I may be dating myself, but I have been buying and thrifting vintage so long, my thrifting is vintage!I have been buying vintage clothing since I was in high school. It started with my friend Jenny and I going to local flea markets. I became obsessed with adding vintage 1970s clothing to my wardrobe. The first vintage item I ever purchased was a bright orange button down polyester dress. I wore it until it literally disintegrated. Then came the 60s and 70s mens flare jeans. I lived in them. I had a pair in dark black with bright white threading I probably wore weekly for about 8 years. I eventually donated them back into society, still in pretty great condition.
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| Vintage mens jeans from Valley Vintage! |
I was bitten by the vintage bug then. I have been shopping vintage ever since 1993.
What I learned between 93 and now is that vintage clothing is strong as fuck! It is almost ridiculous how much of a beating older clothing can take and keep on going. I may be showing my age here, but it’s just made better! I handle items from the 1930s - 1990s. I clean items, repair them as best I can. Usually older items need a little TLC. But even with these minor repairs - this stuff lasts! Vintage clothing is incredibly sustainable. That also means it’s eco-friendly. Vintage clothing is the essence of reusing. This is a huge part of what endears me to it. It’s such high quality that it can be used again and again throughout decades.
True vintage clothing must be at least 20 years old. At 20 years we experience the first wave of nostalgia as consumers. With nostalgia comes a yearning for relics from the past! With vintage you never really need to recreate a favorite decades look. Why recreate a style you’re nostalgic for? The fact is that you can literally find and use the original fashions of that period. There is something exciting about being able to recreate a period of time in your life. Or visit another era with the change of a dress!
To me vintage stuff is just cooler. I have always been a bit of a collector of things. As a teenager it was rare CD’s and imports, and concert t-shirts, as a 20 something it was comic books and action figures. As a 30 something, it’s still collect all of those things, plus vintage clothing and vintage decor. As an adult I express my love of decades gone by through my fashion choices and my home. I cultivate these looks to mix with my own taste and style. It gives my fashion and interiors a cooler one of a kind look. Over time these vintage pieces have dwindled in quantity. My pieces are not mass produced. They are harder to find and closer to originals. That to me, just makes them cooler!
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| My vintage dining room table. Warm fuzzies! |
Which comes to my final reason on why we love vintage. Why we seek it out and go out of our way to repair and breathe new life into it. Every piece of vintage has this feeling of love and tells it’s own story. It just needs to find the right person that also has that feeling of love for it. It’s kind of like falling in love. Everything I’ve held onto or has been passed down to me is true vintage. My dining room table was hand made by my great grandfather in the 1940s. It means something to me. It’s like we share something special. Every time I look over at that table, I smile. Even though he’s no longer with me, a piece of him always will be through that table. On a less personal note, I also have a favorite pair of vintage jeans. When I saw them I got that instant, oooh I need to try THESE on! I snatched them up and I have kept for years. They hit me in all the right places, they are super comfy and broken in, and they give me a 60s and 70s feel no other item in my closet can. I feel great every time I put them on. I launder them carefully and never put them in the dryer, in hopes of keeping them as long as possible. I am the owner they were meant for. I love them! To me, that’s IT. That’s what it’s all about! That feeling. That feeling that is like yes! This is mine and only mine! It BELONGS with me!
That’s why we vintage. 
Our Endless Summer sale does in fact come to an end soon.
Save 50% on select vintage summer clothing, hippie, boho and festival wear.
See the rest of our sale selection here.
Or go straight to www.ValleyVintageLLC.etsy.com
Summer is here, and we’re so excited for what’s to come. June was a busy month for us in the Valley as Jillian has officially made the move to the quaint Borough of Naugatuck, Connecticut! July currently has us adjusting to a new home office space that has a home for all three JLD brands. Aside from the move, business has been booming!
Jillian Lyons Designs has now become it’s own separate entity, working exclusively with small businesses of all sizes, helping them to market, brand and build their social media presence. We are pleased to announce our newest member of the Jillian Lyons Designs team, Ashley Taylor. As our Administrative Specialist she works hard on helping to create our marketing, posting to our social media, and helping to keep our office up to speed and our deadlines met. She possesses a great interest in both vintage and contemporary fashion as well as blogging. We look forward to seeing what creativity she brings to JLD and it's sister brands, Valley Vintage and The Red Queen.
We have also recently teamed with the film Aaron’s Light, a film about one Autistic man’s journey to reach his dreams, all the way to Yale University. Donations are currently being accepted for this groundbreaking movie that will be filmed entirely at Yale. Please consider making a donation to this film, we strongly feel it will make a difference for people with disabilities.
