Salvation Army fun :)

I thrifted today for several hours. I woke up, got myself together, and got out the door. I had several packages to drop off at the post office, then got some pan dulce for a ridiculous $1.20. One of the stores smelled a little ripe, so I was hesitant to hang around too long. Smells mess me up. I can't handle bad smells. I spent a week at a landfill in Mexico when I was a kid, and I'll never forget it.

I wanted to see some jewelry at the Salvation Army, so I asked the lady next to me if I could look in front of her. She was a large woman, and she and her cart were blocking the whole case. Also, she isn't looking at anything. She's just standing there. So I ask politely, she replies "yes", and returns to staring blankly straight ahead. "Hm, okay", I say, and walk away. "I'm looking!", she shouts. Really, I didn't have it in me to deal with that kind of crazy this morning. I almost cried when I saw a guy, and I was trying pretty hard to act normal.

Last week, at another Salvation Army across town, there were two men in a dressing room at the front of the store. It was early in the morning, but no employees were around. One man was trying on clothing and the other man was making commentary. The door was wide open. An employee walked the thirty yards from the back of the store straight to the man and said, "Sir, you need to close the door." He didn't. "You need to close the door right now." He did. I tried to smile at her, but she's not much of a connector with customers.

Final winner of the week is the eighty-year-old woman trying on a string bikini over her clothing in the aisles at the first Salvation Army. I wished I could have documented that moment and then asked her for an interview. No shame.

Thrift Share :)

Vintage Clipless Cycling Shoes from Diadora

I have a new fun Monday activity. I drive about 45 minutes south, into the country towns, where there is a small town with great thrifting. I even did myself a solid and ate lunch instead of what I usually do: waiting until 3 o'clock when I'm done running around for the day. I was pretty proud. I got a veggie burger and fries. The people next to me had chicken fried steak platters with mashed potatoes, etc. When I left, I realized they had smothered gravy and potatoes with raisins across the plate. How did my Oakie family never teach me this? Anyhow, I got some great stuff and had a really good time.

Vintage 1950s Silk Vera Scarf with African Women :)

There was a lady with a toy yorkie in one store, and someone asked her how much she paid for it (seemed like a strange question to me). She answered without hesitation, "$500". Wow.

Hanova of Pasadena Candle Holder - Very Cool

I actually tried a new thrift store, which I rarely do, since they are usually pop-ups with no vision and close just as soon as they started. Anyhow, the place was great! It was cleaner than any other store in town. They didn't have a ton of great stuff, but they had great prices. I actually bought my first maxi dress which goes all the way to the ground (wow, and I'm tall!). I'm gonna wear it today. I'm pretty excited about it.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

No money to burn.

Hmong Embroidered Wall Hanging - I've seen them framed :)

One of my frequented stores has reorganized lately. I was disoriented for a brief moment when the shoes weren't in their usual spot, but I got over it. I found a lovely vintage blue lace dress. It had a matching jacket sold separately, but the jacket had some food on it, so I didn't buy it.

It's a beautiful dress - I might just wear it if I have a nice event to attend :)

This particular store calls their employees/volunteers "disciples", and when they call them for lunch they say, "All disciples, it's time for lunch. Disciples, it's time for lunch." over the loudspeaker, and I smile whenever I hear it. Whenever I'm at the Salvation Army, if I ask any employee how they're doing, they say "blessed". I've heard it so often, I've stopped believing it and started saying, "really?"

I found three beautiful dresses yesterday at another store, and only ended up buying one, a lime green linen dress from Talbots. I'll wear it to work. I've accumulated a whole set of colored linen dresses for work. It's quite lovely to see them hung on my wall (I don't have a closet). I didn't buy the other two, because I didn't have anywhere to wear them, and it seemed inappropriate and decadent to buy dresses I didn't need. Also, I don't have money to burn, so it's really about that more than anything else.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

Oh Canada.

I love finding unique little vintage oil paintings - and sharing them :)

I want to go to Canada. Last year, I wanted to go to Bolivia, or maybe that was the year before. I love traveling. Not the sightseeing though. I like to go far away and stay in one spot. Maybe I'll walk around a lot, but I'm not a schedule-the-whole-trip kind of girl. I get so tired. Mostly, I just want to see people that I love, and when they live in another country, I want to go to that other country to see them. Also, I like to eat. So yeah, you can feed me if I visit. I won't argue.

