A Happy Girl Collectibles

Best Thing I Sold On Ebay ~ #1 Paradise Found Hawaiian Shirt

2012-02-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

As I had mentioned before, my husband opened an Ebay Store to get rid of his excess automotive and hunting items. Last month, he did pretty good. His shift at the hospital is an early one. So when he gets home we have been hitting up some of the local thrift stores to see what else we can find to sell. Luckily, where we currently live has a plethora of Thrift stores, so there is always somewhere to go.

Recently I came across a great new blog, "Goodwill Haunting". She highlights some of her great finds that have really been money makers for her. My husband and I have also come across some great finds too and we wanted to share them with you.

Buy It Now Price: $19.99 Sold: $19.99

Paid: .25 cents From Thrift Store

Ended: Sept 2011 Winner from Texas

Here is out first "Best Thing". It is a Hawaiian Shirt by "Paradise Found"

The thrift store that we found this shirt has a "Fill A Bag for $5.00" every Wednesday and Friday. You can easily fill a grocery bag with at least 20 pieces of clothing. When you are just starting out trying to figure out what to sell on Ebay, you have to take a few risks. Paying a quarter for an item of clothing is definitely a small risk.

When we first listed this shirt, we put it at auction for $9.99 for seven days. It had a few hits but no serious bids. After researching what others were listing this particular brand for, we decided to put it in the Ebay store for $19.99 and the buyer pays shipping. It was pretty quiet for awhile. In fact, the same thrift store trip we also found a red "Paradise Found" Hawaiian Shirt .....

I definitely like the red one better. The red shirt was listed at auction for $9.99 with no bids, and it too went in to the store for $19.99. It did sell, but the buyer was non- paying so it will be going back into the store.

This particular brand of Hawaiian shirt was worn by Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. Some of you may remember that T.V. show.

A little history about Paradise Found:

In the 1930's and 1940's the "Aloha Shirt" became a universal symbol of Hawaii's warmth and spirit. Today, almost 70 years later, Paradise Found & Diamond Head Sportswear carry on the Hawaiian tradition by manufacturing the highest quality, most authentic versions of the islands favorite designs. From the warm, romantic days of old Hawaii, we proudly present our collection of "Made in Hawaii." The islands most authentic designs of nostalgic and modern "Aloha Shirts," all of which embody the spirit of Aloha!

Time to hit the thrift stores again and look for more of these little beauties. Hope your thrifting adventures bring you much success!

Update on Today's Mini Goals

2012-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Here is how I did today.

~~1. Clean out my closet:~~ DONE

2. ~~Finish painting the trim in the blue bedroom:~~ DONE

3. Start getting stuff together for taxes: IN PROGRESS

4. Empty out some boxes in the garage: NO, DID NOT EVEN START THIS.

Visit the $500 Holiday Challenge Here

Mini Goals for Today

2012-02-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Things are all over the place here. Since our move back from my mom's house I have been trying to get back in the groove around here. Here are some of the things I will be getting done today:

1. Clean out my closet: I have clothes that I have never worn or will never wear. I just keep hanging on.

2. Finish painting the trim in the blue bedroom: This has taken forever....

3. Start getting stuff together for taxes: More fun.

4. Empty out some boxes in the garage: Going to get the decorations out and to a new home!

Visit the $500 Holiday Challenge Here

Time to get back to the painting!

The Best Thing We Sold On Ebay ~ #4 Remington Hot Rollers

2012-02-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

As I had mentioned before, my husband opened an Ebay Store to get rid of his excess automotive and hunting items. Last month, he did pretty good. His shift at the hospital is an early one. So when he gets home we have been hitting up some of the local thrift stores to see what else we can find to sell. Luckily, where we currently live has a plethora of Thrift stores, so there is always somewhere to go.

Recently I came across a great new blog, " Goodwill Haunting". She highlights some of her great finds that have really been money makers for her. My husband and I have also come across some great finds too and we wanted to share them with you.

