I'm afraid of new things.

I'm pretty much on vacation right now, focusing on my store, resting, considering the possibility of reading a book instead of watching old Law & Order episodes on repeat, and just generally attempting to re-center, ground myself for the pending new year.

I have this new thing in my life, this new person, and as I move through the unknown of this relationship, I am faced daily by all of the things I try to avoid most of the time. I'm recognizing how much I avoid risk, perhaps not risk in the standard sense (I'm not risking my life or anything), but risk in terms of my own heart and soul. See my thrifty heart is a frugal heart. I calculate and recalculate. I weigh pros and cons. I anticipate potential problems so when they come, I'm not surprised. I know when to throw in the towel and call it quits. Thrifting is the way I control my life. Thrifting is the way I make sense of my own soul.

But nothing new and wonderful can come out of something known and understood, at least not intentionally. I've made a lot of choices in my life for the wrong reasons, and they ended up being for my benefit in the end, but I couldn't have orchestrated that; I couldn't have known the future.

So yes, I dig for treasures, but I don't know what I'll find. I don't go looking for particular things; I find wonderful things because I open myself up for them. I spend time preparing, and at the right time, I know what I'm looking at.

People are like that, in some ways. We become people who know what they're looking for, so when we see it, we'll know. I guess I'm wondering if I know what I'm looking for, after all this time, if my years upon years of singleness have taught me anything, or if I'm still just my naive sixteen-year-old self in a grown up woman's body.

Only time will tell, because only time can do the hard work of growing up. Being a grown-up is hard.

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?

Thrifted gifts?

Kid-friendly and appealing vintage Yosemite mug? Made for me.

Dear germophobe friend (you know who you are), stop reading. Do it. Do it now.

Thanks to Van over at Thrift Core for being awesome and vegan and thrifty and cheap, and inspiring me to be less lame and a total downer (as I totally have been lately, admit it), and talk about some recycling.

Thrifted gifts? Yay? Nay? My ethic of gifting is finding the perfect thing, the thing that says "I know you, and I see you, and I love you as you are." Oh my gosh. I'm cracking up right now, because after writing that, I realized what a weirdo I am. But anyhow, there are no guarantees. You may get a thrifted gift from me, or you may get a poem, or a framed piece of art, or a framed original comic (I am an excellent single-pane comic artiste - no joke).

So yes, that does mean that I have a stash all year long that waits for birthdays and Christmas to get used. It also means that my goal is your happiness. So selfless of me (meh. I'm just trying to buy your love like everyone else).

You will not get something gross. Because if I couldn't think of anything on the way to your house at the last minute, I will bring you alcohol, or cake. And that will make you happy.

Peace out :)

Frugal tip of the day - Free Yoga :)

 
So I've been doing a lot of yoga lately. I started about a year ago, give or take, and it has helped me to stay calm as my life has become increasingly more diverse, and I take on more responsibility over my own life and the lives of others. In light of my extreme poverty this summer, I stopped going to my yoga studio. I think it's been months since I was last there, and every time I thought of it, I got a little sad. But then I had an idea. YouTube!

So I am now practicing more than ever, with friendly yogis who've done the world a huge service by donating their time and talent to the world wide web. My spine is straighter, my brain is clearer, and I'm generally a happier person (also, my blood sugar is always better with yoga than with any other form of exercise). I did this one yesterday, and tried a pose I'd never done before. I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back to my garage, and lose out on the benefit of a living room to spread out in ;)

But just in case you're wondering, I will definitely go back to my local neighborhood studio when I have the funds to do so. I think it's important to support the people who pour their lives into the health of the community.

Victorian Romance

Vintage Fire King Milk-Glass Tulip Saucer :)

I'm still listening to Taylor Swift. Whatever. My mom thinks my life is a Victorian romance novel, but I know better. Pathological delusional thinking does not a romantic life make. My life is below-the-fold material.

I think my love life makes me look like a little kid who doesn't know anything about life or commitment. It makes me look like a stupid single girl who thinks she knows things she could never know. Maybe those things are absolutely true. Maybe I am stupid and silly and immature. Maybe I'm seriously emotionally disabled and operating at a 13 year-old level. I think I'm okay with those things being true right now, mostly because who I am is who I am, and there's nothing I can do about it.

So maybe I'm a hopeless romantic, combing the landfills of love, looking for something salvageable. Maybe you've heard this all a hundred times, and thinking, "What the hell is this blog about anyway, and when is it going to get interesting?" Well, sorry. I'm just a poor little orphan girl, looking for a home, and trying to make sure that people stop looking at the new, and start looking at the old.

