Friday, 8 April 2011
Ebay success
Two people are bidding on one of my ebay auctions. It'll be my first sale. It's obviously not a real money maker (wasn't really my goal, just destashing my sewing room), but exciting nonetheless. I found this adorable Care Bears fabric at a Salvation Army for 99 cents and loved it immediately but couldn't think of what to make with it. I was in a big sewing kick when I was pregnant and for a while afterwards, during which I was hoarding so much fabric, but I haven't been feeling my creative sewing juices flowing for a while. Maybe the threat of losing fabric will motivate me to sew again. Hopefully this fabric is going to a nice home where it will be made into something that gets treasured and not end up sitting in a fabric pile (yet again).
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Learning something new everyday
When I'm not out thrifting, I love reading about it. There's some great blogs like apron thrift girl. I love her thrift share Mondays when I get to see and drool over other people's finds. Through her site, I also discovered this post on vignelli glass bakeware. Lo and behold, I find the bottom half of a Vignelli round casserole a few weeks ago for 3.99. Given my lack of success finding Pyrex in thrift stores lately, it's more fun and worthwhile learning about and then searching for other nice finds.
Unlucky Pyrex
It's been about a month since I bought Pyrex from a thrift store. It's been hard to come by and what I've found has mostly been very sad Pyrex. Saddest was a few delphite plates and a bowl. As soon as I spotted them, I rushed over super excited but they were so scratched, discoloured and dulled from dishwasher abuse I just couldn't justify paying for them. Funny how thrift stores don't seem to take condition into account when pricing.
I've also left behind a few good Pyrex surprisingly. My cupboards are jammed full right now from huge corningware haul that I blogged about yesterday, which is why I have to be pickier about what I purchase...well at least until I can sell the corningware to make room and pay for my true obsession :) I've already blogged about the old orchard bowls left at the estate sale, but I also left behind some english pyrex (2 different sizes of casseroles but no lid) because the pattern was one with painted flowers that were a bit too granny-style for me and a crazy daisy casserole (pretty minty condition but no lid) because I'm not a big fan of green and brown patterns, so it's best they go to a home where they'd be appropriately loved. I think back and sometimes I regret not buying those. My biggest regret was a set of 3 nested turquoise mixing bowls. Even though they were not in great shape (some scratches and a lot of black spots that I"m not sure I could have cleaned off), it was 1/2 off day at goodwill and I could have had them for only $8 for the whole set. Oh well, you live and learn and then you buy more Pyrex to make everything right again :)
I've also left behind a few good Pyrex surprisingly. My cupboards are jammed full right now from huge corningware haul that I blogged about yesterday, which is why I have to be pickier about what I purchase...well at least until I can sell the corningware to make room and pay for my true obsession :) I've already blogged about the old orchard bowls left at the estate sale, but I also left behind some english pyrex (2 different sizes of casseroles but no lid) because the pattern was one with painted flowers that were a bit too granny-style for me and a crazy daisy casserole (pretty minty condition but no lid) because I'm not a big fan of green and brown patterns, so it's best they go to a home where they'd be appropriately loved. I think back and sometimes I regret not buying those. My biggest regret was a set of 3 nested turquoise mixing bowls. Even though they were not in great shape (some scratches and a lot of black spots that I"m not sure I could have cleaned off), it was 1/2 off day at goodwill and I could have had them for only $8 for the whole set. Oh well, you live and learn and then you buy more Pyrex to make everything right again :)
Craiglist/Kijiji luck
I had read on other blogs about people finding Pyrex through craiglist/kijiji. I started checking every so often but mostly it was very pricey Pyrex from a reseller. But this past week, I found 2 ads with very reasonable priced Pyrex.
Firstly, I met a lovely lady with an adorable son. I bought my first butterprint from her for $5. A few spots where some stains ate away at the colour/pattern and some utencil scratches on the inside but still pretty decent conditon.
Then another lady with a friendly dog. I bought 3 fridgies, 2 red and a delphite! She listed them for $15 but since there was some colour loss on the red ones and a deep scratch on the delphite (they look better in the picture than in person), I offered $12 and she agreed.
Having had no luck at the thrift store (and I go often!), I was very happy about these finds.
