Pictured Emma, Houston’s Face, Indy, me, and my Mom (Mor Mor)

(Guess who is home?)

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #13…

April 9, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 13

 

The most important thing for all of you to know for this week is that Houston (my son) returned home from Oklahoma City last night!  He is getting his Masters in education at Notre Dame and attends classes in South Bend in the summer.  For the program to be tuition-free, he teaches at Mt. St. Mary’s in OKC during the school year.  Oklahoma was way behind with social distancing and I was a very worried Mama.  But he is in the HOUSE!

In my time hop this morning, a picture from a year ago showed up with my nephews Zach and Kai.  They were visiting Ventura for their Spring Break.  I miss these little guys!  My mom and I took them to see the Reagan Museum.  They loved it!  I can’t wait for them to visit again.  This year (definitely) did NOT work out for their annual trip.

Let’s start this newsletter off with some more positiveness!  Gotta keep the good Ventura beach vibes going!  I was on a recent influencer call with eBay corporate.  They called it a “Check-in Call with eBay Leaders” and it was awesome!

With so much uncertainty for brick and mortars, the fact that eBay is stepping up makes me really happy! eBay finally realizes that they are not Amazon or Walmart, and doesn’t want to be.  They are committed to focusing on eBay and its original strengths….Unique one of kind sellers.  Yay!

We also discussed a new selling tool that Jordan says is one of the most robust and well-working that he has seen during his tenure at eBay.  It is the feature that lets you send offers to watchers of your items.  I tried it over the weekend, and boy did it help my sales!

We have been shipping out 20 or more packages a day!  Just like the good old days.  Cindy, my shipping assistant, couldn’t believe it!

Here is one of the items I sold on eBay today using the “send offer” tool.  It is a Swedish Dala-type candleholder in dollhouse size.  BTW, dollhouse collectors are a crazy bunch and they will pay big bucks for items.  This sold for $20.53 and is going to Denver.

https://tinyurl.com/daladollhouse

Couldn’t resist….had to sneak this photo of Carlos in because it is too long until we get to his special section…Carlos’ Corner.

We have been working super hard at the store to clean up the back garages.  The walls have been painted a very bright white and it is looking great.  Still trying to decide whether to paint the ceiling white….Thoughts?

We are going to paint the floor one of Annie Sloan’s greens.  I am leaning towards Firle….Thoughts?  Please let us know what you think!  This will be our outdoor furniture showroom soon!!!

The new normal for my workers at the store has been quite strange if I do say so.  We have all been working, but not at the same time.  Does that make sense?

Emma has been going in and taking photos to put up on the website.
Sandy has been going in to clean and jeuge (to spruce up, add style, flair, pizzazz).
Peggy went in today to paint some furniture.
Cindy goes in almost daily to ship eBay stuff.
Val hasn’t been in as she is taking super good care of her husband Ron.

Here is the before of a piece of furniture that I asked Peggy to paint.  Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

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!

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

We are fully stocked….just got in an Annie Sloan order last Monday!

Also, some new great news from Annie Sloan.  It is her 30th Anniversary this year!  Yowza!  She is the original Chalk Paint inventor and in honor of this, she came out with a new product that is for sale now!

Place your order online and we will put it out curbside for you. I can’t wait for someone to try this Pearlescent Glaze! $19.95 per tin. Click here to order.

https://tinyurl.com/lynnspearlescent

My Timehop app from this morning also showed a photo of Houston and Indiana four years ago when she was playing Mama Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie. OMG, she was soooooo good in that roll! Houston had driven to Palm Desert from Malibu (Pepperdine) to surprise her! It was awesome 🙂 She still has some of her stage makeup on in this photo!

Indiana was nominated for a Desert Theatre League Award for her performance.

Outstanding Supporting Actress-Musical-Youth Theatre
Leyla Dilig – Copacabana – Cathedral City High School
Kaley Doherty – You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown – Palm Springs High School
Lauren Malestic – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Palm Desert High
Mackenzie Naylor – The Lion King Jr. – Hi-Desert Cultural Center
Emily Sanchez – Urinetown – Desert Hot Springs High School
Indiana Wilson – Bye, Bye, Birdie – Xavier College Prep

Sorry, the photo is so bad.  I wasn’t supposed to be taking any…..LOL!

She didn’t win, but I was soooo proud of her for the nomination.  Strangely enough, Leyla (another of the gals nominated) ended up going to Pepperdine as well.  They didn’t know each other in Palm Desert, but are now really great friends!

With this whole new Zoom classroom and virtual learning, how does one actually audition for a role?  Well, let me tell you, it isn’t easy.  Indy had an audition for “Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids” (now that is one long title) that was due on Monday night.  She had Emma play the husband Peter role and Indy was the wife Maggie  She had to videotape herself.  It was crazy to listen to as I was working in the other room.  They cracked me up.  After about 12 takes, she finally had it in the can!

