Apron Thrift Girl

My Childhood Home

Childhood Home - Corning California

My father brought down a photo of our old homestead where we used to live in Northern California. When they found this 40 acre property in the late 1960's it was an abandoned overgrown olive orchard. There weren't any buildings on it. Everything you see here in this photo my father, grandfather and mother created. I carry this idea in my head when I think of my future home. The one we are waiting on because our house is still for sale on Bainbridge Island. Sigh. But it will sell and when it does we will be looking for our future homestead.

My father and grandfather put in a well, added a mobile home for my grandfather, built a log cabin home for us as well as a barn, garage, another log cabin that became a rental and they bought 2 little cabins that became an office and a library. They even made a pond. I just adore the idea that my father could see what this sad little property could become.

The north valley of California can be very flat, dry and hot. When I look at this photo I can see that it isn't that attractive but when I see this image with my heart I can remember those days down by the pond where I went fishing, or the day that I save a frogs life and kissed him before releasing him back into the wild, the olive trees that I climbed with my olive bucket and picked and picked until I nearly fell out because the olives were too heavy. I see the pomegranate tree that I ran to after school every day in September/October to pick one for my afternoon snack.

Some days I was very unhappy here. I was rather lonely and I think that is why I escaped into reading. I wanted to be somewhere else. Yet when I reflect back as an adult I savor the simplicity of living in the county. I loved working with my father. We did so many things together on that 40 acres. We put a roof on one of the cabins together one spring. He homeschooled me during my 8th grade year and gave me the love of education again. He taught me how to install a drip irrigation and inadvertently he taught me how to swear.

The biggest lesson that I have taken from my parents is that I can make something out of nothing. My parents did that with our childhood home and they did it frugally.

Thrifting is no different. As thrifters we don't judge by the appearance of most items (I still judge the 80's geese craze though). A wool sweater with holes in it doesn't deter us from buying it to craft with.  A dusty and dirty basement doesn't scare us from getting on our hands and knees to search through boxes. Thrifters are creative, imaginative and smart. As I said in my Goodwill guest post last week, we see what something worn can become. I imagine that the day my parents went to look at that property they didn't turn away because the land was pathetic looking. Instead they probably pictured where our home would sit and where the pasture would be that would house our sheep and cows. They saw the hope in any direction that they looked in.

When you walk into a thrift store what do you see? What do you imagine when you pick up an item that someone else discarded? Do you think this imaginative process is what makes us resourceful thrifters? What ugly item have you turned beautiful?

Thrift Share Monday - Retail Thrifting

Martha Stewart Enamel Pot w/ Lid $19.99 Macy's

Most times when I say "thrift" I mean something that I have purchased from a yard sale, estate sale, flea market or thrift store. A few times a year though I go thrifting the retail route instead. My favorite retail thrifting times of the year are Back to School, After Christmas and of course Black Friday.

Many of my Facebook friends were taking part in Buy Nothing Day. I admit that each time I read those words I felt a stab of guilt. Then I shook my head of that feeling knowing that for the most part I buy nothing (aka RETAIL) most of the year. When I woke up at 5am on Black Friday I was excited. Last year I went out and ran into so much disappointment. This year it was going to be different. I had a little plan.

I had one goal in mind and it was the Teal pot that was on sale for $19.99 on Black Friday morning. It was the only thing that I could think about on Thanksgiving night despite trying to keep my mind on dinner and feeling grateful. As the clock ticked toward bedtime I had visions of that pot dancing in my head.

I woke up without an alarm and made my breakfast in preparation for my shopping morning. I was going solo since my BFF was sick and Keiran decided at 5:25 a.m. that he'd rather sleep than shop. I got to Macy's and headed straight to the kitchen area on the third floor. I looked at every 2.75 quart pot and couldn't find a single teal one in the lot. The regular price of this pot is $69.99 although they often have sales where they are half off. I finally found the teal pot but it was the display one. I grabbed it since it did have a bar code on the bottom. I headed to the posh dishes area where there wasn't a line and spotted this for 75% off the original price.

Vera Neumann NEW Tablecloth $8.50

I had no idea that Macy's was selling Vera prints. Most of them are still on sale at the Macy's Website. You can even find Vera shower curtains. A part of me felt strange buying Vera new after quite a few years of buying Vera designs from 40 years ago. At Anthropologie the Vera items are so out of touch because of their prices that I never never even contemplate buying any of them. But at 75% off plus extra savings for using my Macy's Card I could not resist.

