Give Back When You Can

Just a little reminder to give back when you are able, even if it's something small.  

Over the course of the summer we've been blessed with a lot of produce from our garden - we enjoyed it, shared with family and friends, and froze quite a bit for future use.  Last week we picked the last of the veggies and pulled out the rest of our vining plants to get ready for winter.  We ended up with quite a few squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes and rather than try to squeeze them into the freezer we opted to bring them to our local food pantry where we know the donation will be greatly appreciated.  

Giving back doesn't always have to mean volunteering a day of your time or making a large monetary donation - it can be giving back in small ways everyday to help your neighbor and those around you.  We all need to remember this more (myself included), and next year we'll make a point to share even more of our produce with the food pantry all summer long.  

Teal Pumpkin Project: Safe Trick-or-Treating for Everyone

This Halloween we're participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project to promote awareness and inclusion of all trick-or-treaters, no matter their dietary restrictions.  

Unfortunately a lot of kids have food allergies, ranging from mild to potentially very dangerous.  These allergies can include dairy, chocolate, nuts, soy, gluten, artificial dyes, and more.  These kids either can't participate in trick-or-treat or have to throw out 95% of what they get - and when you're a kid that's really rough.  

By having a teal pumpkin out, you're letting kids and their parents know that your house is a safe place to trick-or-treat and you have non-food items available. These can be things like novelty pencils, erasers, stickers, bubbles, crayons, small toys, etc.  You can still give out the usual candy, but it's a good idea to keep the non-food items separate.  This is a great project to allow all kids a chance to feel included in trick-or-treat on Halloween. 

FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) has some wonderful resources on their website - including crowdsourcing maps to identify participating houses, printables you can use to proudly show your support and educate others, and fundraising opportunities to help fund food allergy research and awareness.  

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| Teal Acrylic Paint |

Post originally published 10/30/15

Local Product Love: Mariner Lines

Today I wanted to share another great New England maker, Mariner Lines.  If you're a dog-lover and a New England lover you need to have one of these beautiful hand-made nautical leashes in your life.  

Love the bait bag packaging!

When I first stumbled across Mariner Lines, I thought their leashes looked beautiful and rugged and loved that they were made in Maine.  But once I learned the story behind the brand I loved it even more as Mariner Lines was started by Stacia and her fisherman husband when their yellow lab Mariner became ill.  Sales of these handmade leashes not only help them with medication expenses for their beloved pup (who is thankfully doing better), but a portion of sales is also donated to local rescue groups too.  You can feel good about buying and using this leash knowing the good it does.    

|  Twisted Leash, White  |

This weekend we brought our black lab Harley out for a short hike in the woods with our new Mariner Lines leash.  Harley LOVES walking in the woods and was super-excited to put her new leash to the test.  You see, the second you clip a leash to Harley's collar she pulls like a competition draft horse at the Fryeburg Fair... we've worked with her a bunch and done obedience classes but none of that matters for the first 10 minutes of the walk until she gets the excitement out of her system.  

Our Mariner Lines leash held strong and I felt confident walking Harley on it.  One of my favorite aspects of the leash was the roundness of the rope in my hands.  All of our other leashes are traditional flat nylon that dig into your palms when the dog pulls; I was pleasantly surprised to see that the thick round rope did not dig into my hands at all as Harley got the initial excitement out of her system.  

The leashes are hand-spliced together using rigging line and heavy-duty brass clasps so you know they're made to last.   They come in many colors and there are even hand-knitted neck warmers for your pup and cowls for you available so you can coordinate.  All the leashes are "one fathom" (about six feet) long - I just love how they incorporate the nautical theme into every aspect of their brand!  

Happy pup.  

Overall, I really love our Mariner Lines leash - it's rugged, durable, beautiful, and stands for helping pups in need.  What's not to love?  

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That face tho.  

- I received this leash from Mariner Lines as a gift, but all opinions expressed are my own.  Please read our Disclosure Policy for more information. - 

Photos by Adrian Pelletier

Supporting your Local Schools with Box Tops for Education

I'm a big Box Tops for Education clipper.  

Our little one isn't in school yet, but every time we finish up a product with a Box Tops I make sure to clip it out and slip it in a designated envelope we have taped to the inside of one of our kitchen cupboards.  