Time for what I hope will be an eventual eBay score!  Thank God for eBay…at least that store is still fully open and operational!  This listing is for a portrait miniature on Ivory that my grandmother brought back from Europe in the 1960s.  She collected these.  Actually, there wasn’t much that she DIDN’T collect.  It is illegal to sell Ivory on eBay unless the item is less than 5% ivory (think keys on a piano) or was made prior to 1900.  This definitely was pre-1900 as we had Christie’s look at it for us and they dated it to 1820.

https://tinyurl.com/grandmaspmoi

What is even crazier about this piece, is that I found a photo from the 1990s that shows it hanging on the wall in my grandmother’s living room.  I never realized how pretty the walls were in her house.  Wow!  See if you can spot the portrait in the photo.

Enough about Indiana and my grandma, time for some news about Houston!  Unless you have been living under a rock (which quite frankly this sequestering has felt like), you must have heard about the Netflix series, Tiger King.

OMG, it is AMAZING!  I LOVE Joe Exotic….I mean who wouldn’t?  He is a serious train wreck.  His zoo is in Oklahoma City, so before Houston and his fellow Notre Dame classmates left, they had to check it out.

In more good news of the week, check out this graph of my eBay sales by day.  I have drawn an arrow to show you when I started using the “send offer” feature…keep in mind I didn’t use it every day.  The days with the spikes were the days I used it.  It is crazy how big of an impact that this has had on sales.

OK, but back to a “feel good” story, because that is the ONLY way we are all going to get through this…by being extremely positive. Indy text all of us in our group chat this picture a few days ago with the caption…..”He’s finally sleeping in my new chair!  Yay!!  I’ve been waiting for this moment haha”

Many of you have been asking so here is how our new normal will work at the store…..

1.  I will be at the store several days a week from 11 am to 3 pm working on eBay.  This means that the store is available for private showings and curbside pick-up.  Text me at 760-880-3535 or call the store during those hours at 805-628-3289.

2.  We have stopped ALL 30-day automatic Markdowns until we are able to reopen to protect our consignors.  This means all Merchandise has reverted to its original pricing.

3.   Once we reopen, the clock will start and 30 days after reopening the first markdowns will be taken.

4.  It is our goal to get all of our furniture up on the website.  This way you can shop from home!  Emma has been working on it like crazy and it is really coming along.  It is looking awesome and when you click on an item it will tell you how many are available, and sometimes even the dimensions….check it out here.

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

Here is what came up when I searched by “painting”.

5.  Website is also set up with lots of great gift items…Annie Sloan Paint, Iron Orchid Stamps and Transfers, Baggus and Gurgle Pots.  It all ships free!

6.  We will not be taking in any new consignments until we reopen.  We are super full right now and are working hard to get it cleaned up and shoppable for when we can open those doors!  Can’t wait 🙂

7.  We are using this downtime to clean out the back garages.  If you are a consignor and some of your items have been in the store a long time, we may be calling you.  Please get back to us ASAP whether you want to pick up the items or donate.  Thank you!

Here is a photo of Wayne hard at work painting those garages.

OK, time to share another eBay score!  This one is fun..I got this out of a bag of clothes that my son was through with.  I had bought it for him originally at a thrift store and he wasn’t a fan.  His loss, my gain.  I love selling men’s clothes because they RARELY get returned.

Just a heads up on this one…I took the picture on my female 1/2 body mannequin.  The way to get the shot without the boobs is to just turn it around.  Problem solved.   Who needs two mannequins?  Not me!  LOL.

Check out the listing here.   It sold for the best offer of $35.00.
https://tinyurl.com/lynnstommybahama

Yes, I have a graphic for his corner!  One of my long-time ezine readers (since 2008), Robin Sweeney from North Carolina made it for us.  Thank you, Robin!

Carlos has LOVED having us all home all day long!  Not sure what is going to happen when we all go back to our “real” lives.

Here he is just chilling through the day.

Here he is on one of his many outdoor adventures.  He loves being outside when the kids are exercising.  If he can’t be outside with them, he literally paws at the sliding door like a dog.  I am not kidding.  I have a video.  Not sure if I should share it or not…Thinking about it.

Enough about King Carlos!  I am so excited that Emma is working on the website and getting so many of our unique products listed.  Check out this search for Mirror….

We will be uploading more photos of mirrors, desks, outdoor furniture, paintings, artwork, throw pillows, and many more things. Please keep checking the website. https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

One last POTENTIAL eBay score! All of this “at home” time is getting me to go through boxes and boxes of stuff that should have been listed on eBay ages ago. Oh well, it is getting listed now. I was going through one box and found a total score! A flat-rate padded envelope full of African Trade Beads that my mom had shipped me from my inheritance from my dad.

Long story short, even though my grandma Cheryl Leaf was my mom’s mom, Cheryl Leaf loved my dad. She gave him a huge box of African Trade Beads years ago, and before my dad passed away three years ago on Cinco de Mayo, he wanted me to have them to sell on eBay. I couldn’t take them home with me on the plane, so my mom shipped them to me bit by bit. I had no idea I still had any left to list. Here they are all written up with my “I Sell” sheets (I invented these back in 1998 and if you sell on eBay you need these) waiting for photos.

Here is one of the listings that I just put up on eBay.  I always start these auctions at $49.99 per strand.  This one is starting at $249.99 because it has 5 strands all tied together.

Check it out here.  https://tinyurl.com/gstradebeads

Here is another glimpse at some of the furniture already up on the website.  Check out this search for “table”.  Never know what you are going to get!