Thrift Share Monday :)

Never opened - all other boxes I've seen only have 6 - this has 12!

These lovely vintage mirror tiles are in high demand on eBay. I knew that someone would want them, but I didn't know how much! I am quite excited to see what happens with them.

So it's hot where I am, and I imagine it's pretty hot where you are too. The heat has made me less than my best self. I spend several moments a day flipping off my computer screen for one reason or another, whether it be a frustrating customer, friend, or relative. I also send a lot of afternoons feeling cooped up in my house being bored, writing a lot in my journal, and generally thinking too much. I will be happy when my regular schedule starts, when I have somewhere to be every day, and I have an excuse to watch television before the sun goes down (boredom does not equal television for me).

It's been extra hard to go thrifting in the heat, so I am trying to make a plan for the day that will not kill me. I still have a lot of linens that could be photographed, but I still haven't figured out a way to hang them that will both have good light and won't have too much unwanted scenery.

Happy Thrifting! Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Poor and marginal

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority.  The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

 ~Ralph W. Sockman

I was really surprised by some of the comments I got about my landlording posts last week. I admit, I was not very organized in my thinking, and that may have made me come across as judgmental, and I don't like that. I want to affirm that people make mistakes and are not perfect. We are all human, and we all see things a bit askew from how they actually are (perhaps how God sees them). And our skewed views are okay to have. I think the problem comes when we aren't willing to extend a little grace to ourselves and perhaps admit that we might be wrong.

I think it's more important to be flawed and fallible than it is to know everything. I think it's more important to admit being wrong, and maybe not knowing everything, than it is to hold to one's convictions so as to never admit defeat or vulnerability.

I was raised with material possessions. If I made the choice, even today, I could go back to that life. I am poor because I choose to be. And of course, that has become more difficult than I expected it to be, but it's also better than I ever expected it could be. I left a life of plenty, because there was no love, no real unconditional love, and if I have to be poor and marginal for the rest of my life in order to be loved for who I really am, then I will work my darndest to be okay with that.

Peace out mofos :)

Saving $ @ thrift stores - Part 1

Rare hardcover library version - very cool :)

Today, after at least a year of working at it, I was able to get $10 worth of free merchandise from the rescue mission thrift store. They offer a "frequent shopper" card, where when you make ten trips and buy $5, you get your card initialed, and when you have ten, you get $10 free! The thing I dislike the most about this one is that it took me a really long time, and a lot of money to get to the end of the card. Today, I think that they just gave me all of my stuff for "ten dollars", even though it may have been a little over that. It felt good, mostly because I have $12 in my checking account and nothing is selling in my eBay store.

At another place in town, you get a stamp for every $10 you spend, but if you spend $30 in one purchase, you get three stamps. I like this way of doing it a lot better than the earlier way. I have not finished filling up my card, but I have seven out of 10, so I'm pretty close. This card has taken me less money to fill up, so in the long run, I like it better. However, the guys at this thrift store never flirt with me, and the guys at the rescue mission think I'm awesome, so I'm calling it a draw.

Dumpster diving

Do you ship stuff? Do you dumpster dive for cardboard boxes? If you don't, I think you should. I get mine from an elementary school cafeteria. They're constantly throwing out boxes because of the amount of food they go through, and then I only take the ones that work for me. Oftentimes, there are produce boxes, and those don't work so well because of all of the holes. When there are small ones, I take them all. I don't take any that are gross, because that would be, well, gross.

In doing this, and combining that thrown-away cardboard with my all-recycled paper tape, somehow I am reducing my carbon footprint with my shop. Maybe no one notices, or even cares, but it matters to me. It matters that what I'm calling "recycling" is in fact, recycling, and that what I use is biodegradable and/or recyclable. When I'm at the post office, I take the Priority Mail boxes that other people have tried to use, but have thrown away. I really need to get a stamp to put on all of my boxes and packages that reminds people to recycle or reuse the packaging (I really want to buy this one).

Share your unique ideas for recycling shipping supplies :)

Thrift Share Monday :)

Vintage tie lot - Six of seven were new!

I have been an excellent thrifter lately, but not such a great person. I guess we can't have it all.

