Apron Thrift Girl

creating a summer space

After we mingled under this covered patio for our Memorial Day party, I realized that it had a lot of potential. I wanted to make it into a Summer Space where the children could read, eat, craft and lounge around in the warm weather. If it was my home I'd probably build an outdoor kitchen on the right complete with sink and stove, repaint everything and enjoy the space to the fullest. For now though I just swept the deck and started to make it our outdoor home.

I first added a hand-me-down folding cot so that the children could rest and read outside. The duvet is from the garage. The table Cerys made with her Kindergarten class and we won it in the school auction. The pillows were bartered from a friend.

We are using our 1950's table for crafting. The children took no time on making it "theirs."

A small attempt to make it more magical by hanging some fabric. I'm going to hopefully thrift some more to complete the covering on the underside of the roof. The paint job of the fence is a bit too much to take in but we try to ignore that part of it.

Our craft basket from inside has somewhat morphed out to our summer space although still full of craft items for inside days when it is too warm to be outside.

Vintage thrifted basket (free at an estate sale) holds thrifted paper and blank masks.

Keiran picked up a thrifted craft kit for $1.00 and quickly started painting the second he arrived home.

 

Lots of space to fill with more supplies as I thrift throughout the summer.

This next summer space is not mine. But it was the inspiration that led me to make our own summer space. This is my friend Rebecca's summer tent that she creates every summer up in Washington.

Isn't this the most magical tent that you've ever seen? One day I hope to replicate my space with a little more imagination. I love the colors, the flowers and just the beauty of it all. You can find more photos of this incredible summer space on Rebecca's blog.

Do you have a special summer space? Maybe somewhere outside? Maybe in a cool basement? By the pool?

a day in the life of a professional thrifter

When you dissect the week of a professional thrifter you realize that you need to keep on a regular schedule as much as a CEO does for a large company. If you lose speed, chaos can fall around you. I'm in that space right now. Dave is gone until Friday and I'm juggling so many things. When we are in our normal schedule, I try to fully organize and clean my office every Sunday evening. This lets me begin to work on Monday in a space that allows for efficiency. The above photo is only a third of what I purchased this weekend, the majority of it to ReSell.

 

This is where I bring my books to process. I'll spend the week listing them, cleaning them and storing them and hopefully sending them off in packages. This photo is a good sign that I've had a successful shopping week. Other weeks, it's been practically empty.

 

During the summer my thrifting increases and I have to work harder to keep up with it all. I always thrift on Friday, Saturday and Sunday all summer. There are also visits to thrift stores Monday-Thursday. This means that inventory in continuously coming into the house and with any luck, it's also leaving as items sell on eBay, Etsy and in my bookshop.

I make it my goal to clean this table every weekend. It didn't happen this week as you can see. Yesterday without a bare space in my office to do my packaging, I had to move out to the living room with my padded envelopes and packing slips. This is what happens when life gets out of balance. Unlike the CEO, I don't have anyone working under me. It's all left to me.

Here's a glimpse of my work week. I'll begin on Friday since for many thrifter's, that's the beginning of our work week.

Friday - begin thrifting between 7:30-9 am. I start at any local estate sales and later move on to advertised garage sales/moving sales. I tend to go until 1-2pm. Arrive home and unload new items in office, usually along the side wall. Process any orders since I tend not to ship on Saturday. Friday evening plan route for Saturday.

Saturday - wake between 5:30-6 am. (I do this without an alarm-too excited to sleep). Check Craigslist for any last minute entered garage sales. Eat breakfast, pack snack/lunch and depart. Thrift from 7 am - 3 pm (sometimes I'm home earlier but this is what I'm scheduled to work). Arrive home, eat and unload van into office. Relax with the family.

Sunday - Wake at 6 am. Check ads for any "Sunday Only" sales. Make pancakes for the family. Head out to the sales, possibly bring Keiran with me. Arrive home by lunch. Unload van. Later in the afternoon begin to take photos for Thrift Share Monday and any eBay auctions that will be listed on Monday.

Monday - Write Thrift Share Monday post. In any pockets of free time when the children are off playing, write up eBay auctions. Schedule them to start at 6 pm, 6:05, 6:10 etc. I use The Seller Sourcebook for all my auction listing. For a small monthly fee I can use templates, unlimited photos (actually 100 but that is pretty much unlimited for an auction) and schedule auctions at a designated time. The small price is worth it for the photos alone. Visit Goodwill Outlet. 3 pm - ship any orders. Dave & Keiran head to the post office at 6 pm.

