Jenn's Jewels

New School Year & Internet Woes

2012-08-21T22:26:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow starts the first day of school for my kiddos. Why start on a Wednesday I do not know, but my son starts 5th grade which is Middle School and a brand new campus for him and my daughter starts 3rd grade. Where does the time go? Both kids and parents are excited for the first day of school, mostly for different reasons...heheheheh. Spent today organizing school supplies, making sure new school clothes were ready for the week and labeling everything in site.

Have not listed anything new on any of my selling sites and have been good and not shopped any thrift stores, garage or estate sales this week. I think enough money was spent this week and probably the past two weeks purchasing school clothes and supplies. Hope to maybe hit a garage or estate sale this Friday...but I have so much to list currently. Having the internet being up and down this past week and weekend hasn't helped. Summer storms have played havoc with our cable provider who does not only TV but internet and phone as well. Finally was able to schedule them this Friday to see what the problem is as we went a few days without internet and cable has a lot of digital breakup.

Hope everyone has a great week and wonderful finds and sales the rest of the week and weekend. I promise to update with a Monday Thrift Find post.

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday - Goodwill Outlet

2012-08-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, my finds from the Goodwill outlet I visited with my daughter last week. The finds, they may not be perfect, they may seem kitsch, old, tired but each holds some sentimental memory or reminder from my childhood. My hope is that they find a good home or that the excitement of selection and cleaning along with my stories makes memories for my daughter, my son or for someone else's childhood or contemporary memories. I am just going to let the pictures speak from themselves.

Do they remind you of any childhood memories? I would love to hear....

Jenn

Went to the Goodwill Outlet...

2012-08-09T21:21:00.002-07:00

OMG!!! Went to Goodwill Outlet yesterday with my daughter, my first time. Took us about 30 minutes as I live in the Northeast part of Phoenix on the border of Scottsdale and the outlet is on the westside. Phoenix is on the grid system and I am off 40th St. and the outlet is on 51st Avenue, Central Avenue is major street in the middle. So 40 blocks until Central and another 51 blocks until the exit off the freeway east to west not counting the streets we passed coming from the north to the south. BUT SO WORTH THE DRIVE!!! Can't believe what I found and I will give a few hints. But I am saving pictures and pricing for Thrift Share Monday in which I will be linking with HerLibraryAdventures and ApronThriftGirl...both sites are listed in my favorites and I will link at the end of the post. My 8 year old daughter really helped me out yesterday and today not only picking out items but removing price tags and cleaning items.

OK! Think Vintage Danish Modern, Dorothy Thorpe, 70s colors of Avocado Green/Harvest Gold and Brown, Tupperware, Old Girl Scout book, Vintage Coach and wonderful old linens. I may have listed a few items in my new Etsy shop... Jenn's Vintage Jewels

Thank you to all other bloggers, sellers, pickers, educators, video makers and buyers of Antiques/Vintage and those crafty creators who do the same. You educate me and inspire me. I love learning, viewing, admiring, finding, seeking, purchasing, selling, creating, blogging and displaying.

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday Fitz and Floyd

2012-08-06T12:10:00.002-07:00

Finally! I actually went to the thrift store this past Friday and picked up a few items. I picked up these two beautiful plates I just wished they had the whole set.

These plates are by Fitz and Floyd and are from the collection Harvest Vegetables made in 1982. They are in perfect condition, with no chips or rubbing of the gold edging that you sometimes see in older plates. I have already added them to my Etsy store.

Also found these cute Winnie the Pooh dinner plates made by Disney and A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard and the pattern is called Simply Pooh. They are in excellent condition and just so cute. Perfect for the kids table or just for collecting.

Hope everyone found some fantastic thrifts this weekend. Can't wait to read everyones blogs and see the treasures!

Have a great week,

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday

2012-07-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

I listed a lot of items this week, mostly on eBay but didn't get much in terms of sales yesterday when most of my listings were ending. Sigh. Maybe due to the Olympics being on? I think I may move the listings to my new Etsy store. With the manic listing I didn't make it to any sales or thrift stores, so I thought I would share some of my "Jenn's Jewels" that I have not shared before and are still available or now decorate my home.

