Metlox Handmade Calif Poppy Trail California Pottery 208:  The Destiny of Things, story 241 

When we were in college my bother used to say, "No chef can have too many bowls!"

 photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

And so we bought many bowls when we went thrifting.  He bought mostly Russel Wright Iroquois and I collected more Bauer, but leaned towards a more mix and match style.

Our lives revolved around cooking and eating food until I became allergic to most foods and the only thing I could survive on for two years was raw vegan organic meals.   If meals weren't gluten free, soy free, dairy free and organic I'd have an allergic reaction almost instantly!

Now I can incorporate some dairy if it's organic, but most of the time it's not worth the hassle of an allergic reaction.  Since my eating habits have changed so drastically, so has my kitchen!  I used to bake once or twice a week and now I bake about twice a year because I only have one chocolate gluten free recipe that tastes close to a cupcake!

So most of my kitchen which is vintage from thrifting has dwindled down to a couple salad and soup bowls!  Believe it or not, the gluten free chocolate cupcakes are made in a vitamix, so I don't need a bowl.  These cupcakes are so good, they get eaten in one sitting without frosting!

photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

On VintageToGoEasy, I counted over 30 bowls total and I counted 25 in the sold pile.  That's a lot of bowls!  And these are mainly bowl bowls, not little serving bowls.  I'm happy I tallied it all up and can see what progress I've made!  A quick pat on the back and round of applause for myself!

As a recovering hoarder, in the beginning letting go of things I no longer used was very difficult.   I'm still not sure why, but I'm almost over it and can list most things now stress free.  This bowl looked great piled high with tangerines or apricots in it.  Such nice contrasting colors really made it pop!  

An Etsy buyer emailed me and informed me this is already one of her most favorite pieces of  California Pottery.  Getting a note like this still brings me relief knowing it's going to be well loved in it's new home.

 photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

I only had two bowls from Metlox Pottery and the other one had a crack in it, so I used it to catch water for an outdoor porch planter and it eventually broke in pieces.

Metlox Pottery company was in business for 62 years and I think this piece is from the 80s.  Here some history I from wiki about the company:

Metlox Pottery, strictly speaking Metlox Manufacturing Company, was a manufacturer of ceramic housewares, located at 1200 Morningside Drive, Manhattan Beach, California. It was founded in 1927 by T. C. Prouty and his son Willis Prouty, originally as a producer of outdoor ceramic signs.

 photo via wiki

After the death of T.C. in 1931, Willis renamed the company Metlox Pottery ("Metlox" is a combination of "metal" and "oxide," a reference to the glaze pigments), and began producing dinnerware. The Metlox Manufacturing Company was incorporated October 5, 1933.^[1] Evan K. Shaw, of American Pottery in Los Angeles, purchased Metlox from Willis Prouty in 1946.^[2]

After Shaw's death in 1980, Kenneth Avery became the president of Metlox.^[2] The first line of pottery produced, "Poppytrail," became well known for its brightly colored glazes derived from locally mined metallic oxides. Subsequent lines included "Nostalgia," "Red Rooster," "California Provincial," "Colonial Homestead," "Homestead Provincial," and "Colorstax."

In the 1950s Metlox introduced a line of moderist dinnerware featuring free form designs and squared plates using "blanks" that were then decorated with designs and colors. These were then marketed under the pattern names of "California Contempra", "California Modern" and "California Freeform" names.

Besides kitchenware, Metlox also produced a very popular line of large ceramic horses and carriages in the 1950s that is still very collectible. Carl Romanelli designed vases, figurines and miniatures for Metlox. A line of collectible ceramic people planters called "Poppets," designed by studio potter Helen Slater, were produced starting in 1970.

Metlox's incorporation was terminated on January 4, 1988 and the former site is now occupied by Shade Hotel and other businesses.^[3]

photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here 

Saying Goodbye:  In the beginning it was very stressful and I would almost get grief stricken with a fearful anxious nervousness when something left, but it's been almost 2 years now and I can say that with practice it's become a lot easier to let go of most of my things!

And there's a whole lot more room in my kitchen!

