Gourd Art

I'm a big fan of gourd art that started with Santas. When I started traveling I would pick up local pieces. Amazing how many artists use gourds. 

Since I've had to down size once again, I put my collection up for sale at Cottage Crafts. When I do find something special I still pick it up. Found this one at the local community thrift store for only $5. I'm sure it was priced that low because you can't really can't get accurate comps. 

While at the store I met a nice lady who got a set of pyrex Americana mixing bowls. We had a very nice chat about the bowls (I did try to buy them from her) and then about living here in Incline Village. She use to live in San Jose (her husband worked for Apple) so we both know Silicon Valley very well. I'm not sure why they ended up here as her husband wants to live 

Vera Bradley Cross Body Bag - keep or flip?

                                                             

Since I started going everyday to Annie's bench to do my journaling and sketches using just a bag wasn't cutting it. I've been thinking I should get a cross body type bag, something that could at least hold my water bottle and iPhone. I've been checking on Etsy but nothing seems right and the prices were way too high. Well today I realized I lost my sketch book (thinking I left it on the bench) so I had to be a little more serious in finding something. I went thrifting today to try and find a book on quilting only to find out the thrift stores here don't stock any crafting books at all. I decided to check out the purse section, which normally doesn't have anything that could be flipped. I spotted this Vera Bradley bag, that is in excellent condition and very clean for only $12.00. This is one of the stores that everything is price way too high so I was a little surprised at the price.  It's big enough to hold my phone, water bottle and journals. When I got home I looked for the label inside the bag just to confirm it was a VB bag. Just the print alone would tell you it was a VB bag but the name was only on the fabric and buckle.  Guessing the ladies in the back room didn't have their glasses on when they priced it. So now I have to decided, do I flip and double my money or keep it for my walks to Annie's bench. 

Always a surprise

Spotted on Real Nifty Vintage

I do watch several online pickers YouTube videos in the morning while having my coffee.  It's fun to see what they find and what they think it will sell for, I call it market research!  All of them are on the East Coast so what they can find and what they pay is unbelievable low. That's on major complaint  some viewers have with these YouTubers on how they can find such good things so cheap.  They also have a very big online following, so they can sell everything for top dollar. It did take them years to build  up their following so can't blame them for getting the most out of each sale. Real Nifty Vintage post this video of him driving through a town in Kentucky and stopping at a huge antique store. With all the major thrift stores prices getting to high to flip, most of the these YouTubes have started shopping at antique stores. When I saw this elf in his video, I had to hit pause. I've been picking for years and I've only seen one of these many years ago. 

The back story to this is that my grandmother had one in her house on a corner shelf, the original elf on the shelf. :) As a child it always scared me. When she passed away, I asked if I could have it but my uncle wasn't willing to give any of her things away to anyone. I'm not sure if he thought it was valuable because I asked for it. Trust me it's not a high ticket item. As a picker, whenever I show interest in anything, my family automatically assumes it must be worth money. For many years I searched for this elf and one day at the auction house in Sunnyvale on a junk shelf all the way in the back I saw the ears. I crossed my fingers hoping it wasn't damaged, because most things are in junk lots. 

I was thrilled finding it out in the wild and in good condition!    He always goes on the top shelf in my kitchen along with a special cookie jar. Right now he's in my long time storage but as soon as I get my own place again, he'll be one of the first things I bring out. 

Puzzle mania 2022

Puzzle Mania

During the week before the 4th of July weekend, I was told to stay close to home. Being a tourist town and the weather being so nice things were going to get crowded. Do my grocery shopping at the only grocery in town early. That proved to be very true, as I went by one day and there was no place to park. 

I decided to do a puzzle a day to pass the time. It's funny that during the whole pandemic I never did puzzles, mainly because I didn't have a big enough flat space in my studio in Cupertino. The house here in Incline has a very nice tall cafe style table that's perfect for puzzles and a very large supply of puzzles. I like the 500 piece puzzles as I can get them done in one day.

