Front Door Friday Part Three

Boy, I can really drag out a project when I want to. The sad thing is I have at least 2 more installments before I'm ready to reveal our front of house make-over- stay with me, I hope it will be worth it. I picked up this stair step thingy at a yard sale 2 weeks ago for $10 and knew exactly where it would go. I have a few feet of blank wall between my front windows. She looks a little homely now, but black paint fixes everything. Right? Let's take a look and tell me what you think...
Here she is dressed in some of my favorite garage sale finds. I'm still playing around with this vignette, but for this week it will look like this. Here's a closer look...
I wish I had about 10 more of those croquet balls to really fill this basket. Remember my watering can disaster! I added some ribbon to the handle, but I'm not quite in love with it- eventually inspiration will come. Here's a view from the side...
I really love the star boxes, but they do blend in a little to the background. I may have to paint them and use my cricut to redo the stars- Let me know what color you think- I'm afraid black might be too much (did I just say that? Shame on me!) Can't wait to show you the next installment- Have a great weekend. Love, Kelly.

Linking Up To:

Frugalicious Friday@ Finding Fabulous

Follow Me Fridays @ Trendy Treehouse

Remodelaholic Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On My Fridge

It's A Hodgepodge Friday@ It's A Hodgepodge Life

Friday Fun Finds @ KOJO Design

I'm Lovin' It @ Tidymom

What I Made This Week @ Simply Designing

I'm A Creative Cat @ Poppies At Play

Show And Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Spring Has Sprung @ Fun To Craft

Flaunt It Friday @ Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Favorite Things Friday @ A Few Of My Favorite Things

Plant A Pumkin Seed Party @ Pumkin Seed Productions

New Friend Friday @ The Girl Creative

Little Table Redo

I found this sweet antique table for just $10 last weekend. It had several scratches and the finish was peeling on all the edges.Just a little time with my porter cable palm sander, Rustoleum's semi-gloss black and Behr's Black- This is how she turned out...
I just love the detail of this piece. Here's a closer look...
And a view from the top...
I was able to dress her up in all my garage sale finds- Although accumulated over time, the total for all of these accessories was less than $10. I'd love to see what you're working on- send us a photo, we'd love to feature it. Love, Kelly

Linking up to:

Get Your Craft On Thursday @ Life As Lori

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies And Jellybeans

Thrifty Thursday @ Tales Of Bloggeritaville

Hooking Up W/HoH @ House Of Hepworths

I Made It @ Everything Etsy

Vintage Thingie Thursday @ The Colorado Lady

Check Me Out Saturday @ A Vision To Remember

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

The Big Challenge Week 15

In case you didn't read my comment on Yesterday's posts I thought I'd add it here:

Thank you for ALL of your comments. I love how fired up everyone got over this topic- true passion for resale. Here's what I'm gleaning from you:

1. I will continue to post my buy and sell prices
2. I will not advertise to my clients- unless they ask, and I will warn them that I do this for a living and my goal is, not only to save them money, but to also turn a profit.
3. I will take pride in this talent I have and continue to buy trash and turn it into something pretty.
Thank you again, for your support and honest opinion.

Okay! On to The BIG Challenge. I have one more week to reach my goal. If you're just joining in you can learn more about The Big Challenge here. I just read over week 1 and had to laugh that my total profit for the week was $55.00! Boy have I learned alot this past 15 weeks. Let's take a look at my top sellers ...

Overalls really are the bread and butter of ebay. This pair of L.A. Blues size 22W overalls sold for 9.99These Gap Size Large overall capris also sold for $9.99

And these Gap size small denim overall shorts sold for $10.50
Remember this adorable new with tags mud pie baby outfit that I picked up for 2.00? It took 3 weeks, but it sold for $14.99This new with tag express design studio suit was just $1.00 for the set at Goodwill. Even though it's completely out of season, some smart shopper couldn't pass it up for $14.99. Laura would generally hold on to these types of items until they're in season- I'm a little OCD and can't stand to have stuff waiting around- so if I don't think I can sell it now, I don't buy it.I seem to do really well with Tall clothes. Tall jeans and dresses have consistently sold- unlike petites that are hit and miss and size "Short" that seems to rarely sell. This Eddie Bauer size Large Tall denim dress sold for $10.53.I could tell this tank top was good quality but I didn't recognize the name brand Aryeh. I bought it for $1.00 and did a little research on the brand. (I go to ebay, type in the brand, and then select completed listings so I can see what it has really sold for in the past) I found out this brand is sold at Anthropologie. I listed it at $9.99 and it Sold for $9.99.

