Super fun week and not too much drama!  Alleluia!  This week was all about a special graduation, goodbye to one of our favorite restaurants and seeing good friends and family members.

Also, Susan and I got a super fun new design job!  LOVE this new project!  Here is a tiktok showing the new beach cottage that we are going to have ready to go by July 4th.  The race is on!

Click here to watch the Tiktok.  For some reason when you click on my tiktok links, the sound is turned off and you have to turn it on.  Ughhh.  Anyone know how to fix that?

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #000050

Thursday, June 19th, 2025
Volume VI  Issue 000050

Thank you to everyone who watched Houston’s YouTube video.  He is getting such great views and comments.  Even though he did something extremely stupid, he was able to turn it in to a beautiful film.  If you missed watching it, here is the link.

The first 60 seconds of his film (and you know he really wants to be a film maker and not a lawyer) went viral on TikTok and ironically enough, I just got this text from Val.  Her son in law, JD, is in a mountain bike group and apparently the video was shared with the entire group.  Sooooo cool!

Please share this video and help us make it go viral and save him from Law School…just kidding.  After his “adventure” or as I would call it “near death experience”, I asked him how it compared to Law School as we were sitting in the line at “In and Out Burger”.

He said “Law School is a piece of cake compared to what I just went through.”  FYI, In and Out Burger cost me $37.  Priceless!

Here are the spoils sitting on his lap in my car…Cha Cha was drooling.  LOL.

Just in……Bev Helton, who has been a long time ezine reader and Queen’s Court member, just posted this comment about Houston’s video.  She is from Mt. Vernon, WA and over the years has become like family.   This comment was soooooo sweet….I just had to share.

In case you missed my last few emails, we will be closing the store.  We have given 90 days notice to the management company and our final day will be August 25th.  More details later in the ezine.

Store is 10% off.  No extra discount off of the 20% Annie Sloan sale and no extra discount off of the 50% off clearance room.

We are still taking in new consignments and have been getting in some GREAT stuff every day!  Don’t miss out on these last few months of shopping at Lynn’s.

Time for an eBay score…don’t you think?  Mo found this set of stainless flatware out in Palm Desert and can you even believe how much these 3 forks sold for?  Seriously?

I took a best offer of $135.  Nice!  Click here to see the actual listing. 

OK, thank you for letting me share (again) about Houston.  I think I am done for a while.  LOL.  Now it is time to get back to my life….hahaha.

Last Thursday night, I was invited to my friend Marc’s Daughter Shanti’s graduation.  How sweet was that?  It was held in Ojai outside at Nordoff High School.  Super beautiful night and such an amazing ceremony.

Let me elaborate.  I typically don’t like a graduation ceremony unless it is one of my kids.  Can you relate?  Of course you can!

But this one was awesome!  Only about 130 kids were graduating and there were 4 singers and I loved the song choices.  The ceremony was literally over in 60 minutes…WHAT?

Well, during the ceremony Shanti sang the first song, “Journey to the Past” and she is just so incredibly talented.

Then the other three gals sang “Vienna”, “My Way” and then “Landslide”.  Such amazing songs!

But, let me digress and I am so sorry, but this is back to Houston.  When he was about 2 1/2 years old, he was sitting in the back of my BMW as I was driving to Costco while pregnant with Indiana.

I was singing my lungs out to “Landslide” and this tiny little voice starts singing along….”I’m getting older too.”

It totally touched me and I NEVER forgot that moment.  So, here I am sitting in the shadow of the Ojai Mountains that almost killed my son and hearing this song.  I was totally crying.  It broke me.  Here is my text to Houston aka Goose.

OK, here is a photo of Shanti and I after the ceremony.  What a great kid!  So proud of her.

After the ceremony, we headed up to the Kettles house for a party.  Super fun and yes, I did uber to graduation so that I could have a martini at the after party.

They live so far up in the hills that I didn’t know if I could get an uber home.  So around 11 pm, I called one and didn’t know if they could find me.  LOL.  But, I had three super sweet men walk me out to find the uber and Marc even sent me home with a roadie of chardonnay.  LOVE my friends!

What a funny photo!

Time for another eBay score before we get to the rest of my week.  LOL.  Always something going on in my life.  Right?

This is an oldie but a goodie!  I bought this little bird for $2 back in 2004 and you will not believe what it sold for!  LOVE THIS STORY!

Here is a link to a current auction listing for an AE Elmer Crowell.  And my goodness…be on the lookout for this one!

