Local Crab Season Now Open

It's been years since I had locally caught crab!  There has been a lot of reason the season hasn't been opened - whales, pandemic, algae etc.   

The season for the Bay Area just opened up on Wednesday (12/29/21) - happy dance!

I knew the season was going to open so I started asking around to all my volunteers where they get live crabs from. Many of them own boats so I figured they would also know who has the traps. Got a lead on two vendors, so I went with the one that actual owned the boat. Those crabs were very fresh and just out of the water that day - can't get any better than that!

I know people usually have crab on New's Eve but having them fresh is more important to me. Have to say it was while worth the wait!  Now going to learn to make garlic noodles from scratch for the new year.

Ugly Pottery

It's a big learning curve for my volunteers at the store. We walk the fine line of what something is worth and what I think we can sell it for. It's ok to Google something (customers do it all the time) but what someone would actual pay for it is different story.

The other thing is what you think is ugly doesn't mean it's not worth selling. 

One volunteer said this pitcher wasn't up to our standards and should be donated away. I told her the comps on it (from the donor) was that it's a vintage/antique piece and valuable. Her response was that it's ugly (which it is) so why would anyone pay anything for it. 

Well it sold today to someone who collects ugly pottery, specifically ugly New Jersey Pottery.  Who knew there was such a thing!  

New display - gold Asian theme

It's always a challenge to do displays at the store because I never know what will be donated or sold.  I like to keep things clean and simple (easy to get out of the window when needed) and to have some what of a theme. This window is a gold Asian theme using a XXL fan donated last week. 

It's another challenge in working with the volunteers who think putting a lot of random things in the window is a good design idea. I think it looks messy and doesn't reflect what the store is. Way to granny looking IMO

Since we had to be opened the day after Christmas (during a major  rain storm and being the only store open on the street) we only had two customers come in. Really just one, the other customer was just trying to get out of the down pour.  Since I had to be there and had two volunteers we dusted and cleaned everything.  I was able to bring out the ladders and re hang all the artwork that got throw up on the walls during the holiday rush. 

Tim Holtz Inspired

I love watching Tim Holtz YouTube videos because he style is so different than the other main paper crafters. Always so inspiring to just get color down on the paper!

He did a tour of his Christmas decorations at home. It was fun to see his collections (and he has a lot) and how much he enjoys them. This very distressed drawer came into the store (it's a new piece so the peeled paint isn't from age) and thought of Tim's style. 

In his video he showed how he displays  some smaller things in his workroom by just opening the drawers and the light bulb went on!

On Sunday (the day after Christmas) it was so slow at the store that I was able to switch out all the displays and take out the Christmas stuff. Remembering what Tim had done, I thought I would give it a go. Looks cute so now we have to see if it will sell either the drawer or the little cars. Thanks Tim!

Quiet 2021 Christmas

It was a very quiet Christmas for me again this year. Mees was very sick so the family gathering had to be canceled. There was a food swap so I have a very full refrigerator. 

Thinking back on last year during the major shut down, it wasn't so bad since Annie was still with me and I could be outside working on the yard.

I think this is the new normal of quiet holidays and limited. parties.  Made Mees jello and his favorite banana bread. My daughter said it was a Japanese tradition to have fried chicken on Christmas Eve which is something totally new to me. :) but I made it anyways for them. I'm hoping to score some fresh crab for New Years from a local fishing boat. Heard you have to get on his super secret list of customers since his fish store closed because Covid. Working on it!

3D Annie

My son and his girlfriend gave me a 3D image of Annie in her "throw the ball" pose. Yes, it made me cry as this was the first Christmas without her. It was another very quiet Christmas since Mees was very sick. We decided there shouldn't be any family get together even with Mees testing negative. 

I was pretty much a sloth all day but I did have big plans to pack away the few Christmas things I took out but nope that didn't happen! 

Last year I was still in Cupertino with Annie so we worked out in the yard, cleaning things up and just playing outside. Sure miss that place and having the option to be outside.

 Here's even if it wasn't raining, there isn't too much to do outside and feel safe. 

Last month we all where at the Carmel house so that was our Thanksgiving and Christmas time together. I don't really look at the calendar dates anymore now that my kids are adults and having their own lives to live.

Advance level picking 2021

We get a lot of pickers (resellers) shopping at the store and I know most of them now by sight but not by name. 

We're a very secretive group. :)
This huge gold frame came in and I priced it at $150.00, which for the store is a high ticket item. The full retail value for it would be well over $300.

I had hopes of doing a new display with it, as I didn't think there was anyone wanting one this big. I know once my display went up it would sell so I thought I had time. 

A regular picker came in, measured it, asked about it's history, the donor etc...  Not only did he buy it but the person he resold it to came into the store to pick it up because the picker couldn't get it in his car. Hats off to him, this is advance level picking!

