Life of a reseller

One of the reason I like helping out at estate sales is seeing the good stuff first. The family does go in and take what they want before the sale. My job is to get rid of the junky stuff that won't sell for the haulers to take away. Then set up the house for the sale. 

I'm always on the look out for artwork, especially for my son's house. Has to be interesting and sort of in theme of Lake Tahoe. While I was clean up the office, this 3D map was buried under a pile of papers. I knew right away that was a keeper. I didn't have good cell service at the house so I just had to guess my son would like it. That was a nice surprise but that wasn't the biggest surprise. Have to wait until the sale is over before posting about the urban legends that are true. 

 

Life of a reseller - booth redo

Today I'm doing yet another major overhaul of my  main booth. I wanted to do it last week but with my back issues, it had to wait. It does take all day as everything gets cleaned and in some cases repriced. Older items get packed away and sent off to other resellers. I also have several smaller booths that my items are used as fillers until rented. Those need to get a little clean up as well. With the holiday season coming up more people come in to rent so my stuff gets moved to the backroom, that also needs to be cleaned up.  Today is the only day I have on my schedule to get it done. I'm working two estate sales so will be busy and really tired for the next few weeks. 

Update: Worked on my main booth all day and got most of it done but still have a little more to do. It's a little to bottom heavy but I didn't have the time to track down another glass shelf. The paintings are the ones I picked up a Last Chance thrift store in Monterey. I think is added a whole new vibe to my booth. The overflow of stuff in the backroom is a hot mess that I will have to deal with next week. Just ran out of time today!

 

Trip Down to Monterey

 My long time dentist in Monterey is retiring after 42 years. I don't know why I'm so surprised that he's been my dentist for that long. It's still sad and a little scary that I will have to find someone I trust as much as I trust him. It's worth making the drive to Monterey to visit his office. Of course it was much easier when I was spending a lot of time at the beach house. 

After my appointment I went to Goodwill in Pacific Grove that isn't very good. I was driving by it and found parking so I stopped in. It's still very sad and I always wondering where all the donations they get in go, because it's not ending up in the store. Then I stopped by Branches (supports the local catholic school) and was shocked on how much they raised their prices. On my way out of Monterey I stopped at Last Chance, which is right next to the dump. Prices there have always been way to high and they really don't have a lot of anything good. The one thing I do look for is art. Original artwork is hard to Google or find on eBay. I some times can score something unique or at least a cool frame. They did have these tiles out in the yard that I really wished I had a project for. It's sold by the pound but even at $1 per pound, I just couldn't bring myself to buy any. :(

Always a good sign

I always like it when my morning coffee does this! I think of it as a good sign. 

I'm a night owl by nature but there are some things that just have to get done in the morning before it gets too hot. To keep myself on track, I set a timer for an hour. It keeps me focused on getting that task done. After each hour I can take a 15 minute break for something fun or eat a snack. There still are boxes of stuff I still need to tag even after four hours. The general house cleaning and laundry took an hour and organizing my crafting dies took another hour. There are some new crafting projects that use dies I think I have in my stash, so I had to round them all up and put them in one place. Yes, I have that many, it took an hour. :) 

There still are big totes of stuff that need to be sorted out before the estate sale I'm helping out with this weekend. I'm guessing I'll be bringing more stuff home to refresh my booth. 

Late at night I work on my crafting ideas, which is a quiet activity. So far the two ideas I found online didn't work out at all! I'll post those later as it's way down on my task list. :)
 

Creative Dilemma

I'm working on Henk's birthday present. I know he would prefer Legos or some other toy but this is what he's going to get. :)  These are the photos I like from our vacation but I'm not sure if I like the captions. Should I keep them? I will clean up the  frames and add some embellishment but can't decide which one to use or should I just send both?

Update:  I did one of the photos. The cement curb was throwing me off in the photo. During my clean up of my craft supplies I found a scrapbooking kit. No idea where I got it but it was in my stash. The little adventure banner helped break it up the line. The rocks are ones we picked up camping and when we went to the lake. Gluing everything down was a challenge as my Gorilla glue was semi dry. Fingers crossed it still works. 

 

Life Of A Reseller - Hand Made Sashiko Bag

This past week I've been processing two car loads of stuff. One was used vases that came from a estate clean out. This required A LOT of cleaning and washing because of all the dirt and dust. Having hurt my back, it was slow moving for a few days. Even with a dishwasher, it took all week to get through most of the boxes and I'm still not done.

The second car load was from my cousin and that got sorted out into what was being donated away (clothes went to the unicorn thrift store) and what could be resold. Overall there wasn't much for me to resell, so most went to the Salvation Army truck behind Cottage Crafts. 

