the internet is a craaaazy place sometime, isn't it? i mean, it brings you into the lives and living rooms of people you may never actually meet face to face and i'm kind of obsessed with it. i always think to myself "jd- (that's what i call myself in my own head) jd- you realize perfect strangers know the layout of your apartment? due to the internet?" mind blowing, it is. but at any rate, i love connecting with people out there doing amazing things that i probably wouldn't know about this were 10 years ago.
i "met" emily of Reck + Roll Vintage over Instagram about a year ago when she complimented my flannel in a photo i posted, thus resulting in me stalking her entire IG feed. She's one of those internet friends that you just know you would be the best of friends if they lived in your neighborhood. One of those girls that makes you want to have a better outlook on everything, while also fighting over that perfect flannel at the thrift store. She creates the most amazing pieces out of vintage and thrift store finds. - I'm talkin' the best jean cut offs your butt has ever worn.
Somewhere in between being a business owner, foster mom, fraying up all those perfect cut off jean shorts and, most importantly, being pregnant with her first baby, she somehow found time to let me do a little interview with her. so have a read and when you're done, go check her out on her personal Ig emilywrecker and her shop, too Reck + Roll Vintage seriously, you wont regret it.
Q. Let me start by saying, I just love you. Your outlook is one of the most positive bad ass things about you. How are you able to stay so positive and uplifting to yourself and others?
A. Jesus. seriously, having a relationship with him gives me the strength to be loving, happy, patient, and forgiving. i’m so glad he gave us an awesome example to follow, the way he saw people and truly loved them is how i want to live. he liked to hang out with the outcasts, prostitutes, and honestly, some of the most terrible people of his day, and offer them hope. i want to be more like that.
Q. anyone that already follows along with you, knows you have a strong spiritual relationship. have you always been so connected with your faith? or did it develop more over the years?
A. i grew up in a Christian family (my dad was even a pastor), but i didn’t really begin to understand what true grace and love looked like until i started to understand Jesus better, which was right after i graduated from college. since then, my faith has been real, and i’ve been walking it out alongside some really cool people (including my favorite human, my husband).
Q. I get my love of thrifting from my mom. Where do you think you get your thrift skills from?
A. growing up, our idea of a fun family day was hitting up all the local thrift stores, so i didn’t stand a chance of not getting sucked into it. even my grandparents on both sides would take us to thrift stores when we would visit them. to this day, when i come home to visit my family in Cincinnati, we all go thrifting together. so yah, it’s in my blood.
Q. when are you moving back to Cincinnati so we can be best friend and neighbors?
A. dude. let’s get side-by-side loft apartments in OTR! it’s amazing how much the downtown area has changed since i lived there. when we were little, we had to lock our doors and roll up our windows when we would drive downtown to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory!
Q. what is your "go to" outfit that just makes you feel amazing when you walk out the door?
A. black skinny jeans and an oversized tee (or sweater depending on the weather), paired with either Vans or boots. i’ll admit that i also got hooked on Birkenstocks this summer…which is really convenient since i’m pregnant and they are the most comfortable shoe known to mankind. but seriously, i have worn them at some point during every single day since i got them in may.
Q. My grandma has fostered probably a hundred kids since I was a baby, and adopted 3 of them. Are you guys loving fostering? What's the biggest challenge?
A. we are currently on our second foster care placement--two brothers, 10 & 13 years old. we’ve had them almost three months, and it’s been a wild ride so far, but we are loving it. going from having no kids to having these boys has been a huge adjustment. one of the biggest challenges has been helping them understand what’s going on with their parents. we’ve been very open with them about what’s going on with their case. their parents were released from jail recently, but they will have to work hard to get the boys back, and it’s not clear right now if that’s going to happen or not. so we continually remind them that we are committed to loving them and providing them a stable home with lots of support no matter what happens! another challenge has been introducing them to healthy food--when they came to us, all they only wanted pop tarts and chicken nuggets. they didn’t even know what cucumbers and peppers were! we’ve worked through quite a few tears and tantrums at dinner time, but they’ve come so far, and now they love to tell people about the fruits and vegetables they eat.
Q. You seem to have totally found your nitch in your beautiful shop. What were other job and career options you've had/thought of having?
A. i studied Public Relations and Psychology in college, and then i worked as a wedding/event planner for the first four years after i graduated. i loved that job, but it was my life. it took all my time and energy. when i got married and moved to NC with brian, i knew that i wanted to do something that provided more freedom. i absolutely LOVE being my own boss. it gives me the flexibility to get together with friends often, help my husband with counseling sessions, volunteer in the community, take the boys to school, and show up at all their extracurricular activities. my time with my family and friends is so precious, and i’m content scouting thrift stores and working on my brand.
Q. It's fun watching your bump grow! Do you think about adding kids and baby clothing to RRV?
A. i have already started collecting lots of denim in kid’s sizes, so expect to see more RRV kiddo cutoffs next spring!
Q. What does your husband think of your shop's success as well as just people's general interest in you and your family?
A. brian is my best friend, and we love to be involved with what each other is doing, so he helps me a lot. he actually came up with the name ‘reck+roll vintage', and he worked on my website a lot. his support means the world to me.
Q. What's your favorite food, tv show and song right now?
A. fresh fruit has been my jam this summer, and also freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. always.
we are in season 2 of The Killing on Netflix right now. so good.
my favorite song to jam out to lately has been Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock n’ Roll.” the boys beg me to blast it in the car, we roll the windows down and scream it at the top of our lungs. it’s fun. i also really like Lecrae’s new song “Say I Won’t.”
thanks again, doll! love ya!
again, be sure to head over to Reck+Roll Vintage
No comments
Post a Comment