What I Learned:

1.  Getting immersed over an over with the stressful fearfulness of letting each thing go, one by one has really helped me move forward with my Hoarder Rehab journey.  And even though my mind knows I can't use these things, my heart tells a different story.  So instead of being more mindful I am becoming more heartfelt and learning how they work together and separately.

2.  I also learned that I don't need 30 plus bowls to function in a kitchen!  I think I have one large salad bowl and one smaller one.  This chef only needs two bowls, however I do have my share of soup bowls and drinking glasses!

I'm learning to focus and conquer by taking one step at a time.

 This is my last and most favorite mixing bowl listed and is available here

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for your message because look at what it's brought me!  What a gift!  It's brought my past and present together for an evaluation of progress and success!  Yippee!  Kudos! Congrats! Another pat on the back and round of applause for myself!

And to you too for some how culminating all of this without knowing it!

Thank you Etsy for everything you've brought me too and taken away!  I have learned so much and  continue to learn daily!  Thank you!

Thank you US, China, Guatemala, Australia, Hong Kong, Saint Lucia,  Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, France, Malaysia, Serbia, Ukraine, South Africa and other for your visits over the weekend and taking part in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things! 

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 192 items, The Destiny of Things- 201 items , VintageToGoEasy - 182 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 175 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Related Stories:  Other bowl stories...

1.  Mikasa Flower Bowls:  The Destiny of Things, Story 173  

2.  Spice of Life Enamelware:  The Destiny of Things, Story 203 

3.  Vernonware Plaid Plaid Mix:  from collector to museum founder

4.  The Autry National Center, California Designing Women, Bill Stern:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story 4:  See more California Pottery Ware

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ---Another moment of silence for Maya Angelou, author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" the first book of hers I read in college.

Gumball Capsules into Kawaii Cute Bento Box Accessory: The Destiny of Things, Story 240

Gumball Capsules into Kawaii Cute Bento Box Accessory:  The Destiny of Things, Story 240

An Etsy buyer turned these gumball capsules into kawaii cuteness overload!

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

I have my own collection of these in my favorite colors and inside them are things from my childhood that I can't part with yet.  They sit inside a penny bubble gum machine that my brother and I fought over thrifting (he ended up getting it and in the end about 20 years later gave it to me in one of his purge moves)

I used to keep it on my kitchen counter filled with peanut M&M's with a bowl of pennies next to it, so friends could have little snacks and I wouldn't pig out on chocolate all at once, but since I found out I'm allergic to peanuts and gluten and most everything not organic it sat empty until a couple years ago.

So I use these gumball capsules and the diamond containers as part of that art project.  Now the gumball machine and my little treasures are part of one of my on going art projects called, "Childhood Lost Dreams" or "Broken Childhood Dreams" or "Left Over Dreams," the title of it is ongoing too. 

So when an Etsy buyer requested 10 gumball capsules with deep red color caps, the best of me as a curious recovering hoarder just had to ask why!

And guess what?  Not only did I get an answer, but I got a photo too!  And it's so kawaii cute!  So this is for all the bento lovers out there looking for another cute idea to use for you bento boxes!  This was a "rush" order too and she needed them by August 30, so I suppose she was making them for "Back to School" bento lunch boxes.

If there was a kawaii cuteness overload button, I'd be hitting it over and over!  Made me want to make my own on the spot!  so simple, just with some pipe cleaners and washi tape!  I would put pop rocks in mine!   Well, if I could still eat pop rocks!  No worries, I don't miss candy or sugar even.

Imagine what one could do with this theme!  Lemons, blueberries, oranges, green apples and purple berry!  or perhaps a little gummy bear trapped inside or gummy WORM!

Snow White theme with a poison apple with pop rocks!  Even glue them on as cabochons and make little poison apple rings.

In case someone needs a whole truck load of gumball capsules, they are here

photo via Hoarder Rehab

Saying Goodbye:  I have my favorite colors set aside and when I find something for the "Lost Dreams" art project, I see if it fits into a gumball capsule and if it doesn't, I see if it fits into one of the diamond containers.

