Another busy week

Yes it has been a very busy week, a family birthday I made a yummy birthday cake.  We had two days up at home one for my mum's birthday and the other to get the car MOT'd and for my other half to help my dad laying flags.  Me and Little L had a look at G and G's new chicken's.  There are actually three but they are very shy and not used to being outside.  They are battery hens saved from the chop and given to my mum and dad hhhhmmmm thanks, they are a bit scabby and bold but their feathers will come back.

 

These are the other hens they already have

Little L loves looking at the hens (she doesn't yet know that the one of the cockerels likes to chase her cousins down the field)

I have had a productive week Ebay wise and have sold quite a bit, old clothes, a purse and some chairs.  Not quite an ebay millionaire but I am trying.  I have also been busy glossing woodwork (not easy with a big hairy dog) and going to playgroups.  Today we had a house full with my parents and one of my sisters and her family.  We managed to do this walk and bonus the icream van was at the top of the hill.  And I took delivery of this cupboard which somebody gave my sister.  The intention was to renovate it a bit and then sell it on Ebay but I am starting to like it myself for in our living room??

 

It is a lovely old pine cupboard at the bottom and then glass doored display shelves at the top.  It is badly stained in a few places and has quite bad mildew.  But there is potential.

 

 

 Any must go for now and do some knitting, my friends baby is due very soon and I need to get some pressies made

Decluttering

Hope you all had a great Christmas.  We did and I managed to cook a turkey and no one got ill from eating it!

Anyway with the influx of new toys and general chaos around the house I have started thinking about a major declutter. 

I haven't done much selling on Ebay since last summer but I think its time to get some things listed.  Our house feels full.  So my main aims:

• Ebay - little L's hardly worn old clothes and toys.  Some of my clothes, bags and shoes.
• Music Magpie - going to give this a try.  I think I could get rid of lots of CDs and DVDs without P even noticing Ha ha
• Freecycle - Be a bit more ruthless, maybe 2 or 3 attempts on Ebay then Freecycle or charity shop
• Wool - arghh must use up or give away some of my stash
• Fabric - ditto I seem to have tons of the stuff everywhere, half of it I don't even like much.  
• Work stuff - having spent most of the last 10 years or more studying and working in research I have a lot of papers, files, books etc.  Not sure what to do with it.  Even if I get back to all that one day when Little L is at school I probably wouldn't need it anyway. 

This list is making me feel ill.  Maybe just put the stuff in the loft/garage ... loft better because you can't see it! 

Bye for now x

Time flies on Ravelry and Ebay

Still looking through endless patterns on Ravelry.  I kind of love and hate Ravelry.  I am very indecisive and think I have become a lot worse with my constant indecision since leaving work.  I fear my brain is being turned to mush through too much Mega blocks and Cbeebies.  Anyhow Ravelry has just endless patterns and I think I am going to have to try knitting in the round as all the decent modern patterns seem to be in the round and top down (another thing I've not done).  So cue Ebay and some searching and i have two sets  (40cm and 80cm) of 18 sizes of circular knitting needles.  Much cheapness and they are only coming half way round the world from Hong Kong

 

 

Watch this space I might be knitting in the round by Christmas   

New stove

After much hunting and research we found the stove we wanted weeks ago.  The only problem was the £700 price tag which we really didn't want to pay.  So I searched and searched for a second hand one on Ebay or a similar one even but even the second hand ones were going for about 500 which still I didn't really want to pay.  But my hunt paid off as I found one on Ebay almost identical to the one I wanted.    We picked it up at weekend from North Wales and we also collected a bargain fireguard.  Another Ebay purchase.  The stove is in great condition and has been looked after well. (This is the stove, ours is just like it but it was so dark in the garage that I couldn't get a decent photo)

 

I left little L in the kitchen whilst I was cleaning the new stove in the garage and when I peeped around the door she was busy doing a stock take of the potatoes!

 

Need to move and do some tidying up whilst little L is asleep. 

Bye for now

Ebay Postage Costs

Over the years I have sold lots of things on Ebay from furniture and even a car to small things like clothes but recently I have got a bit fed up with it.  Firstly, I don't think things are selling as well, even with really low starting prices.  I sell clothes much cheaper than the charity shops and always in very good condition but still things don't sell.  But what is really making me question "Is it worth it?" are the ever rising postage costs. 

Today I posted three new items of clothes (OK yes I should have returned them to the shop for a refund) they all sold for less than a pound which I don't mind but I had to charge £2.30 for 2nd class postage (actual price £2.20).  That's a lot.  One item was a 3-6 mth swimsuit in a small A5 size jiffy envelope yet the post office lady said nope it is classed as a parcel??? what how.  Maybe its our post office but they just say everything is a parcel.  So I think it would cost the same to post the tiny swimsuit as a full size adults suit???? 

Maybe collection only is the way to go? 

How do other people keep the postage costs down for their Ebay customers?

Sorry rant over