Valley Vintage is pleased to announce that last year’s beloved Summer sale is back! That’s right -- The Magical Summer Sale -- from July 18th, until August 15th, 2016, save 40% on all festival wear, denim, groovy 60s fashions and summer inventory! Continue to check ValleyVintageLLC.etsy.com regularly for updates. Find some of your favorite Vintage Summer pieces now! We will be featuring new inventory daily during our sale.
Our newest brand, The Red Queen, has now officially started to feature its latest products at The Mad Hatter & Co. shop in Bennett Square at 41-D Main Street South in Southbury, Connecticut! Our latest items are brought to you by Mystic Knotwork, Designer Dwellings, The Red Queen brand and more to come! Be sure to keep checking out our Facebook page for updates and new items and local brands available through The Red Queen! We’re so excited and hope that you are too!
All of us from the Valley thank you for your loyalty, support, and your business. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to email Jillian directly at JIanBoutique@gmail.com for more information.
Have a wonderful Summer!
-- The Jillian Lyons Designs Family
** originally published in The Life Center of Connecticut blog March 4th 2016
We’ve all wondered it, right? You look down at that juicy burger or nuggets or fries and wonder - what’s really in fast food? The rumors have included everything from plastic and silicone to maggots, soy, perfume, and scary looking low grade meat. But what’s really going on in fast food?
Years ago, my very first job as a teenager was working at my local McDonald’s. I lived in a blissfully ignorant world where all food was what it said it was and I didn’t need to think beyond that. But my mind began to change in the few weeks that I worked there. Working the fry-o-later made my skin completely break out in the worst acne I ever had. I found the shake mix terrifying, as it came in a big, thick, off-white blob you poured into a machine and poof, shake comes out. Worst of all was the rumor from the cooks that the burgers were only 30% beef, the rest was heavily perfumed soy and filler. That the corporation paid the best perfume companies in the world to make this less than meat concoction to smell and taste like a cheeseburger. I lasted 8 weeks at that job.
So the question looms, what’s really in fast food? First, let’s start with white slime and pink slime. You may remember these terms from the Taco Bell scandal, where it was uncovered that only 30% of their ground beef was actual beef, the rest was “pink slime”. (Taco Bell has since stated this problem has been rectified and now uses 100% beef.) According to Wikipedia, white slime is defined as: Mechanically separated meat (MSM), mechanically recovered/reclaimed meat (MRM), or mechanically deboned meat (MDM) is a paste-like meat product produced by forcing pureed or ground beef, pork, turkey or chicken, under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue.* However, pink slime is slightly more sinister. Wikipedia differentiates it as a: process [that] entails pureeing or grinding the carcass left after the manual removal of meat from the bones and then forcing the slurry through a sieve under pressure. This puree includes bone, bone marrow, skin, nerves, blood vessels, and the scraps of meat remaining on the bones. The resulting product is a blend of muscle (meat) and other tissues not generally considered meat.* Now do you really want to put a nugget in your mouth after reading that?
Courtesy of YouTube, you can see a video explaining this mechanical process better. A clip of chef, Jamie Oliver showing school kids what many chicken nuggets are made from: https://youtu.be/mKwL5G5HbGA
A fast food hamburger isn’t that much better from the pink slime description. An article from Collective Evolution showed a typical ingredient list for many fast food restaurants. As follows:
Water content by weight ranged from 37.7 to 62.4 percent, an average of 49 percent
Meat content in the hamburgers ranged from 2.1 percent to 14.8 percent, an average of 12.1 percent (even LESS then the McDonald’s rumor above!)
Electron microscopy revealed the existence of preserved skeletal muscle
Connective tissues
Blood vessels
Peripheral nerves
Adipose Tissue
Plant material
Cartilage
Bone*
Meat content in the hamburgers ranged from 2.1 percent to 14.8 percent, an average of 12.1 percent (even LESS then the McDonald’s rumor above!)
Electron microscopy revealed the existence of preserved skeletal muscle
Connective tissues
Blood vessels
Peripheral nerves
Adipose Tissue
Plant material
Cartilage
Bone*
Since 2012, many fast food companies have claimed to remedy their menu by offering healthier options to choose from. Many places now carry at least a basic salad, veggies or apple slices, and wraps. But did you know many of those things are sprayed or dusted with propylene glycol? Propylene glycol is a type of propane with a sweet flavor that includes water, acetone and chloroform. This is done in the name of a longer shelf life. Even the “healthy” options are pumped full of chemicals. The scary thought, a lot of these healthy menu options are given to our children as a substitute. We’re giving our children chloroform to eat.
