Finally got me a Hummel

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Hummels were hot! At every antique or collectibles establishment you went, there they were--and they weren't cheap. In fact, a cheap one might be about $75.

My ex-sister-in-law loved Hummels, and my mother gave her quite a few of them. I no longer recall what quite a few amounted to, but it was more than I ever got--which was nothing.  I hinted very strongly that I would like one, but ... it never happened. (I remember the first one ex-SIL got was the Apple Tree Girl.)

One of the reasons they struck a chord with me is that Mr. L and I worked with a man whose son made them. Yup. He decided at a young age that he loved Hummels and wanted to work for the factory that made them.  So, he learned to speak fluent German, as well as studied his craft in ceramics--and actually got a job there. Of course, all these years later, I have no idea if he's still there, but it was kinda cool -- and his father sure was proud of him.

But back to Hummels and me.

I never had one. Until last week. Mr. L took me to a thrift shop in a rather tony suburb. This shop opened in October but we only found out about it at Christmastime--when it shut down for a couple of weeks, and I didn't get to go until last week. WOW--can you say sticker shock? But then everything in it was good quality stuff. And they had three Hummels for sale.

The resale market for Hummels has gone right down the toilet. In fact, I read an article online about how it's one of the 10 collectibles that essentially has no secondary-market value. (Anything from Franklin mint comes next.)  But that doesn't mean I didn't want a Hummel.  They're incredibly cute.

Two of the Hummels were in the $35 range--and I wasn't going to lay out that kind of dough, but they had a small one for $12 and I decided to splurge. Isn't she cute?

Now this little tyke lives in one of my china cabinets surrounded by Chintz china cups (which have also lost their market value). I finally have my Hummel. And I bought her with money my mother left me after she passed. Thanks, Mum!

What collectibles do you covet, even if they have no real intrinsic value?

Junking with my pal

Last Wednesday my friend, Amy, and I went to the Ronald McDonald House sale here in my town. Holy smoke! Can you say CHAOS!!! It was 120,000 square feet of STUFF. If I had a bigger house, I would have spent a FORTUNE. As it is, I spent less than $10--but I was there for the thrill of the hunt.  Amy's a mom with two young boys, so it was inevitable that she wanted to spend a LOT of time in the toy section, while I was more interested in home furnishings. (Like I have any more room in my house to put them.) We wandered away from one another, but since we both had phones, knew we would eventually find each other again.

We walked into the HUGE room and were impressed with how all the (vastly overpriced--since 90% of what was there was donated by average people like you and me) merchandise was arranged.  We walked in to a pretty big Christmas section. Wow!  There were things I would have bought had I not already had similar items (like a dozen or so Made-In-Japan Christmas figurines of which I already have at least 200). So it was this little Christmas book that caught my attention and I scooped it up. It's two years older than me (and I'm not admitting how old THAT is).

This little Christmas book is chock full of wonderful little hints on how to have a great holiday. I saw it and fell in love with it. I'm going to save and savor it after Thanksgiving. Don't worry. I won't lose it. I keep all my holiday books in one spot and reread them (or at least look at the pictures) every holiday season.

I hoped to find that cabinet for my laundry room, but the only thing that came close to what I wanted already had a sold tag on it.  So I wandered into the first china section. I could have stood there for an hour or more just admiring the china and glassware. I saw this little beauty and snatched it up. I don' t know if it is a "real" Chintz cup, but it was pretty enough for me. It has a hairline crack on the inside, so they gave it to me for half off. Since I'll probably only display it, the crack doesn't bother me a bit.

Next up was the stationery department. Wow.  I bought one thing, and it's the only thing I didn't take a photo of: a very LARGE roll of brown paper for wrapping parcels. In the future, I will use it when I send out prizes to members of Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party Page on Facebook!  (Want to join? Click this link.)

Across from the stationery was the main (with the more common) china section. HOLY COW -- did they have teacups. Probably 30 or 40 beautiful bone china teacups. I already have 40 or 50 teacups, and since they weren't chintz or even pseudo-chintz, I had to pass them by. But the regular plates were reasonably priced (what I'd pay at a yard sale).

My first purchase was a square plate. I collect square plates. I have about 50-60 of them on the wall going down to my finished basement. They're from all over the place/world. I don't know why I started collecting them, I just did. (Do you have a collection like that?)

