Graytail

We have this place near us that we found on Craig's List a while ago and it is the strangest and best place.  We found it when we were looking for a particular baby gate and it turned out that it had so much random stuff it sort of blew my mind.  Their stock is comprised of returns primarily from Amazon, but also Bed, Bath and Beyond, Walmart, JCPenney, etc.  It is a huge warehouse stacked helter skelter with anything and everything you can imagine.    I dubbed it "graytail" since it isn't retail or wholesale and you can't be 100% sure where it came from.  Actually, that's a joke, because usually you can tell from stickers exactly which returns center it's from. 

We've been back a few times to try to find random stuff and it's hit or miss to say the least.  Today I looked through bins of mostly housewares that were amazon returns. There was everything from grain mills and yogurt makers to insulated beverage mugs to ravioli makers to photo frames to sheets, and on and on.


I found the retractable baby gate I was looking for and a few other things.  Yay!!  I love digging around and finding things I was already planning to get or had my eye on, but putting off purchasing. 

Here is a picture of my haul:

Here's what I got and they current Amazon price for each item:

1. Wilton cupcake decorating kit $7.75
2.  Bento Lunchbox Kit $27.95
3.  Retractable Mesh Baby Gate $59.99
4.  Accordion Wall Mounted Drying Rack $20
5.  Stainless Steel Heavy Duty Mandoline Slicer $68.40
6.  Pullman Style Non Stick Bread Pan $27.87
7.  Alphabet Cookie Cutter Set $31.69
8.  Retractable Clothes Line $9.99
9.  Parchment Cupcake Liners $12.83 (who in the world would pay that, I don't know)

The total Amazon.com price if I ordered these items would be $266.47. 

Of course, I would never pay that!  My price for everything was.....

$64!!!!

To say that I was pumped would be a huge understatement!  I basically got everything for what the baby gate alone would normally cost.  I just love a good deal!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Ok, well maybe it isn't the most wonderful time, but it's definitely one of my favorites!  You see, I'm a consignment sale junkie and late each summer and winter there are tons of seasonal children's consignment sales.  I love scouring the tables and racks to find super cute high end dress clothes for Little G for a fraction of the new retail price.  They are often in brand new condition since they are only worn a few times for special events.  When G was younger I also found lots of baby gear for a fraction of the price.  Since most of that type of thing is used for a very brief time it is usually in good condition too. 

I've been to a few lot of sales this season and while I haven't necessarily purchased a lot at each sale, it has been worthwhile. 

Here are some pics of my favorites so far:

Our back yard "play ground"

Also, including a refashion of sorts.  The monogram on this little shirt was almost correct, but since accuracy counts when it comes to monograms I got out my needle and thread and voila!

Before

After

The Ensemble!

This one is going to be cute with some white knee socks and black shoes:

On that note, why is it so tough to find cute black dress shoes for little boys?  They all look like clunky old man shoes! 

I actually purchased fabric a little while ago to make a longall in almost this exact color and pattern!  Now I can save that fabric for another project. 

I've also found some play clothes, but I try to focus on dress clothes since they often have less wear and more of a discount over the new retail price. 

And lest you think I've deprived my child of toys (you were really worried, right?), one or two of those have made their way home too!  I've even started Christmas shopping for him.