Toys and Tomatoes

I roundly chastised myself for buying a $3.99 bag of toys. I cannot resist Eeyore stuffies, and there was one peeking out. To my delight, Eeyore turned out to be from Easter 2000 (embroidered on one foot), and the bunny/bear, Pez dispensers from around that time frame. That group has now joined my personal collection. 

There were other toys I will list for sale. 

On the subject of toys, there is a University of California video I found fascinating. 

Segueing to gardening - the image below is the beginning of the tomato garden. The bed has been weeded, landscape fabric and stepping stones hold the soil in place. The next step is to spray weed killer around the rock perimeter.  

I have tried moving the tomato plants into the greenhouse, but the intense summer heat was too much for them. I try new locations to elude the nimble deer that love the garden smorgasbord. 

The land was stable enough between the rains to walk down into the property and place the trail cam. I hope to have some cool images for upcoming posts.  

In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room

My tiki mug collection at work has now expanded with the addition of a white Star Wars Geekitikis. Scooby Doo of the same brand is next to smiley face one.  

Disneyphiles will recognize the phrase in my blog title. When I was growing up, we vacationed in Anaheim, California each summer. Disneyland was always on the schedule. A trip to the most magical place on earth meant visiting the Enchanted Tiki Room. In the tiki room, all of the birds and characters were animatronic. They would "come alive" when it was their turn to perform songs and routines to appease the tiki Gods. 

Reseller update: Not so much an update but a couple of superstitions and observations. 

My products for sale are posted as returnable. I have so few returns throughout the year. I either request that the buyer keep the item, or if they send it back, I burn the box and its contents. Why do I do that? Because I don't know what has been sent back, and I don't want to find out. You've received a package from someone who is not happy about their order. Why take any chances? 

I also wrap the majority of my orders in fabric remnants. If one of those pieces is returned to me, I don't reuse it, I throw it in the fabric remnant donation tub. I don't want to infect the next order with fabric that has bad juju. 

One of the reasons why I hesitate to deal in used furniture items, I think some pieces might be cursed. I would be interested to know if other resellers have had paranormal experiences with some item that has come into their possession. 

Vintage mirrors also give me pause. Possible portals to another dimension. Ok, I admit to an active imagination. 

I have purchased tarot cards from secondhand shops. I haven't put any up for sale. Those types of cards, along with Quija boards, I try to keep a good distance. 

Finally, prices at thrift have been rising. Specialty items are now locked behind cabinets or display cases. Vintage clothing is segregated from the run-of-the-mill donations. 

From my perspective of 50+ years of haunting second-hand shops, the fun factor is lessening. Sure, thrift shops used to smell of must and decay. In the disorganization, you might find gems. 

Ah, let's all just go to Disneyland! [not a sponsored post]

😀

Happy Valentine's Day

It is that lovely time of year of hearts, flowers, and candies. 

This cutie patootie Pattern of the Day from 1989 features heart frames and a few items for the She Shed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185759363088

Sharing the favorite corner of my remote office. The LEGO bird of paradise I put together last month. The 3 Matryoshka dolls, little red riding hood cookie jar, and the colorful oil on canvas painting were all thrift shop finds. The clock was from my mom, and the Dad's print was purchased retail. Dad's is Dad's Sandwiches in Sacramento, California. The painting makes me think of France. 

And in the spirit of giving, all of my newly-listed items on eBay include a 10% charity donation to the Foothill Conservancy. 

The Foothill Conservancy's mission is to protect, restore, and sustain the natural and human environment in Amador and Calaveras counties, California, for the benefit of current and future generations. We envision a future where rural character and scenic quality are preserved; agricultural lands, forest lands and open space are conserved; and the natural diversity and habitat of native plants and animals are protected and restored.

I chose this charity because it is the area where I live. I have had the good fortune, with large helpings of pluck and perseverance, finding extraordinary items to sell on eBay. 

Let's Play Choo Choo and the Quilt Fixer has come to town

This is the first time I have tried my hand at reselling electric train pieces. I have the best luck at thrift when I am there when the racks are rolled onto the floor. That was the case on this $5.99 box of vintage German Marklin electric train cars, tracks, and pieces. I know nothing about this genre but these two pieces alone have to be of value. 

