A Goldendoodle, 2 Adults, 3 College Students, and a 3 Hour Car Ride…. What could possibly go wrong? Hahaha

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #01…

January 9th
Watch for it every Friday or every other Friday! Or even on a SATURDAY like today!
Volume II Issue 01

 

When we found out we were getting a DOG, I reached out to Tina at Aloha Grooming for advice. She recommended Stacy Ayub for training. Stacy is AMAZING! Since I don’t have a photo of Stacy, here is one of Tina with her Alpaca who came to shop in the store this past Halloween. Just remember that all animals (of any size) are welcome to join you when shopping at Lynn’s!

One of the things that really stood out to me from our time with Stacy, was that the more exposure you can give your puppy the better. She said “Make sure she meets 100 people in her first 100 days, Take her to Lowes, Get her in the car, etc., Take her to the park…. because the more she experiences as a puppy, the less she will be afraid of later on”

Sooooo, over New Year, I decided we would take the familia and Cha Cha to Palm Desert! Why not? It would still be our “safe” family pod, but we would be in a new environment. Gotta shake this Covid thing up somehow! And, this would allow my mom to fly out of Palm Springs directly to Bellingham for her return trip. The PSP airport is a breeze and is so much easier on her than flying out of LAX. And Palm Desert is sooooo beautiful this time of year! It was going to be a win-win for everyone! or so we thought?

My mom and I headed out with Cha Cha on New Year’s Eve. The kids wouldn’t join us until New Year’s Day. We did OK with Cha Cha getting out there (but it is definitely a 2 man job). We had an appointment at 11 am at Barkingham Palace where Cha Cha would spend the day in Doggy Day Care so we could go thrifting!

Immediately after dropping Cha Cha off, we hit the thrift stores and yes, we hit them hard! I found a ton of flatware…probably 25 or more sets this trip. One of the sets was a Reed & Barton for only $8. Turns out that at high retail, this set adds up to over $1,000. I usually sell for about 1/2 of high retail, so that will be quite the ROI!

I got these listed in 16 separate auctions while I was out in the desert. As you can see from this recap, it does add up to over $500 and these are the lowest prices that I would accept for these pieces. If they don’t sell at auction, they will get listed in my store at a higher fixed price…the high retail from Replacements. Here is a link to see the current auction listings.

Hey, before I forget, I hope y’all had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was mellow, just me, my mom, Houston, Indy, and my brother Lee. Oh, but of course I am leaving out the most important people…how could I forget Carlos and Cha Cha! Notice Cha Cha’s Christmas sweater. It lasted about 10 seconds on her!

Here is a throw back photo of Carlos’ first Christmas in 2019 in his super cute sweater and next to it a photo of him wearing that same sweater in 2020. Still fits…kinda?

Oh, what a difference a year makes! And that is NO JOKE!

A high point of Christmas was that my brother made it down from San Francisco. Here is a cute photo of him and my mom and one of Cha Cha giving him some love!

Here is my brother at the store shopping in the Baggu section. He got some really cool pieces and believe it or not, he just text me to say, “The Baggu Mask with Stars is my current favorite mask”.

Just a heads up, the Baggu Masks are amazing but are sold in a 3 pack of $32. Not very convenient. So, we at Lynn’s Consignments, have started selling them individually at $10.95. Come in and check them out!

And finally, a last-minute selfie was taken as my brother was leaving to prove that we were all together for Christmas!

OK, so that wraps up Christmas! Let’s get back to the Palm Desert Fun!

After hitting about 10 thrift stores, it was time to go and pick up Cha Cha from her “doggy daycare”. When I got there I asked the girls how she did. They said, “She walked in like she owned the place!” That’s my girl! They also told me that she was much more interested in socializing than eating. Seriously, Cha Cha is just too much fun!

Once we secured the “package-aka Cha Cha” we drove to our hotel to check-in. Here is my mom chilling with the Cha Cha while they finish getting our room ready. Such a good girl!

Once we were settled into the hotel, it was on to the task of what to have for New Year’s Eve Dinner. Couldn’t go anywhere and it would have to be Take Out. I suggested Cactus Jacks because it is right across the street from the hotel and I LOVE that place!