Tuesday - Write up more eBay auctions. List Books. Write blog post. Finish going through all the Garage Sale inventory. Items placed in boxes to photograph or research. Possibly visit a thrift store when out with the children. (If I can sneak 1 or 2 in). 3 pm - ship both ebay & book orders. Take photos of more items to add on eBay. Dave & Keiran head to the post office at 6 pm.

Wednesday - Same as Tuesday.

Thursday - Finish processing books from book table. Check Craigslist for anyone selling their Book Collection (usually I do this daily). Competition is fierce here so I haven't been able to find a collection yet. Ship eBay auctions and book orders. Begin preparations for Friday. Download latest book data for PDA, charge PDA & charge iphone. Move paypal funds and Amazon funds to bank account. Withdraw money out of bank for the weekend. Clean out van, have boxes and bags ready. Plan route for Friday. Dave & Keiran head to the post office at 6 pm.

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While this schedule certainly keeps me busy it is also very doable. Some find it hard to spend the weekends away from the family. But for me, it's the most enjoyable part of my week. My husband works somewhat British hours and usually starts work at 6 am which means he's walking out of his office into the kitchen at 4pm. We are also lucky enough to have lunch together every day. When it isn't summer, my schedule slows down since there aren't as many sales. In a way, I'm buying inventory that will get me through the Christmas selling season. I buy, buy, buy now and that inventory will last me a good 6 months.

The key to being a professional thrifter is loving your job. Sometimes I love it, sometimes not so much. When I don't, I back off and focus on something else. At this moment though, I am working hard to bring in as much money as possible to balance our house not selling and our renter paying $1000 less than the mortgage. I have a lot of drive and that gives me a positive attitude toward my work. Every Friday as I leave the house, I am filled with so much excited anticipation of the weekend ahead. I love my work and the money that I can bring in to our family. I mean how many people can shop and make money? I feel very blessed to have this unique line of work.

I hope this view into a day in the life of a professional thrifter was helpful to those considering entering this profession. Feel free to ask any questions. Because my schedule is so tight at the moment, I may answer certain questions within the comments so please check back. For anyone wanting a one to one ReSelling Consultation I do offer this at the Apron Thrift Girl website.

Thrift Share Monday - June 28

I didn't sleep much last night after I finished watching Julie & Julia. The movie just stayed in my mind all night and I slept restlessly. I don't know how I missed this movie when it came out or the fact that it was the first movie made about a blogger. I knew of the movie because there was the discussion in the bookselling world that Julia Child's books were flying off the shelves. I even remember it playing at Blissdom but again I had missed the fact that it was about blogging. There may be some "spoiler" bits to this post so if you haven't seen it you may want to skip to the photos of Thrift Share Monday.

Julie Powell has accomplished something so many of us bloggers can only dream about. Not only did she get interviewed in countless newspapers and write a book but her book became a movie. Okay so maybe I can't really see a Thrifting movie but it is still okay to dream right? I loved to watch the interaction between her husband and Julie. At many times it reminded me of Dave and how supportive he's been for the last four years. The times he's waited five minute as our dinner was getting cold so that I could get the right photograph. Or the times he's taken the children and kept them busy so that I could finish up a post. I loved that side of the movie but was disheartened to read that Julie had an affair which apparently she talks about a lot in her next book "Cleaving." I know I shouldn't judge but I guess a part of me loved the Julie and Eric storyline (maybe I really loved Amy Adams & Chris Messina) because I'm a hopeless romantic. Maybe I would have slept better if I hadn't looked up Julie Powell and read the back story or that some of her readers now hate her. I must admit I love Hollywood happy endings. Maybe it's silly but I do.

And I guess the real romantic story here is that Julia Child and Paul Child were married and appeared to have loved each until the end. They are even ten years apart like Dave and me. There is a quote on one site that says "Paul was ten years older than me and worldly." Just like my Dave. He showed me the world and he showed me that it was good to have passion about life. Maybe even necessary.

I guess I'm slightly emotional because he is 6000 miles away from me at the moment. I think I'll try to forget about Julie & Julia and focus on the success of Julia Child and the beautiful marriage that she had with Paul for so many years.

Now onto this blog and about thrifting. 

My largest set of Russian nesting dolls to date. $2

Another photos just because.

This is a print from the 1970's that I paid $3 for. It's kind of weird but something about it caught my eye. I think it will eventually go in Keiran's room.

A close up of the baby elephant. I can't find anything about the artist whatsoever. The print reads "Gallerie Rabindra" but nothing else except the date and Hollywood, CA. Know anything about this artist?

I now officially own a puffy underskirt. I paid .25 cents for it. Are these called Crinolines? It's original and from the 1960's. I heart it and can't wait to wear it under my new thrifted skirt.

