...TIVOLI KOBENHAVN

"when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics".

I know that I have said it before, but it still holds true...

One of the best parts of this whole 'stuff-journey', is the constant inspiration for learning... diving down that 'rabbit hole' of researching those 'new-to-us' items!!

This little plate is another example~

 At a quick glance, it appears to be yet another off-shoot of the distinctive BLUE WILLOW design.
Upon CLOSER inspection, you will notice...

LOTS of People in the graphics

and

Oriental Style Buildings

and

A rollercoaster in the Mountains??!

In fact, this plate is actually a SOUVENIR from TIVOLI KOBENHAVN (Copenhagen) depicting the "TIVOLI GARDENS" (Amusement Park & Pleasure Gardens)  Tivoli Gardens opened August 1843, and is the second oldest operating amusement park in the world!! 

  Who knew??

..and there you have it - the svelteSTUFF Useless Trivia TidBit of the Day (UTTD)

Be Well

and

en JOY!!

...SUSTAINABILITY?

  I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite parts of this whole addicting, craziness of 'STUFF ACQUIRING' is the Research and Learning involved! (One of my 'intentions for 2019'' is to make these 'useless tidbits of information' a more prominent part of this blog - what do YOU think? Yeh or Neh?)

  Recently I have been finding EVO SUSTAINABLE GOODS dishes - at random times, in random locations - 

mere coincidence? (if there is such a thing!!)

It doesn't seem to have much of a demand in the resale market, which is too bad - for a couple of reasons.

 'The concept of sustainability is what sparked the creation of the EVO Sustainable Goods brand, the manufacturer of EVO Housewares. By combining wood and plastic into a single raw material, the benefits of both were united, and the WPC compound was formed, creating a substantially reduced impact on the environment.'

  They are BPA free, Microwave and Dishwasher safe, and they come in FUN colors - what more can you ask for??

When researching 'sustainable goods' I can't help but wonder what kind of world our 'littles' will inherit (and NO I'm not even going to touch-upon the political state!!)…

You may remember a post where I mentioned my Niece's 'Nacho Average Baby Shower'...  well, this Grand-Auntie has a new Love in her life!  Meet Miss V.

  While I was putting a collage frame together for a Christmas present, I asked my niece for "that picture of V 'Hugging the Tree' "...

...Little did I know what a 'literal' Tree-Hugger she is growing up to be!!  I've never had a child, but knowing how precious this 'little' is, I can't imagine how Anyone with their own children could not want to preserve or improve our world in any way they are capable!!

With that said, Time for a Shiny NEW Year full of possibilities ~ 2019!!  Does everyone have their 'resolutions' (or 'intentions' as I prefer to call the them!!) ready to start the New Year off with?  I would love to hear them - Please Comment with your Top 3!

I'll start (not in any particular order)...

~Deplete some of our 'Death Piles' (ie: 'inventory' waiting to be acted upon.)

~Flex the right side of my brain a little every day and get to CREATING!  Do 'Me' my way.

~Be more present in every Day and appreciate what life has given me.

Wishing you all the BEST in the New Year,

Be Safe, Be Well

and

enJOY!!

Go rub the belly of your favorite Laughing Buddha for 

Abundance, Prosperity and Contentment!!

(WARNING: This has also been associated with increased fertility!!)

..."My Dog Has Fleas"

ANYBODY OUT THERE REMEMBER THIS?????

(Before you read any further... NO. We don't have any pets!)

First things first!

Our Roadtrip to Ohio was Wonderful.  Full of Fun ~ Friends ~ Family ~ Treasure Hunting & Winery Hopping... what more could you hope to pack into a 3-day weekend? (well, we had heard of a good seaglass beach but time just didn't allow...)

Lots of Goodies for "RESALE"... Harley Drink coozies, retro tin litho sandpail, Redwing plate, Spain pitcher, Moppets Plate, MidCentury candle holder, Waterford candy dish.....

More for resale... American Girl Charms and Charm Bracelet

I did get a little 'Bling' for ME!! VERA 2012 #11 ($1), Sweater Clip 2012 #11 (.50¢), Burmel & Echo Scarves .50¢ea and 2 silver/black rhinestone buttons.

 ~BUT~

My truly FAVORITE find of the weekend?!

Completely Spontaneous...

What am I going to do with it?

Why...?

I.don't.know.

just.

got.

to.

have.

it.

purchase.

.

.

Can you say...

.

.

UKULELE?

BUT WAIT...

NOT JUST 'A' UKULELE... 

BECAUSE, ON SUCH AN IMPULSE BUY,

YOU HAVE TO BUY TWO!!

 WARNING: 2 UKULELES + WINE IS NOT A GOOD COMBO!

(count for the corkboard is around 450 and it is FULL... now I'm just replacing some 'synthetics' w/ 'real corks', etc...)

I did buy the two Ukes with EVERY intention of resale! HONESTLY I did!! I got them home, cleaned them up, took photos (like my props with the surf board and vintage suitcase? ALOHA!) Started to do my research - learned that they are Soprano Ukes, and the tuning is "MY DOG HAS FLEAS", got the one tuned up, then I fell in love...  OKAY, OKAY... so I'm weak...  Hey, ONE WILL BE FOR SALE! (and just be glad that none of YOU have to listen to it!)

Did you guess it?! 



...something good on the EBOR horizon??

One of my favorite parts of this whole 'stuffing adventure', is the journey ...

Part of the journey, is the learning and the research involved. No matter how small, it seems that every day there is some interesting, albeit useless, tidbit of info to be gained!

Recently I had the fun of sorting through a stack of hat boxes for work (I work part-time @ an antique / old-time hardware store!). They were F.U.L.L. of HATS - Christian Dior, Sibley's, Bollman, and the list went on and on...

One box held a couple that were 'new' to me - "MONTALDO's". A bit of quick research found that 'Montaldo was not a designer, but rather a Store in the South - a rather 'Upscale Store', along the lines of Sibley's or B.Forman.

http://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/crowns.html

...and there you have it - the svelteSTUFF Useless Trivia TidBit of the Day (UTTD)

(if anybody has any other info to add - I would love to hear it!!)

and....

I know that you have been waiting to hear the outcome of the Holt Howard mugs...

well....

I W.A.S. going to be GOOD, and put the PAIR into the ETSY shop, but as I was getting ready to do the photos, I noticed that one had a crack,

so....

Now, the cracked one resides in MY 'orphan' collection!

guess it was 'meant to be' 8-)

(it is looking right at home, don't you think?!!)

Onto a MUCH more serious note...

The jean situation in MY closet has taken a serious turn for the worse in the past couple of weeks. This is the state of T.W.O. of my favorite pairs of jeans.

That leaves me with only ONE good pair of jeans (which I promptly spilled coffee down the front of yesterday...). Keep your fingers crossed - they are washing as I type!!

Oh yes, there are others in the closet - (a bit snug, a bit short, 'mom' jeans...) that will do in a 'pinch' - with the right boots, and the right 'long' sweater, and...

OH, the HORROR!!

RETAIL JEAN SHOPPING!

DOES it get any WORSE?!?!

(anybody out there have any recommendations??? I went out the other day... UGH! Regular 'TALL' jeans are NOT long enough for these 36" inseam legs - I Hate ordering from catalog/online 'cause I want to try on and see how they look!!)

To relieve a bit of the retail jean stress, I did a little Thrift therapy...

no jeans,

but...

VERA 2011 #2 - and HALF PRICE - only .50¢ !!

Oh, there better be some good EBOR coming my way for this jean stress!!!!