But on a lighter note, I volunteered to do a presentation at my church's family camp on recycling, and the thought of it makes me very happy, a little nervous, but mostly happy. I think I'll make a powerpoint with a bunch of photos of stuff I sell, and then I'll talk about how we can be better reusers and recyclers. For example, I can tell everyone about my USB batteries, the man who fixes my shoes (or how I buy my own heel tips online), and how I made the most awesome dress ever for graduation.

I think that it's really important for recycling/thrift-lovers out there to spread the love in whatever way they can. I am not perfect. I throw things away that I shouldn't because I am not always at-the-ready with a plate, flatware, and cup. But I feel like what I do well is communicate my love of thrift to others. So, fellow thrifters, get out there and spread the love!

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Geysers are big.

Yellowstone postcards from 1931

Oh wow. I've gone off the deep end. I've lost track of the words that are coming out of my mouth, and my mouth has taken on a life of its own where it operates without the presence or direction of my brain. Bad times, my friends. I am in trouble.

Bipolar disorder runs in my family, and I have only ever run on the severely depressed side of the mood spectrum. I've been having a lot of different weirdness going on in my body, and I'm not feeling like all is well, or as it should be. Tomorrow is a holiday, and I work all day on Tuesday, but I'm calling my psychiatrist as soon as I can. Whatever is happening is abnormal and not at all okay. Maybe it's nothing; maybe it's just a ton of anxiety, but I am not going to let it continue.

That being said, if you have any kind of mental health issues/diseases/conditions, please know that there are always people willing to hear you. Whether it's a suicide hotline, or a teen crisis line, or a domestic violence hotline, people want to help you. Sometimes all we need to do is reach out from the frenzied clutter of our brains and tell other people that we need help, and we gain a new chance at freedom. So I'm gonna do that, before things get worse, while I still have a chance of turning this train around.

A gay affair

My friend Vanessa over at Thrift Core has a booth at an antique store, and writes regularly about how to keep a booth fresh and profitable. The more I think about it, the more I think it's a great idea. Why not? It would allow me to put inventory somewhere other than my home, and would allow me to utilize all of those "fun finds" that often go unnoticed online. I don't know. It's an idea.

The dryer at our house is broken and squeaking like a mofo, so all of my clothes are outside right now drying in the wind. There's a miniature orchard in our backyard, and I think that graduation means I deserve to put my hammock up in the shade. It will be my napping/reading spot. I just need someone to help me with knotting the ropes. I also don't have any rope, so I'll need that too.

Tomorrow is the graduation banquet. We call it a "gala", but no one dresses that nice. You know the stereotype about the poor graduate student? It's a real thing. I went shopping last weekend at an outlet mall. I was shocked to see people spend more than $3 for a top. Pretty much every year at the gala, I wear one of two dresses I got from our school's clothes closet. What's better than free, baby?!

Thrift Share Monday :)

I just want to give the world more beauty :)

 

Do you know that there are innocent people in prison? I just watched the documentary, The Thin Blue Line, and it reminds me why I wanted to go into law when I was a kid. I wanted to make sure that no one suffered for a crime they did not commit. I was a dreamer - I still am.

Are you a helper? How did that happen? What is the difference between a person who lives life committed to peace and justice, and a person who lives life for money and power? I guess that's one of the reasons I ended up where I am today as an adult, definitely not a lawyer. I wish I could understand why people decide to work for good, then I could pass it on.

I've named these "The Star Trek Shoes"

My newfound acceptance of science fiction and fantasy is evidence of my ability to dream a little more, to incorporate a little bit more un-reality into my life. I think dreaming is a really important thing. Sometimes we scold children for telling stories, and sometimes we need to be encouraging them to dream more instead of less. There has to be a time where imagination is fostered and nurtured. If we do not dream, we can never hope for something different.

Every one needs something big to dream. Dreaming keeps us alive.

Still linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Semi-great day :)

Today was a good day, and I don't have those very often. At least, I don't have particularly good days. Every day is good because I'm not curled up in a ball, wearing all black, and living in my best friend's home office, unemployed and suicidal.

In honor of this great day, I give you the following great things that happened:

1. I found like fifty pounds of gummed brown paper tape, and I figured, "Why not buy it all and have a lot for a long time?" Now I have tape for two years, and it's all recyclable.
2. Then I found a Lululemon yoga top, and it's kelly green, which I look pretty good in. It was well received by those who later admired it for its looks and awesome find-ness.
3. I did a crow pose in yoga for a full second. Then I fell on the floor with a big smile on my face. The instructor thought I was embarrassed, but I was just super proud of myself.
4. After I left yoga, some guy chided me for leaving my car window down, saying that some guy had been looking at it out of the corner of his eye. "Ha!" said I. "Good luck stealing my car, covered in bird shit from sitting under a tree today" (no wonder that prime parking spot is always open at 10:30am). "Go ahead, steal my car. See if I care." Now, that's real freedom.

