We had a very interesting move into our building, there are two flights of stairs before you even hit the front door. Our building was still being worked on as we moved in, so we were able to utilize some tools.

Here are some pictures I took off of the roof too! We didn’t just sit around and watch them unpack. Tyrone had to play peacemaker between the truck driver and the moving crew. Everyone is contracted out to everyone else, and it is hard to say who is in charge, so the driver was about to send the crew packing after he stumbled on a piece of rebar behind our place and broke Ty’s desk. That would mean waiting 2-3 hours to get another crew out there, and not being unpacked until 7-8 PM. In the end, the crew we had ended up staying and moving everything. Near the end of the day, they’d ask, “What’s the magic number?” and that meant they really hoped that piece of furniture went on first floor.

Tomorrow…interior pictures….we are *almost* unpacked.

I’ve never really moved before. I moved out of my parents’ house once, only to move right back in after a few months of school. I also moved into an apartment, but all of my belongings could fit into my brother’s truck. When I moved into the dome almost everything I had except for a bed and a table, could be moved with a cross-town trip in my trusty Saturn.

This time, Tyrone and I really moved. He liked to brag that in the last 18 years, he’s had to move 16 different times. His wisdom in the pack and the drive were priceless.

Never really moving before, I had never really had to pack before either. The definition of packing here entails configuring multiple boxes in an optimal way for space and cushioning, sealing those boxes with tape, and then not seeing the contents again for two weeks minimum. Who knew plates are stronger if you pack them on end?

I only had one piece of intuition about packing that saved us money or time: using raw crafting items for cushioning. Over the years I have amassed quite the collection of yarn, felted wool sweaters, and a library of fabrics. We used these items to cushion ceramics and plates. Jean quilt squares were used in vases and coffee cups. Skeins of even the lowest-quality acrylic yarn cradled clocks with exposed faces. These materials were even used to pack most of my crafting gear, such as my swift or my embroidery/quilting hoops.

So if you are crafter about to move, do not de-stash your yarn and fabrics yet. Once you see the price of bubble wrap, you’ll have the only reason you need to stay a craft pack rat while you pack.

These pieces of felt went on to cushion figurines, lamps, and other breakables.

Ok! We have a functional internet connection, and we’re back to blogging.

When having a garage sale, the biggest help to you are your friends without traditional jobs. They can come over and man the till, or help you organize. One person cannot run a garage sale, because it is inevitable that during your busiest time someone will call and want to pick up one of your larger items they already paid for.

My sister Jen made a bunch of custom, adult-sized hula hoops, and charged $12 for them. I think she sold a couple. They are larger and heavier than the cheapie Chinese hula hoops at the stores. She even got my mother out and hula hooping. Here are some pictures of her showing off:

These are my favorite pictures:

Something weird happened at the sale. My mom brought stuff to sell, including a bunch of black fringe 80/20 acrylic/wool scarves. She said, “Do you want these in case you have to make a Jamaican wig?”

What kind of a question is that? Sarah, the only wig expert I know, made her feel better about it:

more soon! with pictures! i promise