Celebrate good times, come on!

Vintage Tiki Hula Girl Boob Mug from Harvey's

I've spent the morning researching PhD programs outside of California. Those non-resident fees are astronomical! Don't bother getting a PhD without getting a research or teaching assistant position, which will likely give you automatic resident status and give you a stipend or scholarship in return.

I don't want to be a "doctor" per se, but I continue to run into the reality that I think in a research/clinical way, and my work does not particularly allow me to pursue these things actively. I love to research and write. I don't necessarily want to do tests on people, or rats, or monkeys. I just want to write about the thoughts in my head. I think that's a reasonable goal for a doctoral program - Dear Dean of Admissions, I'm brilliant and I need to share it with the world. Please accept me. You won't regret it. You'll be happy you did.

I tried to do this as a seventeen-year-old applying to the honors program at my university. It didn't work out so well. It made sense to me, but I guess they diagnosed me with narcissism, and threw the essay away. I'm struggling a lot with self-doubt right now, and will be spending the next two weeks trying to work through that. I don't think I want to go back to school. I think I just want to go to Montana, and meet some lumberjack with a thick beard who will appreciate my intellect, and write poems about trees.

Actually, I'm less interested in men than I ever have been. It's pretty wonderful. I highly recommend it. I think I've dealt with some issues surrounding my feelings of inadequacy about being single. Or maybe I'm just pretending. Who knows?

Anyhoo, good to have you. Please come again :)

A new shop?

Finished Vintage Paragon Stitchery :)

I especially love finding beautiful wall hangings, vintage art for someone to buy and delight over its uniqueness. I've found several small oil paintings that customers have enjoyed. And these things are fun for me to sell, because I know (or imagine) that they will be used and benefit someone with their beauty. I'm high-minded, if nothing else.

Both my Etsy and eBay shops have been cluttered with random things for most of their existence. Yes, I have things that I do more frequently (e.g. vintage ties, mugs, shoes), but for the most part, there is no rhyme or reason. The Recycleista, a thrifty blogger, recently opened a new shop with a specific theme (vintage papers), and it occurred to me that I am capable of doing the same. I too can hone in a little more, make a niche through what I already do, and offer it up to the masses in kind. The thing that has stood in my way has been an insecurity about what I sell, or perhaps an insecurity about myself as a person in general.

Anyhoo, I am thinking about it. It might just mean that I wait until summer arrives fully, or that I develop a better stash than I do today. I think that I'd like for it to be original art (in theory), though items like the above are also quite lovely.

Thoughts?

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.

Terracycle.

Over the summer, I found a company called Terracycle, and at first I thought, "this is a sham - after all, I did click on an ad from Facebook to get here". But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that, underneath the kitschy products that look like they were made for tweens (e.g. purses made of Fritos bags), there was a real campaign to eliminate waste.

At my school, in the copy room/mail room/supply room, there are easy-to-see boxes that collect receipts for a local grocery store that donates to the school, then there is a bag that holds those (what are they called?) Box Tops for Education. They're easy to use, and that makes me remember to use them.

Blah, blah, blah. The point I'm working towards (very poorly), is that our schools are places where kids are. And kids need things to do and be excited about. In my city, trash is a pretty big industry, and this program provides a way to both recycle things that would otherwise just sit in landfills, and helps to create and sustain a culture of recycling.

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 :)

I found an amazing wrist cuff yesterday. I knew right away that it was great, but the more time I look at it, and examine it, and look at other vintage cuffs, I realize how truly special it is.

But there are zero markings on it. I'm thinking about taking it to a jewelry store, but I don't know where I'd take it. I'm sharing it with all of you in the interest of sharing my find, and getting your thoughts. I'll let you know if and when I find more information.