Hobbit House Update

The front of The Hobbit House circa 2016.

Not sure who even cares but I figured I would give an update since I have posted on this in the past.  I had planned to open a unique little store located here at our family stone yard business.  A little hobby on the side of selling antiques/vintage/unique items along with one of a kind items we have made.  It kind of did get opened but life also kind of happened.  We got our tiny building finished and opened officially back in May of 2016.  It was good and we had lots of cool stuff for sale.

Rock Turtle we made.  It was sold to a lady on the lake.

Its new home is on Lake Ray Hubbard.

However, it quickly got too hard to try and keep it going along with working 6 days a week at the busy stone yard not to mention coping with chronic pain from a failed neck surgery.  Now 2 years later I have had another neck surgery, a car wreck which gave me whiplash 12 weeks after the second surgery, along with some other road blocks.  We still have items for sale but I haven't been able to be around to open it due to all the medical stuff I have been going through. 

My old plate and screws were taken out and more levels were added.

They went in from the front and the back this time Feb. 2018.  

At this point I am just trying to take care of myself and put my life back together.  I am not able to lift much of anything yet and still suffer from pain 24/7 (but it is slowly getting better).  It takes a minimum of 1 year to heal from neck surgery so I can at least expect that after all the trauma my neck has been through.  What about The Hobbit House?  I don't know!  Not yet anyways.  I am having some sales and will be throughout the rest of the year most likely.  Taking it day by day at this point.

From a sale earlier this summer 2018.

 So yeah, I guess life really is like a box of chocolates cause you never know what you are gonna get!  We will see what life throws at me next but I will be here to catch it.

Preparation for The Hobbit House

The Hobbit House has been in the works for several years.  Once I caught the "picking" or "junking" bug I have been addicted ever since.  I still have so much to learn but I enjoy the hunt.  I also enjoy the history.

Some of my first "picking" scores.

                                    

So for several years now I have been collecting interesting and unique items.  Some for myself and personal collections, but most for a future shop's inventory.  Wasn't sure how I was going to get there but knew I would.  Finally the time has come for me to open a little shop and test out this new venture.  It is a tiny place located where my family and I have a stone yard business.
  ***Quick Recap*** My mother and I started Classic Rock Stone Yard in 2005 when I returned to Rockwall after graduating from Texas State.  Soon after my whole family started working here and we are all still here to this day!

Our family's stone yard

My youngest brother, Brody, has been preparing for the shop to open too.  While I have been junking he has been planting.  Specifically, he has been perfecting and growing all the plants we are using at The Hobbit House.

Some carnivorous plants which will be featured at  The Hobbit House.

A variety of plants which have been being tested to their limits.

He has tested many varieties of plants such as Venus flytraps, ivy, succulents, and so on for various projects such as self sustaining terrariums.  By testing the boundaries of what the plants can endure, he has created many successful terrariums which are self maintaining.  Months and months of gathering native mosses not to mention countless hours of rock hunting is about to pay off for him.  He has been gathering special rocks, plants, and also propagating the plants - for years.

Succulent garden Brody created at his house. He created this for future projects to be sold at The Hobbit House. 

                            

He has basically been building his own nursery specifically for The Hobbit House, and it is quite impressive. 

Brody's succulent garden.

                            

The short amount of time he does have  available is dedicated to his now massive and beautiful gardens. The time and energy he has poured into this - especially after working all day everyday at an extremely stressful and physical job - well, let's just say no one would ever be able to do what he has done...what he is doing.

Now that his plants are ready to go, and I have a massive variety of items to use as planters, we will now be able to step forward to the next phase and combine our efforts.  Several years of diligent planning and preparing are about to be put to the test.  Although we are not "officially" open and are unsure when that day will be, we do have items for sale now.  We both have a vision of how we want to present the shop - inside and out - when people come in to see it or possibly purchase something.  We have both purposely hid items and keeping them under wraps until our day finally comes.  Had it not been for the many hiccups this year has presented we may have already had our opening day but perhaps the delay has been for a reason we just do not know about yet!

These have been unopened for over 2 months now and are going strong!

                            

We are both busy with our jobs at the stone yard but we are more than ready to pursue something different but also similar.  The Hobbit House will hopefully provide a unique factor with items that would enhance the beauty of the customer's home (which is why the customer would already be in our stone yard).  