I believe great strides are just beginning to be made in the fast food industry and our food supply in general. From the way I see it, all fast food offers no food of nutritional value. Even the healthier options are tainted with some kind of chemical preservative. It barely deserves the description of food. Why put that in your body as fuel?
Resources for this article:
*Wikipedia - definition for Mechanically Separated Meat, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat
Wikipedia - definition for Pink Slime,
*HuffPost Tatse - These Disturbing Fast Food Truths Will Make You Reconsider Your Lunch 11/20/2013, updated 5/12/2014 by Renee Jacques
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/08/03/study-shows-fast-food-burgers-can-contain-as-little-as-2-actual-meat/
*Collective Evolution article - Study Shows Fast Food Can Contain As Little As 2% Meat 8/3/2013 by Arjun Walia http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/08/03/study-shows-fast-food-burgers-can-contain-as-little-as-2-actual-meat/
No, I don’t want no scrubs – a scrub is a kinda guy that can’t get no love from me. Hanging out of the passenger side of his best friend’s ride, tryin’ to holla at me! Remember that song? You probably do, since it was on the top of the charts for four weeks straight! Released in the mid-90’s, hip-hop group TLC’s single – No Scrubs – has been streaming through radio stations for twenty full years. So in celebration of their success, let’s journey back to the 90’s and see how T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli redefined fashion of their reign’s decade!
Back in the early 1990’s when the group first formed, trends were already beginning to rapidly change. Flashy prints from 1980’s no longer existed, and people began filling up their wardrobes with flannel shirts and ripped up jeans. It was all about the grunge, punk-rock look inspired by singers like Kurt Cobain and fellow Seattle rock gods. But with heavy influence from the hip-hop and rap music industry, artists like Destiny’s Child and Snoop Dog pushed for hip-hop outfit trends that TLC heavily influenced later on. TLC was known for drastic, bright block print colors, baggy pants, over sized t-shirts, and denim, denim, denim. Every appearance of the trio sparked controversy as their styles constantly changed, yet stayed coordinated with one another. So let’s take a look at what they brought to the table.
1. Color Coordination was their definition for stepping out of the “norm”.
Frequently, the girls were depicted sporting off color coordinated, matching outfits that grabbed the tabloid’s attention as well as the public. Bright colors are no doubt a way to have all eyes on you, and it was clearly evident when people began sporting outfits similar to theirs. Bright, neon colors were migrating into warbrodes everywhere.
2. They incorporated designer brand clothing with their street-style attire.
Designer brands have always been mainstream, but when paired with a TLC’s laid-back hip hop style, the ladies made their outfits both unique and casual. Name brands were also growing in popularity, especially active wear garments. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Dolce & Gabbana grew in popularity, surely with a little help from TLC. Well done ladies!
3. Overalls were their “thang”.
If you didn’t rock overalls in the 90’s, were you even relevant? Heck, even celebrities were strutting their stuff in them! TLC has been seen on numerous occasions coming to events and concerts sporting denim or colorful overalls, as seen above. Overalls were a staple trend in most American households. (and I say it should be back in style today.) It was surely nice to see the celebs rock them too in a unique way. TLC even stirred some controversy by sticking condoms on theirs, as seen on the picture on the right. Cheeky girls.
4. They rocked denim and graffiti.
We all know denim and over sized t-shirts were popular, so it comes to no surprise that the girls would rock these outfits. TLC went through a phase of denim-street style attire, and even had the idea to graffiti their own clothing. This really was a turnover for fashion. Designers like Louis Vuitton and Tommy Hilfiger took some of the creative flows from this type of design and incorporated graffiti into their own clothing and accessories. Remember those white LV bags with the multi-colored graphics? You can thank TLC for making that look popular.
So thank you TLC, for not only slaying the charts, but also slaying the fashion game with their wacky, unique sense of style. You really paved way for a 90’s fashion takeover. The next time you try on those overalls I know you still have laying in the tubs in your basement, you should thank TLC for making them a fad in their time. Happy 20 years to not having any scrubs!
Doing work with PopUp55 last year in New Haven was a big jumping off point. It instilled in me a dream for something more. I went through 2 weeks of running my own pop up shop that I had to staff, run, plan events for and promote. It was like small biz boot camp. When I signed on with Mad Hatter and Co., it felt like the perfect place to experiment further with what owning a business could be like. What I learned from this is that I am not yet healthy enough to work in my own shop for the amount of hours I would need to to properly run my own boutique. The past few months have proven this again and again as I get my health back on track. And frankly, I just don't have the capital to keep up with how much I would have to pay out to staff my sick days alone.
