Vintage Renewal

Name: Jeanne Connolly
Shop Name: Vintage Renewal
Shop Link: vintagerenewal.etsy.com
Location: Denver, CO
Ships To: Free Shipping Anywhere in the U.S.

What materials do you use for your ECO friendly products? I redesign vintage furniture by taking an interesting piece (that usually needs some TLC) and stripping it down the the bare frame. My first step in rebuilding the piece back up is identifying what I can reuse. Most times you can steam the existing cushion back to life with a standard home steamer. The next step is to recover the frame with a whimsical mix of vintage or recycled fabric and to finish off my redesigns with some cheery vintage trims. If I decide to paint the frame, I like to look in the "oops" section for paints that have already been made by large retailers, but were mistakes. I also look at paints that I have used for past projects at home to try and keep waste to a minimum and reuse what I already have. I think one of the most green concepts is "use what you have" decorating.

Why did you decide to make ECO friendly products? I love second hand pieces because they have so much more character than new furniture. I used to see such wonderful beaten up pieces of furniture at the thrift stores and always knew that they could be lovable again with some help and a vision. I made it my mission to learn how to redesign those wonderful pieces and give them a new lease on life.


What inspires you? I love vintage fabric! I would almost say that I'm in the vintage fabric business first because it's what makes all my piece so fun and unique. I don't have a specific design strategy though. Sometimes the chair talks to me, while other times it's the fabric and then finally it just may be a color combination that I have in mind when I do my redesigns. Each redesign comes directly from my heart so how I am feeling that day can effect the piece too. I would say all my redesigns are happy pieces with cheery fabrics and great color though!

How long have you had your shop on Etsy? I begin my etsy shop just shortly after I started my business Vintage Renewal. It's been since October 2007, so about a year and 1/2 now.

Is this a job for you or a hobby? I don't think it fits directly into either of those. It's really part of my heart now and who I am. Each piece is such a reflection of my personality.

I would work 5 other jobs to keep doing this the way that I love too. I do hope to one day to just redesign furniture all day long, but for now I only do it part-time.

Besides your business practices, do you do other things to live a green life? Yes, I look at everything in life in terms of re-use or re-purposing. I work at an architectural antique showroom full-time and spend all day long showing people how to design with wonderful salvage pieces. Salvage is so fun because a door doesn't need to be a door anymore when it's become a salvage piece. It can now re-invent itself as a headboard or a table top. I love showing people what they can do with the old to make it new and fresh again. Spending my days doing this type of work has really had an inspiring effect on my design process for Vintage Renewal and my own furniture.


How did you get into your craft?
It's funny and ironic how I got into this craft. I was actually working on a start-up business venture in a completely different field. At the same time, I moved into my first one bedroom apartment. I was having so much more fun decorating my apartment with thrift store finds and garage sale scores, than I was starting this other business that I was hooked!

It turned out that my apartment was fabulous and the other business never made it off the ground. I knew that a passion had been born and I haven't looked back since!

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners? Yes, promote, promote, promote! Nobody will know how fabulous your shop is if you don't tell them. The Etsy Handbook is invaluable. If you haven't signed up for email updates from Etsy than you are missing a gold mind of information!

Anything else you would like to add? My final comment would be that everybody should try and redecorate with what they have first. Seeing your old things in a new way is great for mother earth and for your pocket book.

There are so many wonderful "do it yourself" projects that can be taught using fabric, trims and wonderful scores from the thrift store. I plan on launching a "do it yourself" instructional website called gogreenwithjeanne.com to teach people how to redesign vintage furniture and to redecorate with vintage finds. Stay tuned! If your not a do it yourself-er than you can log on to vintagerenewal.etsy.com instead and shop away.

Giveaway Details

The giveaway will run from today Monday, June 22nd 2009, until Tuesday, June 30th 2009 at Midnight. The winner will receive long strips of vintage upholstery weight fabricsfrom Vintage Renewal. This giveaway is open to the US.

To Enter:

* Official Entry: You MUST visit Vintage Renewal tell me what else you love from the shop.

*1 extra entry: Follow this blog with email subscription.

*1 extra entry: Tweet this giveaway and leave the link.

*1 extra entry: Put my blog button on your blog-you can find the code on the right sidebar.

* 1 extra entry: Blog about this giveaway and link to this blog. Leave a comment with your blog address.

*1 extra entries: Email 3 friends about this giveaway and CC me. (greenearthjourney@gmail.com)


*Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries.
* You MUST leave me a way to contact you.
* If winner does not respond to the winning email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.


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Labels: Etsy seller interview, giveaway