Today, I present my paper to the world. Then I will go on a thrifting vacation and eat a lot of vegan foods.

Thrift Share Monday :)

Vintage Galaxy mug

I love mugs. I drink coffee every day, and I have a NASA mug right now that I've been using regularly. It memorializes Apollo 13, and reads "Failure is not an option".

Sandra Boynton mug, "Keep Smiling"

I need a new travel mug, but every time I find one, it's not in good enough condition to buy and use. The last one I'd been using was broken to begin with, and then I fixed it, but it was never in perfect shape. Now I'm setting my sights higher.

Artist "Dale", Recycled Paper Products

Every time I see something from Recycled Paper Products, I like it. They're cute and funny, and I always need more smiling in my life. I've been trying to sell mugs lately. They don't always make a lot of money, but in adding them to my collection of tall pants, I have a regular stream of small sales.

Last month, I bought about ten of one thing: small plastic clocks made to teach kids how to tell time. It was a helpful thing to have a listing that didn't have to be updated, and just kept making me money (however little it was). So I keep that in mind when I'm looking now, just in case.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl.

Thrift Share Monday :)

 

 These things make me think of the eighties. I think if I wore anything like this, it would be only in the interest of nostalgia, and it wouldn't be pretty. It's too bad, because I think that some people can pull them off and look great.

Cullottes? Yes please! They aren't just for missionaries.

Why don't people ask me for vintage photos, because I have a lot.

I'm showing an inside photo of this one (Columbia Minerva Ski Fashions) because this sweater is so wonderful and beautiful and I wish it were still winter and I could wear it. OMG! I could keep this pattern book and make it for myself. Gasp. I'm graduating and will have time to knit sweaters. Holy bajoley.

Man sweaters? Lovely.

And now the best for last. Is this not the above sweater in wonderful blanket form? I L-O-V-E this afghan. Again, I think I might keep the patterns and make it myself, but I have no need for an afghan.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl.

Future flea market booth?

I went to an estate sale today that was pretty depressing. It could have been a garage sale, but they spread everything out into several rooms. I got a beautiful tablecloth. I've decided that when I can't think of a price I'd sell something for, because I like it so much, I'll just keep it. Unfortunately, I have a load of vintage tablecloths in my armoire, and nowhere to use them.

On the rare occasion that I get a booth at a flea market, they make everything beautiful, but I haven't been very active on the flea market stage these days. Maybe after I graduate? That decision can't be made until this paper is done though. Until that happens, I can't get a good night's sleep, a day without a stress headache, or a thought about the future.

Peace out buddies.

Failing at fixing

 

I keep trying to fix things and then my life only gets worse. My sink gets clogged from the broccoli I had for dinner, but then I can take all the pipes apart and clean them, right? Wrong, because then I don't put the pipes back together and now it's leaking. My toaster oven's button breaks, so I bought a new button, and now I'm overloading the circuit. What the heck.

SO basically, my whole life has fallen into the toilet over these two things, because that oven made my life okay. I got into this little apartment with no kitchen, but I had an oven, so I felt like a person. Now I don't have an oven. You see what's happening? I imagine that I can fix things, but then nothing gets fixed. I even put the time in. So now I'm tired, and feeling like a failure. Does this mean I have to buy a new toaster oven? Does this mean that I'm not a person who will ever be able to really fix anything? I would like to just find out now so I don't spend the rest of my life failing at fixing.

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.

"Natural" remedies

In honor of being sick, I give you a list of herbal remedies I use obsessively:

1. Crushed garlic (severe cold/flu)
2. Warm Garlic/Olive Oil blend (ear infection)
3. Goldenseal/Echinacea (moderate cold/flu)
4. Vitamin C (mild cold/flu)
5. Cranberry capsules (urinary anything)

When I was trying to cure myself of diabetes, and wasn't taking any meds, I used:

1. Cinnamon
2. Prickly Pear Cactus
3. Chromium
4. Taurine

On a normal day, I take the following (vegan overload):

1. Vitamin B Complex
2. Prenatal Multivitamin (for the extra iron)