~ Consigning ~

I am joining Kellie with this post
I hope it helps and inspires you to DeClutter and Consign your unwanted STUFF!
Spring Fling your way to CLEAN!!!




\I was the manager of my moms home consignment  shop for 3 years!

I loved every second of it!

I built the shop from the very first day and I lived and breathed all things consignment for those three years.

I won  two international awards and was the president of our local alliance.

The business was booming...  then the economy went bust and we closed the shop in July.

I still love consignment and would not hesitate to open another shop in the future.

That being said I decided to do a 3 part series on consigning.

 I hope that you will follow me for the three weekly installments and maybe give it a try if you have not already.

It really is easy and very lucrative as long as you are informed and comfortable with the shop you choose

My main area of expertise is home consignment which is furniture and home decor however there are all kinds of consignment shops... clothing, children, and more!

The core of any consignment business is the consignor...  A consignor brings unwanted items to be sold at a shop and then receives a commission once the item sells.

Without the consignor... there would not be a shop!

I am going to do some housekeeping first so that you can get some background on how a consignment shop works.
Here are some questions to ask and then a follow up of what we did in our shop.

• Do you have an agreement and what are the terms? EVERY shop should have an agreement also known as a contract. If the shop you are interested in does not have an agreement,  do NOT consign there. PERIOD.  The agreement should make you feel comfortable. If you are not comfortable, ask questions. If something is not clear, ask questions.  Our agreement protected the consignor and the shop. We offered a 60 day term and the consignor rec'd half of the selling price. We paid on demand and you could use shop credit. You were welcome to pick up any unsold items after the 60 days or we would have a charity sale for the childrens hospital and all proceeds went there.

• How long will my items stay for sale in the shop? All shops have different time periods. Some are seasonal, some are monthly, most are 60 days. We were 60 days.

• Is there a fee to consign? Some shops charge a yearly fee of $5.00 for book keeping. Some shops charge a seasonal fee.  I have heard of fees as high as $25.00. We did not charge a fee.  Find out what the fee is for. Like I said many use this for book keeping and mailing checks and some shops use it to weed out less desirable consignors.

• Can I have a receipt? You should ALWAYS get a receipt for any items you leave at the shop.  Some receipts are itemized and priced. Other shops give a count. We gave an itemized receipt to our consignors. 

• Do you buy outright? Sometimes shops will buy smaller items outright. We did this. We purchased candles and stationary, costume jewelry and smaller trinkets.   We also purchased items outright that could be used for display.  You may get a quick $10.00 bill for a box of mix matched greeting cards that the shop either sells or adds on to packages.

• If my items don't sell can I have them back or do you dispose of them? These items are yours. You own the items during the duration of the consignment period.  Read what you are agreeing to.  We had two people in three years ask for items back. One person had sellers remorse and the other wanted our contract so he could open a shop of his own.  Some shops will charge a fee for taking your items back before the contract expires.

• If you dispose of them do you toss them or do you donate them to charity? We had a sale for the childrens hospital and then donated those leftovers to the church across the street from the shop for their flea market.

• How much commission will I receive? Some shops are 50/50 (we did this split) or 60/40. This is important to know. Either you split the selling price evenly OR the shop takes 60% and you get 40%.

• Do you pay on demand or do I have to wait for a check? We paid on demand and consignors were allowed to use shop credit anytime.  Some shops pay you at the end of the consignment period by cash or check.  Be careful though because some shops do require you to PICK up your check and if you don't pick it up in the scheduled time frame, you forfeit YOUR earnings back to the shop.

• Can I use store credit? Ideally you could. I am not sure why any shop would not allow this... it is a win win situation... !

My BEST advice is to READ the agreement and if you are not comfortable... find another shop.

So now that you know the inner workings of consigning here is how to be the PERFECT consignor!

I am serious... you can be a PERFECT consignor!

We had several of them ... when they came through our doors we dropped everything because they were our rock stars.

When you are a great consignor, you make the most money too.

Here are my top hints for being a dream consignor

• Visit the shop  FIRST and see what the shop accepts. I know this may seem obvious but some shops are very particular about the age of items and the season. 
• Make sure your items are in pristine condition. Clean your mirrors, shine your wood table, check for stains on your linens... Be sure your items are in the exact condition that you would want to purchase them in.
• Take your items to the shop and DO NOT BABY SIT!! I am serious about this one. When you declutter and make a pile of stuff to get rid of...  that means you no longer want the items. I had one woman who came in EVERYDAY to see if her items sold... they NEVER did! LOL

• See if the shop offers drop and run...  this is a great way to drop off your stuff quickly and be on your way! Drop and Run is offered AFTER you are an established consignor in a shop.

