The New Gray Mare

MLP Arena

2012-01-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Arena is back! And it's even more amazing than ever =) This had to be the hardest week ever, not visiting the Arena and getting my daily multi-hour dose of ponies.

Priming the Stable- AKA Covering Myself in Paint

2011-12-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

Now that the barn is all clean, it’s ready to be primed. Because of all the discoloration and difference in textures from where the stickers were, I want to be sure the paint will stick and go on smoothly. So, a primer is necessary.

I bought Model Master Custom Spray Enamel. It’s specially formulated for polystyrene plastic (model cars), so it should work just fine for a pony play set. This primer came from Hobby Lobby and I used a 40% off coupon, so it came out to about $3.50. In my area, Hobby Lobby has the best selection of model car paints and supplies.

The roof of the Show Stable is purple and I don’t want to paint it. It’s already the perfect color for Sweet Apple Acres, so that’s a bit of work I can save myself. But, since I don’t want to paint the roof, I have to cover it up. Kitty Litter Box Liner to the rescue! I got an awesome deal on litter box liners ($0.50 a box!) and snatched up half of the stores stock, which was about a years supply. Got home to discover they don’t fit the litter box, so they have sat in the drawer for months until I could figure out what to do with them. This is the perfect situation to use up a couple of those liners.

I gathered all of the supplies I would need to mask off the roof: masking tape, scissors I've had since 1st grade, and the litter box liner. A plastic bag would probably work just as well.

The tape was cut to size and placed under the eves of the roof. I then put the plastic over the tape, folded the tape upwards with the plastic on it, and taped it securely into place. The pictures probably describe this a little better than I can. The gap between the eves and side of the building is very small, so I used the scissors to make sure the tape was firmly attached underneath. The same process was followed for the coupe la.

This thing took up a ton of tape! But, it’s neatly wrapped up and the parts that don’t need primer on them are safe. Time to head outside into the sunshine and get messy.

Another litter box liner was cut open and weighted down with rocks to hold it in place. I started spraying a nice, even layer and things were going along swimmingly, despite the light breeze that kept depositing white flecks on my arms and legs. When I was finished with the outside walls, I moved to the inside, and then tried to do the floor. Oops! One can of paint, while sufficient for multiple model cars, is not enough to cover an entire pony stable. Well, it needed three hours between coats, so I had time to run back to Hobby Lobby!

One more can of paint later and I was finished with the fun step of priming. Now I just have to wait 48 hours before sanding.

Cleaning the Show Stable

2011-11-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

This part of prep-work for the future Sweet Apple Acres Cat House was done a while ago, but it's important none-the-less! Besides, these tips can be used for any pony playset with the intent to restore or customize.

When I got the stable, it was covered in a weird white powder. You could tell it had been stored in someones garage. Now, the stickrs on this were very odd. Normally, when I get a playset, the stickers are falling off, but not on this one! The stickers seem to have fused with the plastic.

As with any restoration/cleaning process, I start with the least chemical-laden method possible. These stickers are just paper, right? Soak them in water! I filled the tub and let the whole playset soak. Later, I realized I forgot the door, so it got to chill out in the sink while I scrubbed the playset with Spic'n'Span and a Magic Eraser.

Soaking only removed the top layer, which turned into a papery mess. But, at least that was off! Time to scrub.

Scrubbing started out with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...

Didn't work. Neither did the scrub brush. A search online suggested WD40 for removing the adhesive. After nearly passing out from the fumes and letting it set in the garage overnight, I discovered that WD40 does nothing for dried adhesive other than turn the playset into a slimy mess that needed to be washed yet again. By the way, it takes some serious grease cutting power to get WD40 off, so use at your own risk.

Now, it was time to get serious on removing that adhesive residue!

Sand paper! I used a sand paper block that was 650 grit. This did the trick on smoothing out the walls. The whole playset had to sit in the tub again to get all of the sandpaper dust and adhesive powder off.

I think the adhesive discolored the plastic under it. In fact, if you look in the corners, you can see yellowed glue from where the walls were put together. Hey, it's smooth and it'll be painted over anyway.

Finally, I have a clean base, ready for priming!

Smile!

2011-11-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just need to cram yourself into a tiny basket and reach for what you love

Inspiration for my next project!

2011-11-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

Well, October was certainly full of changes for me. I got a job! Yay! And, the best part is, it's part time. That means I still have time to spend online. Well, now that I have a schedule figured out, that is.

Hopefully now that all the insanity of October is over, I can focus on projects. I have about a dozen things I'm working on right now, but really want to focus on this one.