So while I had more down time then usual, I started thinking about the future. What do I want. What seeds do I have to plant in order to make those future plans grow. If I had to be home in bed, I might as well put the time to good use! It started becoming more and more obvious. The answer was an online brand. One of the things I love about Mad Hatter is all of the interesting brands Joan Tarby and Angie Chernovetz manage to find and bring in. But my style is a tad different from them. The online brand idea expanded. Why not include some retail brands that I love. Not big brands. But the little guys. Indie businesses, other artists, small and local, USA made clothing in small batches. Cool. Unique. My kind of fashion.
The name The Red Queen is partially inspired by the Mad Hatter & Co. It's a name that folds neatly into the Wonderland aesthetic I love. Alice in Wonderland, it was always one of my favorites. But it also means something more. It's a sassy lady. A boss bitch. A queen that doesn't take shit. It seemed like the perfect name. It also eludes to my personal style which is inspired by all the fringe elements of culture. I consider myself to be a little bit of all of those things. Sassy. Daring. Punk rock. Goth chick. Alternative. Drag Queen (in my heart of hearts. I am a biological woman!) Costume lover. Artist. Experimental. Cosplay enthusiast. Nerdy girl. Naughty girl. Hippie chick. Opinionated bitch. Fashion diva. Alllll of it. The Red Queen is everything.
I am still slowly building the website and brand, as I continue to talk to more brands and sign contracts with the people I heart. So far we have Hemet clothing, Sacred Threads, Banned clothing, Kennedy London earrings, Roma Hollywood, some curations from Valley Vintage and more to come. It's an exciting time to see this come to fruition. You can view and shop the website now as we build. Please know we are still stocking inventory, so this is just a sneaky peek for the people who have been following me for all these years. Cause I heart you so much! <3 But the official launch will be in Spring or early Summer. Peek HERE. I'd love some feedback in the comments below. And if there is a brand you think we should be looking at, please also comment with links!
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| Coming Soon! The Frida Kahlo Maxi Dress! Taking pre-orders now! |
Years ago, one of my favorite besties gave me a book called Bad Movies We Love. The authors preach about the best of the worst - from scenery chewing to ironic life imitates bad art characters. I have had it for well over a decade and it has seen a lot of use! I have read and re-read it. I have highlighted it to keep track of the films I've seen. I've used it as my bible to all things camp. I have worn my original copy down so much so, that it's missing the cover and a few pages. My boyfriend found a new, inexpensive copy on Amazon for me for Christmas this year.
So flash forward to January. I kicked off the New Year by having a much needed surgery. For someone like me who is self employed, this was the perfect time to take some down time and heal without missing too much work and project time. Unfortunately we are now into February, and I am still healing. After some unexpected complications, I am still running on the slow side. It has been rough.
In my search for something to keep me entertained while I heal, I picked up my beloved movie guide and began to criss-cross through the reviews looking for things I've never seen, or need to see again. I landed splat on the movie that started it all for me.
Xanadu.
I had to be maybe 7 or 8 the first time I saw Xanadu. I have mentioned in previous posts, I was a kid who loved musicals! I had no idea it was a bad movie. It wasn't until years later that I was finally in on the joke. That I saw how awesomely bad Xanadu was. And my love for it transcended. According to my Bad Movies bible, Xanadu was the creme de la creme of the Slay it With Music musicals. I taped it off of TV (because that's what us old folks had to do back in the 80s!) And watched it to death. Olivia Newton John was this beautiful wholesome beacon on roller skates. She was one of the 9 Muses who came to Earth and decided she quite liked it. It made me wish for my own Muse. She falls for Swan from the Warriors (also an awesomely bad movie) and inspires he and an aging Gene Kelly to open a night club together. Swann quits his career in fine art as a painter for album covers (what's that?) They open their club, where they blend the 1940s and the 1970s in a train wreck - just - can't - look - away musical number, I shit you not. It's unreal. Watching this while stuck home in bed was such a positive for me. Not only did I relive my childhood, but I laughed my ass off.