This is probably my favorite of all time, had it listed on Bonanza but I just can't part with it. It now graces my kitchen counter on a beautiful iron display easel. It is from 1929 and of course it is from England...Copeland Spode. The colors are amazing and while I have seen similar patterns from Copeland Spode they are usually in monotone color of red or brown. I love the pie crust edge and the extra raised dark red ridge you see that circles the scene.

I love this little jar from Lefton, probably from some time in the 60's. It is sort of a mustardy green color featuring Pears 'N Apples(the name of the pattern) in golden hues of yellow and red. I have this listed on Bonanza but I am moving it over to Etsy.

Classic and elegant Noritake Guilford pattern cups and saucers. The pattern was produced from 1952 until 1974. I love the simple lines and the glint of gold against the crisp white which would work for both traditional and modern tastes. Probably moving these from Bonanza to Etsy.

Hope everyone has a great week and I can't wait to see everyone's Thrift Shares this week. Linking to Apron Thrift Girl and Her Library Adventures.

Jenn

2012-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Sooooo...it has been over a month since I updated this blog. I have a long list of excuses including getting ready for vacation, being on vacation, cleaning, kids summer camp, etc, etc, etc. I have only been to the thrift store a couple of times but no new buys. The reality is I know I should just list, list and then list some more.

On that note I have been toying with moving away from Bonanza for my Jenn's Jewels booth which is my store for vintage and antique collectibles, silverware, china, pottery and home decor. Let me first say I love the community at Bonanza, it's free to list, and I think the site is easy to use. I do not think I will pull everything but I have been slowly transferring some listings to eBay and I just signed up for Etsy. It's summer and sales are slow everywhere including eBay but despite my best intentions of upping my listings, participating in the forums, making hand picked lists, sending my business cards in every order no matter where it came from and even paying someone to tweet my items for over a month my booth views and items views are down. I will say that I have gotten more sales in my Jenn's Closet booth which has clothes, books, dvd, toys and non-vintage items. Is that due to what seems to be Bonanza's focus on fashion? Perhaps. But again, even in this booth sales are scarce. I wish Bonanza had done some basic advertising at least to get the name out, especially when they changed the name from Bonanzle to Bonanza. It has been a struggle to get the name out there and I know there are so many Bonanza merchants who do really well sales wise and have shouted from the top of mountain to get the name out. Thank you so much for all you do. And I know I could do a better job advertising my booths. Sigh. I was reading on the AuctionBytes website that Etsy's sales were up from last year and then I also saw I think on another web site where they were comparing the traffic that Ebay, Etsy, Bonanza, Amazon, Ruby Lane and other sites get. Sort of like golf, the lower your rank the more traffic you are getting and guess who is #1....Google. Etsy's rank is 177 which is fantastic, Amazon is 14 and Bonanza is 5,554. Not good. So I guess in short I am going to keep my booths but I'll probably spend more time getting my items listed on eBay and Etsy.

So please stop by and say hi if your on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/JennsVintageJewels?ref=search_shop_redirect and you can check out my auctions under my member id on eBay jjhannum. Also I would love to hear from you, please feel free to give me feedback or advice. Where do you sell and how do you feel it's going on your selling sites.

Have a good day,
Jenn

Thrift Share Monday & Listening to My Own Advice

2012-06-18T18:56:00.003-07:00

Sooo, I have not been taking my own advice lately. It has been a long time since I have spoken these words of wisdom. BC, before children. Always be Selling! I first learned that statement many, many moons ago when I got my first real job working at a Department Store. In my last outside the home job I would remind the sales reps I managed at a software company the same thing...so you would think even after 10 years I would remember and quickly implement that statement. Well, we all know that in online sales if you do not list the items you will not "always be selling." I am trying, maybe I should join a listing challenge because I need to put forth more of an effort to get all my items I keep thrifting listed!

Listed 18 items since yesterday on my eBay account jjhannum. Need to get more listed in my Bonanza booths too. I will prevail!!!!!

Here are some items I thrifted this week from Goodwill, great deals as they had a 50% off sale. Didn't have a chance to visit any estate or yard sales, hopefully this week. :)

From 1973 a beautiful Holly Hobbie Candy Dish, can't resist as I still miss my Holly Hobbie Lunch Box.

Inspired by the upcoming Olympic, a never used 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Mug

Brand New in Box, Fitz and Floyd Bowl from 1993

Vintage Ceramic Butter Molds from 1980

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Father's Day and have a great weekend thrifting, selling, garage sale-ing and relaxing weekend.