When I lived in the desert, it was one of our hangouts and I used to frequent it with my good friend Max. I miss him! He moved to Puerta Vallarta….ugh! Here is an old Insta post from August of 2015…Ancient History! But it is all of us at Cactus Jacks for lunch….Oh the shenanigans!

That 2015 photo at Cactus Jacks lead me to an old ezine I wrote in September of 2015 right after dropping of Houston for his freshman year at Pepperdine. I started my Instagram during that time and the post I just shared was only my 4th ever. I only got 3 likes! LOL, thank you Kimberly Wallace.

That ezine that I wrote in September of 2015 was a really big one for me….I had just dropped off my firstborn at college…..Lots of lessons in that one….For those of you who want to check it out, here is a link. Interesting reading (especially for me)! Lots of tears. Here is a photo from that ezine.

OK, thank you for letting me go down that rabbit hole! Back to reality, when I called Cactus Jacks to place the New Year’s Eve order, Joan told me about the NYE special, Steak and Lobster for $59. I was buying & two dinners was out of my budget during this “Covid Christmas” so we settled on Cheeseburgers.

About 15 minutes after the order was placed, my mom said, “You know we could have shared one”…Oh crap! She was sooooo right. I was sooooo bummed that we missed out on Steak and Lobster, but as my mom reminded me “a Cheeseburger is the imperfectly perfect way to end 2020”. We got a good laugh out of that one. Especially, after we flushed 2020 goodbye!

Toilet photo courtesy of Valerie Harrington (my first Lynn’s employee)! LOL! BTW, her husband Ron is COMPLETELY cancer-free and he is even back to work! God is GOOD! Praise the LORD!

The next morning it was up and out early as we had TWO estate sales to attend! As my grandmother used to say, “Never a dull moment” and I truly try and live my life that way. I am always looking for my next adventure!

It was my plan to drop Cha Cha back off at Doggy Day Care so that we could shop alone, but alas, it was not to be. “Barkingham Palace” was closed on New Year’s Day. Luckily at our first estate sale stop, my good friends Jack and John, were more than happy to take care of the Cha, while I shopped!

Here is Jack with the little lady. She was sooooo good for him and she loved the attention.

I got so many fun things from the boys! Great finds and we will see how they do on eBay and in the store. It is always so fun to see them…they are good people! As I was shopping, a Duran Duran song came on, “Hungry Like the Wolf”…that was my sister’s favorite song (for those of you who don’t know she passed away in 2012 from lung cancer at 42 and left her two boys, only 3 and 5 at the time) and hearing that song, made me know that she was there with me. I wrote the boys a check for $599 and it was on to our next estate sale.

At the next sale, as I was shopping I spotted an ink blotter with a green slag backing. I knew immediately that it was Tiffany (without even looking for a signature, as my grandmother had the exact same Pine Needle patterned Stamp Box in her collection. It was then that I knew my grandmother was also with me on that New Year’s Day.

Here is a photo of my mom holding the ink blotter in the car.

As I did some quick research on my phone, I found an identical one for sale at $599! OMG, That was the amount of the check that I wrote at the first estate sale! Such a Godwink moment. My grandmother & my dad were looking out for me and handed me a score that would cover almost everything that I spent that day. WOW!

I think it is time to talk about the store and we can get back to the Desert trip later (hahahaha didn’t they call Coachella for the old folks with The Stones etc. the Desert Trip)…OMG!

We have been doing some super fun decorating. This past Wednesday, Val, Wayne, Adolio, Sunny, and I took down the Christmas Trees! What a huge job! Don’t forget, that through this upcoming Sunday 1/10…all Christmas is 25% off. But, only 2 more days! Don’t miss out!

Here are the guys taking down the trees….what a huge job!

Here is the front window display that Val and I replaced it with. Kind of Luxe and Fancy….right? Darn it though! We already sold the beautiful dresser from the corner. UGHHHHHH! I hate it when that happens.

And this driftwood look dresser just arrived!

Back to the Desert and that Ink Blotter. Here is my listing for the same ink blotter, but mine has a green slag background. I started my auction at $299 and will be thrilled to get that much for it! Click here to see if it has any bids yet!

