Velcro Patches

I didn't take these pictures but they just crack me up!  

Mees shares a nanny with a little girl named Lois. Her parents asked not to post any photos of her on social media so I can't show how cute she is.  Anyways Lois (who is one) has very long bangs that hang over her eyes (which drives me nuts) so I got these velcro patches. With all the kids having baby fine hair, regular clips just don't work. I've watched a few make up you tubers (don't ask me why I watch them since I don't wear make up) swear by them so I ordered a set for Lois. I'm sure Mees wanted to try them but not to sure about Henk since he doesn't really have a lot of hair. :)

US mail

Still working through a tons of stuff to head down to my booth at Cottage Crafts in Campbell. With gas prices at an all time high it's cheaper for me to mail down what I can.  I've been going through all my costume jewelry as I also get ready to pack up my stuff once again. :(  I can't believe I have anything left to purge but I do! With them not costing a whole lot, I'm OK with sending it through the mail.  

It's been very slow going (tons of empty boxes everywhere) with the packing this time as I don't really have a move out date set and I have no idea where I will be going. 

The bigger boxes for Cottage Crafts are waiting until I get a car load and a day off. 

My coffee adventure

After reading the cookbook from the Blue Bottle Coffee shop, I gave a few of their tips a try. 

When I saw goose neck kettle with a thermometer at the thrift store I picked it up. At first I thought it was just another useless gadget for the kitchen but the temperature of the water makes a big difference now that I can get it exactly right. Next was to add a little bit of salt, this tip came from Alton Brown and that too made a bid difference in the bitterness of the coffee. Next was to wet the ground just enough to soak them but not have it drain out.  Guess it's to let off the gas (not sure what that is all about) and have the grounds plump up before adding the rest of the water. The last step is to pour the water in circles as fast or slow as it's coming out. May seems like a lot of steps for someone who doesn't really like the taste of coffee :)  but I'm just surprised on how these changes effect the taste!  Now the big debate - do I buy a scale? Do I go down the path of roasting the coffee beans? I'm sure that would smell would be wonderful. 

First Edition Copy of Dune

I sent my book guy out to look for a first edition copy of Dune. It was suppose to be a Christmas present but I wanted it found in the wild. 

A book dealer can trade up (call in favors) with other dealers to get a book they want but what fun is that? Today he hit pay dirt and found a copy in a junk lot at the Goodwill. 

The next item I'm looking for is a Glassy Baby - very $$$ votive candle holder. It has to be found out in the wild and at thrift store prices, no online buying. 

Coffee

Years ago when I moved into my little studio in Cupertino (sure miss that place!) I started making coffee. Not that I like drinking coffee but the smell of brewing coffee brings me peace and comfort. Memories from my childhood of my mom who made a big pot of Folger's coffee every morning.  When Annie was still with me :( we would go outside to play and I would have my cup of coffee. For me it's always hit or miss if I make my coffee right = tastes good. So I started reading up on how to make a good cup. I use good beans, water and measure the temperature but now I'm wondering if I should weigh the beans too?  Not sure if I want to invest in a scale.  I do the pour over method, not because I think it's the best way but because it takes up less space on my counter. I just read the Blue Bottle cookbook ( yes I read cookbooks for fun) to get some tips. 

There's another story about cookbooks coming. ;) 

Long Day Ahead

It's going to be a very long day at work today and I already know my knees will be talking to me tonight.  We had a lot of art donated and I need to use the big ladder to hang everything up. It's something that can't be done while there are other people in the store. 

The artwork has been stacking up in back and waiting for me to clean up before getting on the walls. I hope to get it all done before my last day, as it's not something any one else wants to do. 

A few estates have come in as well. One was from a woman who traveled a lot in her life. She collected something from everywhere she went and I find it interesting that I can tell where by what is being donated. Another estate is from a couple that worked for the foreign service so lived overseas for many years. Back in the day when they had staff to do the cleaning of their very large homes. They collected some very nice stuff for entertaining.  None of their children have the space for all that they have in storage nor do they want any of it, so it's slowly being donated. Best thing about this donor is everything comes in clean and nicely wrapped up. Not everything makes it in without a chip but not having to clean everything does save me a lot of time. 

Moving on

The time is getting closer for me to leave my job at the thrift store and having to decide where I will be moving too. Will miss these guys but with their planned moved to Holland I won't be seeing them anyways. My days of traveling internationally are over. I enjoyed traveling when I did but the long flights and all the new regulations isn't something I want to go through. Plus living in CA, I'm not escaping bad weather like a lot of other people. 

I have been asked a few times if I was interested in starting a private thrift store now that I know what I'm doing. :). The only issue I have it how would we get the "good" stuff?  People now donate because it helps the animal shelter (which from all the rumors I hear) needs a lot of help. 

So who knows what my next adventure will be!

Artwork

At the store we take in a lot of art work. I'm more interested in the frames so if the art is really damaged, I removed it. We have artists coming in all the time looking for just the frames, which are way cheaper and more interesting than what is currently out there. 

I'm also very patience in waiting for the art to come in, which really isn't in my nature. My assistant like to buy things (at full retail) when we get low, which isn't the best way to make a profit but it's his money to spend the way he wants. At some point he'll donate the art and we usually sell it at loss. 

 We also hang all the artwork (even the really ugly ones) if we can which I think sells the things faster. Not sure how well the walls will do in the long haul with all the holes but for now it works out very well!