I haven't been shopping a ton lately. I mean, in comparison to other times, I feel pretty light right now, even though my shop is full. Maybe I'm hitting some sort of thrifting stride. Or maybe I'm hitting a life stride. I dunno.

My real job ends for a while in several weeks, and then I'll have the summer to thrift and lounge by imaginary pools, and probably eat a lot of frozen yogurt. Last night, I finally traveled to a far away place to find the one-and-only place in town that has soy fro-yo. The flavor yesterday was peanut butter, so I had that with chocolate cookie crumbles on top and watched men with ZZ Top beards walk by looking rugged and manly.

That's it. It's Saturday, and I'm exhausted.

Senior thrift.

Dante Beatrix New York Shark Starfish Backpack

I traveled to the coast today with my two favorite girls (they're hairy and somewhat stupid....Oh! and canine), and I discovered a senior center/thrift store. Whoa. What an idea. I left the dogs in the car. They were pretty tired from all the bird chasing at that point (to date, they have been chasing birds and ducks for years, and have never caught a single one), and lay like floppy babies in the back seat.

This was a "Thrift and Gift", so some things were pricier than others, but the back room was filled with bridge tables (or some other foursome card game) and the customers just walked around them to check out the merch. None of them moved or payed attention to us shoppers. They just kept playin' and chattin'.

What an idea! A thrift store and community center is a great way to combine things that go really well together. The seniors were laid back and unbothered by people in their space, and most thrift store shoppers are okay with chaos. It uses the space well, as a thrift store might not get a ton of traffic. It gives the group a project to work on. All in all, a great combo.

Kudos to you, Cayucos Seniors Gift 'N Thrift.

Making friends :)

I can't wait to sell these boots! They're really cool :)

So now, around town, I feel like a wise old thrifter. I have seen so much. I have patience. I have an appropriately furrowed brow (oh dear, this expression will age me quickly). I am the best thrifting resource you will find, if you only have the time to look around and see if anyone is paying attention to you. I am present. I am smiling. And yes, that color would look great on you.

I used to hang my head and mumble, say "thank you" and never attempt conversation. But something in me has changed over the past year. I think my life has smoothed out to a more steady pace, and I'm able to take moments, full minutes in fact, to speak to people, look them in the eye and talk to them. It's been a trip, really, because it has made my thrifting hobby into something I do, not just because it gives me mindless time (which I need on a daily basis), but it also gives me social time to talk about nothing of any importance. I don't have to give a lot. I can just be me, and enjoy the experience, and smile and let go of the heavy burdens I often put on my own shoulders.

So maybe I'm endearing, and that makes it easy for people to talk to me. Or maybe I'm weird and eccentric, and I don't stand out much (let's all remember fake baby lady from a few weeks ago). I don't know what people think, because sometimes I'm wearing my normal clothes, and sometimes I'm wearing my professional clothes. Maybe they call me something like "weird tall lady" :)

Anyhow, I'm having especially enjoyable times thrifting lately :)

Cool mug share :)

"All I ask is to be left alone"

These mugs are marked 1954, but that seems impossible since they're in such good condition. They probably have lead paint, and merely touching them has already given me cancer. They reminded me of a friend, as if the friend had made them in a previous life.

Other side reads, "Public opinion no longer worries me"

Why the woman is naked bewilders me, but it really makes the mugs special, almost Picasso-esque. I haven't been able to find any information about the artist, which makes me sad, because I know someone out there would love them so much. They're signed "Sandy".

I tried to get a flu shot this morning. I went to Target first, since that's my pharmacy, and they told me that no one was there who was certified. So I went across the street to CVS, where there I waited for twenty minutes to talk to someone, then was told to get in another line, where I kept waiting...and waiting...and waiting, until I left. I wanted to get the symptoms out of the way this weekend before I return to my desk job and am surrounded by more people (and thus, more germs), but it wasn't worth it. I was losing my mind. I'm pretty loyal to Target pharmacy, because every single one I go to is run the same way - streamlined. And every other pharmacy I go to is a cluster-fuck where nothing is getting done, but everyone is harried. Rant over.

