25% off Christmas in July sale on now in my Etsy shop (+ an update on the Canada Post strike situation)

In a statement that I don't often make, this July has actually felt like something of a long month so far. I don't see this as a negative or positive per se, but rather the by-product of a rocky June that progressed into a new month with somewhat unsure footing as well.

No small part of such was due directly to the swirling vortex of uncertainty that was the Canada Post strike situation, which I discussed in detail here back on the 1st of the month.

Though we experienced a wide range of postal service disruptions and ensuing ramifications (such as many online sellers having to temporary cease shipping and/or shut down their stores briefly), and while the risk of such happening isn't off the table yet entirely, so far a complete strike has not actually materialized.

This is absolutely fantastic, of course, and meant that - when the official news of a negation truce was announced - I was able to promptly reopen my Etsy shop, for business as usual, back on July 8th.

There is still the risk that a strike might happen (though, really, I suppose there is at anytime), but again, for now, Canada Post has officially said that there are no service disruptions or other issues that will impact the general public at the moment.

Earlier in the year I'd been planning to hold a sale in my Etsy shop to celebrate Canada Day, the 4th of July, and my birthday (on the 10th), but when the worst of the strike situation was underway and I was forced to temporarily put my store into Vacation Mode, that possibility went straight out the window.

Hop ahead some three weeks, and as things are back to normal on all fronts, I felt like I still wanted to off you all a fabulous sale. There's no major holidays here at the moment to directly tie this sale into, so instead I've decided to have my Etsy shop's first ever Christmas in July sale!





{All the fun of December sales without any of the seasonal hecticness, lineups, or holiday mail rush!}



That's right, months before jolly old St. Nick comes bounding down the chimney again, you can shop and save with the same sort of discount that I offer during the holiday season (you might even to do some actual holiday gift shopping now ahead of time).

Between today (Friday July 22nd and Sunday July 31st) absolutely everything in my Etsy shop - more than 950 listings (including hundreds of exciting new vintage and antique offerings that have been added there in recent months) - has been marked down by 25%.

This discount has already been applied to the entire store, so there's no need for coupon codes or anything of that nature. Simply shop and save big with this festive sale.

And, I'd like to mention, for those who may be new to my shop or otherwise unaware of such, that I happily ship worldwide, offer very low combined shipping rates on all orders, and only ever charge true shipping costs (refunding any overages of $1.00 or more, if such does occur).

So while July got off to a less-than-ideal start, it is my sincere hope that this sale can help the month do a full 180 before it wraps up, and love being able to offer you a summertime sales event after all (please note: the next sale in my Etsy shop won't happen until at least mid-autumn).

Thank you, truly, so much in advance to everyone who shops - and saves - with this fun Christmas in July sale.

Celebrate my Etsy shop's 2nd birthday with a 32% off flash sale!

Two years ago, on a day both much akin to, and also very different from, today, I took my life - and career - in an exciting new direction and opened an Etsy store dedicated to selling vintage and antique treasures of the sort that have brought me joy ever since I was a young child.

This wasn't a decision that I rushed into, nor that I came to lightly. I poured countless hours of thought, discussion, and research into the topic before Chronically Vintage on Etsy came into being.

No matter how long I live, I will never forget the rush of emotions and thoughts that were swirling through my mind and heart alike when the big day came! It was a magical experience and I was touched to my core to receive some of my very first sales (as well as plenty of others since then) from my very dear blog readers here.

In the twenty-four months that have passed since that day in 2014, my shop has grown and flourished in ways I could hardly have conceived of back then. I've gone from less than a hundred listings initially to having as many as 1,100 items in the shop at once (a record that was hit last November and which I hope to surpass later on this year).

I've been honoured to receive a good percentage of my business from repeat customers around the world, supplied items to dozens of brides for their special days, sold vintage goods to numerous Hollywood production and theater companies in both the US and UK (including having some of my vintage gloves worn on the TV series The Astronaut's Wives Club), and grown both as a person and a business woman with each every piece that has sold from my shop.

With all my heart, I want to thank you, my readers and customers, for your fantastic support and business over the past two years. It has been an incredible experience selling to many of you and I look forward to continuing to do so as Chronically Vintage head's into its next year of life.







Whether you're a returning or first time customer, to celebrate this joyful occasion, I invite you to pop on over to my shop, where you will currently find every single item on sale for 32% off (I was planning to offer 30% off, but it struck me that since this is my shop's second birthday, "32" would make more sense :)).