Material Girl - Necklace $6.10

I forgot to photograph them but I also bought two glass gnome ornaments for $4.40 each. Most of the prices of the items that I bought are very comparable to estate sale prices. I have seen enamel pots from $20-$40, Vera tablecloths are usually from $5-$10, Jewelery is from $4-20 and glass ornaments are from $2-$10 depending on age and style. 

I also went to Crazy 8 and stocked up on PJ's for $5.60 for a set. Again this price is similar to thrift store prices where pajama sets (if you can find them) usually sell between $2.99 - $4.99. It's been months since I had purchased new ones for the children and lately it's been challenging to find any that were not not-flammable.

The shopping that I did on Black Friday were items for us rather than gift buying. I think just changing my goals to this idea on Friday made my day pleasant and satisfying.

My mother and I popped out to a thrift store on Sunday and found these in Sebastopol.

They were all so shiny and bright that they appear unused.

Did you do any Retail thrifting or second hand thrifting this weekend? Don't forget that today is Cyber Monday. Consider heading to Etsy or similar sites to support artists, crafters and vintage resellers this holiday season.

Thankful on Paper - Week 4

It's Thanksgiving today and week 4 of Thankful on Paper. This week I'm thanking the two people that brought me into this world, my mother and father. As adults it's easy to place blame on our parents for many things. I've been known to blame them for the size of my body (aka 5'1" tall) to the "whatevers" that I say as I walk out of the room angry a few times a year. I watched my mom do that for years and the minute that I ever utter this out of my mouth I can picture her so clearly.

Yet all the amazing things that my parents taught me and the gifts that they have given me outweigh anything else. I watched my father build our log cabin house by hand. They bought a kit which meant that the logs were all pre-cut and ready to be built like a lincoln log house. He still did all the work from building the foundation, to placing the logs together, doing the electrical and plumbing, to putting the roof on. I watched his stubbornness when things didn't go well and I watched him still work away at it. He never gave up or called in someone to finish it.

My mother filled the pantry with empty jars that later would hold our bulk foods. She taught me the basics of cooking, gave me an appreciation for Luke & Laura despite their strange beginning and she influenced me with her interest in crafting. She taught me how to shop wisely at the grocery store.

Above all, my parents really taught me about frugality and thrifting. They lived this way because my dad had a simple teacher's salary and later a E.M.T.'s salary. We never had much money and I grew up with many second hand items. I didn't appreciate it at the time but I wasn't that worried either. I had 40 acres to play on and I practiced the most frugal art of play that there is: building forts, building rafts, making fishing poles, creating fantasy lands in our olive orchard, playing librarian and living in my imagination.

My parents have really influenced the woman I am today. I'm so grateful that my mother is on a new chemo that isn't making her as sick. She's already lived 4 years since she was diagnosed even when doctor told her she might only live for 2 years. She's still a fighter and I'm so thankful that she's with us. She's feeling better although somewhat weak. My parents drove down in their camper from Washington to be with us for Thanksgiving. I can't begin to express how Thankful I am that they are here. After I post this I will give them their Thankful on Paper letter.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll be back on Monday.

Re-Do Tuesday - a Display Rack

Want to see how I made this slighted rusted, somewhat ugly, gold tone display rack into this?

Then make sure to pop over to the Goodwill of Northern New England blog and check out my guest post.

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I also wanted to announce the winner for the Simple Times book:

The winner is Angelika

Thanks again for all your entries.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a Make Share post. Have you been crafty this week?

 

Thrift Share Monday - Thanksgiving Week

Swedish Santa and Mrs. Santa Candelabras.

It was the last weekend before Thanksgiving and nearly every Estate Sale company in our area had a sale. I think there were 5 different estate sales on Saturday. While that was pretty much good news, I'm guessing that means everyone is taking next Saturday off. Not that I don't think everyone should enjoy the holiday but it's going to be a long two weeks between sales.

Despite having so many sales on Friday, I didn't buy very much. I found some items for Etsy, not enough book inventory and hardly anything for me personally. Luckily there were a two more estate sales on Saturday. Yet as I was looking at the ads on Saturday morning I decided that I didn't want to wait in line for an hour before they opened.

Of course at 10:30 am I gave into temptation and went to one of the estate sales. And then I told myself that I was silly because it was a really good sale. I can't imagine what I missed by not standing in line. I had looked at the photos on their Craigslist ad though and it hadn't look that brilliant. Most of her best stuff though was in the garage. You know, where she didn't take any pictures.

Vintage Paper Santa's in cellophane from Cost Plus.

