Budget Friendly Vintage Plaid for Any Occasion

On Trend Tuesday – Plaid Edition

My love affair with plaid started in the 90’s grunge phase which also coincided with my fondness of looking like an 80 year old grandpa (I thought it looked so stylish at the time, but sadly I was mistaken.).

Today’s plaid trend gives you the 90’s grunge edge with a much more figure flattering sillouette. Here are a few of my favorite vintage pieces on Etsy right now that are on trend and budget friendly!

Evening – This darling piece from fringebetty on Etsy would be perfect for a cocktail party or wedding. The one shoulder design is super flattering and the print is classic.

Work – TheRareStitchUK has the perfect skirt for work that incorporates two current trends – the midi skirt and plaid print. It would be perfect paired with a solid top, tights and chunky gold tone jewelry.

Day – FancyThatVintage’s camp shirt updates the grunge look while still giving your casual outfit an edge. The tailored top would be perfectly paired with skinny jeans or dark legings.

5 Easy Ways to Winterize Your Wardrobe

I was at a rummage sale over the weekend and found a great BCBG poly shirtdress for $8! I had to snag the deal, but with its bright color palette, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to wear it till next summer. Luckily, I have a number of great staples in my closet that will allow me to carry this outfit throughout the seasons and below I give you the rundown on how to do the same.

1. Leather Jacket – I bought a fab 70′s leather jacket at a thrift store down in Miami. You can score your own at thrift stores, or mass retailers nationwide. They are so versatile, easy to layer, and give you the warmth you need  for cool fall and winter nights. This little number on Etsy from JackJettVintageis exactly like the one I own!
2. Wrap Sweater – You can pick one up at any local thrift store or mass retailer. I am loving this one on Etsy from dinalouisesf! They are so warm and cozy and take tank and short sleeved dresses from summer to winter in an instant.
3. Hat – Knit hats are a great and inexpensive way to stay warm and transition outfits. You can pick them up anywhere or make one yourself (there are tons of free tutorials online, like the one I have linked from Red Heart Yarn).
4. Tights/Leggings – My all time favorite closet staple. These HUE ones are my fav and have lasted me for several years (washing on cold and line drying). They are great to winterize summer dresses or skirts and can also be paired with winter wardrobe items as well.
5. Boots – I have a great pair of vintage cowboy boots that I got at a Thrift Store in Manhattan a few years back. Riding boots are also a great investment and perfect for taking summer outfits through the seasons. These lovelies on Etsy from Time Bomb Vintage  would be perfect to winterize any outfit!

Even though I can’t have 80 degree temps all year long (until I move to Hawaii), at least my summer dresses don’t need to be banished to under-bed storage thanks to these great winterizing closet staples!

It was so hard to close the doors of our storefront this week, but thankfully we have The Clover Market to look forward on Sunday! It’s an amazing outdoor market with 100+ vendors selling all the vintage and handmade wares you crave!

We are so lucky to be a part of the event and delighted that we will be there for the next two installments on May 19th and June 9th!

Hope to see you there!

The Clover Market
Sunday 4/14 – 10AM-5PM
12 East Lancaster Ave. Ardmore, PA

The Clover Market 4/14 - 10-5PM - 12 East Lancaster Ave. Ardmore, PA

Blue Hawaii Vintage Clothing Rack at the TPRFM 

My husband and I had the pleasure of vending at the first Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market over the weekend and had such a blast! There were over 2000 people in attendance and over 40 vendors! The vendors were all so wonderful and sold everything from vintage records, to toys, to repurposed comic books, and handmade lip balm!

It was great to see so many familiar faces from Asbury as well as meet some of our facebook fans and industry idols all under one roof! We heard lots of great feedback on our products and what people wanted more of for next time.

Make sure to check out the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market website for more information on the next installment of the market that will take place in October. It promises to be bigger and better than the first time around and we can’t wait!

I was thrilled at the opportunity to try Diorshow, Dior’s cult classic mascara through People’s Style Watch.