Just so you know, this will get better. This too shall pass. God has got this. Both my kids are home safe and sound. God is Good! Happy Easter!

OK! One last fun photo. Indiana and Emma with their homemade masks getting ready to hit up Trader Joe’s.

Again…..A Happy New Decade (We will get through this!) from Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Emma, Mor Mor (my mom!), me, Val, Peggy, Kathy, and Jo Dallas! I Miss These Gals!

One last fun photo of Carlos in our backyard…in his new harness…checking out mother nature. Which I encourage all of you to do during this time. It is so wonderful to just hang out in my backyard with my kitty (His 6 month birthday will be April 13th)…crazy! And in the “old days” I would never have just sat outside and listened to nature holding a cat. Times are strange, but yet kinda good! Gotta look for the silver lining folks.

 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 My mom, Peggy, me, Sandy, Kathy, Indiana, Val, Steve, and Joanne

(I can’t wait to stand this close
to you all again!)

 

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #12…

April 2, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 12

 

Let’s start this newsletter off with some positiveness!  Gotta keep the good Ventura beach vibes going!  (More on Carlos and facing his fears later)

I  finished painting that console that Annie Sloan wanted to see….yes I did!  Here is the before.

Here is my work in progress.  I decided to go with a Napoleanic Blue base.  It is such a beautiful color.  I painted the entire piece and then drew my scribbles on with chalk.  I debated on which colors to use for the stripes (you can see where I taped them off) so laid down paint stir sticks in each of the colors I was considering.  This works extremely well when planning a project. These paint sticks are available for free in my store!

I painted the squiggles and the stripes in Giverny, Greek Blue, Louis Blue, and Emile.  These are some of my favorite Annie colors!

Then I was debating whether or not to add more stripes and triangles on the side…or leave the side plain? I posted this on my Instagram story (follow me at LynnDralle, LynnsConsignments, and MrKittyCarlos) and the response was overwhelming, NO MORE STRIPES! No one said anything about the triangles…so I went for it.

Guess who responded to this story though?  The one, the only Annie Sloan!  Here is a copy of her message.

Seriously!!!  I am still doing a happy dance 🙂  She likes it She likes it!  Here it is in the front window….Drive by and take a look 🙂

How close is my finished product to my original sketch from last week?

It’s always a great time to do a curb-side pick-up of paint for your next home project!  Just like my friend Andrea just did!  Thank you, Andrea! I appreciate your business 🙂

Call, text, or place your order on our website for TAKE OUT paint!  We are fully stocked….just got in an Annie Sloan order on Monday!

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

Also, some new great news from Annie Sloan.  It is her 30th Anniversary this year!  Yowza!  She is the original Chalk Paint inventor and in honor of this, she came out with a new product that is available for sale tomorrow!  And we have it in stock!

Place your order online and we will put it out curbside for you. I can’t wait for someone to try this! Click here to order.

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/product/Annie%20Sloan/0000TL

My Timehop app from this morning showed a precious photo of me and my dad–because it was one of the last ones. It was exactly three years ago today and I was in Bellingham to visit him (He passed away about 4 weeks later on Cinco de Mayo).

He had just gotten his diagnosis of Pancreatic cancer on March 16th. Apparently, March 16th is NOT a good day for anybody! I miss my dad so much! Thank you for letting me share. That is my darling nephew Zach running through the background.

Also from that same day three years ago, this picture popped up.  It is my mom and my good friend Audrey Angel (and my first Cheryl Leaf antique employee) with me looking at commercial retail space in Bellingham.  Literally, just 3 years ago I was planning to open Lynn’s Consignments in Bellingham, WA.  How strange is that to think about?

My dad made it very clear to me as he was dying that he did NOT want me to leave Houston and Indiana in California without a home base or a mom.  Great advice and that is one of the reasons, that Lynn’s Consignments is on Main Street in Ventura.

Time for an eBay score!  Thank God for eBay…at least that store is still fully open and operational!  Check out this listing for MacKenzie Child Drawer Pulls.  I love this designer and once you see her stuff, you will recognize it from a mile away.

These knobs actually walked in through the front door! That is something my grandma used to say all the time because she never had to go out and look for inventory. People would literally walk up the front steps with it. LOL!

The couple who brought these in wanted $100 for 15 knobs. I offered $80 because who knew if they would sell, for how much and how long it may take. Some things take YEARS to sell on eBay and you are paying eBay for the real estate for all that time. They turned me down and left the store. My grandmother (once she made an offer) and you left her store, she would not make that offer again. She felt like the sellers would take their stuff all over town saying “Well Cheryl Leaf offered me $80 can you do more?”

My grandma was an incredible businesswoman and she told people, take it or leave it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t at the store that day and they did come back and want the $80. I may have passed at that point…who knows? In any event, these two knobs sold for $60. A small caveat, they have not been paid for yet. That is always another piece of this puzzle! The buyer has to pay for it 🙂

Check the listing out here. https://tinyurl.com/MacKnobs
In the more good news of the week, Indiana decided to completely redo her room. Why not? She is home for at least the next four months. Ughhhh…that breaks my heart that she isn’t on the Malibu campus with all her peers. Here is Indy with her Theatre classmates, George and Julia, at my store last year. Such strange times!