So, my grandfather’s name was Elmer.  What a strange old school name and I would like to share another story that showcases my wonderful grandfather.  He passed away when I was 12 years old and in 6th grade.  He passed from complications of Alzheimers.

Here is the Washington State Pennant that I sold on eBay back in 2002.

Oh My, I am only to Friday.  Yikes!  This may be another long email.

On Friday night, I met my really great friend, Janette, for Happy Hour.  LOL.  Hence, the reason for my ezine title.  Graduations, Good Byes and Good Friends.  Well, we haven’t gotten to the Good Byes yet…have we?

AND, if you need a spray tan…no one better than Janette…In funny news, my mom’s cousin Gwen (who lives in Palm Springs) posted on my story and said “Is that a Kardashian?”  Oh my goodness!

Back to the store. On Saturday morning, I headed out to source more art.  Why?  Because Kevin and I completely redid 3 vignettes with new artwork and we sold tooooooo much.  LOL…I do love selling things, but it also ruins my displays.  HAHAHAHA.

OK, let me digress.  Back to my grandma and Cheryl Leaf Antiques.  One of her very best customers, Billie Ershig, came in the store one day and said to me (as a young person)…”I don’t think your grandma really likes to sell anything”.

I had to pause and think about that, because she really didn’t care if she sold anything.  She loved everything in her store and had hand picked it.  She didn’t need the money so that put her in a very interesting position…am I right?

One of  her favorite sayings was “I have never regretted anything that I have bought, but regretted many things that I have sold.”

So, back to present day.  I brought in so much cool new art that Kevin and I redid three more vignettes this past Saturday.

Check them out!

I worked at the store on both Saturday & Sunday and then I had fun plans on Monday.

After Fit Buddha, I grabbed Cha Cha and headed into LA to the girl’s new apartment.  The plan was to take Indiana, Larissa and Emma to Tony P’s for one last meal before they close and then head into West Hollywood for Larissa’s Fringe play.  We LOVE Tony P’s and they close for good on June 28th.

As I was reading the article about Tony P’s closing, I realized that the owners had started out with a restaurant in Santa Monica named Teasers that we used to go to all the time!

I loved that place as well and it was encouraged to design and color dollar bills and then the restaurant put them all over the walls and the ceiling.  It was a fun place!

Larissa, Indy and I arrived at Tony P’s at around 4 pm.  We had driven separately because Larissa needed to leave early for her call before the show.

Emma was supposed to be there shortly after us, but she got caught up on a work call.  We waited and waited for Emma to order, and then decided Larissa had better order.

Then about 20 minutes later, Indiana and I decided we had better order.  I had a question about the menu, so just Indy ordered.  It was getting weird!

Our waitress finally came back about 20 minutes later with the answer to my question and I finally ordered.

Then Emma shows up another 20 minutes later and she orders.  What a shit show!  We all got our food at different times.   I said “This is the worst progressive dinner I have ever been to.”  Hahaha.

In any event, it wasn’t the best experience so makes the closing more palatable.

The girls were drinking Long Island Ice Teas….LOL.  Then we headed out to see Larissa’s show in Hollywood.  It was really awesome and we took a fun pic with everyone after.

That whole crew went out drinking in Hollywood after the show and I exited stage left to go back to the girl’s apartment and check on Cha Cha.

Their roommate, Jill, has a black tuxedo cat named “Piano Man” and Cha Cha has been dying to hang out with him.  So Jill and I poured glasses of wine and sat on the floor and let them get to know one another.

Cha Cha was soooooo good and they literally stared at each other for about an hour.  Check out a little TikTok video I took of them here.

The next morning, Indiana and I went to breakfast at the cutest place in Culver City, S&W Country Diner.  That is Michelle the owner behind us.

And then I hit the road back to Ventura arriving just in time for our design consult.  Whew!

Really neat quote was on our dining table.  I am excited for my “new” future, but will definitely need a new map!

Speaking of my world after the store, I am in desperate need of storage space for my eBay business.  Ideally, I need about a 20′ by 20′ space.

Does anyone have a barn, empty garage (I have had my entire eBay stock in a residential garage before), warehouse or other empty space for me to lease at a reasonable price?

I have been calling storage units, but they are like the worst salesmen in the entire world and try and keep you on the phone for hours.  I do NOT have that time.  Anyone out there have a great storage unit business that they would recommend?

Please spread the word.  Thanks!

Wednesday night, after Fit Buddha with Sandy we met up with Sendia and Kelly V (One of our favorite customers) to go line dancing!  Crazy huh?