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday

2012-06-11T06:54:00.001-07:00

Phew! I am glad last week is over and we start anew today on Summer Vacation!!! Last week was filled with end of the year parties, going away parties, and getting my son and husband ready for Boy Scout camp. Don't get me wrong, it was a good fun week and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to have some one on one time with my daughter. Ready to take all activities down a notch, sleep in(didn't today), and finally get caught up with my listing. My daughter seems eager to help and I will be happy to see if we can list some of their toys that they have outgrown.

Only made it to one thrift store this week and no other sales. But what what I found at the thrift store maybe or maybe not a nice find depending on how they sell. About a month or so ago I found a still in the box vintage Avon Bottle of perfume and it was a lovely milk glass owl. I knew some people collected Avon bottles and Owls are in but it just did OK at auction. However, it sold and I knew there was a market. So Saturday I was able to stop by Goodwill for a little bit and there were bags and bags of vintage Avon Men Cologne bottles many still in their original boxes. There were ones shaped like trains, cars, a pipe, a stag and then what looks like a whole chess set(rooks, knights, bishops and such) and those are the ones still in the boxes. A complete set along with the board(I do not have the chess board) sold for over $70...I do not believe I have a complete set but have a nice starting point for anyone. We will see as I need to do some cleanup as they are a little dusty...

So, without further ado...

The chess pieces, almost complete missing 2 knights

The other bottles, a little dusty

Hope everyone had a great weekend and can't wait to see everyone else's wonderful finds!

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday

2012-06-04T16:16:00.002-07:00

Was able to do a little thrifting and hit a few estate sales this past week. Here are some of my recent finds:

Remember the comic strip Cathy? The All-American Women who could do it all...well, with a little help from her Mom. Here is a vintage mug from 1983 that I found at the Goodwill. After my The Far Side mug did so well I hope that this mug does equally as well. Would have been perfect for Mother's Day too bad I did not find it sooner.

Also, I found a rather large collection of Little Golden Books including two mini My First Little Golden Books from the 80's, many first editions from the 70's until 2004. I just listed them on eBay last night and I already have gotten a bid. Happy!

Here are the beautiful Italian Coasters I spoke about on my last post in the original box from the 60's or 70's. I haven't listed them yet...tempted to keep them for myself. Picked them up for I think $4 and they sold in the past on eBay for $40.

Thank you for checking out my items and please leave some comments about the items or my blog. Can't wait to check out everyone's shares.

Happy Thrifting,

Jenn

Belated Happy Memorial Day! Vintage Italian Find!

2012-05-30T19:52:00.002-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day! Mine was awesome and spent mostly relaxing...but I am not sure how it went by so quickly? Seriously. I will be honest, I spent most of the weekend on my couch watching movies with the kids, browsing the net or watching YouTube. My husband has a big presentation this week and had to do some extra work at the office so when he was home he(and I didn't argue) wanted to be home and spend time with the kids. Notice I actually made two confessions: one my laziness and the second was watching YouTube videos. I have four genre's, if you will, of YouTube videos I watch or get into. The funny videos, usually animal ones where the cat or dog are doing cute things with the kids. The next three are rather embarrassing to admit but I have to do with my love of thrifting. I love thrift videos where people share what they have found, just like the blogs or Thrift shares...but on video. That one is not really embarrassing, but I promise the next two are. :)

Deep Breath! I love watching metal detecting videos!

There I said it, Phew. A couple blogs back I compared thrifting to finding Treasure and I think that is why I love watching them. They are actually finding treasure such as jewelry, old coins, relics, bottles, old pottery and much more.

The last one...I think it is for another post. Nothing bad, just a little dorky. :)

You might have noticed that I did not post to Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl's blog and it wasn't just because of my laziness but that did play a part. LOL I did go thrifting at Goodwill but I did not find or buy anything and I was unable to make it to any Estate or Garage sales. I was going to list some items on eBay on Sunday and didn't even remember to do that...so I may list some items on Thursday as well as add items to my booths on Bonanza.