Whew...
I think that this is all for today...
please ask any questions you may have in the comments
and I will do a follow up post at the end of the week!

I hope this post was helpful to you and that you are now more informed about consigning!

Blessings ~ Patricia

PS: Pics are from our shop...through the years...

PSS: Shopping consignment is coming next week so stay tuned!

Then look for information on how you can make consigning a job!

Vintage Notecards, Giveaway and Exchange

My Aunt is a thrift store extraordinaire...

all I have to do is tell her I would like something and she gets it for me for next to nothing.

 I am blessed!

She has my list... which includes

Arts and Craft Supplies

Stickers/paper for the computer

Small tables

Scrabble Games

Lawn chairs

Pfaltzgraff Filigree

Pfaltzgraff Winterberry

The other day she dropped off a whole bag chock full of computer papers and inside were just a few of these note cards...

I imagine a mom having these back in the 1970's writing a sweet letter to her son away at college... or a young girl using them to write to her sweetheart who was serving our country. 

I am so grateful to my Aunt who saved  them from the thrift shop!

They are awesome!!!

The daisy ones came with stickers for the seal

The mod flower ones are dated 1974 in roman numerals ~ the year I was born!

I am so excited to use them and to share them... 

I am giving away 2 of each card to someone who shares my love of card writing... 

just leave a comment  and the hubby will pick a name at random on Wednesday evening!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This too  brings me to the topic of SNAIL MAIL... 

I personally dislike that term. 

Not only is it an insult to the postal service... it is an insult to people like myself who love to send and love to receive cards and postcards in the mail!

So that is why I am participating in a POSTCARD EXCHANGE...

with Deborah at the Fairfield House

Won't you join us??

Oh and check out this link... it is fun!!

Dear John and Bargain Shopping

Linking to Tales from Bloggeritaville!


The hubby took me out for a date afternoon on Monday!

We started at the movies.

I wanted to see Dear John after reading the book of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.

I base a movie review on  whether it "moves me"

Do I cry or do I laugh or does it make me think

The movie was good. I cried throughout. 

The movie followed the book in a way. 
In other ways it did not.

I don't want to ruin this book or movie for you so I will not be including any details here.

However

I was left at the end wanting a different ending.

I liked the book ending more.

I cried more when I read the book too if that is possible.

Had I not read the book I would say this movie was beautiful... it tugged at a lot of emotions for me.

I enjoyed it and was glad to be out with my bff!

We then went to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. Their salad bar rocks... IMO!

Oh and they have these really yummy lemonades that are flavored with real fruit... they come served in a really nice tall glass too... this time I ordered the pomegranate one ... I think the blackberry one is my favorite by far!

Then I was off to my favorite place to shop, Christmas Tree Shops

I got some really nice goodies!

Stepping stones for the garden $3.99 each

A wreath for our patio that I plan to make into a centerpiece $1.75

 

can you see all the veggies in this wreath... it is awesome!!

A cute Happy Easter sign $1.29

Garden stones $1.00 each

Overall it was a great day for both of us.

