We are chomping at the bit to reopen.  Patiently waiting are Emma, Steve, Indy, me, Cindy, Joanne and Val.

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #17…

May 12, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 17

 

When the Governor lifted restrictions this past Friday, I was CERTAIN that he would allow larger stores with plenty of room for social distancing to open.  But NOOOOOOOO!  Not happy about this.  If liquor stores, hardware stores, Target, etc. can be open, then we should definitely be able to open with the safeguards we have in place  Let me know your thoughts on this one…..

Clearly, all small businesses (all businesses for that matter) must reopen soon to avoid economic disaster.  In addition to that HUGE reason, I am becoming very unmotivated and need the structure of my REAL life back.

These days, I find it very hard to get to the store before 11:30 am and find myself wanting to leave by 2 pm.  I prefer working from home as that is where my peeps are…Houston, Indy, Emma, and Carlos.

This photo was taken on the night before Mother’s day when Sandy brought us some amazing white fish that her fiance Doug had caught free diving that day.  It was amazing!  Thanks, guys 🙂

Another reason I don’t like to go to the store is that it is really quite sad to be in the store without YOU…our wonderful customers and consignors.  You always bring such joy, energy, and FUN to my day!  Where are you?

I had to smile at this photo that popped up from two years ago.  It was the first time I met one of our favorite customers/consignors, Jimmy Hibbler.  He totally matched one of our first vignettes and I just had to take a photo.  I will forever call him Jimmy Ventura….doesn’t that just seem to fit him perfectly?

Since we do sell Annie Sloan paint (and thank you to all of you who have been purchasing it!!!!), that makes our store considered Home Improvement and I may try to get the city/county to sign off on our reopening because of this.  My friends who own Red Rooster Vintage in Redlands were able to get their county to sign off on their reopening.  Fingers Crossed.

Here is a new project that Peggy is working on.  It is a corner cabinet that has some glass shelves and it does light up.  She is doing a Versaille rub on the base and then Country Grey over the top.  We will also decoupage some Botanicals on the back wall.  Should turn out great!  Can’t wait to see it finished~!

For those of you who noticed, I took my first week off from writing this new ezine last week.  It was a very nice break, but I missed the process.  Writing these is very therapeutic for me and I like that I have some type of “baby book” or memories for my kids to look back on someday.

The reason I took a break was that an opportunity arose to spend a few nights at a beach cottage.  I thought about it for all of one minute and away we went.  It was amazing!

Here are the kids wearing the “house jackets” the first evening.

During those days at the beach house/cottage, I took some time off, and for the first time in years, I actually read two books (one a day). I had texted one of my best friends from college, Juliette (but I call her Capretta), and said “can you recommend any good books”? Her text back was just a photo. LOL!

So I bought those books.  Both on eBay (way more reliable than Amazon these days)…..Here I am chilling on the deck and actually reading a book.  Amazing!  It took the Corona Virus for me to slow down and realize that I actually LOVE to read books.  I will not forget this lesson anytime soon!

We will get back to the Beach house later, but let me share a little bit about Juliette.  We met on a plane to Madrid, Spain during our Junior year at USC.  I hated (too strong of a word…. disliked) her on sight.  Not kidding, she was wild and crazy and I did NOT like her.  Turns out, she and I became super great friends and we even lived together after college.  She is like a sister to me (albeit a super neat one that drives me crazy).  They always said she was Felix and I was Oscar.  LOL.

Here is a story from my 4th 100 Best Book about Juliette and something fun I sold on eBay.

Before we get back to the Beach, let’s check out a recent eBay score!  Bought this Lladro figurine in Palm Desert back in March of 2017.  When I buy at estate sales, I usually buy by the table full and that is what I did for this figurine.  I put everything I am interested in on a table and then ask the dealer to make me a great price.  I learned this trick from my grandmother and it really works!  Just like buying in bulk.

I figure I paid about $5 for this guy.  He sold with the “send offer” feature for over $100.  Yippppeeee!

Check out the listing here.

Back to the beach, our time there was so relaxing.  The kids played a lot of corn holes.  We also played a bunch of board games.  How fun!

And we had a lot of home-cooked meals.  Steak, chicken, and lots of corn on the cob.  It was a blast and I want to go back.

When we returned from the beach, I got to be a guest on my friend Jason’s Youtube show.  As always, it was a blast.  If you missed it live this past Thursday night, you can catch it here.

Thank you to my Spain USC College Roommate (no I did NOT room with Juliette), Joanne Carolan, for sending me this photo from the live show!

On the show, we talked about how long we have been friends….14 years!  And the fact that he and his wife Staci are such good friends that they even helped repair a toilet in my house in Rancho Mirage…and as Staci remembered it was in a teenage boy’s room (Houston!).  Crazy!  Here are the dynamic duo working their magic.