We had a drink, went dancing and then had ice cream…super fun!  Here is the drink photo….

Here are our feet before we went line dancing….so funny…Sandy and I in our Fit Buddha foot wear.

Then we all got ice cream cones and we all chose Rocky Road-hysterical…That picture wouldn’t load….sorry!

Back to the store…..For my consignors, here is more info about the closing.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me. Here are the details of the closing process for my consignors.

Consignor Instructions

1.) If you have consigned items with us, you may pick them up or leave them with us to sell during the liquidation process at a discounted price.

You will still receive payment for these items.

2.) If it doesn’t sell during the next 90 days, we will donate it to one of the following local charities: Habitat for Humanity or The Boys and Girls Club.

3.) We will still be taking in new consignments during this process.

4.) For those of you with items that sold over a year ago, your consignor credit has been converted to store credit as per the contract.

5.) I will be writing the next consignor checks on Monday, June 30th. Until then, please feel free to use your consignor credit to shop in the store.

After, June 30th, we will go back to the traditional Wednesday check writing day.
An update on my nephew, Zach. He is currently in Tahoe City, CA. I LOVE that he shared his location with me so that I can check up on him. He has gone over 1,000 miles and has about 1,600 miles to go. I asked him how he is feeling and he said “Better than ever”.

Here is a picture from Zach’s trek. He was at the top of Mt. Whitney at Sunrise. Way to go Zach!

Things we need for the store…..

AND PLEASE NO CONSIGNMENTS ON WEDNESDAYS….this is our big furniture take in and catch up day.  THANK YOU!

Coffee Tables
Night Stands
End Tables
Rugs
Lamps…both table and floor
Nice Throw Pillows
Wicker/Baskets
Metalware
Woodenware
Garden
Outdoor
Dressers
Desks
Oil Paintings

AND what we need for new design job….
Bench to go with table
Drop Leaf Table
Rectangle Smaller Dining Table
Beachy Decor
Arm Chair that Makes into Bed
Anything Rattan

As I was wrapping up this newsletter, I walked out into the store to see two HUGE holes on my recently redone walls.  I will be sourcing more artwork to redo those walls AGAIN.  This is getting comical!

And now what you have been waiting for….The new arrivals!

Cabinet 3-Shelf Wooden Frame Curio Acme Dresden Bone White $995.00

Wood and Metal End Table $89.50

Nightstands Hooker Furniture Flourish Accent Chest Distressed Pink $395.00 each – 2 in stock

Blue And Wood Nt Stand $195.00

Blue and wood Dresser $495.00

Retro Dinette Metal Table $245.00

Side Table Weaverly Mirrored Rectangle Distressed Brown $125.00

White Table $65.00

Oatmeal Swivel Rocker w Ottoman $495.00

Sofa Santorine Sleeper Leather Ocean (Blue) $595.00

White Mid Century Rocking Chair $145.00

Maroon Vinyl & Metal Chair $49.50 each – 5 in stock

Ottoman Kimiko Tufted Black $69.50

6 Panel Room Divider Homcom Natural $125.00

Headboard Andmakers Genoa Gunmetal Gray Wood $295.00

Watercolor Scene in Green Frame $39.50 each – 3 in stock

Boat Down River Art in Black Frame $28.50

Metal Bottle Red Wine Wall Art $69.50

Rustic Horse Table Lamp $95.00

Dark wood Tray With Claw Handles $69.50

Nieves coorful glazed mexican planter on feet $69.50

Nieves small mexican glazed floral half pot $29.50

Nieves colorful glazed ceramic pot $69.50

Yellow multi color glazed frog $21.50

Leslie Fay Vintage Cream / Brown Large Striped Blouse $22.80 

Orange Flamingo Tropical Long Kimono $24.50

Large Green Glass Spain Bowl $49.50

Thanks for reading my ezines!  I appreciate it….as always!  Lynn & Family…

From left to right…Whale, Indiana, me, Val, Sandy, Susan, Cindy and Tina.

eBay with Heart & Design with Heart……Lynn

Past Newsletters can be found on my blog. 

P.S.  If you have a friend who wants to sign up for this newsletter.

Grateful for “a little bit” of a less stressful week.  And I say “a little bit” because Houston decided to go back up the mountain to retrieve his bike.  OMG.

He arrived in Ojai at 5 am on Saturday morning and text me that he was starting the ascent.  As you can guess, I did not sleep much after that.