It was nice to get out and about before the impending snowstorm!

~~~~~~~~~~~

As an aside today happens to be my buddies 10th birthday

I took care of her as her nanny for the first 5 years of her life

and love her (and her brother) like she is my own kid

I cannot even believe that she is 10

I still remember the first day with her... she was 2 months old and had a darkest hair that stuck up everywhere and a smile that would melt your heart!

Happy Birthday GG!

I so want to win THIS!!!!!
Click HERE for your chance to win

Metal in the bedroom

One of my New Year Goals is to create the bedroom that I want... one that is cozy and gender neutral!

Being gender neutral is important to me because well  ~ I have a hubby and nothing else about our home is manly.. well maybe not nothing... but most of the rest of the house is me and cute... and not him and manly!

I really like this Metal piece... it was stainless steel and I bought it at Christmas Tree Shops for 9.99 with the intention of putting it over my stove

It did not fit...

So I decided to put it over my dresser after painting it black and ...?

It looks gunmetal to me and so does NOT match the oil rubbed bronze pulls of the furniture..

The problem with matching oil rubbed bronze is the fact that you need to find the paint in order to buy it and make something over...

Could I find it anywhere... NO!

UNTIL... we headed out to lunch last Monday and lo and behold stopped at a remote Walmart 45 minutes away and FOUND IT

ORB.... wahoooo!!!!

So now here is the metal painted with ORB

So much better and it matches the pulls!!!

Stay tuned because I am still making over our bedroom and have a lot to show you

It works...

it really does work!!!

My friend and I ventured to JCP Outlet last Monday.

While we were there they were having an additional 30% off clearance sale.

I was thrilled because I was looking for small pates for my plate wall in my kitchen

You can see the wall I am referring to HERE

Here is what I found... 6 different white dessert and saucer sized plates in tone on tone white!!!

(please ignore the condition of my work table)

The price... just a whopping 70 cents each!

I knew I wanted to hang them on the wall ... but how???

Then I found Diane... and she has a blog and she designs and she shares...

So then I proceeded to add a hook on the back of each one using this AWESOME tutorial from Diane @ in my own style  ~ check her out you will be glad you did!

I used a sanding block... some hot glue sticks... hot glue gun and paper clips

Nothing beats a project that uses readily available stuff!!

WAHOOOOO

and here it is...

Let me tell you this is so CHEAP... and so EASY and so SECURE too!

I cannot show you what I did with the plates after adding the hooks YET...

but stay tuned and I will show you all on Sunday...

I am squealing over this project!!!

A grab bag gift for $1.15

It seems like every Christmas I need a grab bag gift for almost every party we attend plus I like to have a hostess gift when we visit friends during the season

I am always on the look out for things I could use for gifts that are nice but also inexpensive

(Which lends to my problem of having too much stuff)

I ended up buying this scent set in the spring which included room spray, an oil burner and room diffuser for $.90 and after Christmas last year I got a bunch of these buckets for $.25

All these goodies were 90% off and they do smell wonderful...

(I bought myself a set too AND USED IT)

I always have ribbon and basket bags and dollar tree ornaments and filler on hand

I just bunched up newspaper and placed it in the bucket and then added the filler and arranged the goodies on top

Tied up a basket bag, attached a velvet bow and a dollar store snowflake and I am good to go!

No take backs God...

I feel like I am on overdrive! ~Oil needed to be changed 3000 miles ago and I needed gas 50 miles ago~ I am going to come to a complete STOP soon and it is not going to be pretty~ I have the tools I need ... I am having a hard time finding them! I find myself being moody and upset and irrational.... even though in reality, there is NOTHING majorly wrong! My gram died and we still did not bury her ~ so there is no closure yet~ There will be soon, but just not yet~ I am jobless on August 1 ~ a business I created ~ it was my baby and now, it is over I have been applying like crazy I have faith that what will happen will be exactly as it is supposed to happen I can't stop dwelling on what ifs... I am praying and asking God to please take over... when in the same breath I am trying to take it back from him I can't relax... If I don't get a job soon, all will be just fine ~ my main concern is how others will look at me Everyone around me works so hard... and then there is me... "you should have gotten your teaching certificate" is what so many of my family tells me I went to school to be a teacher, and then decided that it was not for me So here I am with a 4 year degree in General Studies Things around here are not done the way they are everywhere else You need to go, in person and apply ~ a well written resume does not matter A degree doesn't matter 2 international awards don't matter Civic organization affiliations don't matter What does matter is ... who you know that can get you the job and who could "put the word in for you"! I want a job on my own merit ~ I want my future employer to look at my credentials, interview and hire me because I am the best person for the job and not because I know someone! I am blessed though ~ my husband is not worried, he has faith that I will get a job and in the meantime thinks it is cool I will be home I picked up this book

