I have my own personal Bermuda Triangle!
I grew up in Bellingham, Washington (BLI), raised my kids and lived in Palm Desert for 16 years (PSP), and now live in Ventura.

I just returned from a 10-day busman’s holiday (working vacation) in all 3 of my hometowns!  I am so confused now, I don’t know where I am!  LOL!

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #27…

September 25th, 2020
Watch for it every Friday or every other Friday!
(OK I am a day late this week….Sorry it is Saturday this time)
Volume I  Issue 27

 

Here I am with my Palm Desert friends (Candy, Mo, and Kel) getting ready to leave Palm Springs for our 5th annual vacation to my mom’s beach house in Bellingham!  AND the FUN begins!

The flight to Bellingham was empty and very non-eventful.  I might even say it was enjoyable.  When we landed my mom was there to pick us up and she even brought flowers!

We spent that first-day having lunch in Bellingham and hanging out of my mom’s deck.  She usually has a beautiful view but due to the fires, we could barely see Lummi Island.  I will share a photo of a past trip to show you how beautiful it is.  This is from year one of our annual trips back in 2016.

OK!  Time for a Serious eBay score before I get to the rest of my crazy 10-day trip!  Do you remember from the last newsletter where I shared the Herend figurines that my high school bestie (Tina Burke Brown) shipped me to sell on eBay for her?  If you missed that ezine here is a link. 

Well, those pieces have been a total score!  Check this one out that sold for the most…..you won’t even believe this?

The store is looking really good!  Thank you to Sandy, Val, and Peggy!  Way to go girls!

Here I am with my dream team!  Sandy, Peggy, me and Val…Love you gals!  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Cindy (as part of my dream team) but she works in the back on eBay so wasn’t in this photo.  I am very grateful and blessed to have you all on my TEAM!

Letting me take off 10 days all in a row was a dream….although, if you know me, I worked every day either on eBay, ordering new gift items or answering texts/emails.

It is an illness…I LOVE my job and therefore working on vacation is like “not” really working! My grandmother always said…”if you follow your passion, the money will follow”. She was and still is RIGHT ON! Here is one of my favorite pictures of my grandmother, Cheryl Leaf, entrepreneur extraordinaire!

Just a reminder of our current store hours…..
Tuesday to Sunday 11 to 3. Saturdays from 11 until 5 pm.
We do stay late if there are customers so if you are in the area check us out to see if we are still open after 3 pm.

The yellow front window was such a hit! I can’t even believe how much has sold out of it. Here is one last look at it before we transition to green.

For our annual girl’s trip, we always fly out of PSP…it is the best little airport ever.  I left Ventura on Saturday, September 12th to head out to Palm Springs.  We flew out on the morning of 9/13 and I have caught you up with some of our goings-on, but before we get to the green window, let me continue.

Day 2 of our Girl’s trip was spent in the tiny little town of Lynden.  Here is a photo from one of my recent Instagram posts during my Bellingham visit this past August.  It is interesting because it gives a little bit of the history of Lynden and how it plays into my family history.

That is me, my mom, my brother Lee, Indiana, and Brandon.

Here is what I wrote about that Instagram post from August 3rd of 2020…..

Standing in front of my great grandparents’ home in Lynden, Wa. They built it in 1939 on Grover Street. My great-grandpa owned Sussex Motors, the Ford dealership, on Front Street for many years. #lynden #smalltown #bellingham #family #threegenerations

More to add, both my mom and dad taught High School in Lynden, Wa when they first graduated from WSU back in the late 1950’s.  My great uncle Houston (Cheryl Leaf’s brother) also lived in Lynden for a while and owned a gas station.  Guess where I got my son’s name from?  LOL….LOVE the family history behind his name (we are related ot Sam Houston) Lots of memories in Lynden for my mom and my family.

For some reason, my Palm Desert besties LOVE Lynden, so this past week we did make our trek there and this is my favorite photo from that visit.  Can you even believe these hanging basket trees?  They are OFF THE CHARTS!  Ventura, we need some of these in Midtown to set us apart.  Not a bad idea?

Let’s take a second to share some of the fun amazing new items that have come into the store recently!  Check out the new arrivals by clicking this link.

We have also taken in some amazing couches.  Check out this darling Ethan Allen Floral, this super chic outdoor sofa, the Natuzzi fine grain leather, and the super comfy sectional.  The sectional has sold, but the others are still available!

OMG!  Check out this Leather Restoration Hardware Sectional we got in today.  Like new and only $2,995.  This one will go fast!  Stop in and see it today!

Time for an eBay score! This is a piece that my grandmother gave me. I LOVE it! Well, I did love it and enjoyed it for many years. It is almost like a dressed snow baby in real fur…and it is bisque and antique. Hard to describe, but you can read the description in the eBay listing here.

I was asking $1,000 for it and took an offer that was around $500.

OK, shall we get back to the new green front window or the rest of the girl’s trip?  Not sure where I should go now…BUT, I am feeling the green front window for some reason.

OK, this window is a work in progress.  When I returned from vacation I hit the ground running.  I had asked Sandy to gut the yellow window on Tuesday I returned and was working from home on eBay.  She did a great job and Wednesday, Val and I threw (literally at 5 pm when we finally got around to decorating) the green stuff in the window.  I am not entirely happy with how it has turned out YET…so will only share this one side photo.

