Out with the New, In with the Old

Happy 2017!

I celebrated the New Year with a wicked viral infection and I'm still in the middle of a protracted convalescence (getting my mom to make congee, getting the husband to clean the cat's litter, etc).

Blixa Mix is doing well in the new year, thanks to this bad boy that I sold the other day.

THOM BROWNE's classic cashmere cardigan in navy. Retails for CA$2,2900. SOLD for $550.

Other items that were snapped up quickly in 2017.

J BRAND high-rise Maria, size 27

Aritzia T BABATON wool/cashmere colorblock "Gene" sweater

TED BAKER metallic gold sample blazer, size 6

THEORY alpaca/silk ombre "Freysa Leuna" cardigan, size XS

CLUB MONACO lace "Witherbee" dress w/ leather trim, size 4

Aritzia WILFRED mohair cocoon coat, size XS

Aritzia TNA denim "Sutter" shirt

But there are still lots of great items for sale!

TED BAKER neoprene "Road to Nowhere" Louize Sweater, for sale here.

TED BAKER neoprene "Opulent Bloom" Denbrr sweater, for sale here.

Aritzia WILFRED fuzzy sherpa "Laboratoire" cocoon coat, for sale here.

Aritzia WILFRED fuzzy sherpa "Chatou" cocoon vest, for sale here.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM x Target Kelly green blouse, for sale here.

rag & bone/JEAN slubbed linen "The Deal" shirt, for sale here.

BCBG silk tie-dye "Logan" blouse, for sale here.

CLUB MONACO lace/silk dress, for sale here.

CLUB MONACO wool stripe "Thea" sweater, for sale here.

HELMUT LANG loose-knit "Destroyed Sheen" sweater, for sale here.

J RBAND Midrise Slim Bootcut jeans in Shadow, for sale here.

J BRAND Midrise pencil leg jeans in Indigo, for sale here

HUDSON Highrise Straight "Carly" jeans, for sale here.

-J

Ebay Store: BlixaMix

I've been MIA again but I've been super busy with my eBay business. For the last three months, my profits have increased sixfold, and so has my workload, so it's become a full-time job for me now. Yesterday I opened an official eBay store because I'm at the point where it's financially viable.

Over the past few months I've fine-tuned my inventory and figured out my customer base. I've learned that these are the brands that sell consistently for me:

Anything from Aritzia, so Wilfred, T Babaton, TNA, Talula, etc.
J Crew
Alexander Wang
Equipment
Club Monaco
Ted Baker
Theory
Maison Martin Margiala
3.1 Phillip Lim
Paige

I also do well selling designer items, like Chanel, Lanvin, Alberta Ferretti, etc. but I don't come across these often. For those who are interested, I currently have an amazing men's Burberry Prorsum trench coat in excellent condition up for auction.

For sale here.

And soon I'll be putting up my Proenza Schouler PS1 large purse!

-J

Thrift Haul: September Madness

September was a very busy month and I stocki up on tons of product. Lots of new items for sale.

Audubon bird clock

Wood die paperweight/bookend. For sale at Memory Lane

Pair of two vintage mirror art pieces. Made in Japan. For sale on Kijiji here or at Memory Lane.

Handpainted Russian bread box. This one's for keeps.

Beriokzka (Берёзка) was a chain of state-run retails store in the Russian SFSR that operated in the 60s to the 90s.

Wine carafe w/ hole. Made in Poland. For sale on Kijiji here.

Corningware Ultratemp amber kitchen utensils, for sale on eBay here.

Vintage Bizerka scale from Yugoslavia. Not for sale.

Giant glass Pyrex vase. For sale at Memory Lane.

Handpainted Rosemaling decorative wood plate. Not for sale.

Argyle (brand) 100% wool motor rug. For sale at Memory Lane.

Vintage Electrohome turquoise fan that I bought for myself awhile ago but I have no use for it anymore so it's up for sale at Memory Lane.

Also bought this old industrial steel cabinet with the fan but after bringing in the new desk, I have no need for this. For sale on Kijiji here.

Excellent working condition Remington 1956 "Letter-Riter" typewriter. For sale on Kijiji, Etsy and at Memory Lane.

Diane von Furstenburg leopard glass charger plate.

Wool geometric blanket

Vintage Le Creuset #23 skillet. Also a keeper.

Love this pan. Got this for $10 at Bibles for Missions in St. Thomas

Lot of Shillcraft yarn

I'm going to amass a ton of these and then sell them on eBay eventually.

Wood nightstand w/ turquoise interior. I added the turquoise enamel hardware. For sale at Memory Lane.

B12

-J

Custom Chetki Beads

Hubby and I just completed some custom made tortoiseshell chetki (Russian worry beads) for a man in the UK. Well, hubby made the beads and I did all the admin.

The client saw them in the movie Eastern Promises; Viggo Mortensen's character has this particular style of bead and he looks badass when he plays with them, so the client did some research and came across them on this blog. I'm thrilled that someone sought me out for a product and I invite queries/requests for anything listed on this blog. Although we do have to make some changes if we're going to make any more since the current operation is unsustainable.

My boyfriend and I have talked it over and discussed how we'd love to corner the market of these types of beads in North America as it's very hard to get them from Russia, particularly from Russian prisons, which is where most of them are made. There isn't a large demand here. David Cronenberg fans aren't chomping at the bit for authentically hand made worry beads.

Here they are.

1) First bar of plastic.

Hubby got a really pretty pattern out of them, way more intricate and nuanced than the first tortoiseshell set.

2) Second bar.

The client pointed out that they look like Cola ice pops, which they really do.

3) Individual beads that have been cut and sanded. Just before holes have been drilled.

They just look like rocks

4) Threaded and polished. Photographed against different backgrounds.

A few more touch ups were made after these photos were taken but they already look stellar. See them against light.

Looks like tiger's eye

I'm incredibly proud of hubby. He got some gorgeous swirls and coloring in this one. We both love the effect achieved.

See them in action.

Slow to fast

As of right now, this client will be the last person to receive both the unique swirl in the plastic and the low cost of $65 per set. If we're to do this again, we'd definitely ask for more due to the amount of labor involved. But we're glad the client gets to have a unique item and we really hope he likes them as much as we do.

-J