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. :)