Once I feel that it is perfect, I will make a point to drive by at night in the dark and take a proper photo.  LOL!  But seriously that is the TRUTH.  It has to be perfect!  Today, Val and I added some twinkly white lights, some expandable greenery, amazing nightstands Sandy painted in Amsterdam Green, and some darling butterflies….. so I think I can get that night shot pretty soon!

Had to show you one of those nightstands that Sandy painted.  Sooooo beautiful and only $149.50 each.

Back to Bellingham… For each year’s trip, my mom and I want to share a new experience with our guests!  This year, we decided to head over to Orcas Island for the day.  Well, let me tell you this…it turned out to be one heck of a LONG day!  Just remember that Washington was super smokey from all of the fires.

We arrived in Anacortes for our 10:30 am ferry to Orcas.  The ferry was over 1 1/2 hours late leaving Anacortes because of the poor visibility.  We made the best of it and here we are on the Ferry!  You can barely see Shaw Island behind us…that is how bad the visibility was.

We had a blast on Orcas.  We had lunch at the Lower Tavern, headed to Rosario to check it out (ghost town), and wound up at the Orcas Island Pottery.

My mom has been talking about the Orcas Island Pottery for years!  She bought a coffee mug there about 20 years ago and it recently broke.  She was heartbroken and couldn’t wait to get back there.  The place was magical!  I can’t believe I have never been there.  My mom said it was her “Disneyland”.  Check her out!

My mom is redoing her kitchen and we both thought that some of the Orcas Island Pottery tiles would be amazing in her kitchen.  I told her that I would buy her 16 as a start to her collection.  Check them out here in her kitchen in Bellingham where she is playing with the design….aren’t they amazing?

My first thought when I saw them and all of the other pottery was this…How can I source this and bring it back to all of you here in Ventura at a reasonable price?  Remember, I am a former buyer for May Co., Cheryl Leaf Antiques, eBay, etc… Actually, I am not a former buyer…I have always been a BUYER…so was just following my passion.

I did my research and guess what?  Coming in the next few days…You too can own a piece of “Orcas Island Pottery” in the form of one of these tiles (use for a trivet, wall decor, or backsplash for only $19.95.  So excited to share these with you!

After the pottery, we headed over to my friend Hank Maarse’s home on Orcas. Hank is one of my best friends from USC.  Years ago, I was telling Hank about Orcas Island and he told his mom Clara.  Next thing you know, the Maarse family owns three houses on Orcas!!!

Hank and his family weren’t on Orcas, but we took a bottle of wine and had some cocktails on his deck.  Check out how smoky it is here as well.

I have many fond memories of time spent at this home with Hank, his mom, and his dad Jacob (of the famous Jacob Maarse florist in Pasadena).  Here is a fun picture of us in the kitchen from my ezine written in 2009.  If you want to check out that ezine, you can find it here.

Here we are in the Maarse’s Orcas Island Home.  Hank, Ana, their son Jacob, Jacob Maarse, me, and Houston.

OK, one more eBay score.  Oh, wait….let’s talk about the super fun picture that popped up in my time hop from 5 years ago today!  It is Indiana riding on the back of a convertible after she was voted Homecoming Princess at Xavier College Prep.  Too cute Indy!

And I would be remiss in not posting a photo that also popped up from five years ago of Goose (aka Houston).  He had just won the election for Freshman class President at Pepperdine.  I was (and still am) so proud of both of my kids!

OK, now for the final eBay score.  It is a Cherub antique lamp part that I bought for $5 at an estate sale.  Sold for the full price of over $200!  Check it out here.

Before I forget, a miracle happened two weeks ago.  My neighbor, Mo, finally graced us with her presence in the store.  Seriously, we have been open 2 1/2 years and she emailed me two weeks ago to say, “I love those baskets in your newsletter, I am coming into the store today”.  Well, let’s just say, I didn’t hold my breath.

And yes, she did actually show up, and even more miraculous, she bought stuff!  Thanks Mo!  LOL Hahahahaha

Yikes!  Before I forget, please please please please VOTE for us for BEST OF VENTURA 2020.

Last year we made it to 2nd place in the category Home Furnishings! Thank
you for your support…. It means the world to me!!!!!

This year we made it onto the ballot again in category #13
Home Furnishing Stores for The Ventura County Reporter’s 35th Annual
Best Of Ventura County!

Please vote for us at HERE.

Here are the IMPORTANT rules…

1. One online ballot per person.
2. Ballots must have at least 10 completed categories.

Ballots will be accepted through 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

To find Lynn’s Consignments Fun Home Furnishings scroll to Category #13.

Thank you so very very much for helping and let’s hit #1!

But I digress, let’s get back to our last day in Bellingham…Wednesday the 16th.  I have missed my nephews so much and it was so great to see them last month but I was hoping we could see them this trip as well.  I was in luck!  Their dad, John, brought them up around noon on our last day.

We had soooooo much fun!  We ate pizza, played trivia and truth or dare with Alexa!  Here are the boys cracking up while we play Truth or Dare.  Just a heads up….for those of you who read on Facebook that I was sad that “club penguin” was no more or saw those “feet” on my Insta story….that was all for the Truth or Dare game 🙂

While the boys were at my mom’s we face timed Houston and he actually answered!  It is a Christmas miracle!  He was (of course) on a bike ride and this is what it looked like.  So fun!