Firstly, I met a lovely lady with an adorable son. I bought my first butterprint from her for $5. A few spots where some stains ate away at the colour/pattern and some utencil scratches on the inside but still pretty decent conditon.
Then another lady with a friendly dog. I bought 3 fridgies, 2 red and a delphite! She listed them for $15 but since there was some colour loss on the red ones and a deep scratch on the delphite (they look better in the picture than in person), I offered $12 and she agreed.
Having had no luck at the thrift store (and I go often!), I was very happy about these finds.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Estate Sale Shopping
After the online estate auction, I decided it's better for me do my thrifting in person. The first estate sale I went to was near my house. It was very interesting because the family were avid collectors of butterflies, the walls were covered with display cases full of them. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else of interest, at least not to me. I just bought one Beatrix Potter pop up book - the outside was a little beat up but the pop up pages were still in good condition and I thought it was cute so I paid my dollar and left. I did learn there that people come early to get numbers so I was prepared for next time.
A week later, I went to another estate sale. It was well organized, with everything laid out on tables and labelled. At first, I looked around and didn't see much. I wasn't able to get there when it started so I probably missed out on the best stuff. There were a few Pyrex carafes but they were not in very good shape. That left me wondering if there was good Pyrex that had been bought already (what a sad thought). While I was still roaming around the kitchen hoping to find a gem that had been left behind, someone from the company running the sale discovered that there was a cupboard full of stuff that they had missed. In it was a large set of corningware in the blue cornflower pattern and some clear pyrex bowls and casserole dishes. There was a bit of a panic as the workers emptied out the contents and started labelling prices furiously. Since I was the one closest to them, so I asked how much they'd want for the whole set of the corningware, the lady said she'd give it to me for $30. I wasn't really in the market for a whole lot of corningware and I actually don't love this pattern very much, but it sounded like too good of a deal to pass up when I know that these are collectible too. Plus, there were people gathering behind me showing interest so I heard myself saying "I'll take it".
However, to even things out, I also bought a few duds because I was too excited: 1(as I discovered when I got home) very chippy clear glass Pyrex casserole dish ($5) and a little "Pyr-o-rey" dish ($1.50) that I had mistaken for a Pyrex. I did get 14 cloth napkins for $2.50, most of which were brand new. I was happy about that since I had wanted to move to using cloth napkins rather than kleenex to be more environmentally friendly. Overall, I thought it was a good experience and I got a great deal.
Last weekend, I went to 2 estate sales that were only a few blocks apart and run by the same company. In the preview pictures of one of the sales, I was pretty sure I spotted a primary mixing bowl set in the kitchen cupboards. I got there 1/2 hour early but there was already a line. After I finally found a parking spot (which was hard to come by in that neighborhood), I lined up and was #29 so I was kinda bummed, figuring my chances were pretty poor, but I had a nice chat with some ladies in line who were regular estate sale shoppers. They even go across the border to estate sales!
Turns out, no one else was even interested in going to the kitchen. I was there all by my lonesome for a while digging for Pyrex treasure. Well I was right, the large yellow bowl I spotted was the large primary mixing bowl. It wasn't in great shape but the others were in much worse shape, with terrible dishwasher effect! How sad. Since the yellow one wasn't terrible, I held onto it, though I didn't like the $5 price tag on it. There a couple of couple of Old Orchard bowls that were also in decent shape but I'm not really a fan of that pattern so I didn't take those. Out of curiosity, I wandered through the rest of the house, picking a couple of small things but the basement was the where I found most of my haul for the day. I found 4 of these Italian terra cotta planters:
I have no idea what they normally cost. I found an ad on craigslist that was selling one of these used for $20 so they must be more expensive new. They lady working the basement quoted me $20 for all 4. Since we needed some planters for our balcony, this worked out nicely (except for the fact that they were super heavy and I had to lug them more than 2 blocks to my car).
Hidden in the storage space where the planters were, I also found (wrapped in plastic) this:
I don't know what it is with me and this corningware pattern (that I don't even like) but I keep finding hidden ones and in great shape!
I asked for a box or something to put the planters in and was directed to a dirty laundry basket with a few plastic bags in it. While removing the bags, I noticed there were cookie cutters in them, which were on my thrifting wish list, along with a plastic icing/decorating tool. I put those back in the basket.