All is well :)

Way more play...

Made in France! Who knew they loved self-help books?

This guy kept passing me in the aisles today making weird noises, almost like clicking, but not quite. The first time it happened, I figured I was hearing something. The second time, I figured out what was happening, and it did not feel good.

Maybe it's my terrible hair making me more approachable; maybe it's my ever-present smile scowl - but I've been getting way more play in thrift stores lately. Even the female employees are becoming more friendly, and I talk to them about things other than thrift! Isn't that cool? I'm becoming an almost friendly person, perhaps even likeable. Or maybe it's because I shower regularly and have all my teeth. Meh, it's a crapshoot, really.

I'm so into mugs right now. It's a thing. Usually my thing is food-related, but not currently. I can't even remember the last time I ate a burrito. Now how weird is that?

The Atkins Diet

I hope this doesn't cost me readers.

You know how they tell you that the healthiest stuff at the supermarket is on the perimeter, and if you stick to the perimeter, you'll be okay?

Yeah, that's my new rule for thrifting. A quick sweep of the room, three pairs of shoes, and I'm out. I've got this thing down to a science, people. I could do it with both hands tied behind my back and a crying baby. There's always a crying baby.

Peace out.

You crazy!

Oh dear. I'm at the children's hospital thrift store, when a female volunteer starts talking to me, telling me about the sale racks. For whatever reason, in close spaces, I don't like to be approached by strangers telling me things that I can find out by looking at the signs, but whatever.

Then she starts following another woman, picking out clothes for her, telling her how cute she would look in this top, "It's a Small! You're tiny!" Then she returned to the cash register and began to watch me as I wandered through the store. Every time I looked her way, there she was, staring at me. It was creepy. And it wasn't smiley. It was stonefaced, maybe-she-thinks-I'm-going-to-steal-something, staring.

This same store has signs all over, saying, "DON"T STEAL! YOU ARE STEALING FROM CHILDREN, SICK CHILDREN!!!!!!!!" I don't know why I keep going back, but I do.

I bought a car!

Pair of Vintage Horrockses Drapes

It's official. I bought a new car. Here is why it's awesome:

1. Air conditioning
2. Power steering
3. Cup holders!
4. CD Player
5. Radio
6. Speedometer
7. Odometer
8. Clock
9. Sun/Moon roof
10. Awesome keyless entry

At some point, I would like to outline the highlights of purchasing a used car. This is my third used car, and I'm really happy with how this whole thing went down. I had to work really hard to accept help from other people, and be honest about what I wanted, and wait until I got it. Then I had to make compromises. I had to settle for less than 40mpg. But to be honest, as soon as I felt that cool air blowing in my face, I forgot all about the mpg. That's how good it felt to not be baking in a traveling oven.

So now I'm working on selling the baking oven. Wish me luck!

Coping with inventory

Being done with school is so strange, I just wander around thrift stores aimlessly. I pick up some cool vintage hubcaps, or a set of Czechoslovakian glassware, but then my hands get dirty, or I imagine the glasses breaking, and I leave without getting anything of value.

I look through shoes with a hint of melancholy. I look at books hoping the guy who works here will talk to me already, but he doesn't even look my way. I look through dresses hoping I'll find a fun one for a friend, but sigh and my vision gets blurry.

Life is funky right now, but I'm getting through it. I went through my matches tonight on eHarmony and answered the questions people sent me. It felt productive. Tomorrow, I'm paying someone to come over and work for me for a few hours. The piles in my living room/kitchen have got to be dealt with, and I can't do it alone. I'm going to have her go through patterns to make sure they're complete, take photos of them, then seal them in clear pattern-sized sleeves. If she enjoys that, then I'll move on to something else. I have a load of stuff to work through, and it's worth it to me to pay for the help. I'm snowed under by inventory with no place to go.

Nope, won't buy it.

 

I feel like in order for me to feel good about myself in the world, and in business of any kind, I need to feel good about what I sell. That means not buying anything that I wouldn't feel good giving to another person. I don't like to speak ill of anyone or anything. I try to be as positive as possible on this blog. So I'm keeping the list very short.