Before the boys left, we got one family picture out on the smoky deck.  They are both getting so tall, it is crazy!

Time for a potential eBay score!  And this takes me right back to Palm Springs.  We flew back to PSP on Thursday, the 17th, and immediately hit some estate sales.  Fun fun!  I bought a bunch of Baccarat, Waterford, and Orrefors Christmas ornaments and some amazing oil paintings.  I will share more about the oil paintings once I have them listed on eBay.

One of the larger ones is in the green front window.  It is on canvas and I have not priced it yet.  Still doing my research and I may end up selling it on eBay.  My friend Coco has been helping me research it and we can find nothing.  Here is a photo of it and it is signed by Hoeckmann.  Anyone knows anything, please let us know.

Ooops!  Forgot about the potential eBay score.  Here is one of the Christmas Ornaments that I have listed on eBay.  I paid $6 each so I am pretty sure I will make at least 10x what I paid for the bunch!  Yipppppeeeee!

Here is a link to check it out.

Here is a recent Instagram post from Annie Sloan Home with a gorgeous lamp in Green. I LOVE this and it is really in line with our upcoming Green window.

I had to laugh when I pulled up Annie’s Instagram page and read what she had written about the “occasional bad joke”  LOL.  She is such a cool chick and has a great sense of humor!  Another thing I loved from her Bio is this line “Supporting fabulous indie shops globally”.

I LOVE that I am one of her fabulous “indie” shops!  Annie is such a staunch supporter of small, local businesses owners and I am so beyond blessed to be able to carry her wonderful paint and entire product line!  Thanks ANNIE!

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website……….

Shop Annie Sloan Here
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Annie%20Sloan?sort=HL

Sandy moved the yellow window inside the store to one of the vignettes and it looks FABULOUS! Love that we can continue our color themes inside the store! How fun and cheerful is this?

Carlos was NOT happy that I left him “home alone” for 10 long days.  Of course, I had someone checking on him morning and night.  Still way too long for an 11 month to be alone.  He was so happy to see me that he got a little comfortable on his back.  Do these pictures crack you up?  They do me!

I text those photos to the Palm Desert girls and look what I got back.  LOL HAHAHAHA!  Similar poses from two of their dogs.  That is Candy’s dog Peaches and Kel’s dog Zoey.  I guess the “Pet Yoga” pose challenge has begun!

Cindy’s son David is the one who watches Carlos when I am away.  He does an excellent job!  Here is a photo of Carlos outside in his “new” pink harness.  Isn’t he handsome?

In a week, Indy and I will be picking out our new puppy!  OMG, what is Carlos going to think?  Yikes!  My house is going to be crazy fun really soon!  Here are a few photos of the litter that we will be picking from.  Goldendoodles are just tooooooo cute!  The puppy will probably be coming to work at the store with me a few days a week, so please stop by and say hi!

I have been really missing my kids.  Who would have thought that was even possible?  I did stop by and take Indy dinner (Chin Chin’s) on the final leg of my Bermuda Triangle journey this past week (as I drove from Palm Desert back to Ventura…she is in Agoura Hills).

Houston isn’t so easy to see in person.  I did send him some of the new Baggu masks (since apparently he only had one to wear to teach school in person in OKC).  This is the “scary” photo he sent me with a “THANK YOU THE MASKS ARE AWESOME” text.  LOL!  Boys!

Funny how his map is of the east coast and mine at the start of the ezine is the west coast.  I wonder if they would match up and make the entire US?  In any event, these amazing masks are for sale on our website here.  Free shipping!

Indiana has been super busy preparing for her lead in the Fall play, “Polar Bears, Black Boys, and Prairie Fringed Orchids”.  She plays Maggie.  It will be live-streamed for free next weekend.

Get your Tickets Here. The performance is virtual and it is free! Let’s support these kids who have all worked so hard!

Here she is in one of her wardrobe changes and her “Maggie” wig. I think she looks beautiful! Go Indy!

She was also a guest on LA Talk Radio with Dr. Tongie last week.  When I get a link to the replay I will include it in an ezine.  She killed it!  I was (and am) so proud of her!  Here is the promo photo for the show.

Alrighty then, I was not going to write a lot this week since I am so behind in all of my other “work”.  Oh well! You must realize (by now) that I tend to write a lot.  I get started and just can’t stop!   A few last things before I wind this up.

My good friends, Linda and Brita from Red Rooster Vintage in Redlands (fellow Annie Sloan Stockists) were featured on the Brett Waterman show “Restored” this past Wednesday night.  Love his show!  And the girls were awesome on air!  They will be on more episodes this year along with Annie Sloan….can’t wait for that one!  Sometime in January, they tell me!

And last, but definitely not least!  We have a new consignor who is EXTREMELY talented and way too modest.  Her name is Suzanne and she is an incredible artist.  She was ahead designer for Disney and also Universal Studios.  She designed the Harry Potter ride at Universal.  Seriously?  She is AMAZING!!!!

She has taken up weaving and uses only recycled yarns from thrift stores etc.  It is all done by hand and one of her creations can take up to 60 hours to complete.  Here she is in the store with a work in progress.  Her pieces are works of art and I know (mark my words) they will be worth a LOT of MONEY someday!