My kids are still in school which is later than most schools here in Arizona and probably the reason I was lazy this weekend. I think everyone is a little run down and ready for the school year to be over. They have only this week and until Wednesday of next week left but next week maybe the busy week of the school year. End of year parties for the grades, a Brownie party, recognition/moving to the next grade ceremonies, a going away party for a classmate and getting my son and husband packed and ready for Boy Scout camp. So I planned and started today mapping out and going thrifting the rest of the week and weekend.

So Jenn, you did mention something about Italian pottery today. I made it one of the many Goodwill's in my area. I purchased some vintage Little Golden Books that I plan on listing in a lot(remember the Pokey Little Puppy?), a vintage Cathy collectible mug from 1983, a 1978 unused Enesco Precious Moments collectible Mug, and finally some vintage Italian white porcelian coaster that are a set of 8 in the original box but no lid from the 60's or 70's. Found the exact same coasters on eBay that sold for $ 44! Awesome! After finding and selling The Far Side Mug for $16 I have been scouting the coffee mug section every where to find similar items. I hope the Cathy(the comic strip) and Precious Moments mugs sell well.

I did sell a Big Buddha purse on Bonanza yesterday so that was exciting and hope to get more listed on eBay and Bonanza. I think I will wait to post the pictures of all items for the next Thrift Share so please check back. If I find anything exciting and wonderful, I will make another post before Monday...I can't wait to post and share my items. Please feel free to make comments, ask questions or share as well. I would love to have some feedback and I want to thank all that checked out my first share the past Monday as well as the many Bonanza friends that are following my blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Have a wonderful Thursday,

Jenn

Thrift Share Monday

2012-05-21T09:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, did anyone see the eclipse yesterday? Here in Arizona we had a pretty good view and in Phoenix we were on the edge of the best viewing with 83% coverage of the sun. I was able to get a little thrifting in the last week and a half since my last post. I will share my finds here in a little bit which brings me to the title of my post. There are a couple other blogs that feature a "Thrift Share Monday" where you can link back to your blog and post your finds as well as view and read about other bloggers great finds as well. I have learned so much from other bloggers by reading their posts not only on "Sharing Days" but just any post they write. I would have never known that vintage Polaroid Camera's(bought for $2.99 sold for $80) were so hot or that Starbuck's and Far Side Mugs(bought for $0.69 and sold for $16.50) go for big bucks online! Thank you again to my fellow bloggers out there and I hope I can share some knowledge too here along the way. Whether it is about what sells, what doesn't, how I decorate or use vintage items.

On my last post, I spoke about wanting to get a chest, armoire or bookcase and repurpose it to hold items, supplies and such. So every time I have gone out I have searched for some furniture piece that could use. I looked at Goodwill, garage sales and hit up a few Estate Sales....alas no furniture but find some lovely pieces that I will share below. Disappointed I even started looking online to see if I could find a new but deeply discounted piece that would work. Then it hit me! Repurpose! I have an armoire in my bedroom that houses some clothes but use to house a TV that we have since given away. I still had the shelves that we had taken out and stored long ago. I marched out to the garage got the shelves, cleaned them off and put them pack into the armoire and instantly had additional shelf room! Now, if only I could sell more items so I can pick more items and fill up the space. LOL

Today I hope I can link to the other blogs such as Apron Thrift Girl and participate in sharing to gain some additional exposure and maybe even make a sale. This past week and a half some of my best finds were at an estate sale:

Never Used Holly Hobbie Child's Gift Set from 1973

I purchased this Holly Hobbie Child's Place Setting at an Estate Sale still in it's original box from 1973. Oh, if I still had my Holly Hobbie Lunch Box and Thermos. I couldn't resist as it brought me back to my childhood. The plate reads "To Have a Friend...Be A Friend", how true!

Set of Four Vitrosax Metal & Glass Cappochino Cups from Italy

My next find was from the Goodwill and I still need to clean and take the sticker off are a Set of Four Vitrosax Cappacino metal and glass cups from Italy. The lines are gorgeous and classic I just couldn't pass them up.

My last find was a leather bound The Gourmet Cookbook from 1956. They just don't make cookbooks like this anymore. I have a more recent addition of The Gourmet cookbook and definitely isn't leather bound.

Look at those desserts! I hope to have these find either up on eBay or my booths on Bonanza soon. Feel free to email me in the mean time if you would like to see additional pics or have questions.

