Reunited, And It Feels so Good!

For those of you who are familiar with this blog, you know that I actively posted a different collection of mine every week day for a full year, from July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012. My intention was to occasionally add to the blog as I felt inspired, but just a few months after I posted my last collection, my husband and I moved from California to a small apartment in New Jersey. We either sold or put everything into storage. During the next three or so years, I posted maybe once a year or so, sharing a few collections that I managed to put together during our east coast sojourn.

We recently moved back west, and although we aren't in our California home, we are settled in a new place in Utah, and I've been reunited with most of my old collections.

It's been so fun to unwrap each treasure, and find a new "home" for so many dear old friends.  However, our lifestyle is changing. We no longer live in a large home with lots of storage, surface areas, and rooms. So, I've decided to keep those things that are most special to me, and sell the rest of my stuff. In the next few months we'll be putting up many books and other treasures up for sale or auction. If there's anything you are interested in, please email me (email is on the side of this blog) and I'll let you know if it's available.

Perhaps as I put things up for sale, I'll post them here, so watch this space. I'd love them to go to a good home.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of a few of my favorite things that most likely will NOT be going up for sale, in their new home here in Utah.

Our dining room, with some of my green pottery, Franciscanware, and other pottery

In my studio, some of my kaleidoscopes and robots find a new home

Vintage school books and reference books

COLLECTION #169: Wind-Up Toys

I just LOVE wind-up toys! I love the noise they make when they jump, shimmy, spin, hop, bang, clang, and shake! I have quite a variety of wind-up items of every type and variety. Some old. Some reproduction. Some US made. Some Japanese. At least one German. Many of these have been shown in previous collections here and here!

I only included a few robots from my much larger collection, because I didn't want the photo to become too cluttered. This gives you an idea of the types of wind-ups I have.  Most of these are tin,  a few have fabric on a metal frame, and one is entirely plastic except for the mechanism. (The harness racing jockey).

I love my Unique Art Li'l Abner Dogpatch Band. It's from the late '40s, and is probably the oldest item in this collection. It's not in great condition, but it's one of my favorite antique toys.  It still works: Li'l Abner clogs, Mammy Yocum leads the band, Pappy Yocum plays the drum (without his drumsticks), Daisy Mae vigorously plays the piano.

Dogpatch Band by Unique Art

Here are some more photos of my fun wind-up toys:

Japanese repro plane

Hopping birds

German Schuco violin-playing clown from the late '40s or early '50s.

Fun twirling airplane carousel

Hopping Dog