NAME: Andrea & Kyle
AGE: We remember rotary dial telephones (So do I! - Angel!)
FROM: Pennsylvania, US
LIVES: Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove, NY state, US
OCCUPATION: Andrea – Storyteller, Pie Wrangler, Personal Pup Assistant
Kyle – Storyteller, CCO (Chief Cocktail Officer), Personal Pup Assistant
FAVE PASTIME: Watching old movies, enjoying cocktails, and eating pie (Me too - and all at the same time! - Angel!)
If you follow our sister site, Nostalgia Pie, then you might be familiar with our A Slice of Pie With... feature in which we interview someone who shares their happy nostalgic memories with us. We thought it was about time we did something similar for An Extra Slice. So we did! Welcome to the first-ever An Extra Slice of Pie With feature. And what better time to do so then just before National Retro Day - which we affectionately like to deem as Christmas for nostalgia addicts! And who better to kick off this feature than two of the biggest retro fans we know - Two of our favourite YouTubers, Andrea and Kyle Moonbeam of Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove!
If there's one thing we enjoy about blogging on all things vintage and retro, it's coming across others who also love blogging/vlogging/posting about all things vintage and retro. It was on our travels around the blogosphere, that we bumped into the legendary Andrea and Kyle. Their YouTube channel, the delightfully-named Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove is one of the coolest, quirkiest, funniest channels we've seen in a long time. Their love of vintage shines through in an informative though humorous and entertaining way. And every time Andrea and Kyle whip up something delicious in the kitchen or mix up a fabulous cocktail, it makes you just want to climb into your laptop and sample it for yourself! If you haven't checked out their awesome channel yet, then what are you waiting for - check it out now! Oh and be warned, the furry members of their family Wags and Cappy are just the cutest!
But it's not just their talent for producing brilliant content, Andrea and Kyle are just all-round awesome people. Well they're into retro, so of course they are! They show a real interest in their fans and people who follow their content, and we, in turn, at An Extra Slice and Nostalgia Pie are very grateful for the support they've shown us since we've got to know them. And furthermore, if you ever decide to buy from their Moonbeam Cottage Shop on Etsy, which is a real treasure trove of fabulous vintage goodies, you'll find an eclectic selection of cozy, quirky, and curious vintage items, many of which are from Andrea and Kyle's personal collections acquired over the past 30 years or so. Occasionally, a vintage item will be combined with a handmade companion piece created by Andrea, and they also offer unique “Moonbeam Bundles,” which are curated groups of vintage items selected by Kyle and Andrea on a particular theme. Sounds good, doesn't it! And you'll be totally blown away by the unbeatable level of customer service they provide. Andrea and Kyle - you rock! Let's hope at some point we can get together and share a round of cocktails.... if not a box of Walnut Whips!
We are deeply honoured to have the Moonbeams kick off our first-ever An Extra Slice of Pie With... feature. So let's crack on because we've got some serious pie-eating and conversation to get through!
Andrea, Kyle - Hi!!! It is soooo good to have you here. Come on in and have a slice of pie and a drink! What can I get you?
Andrea: I’ll have pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a cappuccino, please.
Kyle: Shoofly pie and black coffee for me.
Great choices, guys! We’d love to know more about Mr. and Mrs. Moonbeam, not to mention the adorable Wags and Cappy. Tell us a bit about yourselves.
We live a simple but interesting life with our two rescue pups in our 1870s cottage home, located in a little hamlet on the edge of Lake Champlain. Our interests are varied and include old movies, cocktails, mysteries, David Lynch, coffee, vintage fashion, and industrial design.
Cocktails and old movies - you can't go wrong! The both of you are known for your love of all things vintage. What would you define as ‘your era’ and why?
We don’t define ourselves by any one era since we are both eclectic in our tastes. But if we were to choose the timeframe that appeals to us the most, it would be the Victorian era to the 1930s. We’re drawn to this range of aesthetics for the design styles and craftsmanship.
I hear that. I'm drawn to different eras myself (though I have to admit a big part of my heart belongs to the eighties for many reasons!) Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove sounds absolutely idyllic. How did you find yourselves at such a place?
A little over 10 years ago, we had an opportunity to choose a location to live that was not dictated by a job. On something of a whim, we came to this area to look at a different property, and ended up discovering our now beloved cottage home. And the rest is history, so to speak.
How awesome is that - it was fate! How and when did your retro journey begin?
Andrea – My fascination with all things vintage resulted from several experiences in my childhood. As a wee tot, my box of clothing for “playing dress-up” included cast off dresses and accessories from at least 20 years earlier. The books I was drawn to at the little library in the town where I grew up were earlier editions of both the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series and the Nancy Drew mystery stories. I also was fortunate to have grandparents who introduced me to auctions and thrift shops where, at the time, one would find all sorts of interesting old things that fit a young kid’s budget. The clincher, though, was around age 14, when I bought my first pair of vintage shoes (1950s black velvet and satin pumps) at a rummage sale for $2 (US)!