Having the eye to spot the real things

One of the reason I like to talk to the donors when they drop off is  because I can get idea of what is being donated. Normally we don't take dinnerware (fancy china especially) as it doesn't sell and takes up a lot of space. This donation came from a family cleaning out a storage unit from a woman who passed away awhile ago. From the age of the donor and that it was her mother's items, I knew almost everything would at least be vintage if not antique. I only saw the edge of these plates and I know they have been reproduced so normally I would have not taken them without pulling them out first. Once we got them inside, it was a very happy surprise to see the marks on the back. It's the original plates from back in the day as I thought they would be from my conversation with the donor. There were several other very cool things from this donation with more coming in as the family finishes cleaning out the storage unit. Hopefully it will happen before my last day on the job in April!

Anitque Blue Willow Pickle Dishes

These very vintage blue willow pickle (why it's called that I have no idea why) dishes came in. They do have some chips but they are very rare to find. This is something that make my job interesting and fun after a day of going through a lot of trash. My assistant is very much a research nerd when something like this comes in. He'll jump on the computer researching and getting the comps. It is a fine line we walk, being a thrift store and not being able to charge full retail for things like this. Well we could charge full retail be it would upset our regular customers and I'm not sure we would be able to sell them like an antique store. 

Auction week and Window Display Make Over

It's auction week and with all the big things selling out of the store I've been multi-tasking on my days off. Babysitting during the day and while the kids are napping (which isn't a whole lot) I watch the auction online. My booth at Cottage Crafts in Campbell is very full, so I don't really need to stock up. I did place a few low bids on some cool items but I'm sure I won't get them. Already missed out on the glassware and frame. 

At the store with the front windows need a complete make over which =  the 12 foot ladder being pulled out. I have to go in after my done babysitting but before it gets dark and while the store is closed. It's interesting everyone wants to do displays until the ladders come out, then everyone disappears. Part of doing the new displays is also to clean everything - floor, windows, dusting the cobwebs out, which is also not a favorite of anyone. I hope to get the displays done by Wednesday so the big ladder can be put away before customer come in. 

Grand Slam Day 2022

This was a grand slam weekend at the store! We sold four of the most expensive items we had for sale. The first one to sell was a carousel horse my assistant purchased before the holidays. He made a nice little profit on it and it did look nice in the store front window but we were happy to see it go. Now on to designing a new window display. 

The second thing was a XXXL gold picture frame for $100.00. We got it for free at a garage sale. The next thing up was a very fancy and expensive light fixture that was still in the box. I just put a picture of it in a frame of what had in back but I really didn't think anyone would take the time to look at it. The best sale was a horse stable stall door I picked up at the auction house when the store first opened. No one thought I would be able to sell after it didn't work out to use as our back door. It was an on going battle with my volunteers not to hang things all over it when it got moved to the front window. Just the night before I had to over rule having doggie clothes being spread all over it. I had to play "I'm the boss" card, which I don't use too often.

I said customers won't know it's for sale if it's covered with clothes. I can understand that having it sit there for several months, no one thought it would sell so why not use it as a display rack.  Even the customer who brought it made a comment about seeing it for the first time without anything hanging on it. They plan to use it in their garden as part of a custom fence being built. It's also very nice that it sold before I leave in April. 

Part of the plan for the store was that we only have "the good stuff" so you don't have to sort through junk to find it. The store is small compared to other thrift stores so every inch counts. It's sad that I'm leaving now that my program is running the way I had planned but it's the right move for me to make. With the warmer weather, the crime rate sadly is going up once again. 

Expresso Card Swap

I'm in a monthly card swap with a coffee theme. Part of that swap you can also send birthday cards. This one came from Canada, so it arrived late. It's always so fun to get snail mail instead of bills - yes I still get some of my bill in the mail. With my move coming up soon I'll have to yet again do a change of address. Now off to post on the Facebook group, which is part of the agreement - to post all the cards we get. 

Doggie Divas

With all the doggie clothes we now have in the store (and it looks like we'll get more) I'm working on getting more glam shots for our social media pages. Carabelle so far has sent in the best one. What is a crack up about this dog, is her lightning is done with a YouTube lighting system! Most people are sending in pictures that show the front of the dog so it doesn't show much of the clothing, which is what I would like to have. Still waiting for more pictures to be posted but these doggies are just too cute!

A ton of doggie clothes and books

I never know what will be donated and that keeps my job interesting. One of the things that you can't teach or leave notes for is how to see use what you have to be creative. It was a very busy day taking in donations so I didn't walk out to the front until the end of the day. When you have a different people putting things out with no really creative center, it starts to look like a hot mess.  I do have to go in early to get things cleaned up and what I call "reset" the store. Some of the volunteers think if it's free we should take (some things are throw out on the street and really should stay there) or not really look how clean something is before putting things out. 

Ok back to photo. :) It's not just taking in the book donation. First I have to call my book guy to come in and scan them. While he was going to be here, I had a heavy pick to be done so had him help with that, which meant to schedule with the donor we were coming over. Once the scan is done the books have to be cleaned and wiped down. I will plan to display them in their own spot, doing a photography theme section. With all this happening I touched based with another animal rescue group who needed help getting rid of excess donations of doggie clothes.  I took in a truck load (I'm not kidding) and had to sort it all out before I left. One because I had to make sure there was nothing in the boxes (bugs and critters) since it was coming from a warehouse in SF and because Thursday our cardboard recycling lady comes by in the morning to haul our boxes away. Designing another display to highlight the clothes and finding models so I can get some good pics for our social media accounts.

Mochi Donuts

Mochi donuts for my birthday!
Not 100% gluten free so I only had a bite of one. I guess they dust the donut with flour. Mochi is made with rice so for the most part less gluten than a regular donut. I can see how it's fun to eat and the boys were happy to take a hit on my behalf by eating them. 

My daughter put together a very nice gluten free brunch and dinner together for my birthday.  I've been having major tummy issues because I went over board by ignoring my gluten issues. Things are getting better now that I've gone back to clean eating. Going gluten free isn't as hard as people think it is but you do have to know how to cook!