Here is a story from my 1st “100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay” Book about the Tiffany Stamp Box that my brother inherited from our grandmother.

I love this picture of my brother and my grandma! It was taken at my wedding back in 1994. I couldn’t find it in color so will share one of my mom, Lee, my sister Kiki, me and my grandma.

Back to Palm Desert, it was only day 2 out in the desert and my mom and I had already had sooooo much fun! Next stop, was a visit with Sandra my former neighbor at Lake Mirage. She is retail royalty and her husband Alan was a top executive when I was a buyer at May Dept Stores Los Angeles. How crazy is that many years later she would be my neighbor? I love talking “shop” with her as she has some brilliant advice. She got to meet Cha Cha this trip!

I took Cha Cha on a little walk while my mom and Sandra visited and strangely enough she made a beeline to our former house. Didn’t want to go in any other direction just headed straight for our old patio. Strange, huh? I do think pets have a sixth sense. Here she is checking out the Lake and view from our former residence.

The kids arrived in Palm Desert just as we left Sandra’s house. Yay! We met them back at the Duplex. Do you think Indy missed her Cha Cha?

Then it was time to start talking about dinner. The kids grew up in Palm Desert so were throwing out all of their favorite restaurant names for take-out. I suddenly had (what I thought was) a brilliant idea! I do that sometimes 🙂 What if I called Cactus Jacks to see if they would extend the $59 Steak and Lobster for one more day? I called and Joan asked the chef…they said yes!

We decided to order one prime rib/lobster for Houston and two steak/lobster dinners for the 4 girls to share (me, Indy, Emma and my mom). It was a win-win and we were FINALLY starting 2021 off right! Check out that big bag of Cha Cha’s dog food in the photo. LOL!

My mom was flying out of Palm Springs the next morning (Saturday) so it was a great end to our holiday! And after dinner, we played Trivial Pursuit and had a blast!

The kids were going to be leaving Saturday as well and the plan was for me to stay until Sunday and drive back ALONE with the Cha Cha. I started to rethink that….not a great idea with a puppy.

The kids and I went thrifting Saturday and grabbed Islands for lunch. Here they are in a few of their new “old” outfits. Soooo cute!

The kids agreed to take Cha Cha home with them Saturday afternoon (WHEW) and since there was going to be a lot of traffic out of the Desert on Sunday because it was the end of the New Years’ weekend, I decided to stay until Monday. That way I could see the Palm Desert girls who had either been working or with the company. FUN!

Sunday morning Mo and I headed out to thrift and then we were going to head up to La Quinta to Candy’s house for drinks and appetizers. As we got off the freeway in Sun City and headed towards Angel View, my steering wheel stopped turning. SCARY! See, what could possibly go wrong on a road trip with a Goldendoodle? Thank God the Goldendoodle was safely back in Ventura!

Somehow I managed to pull my SUV into the parking lot and we called AAA. I had no idea how long my car would be in the shop, so we unloaded a ton of boxes of thrift items to take with us. Ughhhh! You can see the Angel View Sign (that we never made it to) in the background.

Luckily Candy was able to pick us up and I dropped off my keys at my old mechanics, European Auto. Then we headed out to Candy and Ron’s house for appetizers and drinks. We even watched a movie, “The Way We Were” and then called it a night.

The next morning, my mechanics emailed me an estimate…at first I was shocked with the $5k and then I looked closer. It wasn’t work that needed to be done right away and some of it not at all. Lilly let me know that $180 for power steering repair would get me home and being so sweet they did the work for me first thing that Monday morning! Yay for that!

I picked up my car at 1:30 and did a bit more thrifting. Thank goodness I would be able to drive home the next day which was Tuesday (day 5 of being in the desert). I was starting to feel like I still lived there.

But it was back to reality and the store! Check out the new paint kits from Annie Sloan that we have in stock! Purchase now for her “Big Paint” that will be taking place in February….Can’t Wait!

Click here to order yours now!

Here is more info about The Big Paint & It will be virtually taught by me at the store (an independent stockist that’s me :))…..