Having all those people in town, really makes you aware how dangerous it is if a fire broke out. Getting out of area on the narrow highways would be very slow going. I was told last year when the fires got a little too close, most people left the area just in case.

When to sell

Paid $8

I've been listening to  the YouTube videos by Chris Lin of Daily Refinement. He was a big eBay seller from Oakland CA until his store was shut down. Long story on that but it wasn't anything illegal. He does talk about when to know to sell, no matter how small a profit you make. This is a lesson, many who resell don't understand.

I've been flipping for a long time and I know many resellers who fall into the trap of not selling unless they get the maximum profit. Being able to Google sales on almost everything  how days doesn't help either.  They end up with storage units or houses full of their inventory. Instead of looking at just the profits, it's the return on investment, getting your money back that's important. 

I have been looking for a vest with large pockets to hold my phone. When I was in Alameda, it was important so you couldn't tell I had a phone. People were getting mugged just for their phones while on morning walks and carrying a purse was just out of the question. Now up in Tahoe I still wanted a vest so when I went out hiking, my phone could be in my pocket. Finding a vest here in hiking country that doesn't break the bank is very hard to find. When I was out thrifting in Carson I found two and only two in good condition in a size I could wear.   

I decided to test out the market here and see if I could flip them.  I paid $8 for the one in picture. At first I listed it for $30 because it still has tags on it and that is what it was selling for online.  Next Door and Facebook Market Place aren't very active here so I wasn't expecting any great results. A week later I lowered the price to $10, which was a mistake on my part. The site automatically drops everything to $10. Before I could go back to change it, someone expressed interest in it. Following the advice from DF a $2 profit is better than having inventory sit, especially when dealing with clothes. I'm getting my initial investment back with a 25% return, which isn't bad. So if you following DF advice, you take that $2 and invest in something else you can flip and just keep compounding your money.

Upadate: I sold the other vest to the same people so made a profit of $16!  

Paid $6 for this one

Drone Show 2022

Last night I went to my very first drone show.  It was very impressive and I know in years to come the show will be far more advanced. With the fire danger so high here this is the only way to go. 

I was told back in day before COVID and the firestorms, over 50,000 people would come into town to watch the fireworks show. It wasn't crowded at all last night and had a very nice small town feel. The best part was the show was done twice with a laser light show intermission. I think that really help with people being able to come and go and not cause a traffic jam. 

On another note, I figure out how to get my photos post on this blog that aren't uploading to my laptop. I'm so proud of myself for this work around. Writing on my blog from my phone isn't easy but posting the photos are. I'm sure there's a technical thing I could do to get everything to work on my laptop but that'a way over my head. :)

Postponed Drone Light Show

Happy 4th of July!!!!

I was looking forward to seeing the drone light show, which was going to replace the traditional blow them up fireworks show. I guess the forecast of high winds makes it impossible for the drones to fly. It would be interesting to see how they can make all those drones fly in a pattern, all this high tech stuff!

The fire danger alerts are very high here and all the locals take it very seriously. There is a ban on open wood burning fire pits and charcoal barbecues. It was interesting that the local grocery store (the only one in town) still sold charcoal and most of it was gone by Saturday. It's been posted if you're not allowed to use charcoal for cooking, where is the stuff the store is selling going? Big debate if the store should even sell it. It's not illegal to own it but you can't use it. Being a tourist town, the worry is about those visiting who don't know or maybe don't care about the ban. I would think if I had a rental, I would provide a gas grill and not have a charcoal one available. 

Still there are many wonderful things to do around here and not having a fireworks show isn't the end of the world. 

UPDATE: the drone show that were schedule at the beach on Sunday were canceled. The weather and winds are much worse there than here in town. 

Lat Chance to No Where

During my creative time at Annie's bench, I jot down random things that pop into my head. Being a bubble thinkers, that's a lot of popping. :) 

Being that I'm creative but not good at grammar, writing anything for public viewing is hard. I like the idea of writing because it's something I can do anywhere.  So one of my ideas what to do post a  creative question. 

