Etsy vs Ebay

I only have a few moments to get this together because I work the overnight today. Drat! Oh well, tomorrow is pay day. Did you hear that Etsy and Ebay? I said Payday! LOL

So, I decided, Etsy is like your BFF, very best gal pal in the universe. She's fun, she isn't pushy, she's diverse, and when you shop together, she'll answer you honestly. Hey, if it won't fit, Etsy will find you something else and if you like it, you buy it.

Ebay, on the other hand, is like an abusive boyfriend. He's got tons of stuff going on all the time and very little of it focuses on you, he dangles temptation in front of you and then lets you down, or worse gives it to somebody else. He treats you bad but you just remember that one great bargain and keep going back, like a drug, a love drug.

Okay, I'm sort of kidding! Seriously, after years of retail management, I am finding a few pet peeves. Sellers, you're in this to SELL. Why do people list garments and tell you nothing, nada, zippo? "Pin Up Sweater, Kim Novak, Vavavoom" but not a size, not a label, any buttons missing, nothing. It's like pulling teeth. Eesh! But that's nothing compared to my biggest gripe. What the heck is the deal with Plus Size adverts? OMG! We know we are plus size. We appreciate that you photographed the item on a plus size model. Really, we do. But why, oh why is she in hoochy momma poses????? Good Lord! We're curvy not slutty. Not a single plus size woman I know arches her back, sticks her chest out with her hand behind her head and one leg up with her foot on a brick wall...wearing a 1950 circle skirt. Give us a break!

Speaking of brick walls...Do you find it strange that vintage models are decked out in the thing you might buy but sitting on a dirty stone wall, or a dead tree stump or some other place you and I would never sit in our best duds? All I can think is, "Great, there's probably a big dirt mark on the rear now!"

Okay...coffee clutch is over. LOL

The New Old Me...

As the title implies, this is the diary of a vintage newbie. It is also the chronicle of the New Old Me. A play on words? Definitely!

Years ago, I never left the house without my hair done, my nails done (had to match my lipstick or I'd die), great accessories, you name it. (My favorite outfit was my fitted red bucle suit with my Sam & Libby stacked black pumps, my Norma Kamali Super Matte Opaque tights in black and my croc embossed patent tote bag.) This isn't a brag, just understand that I was into all things "girl" and really enjoyed it. Over time, I just sort of lost that. Now, when I look around, I have my big old scrubs that I wear to work and a hodge podge of mismatched tshirts and sweatpants. Not very pretty, I know. If you asked me to go to a movie, right this second, I'd be hard pressed to find anything I liked that was half way decent. Pathetic, don't you agree? LOL

Like most women, I battle the buldge too. I've been as small as 119lbs and as high as...uh, I don't think we know each other that well yet! :) Suffice to say, back in May 2009, I was at an all time high. My Mother also had emergency quadruple bypass surgery in May. In an effort to support her, I adapted her diet guidelines and what do you know, the weight came off by itself. As of this post, I've lost 22lbs, Mom has lost a bit more. :) I still have a way to go but it's more about feeling good and eating healthy than seeing a certain # on the scale.

So, I'm feeling good about dropping a few. That got me thinking that I really should do something with this hair! Egads! It's been two toned (grey in front and bad dye job in the back) for over a year now. I can't do anything with it except throw it up in a french twist and just keep it out of the way. Honestly, it makes me feel ridiculous, sometimes embarassed, and really, really dowdy. Put the hairdo with the current wardrobe and all I can think is FRUMP with a capital F. Well, it's time to say F-THAT and reinvent myself! Change is good, change is good...say it with me!

I'm also discovering that today's "style" isn't really for me and I hate shopping at the Mall. (I'm ex-retail management, so I tend to avoid the mall like crazy.)

Enter Etsy. OMG! I'm an addict! I started searching the Vintage items and I was in love, LOVE I say! Then I found The Fedora Lounge while searching for info on Marcel Waves. Have you ever seen these women? What a great bunch of ladies, stylish, gorgeous, absolutely put together. They work hard at keeping themselves happy, it shows and it's really quite inspiring.

So, that's how I got hooked on vintage. I'm just starting and working on a list of items I'll need. Hopefully, I'll be brave enough to show you the before and afters as I attempt to get my groove back. LOL Anyway, now perhaps you'll understand what I mean by the New Old Me...a new me but with a vintage twist.

Thanks for reading!