                Buy It Now Price $64.99            Sold for $64.99
Paid: $2.00                                      Found: Thrift Store
                Ended: Nov 2011                                               Buyer: Savannah, Georgia

I found these hot rollers at a Thrift Store for $2.00. It was a complete set, clips, instructions, and warranty card. I had read on one of the forums I follow that Vintage Hot rollers were a hot item. Evidently these specific rollers are gel filled. Therefore, they hold the heat longer and produce a better curl. Since they are no longer in production, they are in high demand.   Go figure, right?

Who would want these hot rollers you might ask? Actually there are quite a few people who are looking for them. Cheerleaders, dancers and pageant girls! You just never know what people will want to buy!

Nifty Thrifty Finds ~ Feb 6~ Link Up

2012-02-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

Empire Vintage Toy Soldiers!

I love everything Christmas! Especially Vintage Christmas goodies! Here are a great pair of plastic vintage toy soldiers....

Such a cute face! They do have some normal wear and tear.... but are in surprisingly good shape.

Here is the back of the boys.......

My next find is this cute Raylite Plastic church. The cool thing about it is that it plays Silent Night....

The windows are stained glass..

A close up of the windows....

More stained glass.....

A vintage plastic Nativity......

Another nativity set...... This one from Italy. Some wear and tear.... but still cute.

Join in and share your treasures!

Weekly Goals for Getting It Together

2012-02-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Organization is definitely key when you are somewhat self-employed. What qualifies as somewhat self-employed? You are laid off from your job and you no longer collect un-employment. That is the category I fall under.

Here are some goals that I will use this week to keep me on task.

1. List 50 items on Ebay this week.    Since my mom's recuperation from brain surgery back in December, I closed out my Ebay store indefinitely.   She is doing so much better, I have decided to get back into Ebay on a smaller scale for now.

2. Finish my de-cluttering the stacks of stuff in garage. The stuff in the garage is from the two rooms we are re-painting for my parents. Just in case they need to move in here because of health reasons.

3. Exercise 4 times this week.   I will make time to walk at least one mile a day. At least.

4. Research raising chickens.    I think it would be so cool to have a chicken coop in the backyard.

5. Make time for a little fun.   Time to plan a night out with the girls from work. This is in the works for Saturday. Will keep you posted.

linked to Thrift Core

Sunday Night Chit Chat

2012-02-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Fort at St. Augustine at night.

Joining Carla for her Sunday Night Chit Chat!

Reading? I have not read a book in a long, long time. I read a lot of blogs.

Watching? Opera Presents Master Class with Jane Fonda.

Listening to? Pandora: The "Iz" channel

Cooking/Baking? Ooey Gooey Strawberry Butter Cake

Happy you accomplished this week? We moved back home from my mom's. She has made a miraculous recovery.

Looking forward to next week? The decluttering is still waiting on me.... and maybe look for a job.

Thankful for today? My mom's recovery, my family and especially my husband.

The Latest Thrift Finds

2012-02-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

starbucks mugs

It is rare that I can pass by a coffee mug and NOT pick it up. I don't know if it is the texture, or the smooth handle or the heaviness, but I definitely have a thing for coffee mugs.

Snap Crackle Pop!!! This mug was made in Japan...... another cutie!

This Kentucky Derby Mug is really pretty in person. I find it so cute.

Who can resist SpongeBob SquarePants? These mugs may find their way back in my cabinet. My grandson and I can make good use of them :)

How was your thrifting this week?

Yakezie Challenge

2012-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yakezie Challenge

I have committed to join the Yakezie Challenge. It's not too late for you to join either! My other blog is Cents To Save and is a personal finance blog. This blog is more lifestyle/hobby/ enterprise oriented. I love going to Thrift stores and finding great deals and flipping those deals on Ebay and or Amazon.

" The Challenge is a 6 month long process where you strive to breach three respective Alexa ranking hurdles of 200,000, 100,000 or 50,000, depending on where your rank is to start. What’s important to realize is that the Alexa system isn’t perfect and isn’t the holy grail of website analysis. It’s just one of many ranking systems out there which help measure our progress. There is a strong correlation with your ranking improvement and the amount of activity on your blog, and it’s one of the best systems we’ve got. It’s also the default ranking system for many blog lists around the world."

When I downloaded the Alexa toolbar and checked my ranking, it was 7,635,519. Definitely room for improvement!! So here it begins... A commitment to improve my blogging skills and improve my ranking. Join in with me!