No good news just yet, because Indy recently found out that her Scotland Summer semester was canceled. No Edinburgh Fringe Festival for her or many other actors. My heart breaks for all of them. Ughhhhh! Hopefully, they will be able to go in 2021.

She was also interviewed for the Pepperdine Graphic about her reaction to all of this….

“The Fine Arts Division — which includes programs in art, music, and theater — had many plans in place for students to showcase their talents, including the spring theater production ‘The Cherry Orchard’ and the senior art exhibition in the Weisman Museum. Junior Theatre major Indy Wilson said while losing the opportunity to perform in the Cherry Orchard was disheartening, leaving her community was the most upsetting.
‘I got the email about school being canceled, and I was just devastated,’ Wilson said. ‘I need to be in the community so much right now. I don’t know what [leaving] is going to do to my mental health. We had to say goodbyes in two days that should’ve been two months'”

OK, but back to the “feel good” story, because that is the ONLY way we are all going to get through this…by being extremely positive. I suggested to Indy that she move her bed away from the wall and position it in the middle of the far wall so that she could get around both sides. She loved that idea!

Here is what her bedroom looked like “before”.

Then we thought she should have a headboard and footboard. I started sending her photos of what we had at the store. There was nothing she loved. Then I had a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself)! What about the tiny bit smaller than full-size bed frame my grandpa made for me when I was growing up!

I got this oak with a caning bed when I was in 4th grade. My grandfather (who was an architect) built it in the 1930’s when they lived in Idaho. He was thrilled to give it to me in the1970’s when we lived in San Mar Villas in Olympia right off of Slater Kinney. My parents remodeled our house at 216 Shadow Lane and I got a master bedroom in the basement. I had my own walk-in closet, bathroom, and bedroom. It was AWESOME! And I got this sweet bed. Just gotta find a picture of the bed in that room :). I know I have one but where?

I used that bed frame until I got married in 1994 and we got a new bed frame as a wedding gift. Crazy huh? The hardware was old and not holding together so I text Sandy and asked her if I could pay her fiance, Doug, to fix it? Of course, they said! They would be happy to do it! Love them! Here is the bed in Doug’s workshop/garage. Just a heads up, Doug sells rugs and he is super knowledgeable. Here is his number for text or phone calls 805-636-6862.

Doug went to Lowes to try and find replacement screws to replace the original ones that my grandfather had used about 85 years ago….Yikes!  At Lowes, there was a cabinet marked “hard to find hardware” and lo and behold he (or should I say we) got lucky!

Here is a photo of Doug and Sandy checking it out!  I love this 🙂  It works!

Doug brought the bed over on Monday and we set it up in Indy’s room.  Soooooooo awesome!  Then we decided she needed a chair in the corner.  Guess what?  I happen to own a furniture store….What?  No?

While Indiana was in Glendora with her boyfriend, I headed down to the store and single-handedly loaded this awesome chair and ottoman into my SUV.  It was a little bit tricky 🙂  But anything for my Indy girl!

We weren’t sure if the chair was going to fit because her room is quite small….about 12 by 15′.  It fits!  Her room is turning out soooooo cute!  I can hardly wait to show you this next picture.  Indy still needs some wall art, some hanging macrame plant hangers & plants, lighting, etc….but we talked about it today and this is…by far…the cutest dorm room she has EVER had!  AND, it even comes with a CARLOS!

Many of you have been asking so here is how our new normal will work at the store…..

1.  I will be at the store most days from 11 am to 3 pm working on eBay.  This means that the store is available for private showings and curbside pick-up.  Text me at 760-880-3535 or call the store during those hours at 805-628-3289.

2.  We have stopped ALL 30-day automatic Markdowns until we are able to reopen to protect our consignors.  This means all Merchandise has reverted to its original pricing.

3.   Once we reopen, the clock will start and 30 days after reopening the first markdowns will be taken.

4.  It is our goal to get all of our furniture up on the website.  This way you can shop from home!  Emma has been working on it like crazy and it is really coming along.  It is looking awesome and when you click on an item it will tell you how many are available, and sometimes even the dimensions….check it out here.

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

Here is what came up when I searched by “chair”.  You too will be able to purchase your very own new “favorite chair” just like I did for Indiana!

5.  Website is also set up with lots of great gift items…Annie Sloan Paint, Iron Orchid Stamps and Transfers, Baggus and Gurgle Pots.  It all ships free!

6.  We will not be taking in any new consignments until we reopen.  We are super full right now and are working hard to get it cleaned up and shoppable for when we can open those doors!  Can’t wait 🙂

7.  We are using this downtime to clean out the back garages.  If you are a consignor and some of your items have been in the store a long time, we may be calling you.  Please get back to us ASAP whether you want to pick up the items or donate.  Thank you!

8.  We will also be using this time to paint the side garages a lovely white, with green floors and a chandelier in the center (Wayne’s idea).  It’s gonna be a “she shed” for our outdoor furniture!  Super fun.  Here are a few before pics and one of Wayne pulling everything out (sorry it’s blurry)!

OK, time to share another eBay score!  This one is fun..I bought a bunch of programs from shows, musicals, concerts, etc. a  few years ago.  Took the best offer on this one of $30.  Didn’t pay more than $1.