at the library for a buck the other day ~ been reading it~ It is almost as if it was written for me Job loss ~ infertility ~ feelings of inadequacy ~ worrying about what other people think ~ unanswered prayers Oh and a great deal of faith! I am not one to really talk about faith and a lot that is in this book is a huge dose of what I need to read and need to do! I was actually feeling better BEFORE I read this book...imagine that!!! It is stirring up in me so many feelings and emotions right now ~ things that I have hidden deep and things I never wanted to admit! I swear God put this book on the clearance table for me the other day~ he does know I would never pay full price LOL! I know I will get through all of this okay and really it will not matter one bit in 10 years~ I need to remember that and trust God I need to let go ~ My favorite poem is this: Broken Dreams As children bring their broken toys With tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God Because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him In peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help With ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, "How could you be so slow" "My child," He said, "What could I do? You never did let go." Robert J. Burdette I am going now to give God my toys ... no take backs~ EDIT: I finished the book in in tears as a complete basket case! I feel refreshed and I feel new~ I moved my book mark to the front of the book... now, I will read it and comprehend it! It has been a tough few weeks~ I will be okay, with the Grace of God!

A red accent kitchen

Well I am back... to creating and thrifting and posting about it! I am again participating in this: I want to thank Rhoda for inspiring me to think outside the box and to create what is in my heart I actually painted all these things for my kitchen using the FREE glidden paint that I got in the mail My choice was DELICIOUS ~ I am loving red right now~ My task was to paint shelves that I picked up for a buck each A frame I got for 5 bucks A basket that I got for 1 buck

My kitchen is small and DULL~ I have my washer and dryer in it too and that makes it look even more blah especially on laundry day

I wanted to paint a backsplash but decided to instead use a frame and put pictures of us through the years... they are all haphazardly arranged in the frame but I think they look cute

My theme in the kitchen is FOOD IS LOVE... cook with it so that is why I also have a heart by the sink... it was a large tin heart and was a buck.. I painted it DELICIOUSI had a small blank space near the end of the cupboard so I added this basket Now, when I walk into the kitchen I see the brightness of the red and it makes me SMILE... and isn't that what life is all about?

A frame and a friend

Sometimes my thrifting is out of necessity

Like when I found my favorite picture of the hubs and I

BROKEN

Somehow ~ someway the hubs walked right into the frame

and

it fell to the floor and broke... HMMNNN... not a big deal~

For 1.49 (more than I like to pay) for this good quality frame I was able to get my favorite picture back on the shelf where it belongs And tell me please, how the heck could I have passed this lady up?

She was only 25 cents

I am normally NOT this primitive BUT I think she is adorable

I have plans for her... she is getting an update

I may keep her or I may gift her

But I wasn't leaving her behind!

Foyer/Stairwell Declutter

For some strange reason I enjoy embarrassing myself on my blog with before and afters I swear that I do not live in squallier

This is the catchall area at the front entrance of our home It is a mess, all the time Hubs jacket, a bag of Tupperware that I need to return to my friend, junk mail in the basket, my keys, an umbrella holder with everything but umbrellas, shoes, and much more I declutter it and it goes back to this all the time...

I got to my breaking point and took everything out of the hall

I decided that I needed a table for the foyer instead of the hanging thing and basket so it was on my list to find one on my travels for CHEAP... when I remembered that I had a beautiful drop leaf that belonged to my grandma in the attic I picked up this basket for 50 cents at the thrift shop and painted it to match my custom made coat hanger on the wall I also

added a primitive tag that reads JUNK on one side and MAIL on the other

So here it is... all nice and neat I love the basket print that my MIL gave me for Christmas one year You can probably see my Le Sport Sac hanging on the rack... I bought it for 10 bucks at our shop All my grade school and high school days I wanted a Le Sport Sac but could never afford one so when this one came in I had to have it ...when it went on sale A paint job on the wall would be nice and a new area rug... but that will come in time For now it is neat and is staying that way so far...

50 cents

I love this tree picture in my hallway

It says so much to me... without saying anything at all

I bought the small canvas tree pictures for 50 cents for the set

I like how they coordinate...

How can you go wrong for 50 cents

Maybe I will transfer the grouping to my bedroom?

I do know that I have to hang them in a better way but ... things take time LOL

$3.00 ~ 3 items

I normally don't spend a lot at yard sales,

it is a personal thing for me... I am cheap! LOL

I think the most I ever paid for anything at a yard sale was $5.00 for a cupboard

