Spring cleaning

I spent the majority of yesterday (more than 6 hours) trashing out the girls' rooms. They helped. They also whined quite a bit about it. And I just stood my ground and got it done.  In the end, everyone was happy.  There are bags and bags of clothes and toys to donate and another four laundry baskets of clothes that can be handed down or maybe sold on ebay. I on the fence about that as I haven't done it before and am not sure it's worth the time. Anyone have experience - good, bad or otherwise - selling on ebay? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Both of the girls' rooms are in a state of flux. Kate is waiting on her quilts (I cannot, absolutely can't, figure out how to quilt them) and I'd like to reupholster her headboards and make new bedskirts. We rearranged some of her furniture, but I'm not sure it's the right solution. We'll see. Jane has the furniture that I had growing up. My parents bought it - four poster full size bed, two nightstands, dresser, dressing table, large mirror - at an estate sale when I was in second grade for $200. It's solid cherry and quite lovely, but the bed is on its last legs. I got a repair estimate and for the same price, I could have an upholstered headboard made for her. I'm leaning in that direction as the repair would likely not stay for more than a couple of years.  I'd like to paint the rest of the furniture and update the hardware. I realize that this is a whole boat load of work which will take a great deal of time, but I'm going to try to do it all before the fall. That's the goal, anyhow.

In the meantime, it was nice to freshen things up a bit. I pulled a quilt out of the linen closet that Fatty's grandmother made and put it on Jane's bed. It's a lovely yellow double wedding ring that immediately cheered up her rather dark room. It wasn't doing anyone any good in the closet so I'm happy that it has a new home for now.

All of this has got me thinking even more about using the stuff we have, making more quilts and decorating on budget.  And spring cleaning because almost every room in this house could use this kind of overhaul. I just wish there were a few more hours in the day.

Back here with the auction info soon - I think I'm going to just cover everything in a bare bones kind of way. I hope that's ok. Enjoy your Sunday.

Comments

[jess]

That quilt is so cheery and beautiful.

[Beth]

The bed looks wonderful! I have a friend/decorator that recommended using what you have and showcasing your talents. It's been wonderful. Once you get this in your mind and start looking around lots of things fall into place and with no expense things start to look new and fresh.

[Jennifer]

The bed looks like my/my daughter's bed, only it is a twin. Do you have the canopy top for it?

[Kiera]

Soon the spring cleaning will start here too. I dread it, but always am pleased with the end result. The quilt looks wonderful. So sunny!

Kiera

[laura]

i've never sold on ebay either, but i'm considering selling our now-too-small cloth diapers there. but i'd love some input & insight before i do so as well.

gotta love the yellow, it always brings a smile to my face.

[Tez]

http://gaylekarol.typepad.com/tilliestudio/

To finish the quilting, maybe you could talk to this lady, all reports are that she is amazing and talented and soooo helpful!

Good on ya for getting down to the dirty and just doing it. I'm inspired by you to do the same, as we've been talking about it so long, now I'm just going to tackle the dreaded GIRLS ROOM!

[Marcy]

I have sold on ebay. I can tell you that for clothing and othe rsmall items, you are far better off to sell on Craigslit. Craigslist is more of a local area thing, you don't worry about shipping, and you don't pay anything to use it. Ebay takes a percentage of your sale, as does paypal when you go through ebay - that is fine when you are selling an item worth more, and want a bidding war. On Craigslist.com you can go right on, post some pictures, some info, and boom, someone can contact you via email and buy it right up. You arrange a time and place to exchange and they pay you then and there. So much more simple. When I clean my kids clothes out, I usually pick out higher priced items to sell on their own, but then sell their clothes by either the bag or by a small grouping (like 3 pairs of jeans and 2 sweaters that all coordinate)

Hope that helps.

[Sarah Jane]

Looks great! And the quilt is beautiful. I'm hoping to get 40 bags of stuff out during Lent- 40 days. We'll see how it goes.

[Account Deleted]

That quilt shouldn't be in a closet, it's gorgeous! We've been doing some cleaning here too. It feels so good.

[Livia]

I need to do that again with my boys room. I've sold on Ebay before and found that if its a great name brand it sells great in a small group of stuff. I usually put their clothes in groups of three and as long as they're in great condtion and one item is highly desirable (in my instance, their Ralph Lauren polos) then it sells nicely...

[Petersonmarye]

that yellow looks lovely. i've been thinking about using a kona green for a background in a quilt (maybe a dresden plate) but now i'm thinkin....YELLOW. and oh the fabrics are wonderful. what year was that made? yes, we need to make do. your list is getting longer.

[Cinnamon]

What a beautiful quilt! And yes, doesn't it feel good to get "stuff" out of the house? I usually take my kiddies clothes to a consignment shop. The shop takes care of all the sorting, selling etc and you just come back in a month to pick up your check. I think most shops allow you to accrue credit if you don't want a check and I find that's useful too.

[corinne]

Love your photos! Yes, I agree that craigslist is the way to go. And if you don't have time for craigslist, I'd let your kids organize a lemonade stand and put everything outside for a quarter a piece - you'll sell like hotcakes, meet some neighbors and probably provide some beautiful clothes to people who might not be able to afford it otherwise. And the quarters add up - I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[Suzanne]

I love Spring cleaning like that...we, and I mean my Husband, finished painting the office and started moving in all the stuff. Now I get to go thru the stuff....yeah!

[seashoreknits]

I'm with Marcy on the Craigslist idea. We've never used ebay either, but have had tremendous success - and ease - with craigslist. So easy to set up and post pics, and everyone that responds is a local, which makes it so much easier all the way around. We were amazed at how quickly items flew out the door - we dealt in cash only - and never had any problems.
Congrats on the big cleanout - I know how much work that is and also how satisfying when all done. I bet the girls are really happier too!

