Choosing Fashionable Items to Sell on Ebay

     When shopping for items to resell on eBay, I have personally gone with the adage, "If I wouldn't wear it myself, I don't buy it". This has been a successful tactic thus far. There are plenty of other resellers out there that invest in all sorts of quirky items to resell on eBay. While this may work for them, it does not work for me. Unless the item is an amazing high ticket sure win, I am just not interested in the business of storing tons of items that I would not personally wear myself.

I originally started selling on eBay to declutter my home, and make a few extra dollars in return. My sales started to take off relatively quickly, and I realized that I could make a pretty nice side income as a reseller. As my household's stockpile began to dwindle, I also immediately realized that if I wanted to keep my sales steady I would have to replenish my inventory by sourcing at thrift stores. 

As a longtime thrift store aficionado, thrifting was not at all a daunting idea to me. I have been frequenting thrift stores, vintage shops, and antique stores since my late teens. I have always loved the hunt and thrill of finding amazing brands, original items, and vintage pieces. 

If you don't mind searching through racks upon racks of clothing and getting your hands a little dirty, then reselling on eBay is a perfect match for you! 

As a stay-at-home momma of two children, my shopping time is pretty limited. Therefore, I usually have a plan in place before I begin my search.  

I love to sell dresses, so, I usually head to the dress section first. Then, I go through every single dress on the rack. If I have enough time to continue my search, I will head to the section that is most current with the season. Ex: sweaters during fall and early winter, etc. After I have filled my cart to the brim, I park my cart in a nice corner of the store and reinspect all of my items for damage.

When choosing fashionable items to sell on eBay, I handpick items that I would personally wear myself. I also choose items that are timeless classics, current, and presently trending. While high-end brands do make a difference, style and quality is definitely more important. I stick to quality fabrics and knits, interesting patterns and prints, and flattering styles. 

I also choose items that have little to no wear in them. Unless the piece is vintage, I want the item to look brand new. It is important to me that my customers are absolutely happy. Therefore, I will not purchase an item to resell unless it is in amazing condition. A few exceptions to this rule are, removing minimal piling on a sweater or securing a button on an otherwise perfect garment. 

These are just some of the successful guidelines that I personally use while sourcing items for my business as a reseller. I hope that these ideas have helped and inspired you. I look forward to sharing more of my eBay experiences with you in future posts.   

Pregnancy Cravings: Toasted Sesame Noodle Salad

    When I woke up this morning, I had a strong craving for toasted sesame oil. The distinct nutty scent and taste that tickles your palate and opens your senses is incomparable. 

What an expectant mother craves, is what she gets! Happily, I already had the toasted sesame oil. As far as the other common ingredients normally used in an Asian style noodle salad, I had to improvise. The results were delicious, nevertheless.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Organic Linguine Noodles

1 Peeled & Shredded Carrot

1 Seedless Cucumber, Chopped

1/2 c. Red Onion, Chopped

1 c. Arugula, Chopped

1 t. Black Sesame Seeds

Dressing

2 T. Toasted Sesame Oil

4 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 T. Rice Wine Vinegar

2 T. Bragg's Amino Acids

(Soy Sauce or Tamari may be substituted)

1 T. Honey

1 T. Grated Ginger Root

Optional: Grilled Chicken

Other possible additions:

Cilantro

Jalapeno

Red Bell Pepper

Scallions

Peanuts 

Cook the linguine according to package instructions, drain, toss with remaining ingredients, and enjoy!!

New Endeavors on the Horizon

     Hello everybody! I'm back, and this time for good, I promise! 
Sorry for the long absence. I've truly missed blogging, and all of you! Motherhood and home life have completely monopolized my time, as they well should. My little one is now three years old, and becoming quite independent. Therefore, I think that my hiatus has been long enough. It's not that I could not blog with a little one in tow, as many other bloggers confirm that it is quite possible to do both. I have no other excuse except for the fact that I chose not to write or be distracted by anything else during this precious time in my child's life. I have absolutely no regrets. As, her personality and character are quite the reward for the quality time spent.
     Nevertheless, I am now feeling a strong pull towards taking special time for "me". And, "me" time means not only taking care of my children, but taking care of myself; physically, mentally, and spiritually, as well. As a naturally creative loving person, I definitely feel my best physically, mentally, and spiritually when I am in my creative space regularly.
    
I hereby and publicly dedicate myself to keeping up with my creative endeavors no matter what life may throw my way. Rain or shine. Motherhood or homemaker! 

In fact, I have three new creative endeavors on the horizon that I want to share with you...

One creative/business adventure that I have recently embarked upon is opening an ebay store. It has only been four months since my start date, and already this endeavor is showing promising results. I have learned most of the ins and outs of ebay, exercised my creative abilities through photography and understanding stylish trends, and have made a little extra money along the way. With ebay, the sky is the limit. What you give is truly what you receive. The more consistent you are, the more consistent your sales will be. I definitely recommend ebay as a second source (or even primary source) of income. It is a perfect opportunity for stay-at-home parents to help provide for their family. Another thing that I love about ebay is the fact that it is quite environmental. Reselling used clothing gives them a second life and saves them from the earth's landfills. The hunt for treasures is fun, too! I will keep you up to date on my ebay successes and interesting finds in future posts!