Brody has made several stone and succulent planters which are at the stone yard.  They have stood the test of time and look amazing 2 years later.  People always want to buy them but since they are his personal testers they haven't been for sale.

I found the dish, he found the rock, and together made a heart shaped succulent planter!

             

This week I gave him the first batch of planters so he could do his thang.  Not a big surprise, they turned out great!

River Rock from our stone yard converted into a planter.

           

Several others have contributed to The Hobbit House which has been amazing!  I will give them a shout out in my next blog post for all the outstanding and thoughtful parts they play and have played. 

Stone bench with succulents at Brody's house.  Brody combind his creativity with  Andres Vazquez who built the stone bench.

But at this moment, I want to express my gratitude to Brody.  He believes in me and my vision.  But without his creativity or artistic input...well...it just wouldn't be The Hobbit House.  I am so lucky to have a brother like him and I am looking forward to what we may be able to accomplish together.

                            

What Is That? It is The Hobbit House at Classic Rock Stone Yard!

For close to a year now there has been a weird building thing at our stone yard, Classic Rock.  People have been asking more and more, "What is that?".  Well, it is The Hobbit House!  It isn't finished just yet, but will be in a matter of weeks.

I plan on opening in April.  As a matter of fact, I have already opened the "door" for business!  All kinds of vintage/retro/antique items along with one of a kind metal, rock, and wood art.  There will be decor for inside and the outdoors.  I have spent the last few years collecting items to put in The Hobbit House.  

An assortment of planters, terrariums, fairy gardens and accessories, rock art, yard art, lamps, paintings, primitive items, old farm pieces and tools, industrial pieces, signs and advertising, rocking chairs, dressers, mirrors, side tables, cameras, and on and on and on.

Although unfinished, it is starting to finally come together.  Check out the video below for a preview of items which will be at the new store!

My eBay Adventure Update - A Few Surprising Sales

In the short time I have been selling on eBay, several items have surprised me for selling at a fairly higher price than expected.  That being said, I have had a lot of items which I thought would sell and haven't.

It is always the item you are tempted to just throw away because it's ugly and no one would ever want it.  Tell that to a teeny tiny figurine...Dresden Martha Budich Lace Porcelain Dancing Figurine Lady.  Made in Germany, this little 4" tall gal sold for $37.00 almost immediately.  Say whaaat??!!  I had no idea.  I found her in a box of random items I purchased at an auction.  She was not damaged at all from rolling around in that box of junk.  I paid around $10 for the whole box which had me coming out on top right from the get go!  In case you want to be nosy, check out my eBay.

Another fast seller?  A character head or "mask" from Legends Productions Co. in England - Pope John Paul II.  I placed it on a 7 day auction and had a bid immediately.  Sold for 39.99 and I paid $13.50 for it.  Not too shabby!

Currently I have a pair of small Japanese floral vases.  They are Sato Cloisonné, which I recently discovered are the cat's pajamas. 

 I found these in another box I purchased from an auction. Since I did not pay a lot for the box of items, I was not too worried about making a fortune but rather wanted to price it lower and see how high it would get.  My starting bid was $19.99.  Within 2 minutes of having it listed, I had 2 watchers.  After 30 minutes the vases already had a bid.  I enjoy the excitement of people bidding on my item and not knowing how high it will get!

This has been a great learning experience and great way to get rid of items that would not sell as well in my new shop, The Hobbit House.  All 3 of these items would not sell as high in a regular shop.  I doubt anyone would walk in and want to buy that small lady dancing figurine for nearly $40.  But who knows...I am still learning as I go!  Have any BOLO's (be on the look out) to share?  What sells well for you on eBay?  Sharing is caring!  Wish me luck on my vases...  Maybe they will make me super rich and I can quit my day job of selling rocks.  Yeah, right, and monkeys may fly out of my...well you get it.

5 Steps for Shopping at Garage Sales

Spring is almost here and that means garage sales.  Here are a few tips if you should decided to partake.


1.  Composure

Don't seem anxious or excited.  Take a deep breath and focus.  You are there for a purpose so get into your zone.  You don't want people realizing your eagerness either, they just may spot it and take advantage of your fragile state!

2.  Scan

Scanning is very important.  Be sure to know the area you are getting ready to ascend.  Don't let the smell of good sales throw you off balance and make you miss out on other items "hidden" around the corner!