And with receiving this last story, I'm happy to let them go, besides I have my fair share of these stashed away for when I need them.

What I Learned:

1.  This is another cross in the road where I have to decide to just let my stash run out or continue with what is popular on Etsy for the moment.  I suppose I can turn hoarding into a business, which I did stumble on the idea from an Etsy blog article I read way back when I first started dehoarding on Etsy and of all things the article was about English Transferware!

However it was more about her love for English Transferware and how she found her silver lining out of bad economic times, but when I saw her garage chock full of transferware, I almost fainted from conflicting fear and excitement.

I do remember I had a terrible stomach ache that day, but can't remember if that article made me feel better or worse.  I'll have to read it again.

Here are the diamonds I put my bigger "Lost Childhood Dreams" in.

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

Thank you Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerLoveEtsy for taking the time to send me an answer and to email me the photo of your latest cute craft project! So fun!  Some lucky little one is having some cute fun in the bento lunch boxes!

Some other bento accessories from JunkDrawerLoveEtsy that I use mainly for card crafts and gift wrapping are sushi divider grass, monokuro clips (I think these are hair clips, but I use them for snack bag and gift wrap closures) and onigiri wraps ( I don't use onigiri wraps, but they ended up mixed in when I bought the sushi grass):

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

Traditionally used as food dividers for sushi and bento lunch boxes, I use these in craft cards, in small baskets with care package items to add a pop of color

and as a photo prop with rocks.

Thank you Etsy for one of many happy transactions!  And for the blog article I read today, "How to Boost Sales One Step at a Time, "which was a good reminder for me to keep my eye on my goals!

Thank you US, China, Ukraine, Germany, Finland, France, Oman, Poland, Singapore, Romania, Netherlands, UK, Spain and others for supporting  my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things! 

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 191 items, The Destiny of Things- 202 items , VintageToGoEasy - 179 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 176 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

 

Gumball toy prizes that I've turned into jewelry and come in a gumball capsule too!

photo via The Destiny of Things, available here

Related Stories:

1.  Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #5:  Hoarding as a Business:  This taught me to keep an open mind and an open heart because I seem to find answers in unlikely places!

2.  I Love My Gumball Machine Capsules!  The Destiny of Things, Story 156 

Most Read Story of the Day:  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Character and Book:  The Destiny of Things, Story 176  

Most Read Story of the Week, Month and All Time:  My Louis Vuitton Collection: the end of my collection is the beginning for someone else.  The last piece of my LV collection, my 80s LV gold cornered wallet is available here at The Destiny of Things!  

“It's never too late to have a happy childhood."  ---Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker.  His "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" was one of my favorite college novels. 

300 Wedding Cocktail Animal and Mermaid Drink Markers: The Destiny of Things, Story 239

300 Wedding Cocktail Animal and Mermaid Drink Markers: The Destiny of Things, Story 239

A huge herd of hoard left in a hurry!

photo via VintageToGoEasy, animal drink markers here

Mermaid drink markers in sets of 100 here at Hoarder Rehab

A bride to be bought a herd of 200 cocktail drink animals and a school of 100 mermaids!  Every time we emailed her count got higher and higher and she said she had to have these particular ones because she loved all the colors, so off they went as another "rushed" order. 

She wanted all these colors and in equal amounts, so there was a lot of counting and sorting going on!

What party animal fun!  But in her rush I became rushed and forgot to ask about her wedding theme.  I wonder if it was carnival, zoo or circus which seem to be popular right now.  Or perhaps it was just old fashioned fun!

I wish I had taken a photo of that huge order, but I simply didn't think about it til now.

photo via Hoarder Rehab

Mermaid drink markers in sets of 100 here 

Animal drink markers here at VintageToGoeEasy

I love these little critters and have been collecting them for years!  especially the ones with bails because since I'm allergic to sterling and gold jewelry now I was going to make some necklaces out of these for myself, but I have since found that I don't even care to wear jewelry anymore.

In my head, I have all kinds of planned projects for them all, but never seem to get around to even starting them!

