Garage Sale

My neighbors and I are having a garage sale this weekend.  I set out the items I'm selling in my Etsy shop plus the usual garage sale fare.  We're doing the sale again today and I learned a few things about garage sales that I thought I'd share with you all.

1)  People will come early.  Try to be ready before you plan to open because otherwise it will be very hectic.  The morning was much busier than the afternoon.

2)  Kids don't think running a garage sale is as fun as shopping at them.  However, kids running a lemonade stand at the garage sale works pretty well.

3)  Watch where people are walking - watch what they are buying.  I rearranged the items many times over the course of one day.  We made a lot more sales after rearranging according to traffic patterns, putting like items together, and bringing stuff outside.  For example:

These purses are a mixture of my vintage bags and some more contemporary bags from my neighbor.  I put my handmade jewelry next to the purses since they are basically a theme.

This table started out on the other side of the garage and hardly anyone even looked at it.  The purses were packed onto one side of the table with a box full of purses on the floor.  The jewelry was in the corner.

People walked up the driveway and around the corner into the garage.  The table with the purses and jewelry was out of their line of vision as they came in so they just skipped it.  We moved the purses to the opposite side of the garage, hung them from the garage door tracks, took them out of the box and set them out so you could see them better and "just like magic" the purses started selling.

Another thing that happened was I had some yarn in a bin.  No one bought the yarn.  I took the yarn out of the bin and the very next shopper bought all of it.

4)  If you are going to desks or tables at your garage sale, use them to display other items.  However, if you do use the furniture to display items, you should put a sign on it that clearly states the desk/table is for sale. 

5)  Kids' stuff: put the toys and books down where kids can look through it.  Don't overcrowd baskets, though.  If a bin is too crowded many people won't want to bother going through it.

6)  Bigger ticket (or just plain big) items may draw a lot of looks but they are harder to sell.  This china set is an example.  It's so pretty and it's vintage 1950s.  We only have it  priced at $30 (it's missing the tea cups) but that is expensive enough (and it's a huge amount of plates) for most people to admire it but not want to buy it.  Don't let it discourage you!  The right shopper may come along.

7)  Signs: make them simple and make them similar.  When I'm out driving and I see a sign that says "Sale" and has an arrow...I follow it.  Then, I see another of the same sign with an arrow...I follow it.  Don't fill your sign up with a bunch of extra information.  Drivers can't read all that writing anyway.  And, don't leave your shoppers stranded wondering where to turn next.  I had a guy tell me, "Don't need anything.  Don't want anything.  But, I saw your signs...."

8)  Talk to the people who come shopping but make sure you leave them to look around at your tables.  I love being welcomed to a garage sale with a friendly hello and a bit of small talk.

9)  If someone lingers over an item but doesn't pick it up right away, talk to them about it!  You might be able to negotiate a price or answer a question that was keeping them from scooping it up.

We're running our sale again today and I'm going to put my own tips to good use.  Happy garage-saling everyone!

Dragonflies

I have been trying to make my outdoor patio a little more inviting.  I found some dragonfly string lights at Goodwill but they were black and you couldn't see the cute dragonflies.

So, I went to the dollar store and bought some nail polish!  I got a few colors plus a plain glitter.  I ended up putting a clear top coat on the glitter just to make sure it could hold up with the summer weather.  I took these pictures after they'd been up for over a month and they are holding up great!

Some of the colors needed two coats but it was still a really easy project.  Now, my dragonflies are easy to see during the day and night.  I love them.

Update - One year later and they still look great!  I even left them outside during the cold and snowy Minnesota winter.

Stacked Bracelets

Have you been noticing all the arm parties in fashion magazines and blogs?  I jumped on that trend the first time I saw it.  I've always loved the look of "too many" bracelets.  But, until recently, I didn't like being very flashy.  Check out this guide on A Pair and a Spare to get ideas for your own arm parties.

Two of the bracelets in this stack are upcycled from items I found at thrift stores and garage sales.

This one used to be a belt:

This one used to be a really long, really ugly necklace:

I love these two bracelets and wear them almost every day.  Since I made them from longer chains, I am selling some identical bracelets in my shop.  I love wearing one-of-a-kind, or one-of-a-few items.

