It Only Takes One Day

It only takes one day of sourcing in my area to hit on nearly all of my eBay listing categories. I have the good fortune of being able to travel to 4 reliable thrift shops with it taking less than 2 hours to visit all 4. 

The $50 total spent will be parlayed into many more 💸 The fan quilt blocks came in at $10 for the finished 12. The cowboy-themed jelly rolls were $6. The patchwork pieced quilt top cost me $7. Those three items fall into the keeper category. The contents of the 99 cent tub are yarn, small package of doll clothes, sealed CDs, a quilt kit with fabric, and sewing patterns. Best of the keepers are the fan quilts blocks featured in the lead-off image. Sorry Lava Lamp pattern, you've been bumped by the 2024 Fan Quilt. Here is the fabric pull incorporating the vintage fabric pieced backing. 

My daughter has claimed the Cowboy Quilt, adding in the jelly roll remnants gained through this recent thrifting excursion. The image below is the first fabric pull for that project. 

My latest eBay listing session are CDs. Those preowned ones I run through a listen on my commute to work. Love the ones 😍still sealed in package. Bought for 50 cents each, they are quick money in the pocket. 

I am beyond pleased to report that I had my first $250 week of sales. That is clear profit money in the bank. As I continue to add to my listings, I move closer to my goal of $1,000 a month in sales. 

Day 2 of Estate Sale Sourcing, and Garnering the Gown

I don't worry too much about getting to the first day of an estate sale. By Day 3, they are ready to give items away by the bagful. This was the third day of this sale, family had told the Mrs. to "downsize." This staging was only from the outdoor shed, next month would be the contents of the house and garage. 

It was hands down the biggest sale I had ever attended. It took nearly two hours to go through most everything. It was a hot morning, the temps headed to the 100s. Talk about sweat equity, hard work ~ I was even too tired to make the thrift shop rounds after that. There were a lot of clothes and it has been my experience that the best ones are at the bottom of the piles. 

I filled 3 bags at $10 each so $30 "sourcing." I put that in quotes because I did grab more clothes than usual. The blue gingham one is a German girl Halloween costume -Think Viking/Nordic. There is a red cashmere sweater in perfect condition. The jacket to the left has Picasso prints all over it - very cute. It is a keeper. 

 

What in the world am I going to do with a purple beaded formal gown? IDK. It may appear in the AtoZ Blog Challenge 2022 theme reveal. That introductory post always requires a gown, link to this year's theme-reveal.

I picked up my usual fare of books, most resellers pass on the vintage cookbooks. The Buck Rogers book is in bad shape so I may send it back to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond. 

And then I grabbed vintage toys, for whatever reason. I think I get caught up in the event, kind of like at an auction. Add in a red Christmas hat with pins, a beaded handbag, and leopard print readers. The nesting doll soldiers have seen better days. They could always be repainted to revitalize them. 

This sale was more for me than for reselling. Sometimes that is OK. For years, my thrifting was all for myself. I will recoup my $30 investment on those vintage cookbooks. 

Sourcing is what it is called nowdays, and second cat Susie

What used to known as thrifting is now known as Sourcing. I think I am Over Sourced right now. If you can't keep up with listing your product, you've got to Stop Buying. *grins*

On to my middle cat is Susie. She was an adoptee from the local shelter. That is what they named her and I decided not to change that. 

She proved her worth within the first two weeks. She caught a baby rattlesnake and was playing with it when I took it away from her and dispatched it. She is not fond of the other 2 cats and spends her days hunting. 

The world just wouldn't be right if I didn't include sewing patterns. I keep the older the better ones - even if just for the graphics on the pattern packets. Here is my recent slew to join my collection. All of them are undated but I place them as late 1950s, early 1960s.

Recipe of the day from The Escoffier Cook Book (1954).

Springtime Breezes (Brise du Printemps)

Take some violet-flavored, slightly iced whipped cream, and set in small dessert dishes, by means of a spoon. 

Thrifty Business

I am sure someone has that as their blog name, today it is my post title. Having watched a few reseller's videos, I have heard the term  "sourcing." They are sourcing for product to sell. I can't quite bring myself to say 100% of what I am buying is for resell. 

This weekend was a good example. Long ago and far away, I gave away a waffle maker. I loved making buttermilk waffles. But in my 10 year long quest to drop extra poundage, I gave up things like waffles. Now that I am holding steady at a good weight, I found a $7 Singer waffle maker that looks rarely, if ever, used. 

I will list 2 of the 4 books I bought for $8. Singer Sewing Book with the white book cover was pub. 1969 and the one with the blue cover in 1953. I absolutely cannot part with Doris's '53 book AND that amazing certificate and ribbon I was surprised to see when I opened the front cover. To make room for the new book from Doris, I pulled a few to list for sale. Trying to keep to my 5 new listings each week goal. I have 25 active listings now.

I have never bought Kaffe Fassett fabric but I have seen it highlighted by other quilters. The photography in the book is stunning. It is not all that bright, bold fabric shown on the cover. There are some downright gorgeous fabric compilations. 

My $1.50 Goodwill bag of cosmetics turned out to be a bonanza! 4 nail polish, 1 full bar of soap, a few body lotion, some badly-needed cuticle creams and oils, and even a Cars DVD. This particular Goodwill is always overflowing with items almost falling off the shelves. 

Upgrading my plates to include this numbered 99 cent one. That green and blue upholstery fabric shown more than once in background? Well, we will talk about that on my January 31st post.