair, but not every day….I have better things to do than to spend too much time messing with it. I also don’t spend too much time worry about what others think. I am quirky and a little different, I am happy this way.

I value humor, compassion, creativity and hard work. Humor and laughter mean the world to me and I could not function with out it. There is a quote by Victor Borge “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” I love that quote. My own version is “Laughter is everything.”. If you cannot laugh and see humor in life, then you are not living compassionately, intelligently and openly.

I am a mother. That is my primary role and one that I take utterly seriously. I have two kids who are so very different. As a result I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the best way to parent them and guide them. As a result of their distinctness, what works for one, usually does not work for the other. One is ADHD diagnosed and the other is not. One is a teenager (as of today she is 13) and one is still a boy person. Every day is vexing and perplexing on how I will manage to parent them and guide them on their journey.

I am a wife to a wonderful man whom I knew I was destined to marry. While “just friends” in college we eventually drifted apart. But I always referred to him as “the man I was supposed to marry”. Seven years later we were reunited; and at that moment, I knew we were gonna be together forever. We married 12 years after first meeting. He happens to be darn good looking, but the down to earth-ness in me is most drawn to his humor and creativity. He is the love of my life and he is my rock. I cannot imagine my life without this funny, creative, brilliant, strong, compassionate man in it.

I am a small business owner. I own a multifaceted online antiques and collectibles business. This is my passion; this is what keeps me sane (literally) in the chaos of my life. I love finding things that are really cheap (or sometimes free) and turning around to sell them and make some dough!! Plus it is real fun researching some of the oddities I come across. It is really amazing what some people deem as trash and how others will clamor to acquire that same item as a treasure. That is why my business name is FineLine Antiques. The tag line is “…. because there is a fine line between trash and treasure.” But I haven’t used the tagline much because I don’t want people to think I am charging them $50 for trash, even though, once in awhile, I am!

If you are so inclined to take a gander at some of my FineLine Antiques treasures, you can find them at:
www.fineline-antiques.com
www.swoonantiques.etsy.com
www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com
or our newsest venture
www.laughingfrogstudio.etsy.com

Now you know a little bit about me….feel free to share a little bit about who you are, I would love to know ya!

Time for a Pretty in Pink Picnic

Well we have finally reached the official start of Summer June 21, 2011. Even through the weather is not cooperating in some parts of the U.S.A., we can still plan for a perfect sunny day’s picnic.

I found a menagerie of things that would really lend a hand to your picnicking fun. It was all spurred on from and idea I saw in the July 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. They had a feature article called “Sharing Summer” about outdoor dining and entertaining. The hostess in the article said she uses vintage tablecloths for her outdoor dining and entertaining; both on tables and on the ground.

So I started poking around the vintage section of etsy to see what I could find. I did find a cool tablecloth that would be “Oh So Cute” as a picnic blanket for two or over a card table under a large canopy tree.

Then I found a great cake carrier in pink and stainless steel.

Then I found a cool set of pink plastic silverware.

Well, I was on a roll. I actually created a Treasury on etsy to showcase my fun finds.

But I will list a few here for your inspiration and enjoyment.

Vintage Pink Therm-O-Jug. Who’d have thunk? A Thermos in pink! Very hip!

Of course you will need some napkins to wipe the cherry juice off your chin when you bite into a ripe cherry….

Don’t let the ants go marching one by one on your pretty event!

Finally you might need some cool eye protection.

Hope your picnic season is stylish and free from pesky critters.

Be sure to stop by one of our many shops for fun new merchandise.

www.fineline-antiques.com

www.swoonantiques.etsy.com

www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com

Spring Flowers Everywhere - Even Your Wardrobe

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets

Everywhere you look colorful flowers are popping up in gorgeous colors – despite the snow and dreary weather (at least here in the Midwest).

No, flowers are not poking through the snow yet, they are showing up on a multitude of fashion items: dresses, blouses, purses, jackets, skirts etc.

And I am not just seeing a floral mirage; its official according to People StyleWatch and InStyle!

Many of your favorite fashion icons are donning these romantic beauties. You can see Natalie Portman in the People Stylewatch page above. But others are popping up too….

Now, as flowers have been a theme eternally, you will also find this look in vintage styles. Etsy is a great place to start this search for affordable, trendy vintage floral fashions.

I think my favorite is Selena Gomez with a sophisticated ascot blouse of a crisp white background upon which magenta and navy flowers are happily floating.