My cousin is a retired home economics teacher and she sews really well. I'm guessing she made this sashiko purse. It's a little too short for me to use as an everyday tote but I'm thinking it would make a cute bag to hold my stitching supplies when I go to a meet up of crafters at the library. 
 

Vintage Lace Found!

 I've been in search of lace types of fabric big enough to cover a shirt. It's not been easy as this type of fabric isn't really a thing any more. I was at Cottage Crafts talking about this when Tami (the owner) said there was some in the ZZ booth. When they took over the store years ago, the previous owners where into buying up old lace. All of it was left at the store!

Now the very slow process of washing everything, prepping the clothing and mixing up the bleach and cyanotype ingredients. Everything is done in stages and needs to be prepped ahead of time. You even have to check the weather to make sure there will be enough strong sun light. I also have to clear off my work station in the garage. Getting ready for the boys visit, things just got stacked on the table. I'm excited to see how things turn out!

Life of a reseller - Working Thru the Pain

I threw out my back picking up this car load of stuff from my cousin. Everything was on the floor so all that bending over just did me in. I sorted the boxes and bags while at her house instead of just loading everything into my car, which is what I normally do. Sorting out from my car is much easier on my back. 

Since I've been away from my booth for over a month, I also have to restock and get things cleaned up there too. It's almost time to switch things up for the big holiday season so going up into the attic is also on the to do list. Moving super slow but things are getting done. :) 

New old jacket

Super find for $8

One of the very first things I did when I got home from vacation was try on this jacket. It was super hot (high 90's) and I was really tired from driving back from Tahoe. Still just had to see if this jacket fit. One of the down sides to MaxSold is you can't see anything in person so I had my fingers crossed.

Well it fits great and the best parts are the pockets. There are pockets under the pockets you can't see in the first photo.  Plus it's 100% cotton and made to get that old denim look. 
 

Vacation Time Coming To And End 2026

I haven't done a pano shot in a long time. Really I haven't been anywhere it would be worth doing. We're getting things cleaned up and packed as we're getting ready to head home. As fun as everything has been, I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet at my own place. We're not sure what we will be doing as a family next year so looking a various options and places.

As I was sitting in my favorite spot at my cousin in laws place I decided to open the front door. I did think about the young brown bear that likes to walks around the neighborhood. I thought it was safe enough as I was sitting on the foyer steps waiting for the clothes in dryer to finish. Much to my surprise and shock a chipmunk ran right in. The door hadn't even been open that long. Just for a split second I thought about taking a picture but didn't want to risk it getting pass me and into the main part of the house, that would have been really bad. 

LIfe of a reseller

Buying and selling up here in Incline Village is very different. Most of the big homes are vacation homes. When it's time to sell or remodel people basically give everything away or ask a crazy amount.  My son isn't one to spend any money on furniture, so if I want something a little more comfortable or nicer while I'm here, I have to source it myself. Plus I have a car big enough to pick up everything.  It's also been helpful that my SIL is here to help with the heavy lifting and getting everything up stairs, I've been looking for a side table all month but just missing out on all the ones that were the perfect size for the space. You have to be quick when things are listed for free, like within minutes of them being posted.  With only a few more days here, I went with this one. It's little bit too wide for the space but still a nice cabinet. A lot more storage for the kitchen equipment that rarely gets used. He wasn't too happy about it but when he went to pick it up, the seller threw in a set of wooden TV trays. This was something my son wanted so he said it was worth the trip. :) 

Henk's Christmas Stocking

It's taken close to 5 years to get Henk's handmade quilted Christmas stocking. My good friend Patty has made all the Christmas stocking for my daughter's family. Life happens so there were many delays. Major events happening in Patty's life (happy and sad) so things got put on the back burn. It's in the mail now but will not arrive in time before everyone heads back to Holland this week. Luckily my SIL will be coming back out for a wedding in September so he can pick it up. Big thank you to Patty for making something so special for my grandsons and hopeful many happy memories. 
 

Palisades Gondola Ride 2026

The girls leading the pack

Took the gondola at Palisades (formerly known as Squaw Valley) up to the top of the mountain. The light breeze made for a very comfortable hike being it was a warm and sunny day. Lost track on how big this place is and can't even imagine what it's like during ski season! 

