Rambling.

Vintage Wood Plaque - De Grazia - A Happy Day

So I think my new Friday afternoon activity will be spent combing through a humongous warehouse of old yard sale lots, cobbled together by a brilliant thrifter and vintage shop owner. I went in yesterday. They said they hadn't seen me in a while (I love it when this happens). I don't even think there's a ton of turnover in the areas I'm looking in, so it may not be worth my time to do this weekly, but it's soothing and therapeutic. There was an oldies station on, and I sang and danced my way through dirt-soaked aisles of junk. Ah, bliss.

I ended up not buying anything, because I only had a couple dollars worth of stuff, and I've been feeling a bit sick to my stomach for the past few days, and haven't been motivated to buy anything. Also, I got yelled at whilst purchasing a bottle of water and banana pre-warehouse digging that made me laugh, but also made me feel icky. "Rich white lady in your fancy car!"

Last day of the month for eBay sales! It's been a good month. At this moment, I've grossed $1165, and for me, that's a good month. I've been focusing on eBay time-wise and I'm glad that it's been paying off.

I turned on NPR this morning to listen to Car Talk, and ended up listening to an hour of pre- and post- coverage of Obama's speech on Syria (along with the speech, of course). 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.

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.

Thrift Share Monday :)

I've been on a belt buckle craze (solely for reselling) over the last month or so. I don't know if in the end, it will be profitable, but it's a new thing to look for, and I'm enjoying it. I really love that they take up less space. The more time goes by, the less willing I am to hold on to bulky items that aren't selling. I only have so much space in my tiny apartment.

Things I am currently looking to buy used (for myself):

1. Hybrid car
2. Kitchen island/countertop
3. Laser printer (wireless)
4. Dress form base (for my legless dress form)

What are you looking for? People in my church are always asking me to keep an eye out for them for a particular item. It's pretty difficult if you just want someone to just look, and not purchase, because I guarantee whatever it is will be gone by the time the person gets there.

But if you have someone you trust and know pretty well, it's a fantastic way to utilize your resources. Regular thrifters either see it or they don't, and it's rarely an imposition. I love my job. I am having trouble imagining a time when I will have to do something else. I'm even thinking about amping it up after I graduate to see if I can sustain a higher volume. I'll keep you posted :)

~ Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl

Garbage in, garbage out

 

In yoga tonight, I had thoughts running through my mind throughout the class. That's rare. Usually, I am able to get rid of everything very quickly and focus on how much pain I'm in. Maybe I am feeling stronger, so am therefore able to let my mind wander, but it got me to thinking. How am I getting rid of the negativity in my life? How am I dealing with the garbage that comes in? Am I doing anything?

I am a firm believer that the brain and body carry everything with them. Your brain remembers everything that has happened to you. It is stored in there somewhere, and someday something that you've never remembered before from 3rd grade will pop up suddenly because something in your environment triggered that particular neurotransmitter to fire (or get fired on?).

So that's all well and good when you work at Clouds-R-Us, where everyone is friendly and happy and no one has an unkind word for anyone else, and nothing bad ever happens to anyone. But for the rest of us who have constant good and bad flowing into our lives, I think it's important to stop and think every once in a while, "How much good am I putting into my life? Is there any way that I can replace some of the bad with some good? Is watching Law and Order a good thing or a bad thing for my overall health and well-being?"

Yoga is part of that for me. Yoga gives me a great deal of good and at the same time reminds me to breathe out the bad, and to let go of the things I try so hard to hold on to. Yoga isn't for everyone, but it is a symbol of what each of us needs in our lives-a time and place, set aside, for the purpose of cleansing and renewal.

I hope you find this space for yourself somehow, and if not, I hope you start to look for it.