Lady Sings the Blues
Oooh you are certainly getting schooled now children! This movie was my next must see! Another one I remember loving in my youth and yet again, had no clue it was a bad flick. Even now, I still think it walks the line. It has moments of amazing, this was Diana Ross's first movie role, and she took it very seriously. Also Richard Prior's first film, and he practically walks off with the whole movie. But it also has high camp moments, Diana Ross has a very big problem keeping those crazy eye balls in check. Not quite bugging all out like in another favorite, Mahogany, but dang close. There is a fine line between scenery chewing and acting your ass off. She walks it quite a bit as Lady Day, aka Billie Holiday. The story is a tragic tale full of sadness, rascism, rape and drug abuse. There are moments where you go from laughing at the movie to crying. But I guess that's what makes it such an interesting pick. Also this film features Mr. Billie Dee Williams, who I am a sucker for no matter what he's in. Watching it you can see why he was the Denzel of the 70s. He also worked with Ross again in the forementioned Mahogany. Give this one a real watch. Try and see both the camp and the love put in this flick. At the very least you may find Diana Ross dropping the N word over and over a little jaw dropping. I know I was scandalized.
Shanghai Surprise
Oh my God, I can hear the groans from here. In the mid 80s, Sean Penn and Madonna were the ultimate power couple. This movie seemed unstoppable. It was produced by George Harrison (I know right!) Who also provided some soundtrack goodness. The screenplay was written by infamous Algonquin Round Table author, Robert Benchley. This marriage of everything that should go right, but goes terribly, hilariously wrong, is my favorite kind of bad movie. Big Budget Flicks That Fall Flat on Their Faces. You can find my beloved Showgirls as the reigning queen of this category. This movie, set in what I think is the 1920s Shanghai, features Penn as a drunk swindler and Madonna as (hahahahahahaha) a virginal missionary nurse trying to find Opium to help her patients. Madonna whines and stamps her way through the flick, as Penn gets dirtier and drunker (method acting). It ends in a train wreck that involves a dude named Joe Blow, porcelain hands, fake outs, explosions and waving goodbye like a psycho. You'll be glad it's over when it comes. Worth watching just for the sheer madness that was the Madonna / Penn marriage. It's like a peek inside a window of what brought them together and what made it fail. Get your popcorn!
So flash forward to January. I kicked off the New Year by having a much needed surgery. For someone like me who is self employed, this was the perfect time to take some down time and heal without missing too much work and project time. Unfortunately we are now into February, and I am still healing. After some unexpected complications, I am still running on the slow side. It has been rough.
In my search for something to keep me entertained while I heal, I picked up my beloved movie guide and began to criss-cross through the reviews looking for things I've never seen, or need to see again. I landed splat on the movie that started it all for me.
I had to be maybe 7 or 8 the first time I saw Xanadu. I have mentioned in previous posts, I was a kid who loved musicals! I had no idea it was a bad movie. It wasn't until years later that I was finally in on the joke. That I saw how awesomely bad Xanadu was. And my love for it transcended. According to my Bad Movies bible, Xanadu was the creme de la creme of the Slay it With Music musicals. I taped it off of TV (because that's what us old folks had to do back in the 80s!) And watched it to death. Olivia Newton John was this beautiful wholesome beacon on roller skates. She was one of the 9 Muses who came to Earth and decided she quite liked it. It made me wish for my own Muse. She falls for Swan from the Warriors (also an awesomely bad movie) and inspires he and an aging Gene Kelly to open a night club together. Swann quits his career in fine art as a painter for album covers (what's that?) They open their club, where they blend the 1940s and the 1970s in a train wreck - just - can't - look - away musical number, I shit you not. It's unreal. Watching this while stuck home in bed was such a positive for me. Not only did I relive my childhood, but I laughed my ass off.
Oooh you are certainly getting schooled now children! This movie was my next must see! Another one I remember loving in my youth and yet again, had no clue it was a bad flick. Even now, I still think it walks the line. It has moments of amazing, this was Diana Ross's first movie role, and she took it very seriously. Also Richard Prior's first film, and he practically walks off with the whole movie. But it also has high camp moments, Diana Ross has a very big problem keeping those crazy eye balls in check. Not quite bugging all out like in another favorite, Mahogany, but dang close. There is a fine line between scenery chewing and acting your ass off. She walks it quite a bit as Lady Day, aka Billie Holiday. The story is a tragic tale full of sadness, rascism, rape and drug abuse. There are moments where you go from laughing at the movie to crying. But I guess that's what makes it such an interesting pick. Also this film features Mr. Billie Dee Williams, who I am a sucker for no matter what he's in. Watching it you can see why he was the Denzel of the 70s. He also worked with Ross again in the forementioned Mahogany. Give this one a real watch. Try and see both the camp and the love put in this flick. At the very least you may find Diana Ross dropping the N word over and over a little jaw dropping. I know I was scandalized.