Have a great day and happy hunting,

Jenn

2012-05-08T20:21:00.002-07:00

Took a couple of hours while the kids were in school today to shop a couple of Goodwills. Didn't buy anything...a big step for me! Was actually looking for chest or furniture piece to hold all my resale items such as tissue paper, thank you notes, boxes, tape and of course any items for sale that would fit. Didn't find anything that fit the bill for home use or resale. Want shop more garage/yard sales on Friday as I think there will be more items that fit the bill for home and resale. Saturday is hard for me to go out and shop early in the morning, my husband has a men's group that he has participated in for years that is not over with until 10 or so. Saturday is the 50% off day at Goodwill so maybe garage/yard sale on Friday and Goodwill later on Saturday. What do you find works best for your thrifting and family life?

Have a great midweek Wednesday,
Jenn

2012-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK!!!! Wow, I cannot believe it has been almost two years since I posted on this blog! Actually, yes I can. As I may have said in a past blog, I am heavily involved at my children's school, and this year was no different. Even though I swore to myself, kids, family, friends and to the world that this soon to be past school year was the year I was cutting back and dedicating more time for the things I wanted to do. By the silence of this blog you can assume how that went. I suppose that is just how it is when you have school age kids with their activities, a house you have to keep up, and laundry. I hate laundry and if we ever become millionaires by winning the lotto or something, I will hire a full time person to clean and do all the laundry. I so admire other women who work full-time or go back to school and still do everything at home and kids school/activities. They must be superhuman and their traits are: super strength, never tire and can function on less then 7 hours of sleep, ability to multitask at least 10 different projects at once and much more.

So what have I been up to besides kids, school, home, brownie leader and such. Well, I still have both my booths on Bonanza but haven't added much in terms of items. Have sold some things but those are few and far between despite paying to have someone tweet for me(thanks MysticSales you did an awesome job) and participating in the forums. I realize that I need to list more there and really participate more such as making those picture groupings(forgot what they are called but like Pinterest) and advertising on forums. I love the friendly and helpful people on Bonanza but the marketing/time aspect seemed enormous compared to the amount of traffic I was receiving despite my best efforts. Hopefully, writing this blog and including pictures of items, maybe working on doing some Pinterest and linking with other blogs who share my love of thrifting and decorating with vintage items will help. I've also been selling on eBay again and doing OK. I do not have a store there so I have just been using the list 50 free auction items with Buy It Now option. It works, don't like the fees but I seem to have a little more interest and some more sales for now. I have been reading lots of blogs about others who thrift/yard sale/garage sale and sell somewhere as well as those who decorate using those items. Lots of nice tips, success stories to keep me motivated and inspiration. I CAN DO THIS, I JUST HAVE TO PUT THE TIME INTO IT! Why, because I love it?! I love the hunt and finding the treasure, I love the satisfaction of a sale and making a profit, I love decorating with the pieces and helping someone find that jewel that will make their house a home. So here are some Jewels that I found that I either have for sale or have sold.

Vintage Oneida from 1932 Sold on eBay for $ 21.50

Vintage Avon Perfume Owl Sold on eBay for $ 3.24

Vintage Pewter Napkin Rings Sold on eBay for $ 11.50

Prada Wallet sold on Bonanza for $ 104

Polaroid 250 Land Camera currently up for bid on eBay

Awesome Vintage Crescent Man. Silverplate Footed Bowl up for bid on eBay

I have a couple of questions to my fellow bloggers and any readers I may have left, if I may. Any comments are appreciated and welcome.

- Do you have a store on eBay and do you think it is worth it?

- Where do you sell? List them all and if there is one you like best. :)

- What marketing do you do?

Thank you so much and I promise to be back soon,

Jenn

Having a Weekend Sale & Past Life Archeologist

2010-07-23T13:42:00.003-07:00

So as I have said in past blogs I love finding out the history of the antique and vintage items and have always loved Antiques Roadshow, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Cash in the Attic...but started watching this Chasing Mummies show with the head guy in Egypt Dr. Hawas. Probably just spelled his name incorrectly. Well, it made my think that my love of finding vintage and antique home decor and shifting through estate, garage and thrift stores was sort of like archeology. Sifting through the sand or earth looking for what was important to civilizations across the world is sort of like my hunt for treasures. And learning the history of an item or finding out about the people who created or collected the pieces was very similar to archeology....maybe in a past life I was an archeologist!