The best thing We Sold On EBay ~ #2 CHALLENGER STS-9 SPACE SHUTTLE MUG

2011-11-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

Buy It Now Price: $12.99                                                                      Sold: $12.99
Paid: .20 cents                                                                                         From Garage Sale
Ended: October 2011                                                                              Winner: Washington State

This is the garage sale purchase that just keeps giving. A few months ago, after I dropped off my grand son, I hit up a few garage sales in her neighborhood. This particular sale was small, but you should never discount a small sale. As I was looking through their stuff I spotted this cardboard box full of Space Shuttle memorabilia. There were 16 coffee mugs that documented different space shuttle missions. There was also paper memorabilia that relates to the different missions, about 12 pieces. And last but not least there were a couple of space shuttle stick pins and belt buckles.

Originally, the box was marked $2.00 per item. Well, it was getting late in the day and I asked him what he would take for the whole box. He thought it about it and then he said $10.00. Easy decision... SOLD!!   This was a great deal for me. I have all the items listed and for a $10.00 investment, I have grossed to date, $ 159.00.    We still have about 8 mugs left, and some of the paper memorabilia as well.
Happy Ebaying!

I Didn't Think I Was a Hoarder...

2011-09-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

I went to check on my booth at the Antique Store, to restock and to straighten up. My little booth was still looking cute and it was still very full of stuff. Hmmm.....So I have to learn the right price point to put on my items. I talked to the owner, Lois, and she said that my prices were a little high for this area. I needed to be more competitive with the other booths in the store So, I grabbed the red Sharpie marker and reduced a great many of my prices. I really want to sell this stuff, because I sure don't want to bring it back home.

Stangl from the flea market

Another interesting conversation I had with the owner was the availability of the shelf/booth next to mine. It is a little bigger and deeper. The rent is the same and I was thinking of either moving to that one OR actually renting it out in addition to the one I already have. That was before I found out I was not really selling anything. But, I have lots of stuff to get rid of and I (because I can't take it with me) and I really enjoy going to the shop and stocking up my still full booth. Lol!


Cute Fire King from Flea Market

I am not sure what I am going to do yet, but I will post when I do decide. If you are ever in Minneola Florida, pass by the Hen's Nest and visit my booth. Ask them to show you where Lisa R's booth is. Lots of great deals!

My Weekly Thrifty Finds

2011-09-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite finds from this weekend. I love the canister set, but even more I absolutely love these aqua blue dishes. They are such a pretty shade of blue and the lines are smooth and attractive to the eye.

Ballerina is a new brand for me, I have never come across this before. I will have to do more research and post on the brand later.

Here is where I need help. I found this plastic, (or is it bakelite?) box at the flea market. I have no idea what it is? Do you know? It is light weight, and does not appear to have any seams. Please share if you know!

These items will be going into my booth at the Antique Store this week! If you are in Minneola Florida, stop by and visit the Hen's Nest and ask them to show you Lisa R's booth!

If you have any treasures to share, like it up here! I linked it with these great sites!

Thrifty Treasures

The Thrifty Groove
Show and Tell Friday
Penny Worth Project
Flea Market Finds

Nifty Thrifty Finds ~ Aug 26 ~ Link Up

2011-08-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

I found a bunch of great thrifty treasures this week! The thrift stores were full of great stuff, I really had to watch my budget! Have you ever had the problem that you just want to buy it all?

Here is my first thrifty find, a beautiful Sunflower plate, vintage, by Mexicali. I was lucky enough to find three of these beauties.

This cute mug is made by WAECHTERSBACH of W. Germany. The colors are bright and crisp. I do have a thing for coffee mugs.

Here are a couple of cute mid century glasses. The color and trim is intact, they are in awesome shape.

This little pilgrim salt shaker needs a mate. She was all by herself on the shelf and looked a little lonely. Beautiful colors on her.

Found this super duper Longaberger ceramic casserole. I did not realize how much these little babies are worth!

This YellowWare bowl is my most favorite of favs find. I have never found one of these before, and I have to say it it so darn cute!

A cute wooden food masher. It feels good just to hold it, know what I mean?