Check it out here.  https://tinyurl.com/footlooseebay

I am wondering if this sold because the title, footloose, takes us back to a time (oh about 2 weeks ago) when we were all footloose and not homebound!

Just kidding!  NOT!  But, in any event, I did an eBay for Business Podcast with Griff (my hero) that aired this past Tuesday.  In case you missed it, here is a link.  I come on at 34.38 and talk about how to stay positive during these unchartered times.

https://podbay.fm/podcast/449607385/e/1585656000

Just for fun…here is one of my favorite photos of me and Griff!  It was the first time I met him in person when I was a guest on eBay Radio at eBay Live in 2005 in San Jose.

I found that photo of Griff, Lee Mirabal, and me in one of my ezines from 12-12-12. What a great date! Here is a link to that if you would like to read it. It even has Houston playing baseball in it 🙂 Oh! Those were the days!
http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/articlepages/ezinev8is11.html

CARLOS’ Corner…..the little guy has all of our hearts. We just LOVE him!

We have all been a little bored. I am sure you can relate. Thank GOD we have a pet…but more importantly, we have a Carlos!

On Monday, we were going stir crazy. I needed to buy pet food so I rallied my troops, Indiana and Emma, to hit the Wharf with me. While there, I asked it they sold harnesses and leashes for cats. Well, apparently these are more common than I figured! We bought him a snappy little vest type with a leash for $26.99 and we were off to the races!

He was scared at first. Definitely hated having the harness put over his head. But he faced his fears head-on….and well, Emma, Indy, and I were all there to hold him. He was tentative in the outdoors at first, but later learned to love it. He actually tries to climb through the harness now so that he can go outside. It is hysterical! He looked his fears in the face and won! This is a lesson for all of us. It IS going to be OK!

Check him out on our deck chilling with me while I do my eBay photos. LOL! What a handsome guy–even in this contraption!

Houston is still in OKC, but hopes to return this weekend.  Fingers crossed that his high school principal and the Catholic Archdiocese allow this.  He really needs to be home where he is the safest!  Ughhhh!

I posted something recently on Instagram from Gary John Bishop.  It was a quote from his calendar that made me realize how blessed and grateful I am, even with all of this going on.

“PUTTING PROBLEMS IN PERSPECTIVE
If we’re being brutally honest with ourselves, we’ll realize that our own problems are pretty insignificant compared to the rest of the world.  Really.  Think about it.”

I added some comments to my post and much to my astonishment, Gary actually reposted it on his Instagram story.  He has 39,000 followers so I thought that was pretty cool!

I am so excited that Emma and I are working on the website together and getting so many of our unique products listed.  Check out this search for Sofa….

Here is a link to that search.
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/search

We will be uploading more photos of mirrors, desks, outdoor furniture, paintings, artwork, throw pillows, and many more things. Please keep checking the website. https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

Please text me for a private showing. I don’t have anything else to do! LOL. 760-880-3535.
This morning as I was writing this ezine, I got a text from Val. She said, “Are you home?” Yes! She said, “Look out your window.” LOL! She had parked halfway in my driveway and halfway in the street. She would NOT be coming in because as you know, her husband Ron, is battling cancer (and doing a damn good job I must add)!

Val just wanted to say Hi to Gina and me. It was quite the triptych/trifecta or whatever you want to call it, but apparently, we made enough noise (laughing) that Jason one of our other neighbors had to come out and see what was up!

Seriously so much fun! Thanks, Val!

One last eBay score!  I inherited this from my grandma when we divided up everything left in her antique store back in 2002.  Yikes!  It is an antique hanging lamp frame.  Sold it for the best offer of $100 today and Cindy packed it right up.  LOL…not an easy job, but thanks to my friend Steve for sharing the moving supplies from when his mom, Paula, moved here!  Came in really handy.

Here is a link to the listing. https://tinyurl.com/grandmaslampframe

Here is another glimpse at some of the furniture already up on the website.  Check out this “painted” Annie Sloan furniture.  So fun!

Don’t forget that we now have gift cards available on the website.
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Gift%20Card

Just so you know, this will get better. This too shall pass. God has got this. And, my son is flying home on Friday. God is Good! I will be so happy to have both of my “babies” back in the nest.

On that note, I must share photos I found today of both of them with my grandma, Cheryl Leaf. She LOVED them sooooooo much. Even though she passed away when Indy was 1 1/2 and Houston was 4, they had her heart from their first meeting.

And that was Indy’s first meeting with my grandma. After her birth, we left the hospital and went immediately to the St. Francis Rest Home (across from St. Joes Hospital) where my grandma was recovering. How cute is that picture?

OK!  One last fun photo.  Indiana and Emma on the beach Monday night after we ordered the taco meal takeout from Social Tap.  Seriously, it is sooooo good!  Only $35 and it feeds 4.  Plus, for an additional $15 you can get a tub of Margaritas.  So Awesome!

Again…..A Happy New Decade (We will get through this!) from Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Emma, Mor Mor (my mom!), me, Val, Peggy, Kathy, and Jo Dallas!

One last fun photo of Carlos in our backyard…in his new harness…checking out mother nature. Which I encourage all of you to do during this time. It is so wonderful to just hang out in my backyard with my kitty (he is still only 5 months old)…crazy! And in the “old days” I would never have just sat outside and listened to nature holding a cat. Times are strange, but yet kinda good!