Oh my God, I can hear the groans from here. In the mid 80s, Sean Penn and Madonna were the ultimate power couple. This movie seemed unstoppable. It was produced by George Harrison (I know right!) Who also provided some soundtrack goodness. The screenplay was written by infamous Algonquin Round Table author, Robert Benchley. This marriage of everything that should go right, but goes terribly, hilariously wrong, is my favorite kind of bad movie. Big Budget Flicks That Fall Flat on Their Faces. You can find my beloved Showgirls as the reigning queen of this category. This movie, set in what I think is the 1920s Shanghai, features Penn as a drunk swindler and Madonna as (hahahahahahaha) a virginal missionary nurse trying to find Opium to help her patients. Madonna whines and stamps her way through the flick, as Penn gets dirtier and drunker (method acting). It ends in a train wreck that involves a dude named Joe Blow, porcelain hands, fake outs, explosions and waving goodbye like a psycho. You'll be glad it's over when it comes. Worth watching just for the sheer madness that was the Madonna / Penn marriage. It's like a peek inside a window of what brought them together and what made it fail. Get your popcorn!
So hearing about the death of Scott Weiland felt like one of the first real nails in the coffin of my childhood. The first being Robin Williams, my comedy hero. This was for sure the second one. Long gone are the days of staring at posters, cranking CDs and rocking out, waiting anxiously for them to come to my nearest city. I saw them during the Purple Tour at the New Haven Coliseum. Two things that will never happen again as both are officially gone. I'll never forget rocking out at that show, and then being wowed by the couch sitting acoustic set. It was one of my first concerts. My first ever rock concert. Many more followed, but this one, was the first.
You can't deny the guy had talent. I had never got into Velvet Revolver. Those albums came out during my "lost years" when I was poor, sick and sad. I watched the video for Slither and was like wow. Where the Hell was on this one? I spent hours on YouTube watching videos. Remember. I forgot Sarah Michelle Gellar was in the video for Sour Girl. I forgot about all the awesome Letterman performances. Or that they did an MTV Unplugged, with awesome acoustic arrangements of some of their harder rock songs. Crazy man.
RIP Weiland. Goodbye teenage years. Thank you for making a depressed teenage girl a little less angsty. xoxox forever.
The Nutmeg Collective: Seasonal Spotlight: Wool: Jenny Fields Fiber It's that time of season to think and get cozy. What better way to get in that cozy frame of mind than with a l...
Some of my customers may remember a time when I sold some of my jewelry designs at a little shop in downtown Seymour, CT. It was called Mad Hatter Boutique. I loved selling in my home town. It was a great little shop. Since then Mad Hatter has regrouped. Joan Tarby, owner of Mad Hatter, has since partnered with Angie Chernovetz. She owned a little shop called Tangie's around the corner. I tell you this was a match made in Heaven!
Over the summer I received a message from Joan. She and Angie were starting a new shop in Southbury Connecticut. This time it would be a cooperative shop. They were inviting a curated selection of artists and vendors to join, share in the rent and responsibility of the space, creating a unique boutique. I was thrilled to join this amazing selection of women. This shop would be called Mad Hatter & Company.
The end result of this grouping features brands that Joan brings in such as Sugar Lips and Umm Gee clothing, scents by Margot Elena, items by JKC and more. Her daughter Meghan brings in a bit of retro flare with curated items under the business name Her Looking Glass - Anne Taintor, boutique gift items by Demdaco as well as Kelly Rae Roberts. Angie's Treasures uses her creative touch to restore and repurpose vintage furniture, as well as bringing in creative and fun box signs and greeting cards. The shop also features artists such as Re-Designed by Elizabeth, who makes wine bottle lights and Redneck Wine Glasses. Alison Wonderland who creates original wire, enamel and beaded jewelry. BBA Bracelets, which in my opinion, makes some of the coolest stackable bracelets that she fittingly calls arm candy. We also have Bowtique by Alexa, seriously adorable bows and hair accessories for women and children. She also takes custom orders and prints her own fabrics! Black Tabby Studio who makes the most adorable little cards for just $1 each or in bundle packs by occasion! She also makes very clever mugs. Lastly, there is me. Jillian Lyons Designs. I make beaded and rhinestone and vintage inspired jewelry, I also brought in my new line, JK, which is all faerie and nature inspired jewelry and terrariums. I take custom orders using the shop as home base if you'd like local pick up. I work behind the counter quite a bit and even lend a loving hand to the shops social media promotion. In the fall I am looking forward to bringing in my wearable wings for costumes and fun!