Diorshow Mascara - My lashes just look naked without it.

I started using Diorshow as soon as I got the sample and have been receiving compliments ever since. This is pretty amazing seeing as I have been getting zero sleep between having a newborn and being out of our house for 6 weeks due to the hurricane.

The mascara really seemed to plump up and lengthen my lashes. They looked better than when I had worn falsies for events in the past. What I liked even more was that it didn’t smudge off like my normal mascara but did actually come off easier when I went to remove it at night. Today I actually forgot to put it on before leaving the house and when I saw my reflection, I felt like my eyes were naked!

This past Saturday we had our holiday party and for the first time in months I actually dressed up and did my makeup. It felt great to dress up and wearing Diorshow really allowed me to get that vintage glam look I wanted and let me shine. It’s definitely a must have for any makeup bag and I plan on stocking up for holiday gifts this year!

60s Glam for the Blue Hawaii Vintage Holiday Party

Vintage suitcases have so many uses. These 10 great DIY tutorials have you covered from the obvious travel and storage, to a new bed for your pet, to new shelf space for your living room. I can’t wait to try one this week!

Floral suitcase tutorial from A Beautiful Mess

1. Great quick and easy tutorial from the awesome blog A Beautiful Mess.

Picnic basket made from vintage suitcase tutorial from funkytime.

2. Repurposed vintage suitcase as fun retro picnic basket tutorial from funkytime.

Red Hen Home DIY for vintage suitcase shelving.

3. Repurposed vintage suitcases as shelves tutorial from Red Hen Home.

Soft and comfy chair from vintage suitcase DIY from see kate sew

4. Repurposed vintage suitcase as soft and cozy chair tutorial from see kate sew.

Beautiful revamped dresser with vintage suitcases from The Painted Home

5. Dresser drawers replaced with vintage suitcases from The Painted Home.

Beautiful vintage suitcase dog bed tutorial from mox & fodder

6. Super quick and easy dog bed tutorial from a vintage suitcase from mox & fodder.

Functional storage table from vintage suitcase DIY from Good Housekeeping

7. Functional vintage suitcase table tutorial from Good Housekeeping.

Vintage cosmetic case turned docking station tutorial from Design Sponge

8. Vintage traincase docking station tutorial from Design Sponge.

Vintage chic suitcase nightstand from Cupcakes and Cashmere

9. Soft and pretty stacked vintage suitcase nightstand from Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Bathroom vanity from vintage suitcase tutorial from Design Sponge

10. Vintage suitcase vanity and towel holder DIY from Design Sponge.

We have a great selection of vintage suitcases for $20+ at Blue Hawaii Vintage. Stop by our store or email for details so you can get working on one of these tutorials ASAP!

Since opening my store, I’ve come across so many amazing vintage finds that I couldn’t have dreamt of before! I picked up a stellar beach umbrella from the 60s at an estate sale last year (I was way too jealous when I saw a super stylish vintage maven on the beach in Ocean Grove, NJ with one the summer before). Today, I picked up a super cute black parasol at a sale. It is super ornate, with a gold design on the handle. So chic!

What I love about vintage parasols and umbrellas is that since they weren’t used as much as other items (as opposed to items that were used every day which are harder to find in mint condition, ex. lingerie, briefcases), they are usually in great shape. The price tag can sometimes reflect the amazing condition, but if you do some digging you can find some amazing pieces! Estate sales and flea markets are the best to find killer deals on these beauties, but if you are looking for quality without the hassle, definitely try a vintage store or Etsy. If you go the store route, you can always call ahead to make sure that they have some in stock before you head out the door.

So stand out on the beach or have the best umbrella in the office umbrella stash by scoring a vintage umbrella of your own!