My most recent endeavor (it's literally been a week) is vlogging on YouTube. I have thought about it a few times over the years and have always left it on the back burner. However, a week ago I thought, there is no time like the present! While it is relatively easy to upload any old video onto YouTube, getting really good at it will take some time. I am willing to invest the time to learn and master the skills it takes to make professional quality videos with interesting and engaging content. I will upload a video in one of my upcoming blogs soon!

And now, for the greatest creative venture of all (drum roll please), I am having another baby! What could be more creative than creating another life inside of you? I am now 18 weeks pregnant, and doing well. For now, I want to stay as creative and productive as possible. When it gets closer to the the time that the baby will be born, I am sure that I will take a couple of weeks off. Unlike last time, this time around I am dedicated to finding the time to stay in my creative space, or at least visit it on a regular basis. I look forward to sharing with all of you.

Some of My Favorite Things

   Some of my favorite ingredients are featured in this salad. 

When combined simply, the exciting and aromatic ingredients produce a magnificent symphony in your mouth. As you can probably tell from past recipes, I love the peppery taste of arugula. It is my absolute favorite green.

And of course, I included two of my maine staples,basil and lemon.

In my personal opinion, Castelvetrano olives are the best olives, and also one of the most healthy available. They are salt brined rather than vinegar brined, the latter being a known irritant. "Jeff's Natural's" is my choice brand for consistently fresh and delicious Castelvetrano olives.

Sartori Montamore cheese is a new item on my favorite list, and it is currently one of my top staple cheeses for hors d'oeuvres and cheese boards.  

3c.Organic Baby Arugula

1/2c. Fresh Basil, chiffonade

4 Pickled Sweet Cherry Peppers, sliced

10 Castelvetrano Olives

1/2c. Cucumber, halved & sliced

2 Stalks Celery, sliced thin

1/4c. Scallions, sliced thin

1/4c. Montamore Cheese, crumbled

1t. Black Sesame Seeds

1/2 of a Fresh Lemon, squeezed

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper, to taste

Toss and enjoy!

For a little color, I added the black sesame seeds after the above pictures. They added the perfect amount of texture and crunch.

Marinated Olives

Castelvetrano Olives

Colossal Green Olives

MontAmore Cheese

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Lemon Zest

Fresh Basil

Yum!

I provided a quick access link below for the cheese and the olives. Believe me, they are fantastic!

  

Here's to your health!

Brown Butter Side Dishes

   First, and foremost, I'd like to apologize for the resolution of some of the larger pictures when this blog is viewed on the mobile app site. For full resolution of photography, please view in the full web version. A link can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the mobile app page.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

Sage Brown Butter Mushrooms

 

Organic Porcini Mushrooms

2 T. Organic Salted Butter

4 Fresh Sage Leaves

Salt & Pepper, to taste

 

Over low heat, slowly melt butter in skillet. When fully melted add the sage leaves. When butter has become light brown in color, remove the sage leaves, and immediately add the mushrooms. For this recipe, I just sliced the mushrooms in half. Salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly cook until lightly seared on both sides.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 Plantain

2T. Organic Butter

 

After butter has lightly browned over low heat, add the plantains. Continue to cook over low heat until both sides are nicely seared. Salt, to taste.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Spring Fever

 

I've been enjoying the glimpses of warmth as spring gently unfurls.

 

 

Spring definitely is my favorite season. While I do enjoy the full blooming liveliness of summer and the warm autumn colors, there is just something about spring that is so exciting. Everything is fresh, new, and filled with possibilities. The land is so forgiving, entrusting the hands of its caretakers. Watching the new growth of perennials, shrubs, flowering trees, and wild herbs is like a new adventure every year. 

 

I found the magnolia pictured above in a store parking lot, and had to snip a couple small branches. I've never seen a white magnolia here in the Midwest, so beautiful. I've since pruned the flowers, in hope that one of the branches will root.

  

 

 

First daffodil to open.

Planting spring bulbs is so rewarding. Their sunny faces are a welcomed delight after a long snowy winter.

 

I couldn't resist adding a little bit more color to my spring garden. So, I made an arrangement of forced tulips. The plants are still in their own pots and topped off with dirt. When I am ready to plant my summer pots, the tulips will be transplanted straight into the flower bed (let the leaves die off before cutting to the ground), and the snapdragons and greenery will stay in the summer arrangement. 

 

Add a little spring to your table by  re-potting a grocery store bought hyacinth. These sweet ladies adorned the table for two weeks before I planted them in the flower bed. Looking forward to seeing these beauties next year.

 

 



Flatbread with Fresh Pesto, Tomato, & Goat Cheese

 

Flatbread is a quick and delicious choice for an appetizer or main course. Everyone loves a good flatbread. When using good quality premade naan, preparation couldn't be easier. Fresh and simple ingredients make the flatbread shine. I chose whatever I had on hand for this flat bread. Leftover pico de gallo was a lovely addition. I topped one with fresh arugula, and left one sans for the girls.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Garlic Naan

Fresh Basil Pesto

Pico de Gallo

Fresh Goat Cheese

Freshly Grated Parmesan

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt& Pepper

Fresh Arugula, if desired

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the naan on a baking sheet, and spread the pesto over them. Top with the pico de gallo, goat cheese, and grated parmesan. Bake for ten minutes. Place on cutting board, top with arugula(if desired), drizzle with olive oil, and salt & pepper, to taste.

 

 

 

It was such a beautiful day today. Found this little darling as I walked around my home, taking in the sweet breeze.

The first flower to bloom on my property this spring.

Ahh', the lovely crocus...

 

 

 

Time to get back to the girls, and the flatbread, too :)