Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Special Features & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #17

vintage sewing machine and thrifted frog vase
I am continuing to focus on purging excess stuff from our home this week. The kids' school is having a clothing collection as a fundraiser. The last day to drop off is Friday. So Friday it will be. (I'm deadline oriented!)

In the meantime, I took a box of my daughter's outgrown clothing to a secondhand kids' clothing store. I had never tried selling clothing before and I wanted to know if it's worthwhile. I brought a big box of what I thought were clothes in good condition. After leaving the box to be sorted in the store for half an hour, I was told that a few of the items didn't smell fresh and needed to be laundered. The majority of items were "a bit too loved" and were returned to me. For the items they did want - two dresses and three pairs of jeans - I received $9.50. (One pair of jeans still had the tags on them. My daughter wore one other pair maybe three times.)

I'm not sure I'd bother to sell clothes again. They were very particular about what they selected and I got under $2 per piece on average. If you had a lot of great clothes in near-perfect condition it might be worthwhile (as opposed to getting nothing). If possible, I would opt for giving the clothes to family or friends instead (as we do with my son's clothes).

I visited a thrift store while the ladies at the shop sifted through my box of clothes. I did buy one item but it's a good one for Valentine's Day, so I'm waiting until February to share it here. For today, I'm sharing a look at a couple of my favourite items that were linked up to Vintage Bliss Tuesdays last week.

I adore the vintage Singer sewing machine that adimpleate blog linked up. I love the perspective of the photograph too. I also love Sharon's picture of the flower frog vase she thrifted at a "smelly thrift store." The roses are so pretty too, and have me yearning for spring!

Have you tried selling clothing at a secondhand shop? Are you de-cluttering this January?


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23 comments:

  1. Hi Joann, thanks for hosting Vintage Bliss Tuesdays. Love joining in. I am working on cleaning out one room, deciding where the home will be for what I keep and donating, recycling or garbaging whatever is left. Big challenge.
    Joy

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    1. Hi Joy! Thanks for joining in! Organizing is definitely a challenge. I think you are wise to go one room at a time. Good luck! Jo

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  2. I really need to have a big clear out! Must get on with it ... tomorrow perhaps!?
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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    1. Yep, there's always tomorrow when it comes to organizing, right Liz? ;)

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  3. I agree with your conclusions on second hand shops-- really not worth the money (unless you are a starving college student!)

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    1. Definitely - starving college students yes, moms who are too busy to put together giant boxes of stuff only to make a few dollars, no. ;)

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  4. Purging excess stuff is always a step in the right direction :)

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  5. Joann, thank you for the feature. I need to be purging too.

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    1. You are most welcome Sharon. Purge and then buy more! ;)

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  6. It may take me a year to declutter, but I've started working on it. Such a slow process, but a feel good one.

    Joining in today. Thanks for hosting.

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    1. I know what you mean! In fact, I don't think I've ever stopped decluttering. Does it ever get to the point where things are just tidy and clutter-free? ;)

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  7. i am seriously intrigued by this clothing collection fundraiser! (i am nosy by nature like that.) how exactly are they planning to make money? selling to the public or sponsorship? either way i love that the school is getting the students involved in charity and earning...even if it is usually mum doing the hard work. ;)

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    1. Chrissy, The school makes money based on the weight of the clothing, through a company called Bag 2 School: http://bag2school.ca/ The school gets $200 per ton. According to the website "Any items deemed unsuitable for resale will be taken to textile recycling facilities where they will be broken down and remade into useful materials." Kind of interesting. :)

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  8. Hi Joann, Thanks for hosting the Vintage Bliss Tuesday Linky Party. It's the first Linky Party I have joined and I am really excited to get going. I love to thrift so I shouldn't have any problem coming up with some great ideas! Also it's inspiring to see what other Vintage Bliss Party Members contribute. I am very good at purging and donating, but any time I am near a thrift shop, I just can't seem to leave without finding at least one little treasure! Janis

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    1. Hey Janis, I am so excited that you have a blog (love the name!!) and that you are joining in at Vintage Bliss Tuesdays! Yes, if you enter a thrift store, you just HAVE to come away with at least one treasure, right? Looking forward to taking some time to look through your blog! Jo

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  9. I'm still decluttering (hence not doing any thrifting blog posts, I'm trying to be good and not buy more stuff!)... of course that doesn't stop me from bidding on eBay Johnson Brothers ;) 2015 MUST be the year I clean out our spare room, which you currently can't really walk in because of things to donate, things to store, things to put on eBay, things to fix...

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    1. Of course, you bid on that Johnson Brothers girl! ;) Oh, that spare room. I wish I lived nearby. We could have drinks and help each other through the problem areas in our homes. Wouldn't it be better with company? And we could go to the beach after, right? ;) ;)

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  10. What a lovely surprise, thanks for highlighting my retro Singer. :)
    The best thing about decluttering is how liberating one feels after that. I've managed to donate 3 huge bags of stuffs back to Goodwill. Oh I haven't even ventured some of my boxes in the garage. It's a process.

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    1. Thanks for the great photo! I love the feeling of decluttering too! And then looking at your new, more minimal space. I won't be venturing into the garage until well into spring. ;) Congrats on getting rid of 3 huge bags! :)

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  11. My daughter took her children's clothes to a resale shop for awhile and it wasn't worth the effort in her opinion. She had to price them and have them ready to hang up. I think passing them on is easier. I have lots to donate this month, too. January is always a purging month for me. LOL! Have a great week.

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    1. Interesting that your daughter had a similar experience. I think I'm going to stick to donating/passing on from now on. Good luck with your purging! Have a great week too! Jo

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  12. All my resourceful friends sell their kid's clothes, but I either give them to family or hoard them for imaginary (unlikely!) future kids :) It does just seem like a lot of work for little return. I'm much better at looking for thrifted housewares than clothes too... but I know some people have great luck.

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