vintage dress c/o etsy seller threading marigolds // tights, target // shoes, chelsea crew

Today’s mama style post is a special one because it’s brought to you by the lovely Threading Marigolds. Threading Marigolds is run by three wonderful women, two sisters and one cousin. Gotta love family run small business. Kristi, Lisa, and Jamy have been crafting and sharing styling tips since the good ol’ days.

Their store is comprised of several vintage and handmade items. I asked them to participate in a little Q & A. Here’s what they had to say:

How did the idea to open an etsy shop come about?

First off, our shop is a collective made up of a cousin (kristi) and two sisters (Jamy and myself, Lisa).  The idea of our etsy shop started years ago during one of our many craft-food-antiquing get-togethers, but it wasn’t until this past year that we started seriously thinking about it as something new we could do together and a way to take time for ourselves.  We’ve always been interested in arts, crafts, and all things vintage, but we’re all very busy with our day-to-day lives.  (I’m a PhD student and college instructor, Jamy is a kindergarten teacher, and Kristi is a middle school counselor who is pregnant with her third son!!). We figured if we were going to attempt to launch an Etsy shop, it needed to happen in the summer.  So, in July we launched our collective shop, Threading Marigolds, selling both vintage and handcrafted pieces. While everyone contributes to our vintage collection, I am the one primarily in charge of selling vintage. I also make scented soy candles in vintage and new vessels. Jamy, my sister, hand-stitches felt and repurposed fabric owls and makes aluminum flower brooches. My cousin, Kristi, makes fabric pom-poms. It sounds like quite the odd mix, we know, but with our busy lives, we knew that our shop’s success would depend upon our collaborative efforts.

Tell us about your love for all things vintage and handmade.

We all spent most of our youth crafting, playing dress-up with family vintage heirlooms, running around in cornfields, climbing trees and overall just being kids. Today we still get together from our diverse locations—Illinois, Virginia and Florida—for craft-a-thons and antiquing shenanigans. A very vivid memory for me is rummaging through my mom’s amazing closet filled with dresses from the 1960s and 1970s (I still have several that I wear).  My grandma also had one of the craziest vintage hat collections (still in the family!) from the 1920s-1940s.  These early encounters with old, sometimes fragile objects taught me to appreciate their histories and aesthetic.  As Jamy and I became teenagers, we both based our entire fashion sense on mixing new items with thrifted items.  In fact, I remember going to Bargain City in the suburbs of Atlanta every single Monday for 50% off!  Today, I personally look for vintage pieces that have a cross-over value, meaning I can wear them casually on the weekend or out with friends, but also dress them up for when I teach or have meetings.  Most of the vintage pieces I put in the shop have this cross-over value (or whatever you want to call it!).  I also love comfortable things!!!  My wardrobe is supplemented with new pieces and vintage-inspired dresses–usually from ModCloth or Anthropologie.

Hand-made for all of us is about the process of making something with our own hands.  We also fill our homes with handmade objects from others (usually from Etsy!).  I think I can say that we all prefer buying these types of items that support artisans, shopping local, and small business owners rather than big-box stores.  Of course, that’s not to say that we don’t ever shop there!  In fact, I’m trying my hardest to shop only from small businesses and Etsy this holiday season…we’ll see how it goes!!!

Who are your style icons?

This is a really tough question!!!
Without a doubt, the first name that pops into my head is Audrey Hepburn.  But, I also love the fashion that comes mostly out of old films–whether it be quirky Woody Allen films (he’s my fav), Godard or Hitchcock–but also of course many contemporary icons and bloggers (to name but a few that I regularly follow: The Dainty Squid, A Beautiful Mess and Meredith from One Sheepish Girl).  Oh, I also have to say, because I’ve been slllloooowwwly rewatching the entire series: I LOVE Diane Chambers’ fashion sense from the sitcom, Cheers.  Carla Tortelli also knows how to rock some amazing colored high-waisted jeans and printed tops.

If we’re talking about a home style…that’s a whole different list!!

Kristi, Lisa, and Jamy are offering a 20% discount at their shop with coupon code storkandbeanstalk. Here are some of my favorite items:

                                                               green polka dot shirt      //      lace skirt                                                                                                                                   esprit purse  //  blue dress