Saturday random:
I couldn't find a still, so you'll have to click on the link (or not, if you know to what I am referring) and imagine "Simon and Garfunkel parody: UR doin' it WRONG" labeled on it in the Impact font, white with black borders:
Simon and Garfunkel impression: FAIL.
Seriously, could they AT LEAST have made fake-Garfunkel taller than fake-Simon? Please.
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I have a bit more free time than anticipated. Because local paper classified ads: FAIL. The church youth group was supposed to have a garage sale today but it turns out the ad never got in the paper, even though the person in charge (not me for a change) took the ad down WELL IN ADVANCE and made the arrangements. And since we're not in an "obvious" location, no one would find us randomly.
So I helped arrange the stuff, and then the other workers offered to repack the stuff for next spring.
Also, there are some items - like a couple of old Paint by Number canvases and some milk glass and a few other borderline-antique things that would probably bring a lot more money on eBay (since we're not in an area where those kinds of things have become hip yet, and selling them at a garage sale would mean a dealer looking to mark up 1000% would be buying them). The sister of one of the women helping out said she'd take photos and put the stuff up.
Actually, though I am leery of eBay (it seems there's too much chance of not getting payment for stuff you've sent out), I'm happy to let some of the more unusual items sell there, rather than, as I said, be "picked" and then have them show up in the local antiques shops with a couple more zeros after the price we had marked on them.
I do have an exam to write and one to grade (it's half graded right now) so I was able to beg off the repackaging. (Thank goodness).
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I finished the "POLICE BOX" stranded work on the first TARDIS side last night. (Which will sound like total gibberish to someone who knows nothing of Dr. Who). It worked out very well...it's actually recognizable as words. I'm pretty happy with this project; I think my brother will be tickled by it. It will be large enough to use as a sofa pillow of sorts. (I'll just have to warn him that if it gets dirty, he will need to surface-wash it rather than throwing it in the machine, or he might find he has a TARDIS that is actually...a lot smaller inside.)
(So I guess that is TARDIS colorwork: SUCCESS, to keep with the LOL-theme).
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So I'm thinking my "reward" this afternoon for finishing the test-grading and test-writing will be to start setting together the Bento Box blocks (say that three times fast). I also have three quilts that need binding applied...one that's been waiting over a year. (Um, yeah. I'm not so fond of the binding thing).
I also think, since it's cold out and this seems a more appealing task right now, I might iron off a bunch of the quilt fabric I've acquired recently and stack it by project. And start thinking about some new projects. I found a bunch of pink and brown fabrics I had put aside for something and I'm contemplating doing a bunch more Bento box blocks and doing a great big mega-Bento quilt, big enough for my bed, with brown background vs. pink background as the color combo. (I even have an appropriate backing stashed away). The Bento Box blocks are kind of fun to make, and I think this time I might just cut block-by-block rather than cutting all at once and sweating whether I have "enough" of the different colors...if I work block-by-block I can judge better. And gather in more fabric if necessary (which probably is not; I'm really fond of pinks and browns together and I have a LOT of them).
(Quilt planning: UR doin' it RIGHT.)
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Oh, and a little PSA for the folks interested in amigurumi or toy-making but who can't find the lock-washer eyes: there's someone on Etsy who goes by the username 6060 who has a wide diversity of them - even some sizes that are normally impossible to find in typical craft stores. I've ordered from her and she ships fast and has fair prices.
(I really love Etsy. I suppose there are people who've had bad experiences with them but all of my experiences have been extremely positive. It's like having a craft mall in your computer. I love being able to find sources for hard-to-find things like the eyes).
More expensive, but really nice (and apparently made BY the person who sells them - wow) are Suncatcher eyes. I've ordered some of these, too, and they are more "special" than the standard lock-washer eyes - they have a more luminous quality. I've only ordered from her once but I was happy with my order.
("Mai eyes: let me show you them"?)
Okay, the LOL-theme is wearing thin, and I need to finish these biostats tests....
3 comments:
Re selling on Ebay, can you specify in the ad that shipment will be made once payment is received? I'm assuming you won't be using Paypal for this but accepting checks. If so, shipment will be made once check has cleared.
Absolutely you much specify that shipment is made after payment is received. Personally, I would use PayPal, because it's guaranteed and immediate.
We do a lot of buying and a little selling on eBay and I've made more than 400 payments via PayPal. It's quick and easy to set up and I no longer purchase from sellers who don't accept it.
The Bento Box quilt is lovely!
I'd like to say a word in defense of dealers, who always seem to come in for critical remarks--in fact, "he's a dealer" has the connotation of a dirty word. It may be short sighted to eliminate them as a group from your prospective customers because they're the ones who will pay you top dollar for things they know they can sell for more. If you don't like their offer, don't sell an item to them. Do you want to make money for your charity or kibitz with little old ladies who will talk you down to a pittance? I'm not knocking little old ladies either--they are often pretty shrewd. The nature of your objection may be more that you feel he's taking fun away from other people who came to browse. They'll just need to move faster--even sales at a department store work this way.
Someone who's near and dear to me is a dealer who tries to make a living by buying and selling used/rare books. Is he more repugnant than, say, a college professor who tries to make a living selling knowledge for $$$? I just want to suggest people think about their prejudices. It's possible (and I'm honestly not saying this about you, as I know you're usually very contemplative) that there's an unconscious remnant of anti-Semitism in the way some people revile dealers. A regular customer may buy a book or two, but a dealer will pay more for the things he wants, then take the remainder off your hands for little or nothing so you don't have to pack it up and cart it to the dump. He'll probably find a few things he might be able to sell for a little--but it's all speculative--then he'll take the rest to Goodwill. He may make nothing on what he's bought from you--he's smart but not a seer.
One last thing: don't leave your books to a library. Libraries don't want old books; they want new books that are on their list of desired aquisitions. They will sell your books at a very cheap price or give them away. You'd do better to sell your good books to a book dealer, who will put them eventually into the hands of someone who wants them. And most probably not get rich doing so.
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