Here is one of her pieces that we have for sale in the store right now.  You must see it in person as it is beyond amazing.  It is also available on our website with free shipping.  Click here to purchase now.  You won’t be sorry!  Actually, you will thank me someday!

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

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.

We got some really great news this past week!
Val is back to work 🙂
As you know, Ron has beaten cancer!!!!!
and she is able to be back in the store!
Hallelujah we sure did miss her!

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #26…

September 11, 2020
Watch for it every Friday or every other Friday!
Volume I  Issue 26

 

I have received quite a few inquiries as to which days Val will be working…you can stop in and see her on Wednesdays, Fridays, and the occasional Saturday.  Welcome back Kotter!  Oops, I mean Valerie!

Sandy had a great idea to surprise Val with balloons and flowers.  I also managed to pick out a nice bottle of Chardonnay for her.  Here she is in the back parking lot with her loot!  And getting a hug from Adolio….the last photo shows her getting a hug from Adolio back on March 1st of 2019 during our one-year anniversary!  Seems like Eons ago.  Am I right?

Does anyone else feel like it is almost Christmas?  Not sure why I am feeling this, but it certainly seems like we all want 2020 to be over sooner rather than later!  And also that many of us are skipping Halloween and rushing right into Christmas.

We have been selling gift items like crazy in the store!  It has been so much fun to help y’all (I apparently miss Houston who is in OKC so please forgive my y’all) shop for Christmas in September!

We are getting in a ton of new gift lines, so please stop in and check us out!  Here is one of the items that will be arriving in mid-October.  Does this wrap up the year or what?  Presale for this little guy can be found here.  Santa with Face Mask is only $21.99!  He is blown glass from Old World Christmas and the detail is amazing!

New gift lines that we will be carrying in the next few months are La LaVande soaps, Royal Design Stencils, Old World Christmas, and a “surprise” line of Candles.

I will feature a new vendor in each of my newsletters.  This week it will be La LaVande French Milled Soaps.

This is from their about me page.

“The concept of La Lavande began in the early 1980s out of our family’s desire to bring the finest French soaps to the United States. While my husband was teaching music in France we were inspired by the variety and quality of scented soaps available. Because of my family’s sensitive skin, we were impressed by the mildness of the soap as well as its long-lasting quality. In 1986 inspiration became reality as we began to manufacture and distribute soaps from Provence. Today we are honored to be one of the earliest family businesses importing French soaps to the U.S. and other markets and we remain as hands-on with our business as when we first began. We produce pure vegetable hard milled soaps in keeping with the time-honored tradition of French soap making.

It was our concept in the beginning, as it is still is, to produce the finest quality French soaps while keeping our packaging simple and using recyclable materials to minimize waste and landfills. To this day we do our utmost to keep our footprint small.

— Robin Cunningham”

Soooo excited to have these soaps, sachets, and other items arrive next week!

We tested some Kilim pillow shams in August and they were such a hit, that we have a HUGE order coming in next week.  I was able to source these at an incredible price and we are passing the savings on to you….

I forget that for the majority of my life I have been a buyer.  First for my grandmother’s antique store, then for May Company Los Angeles where I bought comforters/bedding accessories with a 12 million dollar annual budget, still buying/sourcing for eBay and now I can put those well-honed buying skills to great use here in Ventura!

This pillow covers retail for $29.95 to $39.95.  Just a few of these pillows can completely change and update your look.

Here is a sample of what they look like.

OK, enough about the fun goings-on in the store.  Let’s see what has sold recently on eBay!

Do y’all remember this Awaji vase/candle holder from my grandmother’s antique store that I wrote about a few months ago?

Well, my research paid off and I just took the best offer of $100 for it!  Whoooooopppppeeee!  Check it out here.

Just a reminder of our current store hours…..
Tuesday to Sunday 11 to 3. Saturdays from 11 until 5 pm.
We do stay late if there are customers so if you are in the area check us out to see if we are still open after 3 pm.

The yellow front window has been such a hit! I can’t even believe how much has sold out of it. I was going to change it out to green this past week, but we have decided to let our winning hand ride…just like in Vegas. So, it will be yellow for a few more weeks and then on to green!

Just looking at this picture from the first night it was finished, we have sold the Don’t Walk sign, 7 pillows from the couch, 3 throws, the large canvas artwork on the wall, the yellow child’s sun hat (I didn’t really need to mention that it was yellow did I?), the rabbit picture under the lamp, tons of smalls from the cabinets and the chair that the yellow hat was hanging from. WOW!

Customers have told me that this window makes them smile! Another good reason to leave it for a bit longer. Right?

We have been getting in so many great consignments.  Seriously!  Check out this Mid Century Modern Desk and Vanity by Bernhard Pedersen and Son Denmark from the 1960’s.  It is a BEAUTY and very RARE!

Check out this hidden secret vanity.  What a great Christmas gift this would make!  Not going to last long.  Come in and see it in person before it is gone!

Let’s take a second to share some of the fun amazing new items that have come into the store recently!  Check out the new arrivals by clicking this link.

We have also taken in some amazing couches.  Check out this darling Ethan Allen Floral, this super chic outdoor sofa, the Natuzzi fine grain leather, and the super comfy sectional.

