We made our two first sales on Etsy! Feels gooood!
Here are the two items we sold, one yesterday and one today:
We had to be patient, that's all I guess!
Wait until Mireille comes back from Paris with more clothes for our shop!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I am back, after two months. Altough I didn't write a word on the blog I read many of the blogs I follow, specially Tali's!I was busy and somehow I couldn't find the time to sit down and write some lines...May be the fact that our shop on Etsy is not selling at all took away a little bit of enthusiasm...Anyway, we had a big sale in our shop in Jerusalem two weeks ago and it was a success!
Here are some pictures!
Part of the collection of my sister Janine, who has a beautiful shop on Etsy, known as Eninaj! She was there too!
This afternoon, while I was working at home, my husband called me from his office and invited me to take a walk in Ein Kerem. It was 5 pm. The day was very hot but I would never say no to a break in Ein Kerem. Never! I love the place. If I could, I would buy a small cottage up there. It's a wonderful spot in the hills of Jerusalem.
Of course we went for a walk, and eat a big delicious ice cream too! I took some pictures, here they are:
Most vintage, though old, is of a better quality than our disposable clothes today. However, they most likely have had a lifetime of being warn, so it is important to make sure the items you buy are still wearable and don’t look old or worn.
Here is a check list of problems you should look for before you purchase a vintage item. Be sure to inspect the item thoroughly and in good light:
• General wear and tear - Check elbows, knees, backsides, cuffs, collars, hems, and armpits for excessive wear as they are the parts of clothing that endure the most stress.
• Fading - You can check for fading by turning the item inside out and looking at the seams. The color on the seams will probably be a darker shade. If the fading is minimal or completely even on the outside of the garment, then the item should be ok to buy.
• Sagging, drooping, or over stretching – Since Lycra was not part of the fiber content in every garment produced like it seems to be today, well worn clothes ill have possible sagging or stretching from wear and tear. Try the item on to determine if such wear is noticeable while on. In some cases the wear may improve the fit, in others, it may make the item look overused.
• Stains - Some stains on vintage items are possible to get out, especially more recent ones. Stains that will not come out include mildew and some perspiration stains. Use your discretion depending on the size of the stain, its location, etc. More information on how to remove stains.
• Odor – Most of the clothing has not been washed for some time, especially those from thrift stores, so there will most certainly be some sort of persisting odor on the item. With a good wash, that odor should diminish or disappear. Just be sure to use the appropriate cleaning method for the garment’s age and fabric contact. A cleaning guide can be found here.
• Tearing (other than in seams) – Tearing in any other area except on the seams of the item are irreversible and not always easily masked. Use your discretion when buying an item with known tears. • Deterioration - Fiber deterioration is common in old pieces made from natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, etc. Look for signs of felting and [link url=/od/glossary/g/shattered.htm]shattering[/link, pilling and treadbareness.
• Moth holes – Moth holes are irreversible in almost all cases. Moths prefer dark colors, so be sure to double check items that are darker. Use your discretion depending on the extent of damage and location. If you chose to buy an item with moth damage, be sure to have it dry cleaned or wash in hot water immediately to prevent any moth larvae from infesting the rest of your wardrobe.
• Mildew - All signs of mildew are irreversible. Do not purchase a garment with any sign of mildew damage.
• Hardware – Be sure that zippers zip properly, buttons are all attached and move smoothly in and out of the button hole, and that snaps all have both pieces and fit together.
• Decorative details - Pay special attention to any garment with beading, sequins, applique, embroidery or lace. Make sure decorative finishings are attached securely and are not missing an undesirable amount of pieces. All find out if there are any matching ties, belts, etc., and if they are accompanying the item.
This is a picture I love so much! Our parents somewhere in Montevideo during the 50's. They look happy! You can see it on their smiles! My mom and my aunt were good at sewing and made all their clothes. There was no extra money to go shopping...
Mireille parents are on the left and mine on the right. My aunt and my dad were brother and sister. The four were born in Cairo, Egypt and at the beginning of the 50's they went to live in Uruguay and that's where Mireille and I saw the world! Usually little girls fall in love with their dads but I was in love with my uncle! He was so handsome! I use to say that when I grew up I would marry him! At home we spoke French and with the people around us we spoke Spanish. Later in the 60's my family and I went to live in Switzerland for 5 years and later on to Panama. Mireille left Montevideo for good and started a new life in Jerusalem in the 70's. Finally I came to Israel too and joined the rest of the family in 1998.
On week ends I love to take long walks, have a nice pic nic in the woods or go to the beach. This photos are from a beautiful spot in Jerusalem, one of my private gardens!
Yesterday night I took a break and went downtown, to listen to some beautiful classical music that was performed from the balconies of one of the old buildings of Ben Yehuda street. The night was perfect. The street was full of people that gathered to mingle and chat quietly. The music flowed in the air and from time to time the new people arriving to the spot looked up to see from where the musical sounds came...here are some pictures I took with my not so state of the art camera!
Welcome!
We are a two cousin team (Mireille and Viviane) who are crazy about vintage!
We have an exclusive selection of beautiful vintage clothes and accessories that we have brought from Paris and other fashion capitals of Europe, so that you can look as if you shop on the Champs Elysees!
As you can see, we both have French names. We speak French, of course! And Spanish, Italian, English and Hebrew.
We are very different! Mireille is outgoing, nothing scares her and she has the guts to do almost anything. I am shy, don’t talk a lot and I take my time before I make a step forward. I am a poet and I love to write.
Mireille travels to Europe a lot, mostly to Paris. So she is the one that hunts in the international vintage markets. She loves to do it. She also loves to cook and does it like a queen. For more than two decades she was a restaurant owner here in Jerusalem and her restaurant was very well known. And since we truly believe in recycling, we took her restaurant name for our blog and Etsy shop! "Besograim" means "in parenthesis" in Hebrew. See? You already learned a new word!
Thanks for stopping by and come back!