 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 My mom, Peggy, me, Sandy, Kathy, Indiana, Val, Steve, and Joanne

Welcome to Lynn’s Latest #11…

March 26, 2020
Watch for it every Thursday or every OTHER Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 11

Welcome to our new normal….I MISS all of you!  I have been going to the store almost every day to work on eBay, place reorders, straighten up and fulfill the website, call in, and text orders.  I must say it is LONELY!  Sandy and Cindy are there most days as well (Thank God for these girls), but I miss the energy of the store when it is filled with Customers and Consignors!

I think this picture of Carlos says it perfectly….Wake me up when this sh*t is OVER!

So, Thursday started out pretty normal, we had the store open, business was good and customers were staying at least 6 feet away from one another.  I got home and thought…let’s support a local restaurant… so we ordered take-out from Prime.  Soooooo good!  and they are running 4-course meal specials.  Call them!  (805) 652-1055

We all enjoyed our dinner and then the news flash…California was shutting down.  Shelter in place.  Yikes!  What does this mean for all of us, small business owners?  SCARY doesn’t begin to describe it!

I quickly got over that emotion, because that is how I roll.  Time to look for the good, the positive, and make lemons out of lemonade.  Oops, I think I have that backward.  Make lemonade out of lemons….LOL!

My mom is back home in Bellingham and fell and twisted her knee…the EMTs wouldn’t take her in because the hospitals are not a safe place for her.  It isn’t broken and it is getting better, but I am trying to figure out if we should bring her down here, have my brother go up and stay with her, or any other options….anyone has any ideas?

Here is a photo from my ezine on July 21st, 2016.  Indy, my mom, and I were waiting in line for a Bellingham estate sale.  Crazy to believe that this was less than 4 years ago!  My goodness…so much has changed!

Back then, I was looking for retail space in Bellingham, Houston was walking the Camino in Spain, my dad was still alive and my mom was about to turn 80.  Read about it all here…http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/articlepages/ezinev12is06.html

Friday morning after the shutdown, we were all kind of lost.  Didn’t know quite what to do with ourselves.  Do I go into the store?  Do I take a day off?  I ended up going into the store to work on an Annie Sloan paint reorder and to work on eBay.  Cindy and Sandy also came in to do some clean-up and eBay.

When I got back to the house at around 5 pm, the kids were like, let’s go to the beach.  OK!  As long as I can take a beach chair, a blanket, a magazine, and a glass of chardonnay, I am in!

It was such a treat!  Spending time with the kids, laughing, walking on the beach, and just chilling.  I think God is telling us all to slow down a bit.  🙂

On Saturday Sandy and I went into the store to do some more cleaning and get ready for when we can reopen!  Hey folks, just so you know, the store is going to look impeccable!  Can’t wait to show it off to you all 🙂

A super nice customer also called in a paint order that we delivered curbside…actually we put it in her trunk.  Thank you to those supporting us through these tough times!  It is greatly appreciated!

Speaking of the store and how nice it is looking, check out this vignette that Sandy worked on.  The theme is kind of Bali, East Indian, etc.  What do you think?  I can get you the prices on anything you see.

OK, time to share an eBay score!  Thank God for eBay!  Seriously, for those of you who need to bring in a little extra money during this quarantine, clean up your house and find things that can bring in the bucks on eBay.

I have some resources for you…..check out my eBay website.  It hasn’t had a lot of love shown it recently, but there is still a lot of good info on it.  Especially if you read my old newsletters.  http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/

I went to a garage sale about six months ago and bought 100 Snoopy/Peanuts mugs and glasses for approximately 50 cents each.  They will take a while to sell….but this one sold today for the full price of $34.79….Whoooooo Weeeeee!

https://tinyurl.com/snoopyglass

You all know and remember Val (who was my first store employee) right?  She hasn’t been around a lot because her husband, Ron, is fighting esophageal cancer.  For more on that and their story, please check out the Go Fund Me page I started for them.  You all have been amazing!  Thank you to all of you who have donated…seriously?  $8,181 on our way to $10,000.  God Bless!

https://tinyurl.com/theharringtonsneedourhelp

Val’s birthday was this past Saturday, March 14th.  I had ordered her a gift, but it wasn’t here for me to give it to her in person on the last day she worked (Friday the 13th).  So, I shipped it to her and she received it this past Monday.

Check out her darling Facebook/Instagram post.  I miss her!  The gift is a super cozy blanket that says….

“It’s OK to….

Not Have All the Answers
Feel All the Emotions
Have Bad Days
Let Yourself Cry
Ask for Help
Make Mistakes”

I bought this for her with the cancer battle in mind, but in all actuality, it is a great message for all of us.  It is OK!  and we are gonna get through this and become stronger and more compassionate for it….trust me!

And now for another eBay score!  I buy, list, and sell a TON of coffee mugs!  They are the bread and butter of my eBay business.  You can pick them up for 10 cents to a couple of bucks each.

Just sold this one for the best offer of $20 plus shipping!

https://tinyurl.com/greekcoffeemug

And, in one of my books, Money Making Madness, https://tinyurl.com/drallemoneymakingmadness

I discuss a coffee mug that originally came from my grandmother’s kitchen cabinet. Now, I knew this coffee mug had potential because it was vintage and jadeite.