Below you can find some images of this gorgeous collaborative shop. The inventory literally changes every few days. It never looks the same twice.
Mad Hatter & Company is located at 134 Main Street South in Bennett Square, Southbury Connecticut. We are open Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 10am - 3pm. Regular photo posts of new inventory go onto the Mad Hatter & Co. Facebook page! See something you love? Send us a message! We will hold, and ship!
Over the summer I received a message from Joan. She and Angie were starting a new shop in Southbury Connecticut. This time it would be a cooperative shop. They were inviting a curated selection of artists and vendors to join, share in the rent and responsibility of the space, creating a unique boutique. I was thrilled to join this amazing selection of women. This shop would be called Mad Hatter & Company.
The end result of this grouping features brands that Joan brings in such as Sugar Lips and Umm Gee clothing, scents by Margot Elena, items by JKC and more. Her daughter Meghan brings in a bit of retro flare with curated items under the business name Her Looking Glass - Anne Taintor, boutique gift items by Demdaco as well as Kelly Rae Roberts. Angie's Treasures uses her creative touch to restore and repurpose vintage furniture, as well as bringing in creative and fun box signs and greeting cards. The shop also features artists such as Re-Designed by Elizabeth, who makes wine bottle lights and Redneck Wine Glasses. Alison Wonderland who creates original wire, enamel and beaded jewelry. BBA Bracelets, which in my opinion, makes some of the coolest stackable bracelets that she fittingly calls arm candy. We also have Bowtique by Alexa, seriously adorable bows and hair accessories for women and children. She also takes custom orders and prints her own fabrics! Black Tabby Studio who makes the most adorable little cards for just $1 each or in bundle packs by occasion! She also makes very clever mugs. Lastly, there is me. Jillian Lyons Designs. I make beaded and rhinestone and vintage inspired jewelry, I also brought in my new line, JK, which is all faerie and nature inspired jewelry and terrariums. I take custom orders using the shop as home base if you'd like local pick up. I work behind the counter quite a bit and even lend a loving hand to the shops social media promotion. In the fall I am looking forward to bringing in my wearable wings for costumes and fun!
Below you can find some images of this gorgeous collaborative shop. The inventory literally changes every few days. It never looks the same twice.
Mad Hatter & Company is located at 134 Main Street South in Bennett Square, Southbury Connecticut. We are open Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 10am - 3pm. Regular photo posts of new inventory go onto the Mad Hatter & Co. Facebook page! See something you love? Send us a message! We will hold, and ship!
My business tends to feel like the Little Engine That Could. Every time I think I am down and out, something in me pushes and says I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! Then, somehow, I do. My last post was how, on the verge of closing, Jillian Lyons Designs turned it around thanks to Project Storefronts and Sassy Mouth Photography. Now we are emerging with a brand new line of products, unlike what I have made in the past.
I have partnered with my new gal pal and photographer friend Kerry McCoy Photography to bring you JK. Featuring botanical and nature inspired jewelry and faerie terrariums. We made our official debut at Union Station New Haven at the Project Storefronts Indoor Street Fair this past Friday. I gotta say, the reaction to our work was stellar! People loved our little faerie themed pieces. Our table looked magical! We even booked a gig in October and got requests for more products!
Needless to say we will be making some more magic! I will continue to add our new JK products to the Jillian Lyons Designs Etsy shop. You will also find us at The International Festival of Arts & Ideas on June 20th. AND we will have some pieces at Mad Hatter & Company in Southbury CT for July 1st!
Below is a sampling of our new products! All photos are courtesy of Kerry McCoy Photography!
Valley Vintage has begun thriving as a business. With our official one year anniversary as a business happening this month, I have no doubts that VVLLC will continue to grow and be something I will continue to love curating and running.
Jillian Lyons Designs on the other hand, has had a very troublesome year. Sales had progressively gone down. On top of this I had burned myself out last year from crafting. I took a break for a while. I had very little inspiration or drive. I think this is something many artists go through at one time or another. To make matters worse, I hurt my arm and wrist for a prolonged period of time at the height of the Holiday season. When 2015 rolled around, my precious JLD started to feel like it was dead in the water. I toyed with the idea of closing it. Putting all my eggs in the vintage basket seemed like what would eventually happen. But it hurt me deeply to have to publicly say my inspiration is gone and so is JLD.