Garage Sales
Break down the set up as you approach.  Is it all outside?  Garage?  Once you establish where everything is set up it is time to scan.  Do a quick walkabout and get an idea of what all they are selling.  Some sales are not up my alley.  If nothing catches your eye then do a more thorough search. Make sure you aren't overlooking anything.  If you see many things while scanning...dig in!  No point in waisting time if you already see many items you want.

Estate Sales
Establish where all you can go since they are usually open all through the house.  Because estate sales typically have a lot more area to cover, if you see something, grab it.  If you don't, it may not be there when you come back.  I prefer to go through each room and then go back to ones I found a lot of good stuff in just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

3.  Make A Pile

If you start having trouble holding all your finds, make a pile.  Ask the sellers where you can make a pile or if they have a box.  Don't take a chance of someone taking one of your finds when left unattended.  This also allows you to move about more freely to get down to digging for treasures!

4.  Don't Get Carried Away

Before you buy, look through your items.  The adrenaline can cause impulse buys.  Don't get junk drunk!  After the adrenaline has worn off you should be able to take off your junk drunk goggles and realize the mugs or lamp on your pile is not all that fabulous like you had first thought.  Also make sure you are getting a good deal by going over the prices.  If you have money left over, you can spend it at another sale!

5.  Pack It Right & Pack It Tight

After the sale make sure your items are secured.  Take as much time as you feel needed to do this.  Don't drive too fast!  We don't want anything breaking.

Now you can relax and think about all the things you bought.  Get home, take out the items, and bask in the glow.  Ahhh, what a great day and what great finds!

What is your style when going to garage sales?  Similar or totally different?  What are your 5 best tips?!

Selling on Ebay...Ugh

eBay has been around for a long time now.  I have been buying things for years on the popular site.  After collecting for several years I wanted to take a crack at selling.

Getting started was hard!  The amount of time researching each item was surprisingly eating up a lot of my day.  Taking the perfect photographs proved to be very challenging.  Posting the item...another tedious task.  And shipping?  Don't get me started!

My first sale was a Mickey Mouse waffle maker which I made a nice profit from (flea market find).  It was exciting to see someone bid on my item!  Then came the packaging and shipping.  I find this part the absolute worst.  When I walk in the post office I know the lady behind the counter wants to just die!  Ok, maybe not, but I know it must be frustrating because I have so many questions.  Thankfully I am starting to get the hang of it.

My 1st eBay sale - Mickey Mouse Waffle Iron.  

I currently have over 40 items listed on eBay!  Here is the link if you want to be nosey http://www.ebay.com/usr/amock007. It has gotten easier but still very challenging and time consuming.   eBay has been a very good experience.   Because I plan on having my own little shop this spring, it has allowed me to familiarize myself with all kinds of terms, names, markings, pricing, and a million other things.  It has also allowed me to sort my items and have a way of selling items I know wouldn't sell at a shop.

Want to know what my crack cocaine is?  Buying box lots at auctions without knowing what is in them.  There, I said it.

A super fabulous box lot I purchased at an auction.

When I am able to start going through the boxes, I am in "Junk Heaven."  It is a thrill, a rush - it is my high.  I find things I actually need and use, items for the store, and stuff perfect for eBay.  I am currently addicted to buying box lots and my family is on the brink of giving me an intervention.

But can you blame me?  Look at the fun mixture of awesomeness!  These are some of the box lots I have purchased.  There are several items I still have not been able to properly identify.  

Among the unidentified items consists a set of 9 point star candle holders from Fitz & Floyd.  They are porcelain and glazed black.  I have been searching and have found very little. 

The only thing I have been able to find happens to be on Etsy.   A listing for 2 silver stars like mine listed for $65.  Nice!  I also emailed a store which carried similar items.  The response?  They had not seen anything like them, the items are old, and the best part - the markings indicate they were manufactured in a Japanese factory which was destroyed by an earthquake.  Say what?!  Quite an interesting story so far for these little candle holders I found in a box.  

Another box lot I recently won at an auction.  This lot contained the Fitz and Floyd stars that will soon make me a millionaire.  (Far upper right)

My plan is to sell them on eBay.  Maybe I have a $100,000 item!  Probably not, but trying to get there can be an exciting and educational ride.