My New Declutter Secret Weapon

You know how they say one man's trash is another man's treasure? Well, it's also true for women! And I've found Etsy to be a great secret weapon in my decluttering quest. Ok, so it's not so secret. But who knew there were so many people looking to acquire what I'm looking to pass along?

For instance, do you know anyone who wants Vintage 1990 Special Edition Skippy Beaver 100th Birthday of Peanut Butter Glass Jar Banks? Me neither - but someone did! And she wanted all three and was willing to pay $5 each plus shipping to get them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised - I've been hanging onto the cute little buggers for over 23 years!

But let me back up a bit...

My SIL opened an Etsy store a few months ago (September 29, 2013 to be exact). At about the same time she was removing barbed wire that had been strung between trees about 100 years ago, she noticed that folks were buying rusty barbed wire for craft and decor projects. So she figured she might as well sell it instead of hauling it to the dump. But you don't want an Etsy store with just barbed wire, right? So after some brainstorming and looking around to see what else might be saleable here on the old homestead, she settled on the name Rough and Rustic and began amassing a variety of items for her shop.

Then I got an idea. Why not join forces and add my decluttered treasures? She's a photographer and I'm a writer. You need pictures and descriptions of each item. It was the perfect pairing! So I jumped right in and have turned my unwanted items into $61 during the last quarter of 2013! I know it's not a windfall and is only about 10% of her sales but still...I'm generating a little cash from things I no longer need that other people want.

And what else have I sold?

So why don't you pop on over to Rough and Rustic and see if we've got anything you can't live without?

Clever Toilet Paper Holder

antique laundry plunger

What do you think? Is this clever or what? In case you don't know, it's a Rapid Washer laundry plunger. What's a laundry plunger? Well, it's a nifty tool to make washing your clothing by hand easier. Easier than what? Definitely easier than a scrub board! If you don't believe me, give each a try and see if I'm right.

Anyway, we just posted this beauty (sans tp, of course) to my SIL's Etsy shop and needed a place to store it until it sells. After seeing one holding toilet paper while researching antique laundry plungers, I decided to put this one to use. I do hope it sells soon, however, as it doesn't go with my upcoming beach cottage bathroom makeover.

But this did give me an idea...

Why not use your toilet plunger to hold extra toilet paper? Even more clever than using a laundry plunger, don't you think? I mean, really, everyone needs to have a toilet plunger handy but you rarely need to use one. It's also nice to have extra toilet paper close by. Why not pair the two?

I know - who wants their toilet paper touching their (potentially) nasty plunger? Nobody. But I have the answer. Without giving too much away, I'll just leave it at that and post about my solution at some future time.

In the meantime, if you find you just can't live without a truly rusty crusty antique laundry plunger for your rustic, country, primitive, cabin or farmhouse decor, head on over to Rough and Rustic on Etsy and we'll be happy to send you this one!

Very, very rustic!

And very, very rough.

Want an antique 'Rapid Washer' of your very own?