Christmas tins - going green.

I found these tins while I was down in Carmel and wasn't really sure what I would do with them but they were too cute to pass up. Trying to recycle as much as I can, I decided to use them for the boys Christmas presents. I got only what I could fit in the tin which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. 

All Henk cares about is where his mom is and his next meal so his gift was easy. Mees was very interested in the tins but I know he won't be able to open them even with his jaws of steal! At least he can play with them until Christmas and then have mom or dad open them. 

Christmas Tree Time 2021

Back in the day I use to decorate my whole house for Christmas and had several full sized trees plus a 20 foot one out in the front yard.  

This year I could have put up a full size tree but I didn't, just two little ones. 

When I lived in Cupertino I decorated all the tree that grew on the property because not only was it festive but it lit the place up, making it much easier to see where Annie was during play time. I do miss that time very much. 

Maybe one day I'll go back to having a full size tree with all the ornaments I have collected over the years. 

Found another MIA crafty thing!

I still have boxes all over the place. Since I plan to move again next year, I'm not in a hurry to unpack some of the boxes. 

I have been looking for this section box that belonged to my dad since I moved here. I use it as a holder for my  most used craft supplies. I thought I had donated it away because I remember I had a hard time finding a box it would fit in. 

Yesterday as I was looking for some wrapping paper, I went through the box that had all my full rolls of washi paper. I finally found it at the bottom of the box. I think this is the last of the unopened boxes.  I haven't really used to work table since moving here but it's still nice to get it all set up. 

New gadgets for my coffee

I'm not a coffee snob but I do make my coffee with the pour over method because I don't have a lot of counter space. My kitchen here may be bigger than what I had in Cupertino but the contractor who did the remodel didn't think about storage (you have to be over 6'5" to reach the upper cabinets) or counter space. The cabinets under the counters can't be use because they are too narrow to fit anything but tiny spice jars. I say this because another contractor was used when the unit next to me (same floor plan) was remodeled and he made sure there was useable storage space as well as counter space, he did a much better job. 

 I've always seen the pour over peeps use this type of pot so I picked one up and gave it a try. Now I understand why! It's nice  to see the temperature instead of guessing and much easier to pour where I want the water to go. Does it make a better cup of coffee? Can't really answer that, I'm still a novice when it comes to coffee. :) 

Jester

I did a really low bid ($25.00) on this jester art work, thinking I would get out bid. So I was very surprised when I found out I won it.

It's made out of paper and the shadow box framing is over the top. I thought it was fun and bright colors. Being a paper crafter myself I can appreciated the work that went into making it look so good. Yes, I'm an auction rat and really enjoy dragging home interesting stuff!

Vintage Christmas Ornaments 2021

After my super find at the auction, some people have been asking what else was in the lot. There were two boxes of vintage ornaments which most people paid more attention to. 

I don't think it's any special but hopefully I can sell them off to cover to cost of the Dresden wreath. 

How one can tell that these are vintage is by the size of the top, which is very narrow. Also they all have wear and stains that only can come from age. They will be at Cottage Crafts next week.

Petites Dresden Wreath

I'm thrilled that I was able to get this Petites Dresden wreath at the auction this week.  Paid almost full retail for it but it will stay in my collection for a little bit before I sell it off. Hopefully the vintage ornaments  that was also in the lot will off set the cost 

I should have taken a photo of the green garland that was wrapped around it so you could see why most dealers past by it. The garland covered most to the details and you couldn't tell how full the wreath really was.  These wreath were meant to have garland on them for each season, reason all the holidays are on the wreath. Each one is unique because they used old brass Christmas ornaments or candy molds. I think I'll try and hunt done the candy mold one. 

Green Olives

I hosted a little faux high tea for my volunteers at a local restaurant. It was a holiday/thank you gathering. I do have to say the scones (they didn't make them in house) were terrible but everything else was very good. One thing that really stood out was the warm green olives. My mom and dad made green olives that everyone loved so it was a very nice reminder of my parents. I'm thinking of getting some for Christmas to add to my mom's relish tray. Just a little throw back to the old days.

Artist Book Club 2021

While I was down in Carmel, I wanted to do some journaling as I map out what I'll be doing next. I know that I'm not really a daily journaling type but sometimes you just have to put things down on paper. 

This title caught my eye and interest so I picked it up. Looks simple enough and maybe something fun to do instead of surfing the internet.  Thinking of making it a challenge for my other crafty friends, like a book club for artists. 

First Holiday Card 2021

My first Christmas card arrived! 

I have a few card making buddies that still send out handmade cards. It's a hobby we all enjoy and it just cracks me up when I get a card, because we examine it to see what dies, stamps, inks and embellishments use. 