Trying to clear the shelves to make way for new items so I am having a sale in my Bonanzle booths this weekend, 30% off everything. So please check them out. Also, as I just stated, I opened another booth on Bonanzle for items that are not vintage/antique or collectables...mostly baby kids clothes and toys, some home goods and baby items, and then some men and womens clothing and accessories. I really wanted to keep Jenn's Jewels strictly vintage/antiques and collectibles in home decor. So please take a look and see what you can find...I price everything below what others may charge so with an additional 30% it makes it a great deal. Plus I always try to combine shipping! Jenn's Jewels and Jenn's Closet use the coupon code JULY30.

Have a great weekend,

Jenn

TGIF Sale

2010-07-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sale today at my booth on Bonanzle, 20% Noon to 3 PST! Check it out and stop by and say hello!!!!

www.bonanzle.com/booths/jjhannum

Design & Dime

2010-07-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Been busy with our new puppy Zoe, trying to get her to "go" outside instead of on my carpet. All I can say is thank goodness for SpotShot! I spent most of yesterday either trying to Zoe to go outside and posting new items Bonanzle. I think I got about 6 or 7 items listed and have a lot more to go. I probably spend to much time researching the items but I have to say I really enjoy it and I want to make sure that I provide as much info and history on an item as possible. While I am trying to keep my booth on Bonanzle focused on vintage/antique decor and table setting items like the silver trays, flatware, collectables, plate and such I did list 2 new kids items from Pottery Barn and Bombay Kids. Lately on eBay which I tend to use for my kids items, even though I have been doing auctions starting at .99 I have not been much action and many of my auction either have no bids or they sell for just .99. Disappointing to say the least.

Now to more exciting things! My home is decorated and furnished in a more traditional Tuscan/Old World style so with a lot of the furnishings and cabinets being dark I like to use crystal and glass to lighten things up. To be honest I love "blingy" looking things...things that catch your eye and sparkle. My master bath is not huge and is sort of a galley style with one wall being double sinks with a built-in vanity on one side of the bathroom and on the other side is the toilet room, a large bathtub with a large block glass window above it and then a built-in shower. With the dark cabinets and the tile we used and then the granite on the countertops which is a beige with black and brown in it, I knew that for towels and drapes I wanted to pick out the chocolate brown from the granite and cabinets. So to lighten up the smaller area and really reflect the sunlight to pours in from the block glass and reflects in the mirrors across from the window over the sinks and vanity I really wanted to use glass accessories. To save money and because I could not find at the time pure glass accessories that didn't have chrome or silver on them(my fixtures are oil rubbed bronze) I ended using glass/crystal bowls, covered candy dishes, tall glass jars that I picked up from Ross and TJ Maxx. Most ran about $5 to $12 and I use them to hold my cotton balls, q-tips, and my facial cosmetics on the vanities. Then on my tub deck which is pretty large I used a tall glass apothrocary jar that I got for maybe $10 and filled it with bath salts that I got there as well and then a pedestal bowl that I had gotten as a gift and filled it with sponges and bath oils. I also filled another bowl(another gift) with different tan and ivory soaps that I had gotten from hotel stays. Can you say free? I also got a tall glass candle stand that I put a large embossed candle on...probably spent another $10 total on that. I love it, they sparkle in the sun, provide more room to store items that traditional bathroom accessories and were probably half the price then those you find at bath stores. I'll have to take a picture to show you, looks really nice and expensive and spent very little money. I see pictures of bathroom in those home magazines using jars filled with bath salts, sponges, soaps and you know that they probably got the jars at some expensive home store. Have you seen what Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware charge? I did the same for a lot less. I bet if I did it again I could spend even less! Little did I know that a lot of thrift stores carry tons of vases, bowls and jars for as little as a dollar or two. They even have really nice heavy glass and crystal items for less then Ross or TJ Maxx. I have seen beautiful crystal decanters that would be wonderful to fill with bath salts and display in your bathroom for very little money.

Wow, I feel the need to go to Goodwill! Has anyone else bought glass or crystal items cheap and used them in your bathroom as display or useful items? Let me know!