Here is a video that he posted to youtube about the entire adventure….not sure if I should call it an adventure or “fool’s folly”.  But here we are.

Click here to watch it.  But, let me warn you….it was very hard to watch as his mom.

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #000049

Thursday, June 12th, 2025
Volume VI  Issue 000049

I did watch the entire video and bawled my eyes out.

Just an FYI, Houston is very passionate about film making.  He would make that his priority and career (Plan A), but knows that he needs a Plan B.  Law School and being a Lawyer is Plan B.  Proud of my kid for following his passion, but also being pragmatic.

Here are some of the comments he received on youtube.

So many of you came in the store and asked about Houston and I am forever grateful for your care and concern!  He did make it down in one piece.  Praise the LORD!  But at the store on Saturday at about 4 pm, I got this message on my phone….freaked me the heck out.

And, he had also listed his ex-girlfriend (Emma) whom I LOVE as another emergency contact…so she text me as well. What a shit show!

I immediately called him and THANK GOD he answered and said he was fine, but had just crashed.  OMG.  I can’t take much more of this Goosie!

He did make it down and called me from his (Papa’s) car and said his entire body was cramping.  I offered to drive up to Ojai to get him, but he thought he would be OK to drive to the house….which he did.

Because of all of your concern, I did post this on Instagram and Facebook to let you know he was OK.

We ended up getting Panda Express take out and watching Mission Impossible Saturday night.   Houston did spend the night.  Time with my kids is priceless!  Especially after all of these CRAZY experiences.

Oh, by the way, my kid reposted my story with such a funny note….”Interesting Picture choice MOM”.

Well, the picture was one that I captured from his story, so it was YOUR interesting picture choice Houston.  LOL.

In case you missed my last few emails, we will be closing the store.  We have given 90 days notice to the management company and our final day will be August 25th.  More details later in the ezine.

Store is 10% off.  No extra discount off of the 20% Annie Sloan sale and no extra discount off of the 50% off clearance room.

We are still taking in new consignments and have been getting in some GREAT stuff every day!  Don’t miss out on these last few months of shopping at Lynn’s.

Time for an eBay score…don’t you think?  This is one that I shared in the last ezine and was hoping it would sell for $300 to $400.  It only sold for $273 and I REALLY should not say that, because $273 is amazing for a $5 investment.  Right?

Click here to see the actual listing. 

Houston left early Sunday and I had plans to attend a funeral/wake/celebration of life with Sandy.  It was held at the White House Beach Club here in Ventura.  I loved the memorial card because it was a pack of seeds to scatter along the next winding road in “Loving Memory”.

After the celebration of life, Sandy and I headed to Tony’s to see a band and grab some pizza.

I paid for my food with cash and I got my change in cash.  What freaked me out was that one of the dollars I got in change said “RAY LYNNE”….what the heck?

Raylynne was Johnny’s (the man who’s celebration of life we just attended) granddaughter’s name.  I was FREAKED out.  And she called him “Papa”…just like my kids called my dad “Papa”.  Oh my goodness…the circle of life…right?

On Monday, I did Fit Buddha (and it was super difficult) and finally had a Martini Monday with Marc. Haven’t seen him in forever! We had a lovely time and it is so great to catch up…we have known each other since we were 18. Crazy, right?

Time for another eBay score before we get to the rest of my week.  LOL.  Always something going on in my life.  Right?

It cracks me up because when y’all come in the store you say “How can you keep up with this…you must be exhausted?” and it doesn’t phase me…I have always been this social.

I look back on my calendars from when I had just graduated USC and EVERY single night I had plans…it was just normal to me and not out of the ordinary.  Maybe someday I will slow down…but NOT today!

OK, back to an eBay score.   Check out the listing here. 

This is a salad fork (just one) that I sold for over $150…..What?

Here is a short TikTok that I did about this one fork.  LOL.  I am having so much fun with TikTok.  I hope you decide to follow along!  We have about 1292 followers so far.  LOL…that is pretty specific.  Thanks!

Here is a link to watch it.

So, do you see those AMAZING pink flowers in that last photo?  My friend Laurie Weiner came in to the store to bring me flowers, give me a hug and tell me she is sorry that the store is closing.  So sweet!

She is Pink Porch Ventura on Instagram and I have been following her from day one.  Such a Sweetheart and I am proud to call her a friend.  Thank you!

Tuesday, Sendia invited me over for a Taco Bar Lunch.  She really went all out and it was delicious.  So great to catch up since she no longer works at the store.