“The Big Paint is an international online painting workshop that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Hosted by Annie Sloan and her network of independent Stockists, The Big Paint workshops will be taking place online in countries all over the world during the same week (1st – 7th February 2021). Reconnect with friends, family, and the wider Chalk Paint® community whilst nourishing your soul with some soothing creative therapy.

Your workshop kit will be sent directly to you by your local Annie Sloan Stockist and will contain everything you need to transform an authentic Indian tea tray. Included are 120ml tins of Chalk Paint® in Aubusson Blue, Scandinavian Pink, and Chicago Grey, an exclusive stencil design, a small tin of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax, a Flat Brush and the tray.

On the day itself, you’ll log on to your online hosted workshop, and follow along with other upcycling ticket holders as your Stockist demonstrates the ease of applying Chalk Paint® to create high-end finishes at home.”

Check out what comes in the kit and all of the creative different ways you can finish your tray! This is going to be FUN!!!

In more epic Lynn’s Consignment news, I actually cleaned off my desk! I know, I know right? Who would have ever thought that would happen? And in even better news, one of our new consignors sent in a dining room table with a glass top.

Unfortunately, the glass got chipped and Tom was going to take it and throw it away. I asked him if it might fit on top of my desk (so that I would have a smooth surface). We measured it and it was too big. Tom, being the awesome person that he is, offered to take it to get it cut. Seriously? Y’all here in Ventura are too darn nice!

Fast forward to about 30 minutes later and Tom shows up with the glass and patiently waits for me to clear off everything on my desk so we could place it on there. I am sooooo grateful to Tom! Check out my new and improved office AND my mom even painted that little cubby in Annie Sloan fun colors for me to use as desk drawers. Way to go Mor Mor!

OK, do you remember this eBay auction from the last newsletter? I had hoped it would sell in the $250 range. Here is the link to check it out. I paid $12 and started the auction at $99. Darn it! My bad in judgment.

Since it was over the holidays, I should have started the auction where I hoped to sell it. I was thinking (incorrectly) that it would get multiple bids and go over my $250 estimate. Didn’t happen. It sold for $146.38 with only 3 bids. UGHHHHH….I hate leaving money on the table!

Since I haven’t been in the store much, I haven’t been able to take pictures of the new items coming in….so please stop in and see us. We have so many great items!

Here are a few of the new arrivals!

Also, do you remember those really neat botanicals that we carry at $4.95 each? The ones posted up high on the wall? Here are some of the original ones up on the wall.

We just got in a ton of new beachy/unique ones. Please come in and browse through our notebooks full of them. They are 11 by 17″ and tea soaked for a distressed appearance. They are great just taped up on a wall, decoupaged on furniture, given rolled up as a gift or framed. Here is a sampling.

Just a reminder of Our CURRENT HOURS:

Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 5 pm
Sundays 11 am to 3 pm

 

Time for an eBay score! I don’t think I have shared an ACTUAL score yet, but before I get to that….our eBay business is off the charts! I am NOT kidding! Cindy had to ship about 45 packages last weekend. It was crazy! Here is a picture of her with all of the boxes.

OK, here is a score for y’all. I am so sad that Houston is leaving in two days to go back to OKC. It has been so nice to have him home! Ughhhhh, but this score is definitely Houston-related because my little guy (well not anymore) still loves his choo choos. This is a railroad plate that I paid $1 for and listed during the first Covid lockdown back in April. It sold for the full asking price (less 10% from a sale I had running). Score! Over $75! Check it out here.

Regarding Covid, I just want to reassure you that we are taking this very seriously and following protocol. We sanitize, wear masks, request that you wear a mask (unless you have a health issue that exempts you), and have a very large store.

With over 5,000 square feet our max capacity is 88 people. WOW, I wish I could have 88 customers at once when covid is over! Wouldn’t that be amazing? Just kidding, but kind of serious.

Bottom line is this, even at 20% of capacity (which the Governor is suggesting), there can still be 17 of you in the store. We never get that busy, so please feel safe and please ask us if you have any special requests. We are more than happy to make your shopping experience a great one!

I have to apologize here to both y’all and to Carlos. This entire newsletter (AGAIN) has been hijacked by Cha Cha. Although, Carlos did get some representation with those cute sweater photos…am I right?