Summertime

2010-07-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hello! I had my first sale today on Bonanzle! So excited and wonderful buyer! Such an easy transaction and I hope the buyer loves the Lenox Butler's Gourmet 5 piece place settings! Such a lovely pattern. So far haven't had time to go to any estate sales or such...but I did make it to Bath and Body Works for their Yellow sale where many items are 50-75% off. Well, I spent way too much money but this is the time where I stock up on the wall flower refills...I love the Eucalyptus Spearmint aromatherapy ones. However, I took the extra time to find online an additional discount coupon to save more money which is always helpful.

eBay is offering free listing fees for any auction for the week so I have listing some personal items for sale in addition to some Buy it Now items that I am listing for my children's school which is a non-profit school. They are accessory items from our Spring fundraising event. Please check them out as 100% of sale goes to the school to fund current and future student financial add as well as fund items that are not covered by tuition.

Thank you so much for checking out my blog and please check out my items for sale on Bonanzle under Jenn's Jewels and eBay user name jjhannum.

Summer...it's hot.

2010-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. Well, the kids are finally out of school but have had them in summer camp the past two weeks ending tomorrow. Saturday it will be 3 weeks that they have been out of school, but we only had the week out of school off and spent the last two weeks in summer camp at their regular school. Next summer I think we have to have an extra week off...I think both the kids and I need just some extra time off between regular school and summer camp because it is at the same location and their regular school and about the same time.

Ready to decompress again and sleep in...I keep having to wake my daughter up to get them ready for camp and she is totally like me and loves her sleep. Tomorrow is the last day until August that I have them signed up, so I think the kids are ready for some TV, Computer and sleeping time. Mommy sure is!

So other then the Goodwill trip with my Mom into the Fountain Hills Goodwill that I blogged about I haven't had any chance to check out estate, garage or thrift store trips. But I know I really want to add some red/pink English transfer plates to our kithchen table area.

I have been cleaning and organizing the kids playroom/closet area! Fun, fun but if they were there half the items that I threw out would have been saved. So at least I was able to get ride of some trash and tiny little b-day favors and mcdonalds junk.

Hopefully, next week I have a wonderful neighbor babysitter who is young and trying to earn some money during the summer. I can use her to watch the kids during Friday so I can hit some sales.

Right now I'm with out my MacBook so I cannot list of feeBay or Bonanzle...but at least I still have access to emails and websites. Miss you baby, come back to Mommy soon! So unfortunately I have lots of items to list but need my baby to post photos and info so it is all in one place. I promise to list more treasures soon. Right now I do have items for my kid's school Tesseract which is a non-profit school here in Phoenix listed on eBay. Please bid, it all goes to current and future students scholarships and financial aid.

Thank you,

Jenn

Mom,a Follower and a New Dog

2010-06-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

So last week was my first blog ever and I have to admit I spent the rest of the week seeing if I have a "follower." I know, I know that seems a little conceited but I do read a have a blog that I have followed for a few years and I have no clue how many people follow the blog. The only place I advertised is on the forums of Bonanzle...one of the web sites I sell on and I am happy to say I now have one follower...AntiquesRGreat who is also a fellow seller on Bonanzle. Thank you so much! A fellow antique/vintage lover who sells wonderful items as well as gives great advice on all that is internet commerce and vintage whose booth I have checked out many times. The best thing is she has a 20's themed/flapper girl as her profile photo...which is my favorite era and in fact I just helped co-chair my kids school's spring fundraised which was a 20's themed/casino/Gatsby era fest called Putting on the Ritz here in Phoenix. If you would like, please check out some fabulous 20's fashion of the night at a magazine here in Phoenix: http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/photo-gallery.html?func=detail&id=27318#joomimg . Kismit

My mom has had to listen to me for the past year about how I am interested in salvaging the past and going to Goodwill and Estate/garage sales and she know that for the past few months that I have been very into finding "Treasures" and selling them or/add incorporating them into my home. We have been so busy lately this past school year that even though my parents live no more then 20 miles away I have been so busy with fulfilling school obligations that I have had little time to spend lots of time with family and friends other then the occasional Book Club or holiday. So finally summer is here and I have more time to spend with the kids and family. So this weekend, with the first week of summer under our belts, we went over to my Mom and Dad's to have dinner and my Mom suggested that we check out her city's Goodwill. How could I refuse? So we went and didn't find too much but did find a set of six knives and box of Harrod's of UK fame Placemats....can't wait to list.