Thank you for all the feedback regarding the ReSelling Tip Posts. With so many enthusiastic replies I'll definitely start doing this weekly. Really it sometimes feels like treasure hunting rather than thrifting. It's the part of my job that makes my heart beat faster. I came home Saturday after thrifting for 7 hours (with Keiran none the less) on a thrifter's high. It felt wonderful and I'd love to share more about what I find and what I look for, here at ATG.

Remember the Polaroid Camera that I mentioned last week? Can you believe that I found another one? The new one has quite a bit of wear. I'm considering selling the mint one and keeping the worn one. I don't need it to be perfect to still enjoy it. I paid $10 for the second camera. I'll let you know how it goes.

How did your thrifting go this week? What did you find? Don't forget to pop over to the party at Southern Hospitality and Debbie Doos.

WIP Mid Century Modern Chair

My summer Work-In-Progress project.

Keiran and I found this chair at the Salvation Army Center in Healdsburg this week. Funny enough it was next to a new Ikea style, plain stool that was priced at $25.00. This chair was marked $15.00 but it was 50% off. I took it home for $7.50.

The leather cushions are in beautiful condition without any rips or holes. The teak wood is quite worn though. I'm going to sand the entire body of the chair and then add some stain or oil to protect the wood.

I'm planning to work on it with Keiran next week. Cerys' Circus Camp is two weeks and today she is off to go on the flying trapeze in Oakland. I think this is the place. I'm nervous and excited for her.

Keiran and I need a summer project and I can imagine an 8 year old boy would enjoy a bit of sanding.

In the past my "projects" ended up in a pile under the stairs in the basement. When we moved, they all went in the free pile at our yard sale. I' prefer not to to have that happen again. Do you have "projects" waiting for you? Do you tend to get to them or do they gather dust?

ReSelling Tip Post

Would you be interested in ReSelling Tip posts here at ATG? I thought I would try to post a weekly item that you could look for while you are out thrifting.I would share items that ideally sell high and with a healthy sell-through rate.

Here's a sample:

 

A German Serving Spoon that I sold for $98 on June 22nd. I look at every piece of flatware that I come across while thrifting. I find that Scandinavian and Germany flatware sell very well. Not only does it sell for a fabulous price, flatware is relatively easy to ship. This spoon is heading over to France.

If you are interested in ReSelling Tip Posts, let me know. Also if you are interested in a certain ReSelling venue such as ebay or Craigslist mention which one. And finally if you want to learn about a certain area of items to ReSell such as vintage crafts, mid century modern, pottery and so on, share with me what you would like to learn more about. How does that sound?

xoxo

Selena

fabric find

Photo taken at the store

Today Keiran and I went to a thrift store and found a just-put-out basket of fabric waiting for us. A worker walked by and mentioned to me that each piece was 50¢. I'm pretty sure it's all vintage. Overall local thrift stores have been a bust lately. Just tacky, broken, lousy stuff. This stop was a true find and made my week.

Did you thrift today? What did you find?

ps.....my computer time is next to nothing since school got out. I do read each and every comment but I'm not able to reply as often as I wish to. Please know that each comment is appreciated and read. When I can steal a minute here or there I'll make the time to reply. Cerys is at Circus Camp for two weeks so it is just me and Keiran and he prefers me away from the computer. Dave is leaving to England on Friday for a week too which makes it even harder to find time to sit down and write. I'm going to try more iphone posts if I can get it to work. This post was originally a phone post but it wouldn't upload for some reason. Will try again next week. Happy Wednesday.

The Polaroid SX-70

The SX-70 Polaroid Camera is the camera of my youth. It is the only camera that I remember in the family from an early age. I considered it my grandfather's camera although I don't recall who really owned it. We lived a mere 1/4 mile from my grandparents on a property of 40 acres in the north valley of California. It was present at every birthday, holiday, 4th of July celebration and family gathering. The first camera of this design was sold in 1972, the year of my birth.

I remember even as a child how I loved the design of this camera. How you could take a picture and watch it develop before your very eyes in the sunlight. It was like magic. I can still recall my brothers and me gathering around a photo as it developed. First day of school photos were taken on a camera like this. Although the family photos are all with my parents in Washington, I can still see my first day of Kindergarten polaroid photo in my mind. Like it was yesterday.

I found this camera in Sacramento on the last day of an estate sale. It was in surprisingly good shape, almost as if it was hardly used. It even came with the original case. It was priced at $18 but by Sunday everything was half off. I walked away paying only $9.00. The resale value of these cameras are very good. I'm keeping this one though. I'll get more pleasure from just seeing it on a shelf in my home than the money in my bank account.