This was one of my very first Instagram posts back in 2015.  Time flies!

After our Thrifty Business episode aired, Jason text me with this info.  So cool when we can actually help a fellow eBayer!

Another one of my long-time eBay friends, Joel Elad, popped up from out of the blue a few weeks ago with an email.  He and I had gone thrifting years ago out in Palm Desert and I had encouraged him to try and sell men’s clothing.  He still had the box full of clothing and wanted to know if he could ship it to me for free and I could have the clothes to list.  Sure!  Thanks, Joel.

Here is that box.  He also included a copy of his recent book!  Joel is a prolific author and has written soooo many books!  Actually, I first met Joel in 2005 at a meet and greet for Wiley authors.  We had both written books for Wiley.  The editors were all fussing over Marsh Collier (who wrote the eBay for Dummies book) and Joel and I quickly bonded over the utter lack of attention being paid to us.  LOL!

When I was looking for a photo to share of Joel and me, up came an ezine that I wrote in October of 2007.  This photo cracks me up because it was taken at eBay Live in Boston in 2007 and we were at the Wiley party celebrating Marsha Collier’s 1 millionth book being sold.  We kind of took over the party as you can tell from the photo!  We were considered the life of that party!

Pictured left to right, my best friend from high school Melanie’s good friend, Dee, Some random guy who let us throw his tie over his shoulder, Melanie, me, Joel, and my mom.  What a hoot that party was!

Here are a few more of the books that Joel has written.  Check out his books that are for sale on eBay here!

In that newsletter from October of 2007, was this very interesting section of my article.  Check it out here and if you want to read the entire newsletter it can be found here.

‘Unpack for Profit‘

by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’

OK, before I get started on this week’s adventure/article, I want to update you on what happened with the offer on the golf mugs from last week. One sold for $32.77 and the other for $26.77. Now, if you recall, I was offered $100 for both. I left $40.46 on the table. A bit of a disappointment, however, I still believe in my policy to NEVER add a Buy It Now and end an in-demand auction early.

I also received this great email from Kathy which made me feel better about my decision and policy:

Thanks to Kathy for the wonderful email!

One reason that I wanted to share that story is because I have an item up at an auction this week that is getting a lot of attention. I have already had one person ask me to end the auction and sell it to them right now. Not going to do that! This listing has 110 views and 10 watchers so far and I just listed it on Tuesday. It is a rare Royal Copenhagen piece. What do you think it is used for?

Here is a link to that listing.

Back to the store.  The hot colors right now in Annie Sloan paint seem to be the pinks.  Maybe because we are heading into Summer.  Not sure, but we have been selling a lot of Antoinette and Scandinavian Pink.  Check out this darling end table/nightstand done in Antoinette with some stenciling.  For sale at only $125.

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website, by text at 760-880-3535 or by phone at 805-628-3289. We are offering curbside pickup and free delivery in Ventura. You have no excuse to not start that project! LOL! Thank you to all of you who have placed orders! We really appreciate it!

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

We will be fully stocked on Friday when we receive a palette of paint from her warehouse in Tennessee tomorrow! Yippeeee! Lots of Annie’s great paint and wax brushes are also in stock. Treat yourself to a shiny new brush….Come on….you deserve it!

We also just received the Charleston Paint your Own Keepsake Box set.  It is an awesome deal at $79.95.  Order it here for curbside pickup or free shipping.

The Keepsake box features 120ml tins of Chalk Paint® in Rodmell, Tilton, Firle, along with two neutral colours: Original and Graphite. You’ll also receive one 120ml project pot of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax, a wax cloth, plus the Large Round and Large Flat Detail Brushes, and an inspiration guide. This is plenty of material to paint the box (comes with a paintable box) in a design of your own and more!

Firle: a fresh, zesty, and crisp green.

Rodmell: a dusty, damson purple.

Tilton: deep, bright mustard.

Let’s get back to eBay. Sold this humidor for the best offer of $80. What is amazing about this sale, is that the piece had a huge crack. I emailed the buyer to make sure they knew that before I shipped it and they were fine with it. Lesson learned, even “As Is” items can have real value. Here is a link if you want to learn more.

Right after we opened, I applied to become a Sid Dickens Memory Block dealer.  They turned us down as we were brand new and not quite established.  Here are what those memory blocks look like in my house. I collect these and love them!

Anyway, I reapplied this week and sent in all-new shots of the store.  Let me know what you think!  Fingers Crossed.

Robin tweaked the logo so that you can see the cat better on the first C.  Thanks Robin!