1. Disney princess stuff: I just saw this dress on Pinterest and it made me shudder. More and more, I'm confused by the wedding obsession in our culture. I'm all for a party. Bring on the week-long party like in India! But there is something unsettling about the princess dress craze. Is it about being pretty? or is it about being the center of the universe? So it is my opinion that Disney princesses add to this unbalance, and I don't feel comfortable profiting from something I don't agree with. Even as I write this, I wonder where this feeling came from, and how I became so biased in this direction.

2. Weapons of any kind, or anything that promotes violence: That means no army men, or guns, or books that promote hate. That means no Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter. Actually, a lot of hate can be found in religious materials, so that means that a lot of "Christian" materials are also off the list. Again, even as I write this, I wonder where this is coming from. How many guns do I come across whilst thrifting? Fake guns? Toy guns? I feel like a tool right now. A judgmental tool.

3. Pornography: Um, this is a tough one. I love nudes. But I just don't feel comfortable sending something to someone I don't know. It makes me uncomfortable. It makes me feel responsible for that person, and I don't like taking on that responsibility.

Okay. I'm going to take Miss Judgey Face to bed now. Peace out.

The non-science of thrift

I'm always looking for things that sell. Of course, this isn't a science. It depends on time of year, even time of month, and time of day at the end of an auction. There are multiple variables, and one can only control for so many, and leave the rest up to fate. These boots were amazing, and when I brought them home, to my dismay, I realized that they smelled like cigarette smoke. Well shoot. That sucks.

I've kinda decided to stop looking for "sure things". I'm not sure they even exist. My best sales are special and rare, and I just have a hunch and go with it. People tell me that they would love to do what I do, but I don't talk it up. It's a job. I happen to love it, but it's still work. And it's a lot of work. My recent feedback problems have only reminded me how much work is involved, and how many people I'm trying to keep happy. Not too many repeat customers when I don't carry the same stuff week-to-week.

I do hate thinking that I've found something great only to have it sit in my shop for months with few overall views and no watchers. But I've learned to brush it off. You win some...you lose some. And that's okay. This week, I bought a bunch of beautiful vintage fabric and upholstery. I hope to list it later in the week. It was a gamble though. I don't know what will happen. I will enjoy taking pictures of the lot though. Beautiful stuff.

Thrift Share Monday :)

Paul & Joe 100% Cotton pants: Um, "Made in France"? I think I always buy things that have those words. Turns out, this label that I've never heard of sells pants for hundreds of dollars. Whoa. I don't know what will happen, but I'm excited for my future of having sold these pants.

 

Vera kitchen towel: Anyone know about a non-vintage Vera label? What does it mean?

Royal Doll: This is a vintage doll. It is old and from some sort of collection with the same doll but different outfits from different countries. This is Joy and she's from Switzerland. I love her outfit, and her braids. Have I ever told you that I can't grow my hair out for anything? I dream of having hair so long I can have these kinds of braids. Never gonna happen.

Hallmark RED cards: Who out there is a fan of Bono's RED campaign? I don't know how I feel about it. Whatever helps raise awareness of HIV and AIDS has my support. I just don't know if it helps anything. Comments on this topic are welcomed, as always.

Bucilla Cross Stitch kit: Somehow, Frederic Remington art is super expensive, but I don't have high hopes for this cross stitch kit. For some reason, the piece ends up having like ten stitches and mostly pre-dyed fabric. Zoom in and tell me that it doesn't look weird. Do it.

Be nice.

I was just at the grocery store, where a homeless person's full shopping cart was parked in the parking lot (like a car), but the owner was nowhere to be found. The employees were disconcerted by this. I'm not quite sure what made them uncomfortable, and I don't know what they decided to do about it.

But I wanted to share this with you: when you see a shopping cart full of what appears to be a load of crap, remember that all of that "crap" is everything in the world that that person owns-bed, food, phone numbers, addresses, clothing, etc. So be nice.

That's all I had to say.