[Jeanie]

I sell all sorts of things on eBay and have had great experiences with all my listings. I sold everything I have ever posted. It is a bit time consuming to post for a listing, but in the end it pays off:) Craigslist is good too-same deal with listing the items. A summer time garage sale could be fun too! Good luck!

[Debi]

I am planning some major spring cleaning too... but I absolutely refuse to start until the snow is gone! So glad you pulled that quilt out of the closet... it's beautiful!

[Ariane]

I am with Marcy - craiglist is probably a better solution than ebay for clothes. I have bought clothing for my son off of craigslist because it is local and I don't have to pay shipping. Kijii is another website that is similar to craiglist - it seems that it is as popular in some cities.

[leslie]

i need to take a garbage bag to every room in this house!
i have sold on ebay... i dig it! ;)

[emalee]

thredUP is a swap system for kids clothes that lets you trade for free. check it out and see if it's easier than ebay. i just discovered it yesterday but haven't tried the whole process.

[Suzanne]

I have sold on eBay, sold on Craig's List, sold at consignment stores and sold at a private/church consignment sale. For clothes, I think I prefer the consignment sales. My experience has been that at the store, I drop it off, they peruse it, pick what they want, and return the rest. The amount I receive varies depending on whether I prefer cash or store credit. Store credit is higher. In my area, there are a few consignment sales run either by an independent person/business or church. I enter my items online through myconsignmentmanager.com, set my own prices and tag according to the sale's specifications. I like this because I can choose my prices myself and when the sale is over, I get a large cut. Typically, the consignor gets 70% of the total. There is a modest consignor's fee as well.

I just logged into the website (myconsignmentmanager.com) and discovered there are 17 upcoming sales in your state. (I can email you the list privately if you wish so you don't have to register for an account.) Depending on my motivation, I can get rid of a lot that way.

I do use eBay for toys and some other things if I think the item would garner a higher price in a larger market than a local consignment sale or Craigslist provides. Shipping becomes a great hassle even if I take advantage of priority mail shipping supplies (which are free) and flat rate postage options.

So enough from me. I love your daffodils and the repurposing you have done for your girls. Now I'm off to my couch to knit. :-)

[kelly jo]

I highly recommend looking for the seasonal consignment type sales that are all over. Ours is coming up soon and it's such a great way to get rid of stuff (and get new stuff if you need it). There's one called Just Between Friends that is very similar to our local one that is a nationwide franchise. We also have a local store that does this year round (I would love to start one up one day because it's an awesome idea) so look for one of those as well. They are both a great way to get a good price (not yard sale prices) for your stuff without a whole lot of work. By the way - love that yellow quilt!!

[Heather]

I would suggest Craigslist over eBay. I love the quilt. It is so cheery. I just started a quilt with bright yellow that is comprised with blocks my grandmother made. I am also feeling the need for change. I agree repurposing is a great idea.

[Penny]

Oh! Good for you to be in on the spring cleaning already! I am not quite there yet, but thanks for the reminder that spring is /should be/ on it's way. I sell most of the kids stuff at garage sales or consignment only because craigslist is not well used in my area. The room looks bright and cheery with the quilt in it!

[Regina]

I've been teaching myself to quilt using a tutorial on Obsessively Stitching. It's great: http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2010/04/first-quilt-ever.html

[Molly]

Went through a fierce bout of ebay selling, several years back, after my grandparents passed away. Here's what I found: if you have something unique, collectible, hard to replicate, with some niche demand, go for it. If it is at all commodity-like -- i.e., if there are 10 other listings for essentially the same thing -- you will list it at .99 and be lucky to sell it at all. "It" often being entire lots of things. So not worth it. My very limited, very amateur 2 cents.

Now, I'm off to ebay to bid on "Extra Hours In The Day"....

[Annalia]

Yes, that quilt does NOT belong in a closet. Good luck with your spring cleaning. I'm waiting for spring to show up before I start!

[Bonnie]

I love that double wedding ring quilt - its beautiful and SO cheery!

[Leslie]

I love the yellow quilt with the pink bedding...such a cheerful combination!

[Megan]

I always try selling on Craigslist before I resort to ebay; it's so much easier to sell to a local. If Craigslist is popular in your area, you might give that a try.

Heads up Laura: ebay doesn't allow you to sell used cloth diapers. I've sold ours on Craigslist, and on a site called diaperswappers .

Pretty quilt!

[Blue Kangaroo]

Such a pretty quilt so full of spring, I would want to keep it on always!

[amy]

i think the quilting on these 2 single girl quilts is fantastic!

[amy]

oops that posted without the links sorry

here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82838489@N00/5458661135/

and here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82838489@N00/5459269356/

[Jen G]

I have sold stuff on ebay and decided it wasn't for me. I hate going to the post office, so that proves to be a problem. :) I love selling kids' clothes at consignment stores and find that I get more out of pieces. Tagging the items takes time, but if you have a lot, it is definitely worth the effort. You can google consignment sales for your area. Then each sale usually has its own web site with all the tagging instructions.
AND I LOVE that yellow quilt!!! I would love to have one of those for my own bed!

[larissa]

Love the yellow quilt! Bet your girly will love sleeping under a cover with so much history - kids love the family connection. We did a major cleaning and donating on Sunday too and it feels great - all the extra stuff gets in the way of my sanity.

[[email protected]]

The photos of the bed and the story about how we found it brought back a lot of memories. I'm sure the couple who sold it to us would love to know that after all these years, it is still enjoyed and loved. I loved the trip down memory lane.
Love, Mom

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