And from Sheffield Pottery, this vintage Massachusetts plate.

And here is a collection of cookbooks that my mom will enjoy reading. t

How was your week of Thrifting? Share your finds, I would love to see them!

Linked to Southern Hospitality Thrifty Treasures
The Thrifty Groove
Show and Tell Friday
Penny Worth Project
Flea Market Finds

Thrift Store Finds~ Aug 20 Link Up!

2011-08-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

This week was a great week for finding cool stuff. I was busy putting my new booth together at the Antique Store but did have time to visit several Thrift stores close by.

This ice bucket caught my eye. The colors are pretty, gold with light blue highlights.

I am assuming it is an ice bucket, as the shape is right.

This picture to the left shows the blue the best. The paint is intact, just a tiny bit of wear and tear but nothing that takes away from the value.

This black vintage metal tray is the small one about five inches in size. Again, the colors are sharp, bright and minimal wear and tear.

Who does not like Mccoy Hull Drip dishes?? These are almost works of art they are so darn pretty.

Milk Glass vase. Really nice condition. Had to have it!

Beautiful vintage gravy boat. It is in super condition, no chips and colors are intact. No markings on the bottom so I do not know its origins. Any ideas?

Here are three soup bowls and one berry bowl in the same pattern. Pretty stuff!

So the Jersey Boys mug is not Vintage, but I loved the redness of the mug! It just pops!

This little treasure is very interesting. It looks to be a Vintage liquor bottle. See the top? E & J. Is it a brandy bottle, or a wine bottle? The cork top did smell like alcohol. Then again the cork top could be "newer" and used to seal the bottle. Maybe the old top is lost.

But look at the bottle. Gold paint with some frosted glass... It loooks very Retro....

I will have to do some more research on it. Have you ever seen one like this?

Hard for me to just walk past a Vintage/Retro set of dishes. This set has about 30 pieces, no cups though. The pattern is a lovely blue, the pieces are all in great shape. No name on the bottom to identify the pattern.

That is most of my finds for this week. How did you do?

Feel free to Link Up and Share your Treasures!

Linked to Southern Hospitality Thrifty Treasures
The Thrifty Groove
Show and Tell Friday
Penny Worth Project
Flea Market Finds

My Booth at the Antique Store

2011-08-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take the plunge and rent a booth at the local antique store. I love to thrift and find treasures at local thrift stores and now I have a place to display and sell them. Here are two pictures of the booth BEFORE. The items you see on the shelves are the owners. She fills the booths with her items that are not currently being rented.

The green floral dishes are super cute!

I went to the store on Tuesday to set up my booth. Below is the before picture. The shelves were cleaned out and I started with shelf paper to brighten up the booth. The shelf paper is actually gift wrap paper that I found at the dollar center in TARGET. The black and white paper is a real eye-catcher!

It didn't take but a few minutes to paper all the shelves. I really think it makes my booth stand out. And since I am in the back of the store, I need to stand out! I also went with bright yellow price tags, another eye-catcher!

Below and to the right, you can see my completed booth. The shelves are stocked and ready for business. I think it looks really cute, but then again, I am a wee bit partial.

The images were taken with my cell phone, and due to the angle I could only get pictures from the side, no front view shots.

Off to find more treasures!

Fischel Bentwood Chairs found at the Thrift Store

2011-08-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

You can see Princess (my bulldog) in the background

This lovely pair of chairs immediately caught my eye at the local thrift store. The lines were smooth and the design is simple as well as functional. I knew I had to have them. I asked the manager how much did he want for them. Usually he throws out a price as most items are not marked. He hesitated, and said he had to ask his mom. After checking with his mom who is also the owner, he said the price is 50.00 dollars for the two.

After turning the chairs over, I saw the name Fischel. I immediately Googled the name and this is what I found out: Fischel Chair
After reading this ad that I found, I compared my chairs to the one that is listed for sale and they are definitely the same. Mine do have more damage, but it is minimal. I immediately bought the chairs and had my daughter put them in her truck and take them to my home. I am very excited to find out more about Fischel and what other furniture he designed and made.

This label is the original label on one of the chairs. Do you know anything about Fischel?