Thrift Share Monday - Vera Napkin Set of 12 - $4.00

A rather sad and somewhat broken candle ring. But I have a weakness for these things. In the back (although blurred) there is a headless skier. I plan to repair it with other little wooden ornaments that I have and bring it back to life again. I'll admit I couldn't resist the Santa underneath the toadstool. How cute is that?

I found these ornaments in a dusty box in the garage. They will be on sale at the Waldorf Winter Faire on December 3rd and 4th. I will have a Christmas tree full of vintage and Swedish ornaments for sale. If you are local, I'd love for you to stop by and say hello. I'll have more details next week.

You would think, living in a thrift household that I would have every office supply under the sun. Yet when I went in search of staples the other day I could only find 40 or so odd staples. And I needed every one for some swag that I was preparing. Thankfully I found a box of vintage staples this weekend for .50 cents. They fit perfectly in my vintage stapler. It was the talk of the household and both children were so excited when they spotted the box.

I found this huge roll of wrapping paper on Friday. It was probably my find of the day. It is so heavy and thick. And so MOD.

Love that pink & orange.

Did you get out this weekend and thrift? We'd all love to hear what you found.

Esty Shoppe Share - How to Market Your Etsy Store

Mod Mid Century Modern Gummed Labels

I had a question last week about how to market an Etsy store. It's such a completely different venue than eBay, the ReSelling venue which most of us our used to. With eBay we know that there are millions of users world wide and we can often research something and find out how much someone paid for an item and when. We know immediately if something is hot or not when making a choice to sell it or not. With Etsy we are kind of taking a guess of what might sell or not and the pricing is all over the place.

I have read some complaints on-line that Etsy doesn't market itself enough. I'm personally not sure what to think of that. I do have sales every week sometimes a few sometimes less. The more I list the more I sell which seems to work in every venue that I sell at from auctions to books to Etsy.

Here are some of my ideas for marketing your Etsy store:

• Use the Facebook Etsy tab which lets all of your friends know what's in your store. Here's a link with how to do this. I have this enabled on my Flavorstitch and ATG Facebook pages.
• After you post an Etsy item, you can share it on Facebook. I would caution though not to share every single one with your friends, especially if you list a lot every day. I try to pick out a couple ones that I especially think my friends might find interesting. After listing an item, at the top of the page you will be asked if you'd like to share your item with your friends on Etsy. Click on that and a box will pop up with your item. You can even add some text.
• Print business cards with your Etsy shop on them. You might want to consider buying the .com with your store name and then do domain mapping or domain forwarding to your store. That way when people want to go to your store they can just type in mystore.com rather than etsy.com/shop/yourstore. You can hand cards out to people you meet, friends, mail them with orders and post them on bulletin boards.
• Buy an ad on a blog that is similar in style to your Etsy store. If you are selling Victorian inspired items find a Victorian style blog and see what their ad rates are. To have a sponsored ad on this blog I am currently charging $25 a month and I get around 42,000 pageviews a month. Some blogs ask for a 3 month payment, while others just a month at a time. Perhaps try it out for a month and see if you notice more sales. I'm going to consider doing this in the new year.
• Create Etsy Treasuries. If yours is picked for the front page of Etsy everyone will see your name and your choice items. Plus you can contact all the shops that you have chosen for your Treasury and let them know that their item has been chosen. This helps build community.
• Be a sponsor at a local event. I was a sponsor for a Studio Soiree that was centered around the amazing felt artist Monica Ashley. I gave every one that attended some swag that included some herbal tea and my business card. I also gave away four vintage glasses with owls on them for a raffle. My logo went on the website and my shop was mentioned at the Soiree.
• Have a Vintage open house where you have items from your store and unlisted inventory on display and for sale. Offer food & drinks, hand out business cards, post cards and really spread the word about your store. I think building up a local following is just as important as a national one since local shoppers might not have to pay for shipping.
• Attend a local Craft or Vintage sale and hand out cards were appropriate.
• Be a vendor at a local Craft or Vintage sale and have a booth with your business cards available. Have a display of items that are similar to what you have in your store.
• Sponsor an Etsy Shoppe Share post. Your banner would go at the top of this post with a short description of what you sell. Last week in total I had 6,215 views on the Etsy Shoppe Share post.
• Add your link to Etsy Shoppe Share and other blog that do something similar.
• Sponsor a giveaway on a blog featuring similar items from your shop.
• If you have a blog, do a shop updates every week or every two weeks. As a reader, I love seeing shop updates.

Do you have any tips or secrets about marketing your Etsy Shop?