Carlos really missed us while we were away for a couple of nights…so much so that he clawed into my Natuzzi leather sectional.  I am NOT happy about this.  Does anyone know how to fix claw marks on leather?   Didn’t think so.  UGHHHH!

Thank God he is a cutie pie or else he wouldn’t be long for this world.  Here he is with Indiana when we first got him.  He is such a cute little kitty all dressed up for Christmas!

Here he is with Indiana a few days ago.  He is 7 months old now and still a kitten but so much bigger.  He has always been super long.

My love of orange tabby cats goes way back to my childhood in Bellingham.  The most recent orange tabby we owned was Kerouac.  When I was pulling that story of Juliette and me for the ezine, I happened to see the story right before it and it was about Kerouac.  Felt it was time to share about Kitty K.  So here is another story from my 4th 100 Best books.

I hope all of you Mother’s had a wonderful Mother’s Day!  I sure did!  The kids surprised me with a full-on Brunch complete with Mimosas and Diet Coke!

Before I forget, I should share that I did get all of the shirts that Joel shipped me for free listed on eBay.  Thank you, Joel!  I must admit though that I didn’t do a very good job of picking for him back in the day.  This is the shirt with the most views at 25, but no watchers.  Hopefully, something out of the box will sell.  Fingers crossed.

Check it out here.

Emma is working on opening a DePop shop to sell clothing.  Super proud of her for doing this.  She (as well as Houston and Indy) all have a great eye for fashion.  Here they are in the backyard during their first photoshoot.

What is really interesting to me is that DePop is more about the aesthetic of the shoot and how you showcase the clothing as opposed to eBay which is just “hurry up and take those photos as generically as possible”.

Here is more about DePop from their website.

“Depop is the fashion marketplace app where the next generation comes to discover unique items. With a global community buying, selling and connecting to make fashion more inclusive, diverse, and less wasteful. This is what transforming fashion looks like.”

Take care from Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   Just so you know, this will get better.  This too shall pass.  God has got this.  We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Indy, me, and my mom!

I have been meaning to tell you about the Kazi baskets that we carry in the store and I keep forgetting, so here it is.

• The Founders of Kazi set out to change the face of poverty in this lifetime, not
  just for the future generations of those they serve.
• From this, KAZI was born, focused on creating unique, beautiful products
  for the world to admire from talented artisans in remote regions previously
  without market access.
• Kazi believes women and men in rural areas in Africa can be
  agents of change for themselves, their families, and their
  community when given the proper training and consistent
  access to global markets. Their talents and gifts are incredible.
• At KAZI, we’re equipping and empowering women and men to succeed
  beyond their biggest dreams. Now, these women and men send their kids to
  school without traditional aid, through their own hard work.

We hope you join us on our journey to create a beautiful and fair world for everyone.

Kazi’s Mission:
We aren’t just bringing handcrafted things to your living room. We’re bringing you beautiful pieces that add life to your space and empower artisans to weave a better story for themselves.

Kazi is an amazing fair trade company that pays fair wages. Each basket comes with a picture of the actual artisan and tells their story. I love supporting this company!

Here is a link to shop the Kazi Baskets we have in stock. They are breathtakingly beautiful.

Here is an example of how amazing these baskets can look in a wall arrangement.  Of course, you don’t have to pack them as tightly as we did….just because we have limited display space.

They look great spaced out as well!   This photo was NOT taken in our store.  It is an example, but I am planning a vignette like this for when we reopen.  Very boho 1970’s and I LOVE it!  Maybe I will make it the new front window!

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.

 

Thought I would start off with the younger generation saying Hi!…..They are so cute!
Pictured Brandon, Indy, Houston and Emma….just chillin!  Hope you are as well!

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #16…

April 30, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 16

 

This time of year is always a bit tough for me.  My dad went into hospice this week three years ago.  On my time hop app there are so many pictures that remind me of that tough time.  He was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer on March 16th and passed away just seven weeks later on Cinco de Mayo….always a a hard one.  But as my stepmom Sue says, he wanted to make sure that he went out with a bang.  That was my dad, the ultimate prankster.

I was leaving Bellingham on April 28th to head back to Palm Desert and work.  My kids had just arrived to spend a week with my dad.  Houston flew in from Germany and Indy had just returned from New York.  Once they arrived, I knew my dad was in great hands…no one in the world he loved more than his grandkids.  As I said goodbye to my dad that evening, I insisted that we get one last family photo.  He was already in bed, so me, Houston, Indy and my nephews Zach and Kai rallied around.  I had no idea that it would be the last time I saw him.  He seemed so alive.