My current project is one that will certainly take a while, but should be quite rewarding. About three months ago, my wonderful father found a bunch of ponies at a garage sale. About 20 ponies were crammed into the Show Stable and the whole lot was only $10! Awesome! I was thrilled about getting so many ponies so cheaply, but at a loss for what to do with the stable. The stable was horribly yellowed, missing three of the five doors, the weathervane was bent and ready to fall off... In short, I couldn't sell this thing for $5 in that condition. It got stuck out in the garage for the past few months until inspiration struck.

Spinky69er posted this picture in a thread at the MLP Arena:

Isn't her cat adorable? He fits in that Paradise Estate so perfectly and looks quite at home. But, there are clearly accessories there to get in his way and it doesn't look very comfortable. I think he needs a special cat house to live in. Well, maybe not this cat in particular, but some cat needs a pony house!

I ran out to the garage, grabbed my stable, and tracked down my faithful assistant Mist Luin (Misty). Is the Show Stable large enough for a cat to fit inside comfortably?

I think that's a yes. Now to start the customization process!

How to Get the Feedback You Deserve!

2011-09-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

There’s an excellent discussion going on over at the MLPArena about feedback right now. While I was typing out my response, I realized it would make a great blog post!

Feedback is an extremely important part of any online transaction. Not only does it provide an accurate record of how many transactions you’ve completed and your history as a buyer/seller, but it gives closure to the transaction. Once feedback has been left, ideally by both parties involved, the transaction is 100% complete.

Sometimes, however, people don’t leave feedback. It could be because they forgot, they don’t think it’s important, or they like to wait until they have several to leave at once. I know I’m guilty of the last one at times!

I do a few things that I think really help me get feedback. I’m mostly a seller online and try very hard to curb my spending, so most of these tips are from the seller point of view. I hope they can help you get the feedback you deserve!

1) First Contact

First off, I put some verbiage in my private message (PM) to the buyer when they are inquiring about shipping and payment details. It says "Feedback is always left once I know the ponies were received and you are satisfied with them." That lets the buyer know that I will leave them feedback, but they have to continue to communicate with me and let me know that the pony arrived and everything is good. It also lets them know to contact me before leaving feedback if there's a problem! And, it very subtly tells them that they won't get feedback unless they give it to me as well.

2) The Notes in the Mail

The second thing I do is include a little note with the package. I actually printed out a bunch of these that have my Etsy store name and link on them (advertising for my other business! Still pony related, though). The note has Thank You printed real big at the top, a picture of my persona pony, and a "Please don't forget to leave feedback!" at the bottom. There's also space for me to hand write a note. This provides a nice personal touch and gives another gentle feedback reminder.

3) Hey! You forgot something!

Usually, my first two steps are enough to bring in the feedback. But, if those don't work, I'll send a nice PM along the lines of "Hey! I know it's been a while since our transaction, but I just wanted to make sure your pony arrived safely and everything is to your satisfaction. The DC number shows she was delivered on xx/xx. If you're happy with everything, I'd appreciate it if you could leave some feedback for me and I'll be sure to do the same for you."

If that doesn't get the buyer off their rear and over to the feedback forum, then there's not much more to be done. Honestly, I give up at this point if my PM is ignored. After all, if feedback was important to them, they'd be sure to follow through on the transaction.

4) Dear Princess Celestia...

Now, I can sometimes be slow with the feedback. Ideally, I'd just head right over to the feedback forum and leave a little blurb the moment I got the "pony arrived, Thanks!' message, but I admittedly don't. Sometimes, it's just more convenient to wait until I have three or four to leave at once. To help myself with leaving feedback, I have created an Access database. This database shows me when the item was purchased, how much I paid for it, where it’s listed (some ponies are listed on the Arena, Ebay, and Klect at the same time!), who it sold to, how much it sold for, and if feedback has been left or not. I have a nice query set where I can just search for transactions where feedback has not been left and make sure I take care of that. I check this database about every other week, so feedback does get left regularly, if not right away.

No, go out there and get the feedback you work so hard for!

Be Careful when you Pony Hunt

2011-08-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went pony hunting. Some people call pony hunting the simple act of going to the local Target or Walmart or Toys’R’Us, checking out the toy aisle, and leaving with something pony related if there’s anything interested. I call that a scouting mission. A true hunt, for me, involves five Targets, five WalMarts, two Toys’R’Us’, one Kohls, three Meijers and five thrift shops. I drive through four cities and travel about an hour away from my house on a hunt. And, now that I don’t have a ‘real’ job, I can do this about once a week!

I love guessing what ponies are inside the store before going in. I love going to the toy aisle and finding where the ponies are. I especially love it when I find the last hard-to-find pony hiding behind the Barbie’s or Littlest Pet Shop. I get this giddy little jolt of happiness when I was right about what gems were hiding in the store.

