Jun2

Vintage Do Over and Hobnob Market!

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Seven years ago this month, I wandered around my first indie craft show to check out handmade plushies, screenprinted T-shirts and leather journals in a sweltering Brooklyn park. The trip was a fantastic way to escape my everyday reality of newspaper deadlines and stifling rules. I wondered if I could ever have my own little table selling my creations. Now, Vintage Karma is about to do two shows this June. A HUGE thank you to Susan of Susan Harbourt Designs for her help with this!

Susan, an amazing and inspiring artist, is my booth buddy and we hope you’ll stop by and say hi if you’re in the area! The details:

First up is the Hobnob Summer Market in Danville, Il. on June 7 and 8!

hobnob

Click on the photo to find out more about Hobnob!

A week later, Susan and I will hit the road again, heading north to Chicago for the Vintage Do Over.

Click on the photo for more info!

Click on the photo for more info!

This event is sponsored by 4 Miles 2 Memphis, the shop owned by Danielle of the American Pickers show. I love the slogan on the shop’s Facebook page: “American made, hand made, and proud of it!”

If you’d like to see some of the handmade goodness Susan and I’ve been whipping up for these shows, hop over here, where Susan wrote about our collaboration.

Please note that because Vintage Karma is a small business, we will be closed the following days and hours so that we can attend these shows. Thanks for your understanding.

Friday, June 7: We’ll close early at 1 p.m. (Hours will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day.)
Saturday, June 8: Closed all day.
Saturday, June 15: Closed all day.

Mar9

VK Apothecary (Our Big Secret Revealed!)

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Welcome to VK Apothecary! Balms, soaps and candles for unrivaled grooming for ladies and gents. We’ve tinkered and tweaked formulas in our former Oddfellows hall for the past few weeks, and Ainslie even created her own tattoo balm!

We wanted to create a line of products that are unisex and evoke a feeling of the past. Below is a bit more about each product, although we recommend coming in for a whiff.

body balm

Body Balm 

Made with cocoa butter, shea butter, bee’s wax, sunflower oil and vitamn E, this hydrating salve features a hint of lavender, cedarwood and real vanilla. Use it on hands, feet and other dry spots. A perfect blend of scents before bedtime to help you relax. $9.99 for a 2-ounce jar.

lipbalm

Lip Balm

Our lip balm features wintergreen and vanilla. We did a lot of testing on this one to get it right. (And not on our cats or anything like that. We tested it!) Ingredients include bee’s wax, sunflower oil, vitamin E and cocoa and shea butters. $2.99 for a .15-ounce tube.

tattoobalm

Tattoo Balm

What is tattoo balm? This is the stuff you put on your tattoo as it’s healing. Ainslie specially formulated this, and we’ve packaged it in an easy-to-apply container; you don’t have to touch your fresh tattoo. The ingredients include camphor and comfrey, an Appalachian healing herb. (Fun fact: Ainslie grew up in Appalachia.) $2.99 for a .15-ounce tube.

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Soaps

VK Apothecary soaps were made by a fellow over in Indiana for us. Every soap contains organic shea butter and no animal fats. $5 per bar

We currently offer these types:

Bay Rum
Cherry Almond
Cool Citrus Basil
Eucalyptus Aloe
Gobi Gold
Grapefruit Tea Tree
Hydrangea Rose Goat Milk
Jasmine Lime Scrub
Lavender
Lemongrass
Nag Champa
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey
Peppermint
Rosemary & Thyme
Sandalwood
Tobacco Flower
White Tea Ginger
Ylang Ylang Lavender

topshelf

Chicago Candle Company

We are excited to also offer candles from Chicago Candle Company at Vintage Karma. You’ll find these soy candles in our apothecary display, and each one is hand-poured in an upcycled wine bottle and based off wine, cocktail and drinks scents. $15.50 for a candle that burns approximately 22 hours.

Choose from:

Cabernet
Chardonnay
Irish Coffee Stout
Kentucky Bourbon
Old Fashioned Cocktail
Pear Vanilla Apertiff
Pop The Bubbly
Sangria

Please be patient with us as we load VK Apothecary items onto our online shop! In the meantime, feel free to drop by and check it out!

Feb23

We’re going to Hatch!

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A week from today, we’ll be selling our VK goodies at the Hatch art fair in Champaign. We’re bringing us a big old box truck full of repurposed art. Yay! (Fun fact: I love driving box trucks!)

hatch poster

So, our shop in Tuscola will be closed Saturday, March 2. Plan to come to the Hatch art fair instead! We’ll reopen Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in Tuscola.

For more info, check out the Hatch website here. You can also R.S.V.P. at the event’s Facebook page here. Hope to see you there!

Feb22

Meet VK’s newest artist!

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Check out this great blog post by Laura of The Shop & The Blog of Worldly Delights! She is our newest artist at VK, and her post tells the story of how she got into making her adorable plushies and accessories. It also shows what Vintage Karma is all about — supporting local artists and their dreams!

delightedlaura

Welcome, Laura! :)

Jan16

Ainslie Heilich included in new tattoo book!

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We are proud to announce that Ainslie Heilich is one of the artists featured in the updated edition of Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo by Margot Mifflin !

Two of her pieces were included along with several quotes.

You can purchase a copy of your own through Amazon by clicking below or clicking on the book in the righthand column.

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Bodies of Subversion was the first history of women’s tattoo art when it was released in 1997, providing a fascinating excursion to a subculture that dates back to the nineteenth-century and including many never-before-seen photos of tattooed women from the last century. Newly revised and expanded, it remains the only book to chronicle the history of both tattooed women and women tattooists. As the primary reference source on the subject, it contains information from the original edition, including documentation of:

•Nineteeth-century sideshow attractions who created fantastic abduction tales in which they claimed to have been forcibly tattooed.
•Victorian society women who wore tattoos as custom couture, including Winston Churchill’s mother, who wore a serpent on her wrist.
•Maud Wagner, the first known woman tattooist, who in 1904 traded a date with her tattooist husband-to-be for an apprenticeship.
•The parallel rise of tattooing and cosmetic surgery during the 80s when women tattooists became soul doctors to a nation afflicted with body anxieties.
•Breast cancer survivors of the 90s who tattoo their mastectomy scars as an alternative to reconstructive surgery or prosthetics.

The book contains 50 new photos and FULL COLOR images throughout including newly discovered work by Britain’s first female tattooist, Jessie Knight; Janis Joplin’s wrist tattoo; and tattooed pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber. In addition, the updated 3rd edition boasts a sleek design and new chapters documenting recent changes to the timeline of female tattooing, including a section on: celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D, the most famous tattooist, male or female, in the world; the impact of reality shows on women’s tattoo culture; and, therapeutic uses of tattooing for women leaving gangs, prisons, or situations of domestic abuse.

As of 2012, tattooed women outnumber men for the first time in American history, making Bodies of Subversion more relevant than ever.

Dec24

Merry Christmas from VK!

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Bianca says Merry Christmas, too!

Bianca says Merry Christmas, too!

Thank you all for your support in 2012. We can’t believe so much has happened and we’ve met so many wonderful people along the way! 2012 is a year we will always remember, and we are looking forward to continue growing our business in Tuscola in 2013.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

- Laura and Ainslie

Vintage Karma Holiday Hours

Christmas Day: Closed

Dec. 26: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dec. 27 through Jan. 1: Closed for a holiday break

Jan. 2: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and resume regular hours