Although I feel like I've learned so much these past 15 weeks about ebay- there are still things I will never understand. This Lane Bryant size 20 tan skirt was listed for 4 weeks- first at 7.00, again at 7.00, then at 5.50 and lastly I listed it this week for $2.99- if it didn't sell this week it was going in the return pile. It sold for $15.00- figure that one out!

And finally, my BIG seller of the week- actually my biggest seller of all time. I know this looks like an ordinary black skirt. It happens to be an Eileen Fisher and I purchased it for $1.00. It sold for $27.00. I can't tell you how excited I was about that! So obviously ebay was fantastic this week. What about the sell? Also fantastic. Here are a few items to spotlight...
Little tikes is always a great resale item. I paid $2.00 for this shopping cart and sold it for $12.00.
Remember my little black tables. I paid $25.00 each and sold them for $125.00 for the pair.
This asian inspired table was $15.00 at a garage sale. It needed a lot of cleaning up and a small repair. It sold for $55.00 and will look great in the buyers new yoga studio.
The beloved kidkraft retro kitchen was $40.00. I had women clawing through the phone to get this. It sold for $100.
This amazing antique desk was purchased for $40.00 and sold the same day for $125.00.

I sold tons of other furniture and decor items for a total of $592.00 my cost was $187.00 for all of those items- so I'm thrilled with my $405.00 profit- this will all be listed under craigslist profits. I'm sooooo close to my goal, but will need this last week to meet it. Wish me luck. Love, Kelly

Ebay Profits: This week: 372.77 Challenge Total: 2763.54

Craigslist Profits: This week 592.00 Challenge Total: 2802.00

This weeks Costs: 0.00 (clothes- I had a return) -66.57 (ebay fees) -21.96(paypal fees) -187.00 (Cost to buy craigslist items)

Total Challenge Costs: 1691.84

Total Profit: $3873.70

Linking up to:

Penny Pinching Party @ The Thrifty Home

Look What I Made @ Creations By Kara

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Show Us What You're Working On @ Me And My Bucket

Be Inspired @ Room To Inspire

A Little Craft Therapy @ Life In The Pitts

We're Organized Wednesday @ Organize And Decorate Everything

Make It Yours @ My Backyard Eden

Show And Tell @ Blue Cricket Designs

Works For Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family

Sharing Ideas Wednesday @ The Trendy Treehouse

We Did It Wednesday @ Sew Much Ado

Bargain Brag Wednesdays @ Bargain Shopping Paradise

Tea Rose Home

Spotlight Yourself @ It's so Very Cheri

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

Comments and What Do you Think?

My Dear Trash Readers,

Normally I would post a project for you all to see today- But Whew! I'm tired. I was up until after midnight putting my last few items on ebay- This will be the last chance for Florida. I can't wait for The Big Challenge tomorrow to share my progress this week. However, what has dampened my excitement a little is a comment that was shared by Anonymous. I received this comment right before heading to bed last night and I have to say, it made me toss and turn- So I thought I'd blog about it...Send it out to this cyber community and see what you think. Here's the comment...

"I think that you do a great job with finding bargains. I only wish that when people purchase your items you dont attach your blog information. Its kinds of disheartening when people purchase your items and you post what you actually paid for them."

Because posting my trash, what I pay for it, and what I sell it for is the premise of this blog, I was really stump at this comment. Here's my thoughts...

1. In the past I have never shared my blog information with my customers. I've thought that it may upset them to know what I paid for an item, however, when getting ready for my home decor sale I made the choice to use my blog business cards as my price tags. I was a public school teacher for 13 years- I have a Bachelors in Elementary Education, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and a Masters in Educational Leadership- I love to educate and I love to share with people what you can do to make a little extra money. I figured anyone buying my things would have an interest in my blog- heck they're trying to save a few bucks too, by buying through craigslist and not retail.