Of course, I was drawn to the very small selection of Syracuse China. I'm a sucker for Syracuse China (which is no longer in business, along with Buffalo China). I have quite a few pieces. This is a sandwich or cake plate. I have two bigger plates in this pattern (in blue) so it immediately caught my eye. There were other pieces I could have bought, but quite frankly I'm running out of room. But there's always room for just one more dish, isn't there?

That was it for the Ronald McDonald House sale, but that's not all I bought this week.

On Tuesday, I took Mr. L to the Holloway House in Bloomfield, NY to celebrate his birthday (which was actually last month, but they weren't open for the season at that time). We had a wonderful meal (actually it was their turkey dinner -- which they serve for Thanksgiving. Whoa! Delish!) I love the charm of his historical restaurant, which was built in the early 1800s.  What I also love is their Syracuse china (pattern = Colonial). Isn't it adorable? I looked up the pattern on Replacements Ltd. and I might just have to buy a small plate just so I can enjoy looking at it at home.

Nearby is an antiques co-op. Of course, not everything in such a co-op is an antique, so it was also full of wonderful collectibles. And I had talked myself out of more than a dozen items until I was about to walk out the door, and that's when I saw this (see below).

One of my favorite cookbook authors, Susan Branch, collects what she calls Beatrix Potter "people." The characters from the Beatrix Potter books. (I believe her first piece was Jamima Puddle-Duck.) When I saw "Lady Mouse Made a Curtsy" was (dated 1980 and) marked for less than $5, I snatched it right up. (In real life, I DESPISE mice. Anyone who has had them poop on their silverware would feel the same way.) I looked online and saw the same figurine going for $10+. so I think I got a great deal. Despite the fact she's a mouse, she's very cute. She will live in one of my china cabinets.

So that's my "junking" for the week.  Well, maybe not.  There's still Saturday to go!

What treasures have you found while junking?

Do I really need something else to collect?

 A couple of years ago, I found a Bossons head at an estate sale.  What's a Bosson's head?  A picture tells a thousand words, they say. Basically, it's a head made of plaster of Paris (or chalkware).  You can read all about them here.

My mother and aunt collect(ed) them, neither of them had/have a huge collection, but they're very interesting and kind of delicate--they chip very easily.  Mr. L gave me two for Christmas and wasn't as careful as he might have been. One of them broke after he wrapped it. Luckily, he has a friend who can mend things so that you can't tell they've been broken.  (One of our cats chewed the ears off a cat statue Mr. L had given me and his friend was able to repair it so that there was no trace it had been gnawed.)

I've now got five. Women Bossons heads are very rare indeed, and Mr. L bought me a female for Christmas. I wish I could say she was pretty, but she's a fisherman's wife, and she looks it. In fact, not many could be considered "pretty," but they are true-to-life.

Most of my Bossons heads are fishermen (and woman), but I do have a policeman (who was my second head). I've looked at a lot of images online and I think I'd like a Beefeater next. But that can wait. I've still got a birthday and Christmas to go in 2017.

The other day, I was at a thrift shop. Sad to say, I did NOT find a Bossons head, but I did find a small plaster of Paris plaque of a fisherman at the helm. Mr. L said it reminded him of the Glouesster Fisherman statue in Massachusetts.

As you can see, it's rather humble, but sweet. I thought it would make a nice addition to my wee Bossons collection.

Do I really need to find anything else to collect?

Nope.

Is that going to stop me?

Nope.

What useless things do you collect?

And yet something else to collect ...

I have yet another weakness I have so-far not confessed in 8+ years of blogging.

I love tile. I look forward to going to Home Depot just so I can stand in the tile aisle and gaze upon what's available. I don't dare go into a dedicated tile store for fear of never leaving.

On the most recent Sunday Morning episode, they did a whole segment on azulejo Portuguese tile.  OMG! It was wonderful!

It only occurred to me after watching that episode that I collect them, mostly using them as coasters.  (A little glue, a little felt--and you've got a coaster.) I have them all over my house. I have tile hanging in my office.  I have a tiled mirror in my guest bath.

My favorite is Victorian tile.  But I have a bunch of tiles from Mexico that we bought when we were in the Southwest.
Hmm...I have a lot more tile than I thought.

But it's not practical to really collect it.  So why not have a virtual collection?  So Monday I started a Pinterest board for tile.  So far, I don't have many.  The one to the left is one I found online.  Can you imainge an entire wall of that tile?  It might be a bit much, but boy would it be pretty (and very busy). I guess that's why I like accent tiles in a sea of more mundane ones.  That makes them stick out more, and I think they'd be better appreciated.