This flash sale is on from today, May 6th, until Wednesday May 11th. All prices have already been marked down and no coupon codes are needed. Simply add any item(s) you wish to your cart and watch the savings pile up!

A lot has changed in my world and in some respects, with my shop as well, since this same date two years ago, but what remains the same is my commitment to providing top-notch customer service, wonderful vintage treasures, and a fantastic buying experience for each and every person who visits my shop.

These points will never waver and you can bet that as Chronically Vintage on Etsy heads into its next year of life, things will only get better and more exciting there!

Celebrate my Etsy's shop's 1st birthday with a 30% off storewide flash sale

My word, how time flies when you're selling vintage! Today I'm elated to celebrate the 1st birthday of my Etsy vintage shop with all of you, and what better way to mark such an milestone occasion than with a massive sale.

To mark Chronically Vintage on Etsy's first year of life, I'm holding a storewide 30% off flash sale that will run from today (May 6th) until Saturday May 9th.

This is going to be my only storewide sale of the season, so now is definitely the time to pick up that item (or two...or ten!) that you've been eyeing for a while, or to discover a new "can't live without it" treasure there.

Don't forget that I offer very low combined shipping rates on multiple items purchased at the same time and only charge true shipping. So if a shipping overage of $1.00 or more does happen to occur, I refund it to you right away after posting out your order.



Take Mable and Peggy's lead and rush over to shop Chronically Vintage's 30% off 1st anniversary sale today! And please don't be shy when it comes to sharing about this sale on social media. Just save the image above and pepper it across the web wherever you'd like!


This past year as an Etsy shop owner, on top of being a full-time vintage blogger, has been one of many exciting learning curves, honing my time management skills, awesome opportunities, newly forged friendships, support from many of my blog readers, and tons of experiences that I wouldn't have traded for the world.

While I wouldn't call myself a veteran Etsy seller yet, I'm not the newest kid on the block either any longer either and I love that fact. I know Etsy well now and have a very good sense of what it's like to earn a living there.

It takes, amongst other things, massive amounts of work, perseverance, dedication, great customer service skills, plenty of word of mouth coverage, an unwavering belief in yourself, and the ability to continually replenish your virtual shelves with awesome new finds that are apt to speak to a wide range of vintage adoring folks.

I truly want to thank each and every one of you who has helped to support my Etsy shop during its first year in so many different ways. It would not be where it is today for one red second were it not for all of you.

As we kick off its second fabulous year, I hope that you'll continue to shop my old school wares and be a part of making Chronically Vintage on Etsy an ever-greater success!

Save 31% off everything in the Etsy shop this Halloween week!

Boo!!!!! Happy Halloween Eve, Eve, Eve, my dear friends!

It's safe to say that being struck down with this flu (and accompanying flare-ups of some of my conditions) - that is still hangings on fifteen days into it - so soon after we returned from Vancouver Island was certainly not how I planned to spend much of October. The optimist in me likes to think that perhaps falling ill now spared me on the flu + cold front for the rest of the chilly half of the year. Only time will tell, but I really do hope such proves to be the case!

There's just three more days to go until my very favourite holiday and while - as much as I would absolutely love to - I can't hold a Halloween bash at my place and invite you all over, or deliver pumpkin shaped pails of candy to your doorsteps, I can however offer you a very sweet treat in the form of a Halloween sale this week in my Etsy shop.

Starting today (October 28th) and running Sunday November every last thing in the Etsy vintage store is on sale. The prices in the shop have already been reduced, so you don't need to use a coupon code or do anything else at checkout. Just shop, save and have a blast!!!

{Definitely share this image anywhere you'd like to and help spread the word about this festively fabulous Halloween sale at Chronically Vintage's Etsy shop.}

In the spirit of Halloween, I have put everything in the store on sale for 31% off. This is the deepest discount I've ever offered to date in the shop and it will be the only sale before the Christmas season rolls around, so if you've been eyeing something (or ten things!) over at Chronically Vintage on Etsy, now is definitely the time to buy!

Please feel free to share about this sale on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, your blog, anywhere your heart desires. It would be of help to me and a great way for your friends and followers to get word of the fact that every last item (of which I've added over thirty new listings in the past few days alone) is currently on sale for 31% off.

I really appreciate your support of my Etsy shop and your awesome business and hope that this fun surprise treat helps make your Halloween week all the more merry, marvelous, and vintage-tastically fashionable!