Sendia was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer this past month and just went through a successful surgery.  Please pray for her.  AND if you want to support her we are all planning to attend The Dodgers Game on Wednesday, September 17th.  If we get enough participation we may rent a party bus!  Although, that may be really expensive…we will see.

Here is a link to purchase tickets so that we can all sit together.  tinyurl.com/Sendia7

When did Dodger’s tickets get so expensive?  $66…but anything for Sendia!

Here is a pic of us with Sendia at a recent country concert!  From Left to Right, Sendia, Sandy, me and Val.  She always has the brightest smile and greatest attitude!

This past Saturday, we redid three of the vignette’s with new artwork & Kevin’s help and they turned out great!  Here is the before in the Green Vignette.

Here is the after.  I am going to miss this fun part!  But, I was thinking maybe I will get a booth in one of the antique malls (like in Summerland) so that I can still decorate.

Here is the after in the Black and White Room.

Here is the after in the Beachy Turquoise room.

Speaking of plans for after the store, I am in desperate need of storage space for my eBay business.  Ideally, I need about a 20′ by 20′ space.

Does anyone have a barn, empty garage (I have had my entire eBay stock in a residential garage before), warehouse or other empty space for me to lease at a reasonable price?

Please spread the word.  Thanks!

Time for an eBay score!  We LOVE selling Men’s Tshirts on eBay.  We pick them up for $1 to $2 and they can sell for a lot.  Especially vintage rock bands and unique ones.

Check out this Ketel One Vodka tshirt that I just sold for a best offer of $40.  Crazy right?  And then it wasn’t in the bin where it was supposed to be.  Ughhhh….I hate it when that happens, but luckily Brittany found it!  Way to go!

Check out the listing here.

Wednesday night, I left the store at 3:30 and headed into Pasadena to meet up with my sorority sisters.  Annie is out from New York and I hadn’t seen her in 8 years.  Super fun!

There were about 10 of us at dinner and I will share a pic of all of us soon!

Back to the store…..For my consignors, here is more info about the closing.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me.  Here are the details of the closing process for my consignors.

Last week was hands down, the MOST STRESSFUL week of my life.  I am NOT kidding.  It started out with Houston almost dying on that mountain, then proceeded with me giving notice to the Becker Group and announcing the store closing and ended up with my mom in the hospital.

This past weekend in Palm Desert was just what I needed and I literally slept about 14 hours each night.  I was EXHAUSTED!

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #000048

Thursday, June 5th, 2025
Volume VI  Issue 000048

In case you missed my last few emails, we will be closing the store.  We have given 90 days notice to the management company and our final day will be August 25th.  More details later in the ezine.

Store is 10% off.  No extra discount off of the 20% Annie Sloan sale and no extra discount off of the 50% off clearance room.

As I started writing this newsletter, I looked up in my office and saw an envelope that said “LYNN ADELLE” on it in my grandmother’s handwriting.

Ever since I announced the store’s closing, I have been having dreams of my sister, my dad and my grandmother in my store wanting to help.  It has been really weird, but also I feel like it is a sign that I am doing the right thing.

As I started reading the letter inside, I realized that I had to share it.

“Friday-9-17-82  (my grandma was 70 years old at that time doing an antique show in Seattle and I was a sophomore at USC)

Dearest Lynn:

No doubt you are settled down to routine school and in the swing again!  Will you and Annie live in Troy all year?

I couldn’t find help for set up so did it by myself!  I had them set boxes on one table & chairs & tried to work without lifting – it took me 7 hrs!  I was really tired, having been up since 5:15 & then a date with the doctor at Group Health at 12:00.

Edna helped yesterday (sold a Shirley Temple doll for 135.!!)  We went to town on Monorail before the show and I got some tools for Phil at Mayer Bros.  Today I go early for a Jewelry Wholesale show at the Seattle Trade Center (by Spaghetti Factory) and tomorrow I go early for the Gem Show at Seattle Center.  So I have had a heavy schedule for this trip.  I feel so great and I’m just glad I can get around so good!  The Dr. is keeping me on Tamoxifen & it seems to be perfect for me!

I  ordered paperweights from St. Clair & some teapot ring holders & regular weights-they are really nice.

Sunday

I did the show yesterday alone as Edna was scheduled to go to the Puyallup Fair.  Had a pretty good day 460 added to 450 for 1st day so if I do anything today I’m in pretty good shape-not like the old days, but I get my share.  There are 50 dealers there with tons of merchandise & the Seattle area has a show or mall show nearly every week!

