Q&A: Becky Helms of The Pink Samurai

Q: Tell us briefly a little about yourself. What are your interests or your hobbies?

A: I’m a cat lady, a crafter and total nerd. I live in Austin, TX with Andy, my husband, and our two cats Turks and Sprinkles. I love drawing, crochet, embroidery and collection super cute stuff.

Q: Describe your style in three words or less.

A: Bright, colorful, happy

Q: On your blog, The Pink Samurai, you feature a different vintage shop for thrifty treasures from the Austin area. What was the inspiration behind this?

A: I grew up thrifting and antiquing with my mom. When I was living on the East Coast I made this giant google doc spreadsheet of all the shops I’d visited and wanted to visit. I started sharing it out with friends and thought more folks besides us might like to see the shops, too. So I started putting them on the blog!

A cowgirl’s paradise!!!! Look at all of these boots!!!

Q: Do you have a favorite place to find your unique antique treasures in the Austin, TX area? What’s the furthest you’ve ever traveled for vintage finds?

A: Rave On Vintage is definitely my favorite spot in Austin because they specialize in mid-century goodness. They’ve always got the best stuff! And I think the furthest I’ve ever traveled was around 3 hours. Andy and I went to The Factory Antique Mall in Verona, VA. I’d heard about it from Jenny Mitchell, one of my favorite vintage bloggers and just had to go! It was a gorgeous trip through the mountains of Virginia and turned into a really fun day-trip.

Q: Your handmade scarves are gorgeous! What was the inspiration behind your Etsy shop, The Pink Samurai?

A: Thank you! The Pink Samurai has worn many hats since opening. I used to sew purses, and design buttons, but after teaching myself to crochet, I decided to take the leap and started selling them. Through all my different offerings, The Pink Samurai has always been a place for bright colors and silliness. I try to bring those elements in with my color palettes and branding.

Q: You’ve had your Etsy shop since 2006…how have you seen the Etsy community evolve since then? What are some of the trends you see on Etsy?

A: Etsy has changed quite a bit since I first started. But, so has the internet as a whole. I’ve seen the forum switch from being a promotional tool to more of a team setting and there’s a lot more knock-off shops on Etsy then there were in 2006, that’s for sure. With the evolution of twitter, instagram and pinterest, I don’t really spend as much time networking through Etsy anymore. As for trends, I’m seeing a lot of geometric prints and simplified color-blocking in handmade right now. There’s also a lot of really cool laser cut wood designs that are popping up now.

Q: What are the advantages of shopping on Etsy vs. Ebay for vintage finds?

A: That’s a great question! I think you’ll probably pay a little bit more on Etsy for some vintage finds, but it’s a much better experience. You’re working with a seller who specializes in vintage and curates their shop very carefully. Ebay can be hit-or-miss. If you’re looking for something specific, I would check both. But if you’re just browsing for a hidden treasure, Etsy is the way to go.

Q: Besides crocheting beautiful scarves, you also create the loveliest illustrations. I read on your blog that you hosted a “crafternoon” at your house…could you share with my readers what that is?

A: Crafternoon was a really fun event that I hosted to get some crafty locals together to make stuff and swap supplies. I had special embroidery patterns we all worked on and we traded supplies and had a great time visiting and talking about making stuff. It was so fun and I’m hoping to do another in the summer!