Mod Blue & Gold Drinking Glasses

Thankful on Paper - Week 3

Thankful on Paper - Week 3

I once had a boyfriend that always gave me a sideways glare the minute I stepped outside of normal. As a 19 year old who was quite immature, I'm afraid that this was often. Eventually I became too strange (in his eyes) for him to handle any more of me and he decided to break up with me. I never forgot that feeling of someone being so uncomfortable around me that they would purposely choose to leave me. As a young woman this was heartbreaking. Especially since I had just arrived home from being an Au Pair in Norway. I had left him to go there while our relationship was quite young but it seemed to have grown in strength through letter writing while I was away. I guess for him I was better away than in his presence.

From that point in my life I knew that one: I would always be my authentic self and two: I would only invest in friendships with people who would accept me for who I am. Even if that meant days and months of loneliness.

Up until I was 24 the only person (outside of my parents) who really accepted me entirely was Dave, the Englishman that I met in the Sears Tower in Chicago on April 1st. He set the example of what I wanted in friendship. Luckily I married him which set me for life.

A year ago this coming Sunday I met Cathe Holden at the Petaluma Vintage Holiday Boutique. I had found her blog a few weeks before through Craftzine. When I was sitting at my booth I spotted her talking to the woman next to me. I recognized her from her photo and I remember feeling so nervous. To me she was blog royalty so it left butterflies in my tummy. She wandered over to my booth and I blathered on about loving her blog probably sounding so silly. Then she bought something from me and it made my day.

A couple weeks later I learned through her blog or twitter that she was heading to Blissdom, something that I had been wanting to go to very much. I blogged about my fear of flying and my strong desire to attend a blogging conference. I was so surprised to find a note from Cathe offering to FLY WITH ME. I was a virtual stranger and here she was offering to help with my fear. We met for coffee shortly afterwards and connected immediately. We did fly to Blissdom, were roommates and as you know we have become very close friends.

What I am thankful about Cathe is her warmth and kindness, her generosity, her humor, her creative talent, her caring heart and selfishly I'm grateful that she accepts and likes me for who I am. Cathe and I have many adventures planned in the years to come and I couldn't think of a better friend to plan them with. Thank you so much Cathe.

I'm meeting her this morning and look forward to handing her the letter above and tell her in person why I am grateful that she is in my life.

Who are you thankful for this week?

ATG Garage Sale Pack Link Now on Sidebar

The link for the ATG Garage Sale Pack is now available on the sidebar. I hope this Free download will be useful for your next Yard or Garage Sale.

Simple Times - Amy Sedaris - Book Review and Giveaway

Simple Times by Amy Sedaris

When I was asked to do a book review for "Simple Times" by Amy Sedaris I was completely on board. I've always been a crafter that adores simplicity. I want my crafts inexpensive, relatively easy and very quick. Someone asked me if I knit the other day. I said that I kind of do. Then I remember the sweater I started for Cerys when she was three that I still haven't picked up since this post. So Amy's book was definitely something that I wanted to take a look at.

This book is pure sass and having a sense of humor is a necessity when combing through the pages of Simple Times. There is wit in practically every sentence of the book including one like this "There is a much more leisurely attitude toward crafting and virtually anyone without a job and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters." But since I buy vintage pipe cleaners every chance I get, I was game.

Hair Sample Lamp

Some of the crafts in my opinion are tackier than all get out such as the doll wig doorknob or the Hair Sample Lamp (although kind of cool looking at the same time).

Other crafts are odd but I was drawn to them such as the Beaded Spiderweb that pins to a dark corner in your house.

I can imagine that your teenagers might love this book with crafts such as the Crafty Candlesticks made out of drumsticks. The directions are incredibly simple and anyone should be able to follow them. Although like I said there is dry humor dripping from every word. Even in the candlestick directions she suggest only painting down to where the candlesticks fit into the holder because that will save you an inch of paint. She ends the craft with this note: "These candles take at least 3 days to make but burn for a lifetime."

Nearly all of my craft books are pretty darn serious so a book that was not only on the lighter side but included out-of-the-box crafts was pretty entertaining to read. Even if I didn't jive with all of the crafts, I was still inspired which to me is part of the reason that I buy craft books.

What makes this book perfect for thrifters is that Amy is taking many items that could be considered trash and she's making something creative out of it. We thrifters do the same every week when we buy felted wool sweaters to use for crafting, damaged vintage kid's books to cut out the illustrations to use for art and of course the mountains and mountains of broken jewelery that we all own. I mean who can pass up that bag of injured pins, necklaces and clip-on earrings for a $1? Certainly not me.