When I went to get a price on everything I had, the lady noticed I had a bunch of things not from the basement (i.e. the yellow pyrex) and asked if I had already paid for them. I had seen various people throughout the house bargaining and paying for items to different workers at the sale but didn't realize we were supposed to pay for things on the floor where we found them (what an odd system). When I apologized, she was very nice and told me not to worry. Then as she looked at what I had, she said she would throw some of the small things in for free and seemed lost as to what number to give me. I asked if she would take $30. I expected some back and forth (considering I had that corningware dutch oven and the Pyrex) but she just said "that works". She was probably just happy someone was cleaning out heavy stuff from the basement. So here's a picture of the things I got thrown in for free:
The white vase is a fire king hobnail vase. I was in need of nice salad tongs so I was happy to find these (nice shape and look good quality). I also liked the pattern on the rectangular glass dish with little fish-tail handles.
And what started it all:
The picture makes it look better than it does in person but you can see that the finish on the outside has been dulled, though the inside of the bowl is perfect and shiney still.
You'd think I'd be done at that point, but no I went to the second estate sale too. It was pretty picked over by the time I got there but I found a shoe box of cute miniature toy cars (for my baby when he gets older), again in the basement, some christmas cards and these vintage hankies/linens:
I love the one with the kittens. I found a hankie with a kitten that looked similar on etsy and it's priced at $25! From what I could make out from the writing on the rose hankie, it is a reproduction of a painting of a French artist, which is pretty cool. Not sure what to do with all these but I couldn't leave them behind. It didn't hurt that I paid a whopping $2 for everything I got at this estate sale.
Surprisingly, it was only 9:30 at this point (the estate sales started at 8am), so I stopped by a church rummage sale, which didn't start until 10. No Pyrex but I got some knit fabric, a muffin tray and 2 brand new irish linen tea towels for $4. We're going to Ireland this summer so this saves me from buying a couple of souvenirs. :)
A week later, I went to another estate sale. It was well organized, with everything laid out on tables and labelled. At first, I looked around and didn't see much. I wasn't able to get there when it started so I probably missed out on the best stuff. There were a few Pyrex carafes but they were not in very good shape. That left me wondering if there was good Pyrex that had been bought already (what a sad thought). While I was still roaming around the kitchen hoping to find a gem that had been left behind, someone from the company running the sale discovered that there was a cupboard full of stuff that they had missed. In it was a large set of corningware in the blue cornflower pattern and some clear pyrex bowls and casserole dishes. There was a bit of a panic as the workers emptied out the contents and started labelling prices furiously. Since I was the one closest to them, so I asked how much they'd want for the whole set of the corningware, the lady said she'd give it to me for $30. I wasn't really in the market for a whole lot of corningware and I actually don't love this pattern very much, but it sounded like too good of a deal to pass up when I know that these are collectible too. Plus, there were people gathering behind me showing interest so I heard myself saying "I'll take it".
Last weekend, I went to 2 estate sales that were only a few blocks apart and run by the same company. In the preview pictures of one of the sales, I was pretty sure I spotted a primary mixing bowl set in the kitchen cupboards. I got there 1/2 hour early but there was already a line. After I finally found a parking spot (which was hard to come by in that neighborhood), I lined up and was #29 so I was kinda bummed, figuring my chances were pretty poor, but I had a nice chat with some ladies in line who were regular estate sale shoppers. They even go across the border to estate sales!
Turns out, no one else was even interested in going to the kitchen. I was there all by my lonesome for a while digging for Pyrex treasure. Well I was right, the large yellow bowl I spotted was the large primary mixing bowl. It wasn't in great shape but the others were in much worse shape, with terrible dishwasher effect! How sad. Since the yellow one wasn't terrible, I held onto it, though I didn't like the $5 price tag on it. There a couple of couple of Old Orchard bowls that were also in decent shape but I'm not really a fan of that pattern so I didn't take those. Out of curiosity, I wandered through the rest of the house, picking a couple of small things but the basement was the where I found most of my haul for the day. I found 4 of these Italian terra cotta planters:
Hidden in the storage space where the planters were, I also found (wrapped in plastic) this:
I don't know what it is with me and this corningware pattern (that I don't even like) but I keep finding hidden ones and in great shape!