I take that back, I did start an art project using the mermaids adding them to my little Day of the Dead shrines I used to make back in the 80s, but guess what?  It's the red mermaids that look best with my art and out of the gadzillion mermaids I only have FOUR in red!

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

Monkey drink charms here

I had also started a Frida Kahlo assemblage project using these monkeys because she had two pet monkeys, Fulang Chang, a gift from her husband and Caimito de Guayabal and for her they were symbols of protection, but that is now lost in my hoard, also for the 80s.

Also Frida Kahlo has become so popular now that I've lost interest, but one day when I find these projects lost in my hoard, I do hope to finish them.

Saying Goodbye:  I won't be saying goodbye to my stash for awhile, but when I do, I'll have picked through and saved all my favorite colors!  It's always good to have a handful of these stashed away in the junk drawer because you never know when you'll need one to hitch a ride on your favorite drink!

Little ones especially like them when they graduate from a sippy cup to a small juice glass!  What better way to celebrate with one of these festive critters.  As for adults, it will bring a smile and a nostalgic memory to any Happy Hour libation from a foo foo drink to hot cocoa!

What I Learned:

1.  Some of favorite destash is becoming quite loved on my Etsy shops, like the Fortune Fish and tooth saver treasure chests and tooth locket necklaces.  Also my float frames and loteria game sets.

These were all learning tools I've used since the 80s in my classroom, except for the float frames.  I use the float frames for my double sided collage art.

Oh and last, but not least my gumball capsules I use in my crafts and use as a gift box container when my jewelry gets ordered.

2.  So to use my quote from last Monday:  "Some of my hoard is turning into regular orders at my Etsy shops!  So that's a good thing while my dehoarding runs it's course to the end.  In the meantime, I'm learning my fair share about retail business, marketing research and and how to run a shop on Etsy."

And perhaps I've found a small niche on Etsy for awhile!

photo via Hoarder Rehab

25 gumball capsules as shown with no hassle delivery, here

Thank you Etsy buyer for letting me know that my huge stash of  cocktail drink markers are all finding new homes on some fun drinks for your wedding and thank you for the insight from your story to mine!

Maybe I am making a little niche market from all my favorite old fashioned hoard from childhood days long past and even from my long lost teacher days. Wouldn't that be something? A small silver lining, but still a silver lining!

Thank you Etsy for the ever amusing and fun way to dehoard and who knows where this journey will take me, but it way more fun than anything else I've tried before!

Thank you US, Russia, China, Australia, Malaysia, Romania, Ukraine, France, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Iraq, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and others who  stopped by in support of my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

 photo via The Destiny of Things, loteria game available here

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things and I'm getting close to meeting it on Hoarder Rehab!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 190 items, The Destiny of Things- 202 items , VintageToGoEasy - 176 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 174 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

 

 photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

Related Stories:

1.  Another loved item from my destah with story:   Fortune Fish for all kinds of different themes wedding and party favors here

2.  Retro Cocktail Animal Figurine Drink Marker Charms:  The Destiny of Things, Story  181 

3.  An Etsy buyer had her mermaid drink charm for over 50 years, read her story here.

 photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

"The good you today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway." ---excerpt from Mother Teresa's "anyway" poem

Fortune Fish: The Destiny of Things, Story 238

Fortune Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story 238

Honk if you remember this penny toy!  Smile...

photo via VintageToGoEasy, available here in 50 or 100

in amounts of 10, 20 or 30 at The Destiny of Things, here

These are becoming more a more popular these days!  I received one message that these are going to part of the swag bag for a fortune teller party.

Other party trends, including weddings seem to be carnival and circus.  I received another email noting these will be used these as part of the guest favors of carnival prizes for a carnival wedding with a rockabilly twist, another for a circus birthday party and one for a bass themed birthday party!