Here are a few of my current favorites from Etsy:

Fabulous 60's Beach Umbrella from InWithTheOld on Etsy

Beautiful Black Parasol from CoyoteMarmalade on Etsy

The thought of starting my own business was daunting. There are so many things to consider in terms of size, locaiton, merchandise, etc. It’s hard to know where to even start. Luckily, I have an amazing group of friends and family that were able to connect me with other business owners in the community and learn from their experiences. I also did research online and still research on a weekly basis to improve my business.

I was thrilled to recently come across an article from Software Advice–an company that reviews consignment software. In their blog, Michael Koploy wrote ‘Five Tips for a Successful Consignment Store‘. It is such an insightful article and I was able to pull several items from the article that can help me take my business to the next level. Aligning with a national organization like NARTS is a great way to meet other peers in the resale. industry and pick their brain on issues you are facing. Also, thinking of other similar local businesses as allys rather than competitors is key. Aligning with them and doing join events is a great way to promote the area and your collective businesses.

A great example of how a ‘competitor’ helped me out was with regards to creating a contract for consignors. When I first started consigning items, I didn’t have a contract and  took garments on good faith. This model didn’t work out well and I had issues with keeping track of the inventory and also having the consigners pick up their items in a timely fashion if they didn’t sell. After talking with a local business woman about my issues, she showed me links online of consignment agreements and I was able to use them as a template and come up with my own contract terms which I now use with every consignor that does business with the store. It’s helped out tremendously and I wouldn’t have even know that such contracts existed if I didn’t reach out to local businesses for advice.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with gaining industry knowledge from their peers? What other advice do you have for starting and/or growing your resale business?

Blue Hawaii Vintage Storefront

I love holidays! Valentine’s Day is one of my faves because of the abundance of yummy conversation hearts and chocolate. Ok, maybe I just like candy, either way, you can’t go wrong.

I wanted to update the store window with some festive color and this is what I came up with. Let me know what you think!

Vintage 60's Saks Fifth Avenue Leather Poncho

Vintage 50s Mexican 3-piece dancing outfit along with a vintage men's windbreaker

Vintage 70s poly day dress in crimson with a repurposed vintage necklace in red and white beads

I’m going to a wedding with the hubby tonight and needed an updo that wouldn’t move in today’s brisk winds. I was inspired by the beehive that I got earlier in the week and used this amazing tutorial by Johnny Lavoy on how to create a 60s bouffant in minutes. It really worked.  After I dried my hair, it literally took 5 minutes to create and it’s lasted all day. Johnny’s tutorial is the easiest I’ve found (after hours of searching) and it’s really doable by yourself.

DIY Beehive Front View

I added a little glam to my look by adding a silver headband I picked up at Harmon’s for $2 (Side-note – you can use your Bed Bath and Beyond coupons at Harmon’s Face Values and you can use one coupon for each item you purchase. Saved me a bundle!). They had tons to choose from. Another option would be to make a DIY headband from sparkly trim as seen in this TheBeautyDepartment.com post.

Vintage heels (40s from Etsy), earrings (60s from Nana) and necklace (20s from my great-Nana). Dress is Anthropologie circa 2008 and tights are DKNY.

To get the look, I blow dried my hair until it was completely dry. Then I sectioned my hair like the tutorial. I made a high pony out of the back half of my hair, and made that into the base of the hairstyle by teasing it with a boar bristle brush and pinning it into place. Lastly I went crazy teasing with the boar bristle brush (from Harmon’s) on the front half of my hair and pinned it back against the base to create height and shape it the way I wanted.  I left it a little messy, but did brush the front slightly smooth so there weren’t any fly aways.

Side profile showing height and shape of DIY Beehive...buzzz.....

I would definitely recommend the video tutorial to anyone looking for a quick and easy way to get glam for the night.  I’ve been getting so many compliments in the store today, so I think my first DIY try was a success!  If you do try the beehive yourself, definitely share your pics on our facebook page here. We’d love to see how it worked for you! Sorry my pics are fuzzy, I think the 7am photoshoot was a little to early for my hubby this morning

View from the back. Messy but polished.

XOXO