I would spend a week in California and I had a plane ticket to return on May 5th (cinco de mayo), my flight was at noon and at 7 am my phone rang.  My heart sank when I saw it was my brother calling from Whatcom County Hospice House.  “Dad passed away”.  We both started crying.  Surreal.  We have always been an incredibly close family.  My dad would be missing so much….Indy’s high school graduation was just 2 weeks away and she was the chosen speaker.  My heart was breaking!

He didn’t get to see Indy graduate from high school, but he did get to see Houston graduate from high school.  Here we are at Houston’ High School (Xavier College Prep) graduation party at Morton’s Steak House in Palm Desert in 2015.  Indy, me, Houston, my brother Lee, my dad, my mom, my friends Lori and Maureen.

It is so strange because on my time hop app for this same time period from a year ago, it shows Houston’s college graduation.  Same time, different graduation.  Here is Houston right after he received his diploma and he and Emma sitting together.  Yes, Houston and Emma met on the Washington D.C. Pepperdine Summer Semester!

When Houston was deciding on a college, he was torn between LMU (Loyola Marymount) and Pepperdine.  I knew in my heart he belonged at Pepperdine, but he didn’t see it.  My mom and dad also wanted him to choose Pepperdine.

Houston spent a lot of time agonizing over his decision, many trips out in the Kayak on the lake where we lived, in addition to driving the 6 hours round trip from Palm Desert to both schools early one morning to figure out where he belonged.  He finally decided on LMU and even attended their weekend orientation.

Several days later, I realized that the finances weren’t there for LMU and he was able to still accept the Pepperdine offer of admission.  Thank God!

What is really strange is that I had a flash of an image one day when Houston was deciding, it was my dad standing on a hill at Pepperdine watching Houston graduate.  It was so strange because my dad was still alive then, why wasn’t my dad with the crowds below?  I didn’t think much of it other than the fact that Houston was was meant to attend Pepperdine.

I took this photo on the day that Houston graduated and looking back up at the hills behind Pepperdine, I just know that my dad was there that day.

This is what Houston posted on Instagram after my dad passed away.

“Last summer my grandpa decided to teach me stick. This photo depicts him begrudgingly driving Indy and I to get ice cream after my miserable failure getting out of the first gear. As you may surmise, this would also be the last time he tried to teach me stick.

My grandpa died a couple days ago & it still doesn’t really feel real. Here’s a little tidbit about what he meant to me if you, my beloved Instagram follower, care to read.

Papa was the one who taught me to love baseball…and to love the Mariners. When I was old enough to play, he’d be there at all of the games he could…often times heckling the umpires, or even heckling my own teammates.

Perhaps most importantly, he taught me how to love fiercely by the way that he loved others, and the way that he loved me. Papa would just go up to strangers and start talking to them, striking up a conversation. I always wanted to be able to do that. He was like a father to me since I was a little kid. And now it’s just weird that he’s gone. I don’t really know how to feel. I just miss him a heck of a lot.

P.S.
For all of you religious folks out there who’ve read this far, prayers are always appreciated…just direct them up North towards Dr. Wayne Dralle, librarian from South Dakota, sports fan, and an altogether wonderful man.”

OK….enough about my dad. Thank you for letting me share about him and honor him here.

I also want to say that my prayers are going out to everybody that will not be having a real graduation this year because of Covid. It breaks my heart as I know how hard they all worked. I do believe that this will end soon and we will be able to celebrate these wonderful and deserving graduates in person.
Let’s talk about something fun now! How about an eBay score? Check out these strange Egyptian pendants. I can usually remember where I buy EVERYTHING, but for some reason I can not remember where I got these. Put them up as a LOT on eBay…too much work to part them out and listed them at $499 back in June of 2017. Strange that I chose to share this one as that was right after my father passed.

Here is a link to the listing.

Took a best offer of $250 yesterday! Yipppppeeeee!

I haven’t been working on the store as much this past week.   Instead, I have been using the time to get my taxes done.  So great that we got an extension until July!  But, I don’t want to put it off so am working on them like crazy.

We did work a bit on the back garages.  We added more outdoor furniture and I am getting more smalls put out there.  Lamps etc.  It really has been fun!  Like we have a whole new showroom!

Last Friday night, my neighborhood had a happy hour party.  We all sat in our own driveways, had drinks and were able to chat.  It was super fun.  Especially because Duane, the owner of Ventiki, lives in my neighborhood!  How cool is that?

My kids did some chalk art during the evening.  I think it turned out super cool!

Three years ago, at the same time I was saying goodbye to my dad, my mom and I had to clean out my sister’s garage.  My sister, Kiki, passed away in 2012 from cancer and we had never sorted through all of her things.  These were important mementos that she had left for her boys and we wanted to bring them to my mom’s house for safe keeping as my sister’s house (which my dad owned) was most likely going to be sold since he was dying.  Ughhhh…..When it rains it pours….just bring it all on!