Also bought at thrift was this queen-sized quilt for $2.99. It has to be a custom quilt because of the star piecing, leaf meander quilting in the main body, and loop to loop hearts on the borders. Part of the binding and a couple of places in the quilt needed repair - an easy fix. I haven't decided it's fate yet. 

I am glad I started buying fabrics in precut sets is because my latest project is adding borders to quilt blocks and selling as a quilt top. The precuts blend beautifully with the completed blocks. It will be highlighted in an upcoming post. 

The latest task as executrix of my mom's estate is to figure out her taxes. Yes, you do have to file federal taxes if you were alive for part of the year. I do know she usually received refunds, so I will file a special form for that. 

Here is an image from the early 1980s of mom and me at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. She would have been 95 on Feb. 8. The necklace with the phrase "I love you to the moon and back," was what mom would say signing off on each telephone call. The necklace was a thrift shop find just days ago. 

Reseller's update: I am at the sourcing point where I have to stop. 😏Even though I caught up on all of my sewing pattern listings sessions, and divested myself of nearly all of the quilt book publications, there are all kinds of items ad nauseum that need to be listed. It gets to be too much for one person especially if you keep stockpiling.

Until next time,

Tami

The Making of a Jewelry Maven

I am kicking around the idea of selling my personal collection of jewelry. As with anything I collect, I have too much of it. Brooches and pins are especially in abundance. While I won't part with my Christmas tree pin forest, there are some pieces I don't need hanging around. 

After watching this podcast recently, it seems that this gal is making a killing on eBay selling fine and costume jewelry. She also said she had repeat customers that would buy in bulk each month from her. I may have to change my business model. 

I had pretty much ignored the jewelry at estate sales, mainly looking for myself. No longer will I pass up the jewelry. It seems you can "lot up" the broken stuff and it will sell. I know my holey cashmere sweaters sell when I lot them up. 

Here is what I would imagine someone would create with broken jewelry.

Listings going on the board is a bag of clip-on earrings from my mother's estate. Most are still on their original card backings with the purchase price tag. We will see how this lot sells and how my future as a jewelry maven will develop. 

On the quilting front, I saw a comment posted on American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge, that termed quilting mistakes as "Waldos."  You know where the mistakes are, but others don't. 

Pattern of the Day from 2004 - I am tempted to keep it for myself but there are no littles in my life, and none on the horizon. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185759086598

I am now averaging $200 a week in sales. I have over 2,200 listings - my next milestone is the 3,000 listings level. 

January Weird and Wacky

These two sewing patterns qualify for the weird and wacky category. Beyond big eyes, we enter into bug eyed. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185756949517

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185756947077

Rather than save up my weird and wackies, I will launch one of these posts every couple of months or so. 

This one-armed mannequin is the watchman at Dolphin Isle Marina. 

Ending with a Facebook video that defies explanation other than "When you would do anything to get their attention."

https://www.facebook.com/missfloxyblog/videos/2309240472577909/

Finally, it is my daughter's birthday today - the big 34!

Patterns and Paperwhites

Here is one day's worth of thrifting. I purchased only uncut sewing patterns, and some fabric. The paperwhites are new to the garden and have been in bloom for a few weeks now. 

The fabric makes me think Summer, so I may whip together a quilted wall hanging. This little $6 bag of thrifted fabric now joins my project bags. 

I have started to cull the quilt books from my inventory. Some I had bought for myself, some I had bought to sell. All will be thrifted back but the higher valued, Fons and Porter, Kaffe Fasset, and Tula Pink publications. I am further refining my listings with a price point of $15 or more. 

The question comes down to - What Are You Willing to Store? I have also lost the intrigue associated with CDs. While they are small items, it is a media that is trending out and has been for quite some time. I did very well the Christmas before-last with holiday CDs. This past season I only sold a few still sealed in package.  

The way I see it now - those local mom and pop stores? They are mostly gone. There are the big corporations and then there are the thousands of resellers around the country. We store all of those odds and ends that somebody might want someday. The ease to sell and ship is a marvel in itself. 

Back to my lead-off image, you can see how easy it can be for a deep dive into out-of-control products to list for sale. Not shown are books, yarn, crochet squares, and miscellany waiting to be listed. 

Here is one of the reasons why I love selling sewing patterns - Ending with a note left by a buyer: "Thank you! I made this dress for my daughter many years ago, but no longer have the pattern. I’m excited to be buying this to make for my granddaughters! "

1993 pattern