2. When I purchase something I pay what it's worth to me. If I love a painting that cost 500.00 (and I have the money) I'll pay $500- It doesn't matter to me that it only cost the painter $5 in supplies- I pay what it's worth to me. I'm paying for this artists talent- a talent I don't have. Would I be upset if that painter advertised his sell and noted that it only cost him $5? I don't think so. Does it make the painting less valuable? Not for me.

2. When I refinish items- I may have picked them up for $5- but the time, materials and talent it takes to refinish them does carry a price tag.

3. When I purchase an item and immediately flip it ( there were 2 of those this weekend- I'm sure that's what warrented the above comment) I feel I'm actually saving someone money. I purchased an item for $40.00- It sells for $189.99 new (plus tax) I sold it for $100- and the crazy thing was- If customer 1 didn't buy it, I had 3 others texting, emailing and calling wanting to be the second person in line. Did I just save this person $100 or did I just rip them off for $60?

4. Isn't America built on the premise, "Buy low, sell high?" Aren't we a supply and demand economy? (I think I should be playing America, America in the background)


Help me out, My Dear Trash community. I feel a little defeated today- but I'd like your honest opinion.

1. Should I stop publishing the prices I pay for my trash? (or is this why you read?)
2. Should I never tell a customer about my blog?
3. Should I just donate all my finds to worthy candidates instead of taking my family to Florida?

I'd love to know you're honest opinion. If you bought an item from me for $100 and found out later I only paid $40- would you feel disheartened? Before I go I'd like to share another comment I received- This was from a potential ebay buyer...

"Since these are preowned jeans is would be nice to know how
worn they are. Are they lightly used? 1-10 washings maybe
moderately used 11-25. Well used 25 + washings If they are not
jeans you wore yourself, just use your judgement in how well
used you think they are. Thanks. Very well might bid on them,
but need more info."

This comment did not keep me up at night. I laughed for days at the idea of trying to identify how many washings a pair of jeans might have! Imagine the comments I would receive if I suggest a pair of jeans had been washed between 1-10 times- I imagine some would be disappointed and leave comments such as, "I'm sure these jeans have had 11 washings- I'd like a full refund!" Maybe I'm just tired, or easily amused. I do love comments- They help us improve- and sometimes they build us up and sometimes they teach us a lesson- Leave me a comment today and let me know what you think. Love, Kelly.

This weeks Garaging Finds

Another great weekend of trash collecting! I'll be giving an update on my sale on Wednesday at The Big Challenge. Here's what I found...I love this jar with the fleur de lis metal finial- It was new in the box for $3.50, the vernon wear salt shaker, pyrex refridgerator container, fenton candy dish and antique hats (with original hat box) were part of a charity sale for the cancer society- They only wanted a couple of bucks for everything- or maybe $5 they said. They were thrilled when I gave them a $10- and I was thrilled with my finds.

I love the lines of this little antique side table. It was $10.00. The pottery barn floating candles were $1 per box.
This little rocking horse is in perfect condition. When you press it's ears, it makes galloping sounds and it's tail moves. For $5 it will make a great resale item.
Another French nightstand!!!! I think this one's for me. It was only $5, but will take a lot of work to sand off the layer of textured paint. The "Memories" blocks were new in the box for $1. The jumbo letters were $1 each and the pink Bumbo was $5- another great resale item.
Here's more of my $10 purchase from the charity sale- two rolls of painter's tape ( I can never have enough of this) and a bag of canning lids and seals (I'm a big summer jam maker)
Here's my favorite Friday finds that were put in my Home Decor sale. This antique desk was just $40.00 and has already been sold (I'll let you know how much on Wednesday at The Big Challenge)
This kidkraft retro kitchen was also $40.00- I've got someone coming tonight to pick her up!
Hope your weekend was just as fun. Love Kelly

Linking Up To:
Modern Craftswoman Monday @ Tools Are For Women Too!

The DIY Showoff Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

I Made The World Cuter Today @ Making The World Cuter

Made By You Mondays @ Skip To My Lou

Sumo's Sweet Stuff @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Metamorphosis Mondays @ Between Naps On The Porch

Made It Mondays @ The Persimmon Perch

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple

Mad Skills Monday @ Mad In Crafts

It's So Very Creative @ It's So Very Cheri

Craftastic Monday @ Sew Can Do

Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

Front Door Friday And Home Decor Sale!