At this point I can't really play with the camera since Polaroid ceased making the film needed for it. A company in Europe appears to have successfully made film that would work in this camera. It is rather complicated, not to mention expensive so I am going to be satisfied enough to look at my camera as an art piece for now.

This is a fabulous commercial staring Charles and Ray Eames.

thrift share monday - everything swedish

Do you ever thrift and feel that you are just five minutes behind everything fabulous? Or maybe 30 minutes? My thrift intuition seems to be turned off at the moment. My first hour on Saturday was simply a waste of time. I went to search for an estate sale in a neighborhood sale boasting 45 sales but I found next to nothing. Eventually I made it to a charity sale and found some book inventory and a few mid century modern items before driving another 15 minutes to go to an estate sale in a retirement community. I was pretty frustrated at that point but that disappeared when I walked in the door and found a Swedish paradise.

When I was 16 I spent a year in Norway as an exchange student. I also traveled to Sweden, Finland and Russia during that year and really fell in love with the Scandinavian culture. I even have a 1/4 Norwegian blood in me. When Cerys was 9 months old we took a trip to Sweden. I was hooked by then but it was only when I started getting interested in Mid Century Modern and Danish Modern that I began to collect everything Swedish.

Lots of Swedish Christmas Ornaments.

This is a Lisa Larson gnome.

Santa Lucia. Most Waldorf Schools have a Santa Lucia celebration in 2nd grade. It was beautiful to watch the girls in their white gowns and candles sing the song as they wandered from classroom to classroom.

The beard of the Santa is real fur.

A fabric map of Scandinavia. I love the 60's style to it. I'm planning to hang this in my office/studio or in Keiran's room.

These were in a bag that said "Tomtes for the Christmas dinner table." Tomtes are very mischievousness little beings causing mayhem wherever they are. Tomten is the star of Jan Brett's book Hedgie's Surprise.

Found these three glass bottles of glitter in the garage as I was just about to leave.

It's funny but during the morning with my frustrations I felt rather tired. When I arrived home and began to show Dave my finds, I forgot all about the dreadful sales. These little gifts from Sweden are going to be in our lives for years. Every year we'll bring them out at Christmas and careful decorate our mantel, shelves and displays. Dave actually showed quite a bit of emotion as I showed him each piece. He told me me that his Grandmother in the north of England also had many of these in her home for Christmas. And so begins a tradition for our own family; A taste of Sweden in our California home.

Cerys and me in Sweden. This is where I fell in love with the wooden rocking horse. I found our own thrifted one a few months later in England.

What did you find this week? Don't forget to add your link as well as head on over to Southern Hospitality and join her party.

Tips on Getting into a Sale Early

Okay so this topic is a little sensitive. Some people might be annoyed at the fact that some people get into a sale early. I certainly have felt frustrated to arrive at a sale only to hear that people have been stopping by for the last three days. Sometimes it feels like there are no set rules for garage sales these days. Or maybe it's just that the old rules have changed. I try to stick to the "no early birds" request from sellers but I've arrived at countless sales a few minutes before opening to discover a crowd of shoppers leaving the sale with bags of items in hand. When I thrifted with Jacki up on Bainbridge I would practically shrink in my seat as she would knock on the door early asking if we could "take a peek." It was only when they said yes that I would raise my head back up and meander over to the sale. By this time Jacki had her pile already accumulated. A part of me loved getting in early, another part of me felt awful.

Yesterday an ad popped up on Craigslist mentioning Waldorf toys and European Clothing. A family was moving into a bus, hitting the road and selling everything. They live 25 minutes from me and I knew that I couldn't get there on Saturday, the day of the sale. I emailed them and asked politely if they would be open to a presale. I mentioned that my children go to a Waldorf School and that her sale sounded fabulous. She replied and said that we could stop by on Thursday.

I loaded the children in the car and we headed to Petaluma.

The sale was as lovely as I had imagined and I sighed happily when I spotted these wooden nesting toys. This is  the Water element. I just adore these. When we were paying for everything the seller commented on these. I said that they were actually for me and not for the children. I'm going to have them in my office/studio. She laughed and commented how much she had loved them.

The Rainbow. These can also be stacked from the red up to build a high tower. I have a few of these packed away that the children used to play with when they were young.

The Cave.

The Fire Element.

I picked up some clothing for Keiran, some shoes for both the children, some toys and some books. Her library could have been my library. We had such similar taste. I thanked her profusely, paid for our items and made our way home.

If you live locally and want the details of the sale, let me know. She had so many more wooden toys, vintage playskool puzzles, clothing, dress-up, hundreds of books on alternative health and much more.