Then Marissa at Sassy Mouth Photography tapped me to use some of my angel wings in a Victoria Secret inspired series of photo shoots. As I said in a previous post, I HAD to say yes. She was practically magical! I admired her work. So off I went.
Seeing her finished images moved me. I was finally ready to make wings again! The flood gates opened and I started creating. I also started posting new items to Jillian Lyons Designs for the first time in a year. It felt so good. Like an awakening of my authentic self.
Soon enough offers came my way. PopUp55 offered us the use of their wonderful pop up shop space for a 2 week run with a Spring theme. Assuming they meant Valley Vintage I started curating bright Spring colors in my mind. Then a surprise. Elinor Slomba, my contact at PopUp55 and New Haven's Project Storefronts said no. She was actually looking for Jillian Lyons Designs to bring in the Spring. I was surprised, nervous, worried. Even though I had new product, I wasn't sure if JLD was enough for the PopUp55 shop. or it's New Haven customers. I negotiated for both vintage clothing and my costumey accessories to have a presence there. Elnor said ok, but let's say Jillian Lyons Designs @ PopUp55.
So that brings us to the present. I have just wrapped up my two week long pop up shop event. What I learned from this, is that people liked Jillian Lyons Designs. I sold both old and new products. The things I felt weren't my strengths did just as well as the things I thought were shoe ins. AND the vintage clothes weren't the huge success I expected them to be. They did EQUAL business.
I learned many valuable lessons about working with a staff, what works for me in person versus online, how to better market myself in all respects. I learned so much that the powers that be from PopUp55 / Project Storefronts have invited me to share my experience and Etsy marketing tips at a workshop. So on April 23rd I will be at The Haven Collective giving a little talk about all of these things. This is happening from 7:30 - 9pm at 938 State Street New Haven. You can find more info HERE.
In my next post I'll be adding some of the gorgeous shots from our Pop Up Photo Shoot on the streets of NHV! For now you can find a few in the I Love New Haven blog, courtesy of Mr. Chris Randall.
Jillian Lyons Designs on the other hand, has had a very troublesome year. Sales had progressively gone down. On top of this I had burned myself out last year from crafting. I took a break for a while. I had very little inspiration or drive. I think this is something many artists go through at one time or another. To make matters worse, I hurt my arm and wrist for a prolonged period of time at the height of the Holiday season. When 2015 rolled around, my precious JLD started to feel like it was dead in the water. I toyed with the idea of closing it. Putting all my eggs in the vintage basket seemed like what would eventually happen. But it hurt me deeply to have to publicly say my inspiration is gone and so is JLD.
Then Marissa at Sassy Mouth Photography tapped me to use some of my angel wings in a Victoria Secret inspired series of photo shoots. As I said in a previous post, I HAD to say yes. She was practically magical! I admired her work. So off I went.
Seeing her finished images moved me. I was finally ready to make wings again! The flood gates opened and I started creating. I also started posting new items to Jillian Lyons Designs for the first time in a year. It felt so good. Like an awakening of my authentic self.
Soon enough offers came my way. PopUp55 offered us the use of their wonderful pop up shop space for a 2 week run with a Spring theme. Assuming they meant Valley Vintage I started curating bright Spring colors in my mind. Then a surprise. Elinor Slomba, my contact at PopUp55 and New Haven's Project Storefronts said no. She was actually looking for Jillian Lyons Designs to bring in the Spring. I was surprised, nervous, worried. Even though I had new product, I wasn't sure if JLD was enough for the PopUp55 shop. or it's New Haven customers. I negotiated for both vintage clothing and my costumey accessories to have a presence there. Elnor said ok, but let's say Jillian Lyons Designs @ PopUp55.
So that brings us to the present. I have just wrapped up my two week long pop up shop event. What I learned from this, is that people liked Jillian Lyons Designs. I sold both old and new products. The things I felt weren't my strengths did just as well as the things I thought were shoe ins. AND the vintage clothes weren't the huge success I expected them to be. They did EQUAL business.
I learned many valuable lessons about working with a staff, what works for me in person versus online, how to better market myself in all respects. I learned so much that the powers that be from PopUp55 / Project Storefronts have invited me to share my experience and Etsy marketing tips at a workshop. So on April 23rd I will be at The Haven Collective giving a little talk about all of these things. This is happening from 7:30 - 9pm at 938 State Street New Haven. You can find more info HERE.
In my next post I'll be adding some of the gorgeous shots from our Pop Up Photo Shoot on the streets of NHV! For now you can find a few in the I Love New Haven blog, courtesy of Mr. Chris Randall.
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