Many of our budgets have been cut and cut again. I am not rushing out to buy a lot of craft supplies from Michaels. I used to go at least once a month where now I got maybe 3-4 times a year with my coupon in hand and a strict budget.

Here are some examples of Frugal Crafts that you will find in Simple Times:

• Tin Can Stilts
• Dough Dice (made from the ends of a loaf of bread)
• Rusty Nail Wind Chime
• Toadstool Champagne Corks (by far my favorite craft in the book)
• Personalized Hanky
• Hand Crafted Bookmarks
• Brown Sugar and Lavender Body Scrub
• Tassels

If you are faint hearted then I'd suggest skipping her Safety Meeting chapter which includes photos of needles through faux skin, iron burned marks on the leg and blood pouring from the eye. It's all meant in good humor but I have a weak stomach and have to fast forward my Tivo through anything that involves injury or blood. The message though, through her dark humor is BE SAFE when crafting. As someone who is a little klutzy while working glue guns I can relate to this lesson.

If you have small children you might want to keep this book on a high bookshelf since some of the subjects discussed and photos are not really for young eyes. Especially the chapter on Romance.

Okay so my final thoughts on this book? I'm not sure exactly what to say. Part of me loves the idea of cheap, simple crafts but a part of me cringed at her writing style. In some moments it appears that she has no boundaries when it came to the written word. Some of the photos I loved and wanted to craft that item while other ones left a bad taste in my mouth.

I imagine that when one writes a book like this, this is the reaction that they want. So I guess to sum up Simple Times you might laugh, cry, be inspired, cringe, throw up in your mouth, laugh some more, shake your head and sit down and do a craft that you wouldn't find in any other craft book on the bookstore shelves. If you want unique than this is your kind of Craft book.

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Thrift Share Monday - Nov 15

Thrift Share Monday - Nov 15             Collection of Vintage Silk Thread $3

With little thrifting expectation for the weekend, on Friday morning I was completely surprised to have found some fabulous things. My day began at an estate sale where I found two large bags of vintage thread for $3 each. The silk threads will go in my collection and the cotton threads are going to be sold at a Waldrof Winter Faire in December.


Vintage Library Cabinets (1 small & 1 large) $60 for the pair.

My jaw literally dropped when I walked into the garage and I saw these still sitting there 30 minutes into the sale. The surround is wood and the drawers are metal with wood between them. When they slide in and out it is so smooth and not at all painful to the ears like metal on metal can often be.

The previous owner had it filled to the brim with hardware and he carefully marked each drawer. I'm going to fill it with craft supplies and paper ephemera.

I think even the insides of the drawers are fabulous. I'm going to clean the drawers, create new labels for all the drawers and restore the wood to some of its former glory. I'd so love to know the history behind it.

I moved on to the next estate sale. With my goal of reorganizing all of my crafts (which are mostly stuffed in two cabinets in my office or sitting in boxes in the hallway) I purchased these vintage store boxes. I have a couple other in a similar design. I paid $10 for this collection. I would have loved to have paid less but they are quite old, pretty rare and most likely cheaper than buying new.

A little collection of vintage keys. 25¢

I love the detail of the hardware on this little cosmetics suitcase. 50¢

My last sale on Friday was a little one in the south of town. I sort of knew the area and I remember that occasionally there are some older houses so the sale could be promising. I arrived two hours after it started and found this chair.

I didn't see it at first since I went straight to the books. When I turned around to walk to another table I nearly tripped over it. And then I saw that it was $5. I couldn't pick it up quick enough and walk it over the the young woman at the checkout table. I asked if I could leave it there while I finished shopping.

Then I fretted the rest of the time, worried that someone would come along and buy it while I wasn't looking.

It is in nearly perfect condition. Almost like it came right out of the store where it was originally purchased. It's so rare that I find MCM furniture in such fabulous condition.

In hindsight I should have given her more money for it. I think I was in a bit of shock for stumbling upon it before anyone else.

I brought it home and Dave asked me "are we keeping it or selling it?"

It's one of those decisions that makes ReSelling awkward. "Keeping it" I muttered and took it inside.

"But it's perfect and we have two kids who destroy everything" he realistically told me.

"Well like the white couch, we'll just keep them off it." I argued and placed the chair in the living room where it was meant to be.

Between the library cabinet and the chair, it completely made my weekend.

And then there was Sunday when I took this photo.

It was in the 70's yesterday with a beautiful warm sun and stunning blue sky. We took my MIL to Sausalito where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch at Scoma's overlooking the bay. It was an incredible day and I was glad that California was on best form for my visiting British Mother-in-Law.

Did you thrift this weekend?