OK, so here is a screenshot of a video I posted on my Instagram stories. Carlos was diligently cleaning Cha Cha and it was sooooo cute. They really love each other!

OK, now back to Cha Cha. Hahahaha. I met one of my high school friends, Marty Mundell, in downtown Ventura yesterday to walk our dogs and get some drinks. It was super fun and here is Cha Cha meeting Willy for the first time. They had a blast as well!

And I will end this ezine with two fun pics of Houston and Indy trying to pick up their newest bundle of joy.

Let me wrap this up with a HUGE thank you for your continued support of me and my small business! You are keeping us going and my gratitude is immense! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Finally, a great photo from back on March 1st, 2020 before all of this madness began and we could all be together.

My team, from left to right. Indy, Val, me, my mom, Sandy, Steve, Peggy, Joanne, and Kathy Rutan. Those were the days my friends! Soon to come again I believe…Keep the faith and keep smiling (as my dad would say)!

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

eBay with Heart & Design with Heart……Lynn

 

P.S.  All of the professional photos I use on Instagram, Facebook and in these newsletters were taken by my friend Denise’s daughter, Jaclyn Sabo.  She is amazing!   To learn more about Jaclyn….https://www.jaclynszabo.com/

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

 

Indiana turned 22 on Tuesday and boy did we surprise her!

My family LOVES surprises and the crazier the better!  It was just she and me so I booked one of the retro trailers at Waypoint for the evening without telling her.  I told her to pack an overnight bag with warm clothes and to bring her bike helmet and guitar.  She had NO idea where we were going!  But that wasn’t the ONLY surprise.  More on that later.

Here is one of my favorite photos of my darling Indy.  This was taken in Playa del Rey when she was about 5 years old.

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #32…

December 18th
Watch for it every Friday or every other Friday!
Volume I  Issue 32

 

I had a great time out in Palm Desert over the weekend of the 5th.  It is always good to hang with my Palm Desert friends. We were able to support local restaurants on the 5th (Las Casuelas) and the 6th (The Little Bar) before everything was shut down AGAIN!  Ughhh!

Here are photos of the amazing tile work on the bar at Las Casuelas in Palm Springs!  I took these photos for my mama who wants to do her kitchen counters at the beach like this.  Gorgeous!

In happier news, I found a ton of great stuff for the store and eBay.  Here we are loading up my car with treasures.

My friend, Mo, who has been my eBay assistant extraordinaire for years, and I finally figured out how she could still work for me from Palm Desert.  I will go out there once a month and heavily source.  While I am in town, she writes it all up on the “I Sell” sheets that I invented back in 1998 and photographs it.

The “I Sell” Sheet is how I am able to have 15,000 items listed at auction and keep track of them.  It also allows you to list from the sheet without having the item right in front of you.  This is how Mo can list from anywhere once she has the item written up and photographed.  Here is an example of a set of flatware all written up and ready to be photographed.  I liken my system to an Assembly Line way of listing on eBay (Just like Henry Ford invented :)) Sorry!  Don’t know how I got off on that tangent.

Once all that is finished, Cindy (my new eBay assistant here in Ventura) gives us empty shelf numbers so we can sort the new items in boxes by eventual shelf placement.  Mo stays in Palm Desert with her stack of “I Sell” sheets to be listed when she has time and I haul all of the goodies back to be placed on shelves in Ventura.  Voila!  Problem of long-distance listing solved!  Works for Me!  I get a break from listing and Mo gets work.  Win-Win!

Mo and I have been friends for a long time (way before she started working for me) and ever since our boys started playing baseball together back in 2002!  This is a photo of Mo and me back in the day at an eBay event.  This was the first eBay Live that we attended in 2005 in San Jose.

From left to right, Russ Grove (President NuMarkets), Jim “Griff” Griffin (eBay Spokesperson), me, Jesse Melton (NuMarkets), and Maureen (Assistant extraordinaire). This photo was taken right before I danced the Pogo with Griff to the B-52’s live performance of Love Shack….Those were such fun days!