Linked to HerLibraryAdventures
and PennyWorthProject

Thrifting Locally

2011-08-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, I visited a couple of local thrift stores and one vintage antique shop.

This is the first place I went to. It is a church based thrift store that has tons of stuff. At the front of the store is the Christmas items. Yes.... Christmas is already being promoted!

Cute stuff, but I am not in the mood for Christmas yet! It is just too early to think about the holidays yet.

I did find this cute mixing bowl. I tend to think it is more decorative than functional.

And even if it said Roseville on the bottom, I doubt that it is the antique collectible stuff. It is a "wanna be".

I thought this little plate was cute. Love the colors, but did not buy it. Maybe I should have.....I will post most pictures at a later date. Just wanted to share these with you.

Linked to FleaMarket Finds, The Penny Worth Project

Thrift Store Find

2011-07-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

It is rare that I can pass up a Cake Pan. One of my best friend's is a baking fool. So, when I see the familiar silver shiny pan, I will make a bee line to it, and without hesitation toss it in to my basket. This little treasure was only 3.00 dollars. I cannot wait to see the cake after it is baked and decorated. it will definitely be cute!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-07-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at the local thrift store and look what I found. (And for only a quarter)
A Little Golden Book from 1946. It is just adorable! This book brought back so many memories from my childhood. I remember looking at my Little Golden books all the time. This book is in good shape considering it age. I will be putting it in my Etsy shop this weekend. Hope you all find lots of cool stuff this weekend!

My First Sale on Half.com

2011-07-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Of the few things I listed on Half. com and Amazon, so far only one item has sold. The Marvel Encyclopedia of Superheros was a book that was given to me by my friend that was downsizing. The book sold for 17.87. I was reimbursed $3.07 for shipping, Half.com's commission was $2.86 for a total of $18.26 profit. Here is the back story.... the actual shipping which included delivery confirmation was $5.60. I also incurred the cost of a roll of brown craft paper {$5.25} to wrap the book. Bubble wrap I get from work for free. I was inspired by Lindy at Minting Nickels post on low cost shipping.

The roll of craft paper will last quite a while, so it was worth the money. Definitely cheaper to make your own mailer then to buy them. So... after all is said and done, my net profit for July is $7.41. It is a start.

It Has Been Awhile

2011-05-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am still here,even though it has been over one year since I posted ANYTHING. Life gets very busy and priorities change. I still go thrifting but definitely not as much as I did before. School is done, I graduated with a BS in education.

I no longer sell on EBAY, it just became too time consuming and my computer room started looking like a "hoarder's" house. I do on occasion buy old cookbooks and magazines and sell them on AMAZON. My interests run the gamut. What about you? What have you been up to lately?

Space Shuttle Discovery

2010-04-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launched early this morning..... look closely... you can see it in the sky. This is the view from my backyard....

I Believe in Pink

2010-03-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

"I believe in pink.
I believe that laughingis the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong wheneverything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are theprettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day andI believe in miracles."

Audrey Hepburn

Changing Gears

2010-03-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

Last week I became overwhelmed with a full time day job, part time school AND maintaining an Ebay store online. Something had to go....and it was decided by me that I had to close my Ebay store and just put a few things up for auction at a time. Since I made that decision, I feel like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. I still have all of my inventory, and each week I will relist items at auction and see if I get any hits.

It is interesting that when I did close my Ebay store, there was more activity or hits to the items I did have listed. I sold more last week than I did in the last month. Go Figure!!!

I will be out and about hunting up thrift store treaures and garage sale goodies as usual. Bu now it will be more for pleasure than running an Ebay business. Ebay will have to be more of a hobby for now and I am okay with that.

I think that I can sell enough items on Ebay to pay for school and that is what I wanted Ebay to do for me. Help me to finance my education.

Vintage Luggage

2010-02-22T03:21:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite find this weekend of thrifting. A cute, fabulous vintage carry on luggage. It is super duper shape and I am very excited about it. The inside of the carry on piece is great, it still has its tray which is a lovely milky white. No chips or cracks...

The mirror is in good shape too.. no cracks either...

Here is the front of the case. No keys but really... that is not important. It is a great piece of vintage fabulousness!!