What if you could write a book, what would the title be? My title would be "Last Chance to No Where". I have no idea what that means or what the book would be about but that's what popped into my head. So if saw that title, what do you think the book would be about? 

Another random pick at the thrift store

As fireworks are illegal here in Incline Village and most of the surrounding towns, there will be a drone light show instead of the traditional fireworks tomorrow. Still tons of people in town enjoying the perfect weather and beaches. 

I've been going out to Annie's bench every morning to do some creative doodling and writing in my journal  Anyone that knows me, I'm very creative but the written word isn't my thing. If you've been reading my blog, you know that to be true! I really like posting stories but I also feel the need to have a photo with each post. So it got me to thinking about my camera situation.  My iPhone does a good job but should I upgrade to a real camera? I'm doing the pros and cons now if I should invest in a good camera. Would it be better than what I can do now with my phone? Do people care if you have photo attached to you're posts?  I do like traveling light, so having to carry a camera along with a phone is a major downside. What do you think?

After my creative session on the bench, I popped into the only thrift store open on Sundays here in town. These hand craved figures were there for only $2.50 each, they were 50% off. I'm not sure why they were priced so low but I think I can flip them for $12-$15 each. I like hand craved things even if made for the tourist trade. I believe these were made in Sweden. 

Small town with a whole lot of muscle

I moved away from Alameda because of the high crime rate, especially toward older people.

Here in Incline Village a local billionaire has funded part of the sheriff's Department to make sure there is always someone available 24/7. Saw him today riding in a vintage car in the parade. He and his wife have funded over 500 million dollars into local charities and organizations here in town. 

I wasn't planning on watching the parade as I'm still trying to avoid crowds especially with young children who can't be vaccinated yet. I didn't know where the parade was going to happen, so after parking I realized I would have to stay until the parade was over. It was a very cute old school town parade, with kids riding their bikes, firetrucks and police cars with lights flashing.  I think the sheriff's department here is bigger than both Alameda and Oakland combined. Several ATV officers, officers on horse back, bomb squad RV and swat team tank. 

It was a perfect day for parade and hanging out on the field. Sunny with a light breeze. Now I just have to figure out where the light show is going to be and how to get there!

Puzzle Mania

During the whole pandemic I didn't have room to do any puzzles. When I was at the Carmel house, there were too many little hands around to safely have a puzzle sitting out. So here at the Tahoe house, they have a very nice collection of puzzles and I like the 500 piece ones as I can get them done in one day. I listen to my pod casts about selling on eBay.  I like selling at Cottage Crafts as I don't have to worry about handling the sale and taxes but it does have a limit on how much I can make.  I think it's a good challenge to see if I can expand and increase my sales. 

Having to stay close to the house this weekend (I'm well stocked on chips and ice cream) I may try some trails further away from the lake and beaches. 

Thrift shopping on hold

As I said before it's hit or miss picking at the local thrift stores here in Incline Village. If they do get the good stuff, it's priced way too high to resell. So now it's a game of wait and see. One of the stores puts things on sale (20%, 50%, 75%) every week. Since I stop by all the time I know what the current inventory is so really I'm looking for what the staff may have missed and marked too low. 

My shipment of current things are waiting to be driven down to Cottage Crafts in Campbell, so for now I can't buy anything because there's no more room in the car.  :)

I did spot this cross stitch pieces and it just cracked me up! It's hard to get any comps done on something like this so I can only guess this is the reason it was marked for only $5.00. This church thrift store always prices things at full retail so I was surprised it was priced so low. I even waited a day before going back to buy it. I think I can flip it for $20.00 just for the cutest factor besides being vintage. 

I am looking to find a Glassy Baby in the wild, no online shopping for it either.  It's been a pickers challenge for a while and just something fun to look for.  These votive candle holders are super $$$$ handmade in Seattle. I've always been lucky in finding things so it's only a matter of time before I come across one! 

I've always wanted to find the first edition of Julie Child's cookbooks set "The Art of French Cooking". I did find  it and was able to hold it but I wasn't willing to pay $400 (worth $1K) for it at the thrift store. But I think that counts as a win. :)