Back to reality, here are some of the boxes that Mo had written up… all ready to head back to Ventura con migo (with me).  I am in the Spanish-speaking mood because of those tile counters at Las Casuelas.  I used to speak fluent Spanish when I lived in Spain for a year and also minored in it at USC.  I do try and practicar whenever I can!  There I go off on another tangent.  Oy Vey!   Ok, here are those boxes!

OK time for a future eBay score!  This is from some of the stuff that Mo listed that you can even see in that photo.  Pretty cool huh?  This is a Wilton Armetale Water Goblet in the Plough Pattern.  They sell for $45.99 on Replacements.com.  I usually try and get 1/2 of Replacements prices at auction and then I price right at their retail when it goes into my store at a fixed price.

I cut off part of the title in this photo to make it larger for the ezine.  This item will still be at auction until Friday, December 18th at 10:18 pm.  To see the actual listing or to bid :), please click here.

Before I forget, talking about living in Spain for a year reminded me of a recent post on the Town & Country Magazine Instagram account.  I follow them for fun and was scrolling the other morning when I saw this post.

Part of my year in Spain included six months on the USC Spain Semester with 50 other USC students and we were all super close.  One of the 50 students was Sean MacPherson.  LOL!  He looks the same!  Maybe a bit older, but still as quirky as ever.

I think it is time to talk about the store…OMG! We have been doing some super fun decorating. This past Wednesday, Val and I attacked the back wall of the store. Boy, did it ever need some TLC. I wish I had a before photo, but alas, I do not! Here is the after! Pretty nifty, huh? We have already sold some stuff out of the vignette, but it has been replaced with even better stuff. So, please stop in and check it out!

OK, now for some of the new arrivals to the store.  This is kind of cool because in this photo of that same couch (taken for our website) you can see a “during” of when Val and I were decorating.  Same sofa, looks totally different, doesn’t it?  It all depends upon how you style it and with what accents.

Another great new sofa.  Super comfy and suggested retail is $1,000.

And this driftwood look dresser just arrived!

OK, let’s get back to Indy’s surprise birthday.  I am sure you are dying to know what went down or not?  Hahahaha.  The Waypoint was soooo accommodating that they let me get into our trailer early to decorate.  Sweet!  And I forgot to tell you, but the Waypoint has a few “dog-friendly” trailers and I was bringing Cha Cha as part of the surprise.

That involved a whole new level of packing!  Much like in the old days when I would take the kids as babies to Mexico.  OMG!  Gotta find one of those ezines to share how crazy I was in packing for that….Anyway, back to today!  Here is my car loaded and ready to go.

Here is what the setup looked like for my sweet girl!  I even hung streamers outside…that was a bit tricky and you can barely see them in the photo, but trust me they are there!   Then it was back to the house to pick her up.  It was only 11 am and it was shaping up to be an EPIC day!

On my way to pick her up, I was following a car with a license plate that gave me goosebumps.  OK, back story….(of course there is a back story)!  My dad (aka Papa) was like a father figure to my kids.  Actually, he was more of a father to them than their real dad and I have no problem saying that out loud.  My dad made it a point to ALWAYS be in California for Indy’s birthday on December 15th.  I don’t think he ever missed one. Well, he was missing this one, but maybe not?

Long story short.  If you don’t know, my dad passed away on Cinco de Mayo in 2017 from Pancreatic cancer and broke all of our hearts.  We miss him soooo much!  He left me some money and that is what I used to open Lynn’s.  That was a blessing, but I would rather have my dad.

So, as I was driving to pick Indy up check out this license plate on the car in front of me.  BTW, my dad had his doctorate in Education from Indiana University and was known as Dr. Dralle.  If that license plate wasn’t saying Happy Birthday to Indy from Papa, I don’t know what would.

I grabbed Indy and we headed out.  I gave her a cliff bar to eat because it was going to be a long trip to our destination.  Had to mess with her a bit.  Told her I was looking for the terminal, no scratch that, the station.  Hahaha.  At first, she thought we were going on a boat and then a train.  Finally, I pulled into the trailer park, and it all made sense.  Fun!

Waypoint is so much fun!  We grabbed bikes, road downtown got lunch and then I went and picked up Cha Cha from Puppy Play time.  Cha Cha was so happy to see her!   Here they are messing around in the camper before we all took naps.  Little did Indy know that was not the only surprise.