Are you ready for the next installment of my front porch? Don't get too excited, some of the detail work isn't done- this really is a work in progress- but progress nonetheless. It all started with a dresser mirror Laura dropped off that she bought for $1.00 at goodwill. Here's a before picture of the frame (I had already taken out the mirror)I painted the frame (Rustoleum's Heirloom white) painted the back board (Rustoleum's chalkboard paint) and added some vinyl. Here's what she looks like...

Notice the bell I picked up last week for $10. Don't notice the screws that haven't been painted! Here's a closer look at that awesome bell.The house numbers were purchased a few years back at Restoration Hardware- I gave them a quick coat of black to match our new color scheme.

Here's the overall look (there's also a sneek peek at my new front door and shutter color-gotta love the black!)Did anyone notice the chalkboard announcement? My Dear Trash Home Decor Sale. This is my last attempt at making some extra cash for the Florida trip. Once I realized next week was Memorial weekend, I realized I needed to have my sale ASAP. So, if you live in the area- I'd love to meet you. Starting tomorrow-Saturday, May 22 at 10am. I'm selling off all my left over furniture and home decor. Here's a sneek peek at some of the items I'm selling...

I've set everything up in my living room- I hope it will be near empty when the sale ends. Also, for those who can't make it Saturday, I'll be selling by appointment only all next week. If you need my address leave a comment and I'll send it to you. Wish me luck, have a great weekend. Love, Kelly.

Linking Up To:

Frugalicious Friday@ Finding Fabulous

Follow Me Fridays @ Trendy Treehouse

Remodelaholic Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints On My Fridge

It's A Hodgepodge Friday@ It's A Hodgepodge Life

Friday Fun Finds @ KOJO Design

I'm Lovin' It @ Tidymom

What I Made This Week @ Simply Designing

I'm A Creative Cat @ Poppies At Play

Show And Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Spring Has Sprung @ Fun To Craft

Flaunt It Friday @ Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Favorite Things Friday @ A Few Of My Favorite Things

Plant A Pumkin Seed Party @ Pumkin Seed Productions

New Friend Friday @ The Girl Creative

Check Me Out Saturday @ A Vision To Remember

Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Saturday Spotlight @ Craft Envy

EBay Dress Sales of the Week

This week was fun and girlie and feminine, not just because I've had my newborn daughter in my arms, but because I posted loads of dresses on EBay. I paid a $1.00 each for these dresses. Let me show you what they sold for.

This Speechless Size 9 White Pink Floral Long Flowing Dress sold for $6.99 to a customer in Korea.

This Jovovich Hawk Size 11 Babydoll Empire Waist Mini Dress from Target sold for $8.99.

Remember my Double D Ranch Medium Black Lace Ruffle Long Tank Dress. New they sell for around $300.00. This dress sold for $26.50.

I love this Faith Love Passion Size 14 White Classic Summer Dress. It sold for $12.50.

I sell plenty of little girl dresses too. This Laura Ashley Size 7 Mother & Child Navy Dress sold for $6.99.

And these Ralph Lauren Dress sold for $6.99 each. I'd love to keep them for Eden, but they're both Size 6 and it would be 5 to 6 years before she could even wear them. Yeah, I don't need to hold onto stuff for that long.

This beautiful Liz Claiborne XL Knee Length Rayon Dress sold for $6.99.

Venezia is a great EBay seller, like this Venezia Size 14/16 Black Dress. It sold for $9.99.

Remember the Tibi Size 8 Halter Monkey Rainforest Print Dress. Tibi dresses sell new at Neiman Marcus for $300.00. I started my EBay listing at $8.99 and that's what it sold for.

Jones New York also has a loyal following on EBay. This Jones New York Size 12 Little Black Knee Length Dress sold for $9.99.

This Womens Banana Republic Size 6 Black Silk Cocktail Dress needed some TLC. I stitched one of the straps back on to make this $9.99 sell.

I left this dress in my garage, stashed away for my summer EBay listings. It's a new with tag (NWT) Charlotte Russe Red Cocktail dress.

Looks like my cat clawed through it, so it's going in the trash.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

These are just a few of my almost 30 sales of the week. I made $200.00 of my inventory. Dress week was a huge success. I wish you success on your trash sales. Let me know what your week was like by leaving a comment below.