We also got a dog, a French Bull Dog that we named Zoe, that we will have to train so I am sure I will be plenty busy this summer but hope to spend time not only listing new Jenn's Jewels but relaxing and spending some wonderful time with my family. Thank you! I really won't to spend some time talking about decorating ideas and my fabulous finds.

Why Blog?

2010-06-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Because everyone cool is doing it? No. Because my life is super exciting and interesting? No, which is why I do not twitter.My twitter would look like this: Update: I am folding laundry Update: I am at Target buying Diet Cokes and kids birthday gift. So why am I doing this blog? I am horrible at updating my Facebook page and responding to emails as most people who know me would tell ya. Couple of reasons...one being I actually love to read and write and many years ago I use to write poetry and my major in college was English so I might as get some use out of this higher education my parents paid for goodness knows I didn't use it too much after college as my background is mostly sales in the computer and software industry. Another reason was I started selling some of my fantastic finds that I call Jenn's Jewels on eBay and Bonanzle and while eBay sort of has a built-in following with lots of potential buyers Bonanzle is newer and they recommend promoting your online store called a booth by blogging, twittering, on Facebook, emailing friends and such. I haven't had a sale yet on Bonanzle but I have only been on there a month and need to add a lot more items to my booth. May I mention quickly that the people on Bonanzle are super friendly and helpful...sort of like how eBay was from reading the message boards. Mostly I wanted to share my love of decorating and thrifty shopping with hopefully some other people. Even if no one reads this post at least it feels good expressing myself and sharing my excitement for my hobbies.

Maybe I should start with how my passion for thrifty shopping and decorating got started. I guess I would have to say my Mom, because she always loved a good sale and passed on to me her excitement and enthusiasm when she got a good deal on an item. I love it when I get something at a great price whether it is clothes, shoes or something for my home. I love looking at clearance aisles/racks, I love shopping at TJ Maxx, Ross, Nordstrom's Last Chance and Nordstrom's Rack, Homegoods, Tuesday Morning and any store that is having a great sale. I love getting a high-end items like a great pair of Seven for all Mankind jeans or Waterford crystal at 50% off or more. It gives me a rush! Why pay retail? Why waste the money when I am sure I can find it cheaper at another store or online? It is challenge and I love that challenge. I also love high-end items like Louis Vuitton, 1000 thread count sheets, Prada and will pay retail for a special occasion or if I absolutely can't live without it....but I'd rather find it at a discount. Usually though if it is not on sale I do not buy it because I know that it eventually will be on sale, or a clearance rack or end up on eBay or Overstock. I've always loved doing my own decorating in my homes and finding that special piece or painting an accent wall and I am forever reading decorating magazines. Now for me finding the value in vintage. That probably started when my son was first born and I was at home watching tv while taking care of him. I was either watching HGTV or BBC America and this fantastic shows Cash in the Attic or this other show, can't remember the name, where they challenge people to find what they think is a great item at a flea market, boot sale(that's UK speak for garage sale, or estate sale and then turn around and sell it an auction for most profit. I thought wow, wouldn't it be wonderful to do that and make some money but never really had time when my kids were little to do it. I would see on these BBC shows these wonderful ceramic figures, beautiful china, tarnished but extraordinary silver pieces that were maybe stored away or in the attic maybe passed down through the family but not used or displayed and then they would find out the value and sell them. Sometimes, after some thought, the owner couldn't part with the items. I feel the same way about some items that we inherited from my grandparents....beautiful but old china, a vintage wine decanter and glasses many of which I do display and use proudly. They have meaning and history and to use or display them makes me feel good. All these wonderful pieces of history, patterns of china that are no longer made, silver trays, fine porcelain that is no longer made or not made as well as it use to be. It fascinates me that that some of these items go unused, unloved and out to trash or to Goodwill or other thrift shops. Thank goodness...so I can purchase them. New things are great but sometimes something old just brings an extra something, an undeniable quality to your home that just cannot be reproduced.

So I guess that is were my hobbies come together: shopping, decorating, antique vintage items, love of history/researching and the art of finding a good deal. I just wanted a place to share my fantastic finds some for personal use and some for sale, decorating ideas and just life in general. I feel very blessed to have a great husband who supports my passion and gives me the time to now indulge in the hobbies I love. I'm sorry this is so long, but thank you for reading.