At least my mom and I were able to sort through the boxes on her beautiful deck across from Lummi Island.  It was a tear filled day.  Lots of emotions.

I got a kick out of one of the items my sister had earmarked for the boys.  It was the very first antique that my grandmother, Cheryl Leaf, had ever found.  We had all heard the story over the years, but I was really glad to see it written on the base in my grandma’s hand writing.

“Salvaged from Geo. Faucett’s garbage can in Peshastin (Washington) in 1920—‘Hysterical’ not for sale!  Cheryl Leaf

She was 8 years old when she “rescued” this treasure. She was seriously meant to be an antiques dealer! I guess I get my overuse of punctuation from my grandmother. At least, I come by it honestly!

One of our customers, Jennifer, has been doing a lot of painting during the “shelter in place”. She picked up two cans of Aubusson Blue last week and she text me these before and after photos. Seriously? Amazing transformation! Way to go Jen!

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website, by text 760-880-3535 or by phone 805-628-3289. We are offering curbside pickup and free delivery in Ventura. You have no excuse to not start that project! LOL! Thank you to all of you who have placed orders! We really appreciate it!

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

We are fully stocked. An Annie Sloan order arrived Monday. The new issue of the Colourist is in. Another amazing bookezine by Annie! Order it here for curbside pickup. Only $15.99.

We also just received the Charleston Paint your Own Keepsake Box set.  It is an awesome deal at $79.95.  Order it here for curbside pickup or free shipping.

The Keepsake box features 120ml tins of Chalk Paint® in Rodmell, Tilton, Firle, along with two neutral colours: Original and Graphite. You’ll also receive one 120ml project pot of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax, a wax cloth, plus the Large Round and Large Flat Detail Brushes, and an inspiration guide. This is plenty of material to paint the box (comes with a paintable box) in a design of your own, and more!

Firle: a fresh, zesty and crisp green.

Rodmell: a dusty, damson purple.

Tilton: a deep, bright mustard.

Let’s get back to eBay. Sold 5 of these butter spreaders last week for $300. Can you believe a butter spreader in silverplate (not even sterling) is worth $60? And they went to Italy. Someone has been self isolating for too long. Here is a link if you want to learn more.

Don’t forget that we are still working on getting most of the store’s furniture up on the website.  This way you can shop from home!   Here is a search for pillows…..

Robin tweaked the logo so that you can see the cat better on the first C.  Thanks Robin!

So my daughter shows me this photo of Carlos and I immediately text it to all of my friends.  I couldn’t figure out how she got such a great shot and even had time to make the sign.

Turns out it was neither my cat nor my fridge.  Indy had found it on the internet.  LOL!  Peggy had a great comment….”We should have known it wasn’t your fridge because there is NO wine in it”!  And Cindy’s son said “that’s a meme mom”.

OK, so here is a “real” photo of my Carlos.  How cute is he during a random photo shoot Indy did with him?

Here is Carlos chilling with Brandon and Indy.  Sooooo cute!

Now that we are doing Queen’s Court calls again, I am getting some great scores from my members to share with you. I love this one from Jan Lane. Here is what she writes….

“I have a score, Back story – With the COVID quarantine, thrift stores closed and estate sales and auctions not being held, I began running out of good fresh merchandise to list. So (horror or horrors) I had to resort to 3 shelves of ‘junk’, low-end items mostly leftover from auction lots.

I still have a few items left to list, but I generated 122 listings from the junk, 15 of which have sold for a total of $523. Another has a bid at this moment of $67. Moral of the story: get your junk listed!”

Here is one of those junk listings. She started the auction at $24.99 and it got 23 bids and sold for $182.50! Yowza! Check it out here. Not sure if it was real gold or not. I will have to read the description.

Here is a photo of the store all cleaned up and ready for you to shop!  Can’t wait to see you all here someday SOON!

I have been going through a lot of the boxes that I inherited from my grandmother’s store that were living in the BarN.  If you don’t know what the BarN is, you need to read last week’s ezine.  Check it out here.

Cindy has been writing stuff up for me to list on eBay and many of the items are from YEARS ago.  For example, this piece was priced at $12.50 in my handwriting from either Middle or High School.  When I moved home to run her store after I got my MBA at USC, we used a ticket gun.  So this tag really dates this piece.  It’s like an archeological dig.  LOL!

Finally got this piece listed after carrying it around for 20 plus years.  LOL!  Not so funny.  I did some research by Googling “Japanese Majolica Vase” and one maker kept popping up with a super similar glaze, Awaji.