Henk going rouge

Life of a reseller 2026

My son's place up here in Incline Village is small, great for when it's just him. He's either at work or golfing, so it's just a place to sleep. Luckily there are some cousin-in-laws who have a beautiful home here with extra guest rooms. They travel a lot during the summer, so I'm the only one here. One of my favorite parts of the house is the entry steps by the front door. As with all big homes here, they have extra large picturesque windows. But for some reason sitting on these steps just feeling right. I'm just sleeping and there is one primary suite on the ground floor so no climbing up and down stairs. :)

I don't deal in clothes as a reseller as a rule but the few things I have sold, I've done well on. While here I still check the online auctions as it's part of my morning routine. I liked this farmer's jacket on MaxSold. It looks like a Japanese workman jacket, (that's trending right now) plus it's denim, which is my favorite. It's a man medium so it may or may not fit me. One of the down sides to Maxsold is you can't see anything in person. If it doesn't fit, (not that I need another jacket) I'll resell it. 

MaxSold $8.11

 

Futon for the win.

My son'a place is way too small to have my family here, something I was very aware of. It's a bachelor pad type of place. Add to that mix my SIL working remotely everyday on the kitchen table. He doesn't like going to a coffee shop or any public space to work. 

The second bedroom is for guests to crash. Again my son doesn't give any thought to it. We knew that with my daughter's best friend and family come into town (today) we would have to find more sleeping options. Ideally we would like to get a queen size bunk bed set up but I'm not willing to spend a lot buying a new set. Our second option was to find a futon like what was down at the Carmel house. The whole time I've been here I've been searching for one. As luck would have it, being the end of the month a lot of people are moving. Found one for $10 on Facebook market place. It looks almost new and very clean. Having a big car also helped out a lot. 

To make room for the family arriving today, I'm staying at a former cousin's in-laws place at night. My son is staying at a friend's massive estate home taking care of their cat and chickens while they are on vacation. 
 

Mills End, Reno 2026

 

I finally got to visit Mills End in Reno. I had heard about it but can't remember where or why. I had high hopes I could find lace type of fabric to do some bleach and sun printing with. Sadly they didn't have much of what I wanted. Guess I'll have to thrift an over the top wedding dress with a lot of lace. 

Mills End is a warehouse with one half upholstery fabric and the other half is quilting cotton. Most of it looks very dated and oldish but the prices were low enough to over look all that. 

My photos don't really show how sheer the fabric I picked up is. I'm hoping they will work for sun print. Each was $5.40 a yard so if the bleaching technique eats the fabric, it's not a big loss. The brown spotted cow hide (yes it was real) was on the counter when I was checking out. Didn't even look at how much it was but I did think of my mom being that was her lucky charm.  :) 

Thrifting While On Vacation.

Camping Water Heater

While camping last week, we talked about the XL stock pot we used to make hot water back in the day. We used to camp by the ocean when you could still dive for abalone. There was always a fire going  because it was cold. We always had hot water for dishes and showers. Not really sure where the pot after my divorce. 

We had to drive over to Reno this morning and we had time to do a little thrifting. The Salvation Army and Thrifty Depot are in an area of town I would never go alone. Didn't find anything but it was an experience. On our way back home we stopped at a garage sale. Incline being a small town I really didn't think I would find anything. Spotted this old stock pot, which was exactly what we wanted for only $5 - score! Then I picked up this vintage (1960's) pyrex casserole dish holder for $5. I've done the comps on one of these before so I knew what I was looking at, another score! I'm a sucker for handmade wooden boxes, so for only a $1.00 this was a no brainer. Not sure what these metal boxes were, maybe a school project? I liked the copper ones so picked up the whole bag. Over all a good day thrifting. 

Pyrex = $45, Wooden Box = $9.99, Metal boxes = $3 each

 

French Press

 

I'm a pour over coffee person but while at my son's house he only has a french press at home. A few months ago I got him one of those fancy do everything coffee/espresso machines. That went into work so his staff could get all fancy with their caffeine fix. :)

It's taken me a awhile to get the portions right as he doesn't have a food scale either. One of the things I didn't like about french press method in the past was the coffee grounds getting through. Also I read (yes I looked up on how to use a french press) that it's not the healthiest way to brew coffee. Who knew it can increase your bad LDL levels! This metal one actually works out very well in keeping the grounds out. We took it camping and that worked out well too. It was always hit or miss on how the coffee turned out while camping but I appreciated someone took the time to heat the water. :)

I like a good mocha and after sorting out my son's spice cabinet, I found this very old can of Guittard chocolate. Turns out it makes a pretty good morning mocha coffee considering I'm roughing it. :)

Another bear visit

When the dogs start panic barking you know that a bear is near by. The barking doesn't really seem to detour the bears. This evening one was just outside and was giving our trash can a little sniff. I really didn't know what to shout, so being a former big dog owner I just shouted NO. That was enough to keep the bear moving along. It also got my son's attention at what I was yelling at.:)

Some of the bigger neighborhood dogs were going nuts and started to chase the bear. Luckily the owner was able to recall his dogs. 
 