Ka-ching!  Free money for our local school.  

When the envelope gets full, I drop them off at the local elementary school for them to add to their collection and send in.  Every box top sent in equals 10 cents for the school.  Once you notice how many products you buy have them, you see how fast the money can add up for the school.  Every little bit helps and it makes me feel good to know I'm contributing to my daughters future school, even in such a small way.  

5 Tips to Make the Most Money from Consigning Clothes and Household Items

I love consigning - it's so refreshing to clean out the closets, get rid of some of that stuff that's been weighing you down and get a little money back in return.  Here I share the basics as well as my 5 top tips on making the most from your consigned items.  

What is consigning?

Consigning is bringing your used or new items to a shop that will sell them for you and give you a cut of what it sells for.  Yes, you could have a yard sale and keep all the money yourself but consigning is great because you don't need a yard full of stuff and a free Saturday to make a little extra money - and you also don't have to worry about meeting potentially creepy strangers from Craigslist or Facebook Yard Sale groups.  With consigning, you can sell as little or as much as you want with no work involved - perfect for all those busy folks out there.  

There are lots of different types of consignment shops - some only do clothes or kid items, others do antiques and decor items, and some do a combination.  There are even really specific shops out there for things like bridal and formal wear, so no matter what you're looking to get rid of there's most likely a consignment shop for that.  

The format for all these types of shops usually goes something like this:  Items are generally consigned for 90 days.  If the item sells you get a percentage of what it sells for, usually 40-60%, and some stores offer you a higher percentage if you take the amount in store credit rather than cash.  Some consignment shops cut checks to you once a month, others keep tally using a computer system and you can even check in online to see how your items are doing.  If the item doesn't sell within it's allotted time you often get the choice to donate it to charity or come and pick it up.  We always do the charity option, that way we get the chance to make a little money back but if something doesn't sell it goes on to help someone else - it's just win-win.  

My 5 top tips on making the most from your consigned items:  

1. Keep with the seasons.
   Most consignment shops will only take what's in-season - if they don't, make sure to bring in only what's current or will be soon. Bringing in a snowsuit in May will get you no where - it likely won't sell in the allotted time and you will lose the sale and therefore the extra cash you were hoping to make.
   

2. Make sure your items look their best.
   This means making sure your clothes are clean, have no stains or heavy wear-and-tear, loose threads are cut off, and it's wrinkle-free. If you're consigning decor items, make sure they have no damage and are dust-free.
   Consignment shops won't take anything that doesn't look clean and ready to sell.
   

3. Know your market (consignment shop + audience).
   Some consignment shops are more "high-end" than others so it's important to know what kinds of items and brands they take and what they're looking for (there will be places that only take premium clothing brands like GAP, J-Crew, etc). Some shops will even post a list online of what they are looking for or no longer taking at this time.
   Once you get to know your local consignment shops, you'll soon learn where your items do best and you can decide where to bring what and when.
   

4. Always be ready to consign.
   Always have a designated space (a plastic tote, box, or even a paper bag) to put items you'd like to consign. How many times have you passed over that sweater in your closet? (a million) Put it in the box. A well-meaning relative sent you an outfit for your little one that's already two sizes too small? Put it in the box. You don't have to do a big purge to consign (though that's always a good thing), you can consign as you go.
   

5. Shop where you consign.
   If your consignment shop offers you a higher percentage back if you take your cut as store credit, definitely consider doing that - your money will go further for you.
   One of my favorite consignment shops is one of those "higher-end" boutique places where they sell a mix of consigned and new items. I love consigning and shopping there because they give me a higher percentage back as store credit and I can put it towards gently used premium-brand clothing or new clothes and gifts.

Where to start?

Ask around, Google around.  See what's near you, then give those consignment shops a call or send them an e-mail to get more information.  Make sure to find out what their policies are and if you need an appointment to drop off items.  

Happy consigning!  

A glimpse at our glamorous "To Be Consigned" system.
I have three consignment shops I use regularly: one for premium brand clothing, one that will take any brand of clothing, and one for decor items. I write the initials of the consignment shop on each bag/box and leave them tucked away but still easily accessible. Then whenever I have an item I want to consign I drop it into the box for the correct consignment shop. The next time I know I'll be going by a particular place, I make sure to bring those items with me and drop them off - it couldn't be easier!