Thrift Share :)

Vintage souvenir apron from Nairobi, Kenya. I have never traveled to Africa. I don't know why you'd care, but it's important for me to note that somewhere on my blog.

Five vintage plates commemorating different Dutch towns or villages, from Royal Sphinx of Holland. The day I find something vintage from Slovenia will be a happy day for me. I did find a new Slovenian actor though on the show I've been fascinated with. What a winner. He does a southern accent, and it's awesome. No need to send me information about all of the Slovenians you know. I really prefer to like them first, and then find out. That makes it sweeter.

 

I bought five different Bionicle Lego sets. If you don't know what Bionicles are, then you don't know any children.

There's more, but it's not really interesting. There are some children's books and some shoes and just general schtuff that I photographed this afternoon. I lost a whole week last week being sick and then I worked on my paper all weekend. So today, I needed to get moving. I needed inventory, and I needed to list it fast. I didn't get everything listed though. I was exhausted, and eventually, I needed to rest.

Football and NASCAR

I went to an estate sale this morning. It looked as if the organizers had set everything up the night before, and then it rained. The children were organizing the home of their mother. When I bought my stuff, the woman at the table let me know that there was just too much work to sell stuff for what it was really worth. She also said I should come back next weekend, for the good stuff, which would also be victim to the curse of estate sales, and go for less than it's worth.

On the way home, I convinced myself that I shouldn't be annoyed by the people who act like they're doing me a favor when I take their junk. "It's just the grief talking," I tell myself. But there was no talk of death this morning, so it may have just been a move to a smaller location.

There was talk about football and NASCAR. They were all happy that football season was coming to a close, so then they could hit the track. Some were especially sad for "Junior", who just can't seem to make a go of it, and then compared the different tracks they like to go to.

It was a neat crowd. There was a neighbor walking around who admitted that she didn't really know the woman, but stuck around trying to be "helpful". There were some other guys trying to be helpful by telling the children that they should ask more for the horse trailer. Again, it was quite a crowd. Sometimes, I'm one of them, and sometimes I'm on the outside. Today, it was the latter.

Thrift Share Monday :)

Vintage "Get Well" Cards - Unused

Here are some of my finds from the storage/estate sale over the weekend. I was going to rest all day, but I needed to work on something after a difficult afternoon, so this was what came of it.

Dean's Childplay Fabric

This is fabric to reproduce antique dolls. There's no date on it, but I'm hoping it's desirable. Dean's Childplay dolls are really expensive if you find originals (fyi).

Victorian-esque Crewel Kit

So pretty :) I never get tired of finding vintage crewel kits. I did leave a bunch behind because they weren't pretty, or cool, or neat, or whatever it is that I look for. I'm glad I have a discerning eye of some sort.

Upholstery Top - Chair (3)

So I paid $0.50 each for three of these. Um...I don't know how old they are, but vintage upholstery? Ah-mazing. I know we had a super old chair like this when I was a kid. The seat wasn't attached to the chair, so you had to know just how to sit in it. The chair had a dark finish and lovely engraving at the top.

Well, my success over the past few days (I use the word success loosely, as almost everything has been listed, but they've only been up for the afternoon) has shown me that it is highly likely that at some point, I could easily end up with too much good stock. I am just now beginning to see how people end up storing stuff in the garage, and pulling it out as-needed. And of course, I am loving it more and more every day.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Storage facility estate sale

 

Oh-mg. Storage facility estate sale. Only thirty minutes away. I felt so productive. I also didn't spend much. Not spending much makes me happy :) Also, I heard the girl at the front say they're doing it again in a couple weeks-and it supports a local performing arts center in a small farming town.

All in all, it was very dirty, and at some point, I turned the wrong way between rows of tables, and I broke something. Yikes. I offered to clean it up, and pay for the item, but they let it go-no biggee.

So, a lot of junk to go through, and some awesome finds. I found some Harley Davidson tailpipes (or mufflers-I'm not sure). I just couldn't get them. They were huge and I didn't know what they were, or if I'd even be able to sell them ethically (not knowing much about them). Now that I'm home, and looking up Harley Davidson parts, I think I could have gotten them.

It'll be about a week before I go through the lot and list everything. I will be sure to share my finds.