Time for an eBay score!  This is an interesting piece and for some reason, I can’t remember exactly where I got it.  I think I bought it at an estate sale for $5.00.  In any event, I did my research and these usually don’t sell for more than $20.  I still priced it super high (my modus operandus) and took the best offer of $50 for it a few days ago.  Check it out here.

I have been going a little bit crazy over at Pier One as they wind up their going out of the business sale.  I have purchased about 25 etageres and some we have spray painted white and others we have left brown.  Such a huge improvement to showcase our amazing inventory!

Here is what the Annie Sloan section looks like.

Here is one of the smaller etageres with our amazing new rugs on it.  These rugs are an amazing value and sell for between $14.95 to $34.95 with most around the $20 price point.  OMG, I sound like a department store buyer!  Which I was….falling back into old but good habits :)!

I LOVE these new fixtures because not only do they make the store easier to shop, but we can also push a few outside every day.  THANK YOU Sandy for finding these awesome fixtures!

Here are another one of the taller etageres that we are using in a vignette to hold unique consigned items.  FUN!  Thanks to Kel and Mo for doing this display when we broke down the orange front window display!

I finally broke down and bought my daughter a new phone!  LOL!  But seriously she was walking around with an iPhone SE that is about 2″ by 1″.  She is super creative and she needs to have a phone that she can create with.  I got her the 11 and she had to drive home to Ventura to pick it up.  See, I had an ulterior motive for buying her the phone….I got to see her!

We went out to Casa Bella (delicious) for dinner and then had the bright idea to get up early and go on a bike ride at 9 am on Sunday.  This past Sunday (mind you) was the one that was about 90 degrees and unbearably hot….the one that almost set records.  Seriously, I almost passed out, but it was fun and I am proud of both of us for going for it!

Another great gift that is coming her, and my and Houston’s way, is going to be a Goldendoodle Puppy in less than 3 weeks!  YAYA.  Here is one of the puppies that she will be picking from.  Is she soooooo darling?

Oh, before I forget, I did some more great product sourcing for y’all.  See I told you I missed Houston.  Kazi is one of my favorite product lines that we carry and for so many reasons.  The hand-woven African baskets are not only beautiful, but they provide a living wage for so many families.

From their website,

“We founded Kazi on the belief that every individual on this planet deserves the right to provide for their family, not through charity, but through their talents and skillsets, with pride and joy.  We’ve taken a modern approach to a traditional craft, wanting to bring soft woven textures into your home while keeping luxe design in mind.”

Please join me in supporting this amazing company.  But back to my sourcing….once a year Kazi has a sample sale and I was one of the first to order these unique one-off pieces that NO ONE else will be able to own.

Here is a photo of the shipment that arrived last night.  I still haven’t had time to price them.  They were sold at deep discounts and I can’t wait to pass those saving on to you.

You can see some of these fans in the boxes, but here is an up-close photo of the 19 bright multi-colored handmade fans that will be for sale in the store tomorrow.  Can’t wait to do a display with these!!!!

OK, one more eBay score.  Oh, wait….let’s talk about the surprise visit from my eBay friends Tiki Jason and Staci this past Wednesday.  They drove out from Las Vegas and we got to hang out and grab some drinks at Ventiki.  Always fun to see Staci and Jason!  Here we are at the restaurant.

OK, now for the final eBay score.  It is a Joan Rivers long necklace that I bought about 4 years ago at an estate sale in Palm Desert.  Didn’t pay more than $10 for it.  Just sold it for the best offer of $110 Australian dollars this week!  Yipppeeeee!  Check it out here.

For those of you who are consignors and for those of you who are not…just a huge heads up!  We need DESKS and anything that can be used as a DESK.  All of this homeschooling and work from home has created a HUGE shortage.   Please help us out!   Also, anything that is GREEN!  We will change out the window to Green starting Tuesday, September 22nd! 

Yikes!  Before I forget, please please please please VOTE for us for BEST OF VENTURA 2020.

Last year we made it to 2nd place in the category Home Furnishings! Thank
you for your support…. It means the world to me!!!!!

This year we made it onto the ballot again in category #13
Home Furnishing Stores for The Ventura County Reporter’s 35th Annual
Best Of Ventura County!

Please vote for us at HERE.

Here are the IMPORTANT rules…

1. One online ballot per person.
2. Ballots must have at least 10 completed categories.

Ballots will be accepted through 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

To find Lynn’s Consignments Fun Home Furnishings scroll to Category #13.

Thank you so very very much in helping and let’s hit #1!

Time for a potential eBay score!  My really good friend from high school, Tina Burke Brown, text me the other day with this photo.  She said, “does anyone care about these?”  Well, I knew what they were immediately….Herend figurines from Hungary and usually worth a good chunk of change!  YES, WE CARE ABOUT THESE!

I immediately text her back and said, “ship to me and I will sell for you on eBay”.  Well, they just arrived and all in one piece!  Way to go Tina 🙂  I have only had time to list one of the elephants, as I have been super busy getting the store ready for Christmas.  Here is a link to a potential score for both Tina and me in the making.

Here is a recent Instagram post from Annie Sloan Home with a gorgeous lamp in Green.  I LOVE this and it is really in line with our upcoming Green window.

