Last Chance Mercantile

Thrift store in Monterey 

This place was found by mistake by my daughter while we were down here in Carmel for the holidays. We amassed a huge pile of cans and plastic one gallon water jugs. There aren't a lot of place to recycle here for money so of course we Googled it. This is a recycling place out in the middle of no where. 

They also have a thrift shop that benefits homeless veterans. programs. It gets terrible reviews for being over priced and I have to agree with that. Their inventory is sparse so there isn't a whole lot to look at. It did have a steady stream of shoppers but from what I could tell no resellers. For me when you don't see other resellers, you know it's not a place you will find a lot of things to flip. Being so far out in the boon docks, I can only guess they don't get a lot of donations either. It is very organized and reasonable clean. It's a large warehouse building with a large outdoor space for lumber, plumbing fixtures and patio furniture. I did pick up some puzzles ($2 each) and an ink/watercolor painting from a local artist for $5. 

Once I get it cleaned up (it's really dirty) I'll post it. 

It's not a place I would visit often but nice to know it's there. 

I found it! Volume Two

Today I decided to stop by a book sale at a church that is around the corner from the Carmel house. I have past it a million times but have never stopped by. I didn't really want to drive to the regular thrift stores I visit because I rarely find anything there.

I've been searching for Mastering The Art of French cooking Volume Two, first edition for years.  It's much harder to find than the first book as people didn't buy it as fast as they did the first book.

I went straight to the table that had the cookbooks and I first saw volume one but it wasn't a first edition. It is in good shape so I picked it up anyways.  Then to my surprise (I thought it was just another volume one) I found volume two and it was a first edition! It's also in excellent condition.  I picked up a few more interesting cookbooks because all the books were only $5. 

Great way to celebrate my birthday!

Yes, another cookbook

I'm down in Carmel for a few days to celebrate my birthday.  Just a quick get away to recharge. I forgot to bring my beach shoes so of course I went to the thrift stores to see if I could find a pair.  No luck there but I did find a cookbook. It was a little pricey at $14 but today (Monday was 50% off day at Yellow Brick Road) so I bit the bullet and brought it. I did check online and I couldn't find it any cheaper than $7.00 in good condition. 

I'm think maybe my challenge for this year is to make every recipe in the book. What do you think?

Risky Buy at Goodwill

It's always risky buying anything at Goodwill (really any thrift store) that has a lot of parts. I know my grandson Mees would love this as he likes to work on projects with his dad. 

I've picked up a few of these sets before only to find out they were missing parts. I had to really think hard if I wanted to spend $8 only to find out Mees wouldn't be able to compete the projects. 

I finally was able to count all the parts  this morning and happy to report, I got luck with this one!

Another thing they said not to buy at Goodwill is puzzles, which for the most part is true. I'm amazed at how many people open the boxes and then don't close them back up. What I do is shake the box and if it sounds like the puzzle is in a bag then it's a good chance all the pieces are there. I also find the high end thrift stores like Happy Dragon, the puzzles are compete. People who donate will make note on the box a piece is missing so those puzzles don't make it out on to the floor. 

A Ravensburger puzzle 

(who I think makes the best puzzles) 

I picked up at Happy Dragon 

I also like  500 piece Dowdle puzzles. 

The package also make it easy to transport 

them to my various dog sitting gigs. 

Life in Tahoe

My son, Chad has been living up in Tahoe of several years now and it was the best move he could have ever made. During the summer he golfs everyday after work. I think Incline Village was built around golf courses  because they're everywhere! 

Of course during the months with snow, he's skiing. Since he lives up there and work with people in skiing business he can get on the slopes anytime. Not have to fight the crowds or deal with the traffic getting up to Tahoe.

