Today I share an interview with Vintage Eye. How can you not be inspired by that eye looking at you? I met Vintage Eye on Twitter and had to learn more about the head beholding that eye!
When and how did your love of vintage start?
It all began in my aunts’ kitchen. They had all the original cooking gear that had belonged to their mother. Old wooden spoons worn smooth on the handles from use- yellow ware bowls with well earned chips & a hand cranked mixer that gave you a real work out! Plus they had a trunk in the attic filled with clothes from the 1920 that I played dress up with. I’ve been a vintage junkie since way back!
Tell me about your shops.
I guess I will go chronologically. Satellite Daisy (so named for a salvaged satellite dish I painted to look like a daisy) began as an art, craft & photography shop. I added a few vintage items & it soon became clear that people preferred them to my own creations. Live & learn I always say. So I took my own advice & opened Vintage Eye to sell the vintage housewares. Next came Vintage EyeFashion which served to house the vintage clothing & accessories. I have added vintage supplies to Satellite Daisy & they have done pretty well.
Do you blog?
I have dabbled in blogging on Artfire (where I also have a shop) but I don’t have my own. I am an avid reader of OPPs though! (other people’s blogs)
Do you enjoy other hobbies?
I am an avid reader of books as well as OPPs. I am a political & history junkie. I walk, do yoga, cook & bake. I love to travel—road trips, planes, trains—& I am a big fan of maps, dogs, abandoned barns & baseball. Let’s Go Mets!
Do (did) you work and/or study outside the home?
I had a 20 year career as an RN working in critical care, post anesthesia, medical-surgical, endoscopy & out patient. I have been considering dipping a toe back in the nurse waters….but my vintage gig is full time at present.
So describe your home décor. Is it vintage? (Can vintage be a design?)
My home décor is definitely eclectic! Each room has a different feel. Retro 70s bathroom, modern cottage kitchen, rustic colonial sun porch…each room is accented with lots of vintage that I move into the shop & when I find something else I like better! One of the many benefits of the vintage trade!
How did you develop a love for ugly lamps?
I have no real explanation for the lamp thing…they speak to me somehow and I just have to bring them home!
Do you have the famous leg lamp? (My neighbor puts his out every Christmas.)
I do not have a leg lamp but I wouldn’t say no if I happened upon one!
What about fashion – do you like vintage styles? If so, what’s your favorite?
I do love all periods of vintage fashion but my favorite era would have to be early 1960s. Jackie Kennedy was so influential & has become such a style icon. I have fond memories of the styles my mother wore back then.
Are you a small town or big city girl?
I am from a big city…New York City to be exact. I now live in a small town in SC.
I love the quiet here but I do like to get to the city now & again. I was in Brooklyn for Hello Etsy a few weeks ago.
Favorite vacation spot.
Lately, it’s been Los Angeles. Our son & his wife live there & we go at least once a year to visit. Last time we took the train to San Diego. It was a wonderful ride, much of it right along the Pacific Ocean & my husband got to cross the zoo off his bucket list. But our daughter moved to Austin TX last year so we will be getting to know the Lone Star state soon!
Fondest childhood memory.
Rural Connecticut, late summer, listening to the birds sing while stretching out on the rope hammock as dappled sunlight filtered through the trees and the breeze made the leaves dance! It was almost magical & I can still close my eyes & see it all just like it was yesterday.
Who would you like to be for a day?
Martha Ballard. She was a midwife in Maine around the time of the Revolutionary War. Fascinating person… or Mel Brooks….Apparently, I need more time to think about that one.
What’s your favorite chain type restaurant?
Waffle House.
What things are unique to where you live? As in special customs, favorite restaurants, slang, etc. (I love to find the unique things of an area when I travel. So much of the US is homogenized – Anywhere USA).
Well, we are awash in all things southern, honey child! You don’t push a button-you mash on it. You also burn your headlights & get your picture made (not taken). I may ask you to carry me (drive me) to the Piggly Wiggly or ask you where you stay at (where you live) The local dish here is Chicken Bog a slow cooked rice, chicken & sausage dish. In fact The Loris Bog Off, a festival that includes a chicken bog cooking contest is this month! Y’all should find somebody to carry you on over here!
Favorite candy.
Swedish fish but only the red ones & I think those would be better dipped in chocolate.
Your scariest moment?
When our son was born he was ill with pneumonia & we didn’t know if he was going to be okay for a few days. We were terrified. He’s 31 now!
What helps you when you are in a bad mood?
I rather enjoy a good bad mood… but if I need to snap out of it lots of well placed f-bombs will help but I always prefer driving too fast down the country roads while blasting Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta’ on the CD player. Works every time!
Use one word that best describes yourself.
Cantankerous
Thank you Vintage Eye for sharing a bit of the genius behind the eye today! We share a love of Swedish Fish! If you share a love of everything vintage, be sure to stop by her shops and have fun stepping back in time.
Jane! You are a genius! You actually make me seem like a reasonably stable human being! Thanks so much for putting together this fabulous post. I am flattered to be featured here & I trust your reputation will be able to withstand the damage it will suffer as a result! 😉 Thanks so much! Kathleen
Crusty I was just thinking that this makes you look madder than you actually are. (is madder a word?)
Anyhow, the madder my good friend vintage eye is, the more I like her. Great interview!
Vintage Eye! Love these tidbits about you and yours 🙂 Jane – thanks for interviewing the eye!
Loved learning more about “Ms. Eye” 🙂
great interview!
Great interview – nice to get to know you a little ‘Eye’ !