Handmade Necklaces

Have you noticed all the broken, ugly, or not-quite-right jewelry at thrift stores and garage sales?  All you need are a couple tools, jewelry findings or wire (relatively inexpensive), and your own creativity to make unique jewelry.  

I try to buy used/thrifted whenever possible.  It's cheaper and it's better for the environment.  Plus, I love the treasure hunt!

I have been making my own jewelry out of thrifted pieces.  I turn old necklaces into bracelets, earrings into pendants, cut beaded necklaces apart to use the beads in rings, rip apart belts to use as bracelets.  I've been having a great time - and I'm selling some of my creations in my etsy shop.  Here are a few of the things I've just listed:

This pendant necklace is one of the many pieces of jewelry I've made with vintage buttons and wire.  I've made rings, bracelets, and necklaces.  I got this button from my sweet grandmother.  Update:  I decided to keep this one for myself!  I had this white shirt I never really liked wearing.  Adding this pendant to the outfit made the shirt work for me!

These three necklaces are all made with the beads from the same ugly necklace I bought at a garage sale.  The beads look like that chalky/chewy candy grandmas always have in their houses.  The original necklace was on a string that was totally stretched out.  It was unwearable.  I removed all the beads and turned them into a number of creations.

Picnik

I just tried out a new free photo editing software program.  Picnik is a web based software program.  It was fast and easy to use.  I've been using picasa and it works just fine.  I tried paint.net a few years ago (liked it).  I would also like to try photoscape.  I don't do anything fancy with my photos.  I usually deal in brightness (fill light), contrast, and colors.  The important thing to me is that the software be easy to use.

Here's a picture you might recognize, but I did a little work on it in Picnik:

What do you use for your photo editing software?

Broke the Ice!

Do you watch the TV Show, American Pickers? I love it!  It's about two guys who go around the country looking through piles of junk and finding treasures.  They make their money by buying the items cheap, cleaning them up, and selling them to collectors.  When they make their first sale at a new pick they say, "We broke the ice!"

I started on Etsy on July 15, 2006.  After selling for a couple years I went back to full time teaching so my Etsy shop sat and waited.  I reopened Kibbles 'N Knits this summer.  I just made my first sale (second time around)!

I sold two of the antique baby gowns I have for sale:

 

I bought these at a garage sale in my sister's neighborhood.  The woman I bought them from told me her grandfather wore them and that they were about 100 years old.  At first I thought I might cut them up for crafting.  After hearing that they belonged to this woman's grandfather, I didn't have the heart to cut them.  I thought I might send them to my very talented Aunt Penny.  But, I thought she might just cut them up.  After some deliberation I decided to sell them in my Etsy shop.  I hope the people who buy them can treasure them!

PS  My very first sale as Kibbles 'N Knits was this alien guitar pick holder.  It sold on August 15, 2006.

DIY Guinea Pig Cage

We added two guinea pigs to our home this summer when we adopted two adult females who had been living together their whole lives.  I did a lot of research before we got our guinea pigs and I learned A LOT.  The main thing I learned is that guinea pigs need bigger cages than I thought. I'd seen them housed in tiny little cages so I thought I could just get a small cage from the pet store. I was wrong about that! Guinea pigs need a lot of room to run, and piggies who can get a lot of exercise are healthier guinea pigs (just  like people!).

Guinea Pig Cages is an excellent resource for caring for guinea pigs. I learned about building your own guinea pig cage from that site. I had a lot of materials on hand and ended up spending about $40 for this gigantic DIY guinea pig cage!  I still need to figure out a table to hold the cage off the floor (and reclaim all my bins and crates) but otherwise it's done and it works great!  Our pets have been living in their DIY cage for over a month.  UPDATE:  I salvaged a book shelf to use as the "table" under the coroplast.  I just set the bookshelf face down and plopped the guinea pig cage on top.  Looks great!  And, bonus, the bookshelf has open sides so I can store the bedding and food under the cage.

 

The cage is built with coroplast and storage cubes. I bought the coroplast locally but you can find it on-line. I already had the storage cubes in the basement.