Fill out Chronically Vintage's 2014 survey and you could win big!

It has been well over two years (I know, where on earth does the time go?!) since we last had a reader survey here on Chronically Vintage, and in the face of an ever changing, ever evolving online universe, I thought it was high time for another.
 
This survey includes questions not only about Chronically Vintage the blog, but also the Etsy shop, as well as CV on social media. From day one, your impute and feedback have always been extremely important to me and I genuinely care about what kind of an experience you have when you interact with any of my sites. I value and adore my readers and online friends and would wholeheartedly appreciate it if you took a few quick minutes to fill out this survey.

{Now's your chance, take this Chronically Vintage reader poll, tell me your thoughts loud and clear, and you could win a $75.00 Chronically Vintage Etsy store credit to spend on anything in the shop. I can't wait to hear what you save to say. Image source.}

Once you've done so, please leave me a comment on this post letting me know that you've taken the survey. All comments will automatically be entered in a draw for a $75.00 store credit, which can be put towards any item (or items) in my Etsy vintage shop (that is/are available at the time you redeem your store credit).

Please note that if the item(s), including shipping, that are selected exceed $75.00, the additional cost is the responsibility of the winner. If you have any questions about this giveaway, please don't hesitate to email me any time.
 
In one month's time (I want to keep it open for a month to give lots of folks the chance to fill it out), I will use a random number generator to draw the winner, contact them via email or Facebook private message, and announce their name on Facebook and/or Twitter. This giveaway is open to readers from around the world and the only condition for entry is that you fill out the the survey below.
 
In addition, to thank you for filling out this survey, all those who complete it will receive a special, limited time coupon code (upon completion of the survey) which they can use in the shop until October 16, 2014.

Please note that your answers are completely anonymous and confidential. I will see your answers, but I won't know who or where they're coming from, so please be as honest and forthright as you'd like when filling out these questions.

 

Thank you very, very much, everyone, for your time and help. I'm always on the hunt for new and innovative ways to grow and better my blog, shop, and social media presences, and really look forward to studying the data this immensely helpful survey will provide me with and doing just that as we head into the last leg of this year and well beyond.

Clothing and handbags launch in my Etsy shop + a special coupon code discount

When this year kicked off, some eight months ago now (hard to believe, I know!), I wrote a post detailing many of the different things that I planned to do in 2014. Two-thirds of the way through the year, I can very happily and confidentially say that I've made progress on every front, very much including the sixth entry on the list: trying new things and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

One of the biggest happened just a few days ago, when I launched my YouTube channel and started sharing videos with all of you there (the feedback for which has been incredibly supportive and I really, sincerely want to thank everyone who has left me a comment or sent me an email about it - you guys have had some fabulous ideas for posts as well, which I also hugely appreciate!), and earlier this year, in May, another major new happening was when when my Etsy vintage shop opened its doors.

Now, nearly three months since that happened, I'm flat out giddy with excitement to share with you that, on top of vintage jewelry, hats, gloves, accessories, compacts, and ephemera, Chronically Vintage is now stocking vintage clothing, stockings, and handbags as well (and shoes will be following very, very soon, too!). Below are four of the garments and four of the handbags that are on the virtual shelves there as we speak!



From top left to bottom right: 1960s ladies plaid cotton blazer | Circa 1960s pink plus size dress with matching scarf | 1940s sheer ivory and gold tie neck blouse | 1950s green wool floral print wiggle dress





From top left to bottom right: Vintage black velvet 1940s/1950s box purse | Vintage black and gold metallic thread brocade purse | 1940s black crochet handbag | 1950s brown marble swirl lucite handbag



There isn't a time in my life, no joke, when I can't remember wanting to sell vintage items, especially clothing and accessories, so I'm over-the-moon elated that fashions have joined the team, so to speak, in the shop as well.

To celebrate this fact, I'm offering all my readers a special coupon code that will save you 15% off everything in my shop for the five days (today until the night of Friday August 8th). There's no minimum order and you apply this coupon code to absolutely anything you purchase from me between today and the 8th.

Use coupon code Fashionlaunch15 at checkout

to save 15% on everything in store!

The vintage fashions and handbags I’m selling have all been sourced from around my province of British Columbia are just some of the many I'll be continuing to list in the coming weeks and from here on out.