How fun! These should bring nostalgic memories for many and make new ones for others!  I wonder what kind of old memories it will bring back and how many new ones will be made?

photo via VintageToGoEasy, available here in 50 or 100

in amounts of 10, 20 or 30 at The Destiny of Things, here

I remember these from my childhood and one of my fondest memories is trying to play with it in the back seat of our car with all the windows rolled down due to the summer heart with my long hair whipping around and trying to protect it from blowing away yet watch to see what it did on my palm because I couldn't wait to see my fortune until we got home.

photo via VintageToGoEasy, available here in 50 or 100

and in amounts of 10, 20 or 30 at The Destiny of Things, here

Saying Goodbye:  I have my own stash of these because I love sending one of these in a package with a thank you note with each order.  I also keep a stash on hand in my backpack because one never knows when someone might need to be cheered up young or old or need something to do while waiting.

What I Learned:

1.  Some of my hoard is turning into regular orders at my Etsy shops!  So that's a good thing while my dehoarding runs it's course to the end.  In the meantime, I'm learning my fair share about retail business, marketing research and and how to run a shop on Etsy.

2.  Note to self:  Follow up on  my Etsy business plan from last year.  I have no clue when it comes to business, I flunked out of my economics class in college and get near business class after that! If you need some help writing one for your business, this one was plain and simple enough for me to follow and I finished in less than an hour.

How To Write a Creative Business Plan in Under an Hour from the Etsy blog here, which I just revisited to get the link and guess what?  I forgot that my comment was featured for that posting.

photo via Hoarder Rehab, frame available here

Fortune Fish, available here

Thank you Etsy buyers from all the four shops for leaving me messages about your back stories for the fortune fish because I never know how your story is going to help mine until I start writing and look where it got me today!  To follow up on my business plan from last year!  Keeps me on track with my dehoarding in more ways than one!

Thank you Etsy for being the best Hoarder Rehab outlet ever!  I can't thank you enough!

Thank you US, Slovakia, Germany, Ukraine, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and others for your visits and taking part in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 189 items, The Destiny of Things- 202 items , VintageToGoEasy - 174 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 173 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Related Stories:

1.  An Etsy buyer from NY sharing Fortune Fish with her college classmates as they study, Fortune Teller Miracle Fish by Cathryn Hankla:  The Destiny of Things, Story 152.  I also included some of my favorite passages, read it here 

2.  Fortune Teller Miracle Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story LXXXII, here used as party favors!

3.  Miracle Fish Fortune Teller Surprise Balls:  The Destiny of Things, Story XCII, here

4. A Little Girl and her Miracle Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story #112:  Part 1

5.  UPDATE on A Little Girl and her Miracle Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story #112, Part 2,here

6.  As Underwater theme decor, see update photos and story here

7.  Fortune Fish at a quilting bee where old memories made new ones! Read it here!

8.  Teachable Moments with  Fortune Fish Tellers:  The Destiny of Things, Story 180

9.  With an updated photo from an Etsy buyer using some of my items from the "Thank you" package, here

Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Reversible Float Frame: The Destiny of Things, Story 237

Simple Reversible Float Frame:  The Destiny of Things, Story 237

I love these double sided horizontal or vertical frames and have quite the collection of them!

photo via The Destiny of Things, available here

Frame also available in faux mahogany and pine at Hoarder Rehab, here

That's a photo of the home where my Dad was born.

It took me so long time to find simple versatile frames I like thaat I bought a lot of them.  I used them to see how my double sided washi tape collage art looks in the sun with these frames.

Here is one of my favorite art pieces:

photo via Hoarder Rehab

Washi tape quilt card, available here

Frame, available here

An Etsy buyer sent me a short message saying hers arrived safely and she's going to be using it to display her foreign notes so both sides can be seen and enjoyed!

How fun!  I imagine her frame on her desk perhaps holding a sweet note from a overseas pen pal from childhood or a special international thank you.

photo via The Destiny of Things, frame available here

Frames also available in faux mahogany and pine at Hoarder Rehab, here

I love these because they are so easy to use to change pictures.  Just slide the glass out and open the two plates of glass.  Take out and insert new picture and wa la! Done!  It can hold any photo or picture smaller than 4x6 inches and can stand horizontally or vertically.  I even stack mine!  Carefully on a shelf with a back wall.