Incline Village 2026

My creative side thinks it would be so great come up here and paint. Do I think I would actually do it, no not really. The long drive up here would detour me from coming back up just to paint.

I'm without a car while here this weekend. The boys are visiting and staying with friends at King's beach. I didn't bring any projects to do, which isn't like me at all. My son has meetings all day and softball after work so no car to borrow there. Being bored I cleaned up the house since I didn't have any little helpers around. 

ATV Ride

Wild and bumpy ride up to the top of Diamond Peak. The boys thought is was great and had a blast. Even Henk who gets car sick didn't have a problem with it the two times he made the trip. Views where of course amazing. 

Fly Fan - Does it really work?

I first saw these fly fans at Ikeda's pie place. It did keep the flies away but it was also a toy magnet for the boys. 

My niece (who likes to shop on Amazon) thought they would be helpful on our camping trip. We really didn't have a lot of trouble with bugs but I think it did help when we were cooking bacon. During the day it worked well but the night bugs, not so much. 
 

Black Bear Spotted 2026

 

At Sugar Pine black bears are a problem. It's super important to keep any with a scent in the bear lockers. The rangers say the bears are more like giant raccoons so not to be scared of them but they will go through you camping equipment if they smell something good. On our last day as we were getting ready to start packing up this young bear came walking through. He's known to the rangers as his mom last year showed him the ropes. Was a thrill for the boys!

Amazig moss find!

Isn't this way too cool! While camping up in Tahoe at Sugar Pine, they had done a lot of clear cutting. Not sure if the trees died or diseased but it was a safety issue I'm sure. Makes for a very barren landscape. :(

But the moss (on the ground) was a very bright lime green. Then I spotted this one with lichen, at least that is what I think they are. Wouldn't this look great with my orange mushroom dioramas!

Camping 2026

I've had this tent riding around in my car for years. It's part of my emergency kit. I know it sounds weird but I think it could be helpful. 

It was new in the box when I brought it on Maxsold. I finally got to use it on a family camping trip. It's been years since I've been camping so here are a few things I've learned now that I'm much older.

Not being able to stand up in your tent makes it harder to change your clothes. 

Solar power has really changed things. Lighting up after dark is so simple now. No more need for batteries or propane canisters etc... Only thing we didn't plan for was lack of cell service and not being able to charge our phones. For me it was just my watch I wanted to keep charged. There are solar chargers out there but not something I need for everyday. 

We used Blackstone grill which was great. We didn't have any pans to clean up after every meal. There was enough of us to make it worth packing it into our car. Cooking over a fire is fun but when you have little ones running around, the grill was the way to go. 

I did see a lot of older women camping alone. Found that so interesting. I really wanted to talk to them about it but didn't want to be a busy body type. It's something that I've always wanted to do.  Maybe now that my tent is out of the box, I'll give it a try!

 

Thrift store finds.

I had forgotten all my shirts last week when I headed up to Tahoe. I went to all the thrift store in town, which there are a lot for such a small town. It's not easy finding things in a plus size. Knowing that my clothes would be coming up later in the week, I didn't want to spend too much. Picked up five shirts for $50, a little more than I wanted to spend. 

Last month my son in law won an Apple computer award for an app that deals at Neanderthals saying, so when I saw this game at the thrift store I picked it up. It was too funny. :) 
 

Pine trees in bloom

Everything up here in Incline Village is in bloom. That also means the pine trees are too. There's a fine layer of yellow pollen everywhere. Henk is finding it fun to track it everywhere. 

Monday we had thunder storms and rain. That cancelled the boys' skate broad camp. Just a little stressful for everyone having to stay indoors for most of the day. I didn't plan any activities for them thinking they would be gone for most of the morning. We did finally make it out to a playground later in the afternoon to run the boys. :) 

Incline Village Beaches

So here in Incline Village the beaches are private. You have to own a home to have access to the beaches. To many it sounds very elitist but the beaches aren't very big and even with just the residents, it's packed during the summer months. 
The weather has been lovely and the boys really enjoyed splashing around in the water. 

Pinata Time.

While up in Berkeley at my niece's house, I helped clean up some boxes that have been in storage for a long, long time. You know the type of boxes that have old yearbooks and school papers that for some reason you can't throw out. Well in those boxes were some piggy banks that you have to break open. One was already cracked and damaged. I thought it would make a good pinata time for the boys. It didn't take long to smash it to bits. 