One point I want to mention is that I vow stock as wide a range of different sized clothing as possible. If, like most people, you have a waist size bigger the 23 inches, you're in luck, because my shop has, and will always have, a range of different sizes, from XS to plus size and everything in between. We, as the gorgeous ladies we are, come in all manner of shapes and sizes and it's deeply important to me that I provide fashions that as many people as possible can avail of and enjoy wearing.

A quick second point that I'd like to slip into this post, and this applies to everything in my shop, not just clothing, is that I offer super low combined shipping on order where two or more items are purchased at the same time. I can't do anything about the base postal rate, I'm afraid, as that's what Canada Post charges (I don't make a profit on my shipping at all), but I can offer you super low rates on each additional item you add to your order from me to give you the most bang for your shipping dollar buck.

Happy shopping and thank you, everyone, as always for sharing in all of the exciting beginnings I've been experiencing this year - very much including the launch of clothing and handbags in my Etsy shop. Here's to plenty more super cool firsts still to come in 2014 and beyond!

A huge thank you and 12 ways you can help my Etsy shop grow

It's been 48 hours precisely since I announced the grand opening of my Etsy shop. The response, both in terms of each of your incredibly kind, supportive, and encouraging blog comments, emails, Facebook and Etsy private messages has been nearly overwhelming. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you who has shared an uplifting, wonderfully sweet word with me, as well as to all those who have placed orders from my shop already. I appreciate both more than I could ever begin to put in towards and really feel like the shop is off to a stellar start!



{Throngs of you flocked to my shop in it's first 48 hours, with a total of about 3,000 pageviews in the first 48 hours alone. Talk about making a vintage loving, entrepreneurial gal feel loved! Image source.}


One of my goals for 2014 was to try and get better at asking for things. This is an area, as I discussed in my New Year's post on the subject of this year's goals, that I have struggled with (massively) my whole life. Even just typing the words of this post puts a knot in my throat and stomach alike, but one can't rightly attempt to make headway on the improvement front if they don't at least try or do whatever it is they want to become more confident in. And so, to that end, I was wondering if you, my awesome readers and friends, could please help me spread the good word about my Etsy shop.

I know that some of you have done one or more of these things already and I appreciate that you have with all my heart and heart and soul, just as I do those actions that anyone does as a result of reading this post (or anytime). One of the best and most beautiful elements of the online vintage community is how we rally around, support, and help one another, and today I would be honoured if you could do just that for me by undertaking any one - or more - of the following things.


-Favourite (heart) my shop on Etsy.


-Favourite (heart) as many of my Etsy listings that you like.


-Create one or more Etsy treasuries that includes one of the shop's listings.


-Post the shop and/or any of my listings that catch your on Facebook page.


-Tweet about the shop and/or any of my listings on Twitter.


-Pin any and all listings (the more the merrier!) to any of your Pinterest boards that you like. (I'm not on Tumblr, but by all means, if you are, feel free to post them on that site, too.)


-Post about the shop and/or any listings(s) you'd like on Google+.



-Stumble the shop and/or any listings you'd fancy on StumbleUpon.


-Include one ore more items from the shop in a Polyvore set.


-Instagram/regram any image from the shop (please just mention where it came from), any ol' time your heart desires.


-Blog about my shop's opening and/or include one or more of my listings in any of your posts - now or anytime - that you'd like. (And certainly feel free to blog about anything you've bought from me, either before it arrives or after. If you have a photo of yourself wearing an item you've purchased from the shop, please feel free to email it to me anytime and I'd be more than happy to include it in a future custom appreciation blog post here, with a link to your own blog, if you'd like.)


-Plus any other way you can think of! Want to interview me about my shop, discuss collaborating in some way, or anything else? Just let me know, I would love to team up with you and help introduce Chronically Vintage on Etsy to as large an audience as possible.


You, ladies and gents, know me and that it's very out of character for me to put out a call to action like this, but in becoming a small business owner, I've already had to do a lot of things that were outside of my (ultra shy, ultra confrontation fearing) comfort zone, and do you know what? I honestly feel like I've grown as a person and am very grateful that I had/needed to do every one of those things, which is how I think I'll feel about this post and about asking you to help me get the word out about my new shop, too.


I mean it with the utmost of sincerity when I say thank you.


Thank you for your support, for your help, for your encouragement, for your business, and for every way you'll play a roll in Chronically Vintage's Etsy success. This shop will flourish all the more because of each of you!

PS: Don't forget to take advantage of the coupon code GRANDOPENING to save 15% off on all purchases until May 12, 2014.