I was disappointed in the Jewelry show – only had 2 1/2 hrs there before the Antique show opened.  All I bo’t was a Jewelry cleaning machine (sonic vibrator/and some loose diamonds).  Bo’t no gold jewelry at all.  Today I’m going to the Gem Show for 2 hrs hoping to find some rubies & some green Tsavorite garnets.

Monday-

Well, I’ll finish this progressive letter.  I was happy to hear from you & glad you are pleased with ADPi.  I’m sending a double Lincoln this time as I know you’ll have lots of extra expenses!

My show orders are coming in & I haven’t had time to check them all.

I love you – stay happy!

Grandma

Heart and Rainbow”

Here is a pic of me with my grandma around the same time of the letter…. in her shop.

Again, she was 70 and I was 19 or 20.  We were so close!

There are so many things for me to unpack from that letter.  I will share them throughout this ezine.

My first takeaway was that she used A LOT of exclamation points when writing…just like I do!

She also never slowed down.  Up at 5:15 am (not me lol) and working all day and never stopping.  We both have that in common.  Maybe I need to start getting up earlier?….nah!

Also, she had just beat Breast Cancer that progressed to Lung and Hip Cancer and her doctor was keeping her on a drug that really saved her life…Tamoxifen.

Speaking of Cancer, one of my favorite team members was just diagnosed with cancer and had surgery this week.  Please pray for her….

I KNOW she will beat this because she is one of the most lovely and positive people that I know.

Time for an eBay score before we get to my fun time in the desert.

Got this set of dishes for about $100.  Just sold these 3 dinner plates for $263.99. Check out the listing here.

Houston is coming back to Ojai this week to climb back up and retrieve his bike.  I am freaking out about this as it will take him about 9 hours to climb up and then another 6 hours to fix his bike and ride down.

Here is our text exchange.  Please pray for him as well.

OK, thank you for letting me share that.  I am very worried about this “bike rescue” that I don’t think really needs to happen.  But try telling that to your 28 year old son.

Let’s get back to last week.  Last Thursday, Jo Dallas offered to recreate the “Dos Padres” famous taco salad from Bellingham.  My brother had found the recipe and Jo had been making it for her husband.

As we were getting ready to leave the store, Val showed up!  What a treat!  Here are the girls helping to price some jewelry….I am really going to miss this wonderful team of women that I have had the pleasure of working with over the past 7 years.  Good news…is that we are all still great friends!

Since Val showed up to the store, we invited her back to my house for the “Dos Padres” Taco Salad.  She said “yes”!  It was a huge success.

Friday morning, Jo and I (along with Cha Cha) headed out for Palm Desert.  We were going to drive to the Brentwood Country Mart to drop of the Cha to Indy and Larissa to watch her for the weekend.  Thanks girls!

Half way to Palm Desert, I get a text from Indiana….

We have dumped so much money into that Jeep recently….here we go again.  What a way to start the day!  Ughhh.

When we arrived in Palm Desert we went straight to a Tattoo Mark estate sale.  Not much there, but I did buy a stainless flatware set for $10.  Pretty good score as the dinner forks sell for $29.99 on Replacements.com.  Here is a tiktok I did showing how to identify patterns.

Click here to watch it.

After the sale, we headed to my mom’s cousin Gwen’s house to pick her up for lunch.  This is where things also went south.  And I am not kidding.

We drove up and her apartment looked dark and boarded up.  We knocked and knocked and knocked….no answer.  We called…no answer.  We yelled her name…no answer.

I said to Jo, “she must have forgotten…let’s go grab lunch and come back after”.

We went to Billy Reed’s and had a great lunch.  Then we headed back to Gwen’s to try and find her.  Again, we knocked and yelled….no answer.  Started driving away and realized I had better make sure she was OK.

Text her half brother Renato and he said “She is in there.  I just talked to her.  You have to knock really loud and say who you are because she has some neighbors that she doesn’t like.”

Here is a pic of us from a previous visit, because as soon as we got inside to see her (and she was OK) my phone rang and my mom was on the way to the hospital.  Ughhhh.

My mom had some friends over and she started acting confused, so they called 911.  The EMT’s took her blood pressure and it was super high, so they thought she should go to the hospital and I agreed.

Wish her house would sell so we could get her down here!  Ughhh.  After that was all taken care of and I knew my mom was safe, Jo Dallas says “I need a drink” and she NEVER drinks.  So off we went to Tony’s (which used to be Pete’s).  I think this Instagram story pretty much sums up the day.