As you may recall, my son Houston has been living in Oklahoma City teaching school as part of his Notre Dame Masters Program.  He had to administer finals this whole week, so we didn’t expect to see him until this upcoming weekend.  Now for the plot twist.

Unbeknownst to Indiana, Houston and I had been plotting.  Houston administered his last in-person test on Monday, scheduled all the rest to be taken virtually, asked for a personal day off Tuesday and planned to leave OKC at 9 pm on Monday night.  If he drove straight through (20 hours) that would land him in Ventura at 0400 hours (LOL no idea how that military stuff works) or 4 pm on Tuesday, her birthday!

Now that is sibling LOVE!  Click here for the video on Youtube I filmed when I heard him drive in and start up the steps to the trailer.

This is from my Instagram post.

We actually pulled it off!  Biggest surprise EVER!  Well not ever…did I  tell you about the Walt Disney World Surprise when she was 7 years old and Houston was 9?

Click here for the video on Instagram.  BTW, Indiana makes the same noises in both videos and she apparently always points when surprised!  I LOVE this!  Here she is pointing at the cameraman (my brother Lee).

Thank you for letting me share all of that.  It was soooo much fun!  For me anyway 🙂

Time for a score!  I bought this in November of 2018 at the Boys and Girls Thrift store on the Avenue here in Ventura.  I paid $8.  Finally sold for full price a few days ago.  $130.49.  Score!  Kaching!   Check it out here.

Back to the store…because that is why we are here…right?  There are a lot of kids that come in with their parents and grandparents that just steal our hearts.  One of those little girls, Emily, always likes to play hide and seek with us.  Her mom was pregnant and I just knew that Emily needed a little gift.  I found the most adorable blue bear that took batteries and would play peek-a-boo with her.

I bought it about 4 months ago and put it behind the counter and waited for Emily to come back in with her parents.  I waited and waited and waited.  Well, her mom was pregnant….give them a break!   Finally, they showed up last week (with the new baby) and I was so happy to give Emily her Peek-a-boo gift.  I think she liked it!

This past Sunday there was an epic estate sale in Carpinteria.  I enlisted the company of my faithful and true companion, Indiana, and off we went at 9 am on a Sunday.  Pretty early for us!  We had about 2 to 2 1/2 hours that we could leave the Cha Cha alone and it was GO time!

I spent over $1,000 and got some amazing items!  Can’t wait to get them all listed on eBay and the other items priced and in the store.  Check out these photos of some of the items I purchased.

Here is one of the items from that sale that is currently listed at auction.  Here is the link to check it out.  If my calculations are correct, it should sell in the $250 range.  I paid $12. .

Here are some more neat things that have come into the store recently.  These are Leather Wing Back Chairs by the company Global Views.  They retail for $1997 each!  Our price is $495 each.  Please come in and check them out!

Don’t forget about this killer Mid Century Modern Burlwood Side or Coffee Table that recently arrived. It is not going to last! 1950’s Vintage!

The store is PACKED…. I say PACKED with amazing gift items for Christmas!  It is soooooo exciting…..with new stuff arriving daily!

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who are shopping locally.  It means the world to me, my team, and my family.  YOU are keeping us in business and we are extremely grateful.

Check out some of the fun Christmas ornaments that are still available.

Here is a new fun furniture piece that just came in done by our very talented Sandy.  I love this Annie Sloan painted end table in Pure White with Blue Fish decor.  Sooooo cute!  And only $195.  What a great Christmas gift this would make!  It won’t last so check it out soon.

My grandmother ALWAYS said, “The time to buy it is when you see it” and that advice has never been so right on as it is for MY store!  Things go quickly…don’t miss out!

Since we are closed on Mondays, I decided to do an experiment with the Cha Cha.  I pretended it was “Take your Daughter to Work Day” and I gave it my best college shot.  Didn’t work out so well…but baby steps…Right people?

In this photo, you will see spilled water and spilled lunch (those kibbles)!