Get the look with a fantastic (affordable) vintage blouse by renowned designer Vera Neumann in a soft purple and tan tulip floral. This blouse available at www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com. (Click on photos to take you directly to items in this article.) This Vera blouse really has a similar feel as the one Selena is rocking.

Then there is Lauren Conrad. She has her own fashion line for Kohls and she is including these romantic images in her line as well. Here she is modeling one of her own. But you can get a similar look in vintage with a purple floral print & high waisted green and purple satin cumberbund dress at www.oldage.etsy.com.

Wanna try a look like Scarlett Johansson?

Check out these Scarlett Johansson look-a-likes.

Pink dress available at www.Sweetheart.etsy.com.

Green dress available at www.thepigeonchest.etsy.com.

Or do you prefer the styling choice of Kristin Cavallari?

Get a similar look to hers at www.BBDexter.etsy.com with this 1950's Halter Swing Dress.

Or define your own style and really go for the vintage look with these 1960's Dirty Dancing inspired summer sleeveless blouses with peter pan collar available at www.lucysclosetvintage.etsy.com.

Even the T-mobil 4G girl is wearing floral.

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Terri Guillemets

Get your soul and your style in bloom.

Where oh where did the time go? ....oh that's right I have kids....so time flies at WARP SPEED!

I have been meaning to blog and just don't get to it. Partially because I put so much pressure on myself to come up with something clever. So today, all pressure is off. I am gonna show you what I am focusing on in my shop. I am focusing on bringing www.swoonantiques.etsy.com up to speed in two categories: Tablecloths....Bark Cloth and Sewing...Patterns.

Today I listed two new tablecloths. The first one epitomizes True Spring. It features wonderful colors, floral design and has a light and airy feel to it. Something to brighten your day when the snow begins to melt!!

Look at that I mean doesn't that just make you wanna start to garden and have iced tea?

The other tablecloth I listed today evokes summertime fun. It features ripe red strawberries being poured into their cherry yellow cartons for market. I wanna whip up a batch of homemade lemonade infused with a strawberry syrup and strawberry garnish and watch the kids run through the sprinkler.....oh wait, its 36 degrees out today. Well one can dream.


I have added some new items to the bark cloth category - and I don't mean gags for barking dogs! Cool vintage 1940s 1950s bark cloth cutters that are just perfect for your next craft project......maybe for the throw pillow for your porch glider this summer!


















I have many more fun retro tablecloths that are currently in the shop and will be adding more in the coming days. I also plan on adding some more Bark Cloth pieces. So stop by and check them out.

Maybe tomorrow, I can blog about all the new sewing patterns I have been and will be adding. Check back soon!

Next week starts the official first day of Fall – September 22^nd.

Why not get a jump on those Fall fashions now and set the tone for stylish, retro chic in your area.

This season has lots of fur (or faux fur) lots of classic plaids, jewel tones as well as neutrals.

But of course, Classic is always fashionable!

Take a look at this peppy video and start planning your Fall/Back-to-School football and bonfire wardrobe.

Then stop by Lucy's Closet for lots more ideas!

It's no secret that I love the 1970s.....love the funky music, love the style, love the memories (yes, I am old enough to remember it!)

So I made a little video featuring the 1970s era items in my shops.

The music on the video is really funky! Click on the kitty to the left to see the video.

To see the funky items in this video, "come back pretty baby" to my shops.

Swoonantiques

Lucy's Closet Vintage

Summer Vacation for Mommy!

The kids are back in school. As much as I love them, this is always wonderful time of year for me…..its like Summer Vacation for Mommy! I climb out of the "Mom" role for a few hours each day and crawl down to my "Lair"!

My “Lair” is the basement of my house out of which I run my business. It is also where I warehouse all the stuff I sell. It is called the “Lair” because it beckons to all who love vintage. Once they get down into it, it is a dangerous place; way too many goodies to pass any up and way too many things make it difficult to walk! I would guess that I have only about 1-2% of my "Lair" merchandise listed on my sites.

I have headed back down to the “Lair” and started to organize (though it does not look organized in the photo!) and plan new merchandise listings. I hope to start photographing and loading items in my shops as soon as possible. Please check my shop often to see what new goodies have surfaced from my “Lair”. I very much look forward to updating my shops, promoting my shops and selling lots of cool vintage stuff!

Also newsworthy, I have joined an esty team vmteam Vintage Market Team. This is a team of etsy shop owners who also sell vintage items. Check out their site and see what other vintage items you can discover! It really is a great, condensed source of funky, retro, antique, vintage stuff…http://vintagemarket.ning.com/. If you like vintage, this is nirvana!