I had to laugh when I pulled up Annie’s Instagram page and read what she had written about the “occasional bad joke”  LOL.  She is such a cool chick and has a great sense of humor!  Another thing I loved from her Bio is this line “Supporting fabulous indie shops globally”.

I LOVE that I am one of her fabulous “indie” shops!  Annie is such a staunch supporter of small, local businesses owners and I am so beyond blessed to be able to carry her wonderful paint and entire product line!  Thanks ANNIE!

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website……….

Shop Annie Sloan Here
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Annie%20Sloan?sort=HL

We also just received the new Fall 2020 releases from Iron Orchid Designs….their Stamps and Moulds. There are some really cool stamps with new letter fonts, Santa Claus and Evergreen trees and a sea shell mould! These are available for sale on our website with free shipping! Check them out here.

Carlos has been getting too used to having me home.  Wednesday night I was out until 9 pm with Tiki Jason and Staci and when I got home, he was pissed!  Wouldn’t let me out of his sight.  Ughhh.  I am going away for a few days soon and I hate to leave him alone (not really), but he is NOT going to like it.

Here he is NOT leaving me alone while I try and work on the computer.  How cute is he?

I decided to get a new coffee table for my living room and OMG, it is beyond awesome!  Totally changes the entire look of the room and makes it seem way more beachy.  I bought it at Lynn’s Consignments….go figure!  You know, you really should vote for that store for the BEST OF VENTURA!  LOL  Please and thank you!

Oh and that coffee table…it got the Carlos stamp of approval!

One of my really great friends has always had cats.  Lori is kind of known as the “cat lady”.  She told me about a cool thing you can buy for your window so that your cat/or cats can hang out.  I immediately bought one.  How cute is Carlos chillin in his window hammock?

I will be heading out to Palm Desert for a sourcing trip soon and taking a little detour to Bellingham to hang out with my mom.  Can’t wait to see what treasures I can pick up.  Wish me luck!  The Palm Desert girls will be joining me in Bellingham on our 5th annual trip to my mom’s beach house and to hang out on the biggest deck on the beach.

Here we are during our 1st trip up there.  Crazy that this was back in 2016 and my Dad was still alive.  This picture comes from an ezine I wrote in October of 2016.  Here is a link to that ezine if you want to read the entire thing.

This picture was taken behind the Fairhaven Fire House that was up for sale and a location I was considering to put my new store….”Lynn’s Consignments”  Isn’t that crazy that only 4 years ago I had no idea that Ventura would even be in my sightline?

From left to right, Audrey (my first employee at Cheryl Leaf Antiques and a good friend), her daughter Anabelle, Kel, me, my dad, Candy, my mom, and Mo hiding behind her.

This September marks the 25th anniversary of eBay.  Pierre Omidyar founded eBay in September of 1995.  I started selling on eBay in September of 1998.  Crazy!  In any event, a ton of pictures have been popping up in my time hop from this week a few years ago.  In the past (pre covid) eBay always had the most amazing celebrations.  Here are a few pictures of those “good old days”.

Mo, me, and my mom at the 20th year celebration.  Now, that was fun!

At that same celebration, the headliner musical group was Elle King….sooo much fun!

And here is a picture from long ago….when eBay did those “eBay on Locations” and I was flown around the country to appear on stage with Griff and a panel of other sellers. Those were such fun times! I can’t remember what year that was, but I am thinking 2009….anyone knows for sure? What city was this one in?

Alrighty then, I was not going to write a lot this week since I am so behind in all of my other “work”.  LOL.  You must realize (by now) that I tend to write a lot.  It is actually fun and therapeutic for me.  A few last things before I wind this up.

I had a little shindig for my Ventura peeps last week.  Here we are (socially distancing on my deck).  From left to right, Steve, me, Sandy and Joanne.  Love these people!

And one last photo of Indy stopping by the store and meeting Joanne’s daughter Alana for the first time.  I have had all of my good college friends and Spain roommate Joanne’s daughters work for me.  Katie, Vivienne and now Alana.  Alana just started and she is a doll.  Stop by and meet her on any given Sunday.  LOL.

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

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.

Who wants to know how those Head Vases Sold?

I will update you a bit later, but let’s just say they have already paid for themselves!

So my mom’s real birthday was celebrated in Bellingham on the 18th.  I am taking the time here to share some photos of her birthday’s past.

Here we are on August 18th, 2018 (right after moving to Ventura) and celebrating with a few of our favorite customers/consignors Leslie and John Mackey at their Octoberfest party held on John (Mac’s) birthday…which also happens to be August 18th!

Pictured from left to right, Sue, my mom, Paula (Steve’s mom), Dar, not sure, Steve, and finally not sure!

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #25…

August 28th, 2020
Watch for it every Friday or every other Friday!
Volume I  Issue 25

That party was so much fun!  And I met so many new people who would eventually become my good friends.  How cool is that?  Ventura is just that kind of a town.  I have only lived here 2 1/2 years and yet, it feels like forever!

Here is another photo from the party…this one is Mac and my Mom celebrating with their birthday cakes.  You can see Leslie right behind both of them and the amazing Polka band behind her!

The Mackey’s were sooooo sweet to include my mom in Mac’s birthday celebration.  BTW, the Mackey’s have moved into a home with no yard.  I offered to host this year’s Oktoberfest at my home and Leslie even had the Polka band booked….but then…COVID!  Yes, COVID really should be a 4 letter word!