Here is that excerpt from the book with story #49

The Story

I have never had a cup of coffee in my life. OK, I take that back. I had one cup of coffee in Paris in 1985, and it was laced with brandy. It was snowing, I was freezing, and my friends Juliette and Vicki said it would warm me up. It did warm me up, but I still can’t stand the taste of coffee. Instead, I drink about six Diet Coke every day to get my dose of caffeine.

It’s funny, but I didn’t realize where I learned NOT to drink coffee until I was writing this story. This jadeite green coffee mug was in my grandmother’s kitchen cupboard for years and years. It finally dawned on me that my grandmother NEVER drank coffee. No wonder I had no desire to try it or like it. I was following the lead of my favorite role model.

Anyway, I inherited it in one of my boxes. I thought one coffee mug was never going to sell for very much but decided to do some research anyway. I knew it was jadeite by Fire King. Fire King was a group of ovenproof lines launched by Anchor Hocking in the early 1940s. Jadeite was named for its green color, which resembled jade; it became a signature item of the Fire King line. When I got on eBay, I found that these are super collectible. Three of the jadeite coffee mugs together had recently sold for $100! Each mug’s handle curve is named for different letters of the alphabet–there are “c” and “d” curves. I guessed that mine was a “c” handle.

I put it on eBay with all of that information in the title. I started the bidding at $9.99 (my usual) and couldn’t believe it when it got ten bids and sold for $36. It was shipped to Japan and the buyer paid $14 more for airmail shipping. My grandmother would have laughed and laughed over this one. She would have gotten such a kick out of it!

Another thing that she would have gotten a big kick out of was that she and I were appearing in an article in the Antique Trader that very same week. I had interviewed Sharon Korbeck, the editor of the Antique Trader, for my McGraw Hill book, and she thought that my grandmother and I would make a great story. It was written in the spring of 2004 and published at the end of July.

The Antique Trader was my grandmother’s favorite magazine; she read it faithfully cover to cover every week. She would have been thrilled to pieces to be featured in this publication. I used to include this wonderful article in each box that I ship out to my eBay buyers. I have heard such nice comments from my customers. Things like, “The article adds such a personal touch,” and, “I feel like I know you and your grandma!” I’ll bet they don’t know that neither of us ever drank coffee!

For those of you who want to learn more about selling coffee mugs on eBay…My eBook “Cash for Coffee Mugs” is on sale for $57… which is an incredible price since just one successful coffee mug sale will more than pay for that.  Check it out here.

http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/ebay-ebooks/cash-for-coffee-mugs.php?id=home-promo

OK, back to the store.  Even though we are not open, we still have great items that you can purchase by phone for curbside pick-up.  Here are two super fun and bright chairs.  Brand new and only $29.50 each!

We are also getting in a lot of outdoor furniture. Just what we need….some fun new pieces to brighten up our “stay at home” houses! These Sedona armless sectional pieces are $125 each and there are 4 available.

The Breeze (love the Breeze) published a photo of me, Sheldon, and Breezy from my 2nd-anniversary party!  That was only 25 days ago and it feels like a lifetime!  “Calgon take me away” is what my sister used to say when things were tough.  If only it was that simple!

Our next Annie Sloan paint class originally scheduled for Saturday, April 4th has been POSTPONED until we get the all-clear to gather again.

If you have any questions please call the store at 805-628-3289…

However, this is a great time to work on projects at home!  We have plenty of paint in stock and you can place your order online and we will be happy to get it to you curbside or deliver for free in Ventura. (This goes for everything in the store and on our website, as long as it can fit in an SUV!)

Here is a link to Annie Sloan products on our website.  https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Annie%20Sloan?sort=LH

OK, so it has been my plan to paint, paint and then paint some more.  Unfortunately, even with all of this “free” time, it doesn’t really seem like there is any “free” time.  Do any of you feel my pain?  I have been spending more time with my kids, putting more time into eBay, trying to keep the online orders coming in for the store, meeting customers for appointment-only showings, and brainstorming on how to work around this mess!

Well, now I have myself in a pickle as one might say.  I posted a story on Instagram today (follow me at LynnDralle, LynnsConsignments, and MrKittyCarlos) of this cabinet and how I was going to paint it “like Annie Sloan does”.

Well, guess who responded to my insta story?  Annie Sloan herself!  And she is sooooo funny….check this out.

I WILL be painting tomorrow (so stop by and say hi through the glass :)) and I just drew up my plan.  When I was little (age 3 on) I used to do these crazy doodles and then color them in with all different colors.

I sold them out of my bedroom when we lived in Canada for between 5 and 25 cents each.  I am going back to my roots here and will use that original design technique on the top portion.  Stripes on the base and I think plain to the left.

I just found a sample of my artwork that I did recently.  Yikes!  When I pulled it out, it was dated 1990.  Well, apparently, that is recent to me.

I am super excited to get back to my art.  When I was accepted into USC, I told my dad that I was going to choose the art school track.