Holiday Collage

I was thinking of making a mini scrapbook for the boys about their trip out here for the holidays. Knowing that a scrapbook would end up in a box in the closet, went with a collage instead. Hopefully it will make it up on the wall, well at least I hope it gets hung up. I know the boys like seeing photos of themselves so this should make them happy. Orange is a favorite color in Holland, has something to do with the king's birthday. It also happens to be a favorite with the boys too.  

I need to add something (word) to Henk's collage to balance it out but everything I tried just doesn't look right. California is too long and 2023 is too short. Have to get it done with week so the creative pressure is one!

Flatfish Canvas Fabric

When I have time, I volunteer at FabMo in Sunnyvale. Really I go in to visit with all the dogs that come in with their owners. :) I always say I'm not going to buy anything but of course you can't be around all that cool stuff and not see something interesting. 

What's I really like is all the vintage fabric that gets donated from people's estate.  You'll find fabric that's been out of print for years or ones that are just wild in design.  I know for some vintage fabric, there's a high demand with some selling for $200 a yard! 

I was working on the books (Fabmo gets a lot) when I walked by the table handling all the fabric going online. It's not common to see fabric with a flatfish design. Since my blog is called "Flatfish Paper Arts" I just had to buy all 3 yards. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it but it came home with my. It's a heavy canvas type of fabric so I have to give it a lot of thought on what to do with it.  Have any ideas?

Mochi Cake

This was an impulse buy at Trader Joe's that thought I would give a try. It's a seasonal item, so if you like it buy a lot of now. Being Japanese, this is something I've made from scratch and it's easy make but I still gave it a try. It was just ok, not bad but not something I would stock in my very limited pantry shelf. I have very limited space in my tiny kitchen. 

The best part was the crispy edges, just like brownies. I asked the Asian guy checking me out  if he liked it and he said it was good if you mixed it with something like coco powder. He said it was popular so they ordered a double the amount than normal. I did make it as soon as I got home to see if it was a winner for me and something I would send to my daughter in Holland. It's good but not good enough to be mailed off. 

Major Storm Activities

A really big storm came through town yesterday. Got several warnings of flooding and power outages so be prepared. It's interesting that my place rarely loses power even with homes just a block away are out for hours if not days. The only major damage done was the back yard fence blew down. That's no surprise as last year the fence in my little backyard fell over. I know my landlord won't be in a hurry to fix it but the neighbors will. They have a very nice well manicured backyard and no pets. I'm sure they won't be happy when my landlords dogs go over there to do their business. 

Since I didn't know if or when the power may go out, I had my big meal at 2:00. Made  3 ingredients peanut butter cookies, the good stuff sauce, smashed potatoes and steak. Kept my cell phone and laptop charged up. 

I haven't been home in several months so I tackled getting things organized. You know when you first move into a place you just put things wherever it makes sense. Now I'm taking the deep dive and really thinking about what make sense. I'm still not home for any length of time this month, but I planning out what I would like to do.  

First Goodwill Purchase of 2024

It's been several months since I've shopped at Goodwill and that's been on purpose.  My plan for 2024 is to reduce my inventory down to just a few boxes. Yes, I have a lot of back stock!  To help with this goal, I've had a 50% off sale at Cottage Crafts in January. I also set up a $5.00 or less booth sell off even more dead stock.  What doesn't sell even after that, I donate away. 

Today I decided to check out Goodwill because I'm looking for a more pricing labels and a specialty pan to make Aebelskiver.  

Some fresh carts were out (which I always check out first) and I picked these four things up because they're pretty cool and easy to flip. I hoping the glass pitcher will glow green but even if it doesn't, the locking lid makes it unusual. The crystal figure is Kosta Boda, which is a well known brand. I plan to do a blue and white theme display in my booth so this dutch looking figure will look great. 

The bowl is vintage (Pacific Pottery or Robinson Ransbottom Pottery) maybe from in the 30's or 40's and very heavy. I love big heavy mixing bowls! The green candy bowl is also vintage and was just too cool to pass up. All these should sell  super fast or at least I hope they do! :)