Tips for Getting Into a Sale Early

• Above all, be polite and respectful even if they say no.
• Email a Craigslist seller and ask if they have a certain item. I will sometimes write to see if they have vintage items. If they say yes, ask if they will let you come the day before to take a look.
• Volunteer at rummage sales, this will get you in early and you'll be put to work. A win/win situation.
• If you see someone setting up the day before, ask if you could shop early. We did this last Friday. The seller was more than happy to see some of her items go the day before the sale.
• If you see a sale being set up, ask if they need any help. I came across a sale and an elderly gentleman was so overwhelmed. I stayed 20 minutes to help him set up the sale. I shopped during this time but I honestly wanted to help him out. He was so grateful for this.
• Many Craigslist ads now include a phone number and offer you to call and inquire about items for sale.

I remember a time that people would show up at 6:30 a.m. for our yard sales. I would get so mad at the "nerve" of these people. Dave always had to calm me down and remind me that these people wanted to spend money on things that we didn't want any more. He was right. Now when we write up our ads we say "early birds welcome."

There is an awkward line between fairness to those that follow the rules and those that do all the above to get in early. I don't try to get in early often. In fact, this sale yesterday was the first that I'd ever asked if I could shop before the sale or that I remember. As a Thrifter I try to be respectful above everything else. And yet, can I say how fabulous it was to shop without the pressure of other buyers breathing down my neck (or touching my back as many seem to do lately) or the rush to get to the next sale. It was heavenly to just take our time and look through everything carefully. We didn't take everything, we didn't hoard and we left plenty for the day of the sale.

Many people are just happy to see their stuff go early whether it is the day of the sale or early. If they don't want to sell it early, they'll let you know clearly. That's okay too. The thing to remember is that there are great items that you'll find hours after a sale has opened. It was only a few weeks ago that I found the Cartier Sterling dish for $1.00 just a couple hours before closing.

Do you have a tip for getting into a sale early? Have you ever had an "early bird" experience? What did you find?

top of my wish list

Do you ever obsess about wanting something? Or dream about it, think about, scheme about it and think constantly about it until you have it? I do. Often. Now this could seem like something I might need therapy for but I tend to look at this obsessive drive of mine as something that fulfills my dreams.

I want a bicycle. Badly. I left mine behind on Bainbridge. It was a bike that I had purchased at K-Mart in 1994. I was tired of it and didn't want to move it to California. I rarely used it so what was the point. I didn't know that I was going to live in a neighborhood that was quiet and perfect for riding. I didn't know that my elliptical machine would later be considered a torture device and I would later get rid of it.

I've tried Dave's exercise bike but it hurt too much, I've tried walking but that didn't work and my elliptical machine was just such a bad idea. A few weeks ago I stole Dave's bike and went for a ride. I loved it. I love the speed of the bike, the fresh air and the warm sun on my arms and face. I was hooked.

I never considered myself as bicyclist. Or anything that was connected to exercise. I'm a thrifter and I do tend to sprint a lot to sales but I don't think that counts too much. My friend Amy runs everywhere. Her body is beautiful, thin and naturally tan from the sun. I'm envious that she has that internal drive to move her body. Every time I'm around her, I want to borrow some of her drive. I almost bought some running shoes last time I saw her, nearly a year ago but the closest I got to the shoes was driving by the store and thinking "oh there's that shoe store."

I'm hoping that this will be different. I want this to be my exercise of choice for the next 40 years. Right now though, I just want a bicycle. I've been riding Dave's thrifted bike but it's too big for my 5'1" frame. I'm okay on the bike. Sort of. It's a strain to reach the handle bars. And I nearly fell twice yesterday coming to a stop since it has that annoyingly tall bar from handlebars to seat that kind of hurts when you land on it poorly while trying to get off the seat to place your foot on the ground. Sighing.

I've been looking for a bike everywhere. I basically right now have a $50 budget for a bike until our house sells. I don't want a plain boring bike though. I want something like this.

Image Sincerely Yours, Kate

or this......

Paul Frank City Bike

or this one....

Electra Bikes are my favorite. My daughter's first bike was an Electra as was Keiran's first bike. I truly adore their vintage style and whimsical colors. This one is their Amsterdam Classic 3 bike. 

And while I'm dreaming....I'd love this basket.

Carrie Bicycle Basket

My eyes are wide open as I thrift at yard sales and Thrift Stores with the hope of finding a beautiful bike to ride this summer. For now I'll fumble on Dave's bike. The children and I plan to ride very morning as part of our summer rhythm.

What is at the top of your wish list?