I saw this wreath holder, with a wreath and a primitive angel attached to the wreath

All for $3.00

I hesitated for a minute until I thought ... about it

Gosh I am cheap!!

The wreath will make a cute winter candle ring on my dining room table after I add a few more pip berries

The angel is an ornament and I will add it to someones gift for Christmas

The wreath holder has a fleur de lis and is black

OOOHHH!

Right now I have a patriotic sign on it on my porch

but I think it would be cool to use for a hand towel in the bathroom... or for more signs or even a wreath!~ (can you imagine?)

I am glad I did not pass it by... 3 bucks and 3 new uses

I think I am getting better at spending $

50 cents~trash to treasure~question

I am joining 2 parties in one day

I want to thank Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch and Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality for hosting these fun and educational blog parties each week Click on the names to be transported to their inspiring blogs and to see the other fabulous participants

My Aunt gave me one of Ms O's (oprah) favorite candles for my birthday so ...

I needed a candle holder for our bedroom

I visited my favorite thrift shop and found this ordinary wooden holder for 50 cents

These candle holders are quite abundant in my neck of the woods... as I am sure they are in yours

I sprayed the holder with black paint and when that was dry I sprayed it in spots with mahogany paint

To match these chargers over our bed

I took gold plastic chargers that I got for 50 cents each and sprayed them black and then mahogany after the black was dry

I then stenciled our initials in light green and placed them over the bed

I used tacky glue to attach the ribbon to the back to hang

In the summer I keep the bed & bedroom very light.. just 2 comforters and a lightweight quilt

I have 9 pillows on the bed in this picture but since then I bought 2 more pillows

We both LOVE pillows and can't get enough of them... 11 pillows, all are used.

I only buy washable pillows!

We are not fancy so why should our pillows be?

I am a firm believer in not having things ONLY for good...

we deserve good too, all the time & not just saved for the company!

I am having an issue with this wall... hubs dresser is on this wall and I have space for stuff on the wall

My idea is to wake up to things that bring me joy... the hub loves the clock so it has to stay

Not necessarily where it is now though... I am not sure this is all even proper feng shui!

He has to at least have some say though.. not much .. some!

Anyway right now I have our wedding invite framed with another charger plate that I freehand painted words that describe our relationship

LOVE CALM PATIENCE FAITH RESPECT

I think I either need more things or less things... I am not sure!

I do know that I don't like the layout anymore but I still want to keep it simple

oh and I did have another picture there to balance the grouping but I took it down because it was just not ... it

Even though I have no clue what it is...!!!

Any ideas?

Thanks so much for stopping by... you are welcome anytime!

Tablescape of sorts

~If you read my blog in the past you will know that I have a small home full of joy!~

Our dining room table seats 4 and I change the look at least every 2 weeks

The hub and I are together 12 years (dating) 10 married 9/17

I decided to make a scape of us this time

I bought the wicker suitcase for 1.00

The mirror was 97 cents at CTS a while back

I got the berries , the candle and holder with a gift certificate for my birthday

PLUS

I picked up 4 place mats... 1.29 each

The thing about place mats is they just don't fit my table, they over lap and drive me crazy

What I really wanted was a runner but all the runners were so colorful and had a theme

I like things that are generic so I could make my own theme

So I decided to sew the place mats together to make a runner

I think it turned out cute!

50 cents

I enjoy reading so much

I especially enjoy romance and relationship books

I often learn from the examples of how not to have a good relationship in these books

What the characters do.. I do the opposite LOL

I bought 2 books at the thrift shop for 50 cents each

Jimmy's Girl

&

Sea Glass

So far... I am liking both books very much ...yep, I read two books at once...

oh and am I the only person in this world that also reads the last page first?

Thrifty Finds

I want to thank Rhoda again for hosting this day

I so look forward to seeing everything everyone picked up

This weekends finds were FUN

Seems like the weekend of 10 cents for me!!!

I love this handmade/Signed heart basket from 1988: 10cents

I adore hearts/baskets so I plan to use this in the kitchen and then at Valentines Day

CANDY CORN candle: 10cents each, not shown

Acrylic Strawberry Tray: 10cents

My Gram loved strawberries and so do I... I will use this outside

Christmas Candle Warmer: 10 cents

This warmer is in EXCELLENT brand new condition, I plan to buy some tarts, wrap it all in cellophane and give this at dirty bingo at Christmas... is this bad to do?

Small Cup: 10 cents

I don't know yet, but it will most likely involve black spray paint

Red Toile Fabric 50 cents for more than a yard

Set of 4 accent plates with holly and berries and each has it's own greeting

I plan to use these for dessert plates at the holidays, they were 49 cents each!

That is all for this week

Thank you for visiting my blog you are welcome back anytime!

I am planning a "welcome to my blog giveaway very soon"

Stay tuned!