One Target out of the three I went to yesterday had the Canterlot display. And it was mostly empty! I was surprised that one of the Targets didn’t have it; it’s a Target Greatland and they have a huge amount of toy space! But, I did find the new Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash/Twilight Sparkle/Fluttershy sets, and Applejack’s Farm Truck. But, the creepiest thing I found was the Pinkie Pie Learns to Walk.

So Soft Pinkie Pie "Learns to Walk" from HasbroToyShop.com

I was searching for Lily Blossom when I moved in front of the so soft Pinkie Pie. I hear this eerie “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” coming from near my feet. I look down and there’s a hideously swollen headed, beak faced monstrosity of a baby doll trying to pass itself off as our cheerful Pinkie Pie. “Look, I can walk!” she proudly declared from within her plastic imprisonment. Thankfully, she was chained to her cardboard high chair and couldn't reach me. This pink imposter had me in her bug eyed trance; I couldn’t get away, no matter how hard I tried. Just as I reached for her to buy her, a little boy came running down the aisle, chasing his sister. They broke the demon-Pinkie’s grip on my wallet by almost running into me. I snagged the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash and got out of there!

To whomever their mother/guardian is, thank you for letting your children run amok in the toy aisle. You saved my house from invasion of psudeo-Pinkie!

When to list on eBay

2011-08-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

I’m very lucky to have a father who has taught me how to search for items and sell them. Some of my fondest memories are getting up at the dreadfully early hour of 6 AM to go garage saleing in Colorado. Sometimes my younger sister would come; sometimes she didn’t want to get up that early. He would buy us doughnuts for breakfast and we would cruise around neighborhoods, evaluating sales from the street before deciding to pull in or not. It didn’t take me long to figure out that brightly colored items usually equaled toys or that boxes lined up under tables most likely contained books. After a couple hours of looking at things, Dad would go to 7eleven and buy me peanut M&M’s and get a Big Gulp for himself. What a delight to get a drink of the soda whenever I asked for it! These trips always yielded some sort of treasure: a pig for my collection, a new book to read, some pretty figurine, or, best of all, a new pony.

Dad also liked to sell at flea markets and gun shows. Mom occasionally sold items at craft shows. I always went, coloring book, crayons, and a few toys in tow to keep me occupied. I didn’t know it at the time, and I doubt they did either, but my parents were instilling in me a love for the hunt and the joy of the sale.

After rediscovering my love for ponies, I turned to eBay to sell extras that I found at garage sales, flea markets, and thrift shops. I had been buying Dinotopia items for a long time, but it was the ponies that I sold.

I have been selling items on eBay ever since 2000. At first, because I wasn’t 18, I had to do my buying and selling under my dad’s account. The day I turned 18, I opened my eBay account, Dinosmart, and started selling for myself. I looked at ended items and tried to figure out why some would sell higher than others, despite being exactly the same. It came down to two things.

First, your listing must be extremely appealing. The item has to be clearly described and made to sound exciting. A vintage glo worm to cheer your little one in the middle of the night is far more appealing than just a 1980’s green glo worm that works. Lots of pictures are a must too! If the item glows in the dark, take it to a dark place and try to photograph the glowing action. Black lights help with this too.

Secondly, the day your auction ends has a tremendous impact on the final selling price. I have listed items on every day of the week and Sunday night seems to be the consistent time to get the highest price. People are home Sunday nights because they have work in the morning, they’re in a good mood from a great weekend, and they’re looking forward to the money they’ll make in the coming week, so they’ll spend now. List your item on Sunday night and you can’t go wrong.

And speaking of Sunday night listings… I listed 26 auctions, including Canterlot ponies and the very desirable McDonalds Friendship is Magic ponies. Go check them out! Maybe you’ll find something you like. Dinosmart’s eBay auctions

Welcome

2011-07-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The New Gray Mare! I am Eskara1862, pony fan and creator of random things.

My story is a simple one. I have loved My Little Ponies ever since my parents gave me Baby Quackers for my third birthday. The interest waned as I became a teen, but I never parted with my beloved ponies. My junior year of high school, I had to do a PowerPoint presentation about my life. That was when I discovered the online pony community. I joined several message boards and never looked back. Eventually, I discovered that it is possible to make enough money by selling ponies to pay for college. I even bought my car and partially funded a trip to Europe with my Girl Scout troop by selling toys online. Thus began my dream- to run my own toy store.

I am now 28 and my employment at the local bank ended last June. I have a college degree in business administration, but haven't really used it. It's time to make all that money spent in college to learn about business actually count for something and to follow my dream!

This blog will chronicle the start up of my new business, The New Gray Mare, and the triumph of success! I also hope to cover topics like product creation, idea generation, some financial tidbits I picked up from working at a bank, and the occasional ramble about my cat, Mist Luin.

Thank you for your support. Please, be sure to follow my blog!