I then Googled “maker’s mark Awaji” and bingo my vase had the same scroll type mark!  I had it!  It is amazing to me how easy it is to do research today.  Back when my grandmother and I were pricing things in her store, we had to sift through a stack of price guides (Kovels, Warmens, Schroeders etc) 5 feet high.  And more often than not, you would never find what you were looking for.

Here is a link to the listing.  I started the bidding at $49.99.  We will see!  Fingers crossed for a runner….an auction item that goes super high.  Those are few and far between these days.

Again…..A Happy New Decade from the Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   Just so you know, this will get better.  This too shall pass.  God has got this.  We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Emma, Steve, Indy, me, Cindy, Joanne & Val! I Miss You People!

OK, one last photo. I guess Houston had his graduation from last year on his mind today….just like me. He just posted this on his Instagram story. So glad I could capture it and post them side by side. Apparently, I have raised a hippie. LOL!

And last year at this time we had a Graduation party for Houston here at the house.  Many of my new Ventura friends, customers and consignors joined us.  It was awesome!   Can’t wait to see you all again!  See if you can’t spot Adolio, Sunny, Cindy, Jane, Denise, Gina, Sean, Steve, Joanne, Sue, Rebecca, George etc. AND Emma’s family from New Jersey?  Can’t believe that was just one year ago!

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.

 

Pictured Indy, me, and Mor Mor (my mom)

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #15…

April 23, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 15

 

Today is my nephew Zach’s 14th Birthday!  He is such an awesome kid and we miss him and his brother so much!  They are social distancing in Oregon with their Dad.  Hopefully, this will be over soon and they can visit us this summer. Fingers Crossed!  My sister would be so proud of you Zach!

So, it’s a new week!  How are y’all doing out there in sequesterville?  We are hanging in there, but we have had quite a few FUN distractions!

Speaking of birthdays, it was Indy’s boyfriend’s (Brandon’s) birthday back on April 6th when he turned….drum roll please….21!  We weren’t able to celebrate with him then, but knew that he would be in Ventura on Saturday, April 18th for our celebration!

Indy and I brainstormed on how we could make it super special.  We had recently celebrated both Emma’s and her 21st birthdays and let me tell you…they were epic!  But we weren’t being quarantined then.  Indy and Brandon met on the Pepperdine Buenos Aires Summer program last summer and one of their favorite places to go was a bar named Chupitos.

Indy and I decided to recreate Chupitos in our barn.  The “mini” barn is in our backyard and houses a bunch of my eBay overstock.  It was a mess!  I will now share some photos of the barn through the years.  Here is it before we moved in and I was showing it to Indy, Carmen, Noel, Houston, and my mom.

Here is the barn after I had moved in a TON of boxes and my friend Tiki Jason came to visit.  He and I have been friends for over 20 years.  How is that even possible?

Jason sells on eBay as TikiPugMusic.  Check him out!

Jason sells Hawaiiana, Tiki Mugs, and CDs/LPs.  Here is one of his recent scores!  Sold for $81.99.  I LOVE the background he uses to photograph his Tikis.

OK!  Back to the barn.  When the Woolsey fires shut down Pepperdine two Thanksgivings ago, I ended up hosting a ton of the Theatre kids at my house.  Here they are hanging in the barn.  From left to right, Joe’s brother (name unknown LOL), Indiana, Houston, Emma, Julian, Joe, Bailey, and Julia.

To turn the barn into Chupitos, Indiana and I ordered a ton of red mini lights and some LED lights that would change color for around the top edges.  We also cleaned it up A LOT with Houston and Emma’s help.  We also printed out faux currency from around the world and ordered clothespins.  It was a family project!  Here is a screenshot of what the actual Chupitos looks like.

Here is what it looked like before Brandon arrived.  Pretty fun huh?  Houston had had his train set up in the barn for the past two Christmases so we left it.  I think it adds to the festive vibe.

Before we get to the actual birthday celebration (which btw Brandon said was the best Birthday of his life!) let’s check out eBay for some more good news.  That “make offer” tool is still working like CRAZY for us.  I am so grateful for our eBay sales during this time of closure for the store.  I sent an offer for $250 on this patch box that belonged to my grandmother.

The buyer countered with $188.05 and I accepted.  By reading my grandmother’s code on the base of the box (I will never tell the secret formula), she had paid $44.50 for it in 1974 and purchased it from her good friend Martha.  For some reason, it is really comforting for me to see my grandmother’s handwriting.  Does that make sense?

But not a very good ROI on this purchase.  She usually did much better than that. I did some quick calculations and that $44.50 in today’s dollars would be worth $247.52.  So not too far off, but about $60 short of what it should have been worth with inflation…… In any event, the patch box is going back to Washington state where it had lived with my grandmother for many years.