Time for an eBay score.  And I love this story.  I always pick up yearbooks when I see them.  I will pay $5 to $10 for each one.

I got an offer on this one of $90 and she also sent a question.  “Before you accept my offer can you please make sure my dad Victor Clark (Jr or Sr year) is in the yearbook?  I want to give this to him for Father’s Day.”

How sweet!  What a great idea for a Father’s Day gift.  He was in the book and I accepted her offer.  She hasn’t paid yet, so we will see if she follows through with the sale.  Fingers crossed.  That is a great ROI!

Check out the listing here.  If it says SOLD she bought it.

Here is the picture showing her dad.  Proof!

Back to the desert.  Friday night we went out to dinner with Mo and Saturday morning we went to estate and garage sales.

I found a bunch of Tom Clark Gnomes at a sale.  They wanted $10 each and I asked for a special price if I take them all.  Learned that from my Grandma!

They counted 30 and offered them to me for $150.  I asked Mo and Jo (LOL MOJO) if I should buy them.  Jo said “yes” and Mo wasn’t sure.  Well, I bought them anyway.  Here they are wrapping them up.

Interestingly enough, the Tom Clark gnomes are not worth a whole lot, but I should be able to get about $1,000 for all of them in individual auctions.

If you look closely you can see a green fancy vase on the table that I bought for $5.  It is Fenton and it is going to do great on eBay.  Back to my grandma’s letter, she carried Fenton in her store and we would often take pieces to the antique shows.

One of my favorite things to do when I worked in her store (in middle and high school), was to unpack the Fenton pieces when the arrived from the factory.  They were all individually boxed and it was such a treat and surprise to see what was in each box.

Fenton was founded in 1905 (not many people realize that it is not a newer company) so yes, many of their pieces can be considered antique.  Thank you grandma for teaching me so much (and for me knowing that you would have LOVED this vase) that I knew to buy it for $5!

It already has two bids and someone asked me to end the auction early for them and they would pay $100.  NEVER EVER end an auction early!  If someone asks, it usually means you have something really good.

Here is a link to the listing.  Let’s hope it goes way up!  Started the auction at $49.99 and it already has 3 bids.  OK, it just got more bids and is now over $100….you need to follow along on this auction!

Back to the store…..For my consignors, here is more info about the closing.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me.  Here are the details of the closing process for my consignors.

5.)  I will be writing the next consignor checks on Monday, June 30th.  Until then, please feel free to use your consignor credit to shop in the store.

After, June 30th, we will go back to the traditional Wednesday check writing day.

In Fun News, don’t forget we got in a bunch of brand new purses that are marked at $39.95 and are in the back 50% off garage.  So, they are only $20 each!  Check them out!

After Garage sales on Saturday in the desert, we had some fun plans.  We were meeting Griff for lunch at Cactus Jacks.  I have known Griff for 20 years and he was eBay’s 4th employee, spokesperson, eBay Podcast Host and I adore him!

He had the rapt attention of the four of us (me, Mo, Jo and Kel) and kept us entertained with stories of eBay’s beginning, when it was known as Auction Web.

I loved the story about how Pierre wanted to name it “Echo Bay” (a place he loved) and he went into the CA state licensing department where the clerk went through pages of pages and finally announced that it was taken.

He suggested that Pierre shorten it and Viola, “e-Bay” for “Echo Bay”.

Here we are at lunch!

And Griff went thrifting with us after.  Sooooo much fun!

We even filmed a few tiktoks…unfortunately, the sound didn’t work in most of them.  Here is one that did work.  Click here to watch it.

Then Griff and I had to recreate our infamous first photo when I was a guest on eBay radio in 2015 with he and Lee.

That night the girls went to Las Casuelas for dinner and I opted to go to bed early.  I told you I slept A LOT this past weekend!

Then on Sunday, we had lunch plans with Sandra, my former neighbor at 1 pm.  We met her at The Old Spaghetti Factory….remember my grandmother mentioned that restaurant in her letter.  She used to take me there!

Fun lunch, as always, with Sandra!  What a weird photo…we all look like flat cardboard cutouts…am I wrong?

Sunday night, we met Linda McCoy Murray for dinner at the Cliff House.  Linda is the widow of Jim Murray, the very famous LA Times Sportswriter.

Here we are after dinner.