One more last photo from that EPIC party two years ago on August 18th….and I do MEAN epic.  Here are my kids getting ready to head over to the Mackey’s house.  Leslie and John were so kind and let me invite Houston’s roommates from his Pepperdine year abroad which he spent in Heidelberg, Germany.

Left to right…Indiana, Emma (this was the first time I met Emma!!!!), Reilly, Houston, and Alec.

I text my friend Steve this picture and he had the best comment….”The kids look like a John Hughes Movie Cast”.  SOOOOO True and HILARIOUS!

O.K., one last picture from that super fun party!  It is from my Instagram account.  Please follow me at LynnDralle.  To get in the spirit of the party, everything I wore to the party I had purchased in Heidelberg…the hat, shirt, jeans, and even my shoes!  LOL

From left to right, Alec (Pepperdine class of 2017 Valedictorian), Reilly (Houston’s best friend), Emma (Houston’s girlfriend), me, my mom, Houston, and Indiana (wearing my Heidelberg sweatshirt).

After that party, Steve and his mom, Paula and my mom got to be really good friends and we would go on “play dates”.  Steve’s mom passed away this year right as Covid was starting.  We sure loved her and miss her!  She was into Beanie Babies and back in 1998, my brother and I wrote some books on Beanie Babies.  One of our books was published by Scholastic and sold 150,000 copies.  BTW, I did all the artwork by crayon for the book…it was my design…did you know I wanted to go to art school?  and my dad wouldn’t let me….I am sure I have told you that before…..

Yikes!  I gave a copy to Paula shortly after this party and a few days ago, Steve text me this photo and said “I think my mom liked your book”.  Awwww…we miss you Paula!

OK, that was a fun walk down memory lane…so back to reality and the store.

Just a reminder of our current store hours…..
Tuesday to Sunday 11 to 3. Saturdays from 11 until 5 pm.

We do stay late if there are customers so if you are in the area check us out to see if we are still open after 3 pm.

Another reminder that this is what our front window looks like…with the neutral pallet of furniture that is staying in place. This all started back on July 22nd! Although, we did sell the cabinet on the left, the desk, and the round distressed mirror recently. We have been able to replace those items with more neutral pieces that are (believe it or not?) for sale…I really don’t like selling anything out of my front windows. LOL!

For the first two weeks, the window had red accessories.  It was a hit!  Here it is from the street at night.  The red window was in place from July 24th to August 5th.

On August 5th, we changed the front window out to orange accessories (this was right before I left for my recent Washington trip).  Here is a photo of that front window at night.

Do you remember from the last newsletter (ezine) that I begged you all to NOT buy that hall tree?  Well, NO ONE listened…It sold for full price last week!  Hahaha  Thank you for your business!

So, a lot has been going on.  Two of my best friends from Palm Desert arrived here for a visit this past Monday.  Our goal for the store…change that window to Yellow.  You do all realize what is going on here, right?  ROY G. BIV, remember that?  Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Here are my besties out for drinks at Limon y Sal with Sandy!

Their first day here, we sourced Yellow all over town!  Here is a picture of the new yellow window from the side.

And here it is from the front on the first day it was yellow, August 25th.  Thank God I took a photo that night because the next day we sold the “Don’t Walk, Walk” sign for $295, the huge piece of artwork on the wall, and three pillows from the couch.  Trust me…Yellow is the way to go!  Seriously, I might leave the yellow window up FOREVER.  Everyone seems to LOVE it!

OK, I think it is time for an eBay score.  Don’t you?

Check out this listing for a lamp part that I inherited from my grandmother.  It sold for almost $150. Yes, I really did say that.  And, WOW!  It is a shade of yellow 🙂

Let’s take a second to share some of the fun amazing new items that have come into the store recently!  Check out the new arrivals by clicking this link.

This past week should have been the first day of school for both of my kids.  Well, I guess it was, but not in the traditional sense.  I am sure most of you can relate.  Ughhhh!

Well, my time hop showed some fun first days of school from days past and I thought it would be fun to share them with you.  Thanks for indulging me!  I miss my kids sooooo much!  Although, it is nice to have my house back.  It is hard to go cold turkey with Houston being in OKC and Indy living in Agoura Hills.

Thank you for that walk down memory lane.  Let’s get back to the store.  Sandy had a great idea recently.  Well, she has a lot of great ideas…some of which I actually listen to.  LOL.  Since Pier One is going out of business (super sad), Sandy found some amazing etagere rolling racks that they were selling.  I ended up buying 18 of them for the store.  Yikes!  Here we are loading them into Sandy’s truck.

I decided that I wanted them painted white, so Sandy, Wayne, and I went to work.  We gutted the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Iron Orchid Design display and completely redid it.  I must say it is BEYOND AMAZING and looks so incredibly clean, neat, and professional.  I am so thrilled with how it turned out!  Please stop in and check it out in person.  It really is incredible!  Annie Sloan herself even commented on my Instagram post by saying “Looking good Lynn and I love the new Painter Hutch”  So very British!

One of my best friends from USC, Joanne Carolan, offered up her daughter Vivienne to work for me a few days this summer.  LOVE THIS KID!  She is super sweet and has a great sense of humor just like her parents.  Here she is in front of the paint section before we redid it.  She is now away for college at Northern Arizona University.  Go Viv!