Angel: It all sounds amazing. I'm a huge Nancy Drew fan myself but unfortunately I had no one to introduce me to the joys of thrifting. That was something I discovered much later on. I wonder if you still have those gorgeous-sounding black velvet pumps???
Kyle - When I was a kid I would see these wild old movies from the 20s and 30s, and I would see this view to another world… full of skyscraper radios, art deco cocktail shakers, streamlined cars, women in outlandish precode outfits… it was like discovering that a much cooler planet existed besides the avocado green and harvest gold homogenized prison I was serving a life sentence in. Then somewhere along the line I saw something I recognized from a film, an Automatic Electric Model 50 telephone, and the bell went off in my head - all these amazing things existed, out there somewhere in the wild, right now. You could get them if you looked hard enough, and very few people (at that time) were looking for them besides you!
Angel: Haha! I'm not sure if you noticed but harvest gold and avocado green are Nostalgia Pie colours! Haha! I've made no secret of the fact that I would have loved to have experienced that time. I love the way you both make past eras sound so magical and fantastical (if that's even a word!) Obviously we think so because we're all drawn to the magic of times gone by.
The beautiful communities we are so lucky to be a part of are filled with people who strive to live a more simpler, vintage lifestyle. However each of us will have different ideas as to how to go about it and to varying degrees. What does living a ‘vintage lifestyle’ mean to you?
Our “vintage lifestyle” means surrounding ourselves with objects from past eras that give us pleasure to use, wear, and look at. We try not to bring modern mass-produced items into our house as much as possible. Instead, we choose to find older, cooler, and better made things. While it is true that in past eras, as in the present day, some beliefs and values were less than admirable, we at Moonbeam Cottage neither endorse, condone, nor romanticize those beliefs and values.
I'm glad you've mentioned that as to a lot of people, when you say you have a love or affinity for more simpler times, some have a tendency to jump to the wrong conclusions. We are of course embracing the positives and rejecting the negatives. You love buying vintage as much as I do. And I love buying vintage! The thrift store is one of my happy places - much to my husband’s dismay! What tips do you have for those who are new to thrifting and buying vintage but want to source more vintage items?
There are two things that have helped us over the years in this regard. One is to let your older relatives know of your interest in vintage, antique, and retro items. They may have treasures they’re willing to pass along that you never expected. The other is to know what you want before heading to a thrift store or estate sale, because you will find what you look for AND you won’t buy every old-timey thing you come across.
That's great advice - especially the latter! Your YouTube channel is one of the coolest and quirkiest I’ve ever seen! I always get excited when there’s a new video. When did you decide to go for it with regards to starting a YouTube channel?
We’ve always been interested in making movies but until somewhat recently, it seemed an out of reach dream. When we disconnected from subscription streaming services and started watching more YouTube, we realized that here was a way for us to make our dream a reality… and on a practically zero budget. At the same time, video equipment pricing had become affordable for us. So, we decided to give it a try!
Enjoyed our interview with the Moonbeams so far? Then check out the second part of our An Extra Slice of Pie With... feature to discover why the Moonbeams love Burns Night; what their vintage pride and joy is, and the super cool way they deal with a power outage!
If you'd like to follow the fabulous Kyle and Andrea; check out their YouTube channel (you'll be hooked!) or visit their online store, here's how to do it:
COMPANY/STORE NAME: Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove
STORE ADDRESS: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoonbeamCottage
EMAIL: moonbeammartini@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Photos: Kyle and Andrea; Angel Noire and Wix
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
I will definitely be visiting their channel, and I have to say their way of life sounds glorious. So peaceful and idyllic. It's a beautiful thing when people live life on their terms without following the mainstream.
I've always considered myself to be a bit of a trailblazer, following my own path and living life on my own terms. I've always admired those who were able to do the same and reading this interview I can see that The Moonbeams have done exactly that and living the kind of life that they want without following the crowd. Too bad more people can't be like that.
I just love the name of their cottage and I'm so jealous that I didn't think of it first for our own West Country cottage! But good on them. 😉I've had a very busy, hectic, filled-to-the-brim kind of life. But now that I've left London for the West Country, I just want a slower, cosier kind of lifestyle even though I'm still only in my 30s. That's unusual for my age group but you like what you like at the end of the day, and it's a more relaxed way of living that I'm craving. The Moonbeam's life sounds idyllic. They ought to give a masterclass is cosy living. 😀
I hope you keep these posts coming Angel. I enjoyed that. What a stonker of a couple Kyle and Andrea are. I need to head over to their channel.
Thanks a bunch for having us, Angel - it was swell chatting with you over pie! Cheers! ~Andrea & Kyle