Addicted to :: slinkymalinkicat

Our adventure through the Addicted To series has brought us interviews with wonderful vintage sellers of clothing, housewares, and other lovely home decor. But this week, I’m excited to switch it up a bit by introducing you to Kim of SlinkyMalinkiCat. Kim is the queen of antique natural history prints, serving us up with images of animals, plants, insects, and nearly anything else you can imagine.  How lovely would a small gallery of framed prints look on your wall?!?

Q: Tell our lovely readers a bit about yourself. Is buying and selling vintage your full-time gig or a hobby? How and when did you get started in this business?

A: My name is Kim. I am English but currently living in Latvia where my husband farms. We have two small children.

I adore my garden. Growing my own fruit and vegetables is something which gives me great pleasure. I love baking and cooking, making jams and pickles in the summer when we have a surplus of fruit.

I love the history of things. I adore animals especially cats, of which I have three. I was brought up on a farm, I married a farmer. I am a country girl through and through.

I am a big hoarder and have a number of collections. I started collecting old Natural History prints and things got a little out of hand ….. that is how I started!

Q: Do you have any favorite, never-let-you-down, treasure hunting spots? Would you like to share, or are they top-secret?

A: Nothing specific. I love to rummage anywhere. There is a little local antique ‘shop’ which I love visiting. The owner is a real character and rattles away to me in Russian, when actually I speak Latvian so cannot understand a word he says!

Q: Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when you’re thrifting? How do you decide what to pick up, or just pass on? Do you wait for an item to speak to you?

A: My biggest influences are Natural History, flora and fauna and human biology. I am rather fussy about the quality of the prints I purchase, the older the better. Printing came on in leaps and bounds around 1850 so anything prior to that date is the ideal as the primitive quality shows, particularly the care of the original hand colouring, and some of the older prints have a distinct imprint from the engraving plate giving them a natural border.

Q: Be honest, do you keep many of your finds, or is it strictly business? And do you have any personal collections that you have built over time through thrifting?

A: I keep far too much!!! I have a permanent stack of prints waiting to be framed, and I am beginning to run out of wall space! Other collections vying for space are my husband’s fossils and our old ice fishing decoys.

Q: Are there any items you’ve regretted selling and wish you would have kept for yourself?

A: Yes. I sold a rather lovely print of a goldfinch which I have regretted ever since.

Q: Pick one and tell us about it: Weirdest, most valuable, or most satisfying find?

A: I think my most satisfying find was some wonderful first edition Sowerby lichen prints from 1808.

Thanks to Kim for taking the time to talk to us! Be sure to head over to SlinkyMalinkiCat on Etsy. And there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself, so pick out a few prints for yourself and then keep an eye out for some lovely vintage frames on your next thrifting excursion.

Robin Eastwood is a treasure hunter and vintage fanatic. Visit The Fancy Lamb on Etsy to drool over some of her latest finds, and follow Robin on Twitter to hear about her latest thrifting adventures.