Shoe Heaven!

I can't wait to unveil the rest of my new vintage shoe collection!! Stay tuned....

Navy Gucci Pumps... Available Now at CAV!!

Vintage GUCCI Navy Nautical Pumps, Size 6.5B - $150

Available Now at Couture Arabesque Vintage...

Palm Springs Getaway!!

Just got word from the BF, that our room has been booked at the Ace Hotel!! Palm Springs in two weeks!! Cannot wait...

Calvin Klein Nautical Pumps... Now Available at CAV!

Vintage CALVIN KLEIN Nautical Pumps w/ Red Cap Toe, Size 8 - $75.

AVAILABLE NOW AT CAV!!!

............................

Keep checking back in this week for more fabulous designer heels. Trust me, we've got something for everyone!! xoxo

It's Shoetime!!!

Party Dress! Vogue Worthy...

I'm on the hunt for a new party dress for my upcoming (gulp!) 30th birthday!! I saw this image today from an early 60s Vogue shoot and wished I could find something like this... Search continues!

Jourdan - Bourdin: Shoe Off!

Came across this amazing Charles Jourdan campaign, photographed by Guy Bourdin, and found it simply stunning. Many of these appeared in French Vogue during the 1970s and caused quite a stir due to their fetish-type nature. I think they are chic chic chic darling, and think they belong in a gallery, or in my phantom walk-in closet...

Happy Feet! 7 Pairs of Vintage Designer Shoes Coming Soon...

Made a dent in photographing my new vintage listings this weekend and took some shots of 7 pairs of designer vintage shoes that will be added to the shop soon!! Very excited seeing as these are some big names and some bold colors. All shoes run between size 7.5 - 8, so this will make most women happy considering this is the most common size. Can't wait to get these listed in the shop and on to some fabulous feet!! 

Couture Arabesque on Instagram!

Ok so I am finally on Instagram! I've been experimenting since yesterday and am slowly getting the hang of it. If you want to follow me, I'm using the same handle as on Twitter: c_arabesque 

And as a heads up, I will be expanding my instagram skills this weekend with a long overdue photo shoot for the shop. Believe me, I have been hoarding some fancy goodies for a few weeks and will be unveiling them soon!! And as my second instagram pic below illustrates, I will now be adding Arabesque attire to the mix...

New Financial Tracker Spreadsheet for CAV Shop!

So recently I created my own Financial Tracker spreadsheet in Excel to help keep better track of my funds - how much is coming in and how much is going out! When I started my very first Etsy shop, which is now defunct, I tried to stay on top of my true profits. But when I opened Couture Arabesque Vintage, I must admit I started getting quite lax with my record keeping. I wouldn't keep all my receipts, I didn't keep track of my shipping and supply costs, I would forget to factor in my Etsy and Paypal fees... all in all I had a very distorted picture of what I was actually making in profits. So earlier this week I began tinkering around in Excel and created my own Financial Tracker for my shop... 

example for month of June

Keep in mind, this is still pretty basic but I think it covers nearly all my hidden costs in one way or another. I start out with the gross price for my shop items + the amount I bill for shipping... that is added up for the total gross for the month. Then I deduct all of my costs, which include: 

• The full price I paid for the item, including tax, shipping, etc.
• Monthly Etsy listing fees
• Supplies costs (including boxes, tissue paper, tape, etc)
• Advertising
• Shipping costs (any overages) 
• Paypal fees
• Any additional costs.

Then I have my total monthly profit! I've designed the Financial Tracker to add up to a whole calendar year, so we'll see how well this works come December... (see below)

 
Well, here you can see my total annual profit for the year so far. The numbers aren't totally accurate yet since this month isn't over and I haven't entered in all my costs, but you get the idea... I normally get super frustrated with Excel but this was relatively simple. You just have to make sure you're entering the correct mathematical formulas (and by formulas I mean simple arithmetic) into the correct cells. A few months weren't adding up correctly and I had to go back and re-enter the cell numbers. Now I think everything is good to go.

How do all you sellers out there keep your books? Any other useful record keeping systems you'd like to share? I'd love to know so I can continue to perfect my management of money and make more of it!

And the Winner is.....!!

Luck number 13! Otherwise known as Sophia from the La Sophia blog... Congrats girl, hope you enjoy! I'll be getting in touch with you shortly to get your info so that our lovely sponsors can get to shipping off your wonderful Mega May Giveaway Prize Pack!! Again, big congrats! Hopefully I'll be seeing some of these items pop up in your fab outfit posts... xoxo! 

Last Chance!! Mega May Giveaway!!

Just 1 day left to enter the Couture Arabesque Mega May Giveaway!! Enter today and win tomorrow! Still up for grabs are 2 vintage designer scarves, a vintage designer bag, and vintage chip & dip set and a lovely pair of ruby quartz and onyx earrings - all totalling at over a $200 value...

Enter Here!!

xoxo...

Mega May Giveaway: A Closer Look...

OK People! The Mega May Vintage Giveaway is coming to a close soon... but before it does, we're taking a closer look at Olzem's beautiful earrings from BeMeJewellery ...

Ozlem was gracious enough to donate these beautiful black onyx and ruby quartz drop earrings to the Giveaway and I could not be more excited! 

I came upon BeMeJewellery a few months back and have been obsessed ever since. Ozlem's designs are so gorgeous and to be honest, I am somewhat surprised at how reasonable her prices are! Imported from Turkey, her pieces definitely bring that eastern flair that I love love love and I know you will too! Here are a few of my other fave's...

Green and Pink Quartz Drop Earrings, $34.99. 

Pink Druzy Ring with Garnet and Blue Quartz, $52.99.

Citrin Druzy Ring, $49.99

Sky Blue, Hot Pink Quartz Drop Earrings, $36.90

And just so you know I'm for real.. I have a pair of the above earrings and I totally love and endorse them!! 

So, once again, don't forget to enter to the Mega May Giveaway now! Winner drawn May 15th!!

More meowww...

I just now realized that since today I am wearing my new Rocket Dog Cheetah print shoes, that this is probably the reason I was so drawn to that fierce Veruschka pic I posted earlier!

I just got these yesterday via Zappos and am loving them so far.. I might also add they are a much cheaper alternative to these guys...

Alexander McQueen, $895

Cole Haan, $160

Rocketdog, $49

Amazing...

Mega May Giveaway: A Closer Look...

Today we're taking a closer look at the lovely Vera Neumann signed scarf, donated by Ra from The Lucky Fish! These colors are so vibrant and fun and perfect for summer...

Vera came onto the fashion scene as an illustrator and textile designer, later branching out on her own after World War II. Her whimsical and fresh designs became wildly popular well into the 1980s, when her licenses were sold to another company. This sale however did not mean the disappearance of Vera Neumann designs, as they can still be seen today, used in a whole host of home and fashion products. 

One of my all-time fave shops on Etsy is The Lucky Fish, mainly because it is one of the largest shops on the internet to offer vintage Vera scarves.. I have several and am always in the market for more! Here are some of Ra's beautiful Vera scarves.. 

1960s Celtic Arch scarf, $40.

1960s Lotus Op-Art scarf, $50.

1970s Lemon Polkadot scarf, $8.

1960s Pop-Art scarf, $36.

And what is even better is Ra is now offering a 50% discount on ALL Vera Neumann scarves, yes ALL!! Just use coupon code: VERA50  and The Lucky Fish to receive the discount!! Or... you can just get one for free by entering to win the Mega May Giveaway!! Winner drawn on May 15th... xoxo!