Ms. L always has all the new stuff so it's extra fun to see what it is and how she uses it!

Creative Process - coffee

I really don't understand  how my creative process works but I just know it happens. 

I'm in the planning stage to hosting a high tea for my volunteers. We were planning on going to the Palace in San Francisco, famous for their high tea but on the days we can go they don't serve tea. We switched to doing something at a new coffee shop that opened up down the block. I read the reviews about the shop (it's new but has a lot of great reviews already) and there was one that caught my eye. The poster was upset that the person behind the counter said that drip and pour over are the same thing. I don't know enough about making coffee to know the difference but I was wondering why the customer would even asked if they already knew the answer.  One reason I don't go to that famous coffee place that only does pour over because it takes so freaking long to get your coffee. For someone like me who can't tell the difference I won't wait 20 minutes.

In going over the business end of planning the high tea with the coffee shop owner, I asked why don't coffee shops offer the pour over option for those who want to DIY it. I can see customers who plan to sit there and prefer the pour over method being able to DIY it.  Freshly ground specialty coffee (something you wouldn't buy a pound of) and making it the way you like. I know the Starbucks could never do this but these little mom and pop shops could offer this for their local fans. 

Would this be something you do if it was available?

Recycled Art Planters

Merchandising is a big part of what makes the store look and feel the way it does. A day doesn't go by without customers making comments on how calm and nice the store is. While I was gone on vacation the displays were getting a little messy and junky. More is not always better when it comes to displays. 

As an example these trashy (that's just what I call them) wall hangings were scattered all around the store, which to my design eye wasn't the best way to display them. So I group them to all be in the same place so customers could get the full impact of them and pick the one they liked best.  They all sold within two days, which even surprised me! I think the price point of $8 also had something to do with it. I lowered the price because keeping plants alive in the store is hard especially if they leak. The volunteer donor wasn't happy that I moved them but I think we sold them faster this way. Having one hanging in the middle of our Murano glass bowls just wasn't cutting it.   

Things I've learned running a thrift store

It's been a little bit of a learning curve on how to display things in a hybrid thrift store. As a thrift store we don't know what we will get in everyday (how we're different from a retail store) so displays have to be updated almost daily. Keeping the store looking clean and neat is a on going project. We don't look like a thrift store and that is by design. 

I've learned that big backpacks will knock anything hanging from a shelf, heavy jewelry put into anything will chip it (this was a favorite design thing for one volunteer to do) and people don't buy whatever has stuff inside it. Doing seasonally things sort of works but as a thrifter myself, I'm always looking for things to add to my collections at thrift store all year long. Yesterday I took in several pieces of easter bunny items and they all sold in an hour of hitting the floor. Some of my volunteers were surprised that there are people who shop out of season. 

This make my job interesting, never knowing what inventory will be coming in!

Annalee dolls

I was very shocked on how the store looked when I got back from vacation. It was amazing how fast the store turned into looking junky. It was  very busy after thanksgiving so I know my assistant was little overwhelmed and some of the volunteers were taking advantage of me not being there. So on my first day back I had to reset the store and redo displays. There was a very large donation of Annalee dolls which made a very nice holiday display. Now I'm tackling cleaning up the backroom area which is a hot mess after the remodel, but that was something I knew about. 

Dutch Door Donuts

It's always fun to find something new and interesting. Last night I went for a walk into town to see the Christmas lights, one of my favorite things to do while here in Carmel. I walk through the little outdoor mall they have in town because they do a really good job making it festive. I saw this new donut shop and googled what it was all about. I wasn't sure if they made the donuts or had them trucked in, as many places do. Well, it's a to order place, the donuts are made while you wait. I went this morning and it took 20 minutes because they had to finish proofing to dough. It wasn't busy, so I can only guess they didn't think they would get so many people getting one of everything this morning. I'm not a donut person and with my gluten issues, I took one of the team. I took a bite of each donut while still hot.  Having them right out of the fryer, they're a little greasy but really a warm donut is pretty good. The truffle and gouda cheese one was just weird. 

Hopefully when the kids come back down they're make a stop at the new store. 

Side note - I would never walk into town in Alameda as it has turned into a war zone but I felt perfectly safe here in Carmel, even without Annie. Walking into town was never her favorite thing to do and she would walk really really slow. The minute I turned around to go home she would happily trot home. Really miss her!

Next Generation

I've been coming to this Carmel house for well over 30 years and it warms my heart that the next generation of kids are starting to enjoy the house too. I'm not sure what will happen when they grow up and the house passes to the children of the current owner but for now it's fun.  It's expensive to keep a second home in this area with the property taxes so high so I'm sure the owners children won't be able to hold on to it. 