Found one 1956 silver dime, which has a high silver count. Sold off the all the change to a coin collector. :)

Life of a reseller - Alameda Flea 2026

My daughter really wanted to go to the Alameda flea market. It happens the first Sunday of every month. Since we're in Berkeley, I really had no excuse not to go. I'm not a fan of this market as the prices are too high for a reseller. Cool stuff but most of the sellers know what they have. 

Toward the back part of the market (low rent area) there was this vendor that was selling vintage kokeshi dolls. These are larger than what you would normally see in the states. This vendor did have super sized ones that someone else had already snatched up. He must be an importer because he had pallet crates full of them. At $10 each, I couldn't pass them up! I asked if I could visit his warehouse in Fresno and do a bulk buy but he said everything was stacked in crates so it wasn't possible. 

I'm a big fan of hand carved things, so I couldn't pass up the little dwarf under a leaf, which was only $5!

He also sold Japanese workman shirts which are very trendy now. My daughter got this shirt for $80. 

 

Nature Walk

The boys have landed and jet lag is real. Henk isn't having a hard time but Mees is a walking zombie with an attitude. 

Henk and I  took a walk around the block and a monarch butterfly landed right next to us. So close that we could have touched it. I would have tried but I wan't sure how gentle Henk could be. 

Something are just meant to be

My little morning ritual. I light a few incense sticks as I write my to-do list, drink my coffee and bird watch. Living in California one can spend a lot of time outside. The boys are on their way and my peaceful moments will be on hold for the next month. 

I've had this rock vase for awhile and I'm not even sure where it came from. 

I think maybe it was made to use in ikebana? Turns out to be the perfect incense burner. It was just meant to be in my life. :)

Ipu Heke

Ipu Heke

I picked two Ipu Heke this week. I'm a gourd fan and also have a small art collection. When I traveled, I would buy them as they are sustainable souvenirs from the local artists. 

Just couldn't resist passing these up even thou I'm not a hula person.  The smaller on is already in my booth but I think I will bring it back home for the boys to try. The one in the picture is way too big for them to play it properly. :)

Just a few in my collection

 

California Guacamole

I picked up some cherry tomatoes at the farmer's market this past weekend. This is my version of guacamole California style. Keep it chunky. I just add balsamic vinegar, olive oil and Italian seasoning. Nothing super fancy but you really don't need much if everything is vine ripe and fresh. Serve with a corn chips. Totally gluten free meal. 
 

Hero Arts Layering Stencils - poppies

I picked up this Hero Arts layering stencil set up at FabMo's sale last week. I think I paid $4 for it. The clear stamp part is rubbish, doesn't stamp well at all. If I paid full price I would be pissed!

Now my first attempt with the stencils using a Tim Holtz blending pad didn't work out well at all. The stencils just ate the pads up and was bending the stencils. I tried a few other things then remember I had the make up blending brushes. Anyone remember when those got released to the paper crafting world at a totally inflated prices? That did the trick and the cards turned out so well! I went looking online to see what else was out there. I was just curious but didn't buy anything. :)

 

Farmer's Market Surprise!

Ripe apricots for breakfast

One of the things about living in the Bay Area is all the local fresh fruit. One of the biggest farmer's market is down the street from me but I rarely go because of all the strollers. I went early today and that seems to be the ticket. 

I plan to make chicken broth today and needed celery, carrots and onions. Didn't want to drive to the store and deal with the weekend parking so made the five minute walk to the farmer's market. I also wanted to pick up some dried apricots for the boys when they fly out next week. 

I would normally not go down the artist street but something just told me I should, even with all the stuff  I was carrying. To my surprise one of my favorite tile artist, "Ancient Hands" was there! He doesn't keep his website updated so I never know what show or market he'll be at. These are some of the tiles I have of his. Debating if I should splurge and get one of his bigger flatfish tiles. :) The butterfly  artwork is paper quilling, way harder than I would ever be able to do!

 

Auction Week

 It's auction week and I'm not to sure I'll even go. The opening bids are starting at $40-$60 and that knocks a lot of profit out of everything. I have about 30 things on my list but nothing super great. Since I have already over spent this month, I really should stay home. I'm also babysitting Posey so I don't want to leave her home alone for too long. 

I did check out these cast iron pans which were in a junk lot. Now that I know what to look for, I tested them. There was a USA made Wagner pan, the only one of any value. Sadly it didn't pass the spin test. You set the pan on a flat surface and if it spins or wobbles, it's warped. That will cause uneven cooking. It's still a good pan if that's all you have but much harder to resell. The typewriter I know I can sell for $100 but it's opening bid is $40 so after adding in all the fees makes the profit margin a little too tight for something that will take a awhile to sell.