Here are a few more I found.

 Isn't that gorgeous? (Is it apparent that I'm a fan of Art Nouveau?)

 A little late for Chinese New Year (and it's the year of the Horse), but stunning.

So, what do you think about decorative tile?
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My little part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

I wasn't able to make it to England for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.  It would have been nice to see the flotilla on the Thames, but I did get to see a bit of it on TV.  What was priceless was seeing the Queen smile as she waved to her subjects, and all those people waving the Union Jack.  Everybody looked happy.

Cool!

I collect royal family memorabilia, and have since I was a teenager.  It's not that easy to come by around here.  I'm going to Canada later this year, and hoped I could get a couple of pieces while there.  Of course, by then the Jubilee would be old news, and maybe they wouldn't have any mugs or cups in stock.

Worry worry.

But then ... NOT to worry!  My aunt Michele sent me a beautiful Diamond Jubilee mug.  Don't you just love it?  And, even better, it arrived during the Jubilee.


As it turns out, Amazon has a slew of Diamond Jubilee souvenirs, but nothing as nice as my mug.  And even better, mine was a gift from the heart.

Thank you, Michele!
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Kate & Will's Kiss . . .

A few weeks ago, when I visited Niagara On The Lake, I visited my favorite shop--The Scottish Loft.  There they stock all things Scottish (and a bunch of them say "If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP!").  I stocked up on English candy (love those travel sweets) and one more thing.



I have quite a collection of Royal Family memorabilia.  This was just my latest addition.  I had been hoping to find one in bone china but this was it.  (I did see a William and Kate cake plate, but it was something like a hundred bucks, and it only had writing, no picture, so I passed it by.)


Here's my entire Will and Kate collection to date:



What have you added lately to one of your collections?
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I like the old ones the best . . .

Yesterday I finally took down the Christmas cards.  They had decorated the cork wall in our entry since early December.  Now the wall seems so ... BARE.

Now I have to decide which ones to keep.  The thing is, I love cards.  I love getting them, I love giving them, and I love BUYING them.  I have so many cards you wouldn't believe it.  I have every birthday card I've received since age 8.

I buy cards at yard sales, at crafts stores, and even the Dollar Store.  (The one place I don't buy cards is the Hallmark store.  Wow!  They're gorgeous, but boy do they cost.)

I've got boxes full of new cards I'll probably never send, and boxes full of old cards that somebody else once sent.  (I love those the best.)  Last summer I bought a small box made out of laminated Christmas cards.  I was going to put my vintage Christmas cards in them for display . . . and somehow never got around to it.

(Isn't this card cute?  She'd make a perfect girlfriend for Captain Haviland, the black standard poodle in the Books By The Bay cozy series by my chum Ellery Adams. The second book in that series, A Deadly Cliche, comes out next Tuesday! Can't wait!)

Do I really need all these cards?

Nope.  But I guess they've become a collection now.

What useless thing do you collect?

A Dish To Pass

I collect Syracuse China Americana dishware.  It all started when I visited a bed and breakfast in Stowe, Vermont.  They served their magnificent breakfasts on that dishware.  When I saw a piece at a yard sale, I decided then and there that I would like to use the same dishware at my family's summer cottage--a place I've come to call B&B Cottage.

Ah, but finding pieces of this restaurant (think diner) quality china has not been so easy.  In the past 10 or 12 years I've managed to find:

2 dinner plates
14 cake (or sandwich) plates
6 cups and saucers
4 soup cups
1 salad bowl
3 relish dishes
1 coffee mug
2 roll plates
and an assortment of odd-sized plates.

I traveled to the Syracuse China outlet store on a number of occasions, but in all my searches I only found one piece (the salad bowl).  I was told it was no longer a popular pattern and had a limited run.  Since then, of course, the company has folded.  So now my only option is to buy used pieces. 

I bought most of my pieces at yard sales, antique stores, and thrift shops.  I have yet to really look online--mostly because restaurant china is so darned heavy the shipping charges would be out of this world.  (Okay, I did peek on Replacements Inc. (which sells odd pieces of china) and would be a
good source--if I wanted to pay astronomical prices.  That's not my goal.)

I have other dishware (Stoneware--that chips like crazy), but because I so enjoyed my time at that Vermont inn, I long to eat off the same tableware at my own B&B Cottage.  I wonder how long it will take to find/accumulate all these place settings.
Is there something you collect that seems like an impossible dream to find?