Uncle Chad is showing Mees how to work a BBQ, which we do a lot of at the house. 

Henk's Quilt and more

This is the final fabric selection for Henk's baby quilt.  I do enjoy shopping for the fabric and then just waiting to see what my quilting friend Patty does with it. For Henk's quilt I asked for the "H" pattern to be used. I'm not sure that is the officially name but that's what I call it. I also went with bright color and a more babyish prints. 

I went a little over board on the buying the fabric, so I sent everything up to Patty to make a few more. 

This set of fabric is for a cousin's baby due in February. She's a foodie and coffee lover so the main print fabric was too cute to pass up. When I found the avocado looking print it was just too funny not to get it. 

Baby quilts don't require a lot of fabric so I've been checking out a consignment craft store here in town. It's very tiny (really don't know how it makes any money) shop and they have lot of end cuts of fabric. I've been picking through it so that's how I ended up with more fabric than Patty would need. Another cousin of Evan's is having a baby so if there's enough (which I'm sure there will be) asked Patty to make a third one. Very lucky to have a such a talented friend who likes to make quilts!

New Project idea

Today I had a meeting with the manager at the local thrift store here in Carmel. I did model a lot my store after this one so I've been trying to get an appointment with the manager for awhile. It was so refreshing to talk to someone who understands what it take to run a store that is depend on volunteers and donations. Got some questions answered that only another manager would know the answer to.

While I was there I picked up this doggie clothes hanger. It was $12, which  was a little high but I had an idea for it. First I have to think of a name for this doggie. I plan to put a whole outfit on the hanger and have a special sale for just that outfit.  So it would be a Fido daily special. 

As of now my store doesn't do sales like the store in Carmel. Half the Carmel store is always on sale because they have a lot of foot traffic everyday. People know that they can't wait for the sales to happen because what they want won't be there. Now at my store the traffic is very slow during the week so having regular sales isn't a good idea. People would wait for the sales. I would never have known to track the number of customers coming into the store as a measure if I should very regular sales. I know this is boring business stuff but it helps me decided which direction to go in. 

Beach Vacation 2021

Even thou I'm spending a few weeks down here in Carmel, it's still a mini vacation in my books. It's a little sad to be here without Annie and going to the beach is just hard. Not the same quietness walking as when Annie was here. 

The grandkids were here the first week it was wild and very loud. Still they loved being here and it's nice to know the family tradition is to continue.  

Now it's only adults here so very quiet and getting plenty of sleep. 

Having a lot of conversations on what the next phase of my life will be and where I should settle. Next year is fast approaching and I have to make some hard choices once again. As much as I hate having to make those choices, at least I have choices and I'm thankful for that. 

An original jacket

This is a one of a kind vintage jacket. I knew as soon as I pulled it out of the bag is was special, even with the age issues it had.  

I saw the hand stitching on the front and then realized the whole thing was hand stitched. The inside was a patchwork design that was also hand done. I thought I would have time to go back and take some close up shots, but it sold in less than an hour. It would have been nice to have it around a little long but it went to a good home and someone who appreciated the work involved in making it!

Whale of a donation

This pile of clothes came from one donor and it's 3 feet high and 6 feet wide. This is the reason we have people make appointments to drop off their donations. It took over 4 hours to cherry pick out the good stuff (I did that part from her car) and get everything on to hangers. Donors like our appointment schedule because the other places will shut down once they're full and you never know when that's going to happen. Taking in only four donations a day is the most our small store can handle. Yes, some days the donations are small but then we get this whales in which takes all day to process. It was surprising that almost all of this donation were clothes that we would take. Usually when it's this much, there's a lot of trashy stuff. 

The head office thinks I can run the store with just one person (when I don't have enough volunteers) but this is the reason why I can't. If I had to leave this donation to handle the front of the store, it would snowball into a hot mess. Without the new stuff coming in, we would have nothing to sell, so then what? 

It is interesting we get a ton of small sizes, (those ladies like to shop a lot) something thrifters complain about. We do have a plus size section but we really have to market that group to get plus size clothing in. 

Too early for Christmas? 2021

I know there is a debate when is it too early to put up your Christmas trees. It's been years since I had a place big enough to put up a real tree. When I first moved to my studio in Cupertino, I did an outdoor tree and decorated the surrounding trees. That was nice since I was outside with Annie all the time and it was a safe neighborhood to sit and enjoy everything. Now here in Alameda I have the space but I don't think I'll do a live tree and there's no question I'll do anything outside. 

As I put away the Halloween things, I've started unpacking Christmas. I don't have much left after years of purging and downsizing.  Decided it's only me that will see my trees (yes I do more than one) and it's fun to my my dining room lite up with holiday lights.