I have two young kids in my house so I added plastic zip ties instead of just relying on the plastic caps that join the metal pieces. The cage is quite sturdy.

As I said, I have two young kids so I also built a lid for the cage. (A lid is not necessary if you don't have young children or other pets as guinea pigs cannot jump out.)  I bought small locks (meant for luggage) so that the kids couldn't get to the guinea pigs without an adult present.

Two locks linked together are also useful as a "hinge" between the lid and the non-moving cover.  This way we can just lift up the lid to feed, clean, and pick up our piggies.

The lid is four sides of the storage cubes held together with zip ties.  I laid two curtain rods across the cubes and zip tied them together.  The edges of the curtain rods extend past the perimeter of the cage so that the lid is held up by the curtain rods.

Can you see the guinea pig in her sleeping bag?  That's just a towel folded over and safety pinned at the edges.  They love cozy hiding places and the sleeping bags are a big hit!

May I also recommend this little rubber tote basket?  I found these at the dollar store and they are a great way for young kids to carry their guinea pigs from the cage to the couch/living room/play pen, etc.

I'd love to see pictures of your own DIY guinea pig cages!  (We call in the guinea pig mansion at our house.)  Post links in the comments on the blog.

Do you like DIY?  I have lots of DIY links for home, jewelry, kids, and fashion.

Junk Yard Glitter

Look what was on Etsy's front page tonight!  Can you believe this purse?  It's hand painted by Etsy seller Junk Yard Glitter.  Isn't it amazing?

Love this coin purse!  Any Alice in Wonderland fans out there?  You might need this.

What is it about cupcakes?  This one is particularly cute - I like the colors.

Junk Yard Glitter is a professional muralist but she can really do it up on a small scale, too!  She states in her profile that she's really into upcycling old stuff.  (This is my newest passion so I'm in love with her vintage-turned-new-and-funky stuff.)

Hello, Beautiful!

I found a tin filled with my old glasses. This pair was my favorite. Let me set the scene: 7th grade (1988). Small town Wisconsin. Nerdy girl goes big on style.

I remember feeling very hot in these glasses. It may have been the first time I knew I was wearing something hot. I have rarely felt as stylish as when I wore these glasses.

Do you have something you remember owning, loving, and now don't quite understand the fascination?

P.S. The gray shirt slung over my shoulder is a vintage Givenchy found at a garage sale. I bought it thinking, "I own a designer something!" I really tried to make this shirt work for me. I tried so hard. In the end I sold it at a flea market. The girl who bought it rocked that thing! I also sold a couple of my vintage bags at that flea market. These two bags sold to one of the most adorably fashionable women I've ever seen in St. Paul.

Back on Etsy

Hi folks! It's been a long time since I posted out here. The school year kept me very busy. Now it is summer and I've been going through an ultra-creative phase! (Some may call it obsession.) Making things is just so much fun.

I'm back on Etsy selling some vintage items right now. I've also been making a lot of jewelry and plan to post some of that, too. This picture shows one of the bags I'm selling plus three of the jewelry items I've made (the bracelets).

Selling these vintage bags started on a trip to my hometown. My sister and I were hunting through thrift stores and found a treasure trove of amazing bags in great condition! She mentioned that we should buy them and sell them on-line. I poo pooed her idea stating that it was too much work to sell stuff on-line. But then I couldn't get the idea out of my head! So, we took our cash back to the store and bought up about 13 amazing bags.

I have also recently embraced my love for fashion. For many years, I loved looking at fashion but never spent any time actually trying to look fashionable. Well, that has changed! I am now obsessed with thrift stores and garage sales - finding necklaces to turn into bracelets, dresses to modify into tops, and buried treasure. I went through my own closet and rescued some items that were destined for Goodwill - I cut them, sewed them, and turned them into things I love to wear (I'll snap some pictures to post).

Here are a few blogs that have been inspiring me:

New Dress a Day (If you are interested in altering clothes, this is the blog for you!)
Ruffles and Stuff (Cute DIY ideas)
I Spy DIY (I especially like their accessories posts.)
A Pair and a Spare (Love her photos, DIYs, and style)