I asked for a box or something to put the planters in and was directed to a dirty laundry basket with a few plastic bags in it. While removing the bags, I noticed there were cookie cutters in them, which were on my thrifting wish list, along with a plastic icing/decorating tool. I put those back in the basket.
When I went to get a price on everything I had, the lady noticed I had a bunch of things not from the basement (i.e. the yellow pyrex) and asked if I had already paid for them. I had seen various people throughout the house bargaining and paying for items to different workers at the sale but didn't realize we were supposed to pay for things on the floor where we found them (what an odd system). When I apologized, she was very nice and told me not to worry. Then as she looked at what I had, she said she would throw some of the small things in for free and seemed lost as to what number to give me. I asked if she would take $30. I expected some back and forth (considering I had that corningware dutch oven and the Pyrex) but she just said "that works". She was probably just happy someone was cleaning out heavy stuff from the basement. So here's a picture of the things I got thrown in for free:
And what started it all:
The picture makes it look better than it does in person but you can see that the finish on the outside has been dulled, though the inside of the bowl is perfect and shiney still.
You'd think I'd be done at that point, but no I went to the second estate sale too. It was pretty picked over by the time I got there but I found a shoe box of cute miniature toy cars (for my baby when he gets older), again in the basement, some christmas cards and these vintage hankies/linens:
I love the one with the kittens. I found a hankie with a kitten that looked similar on etsy and it's priced at $25! From what I could make out from the writing on the rose hankie, it is a reproduction of a painting of a French artist, which is pretty cool. Not sure what to do with all these but I couldn't leave them behind. It didn't hurt that I paid a whopping $2 for everything I got at this estate sale.
Surprisingly, it was only 9:30 at this point (the estate sales started at 8am), so I stopped by a church rummage sale, which didn't start until 10. No Pyrex but I got some knit fabric, a muffin tray and 2 brand new irish linen tea towels for $4. We're going to Ireland this summer so this saves me from buying a couple of souvenirs. :)
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Spring cleaning and ebay
Given my natural tendency not to purge things (i.e. clothing I haven't worn in 10 years) and love of buying things just because I think it's a "good deal", I worry that I will end up on a episode of hoarders one day. I've give some things away to goodwill but seeing all those bloggers reselling things they thrift on ebay and other sites, I figure I should try to sell some of my things, if only to fund my Pyrex habit. I think I will list a few small things on ebay since they have no listing fees for auctions starting at 0.99. I don't want to list anything too valuable just in case there are very few bids. I will wait until the new ebay fee structure to come out April 19 to list higher value items for free. Let's see how this goes!
Mystery pyrex lot
I kept reading about all the great things people pick up at estate sales so I starting combing through my local craigslist and kijiji ads for one I could go to. Well I found an online auction site that does estate sales...how perfect, thrifting from the comfort of my own home! And while browsing the lots up for auction, I found one with a box of Pyrex. I spot two snowflake casserole dishes (one blue on white and a charcoal!), two homestead mixing bowls (a large and small but missing the middle size), a small blue mixing bowl and a couple of other divided casseroles. Turns out, this site only allows local pick up and the estate being sold was a 2 hour drive away. However, I have a family friend who lives in that town so I emailed her to see if she would mind picking it up for me. Sweet girl that she is, she agreed to do so. Well at that point, I was super excited. The bid on the lot was only $3 at that point.
Long story short, I got too excited and ended up bidding $20 for the lot and then paying another $5 on top for taxes and fee for auction company. That's when buyer's remorse set in. The pictures aren't that great and I have no idea what condition these items are in. And taking another look, I realized that the divided casseroles are not even Pyrex (probably glasbak or something else). Also, I spotted the lids to some of my dishes in another lot with some clear Pyrex bakeware. I emailed my friend asking her to see if I could get those lids. I'm still waiting for my friend to come to see what I actually got so this story is to be continued...
Long story short, I got too excited and ended up bidding $20 for the lot and then paying another $5 on top for taxes and fee for auction company. That's when buyer's remorse set in. The pictures aren't that great and I have no idea what condition these items are in. And taking another look, I realized that the divided casseroles are not even Pyrex (probably glasbak or something else). Also, I spotted the lids to some of my dishes in another lot with some clear Pyrex bakeware. I emailed my friend asking her to see if I could get those lids. I'm still waiting for my friend to come to see what I actually got so this story is to be continued...
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