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. 

Early Morning Surprise!

A few months back I had a few vert old potatoes  that had sprouted. I decided to just plant them and see what happened. Had some very lush green foliage and when that died away, thought that was the end of it. I was getting ready to replant something in that big pot when a potato popped up! So I dug around and found all these. Not sure why I was so surprised but country style hash brown or smashed potatoes are on the menu!
 

What Motivate You?

During my first full day at home I processed all those little piles of misc stuff going into my booth. I sorted out most of the traveling projects that I take when I'm dog sitting. I have Posey (resident chocolate lab) this weekend so I can dive more into getting things kitted up. My motivation was that if I got through my to do list, I could go to the FabMo sale in the morning.

I'm not a fan of driving in traffic but I knew I had to get there when the doors opened at 9:00. I wanted to pick up some stencils for my sun printing projects and didn't think they had a lot of them. Arrived at 9:30 (traffic was bad) and had to wait for about 10 minutes. They had already reached their maximum occupancy. The stencil I wanted wasn't there, but I did find a few other things. :)  Thinking I was going to spend just .50 I ended up spending $50! A collection of the Tim Holtz line was there and I'm a fan. These are the ones that cost a lot on the secondary market and are hard to put together. Two things I don't like at all. As I get them done I'll post better photos. One interesting find was the needle tool for felting, $2. I have the one needle tool, this one has several needles. Yes, I will be selling off the stamps and dies at some point because I don't  really need anymore. 

Wearing everything in your closet

 I wasn't doing this on purpose, it just happened. Not being home much (dog sitting a lot) I haven't done my ironing. So my clothes are all hanging up waiting. Looks like I can go almost two months without wearing the same top twice. I'm wondering if I should keep going to see how long I go? I should carry this photo around with me to remind me I don't need any more clothes, at least not tops. :)

Iris folding minis

 

Still working on getting a smaller iris folding pattern that swirls using only three colors. Four is the standard. I really do have to find a printer to make the pattern since I can't do a pattern free hand. Working with a pentagon shape makes the best swirl pattern but it's not a popular shape in the paper crafting world. I'm sure I don't have one in my stash (yes, I looked this time) and I refuse to buy a set of dies. Being able to cut out the shapes to make the template would be easier for sure. If I was better working with my computer, I could in theory cut and paste, but again I need a printer. 

I did try using washi paper instead of foil paper. It's a little bulky because it's so small. I only used one print just to see if it would work. Foil paper has limited colors and I don't want it looking too Christmasy. I'm going to have to pull out my stash of rolled paper and see what I have before hunting down different color foil. 

Brown Spotted Cow

Yes I picked up some more cows with spots. If you have been following my blog you know why. :) They came up for auction on MaxSold and I paid $7.82. Neither are in perfect condition but they make me happy. The brown spotted one will hang out at my place for a bit before I sell it off in my booth. 

 

Life of a reseller

$300?

I debated this morning if I was going to pick up my $2 Maxsold item. This is one seller that I'm not a fan of. He doesn't put any description on the items and when you can't physically see the item that's a problem. I now know to skip his auctions in the future. What I did get, I gave away to a woman who said it was cute. Wasn't even close to what I thought it was and parts were missing. 

It was also interesting that he is using an abandon house next door to hold an estate sale. It was a very old sketchy looking cabin type house The neighborhood was very nice otherwise I would never have gone in. Looks like one of the original farm cabins built back in the day when the valley was farm land. The wooden stairs into the house had seen better days and I wasn't sure if anyone should be walking on them. I don't think it was at all legal. Still I went in to see what they had. The first room which was very tiny, (6' X12') had interesting things that I'm sure didn't come from the house. Things were priced far beyond retail! Any collector who would pay $300 for this biscuit jar probably wouldn't even think of walking into this tear down of a house. It's not marked but it could be Fiesta ware. I did a quick comp on it and only came up with $90. 

I did pick up several small things that added up to $55.00. About $2.50 a piece. Since estate sale was close to Cottage Crafts, I processed most of it there. These things in the photo came home with me to get a deep clean. Brass elephant incense burner, mercury glass coaster (wish I found a set), tic tac toe game from Big Sur and a antique medicine bottle. 

 

Frame fit the photo

When I went to the last Maxsold auction, I picked this frame up. It was out on the front lawn in the free pile. I know it was probably for Christmas but I thought it was rustic enough for a picture we would take up in Tahoe this summer. Or I would sell it off in my $5 booth. Then my daughter sent this photo of my grandson with his medal after the mud race they did together. I'm sure he's tired and cold from the look on his face. 

I went to local estate sale on Thursday (first day) and it was so over priced is was shocking. Even at half off, the prices were way out of line IMO. I know it takes a lot of work to set up the sale and price everything but at those prices it would be a hard sell. I may go back on Sunday when everything should be 50% off just to see what is left. It's close enough to my place that I can pop in. 

 

Iris Folding Tree and Cherries

I don't have a printer to resize a pattern. I have to do it free hand using a ruler, very old school. I may try and go to the library and see if I can down load the circle pattern and size it there. 

The  triangle (tree in my world) on the left is the color order of the original pattern. I did one in a solid green but that looks ratter dull. You really don't see all the folds. The one in the middle I moved the red to the top. This is one of the ideas I have for my ATC cards. I'm working on doing a mini circle but I'll definitely use a printer to size it.  Which tree combo do you like? 

Went to Costco today to gas up. My impulse buy was  two pounds of Rainer cherries which are now $7 a pound. They are my favorite so just went for it. They are good!