Do you know what a patch box is?  I was hoping that one of my stories from my “100 Best” books would tell you, but no….I am going to share a story that talks about patch boxes, but I never explain what they are.  Darn it!

So here goes, a patch box is usually a small decorative box used to hold black patches.  These black patches were used much like a beauty mark on the faces of Victorian women to draw attention to their best features.  For example, you may put one close to your eyes if they are exceptionally pretty or next to your mouth.  Crazy!  Huh?

And now here is story #35 from “Money Making Madness” that talks about patch boxes (without a definition ugh!).

Time to talk about what is going on at the store!  Lots of cleaning, sorting, rearranging, pricing, and reordering all in anticipation of opening soon!  Fingers crossed.  We have also been working super hard out in our new “She Shed” putting together outdoor vignettes.  Again, for any of you out and about, if you time it right you may be able to drive by and take a peek from your car.  We will definitely be working on it this Friday.  Here is a sneak peek.  I LOVE the way it is turning out.

Here is another shot of some of our hipster outdoor furniture.  LOL!  Can’t wait to fill up those shelves with fun stuff!

Now for an update on that furniture that Peggy has been painting. I LOVE how this little cabinet turned out in Chateau Grey. It will be finished soon (waxed and hardware put back on) and priced in the store at $195.

Don’t forget that you can always order your paint supplies on our website, by text at 760-880-3535 or by phone at 805-628-3289. We are offering curbside pickup and free delivery in Ventura. You have no excuse to not start that project! LOL! Thank you to all of you who have placed orders! I really appreciate it!

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

We will be fully stocked. An Annie Sloan order is arriving Friday. For those of you who haven’t tried her gilding waxes, I highly encourage you to give them a shot. They are incredible and the small tube goes a long way!

We also received an Iron Orchid Design order this past Friday.  We are now fully stocked on all things IOD, including all of their wonderful floral transfers.  Check some of them out here.  You can shop them online in our webstore here.

My mom and her friends haven’t seen each other in weeks so they decided to have a “sad” hour.  The opposite of a “happy” hour since they had to stay 6 feet apart.  Here they are (my mom, Anita, and Isabella) in Anita’s driveway having some snacks and wine.  Gotta love their ingenuity!

Let’s get back to eBay.  Seriously, that “send offer” tool has changed my eBay business for the better.  It is doing what “markdown manager” used to do for us in the old days.   Because of the increase in our shipments, and Cindy and me going in on Mondays to work, we are now slated to get our “Top Rated Seller” status back during our next review.  Whooooopppppeeeee!

With my new outlook on eBay (Thanks to Jordan Sweetnam new SVP of eBay) we had our first Queen’s Court call yesterday since we stopped doing them back in August of 2018.  More on that later in the ezine.  Crazy!  Here I am at eBay’s 20th birthday party back in 2015 with Jordan.

Thank you to all of you who watched Indy perform Live with Pepperdine! Here is more info about the show……

In a special performance hosted in collaboration with the Pepperdine University Office of the President, students, faculty, and staff of the Seaver College Fine Arts Division will unite Waves around the world for an evening of art, music, and fellowship. For one night only, the Pepperdine community is invited to come together to enjoy dynamic presentations of art history, theatre, guitar, and the vocal arts led by a lineup of Pepperdine’s best and brightest performers.

Here is Indy getting ready for her live performance. Check out how Emma is walking away with Carlos after the little guy gave her a good luck smooch. LOL!

Here is the title screen right before she comes on!

For those of you who missed it, you can watch it here.  She is introduced at minute 37:00 by Professor Hollace Starr.

Here she is doing her thing!  She cracks me up!

If it is too hard to wade through the entire Pepperdine Performance, they had her do a pre-recorded monologue just in case there were problems with the live feed. You can view that here.

Let’s share another eBay score, because, why not? I used the “send offer” feature again and it sure did work again. These sold for over $80! Check out these tumblers here. I paid $1 each. Now, that is a great ROI (Return on Investment), and thank you Grandma & USC for teaching me about that concept!

Don’t forget that we are still working on getting most of the store’s furniture up on the website.  This way you can shop from home!

AND in super exciting news!  We sold our first piece of furniture from the Website today!  Thank you, Amanda!

The website is looking awesome and when you click on an item it will tell you how many are available, and sometimes even the dimensions….check out the Furniture here.

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Furniture?sort=HL

In my last newsletter, some of the links were not working.  I will share a corrected link here so that you can check out this Butch Cassidy and Sundance Sheet Music.  Did you not love that movie?