Just a reminder of Our HOLIDAY HOURS:

Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 5 pm
Sundays 11 am to 3 pm

We will also be open this Monday, December 21st from 11 am to 5 pm

We will be closed on the following days:

Friday, December 25th Christmas
Friday, January 1st New Years

CLOSING EARLY at 3 pm on

Christmas Eve Thursday, December 24th
New Year’s Eve Thursday, December 31st

Just had to share this photo of Indiana leaving to drive Cha Cha to Puppy Play time.  Does it not look like Cha Cha is driving?  LOL.  We love her more every day.  I am talking about Cha Cha here…not my daughter.  Hahahah.  Just kidding.  Love them both more every day!

Time for another eBay score!  I bought this crazy fun side coffee pot at a local neighborhood garage sale last month.  I paid $10 or maybe $5.  Nothing major.  It was listed at auction for $49.99 and did not sell.  Raised the price to $129.99 at a fixed price in my store and it just sold for $89.39 after I sent an offer to the buyer.  Score!

Check it out here to see why it sold for so much more than I paid!

Soooooo many great things arriving in the store for the Christmas Season. Check out these amazing kitchen utensils that retail for $9.95 (well the spreader is $6.95 and the Spurtle is $12.95). These are selling fast and may sell out! Time to shop! Also, Free Shipping and available for sale on our website.

With the new Covid announcements from the Governor, I just want to reassure you that we are taking this very seriously and following protocol.  We sanitize, wear masks, request that you wear a mask (unless you have a health issue that exempts you), and have a very large store.

With over 5,000 square feet our max capacity is 88 people.  WOW, I wish I could have 88 customers at once when covid is over!  Wouldn’t that be amazing?  Just kidding, but kind of serious.

Bottom line is this, even at 20% of capacity (which the Governor is suggesting), there can still be 17 of you in the store.  We never get that busy, so please feel safe and please ask us if you have any special requests.  We are more than happy to make your shopping experience a great one!

I have to apologize here to both y’all and to Carlos. This entire newsletter has been hijacked by Cha Cha.

I just mentioned to Indiana tonight that a year ago, we didn’t even have Carlos yet. How crazy is that? These pets that have totally changed our lives FOR THE BETTER, were not even here a year ago.

Carlos was NOT a covid pet…(ie adopted because of boredom and too much time at home) he is LEGIT. I decided to get him and surprise my kids WAY before this Covid Crap. Check him out in his adoption ad. I saw this and immediately teared up and raced to Newbury Park to grab him before anyone else did. Blessed? I think so!

OK, so let’s share a few throwback photos of our little Carlos! Here he is in his Christmas Sweater right after we got him! They grow up so fast!

And I will end this section with a fun picture of my kids with Cha Cha after her grooming today at Aloha. She is sooooo clean and fluffy.

Do you remember this piece that Sandy had just finished from the last ezine?  IT IS AMAZING….all Annie Sloan…Aubusson Blue, Svenska, Old White with a Royal Design Stencil and Bubble mermaid knobs.  This piece is a WORK of art!  I LOVE IT!

Can’t wait to get it priced and in the store…

Uh oh…..It has already sold!  Seriously?  Yes!  You must stop in and often so you don’t miss out on amazing pieces like this.

Let me wrap this up with a HUGE thank you for your continued support of me and my small business!  You are keeping us going and my gratitude is immense! THANK YOU  THANK YOU!!!

My mom is in town so please stop in and say HELLO!  Finally, a great photo from back on March 1st, 2020 before all of this madness began and we could all be together.

My team, from left to right.  Emma, Val, my mama, me, Indy, Cindy, and Peggy.  Sandy, where are you?????  Check her out in the photo after this one.

Since Sandy missed that group photo, here she is with Cha Cha in the store yesterday.  Hahahaha!  Cha Cha is bigger than she is!

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

eBay with Heart & Design with Heart……Lynn

 

P.S. All of the professional photos I use on Instagram, Facebook, and in these newsletters were taken by my friend Denise’s daughter, Jaclyn Sabo. She is amazing! To learn more about Jaclyn….https://www.jaclynszabo.com/

P.P.S. If you have a friend who wants to sign up for this newsletter.
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P.P.P.S For those of you who don’t live close to Ventura…don’t forget you can shop our store online!
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/