I don't have a photo of my collage of float frames, but I'll take one this weekend.  I do have a photo of them in my vintage typed Marilyn Monroe quote quilt washi tape collages that's a Series of 4:

photo via Hoarder Rehab, art available here

As you can see I'm crazy about these frames because much of my art is double sided with the quilt collage on one side and a typed quote on the other, so the typing shows through in the sun.

photo via Hoarder Rehab, art available here

I also used them to display my favorite postage stamps of the week, favorite pressed flowers, artwork from my childhood and just found paper that I like for some reason.

photo via VintageToGoEasy, Czech Olympic stamps available here

As you can see, it does take some patience to arrange and place in between the two glass pieces evenly, if the pieces are too thin.  It also has a limit to the thickness of the paper inserted, otherwise, it will not fit back into the slot.

photo via The Destiny of Things, frame available here

Fram also available in faux mahogany and pine at Hoarder Rehab, here

Saying Goodbye:  I have my own stash of these and many others like these also.  It used to part of my "Hoarding without Hoarding" experiment that's like a "catch and release" program, but they've sold so well, now I keep a stash of new ones for the Etsy shops.

What I Learned:

1.  I am somewhat conflicted when some of my hoarded items are just as loved by me as other Etsy buyers and become popular and sell quickly and in quantity.  As of now, I'm letting most of my popular items run out, unless I use them in art projects frequently or in my "thank you" packages.

What a surprise when these Fortune Fish became popular, among my other favorite things, like gumball machine capsules, plastic tooth locket necklace, tooth saver treasure chests and the loteria game cards I've used in my art since the 80s.

photo via Hoarder Rehab, frame available here

Fortune Fish, available here

Thank you Etsy buyer for sending me a message with your back story!  I love it and a special thank you for your story because it brought me such insight related to my hoarding and now I seem to have more options on how to deal with it.

Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab outlet ever!  I can't thank you enough!  I have gotten rid of my hoard several times and it always boomerangs back, like a bad fad diet!  and it's so disheartening when I end up with more than the last purge!  I am confident that it's not going to happen this time around!

Thank you US, France, China, Germany, Israel, Afghanistan, Canada, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Russia and others who stopped by to visit my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things! 

My new goal is to dehoard and list 200 items per shop!  Please visit and see what's new!

Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 189 items, The Destiny of Things - 200 items , VintageToGoEasy - 178 items and now JunkDrawerLove - 172 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Typed Hafiz quote with reversible collage art, available here

Frame available in faux mahogany, oak and pine at Hoarder Rehab, here

Related Stories:

1.  My Hoarding Alternatives: Washi tape art, mending and other creative outlets I try, instead of hoarding, here

Most Read Story of the Day:  Red Honeycomb Paper Lanterns, here

Most Read Story of the Week:  Patriotic US Flag Napkins:  The Destiny of Things, Story 235

Most Read Story of the Month and All Time:  My Louis Vuitton Collection: the end of my collection is the beginning for someone else.  The last piece of my LV collection, my 80s LV gold cornered wallet is available here at The Destiny of Things!  

"And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, 'You owe me.'  Look what happens with a love like that.  It lights up the sky." ---Hafiz or Hafez, a 14th century Persian mystic and poet

Empire State Building 3D Puzzle: The Destiny of Things, Story 236

Empire State Building 3D Puzzle:  The Destiny of Things, Story 236

I love the Empire State Building!

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

Statue of Liberty 3D puzzle like this one, available here

I got a little message in "Note to Buyer" that this was a birthday gift and to send it ASAP!  So we did!  I would have loved to been the fly on the wall to see this assembled.  

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

Statue of Liberty 3D puzzle like this one, available here

I have several of these, also the Eiffel Tower and seem to like the idea of seeing this puzzle completed, rather than completing it myself!  I had envisioned myself putting it together while rewatching one of my favorite classics, King Kong!

However I have or had a lot of Empire State Building ephemera and souvenirs and decided to keep it down to one, my Empire State Building fluorescent lamp that glows in a blueish tone.  I don't have a good photo of it, but it's best seen here, way over to the right with King Kong at the top:

 photo via The Destiny of Things

Pink skirt from Japan available here

Early 1900s hand tooled purse with secret lock available here

The teak canisters are sold out.