Triangles Dies Found

One on the right is the set I found in my stash

Last month I really want to try this iris folding triangle pattern. I knew I never had one in my personnel collection. There was a set in the huge crafting lot I brought a few months ago that I totally overlooked. I'm still not sorry that I paid full retail as I really wanted to try out that new pattern.

 I'm getting ready to release the second wave of stamps I got from that storage buy out so was going through all the boxes again. Many of the ones I saved I will never use so better to sell them off to help my bank account. :) 

Another surprise came when I was watering my garden. I have beans! I mean it's really no surprise since I did plant scarlet runner beans. I was just enjoying the bright red blooms and totally forgot they may turn into beans. :) 

Be That Mom

Be that mom! My daughter and grandson did a mud obstacle course this past weekend. Great to know my daughter is one of those mom who will get muddy and dirty with her kids. Not to sure if Mees had a good time as it was pretty cold. But mom was prepared with warm clean clothes at the end of the race. :)
 

ATC - Still A design in progress

 

I have a lot of crafty projects on my list! While I'm dog sitting I bring along some of them. It's great because I don't get as distracted when I'm at someone else home. I've been working on ATC cards that I plan to take to Craftcation 2027. I found a stack of kimono cut outs from my iris folding classes. I could never throw them out but you can only make so many cards with them! It's just a little too big for a true ATC but I'm think maybe I'll use them anyways. Sort of my business card, with my contact information on the back. I like the inset of the flower die but thinking maybe the hello one is better as an intro. What do you think?

Life of a Reseller

$7.20

People come into Cottage Crafts all the time asking if I'm interested in buying their "antiques". 100% of the time they want the highest price they find listed, (not sold) on eBay. Why do they think as a reseller I would buy something I can't make a profit on? It's happening so often now that I told the store it isn't worth their time or mine to take their number. 

The nativity scene is what I picked up at the Maxsold auction this past weekend. I really didn't think I would get it, so completely forgot about it until I got the alert from my credit card. It has all the main characters but I think some wise men were part of the set at some point.  It's not a money spinner but it did lead me to getting a car load of good stuff for free!

Bonus Auction - The Free Stuff

I got a great surprise at my last MaxSold auction this weekend. They posted that there would be a lot of free stuff at pick up. Most of the time it's things that can't be sold, open cleaning supplies, very old printers, broken furniture etc...  I didn't rush to pick up as I'm dog sitting and had to make sure his morning routine was done. In the past I may find a few things but it's never been worth rushing over for. 

The stars were all in alignment! Found parking right in front of the house, that's rarely happens. On the lawn were tubs full of Christmas, clothes and kitchenware. Again I didn't think I would find anything as I was there about 30 minutes into the start of the pick up time. Resellers are early birds. To my surprise the owner was a cow collector, which was my mom's lucky charm. It was a sign that I should take the time to dig through the boxes. Found some clear uranium glass which aren't big sellers but when you get them for free there's a nice profit margin. But the best surprise of all was the brown spotted cow that was in a small tin with a bunch of junk jewelry. See center photo. Nothing in the tin was worth anything other than that cow being a sign of good luck for me!

The other thing that surprised me was this footed cup thingy. At first I thought it had a top so I held on to it hoping to find it. Then I thought without the top it still would make a cute mini plant pot. When I got home I looked it up to see what the top  would looked like. Found out it's a vintage Carlton ware walking egg holder and retails for around $35 - $55. Who knew!

By The Teashore

 Took two of my buddies out for their birthdays. Getting to the age where I think we should celebrate more as we don't have many more left! 

By the Teashore in Half Moon Bay opened up last year. I went the first week they were open and it's nice to see they worked out all the hiccups. There aren't many high tea place around. Makes for a nice special day outing.  It was scorching hot in the valley but by the ocean it was perfect! 

ATC Still a working in progress

I'm working on making ATC cards for when I go to Craftcation next year. I have more than enough supplies to make thousands! I made some of the background papers using a gel plate years ago and have hauled it around with me during all my moves. I still haven't picked a final layout but they will be all different. The best part is I found the plastic sleeves for ATC cards at Dasio during my search for incense. 

I'm thinking maybe I'll do a side hustle of iris folding kits at Craftcation. Doing my ATC cards with a mini iris circle or the seahorse. Teaching people how to do from my hotel room and selling the kits at the pop shop. All this is OK to do at Craftcation. Maybe I'll make enough to cover all my expenses!

Honey Bee Water Station

Bee Water Station

I can't remember where I saw this idea but it was cute and more importantly I have all the parts!  Now I'm testing it out if bees really use it. One mistake I made was not pointing the shell up a little more so the water doesn't run off. I only have small shells so it doesn't hold a lot of water and dries up pretty fast. 

I finally found a parking space at the new Campbell library. I've stopped by several times in the morning and the parking lot was packed. Now I know in the morning it's story time for the toddlers. It's better to stop by during nap time. It's a state of the art new build so the AC was working great. Three floors of steep stairs and of course the elevator wasn't working. Not sure how the moms with strollers handled all that. It's a very noisy place with all sort of buzzers, high pitch pings and people (including the staff) talking like they're at a crowded bar. Chairs were comfy and I'm hoping maybe on my next visit I'll get one of the booths. 
 

Another Great Find at GoodWill

Before - at Goodwill

I'm still in my shadow box phase so when I saw this at the Goodwill for $9.50, I picked it up. Selling off  the little tchotchkes inside should more than cover the cost of the frame. For now I'll use it as a display piece in my $5.00 booth. This booth is where I sell off death pile before it gets donated away. 

When the boys come out this summer, I'll add their photos and what ever rocks they pick up when we go hiking. After that I'll sell it off. 

After - in my booth