I miss Indiana A LOT!  She has been super busy at Pepperdine (well at Pepperdine adjacent in Agoura Hills).  Here are some of her recent doings.  She is the current President of the Pepperdine Improv Toupe (PIT) and they have a live show this Friday (TONIGHT) at 6:30 PM.  Please check them out on Facebook.  Here is a link to their Facebook page.  And the live event.

Here is another photo of Indy on Instagram promoting PIT…Pepperdine Improv Troupe.  She has also been rehearsing for the Fall play (she has a lead role)…not sure how that will play out, but it may be a zoom performance.  I will be sure to get you all the links. Indy is amazing in the role of Molly in “Polar Bears, Black Boys, and Prairie Fringed Orchids.”

I love her post and I think she is getting pretty excited for the puppy that is coming our way soon!  Here is a recent photo of the puppies and one of these will be OURS…or HERS!

Let’s get back to eBay and those head vases that sold.  But since we are on the subject of eBay, I had some wonderful eBayers, Dublin Kim and Terri, come into the store to visit me this past week.  I have known these gals for almost 15 years.  Wow!  Here we are in front of the new paint display.  Thanks, girls!

Here is a photo of all of the head vases that were listed on eBay back in my storage room behind the store.  For those of you interested in seeing my eBay room, I am more than happy to show you how I get 14,000 items listed on eBay into a tiny 300 square foot area!

The head vase that sold for the most so far was the nurse that I pictured in the last ezine.  It ended up selling for $118.50.  I sold 10 of the vases at auction for a total of $490.43.  Not as much as I had hoped for but still a great initial return on a $360 investment.  Here is the head vase that sold for the next highest amount.  Check it out here.

For those of you who are consignors and for those of you who are not…just a huge heads up!  We need DESKS and anything that can be used as a DESK.  All of this homeschooling and work from home has created a HUGE shortage.   Please help us out!   Also, anything that is YELLOW!

Exciting News!  Baggu (who makes those amazing reusable bags that we sell), also makes masks!  The masks are now IN STOCK.  $32.00 for a set of 3.  My kids LOVE them!  Come in and check them out!

Time for another eBay score! I bought this Tommy Bahama embroidered men’s shirt in Santa Paula about 6 months ago for $25.  Sold it last week for over $100!  Yay!  Check it out here. 

Here is a recent Instagram post for a GORGEOUS Ombre Amsterdam Green Piece that has got me excited to try painting an Ombre piece!

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website……….

Shop Annie Sloan Here
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Annie%20Sloan?sort=HL

You know what is so weird?  Most of the last photos I have shown have been very GREEN.  Wouldn’t you know that in about 3 weeks we are going to be changing that front window to green!  So please bring in any YELLOW and GREEN items to consign.  Can’t wait for the fun next window!

Carlos has been very happy having me home!  It was also great to have my friends from the desert as house guests this week.  He SOOOOOO loves to have company.  Each night after work we would sit out on my deck with Carlos in his harness.  Not ready to let this guy go off on his own in the wild….yet.  Maybe never, as we love him too much.  Check him out hanging out in the sun.

I couldn’t find him the other day and I had to laugh when I saw him underneath one of my marble top tables.  The two Victorian Marble top tables that I own were my grandmother’s pride and joy.  I love trying to make them work into my design aesthetic (it isn’t always easy).  Here is Carlos wrapped around the feet of one of them.

Since Carlos is now 10 months old, I thought it would be fun to share a throwback photo of him when he was just a tiny guy.  He is still just a kitten as far as I am concerned.  Love this photo of the little guy in his Christmas sweater with Indiana!

My best friends from Palm Desert left yesterday to go back to the desert.  We are baseball mom friends since our boys have played ball together since they were about 5 years old.  The boys aren’t necessarily still friends, but our mom crew has been such a blessing!

Candy didn’t make it out this trip, but Mo (also my original and longest-running eBay assistant) and Kel did make the trip.  The gals were such great help and I was sad to see them go. For our last night, we headed down to the Saloon for drinks, got Gyros at that new place downtown, and wound up at Finney’s for a drink before our Uber home.  Here is a photo of Kel and me at the Saloon.

I so love that my friends from far and near LOVE Ventura.  It is so crazy that I picked such a great place to live!  I am sure my grandma, my sister, and my dad had something to do with guiding me here.  However, I am beyond BLESSED to be a part of this amazing community!

In my time-hop from only 3 years ago this week….THIS BLOWS MY MIND…was my first time ever stepping foot in Ventura.  I had traveled to Santa Barbara many times BUT never stopped here.  So, three years ago, after dropping Indy off at Pepperdine and having 3 days of parental orientation, my mom and I made our way to Ventura.

I obviously didn’t need three days of orientation since my son was in his Junior year at Pepperdine.  One of the Pepperdine security guards had mentioned to my mom and me that they lived in Ventura/Oxnard and commuted.  My mom and I decided to check it out!  We made our way to the Goodwill across from Rice by MAMA and the rest is history.

I fell in love with this town and am so happy here!  Check out this photo from three years ago of my mom crossing the street by the Goodwill.

Thank you, Ventura for supporting my small business! I appreciate it very much. Stop in and see us soon. Always lots of fun and shenanigans at the store!

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.