I love to collect souvenirs and think it's because when we went on vacations it was one luxury we were allowed to splurge on and basically get anything our hearts desired without a monetary limit.  It was like getting an extra birthday present.

Also when our relatives went on vacation, mainly to visit relatives in Japan, they'd bring back some meibutsu or omiyage (in depth explaination on the blog, Hungry for Words: Mostly Japanese), or a little souvenir from their trip to share with everyone while they shared their adventures.

In Japan, souvenirs are usually products associated with a particular region; for example the latest souvenirs I have from relatives were candles from a famous candle maker region for shrines and the no evil monkeys carved from Japanese maple of Nikko. Travelers usually buy souvenirs as gifts for those who did not make the trip.

This is a huge tradition in my family and it can really start to escalate when relatives from Japan visit often because the gifts become more elaborate and expensive with each visit.

Many of the Japanese souvenirs from my childhood and later years have sold, but I still have many yet to part with, some may still be included here or were passed down to me.

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

 3D puzzle like this one, but the Statue of Liberty, available here

Saying Goodbye:   I did think about putting this together before I listed it, but when I thought about where I'd put it after I finished it, I knew there wasn't any room for it to be displayed properly and also it would be just another thing to dust!

I am thankful it went to someone who must love puzzles for their birthday and perhaps it was a family or father daughter birthday activity.  And perhaps King Kong was playing in the background too!

What I Learned:

1.  I unconsciously buy things thinking I'll have fun putting this 3D puzzle together because I love anything Empire State Building or perhaps some little ones I know will love assembling this while it helps their motor and spatial skills one rainy day.  Then we could make a diorama with it and on and on.

2.  Now I try to be a more conscious buyer and think things all the way through first, but since there is no more room for anything new in the house, except for under the bed.... I'm not supposed to be buying anything, so I haven't.

3.  As a recovering hoarder, it's easier being a conscious buyer without my usual stress triggers, so it seems I'll have smooth sailing now until the stress of the winter holidays comes around.  Only time will tell.

Do you like puzzles?  I do and as a family it was one of our past times.  My Grandmother always had one going on the formal dinner table and we'd sit with a pot of green tea putting them together while chit chatting or watching the news on television.

Maybe I keep buying them without putting them together because I miss those times....

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

 This one has less pieces and it says it's easy to assemble

Statue of Liberty 3D puzzle, available here

Thank you Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerLoveEtsy for sending your back story because it certainly helped me with mine! All the insight I gleaned is appreciated. I hope it was fun and cool looking when assembled for your Dad.

Thank you Etsy for your continued support towards my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

Thank you US, Netherlands, Ukraine, China, Turkey, Germany, Canada, France, UK, Poland, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and others for your visits and taking part in my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 188 items ,  The Destiny of Things- 200 items , VintageToGoEasy - 176 items and now JunkDrawerLove - 170 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

 photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here

Simple food puzzles that are also erasers to introduce children to puzzles.

Example, the orange is 4 pieces, the shakes are 3 pieces and the doughnut is 2 pieces.

Related Stories:

1.  Orange County Fair Souvenir Barrette:  The Destiny of THings, STory LII 

2.  Copper Souvenir Bracelet from Chile:  The Destiny of Things, Story LIII   

3.  Native American Butterfly Money Clip:  The Destiny of Things, Story LXIX  : Souvenir that my Grandmother used daily from her travels.

4.  Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite: Native American Souvenir Barrette:  The Destiny of Things, Story #107  

5.  The Secret Cross: The Destiny of Things, Story XXVII  Souvenir from a Boston trip.

6.  My Louis Vuitton Collection:  The Destiny of Things, Story XXXIII, Omega and Alpha, Part 2  :  My LV wallet was a souvenir from Paris.

7.  Must de Cartier and My Perfume Collection:  The Destiny of Things, Story, XXXIX :  Another souvenir from Paris.

"What we hope to do ever to do with ease, we must first learn to do with diligence."---Samuel Johnson