Raindrops

I love this new graphic!  Thank you, Robin!  How many of you noticed that there is a cat with ears in the C?

Here is Carlos just being his darling little self during his daily “cat nap”  LOL!

Here is Carlos chilling on Brandon’s Birthday presents….waiting for the Birthday boy to arrive!

Here is Carlos chilling in Brandon’s arms, once that Birthday Boy arrived!  Apparently, Carlos really likes Brandon :)!

OK!  Enough about cute Carlos….time to tell you how Brandon’s 21st Birthday played out.

Once he arrived, we had him open his gifts.  He got a lot of really cool stuff…including a crown and a birthday sash.  Before we took him into the “faux” Chuptias Bar N, we headed down to the beach to order take-out dinner.  This also gave us a chance to parade him around a bit in his crown & sash.

Once we grabbed our pickup/takeout dinner, it was time to take Brandon to the next Birthday “event”.  This would involve a blindfold and Houston driving all over to confuse him.  Houston and Indy did such a great job even stopping at red lights that didn’t exist and getting on the freeway.  We didn’t want Brandon to know we were taking him back to the house.  Here is Indy putting the blindfold on Brandon and Houston looking like a bank robber in his mask.  And we were in my dad’s car……awwwwww!  I miss my dad.  When he passed away he left his Mercedes Sedan to Houston.  I LOVE riding in this car!

Next stop, Houston dressed as a Bouncer and carded Brandon before his entry into Chupitos…now known as the Bar N.  Lol!  Unfortunately, even with the blindfold on, Brandon recognized Houston’s voice.

Here are the kids behind the bar making shots.  Sandy even stopped by to bring Brandon a present.  Soooo sweet!  We had Kamikazes, Lemon Drops and Irish Car Bombs.

The next event for Brandon was a pinata.  Indy and I bought it at the $1 store and filled it with a bunch of crazy candy.  Check out that swing!

Such a fun celebration!  And it continued the next day with Bagels from Bagelicious.  Then it was Slip-n-Slide time.  Our backyard has become a summer paradise (since we can’t go anywhere….like to the beach).

Carlos was soooooo freaked out by the slip-n-slide….can you blame him?  That he curled up next to me on the swing and took a little nap.  How cute is he?  He has to be part of all the festivities.  Love the harness that we got for him at the Wharf. I need to get in there and buy a bigger one since this one is getting too small.  However, the only color they had in Medium was Hot Pink and I just don’t see him as a Hot Pink kind of guy.  Do you?

The last event for Brandon’s epic 24-hour birthday shindig was for the kids to hop in the Jacuzzi.  I had bought this blow-up Jacuzzi a year ago for my nephews and we never got around to putting it together.  Houston worked on it for several days and I must say it is AWESOME!  We love it!

And that was a wrap!  Brandon headed back to San Gabriel and told Indiana it was the best birthday he had ever had!  Aaaaawwwwwww.

Sorry, but in the last ezine, the link to the Patagonia jacket didn’t work. So here it is again for you to check out.

Here is a photo of the store all cleaned up and ready for you to shop!  Can’t wait to see you all here someday SOON!

With so much time on my hands and eBay performing so well, we decided to bring the Queen’s Court together for a Zoom call.  I started the Queen’s Court back in 2007.  At one point we had hundreds of members who would post on the forums and meet monthly for a Queen’s Court voice-only call with Questions and Scores.  It is currently running as Queen’s Court Lite with the forums open and I am so happy about that!  Check us out on the Zoom Call that we had yesterday.  It was sooooo much fun to see these smiling faces. And so much better than a voice-only call!  I could even share my computer screen!

A lot of great scores were shared on that call!  Here is one from Marsha…you won’t believe what this wooden puzzle sold for and it got 16 bids.  Check it out!  Marsha bought a box of these old wooden puzzles (circa the 1930s) for not much money and hauled them from Pennsylvania to Texas.  With shelter in place, puzzles are a hot seller!

OK!  One last photo of Houston, Emma, and Carlos playing Corn Hole in our backyard oasis.  Seriously, this looks like a Ralph Lauren Home Photo to me….or am I delusional from sheltering in place?

One last potential eBay score.  When we cleaned out the barn, I found a HUGE box of Brenthaven computer bags.  Brenthaven is a Bellingham Company and their products are amazing.  About 10 years ago I bought $8,000 worth of their overstocks and have been selling them online ever since.  For some reason, I still had some left and I am excited to get them listed.  Here is one of them. Check it out.

Again…..A Happy New Decade from Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   Just so you know, this will get better.  This too shall pass.  God has got this.  We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Emma, Steve, Indy, me, Cindy, Joanne & Val! I Miss You, People!

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.