Mo has a friend who is a HUGE fan of Jim Murray…..so Linda (Bless her Heart) pulled out 3 of his books for Mo to give her friend.  Pretty cool if you ask me!

I met Linda about 20 years ago in Palm Desert because we both used the same personal trainer, Alida McDaniel.  We had a mastermind group for years.

Check out this fun note from a Book Expo that we all attended in LA back in the day.  We were at Engine Co No 28 for dinner and got our picture in one of the Book Expo publications.  Can’t find the picture though!

Yes, they did call us the “Desert Divas”  LOL!

Jo and I left Palm Desert first thing Monday morning and picked up Cha Cha on the way home.  We decided to take PCH back to Ventura because it is finally open.  Super sad to see the devastation from the fires.

An update on my nephew, Zach.  He is in the Oakhurst area on his PCT hike.  He has gone more than 900 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.  Congrats!

Here is a picture from Zach’s trek.  It is so beautiful it looks fake….right?

I drove Jo up to the Santa Barbara Airport on Tuesday morning and she is back home!  Super fun time with her.  But I need a vacation.  hahaha.

Awesome surprise on Wednesday when Larry and Becky Raney from Bellingham stopped in the store on their way up the coast.  Love these two!

The Raney’s printed my greeting cards, our beanie baby binder book and all of my 100 Best Books.

Becky was mentioning that when our Beanie Baby Binder was selling like crazy, they had 40 employees just to assemble the books because it was a loose leaf binder system.  It was also Amazon.com’s best selling book in the pop culture category for 1998.  Crazy!

Here is a TikTok that I did about our Beanie Baby writing experience and getting sued by Ty Warner himself.  Long story!

Click here to watch.

One more random connection to my Grandma’s letter.  She mentions my friend Annie.  We were sorority sisters and roommates sophomore year. Annie called me this week to say she would be in LA from NY and wondered if we could see each other.  I haven’t seen her in like 10 years   So next Wednesday night, I will meet her and some other sorority sisters in Pasadena  Fun!

She is one of my best friends and was even in my wedding.  Here we are at Pledge Presents back in 1982.  Annie is actually a lot shorter than me and is standing on a stair for this photo.  LOL.  Crazy!

OK, time to explain my subject line for this ezine.  As I was leaving Palm Desert, I saw this statue that didn’t just say “Dream Big”, it said “Dream Bigger” and that  really hit home.

I think too much of my creative entrepreneur energy has been poured into the store and its time for me to get back to designing greeting cards, writing books, painting and other new ventures.  So, I am excited for this next chapter!

Also, I loved how my grandma ended her letter to me with “stay happy”.  How precious is that?  So, “Dream Bigger & Stay Happy” is my new motto!

Things we need for the store…..

AND PLEASE NO CONSIGNMENTS ON WEDNESDAYS….this is our big furniture take in and catch up day.  THANK YOU!

Night Stands
End Tables
Rugs
Lamps…both table and floor
Nice Throw Pillows
Wicker/Baskets
Metalware
Woodenware
Garden
Outdoor
Dressers
Desks
Oil Paintings

And now what you have been waiting for….The new arrivals!

Console Hooker Furniture Home Modern Mood Entertainment Light Grey/natural $795.00 

Cabinet Blanco Accra Large Off White $595.00 

Recliner Name Brand Manual Fabric Brown $295.00

Pillow Geige Luxury Pom-Pom Faux Fur Body Beige $29.95

Abstract Guitar Canvas Wall Decor $49.50

Repos Ste. Elisabeth $149.50 

Fly To South Sea Isles $149.50 

Black/White Horse Picture $32.50

Mohawk Whiskey on Old Window $69.50

Asian Batik $125.00

Tiffrany Lamp $550.00

Tiffany Lamp $595.00

Blue and White Porcelain Lamp $84.50 – 2 in stock 

Bronze Asian Style Vase $100.00 

Antique Austrian Double Handled  Painted Vase $69.50

Vintage Majolica Style Vase With Woman Figure $145.00 

Ceramic Woman Art Scuplture $49.50 – 2 in stock

Figurine Urban Trends Collection Terracotta Bird Washed Finish Grey $19.95

Green/rusty Planter $49.50 – 2 in stock 

Thanks for reading my ezines!  I appreciate it….as always!  Lynn & Family…

From left to right…Whale, Indiana, me, Val, Sandy, Susan, Cindy and Tina.

eBay with Heart & Design with Heart……Lynn

Past Newsletters can be found on my blog. 

P.S.  If you have a friend who wants to sign up for this newsletter.