I will never forget standing in our rec room on Bayside Road in Bellingham and what he said to me.  “You will go to business school or you won’t be going to USC, because I won’t pay for it”.  Decision made.  My dad was not that type of dad, but he felt very strongly about my college track.  It still haunts me a bit…what if I would have gone to USC’s art school?  Would my life have been different?

In any event, as I have had time to think these past few weeks, I am super grateful and feel blessed that this virus is giving us all a chance to reevaluate our lives and where we are….and maybe where we should be? Do you feel the same?

CARLOS’ Corner…..the little guy has all of our hearts.  We just LOVE him!

He thinks that he is a dog.  He plays fetch with us…seriously!…he brings us empty toilet paper rolls (God forbid they would be full), balls, bracelets, dixie cups, (actually anything that he can carry in his mouth)…drops it at your feet and waits for you to throw it.  I will post some videos someday when I have more “free” time because it is HILARIOUS!

Here he is in action with his tennis balls that he got for Christmas.  Apparently, I knew I wasn’t getting my kids a cat, but rather a DOG because I bought him balls!  BTW, really hard to get a great photo of a cat playing with tennis balls LOL!

It was so fun having both my kids home.  Unfortunately, Houston’s principal at the high school he teaches at in Oklahoma City insisted that he return, even though classes are most likely canceled through the end of the school year.  It was scary for him to fly back this past Tuesday.  At least I got him out of Santa Barbara airport instead of LAX.

He said the airports and the planes were empty.  Ughh!  He is hoping he can drive his car back to Ventura and do his remote teaching from here.  It was so nice to have him home…not often do you get to have your college-age kids home with you for an extended period of time.  Here they are at the beach before he had to leave……

Don’t forget that most of our gift items can now be purchased on our website! The new Baggus that were just released are also there for purchase….they are soooo fun!

Until this Corona Virus madness ends…anything purchased on our website will ship for FREE.  Yes, I did say that out loud…Check our online store with the link below.    Any questions, please call the store at 805-628-3289.

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

Here is a link to all of the fun Baggus…..
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Baggu?sort=HL

Staying home gives all of us a great chance to work on projects, redo rooms and get organized.  Don’t forget that all of the amazing IOD products are also available online and we can get to you curbside or deliver for free in Ventura!

Here is a link to the IOD products.
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Iron%20Orchid%20Designs?sort=HL

Another photo of things that have come into the store.  The media cabinet was painted by Sandy in Annie Sloan Graphite and she also added an IOD transfer.  How cute is that?  It also has some super fun clock knobs for hardware.  Priced to move at $195.  The Orin Ellis white leather ottoman (with the faux dalmatian on top) is $249.50.  Those fun shaggy pillows in hot pink and silver are $14.95 each.

Please text me for a private showing.  I don’t have anything else to do!  LOL.  760-880-3535.

Last week (before we had to shut down), we sold two couches to two of our favorite customers.  The first couch went to Joy and her husband Micheal (she WILL be teaching the calligraphy class when we are back open).  Check out how great it looks in her house and I love the sweet text message she sent with the photo!

“Hi Lynn, here’s our gorgeous new sleeper sofa, thanks to Lynn’s consignments!  I made the long skinny pillow and the arm covers.  Thanks again!  I hope you and the family are well!

After Joy & Micheal purchased their sofa, Kelei and her husband Joe came in looking for a sofa for their new houseboat.  It had to be a very specific dimension to be able to maneuver it through the hatch.  Seriously?  We finally found the perfect couch and they love it!  The pillows are also from my store!  How cute is this?

Here is one last shot of a super awesome European chandelier we have in the store.  It came in at $495 and is currently priced at $297.

One last eBay score!  I bought a HUGE box of random trading cards a few years ago.  I probably paid $5.00.  Over the years, I have sold a bunch of them.  This one sold today for the best offer of $11 and $17 in shipping as they are going to Paris.  Ooh La La!

 Funny, because when I was a freshman at USC (in the business school :)) I played “Don’t you want me Baby” by the Human League over and over and over again!  I drove my RA crazy!

https://tinyurl.com/smashhumanleague

So, it has been really strange having Indiana here doing her Pepperdine courses using Zoom.  Especially because she is a theatre major.  Lots of weird noises coming from the living room.  LOL.  Here is what her computer looks like when Carlos is helping her study.  Poor kid!  It is really hard to get him to stay away.

Don’t forget that we now have gift cards available on the website.
https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/store/category/Gift%20Card

Just so you know, this will get better.  This too shall pass.  God has got this.  And, on top of that, my neighbor, Gina Cole (the best neighbor ever–who brought us homemade tacos for dinner tonight) sent me this photo of a rainbow over my house.  We are all good!

OK!  One last fun photo.  Indiana, outside, working on her movement class and trying to become one with a plant.  LOL, whatever?  At least she is super busy and enjoying her Zoom classes.  Apparently, I should have bought stock in THAT company!

Again…..A Happy New Decade (We will get through this!) from Lynn’s Consignments team to you and your family!   We hope to see you soon!

Pictured…Emma, Mor Mor (my mom!), me, Val, Peggy, Kathy, and Jo Dallas!

For some reason, I wrote A LOT this week! So, this is how I feel now that I am finished. Just like Carlos…I am WORN out! However, I wish I was as tall (long) and lean as this little guy!

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.