Crafty Sunday

There are a few crafting projects I want to get done before the grandkids arrive next month. It's been challenging since all of my craft supplies have been boxed up. 

On Sunday I decided not to leave the house until I got them started. I first finished the XL advent calendar I picked up at the store. It was used so all the inside parts were gone. I made new envelopes and filled the one I could with what I had, mainly stickers.  Now on the hunt of some more fun things the boys would like. 

The second project was to make enough mitten to make a banner. I going for the old fashion handmade look so I'm hand stitching all of them. I'm thinking I'll hide little surprises in them for the boys if I get my act together. 

Another Good Score.

Living once again with moving boxes stacked everywhere it does get a little depressing. It's always a pick me up when I find something rare. This is a very common pattern = low resale value, but finding the mustard jar was a major score. The resale value is much higher than the very common sugar and creamer. Now I just have to find a little spoon to go with it. I know I have one but it's been packed away so I will have to find one out in the wild. 

As I'm getting ready for the grandkids visit, I signed up to get my shots. Being around walking Petri dishes is no joke. :)

Another Good Score - Phomemo Label Maker

$3.00 score Phomemo

If you've been following my blog, you know I really like the new label maker (Phomemo) I got a few months back. It's been a total game changer, making it super fast to price everything. 

It was a very busy day at the store as I'm getting things cleaned up for the big clearance sale next week. I didn't get to my department until late in the afternoon. As I was sorting through all the random stuff left on my desk I found another label maker! I didn't hesitate if I should buy it!  It did have four label rolls, which that alone was worth it. It didn't have its charger cord but because I have already have one that was no problem. A super good score because now I can leave one at the store for the days when I just pop in with new stuff. 

Now I have to decided if I should get a carry case. :)

Kelley Kookies

This past weekend I did something I haven't done before. I handed out Kelley Kookies samples at Zanotto's. The store does something like this 3 times a year. A dozen vendors handing out samples. One of my cousins works for KK, keeping the local stores stocked. I was the sub for the sub as everyone else was busy this weekend. 

It's a very boring job, so I made the best of it by people watching. I was right next to the cheese, turkey and salami table, which got a lot of visitors. It was funny how many older men would just graze around the meat table. When the demo person had to walk away to slice more salami, these guys would belly up like it was a free buffet. I was also next to the fancy soda (very $$$$) and beer table. I was very surprised that you pretty much got a whole bottle of beer which they put in a cup. Considering they didn't check anyone's ID not  many people asked for a sample. 

KK is a shortbread type of cookie and has a pretty good following. They do use real butter, which for a few customers is a really big deal. Yes, I was asked and had long discussions about it. :)

Artwork Darma

Art By Artist Anne Laidam 

I buy art that "speaks" to me. Can't say why but when I get that feeling and I can afford it, I pick it up. I like black and white brush stroke paintings. This painting was done by Anne Laidam, a speed painting artist from Portugal. I can only guess she paints for tourists. I liked this piece because it reminded me of San Francisco and the cable cars. Didn't know it would cause all this drama at the store. 

I had it propped up on my work station at the store so I wouldn't forget it. A rather strange customer (her behavior was just a little off) came in asking about frames for an upcoming art show. I told her she had to talk to the manager as I couldn't do any of the pricing on the frames or artwork that was in the back. When the door to the backroom opened, she saw my painting and asked about it. I told her I was getting it so it wasn't for sale. She got a little obsessive about it and the next time I went out front said she would pay $25 for it. She said selling it for $25 was good for the store and since I was here all the time, I could always get another piece of artwork. I thought it was a bit strange she wasn't taking no for an answer and just a little entitled. I finally told her, I was going to keep it because I don't see this type of artwork very often and it fits in well into my current collection. 

When I got home I checked the comps on the artist. These paintings  don't sell for very much maybe $5 - $10. It was probably purchased in Portugal from the artist in 2016 . I didn't get it because I thought it had any great value, I just like the feel of it. It isn't even a painting of San Francisco but I still like it. :)

Just another day in a reseller's life

It's been a slow process of packing up as I hopefully find a new place to call home. Finding stuff I know I have to get rid off is part of it. 

When I sell online, it's for local pick up only. I meet the buyer at the post office because the location is good. Public place, close to the freeway and plenty of parking. The buyer is usually always late but I still show up on time. Today was just a little weird. I always park away from the front doors of the post office. I sit in the back of my car with the tail gate open.  A car pulled in right next to me and the person didn't get out of their car. I knew it wasn't my buyer because he had just left a message he was 10 minutes away. I thought it was weird someone would park that close as there was plenty of  empty spaces. I thought it was even weirder they didn't get out of their car. After several minutes, she finally gets out of her car and opens the back of her car. I finally asked her if she was selling something too and she said yes. It's the first time I've seen another reseller at the post office doing what I was doing!

I asked the guy who was buying the binoculars why they were so popular because I got at least a dozen requests. Guess it's vintage, a high power they don't make anymore and I was selling them for only $30.00. His pair got stolen years ago when he was on vacation in Hawaii. I said he was lucky he was the first person in a long list of requests. I always go down the line based on the time stamp. He is a teacher and had a zoom meeting, which he did while he was driving because he didn't want to be late. Happy the binoculars found a good home. 

The Fat Boys aka Squirrels

I've  been enjoying my coffee and breakfast out in my tiny back patio every morning. It took me months to clear out the over grown bamboo and get the canopy set up. There are two squirrel nests right over my patio so without the canopy, besides all the leaves I also get squirrel droppings. Yes, that's totally gross and it did keep me from enjoying the patio until I got the canopy. I've noticed that squirrels (one gray and one black) stop by every morning. I don't feed them (I know better than to do that) but I think they're hopefully I will start. :)  I will miss my little backyard as it took me so long to get it all set up. 

I put up bright colorful Christmas lights so in the evenings it looks so festival when I catch up my YouTube videos. 

Decision Finally Made & Mini Rant

I'm still looking for a new place to call home and have started to box things up. I finally had to decide which storage place I would use. Somewhere here in town or down in Gilroy where it's much cheaper. I've been going back and forth for weeks. I was hoping I would find a place to live and just make the move without having to put things in storage. With no leads in sight it's forcing me to store my things again. With all the boxes starting to pile up, it was stressing me out so I went with a storage unit here in town. With the cost of gas and the time it would take me to get just one car load down to Gilroy, being in town just made more sense. I can move all the boxes that I can lift myself and get into the car everyday until I need the movers. It would reduce my stress not having to scoot around all the boxes and packing paper. 

Since I ask a lot of questions (not sure if that's a good thing or not) I had signed up for locally owned storage place in Willow Glen that I used in the past. They at the time didn't raise their rent every few months as the big chain companies do. Well I found out they just switched to a new management company (maybe new owners) and they now will increase the rent every 6 months. How much of an increase she didn't know because they wouldn't tell her. The office person (who's been in the business for years) said some places raise the rent every 3 months! So I canceled my unit and thankfully will get a refund. I'm going with a place close to my current house, knowing I have to be out within 6 months or my rent will go up 200%. Guess long term renting isn't part of their business plan. :( 

It's just the little things.

Now that I'm back from my mini mental health break for Carmel it's time to be an adult again :(

One of the many things I love about the Carmel house is the fireplace. Years ago it use to be wood burning. Back then an elderly couple use to rent the house for 3 or 4 month every year. They would burn so much green wood (that is very bad) it would fill the house with smoke. It got so bad that they actually disconnected all the smoke alarms. I only discovered that when one of the smoked detectors wasn't level on the wall.  On top of all that, they would complain that the house smelled like smoke (wonder why) and wanted the inside of the house painted before they arrived the following year. As time went on, they started to damage things in the house.  Pulling on locked cabinets that were clearly marked as a private family closet and damaging the doors. Trying to change a ceiling light bulb but when he couldn't get the glass panel down just ripped it out the socket. I will say it wasn't an easy light fixture to change as I had to do it once and it took a lot of fussing around. Common sense would just have you call the management company to send someone out to change the light bulb. The last straw was when the man fell against the front French doors (they have been painted shut for years) and broke a panel. Almost all the glass windows are originally to the house which was built in the early1940's. The window glass all have gas bubbles and a nice rippled look of age. I'm guessing he was trying to open the doors as there isn't any other reason to be near it. So Im not sure who decided their time in Carmel was over but after that they never rented the house again. 

A gas fireplace was finally installed and it was a game changer. Besides not having to deal with wood smoke, the fireplace can be set to turn on when things get really cold even if no one is there. The upside to all that is the front part of the house doesn't get damp anymore so doesn't get that a moldy stale smell. It's nice to just press a button to enjoy the fireplace in the evenings. 

Now off to packing up a few more boxes before heading out to my next dog sitting gig. 

Another good score at the Goodwill

Sometimes I find things at the thrift stores that just makes me laugh! I'm thinking I will go back to that GoodWill  today (senior discount) and see if this mug is still there. I really don't need another mug and with me moving, really shouldn't. The mug wasn't there but I picked up this owl. I thought it was funny and could be used both for fall and halloween. When I got it home, I did the sold comps and found out it last sold for (this year) for $180! I was a little shocked especially when I paid only $5 for it. Of course I can't flip it for that much but I definitely will make a profit!

Let the planning begin

New Raffles Planner

I finally broke down and got a new day runner. I was on the fence because the only ones you can find right now are the 17 month planners which start in August. Part of me (the thrifty part) knows in a few months these will go on clearance but the organized part of me wanted to get things on the 2025 calendar now. 

I usually get a plain Blue Sky planner as it's very basic but the 2025 models aren't out yet.  I stopped by HomeGoods (there aren't a lot of shopping options here in Monterey) and found this one. I liked the faux leather cover and design so thought why not try something new. I know I can use my laptop calendar (and I do) but I'm still old school and like to actually write everything down with a pen. Really I write in pencil most of the time as I make a lot of mistake. So has I hunt for a new place to live and getting ready for the grandkids visit I will at least know what day it is. :)

Creative Inspiration

When I'm in Carmel I try to make to Pacific Grove and visit The Quill a nice stationary store. They always have interesting greeting cards. I've been thinking about pulling out my quilling supplies 

(I made a hedge hog years ago) and when I saw these card, thought maybe I could combine my beaded candle cupcake with some quilling. 

I like the cupcake with the cat and thought I could add a beaded candle. The trio cupcakes look more like soft swirl ice cream so thinking I should make a waffle cone. I do like the cupcake wrappers so maybe do something fun with that. The daisy and the bee, I could make a beaded bee instead. The cherry blossom tree inspired me to get out my tree branch dies. 

I know I should really be focused on looking for a place to live but my brain does need some time to recharge. :)