A Record Breaking Order: The Destiny of Things, Story #145

A Record Breaking Order:  The Destiny of Things, Story #145

It was like a pleasant whirl wind came through....and left with 21 items!

My Jesus flicker address book that flicked from this to this:

 The old fashioned kind that folded up flat and stayed closed magnetically.

above photos via The Destiny of Things

 

She said, "This was a nice find and unusal buy for me. It was much needed though because when I saw it I knew just what address I need it for. Thanks."

I think that's very interesting and mysterious and exactly like something I would do!

These are my box of journals I thought I was going to use because they held different types of paper, like lined paper, blank paper and my favorite being graph paper!  Also the covers were coordinating and just my style, see the covers better here, in the second photo.

I'm glad she's already using them and said, "they came just in time!"

Her comment for both of these two different types of tooth holders and mentioned this twice, "Awesome memories of years gone by. Didn't know these were still around until I found your shop. I had a fun time shopping. I also had a fun time planning. Thank you."

These are from our Etsy shop, The Destiny of Things and are available here and here!

These pirate treasure chest tooth keepers have glow in the dark necklaces!  The chests are available here, if you need the glow in the dark necklaces, just ask and I'll make a custom listing for you!


The tooth molar necklaces come in three different necklace color choices and are available, here.




Many of the items may have left, but came with a story!  Most of the order is for a GNO Party in January!  Mainly for Girls Night Out gift bags with layered gifts all the way down to the bottom! 

So kinda like a surprise ball, but in a bag in layers!  And perhaps it was a craft GNO  because some of the stories I got on things were going to be made into other things, while others were put in the gumball capsules for fun later and for surprise emergency gifts as needed. 

Here are the items she ordered from JunkDrawerLoveEtsy:

 photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, black and white available here and neon googly eyes, here

Part of the story is these googly wiggly eyes are going to be added to some the things below and some might even be made into PET ROCKS!  What fun!  I especially want to try her idea on my own foam stickers!

These Paper Bliss embellishments are from my teaching days when I used them as story starters for my students ranging from childhood memories to Mother's day.

More Paper Bliss embellishments at JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, here

I am going to use her idea and some of the extra Paper Bliss embellishments I have left over from my teaching days and put googly eyes on them and add them to shipping tags and use them as gift tags!

 photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, available here, in multiples of 10 to 40 for classroom use, but the largest orders have been 120 and over

I love these shipping tags and use them in many different ways!  And this Etsy buyer has given me two more ideas on how to use them!  Thank you!

Her other idea is to have some fun with her nephew by adding googly eyes to these foam stickers!  I think I'll do the same!  Thank you Etsy buyer for the fun and easy project day ideas!

220+ foam stickers, available here

Much of her order was pink, so I asked if she was having a "pink" GNO and she said she wasn't, but that "pink" was the "in" color.  This was from the month of October, so she was planning about three months ahead of time.

More of her pink order! Like this neon pink ruler:

That was my last pink ruler, but the other neon colors are available, here!

I loved using these stencils as a kid and so did my students!  Also, it is a very good way to teach the alphabet to kinesthetic English as a Second Language learners, especially since most third grade students would rather "do" something different than recite the alphabet over and over.

Plus there's a couple letters missing and there were always several different "creative" solutions to solving that!

AND this pink diamond desk inspiration:

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, pink diamond desk inspiration, available here

I made this pink diamond as desk inspiration for artists, writers, teachers and anyone who loves pink!  

I have more coming for 2014 too!  A red diamond made especially for teachers and also, some pink and red Hello Kitty diamonds for girls and silver pirate treasure diamonds for boys!

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy, pink beads available here

Other items were candy color or neon, like these empty gumball machine capsules:

Yes, I love gumball machine capsules and use them in many different ways also.

I have used many for my own art project called, Childhood Memories, Childhood Dreams and it holds many of the sentimental jewelry pieces from my childhood, some of them made by my Uncle who sold his jewelry and art at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival back in the 60s and 70s.

These pieces are stored in a penny gumball machine that my brother and I found thrifting.

It also holds jewelry I make and make and sell on Etsy, current pieces need to be relisted, but you can see a sample of them here especially in photos 4 and 5.

I also like to give charm bracelets and charms as gifts, for example, I know a little one and we have matching charm bracelets and sometimes I put the charms in the gumball machine capsule, so it doesn't get lost when enclosed with other gifts.

Gumball machine capsules, available here and here

I think some of these candy and neon color items filled up some of the gumball capsules to the layered gift bags!  like these sweet tart colored moon, flower and sun beads, available here:

and these candy colored bracelets:

She ordered half my stash of my pony heart beads, available here!

and these neon pencil eraser toppers available here:

Last but not least, she said that many of things brought back memories of things she hadn't seen in years and didn't think were still around to order as a good reminder to monkey around, available here:

She collects these and says they are good to have around!

This is the one project, I hope she'll write me back about and clue me in on her Mother turned these into little skillets!

 More Coca Cola caps listed here.  Libbey Coca Cola cups here and Coca Cola bottles here!

Saying Goodbye:  I didn't have any issues of any of these things leaving because I have my own stash of the exact same!  However, I did have a blast packaging all of it and at the time wondered what kind of artist was ordering all of it!  And now she's given me all these ideas for a "pink" GNO party!  Thanks!

What I Learned:

1.  She mentioned several times that she was having fun shopping and planning!  Key word for me being, "planning."  I often buy things haphazardly and randomly buy large amounts to my heart's desire and later hope everything comes together!  

What a HA! and AH Hah moment for me!  How many times has my hoard come together, besides to make a huge cluttered mess in piles of boxes to the ceiling?  When was the last time I planned and then shopped?

More often than not, I shop, then plan, shop some more and then move on to the next "something else!"  This Etsy buyer kept saying, "I had a fun time shopping.  I also had a fun time planning."

This is a very difficult thing for me to do because I am a kinesthetic learner.  I need to see, touch and feel my art items in my hands, move them around, feel my way around until they look and feel right.  Make a mess and then put it in a more orderly spacial sense.

I have a very difficult time imagining what I want to see in my mind, especially if it has to do with proportion, any type of dimension or measurements, but if I have these things in my presence it's much easier for me to manipulate them into what I want to see and in the end keep moving everything around until it feels right, not necessarily if it looks right.

However, it does take up a lot of time shopping and with a whole lot of trial and error!

What to do about this?  At the moment, I have no idea what to do about it, but what a break through!

Thank you Etsy buyer for your mega buy and record breaking order!  but a HUGE thanks to your story connecting with my story and bringing me such insight!

Thank you Etsy for your continued Hoarder Rehab support for connecting my hoard with buyers!

Thank you US, Germany, UK, US Virgin Islands, France, India, Ukraine and China for your support and visits to my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!  

Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab,  The Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEtsy and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!  There are about 102 items listed on JunkDrawerLoveEtsy and will resume adding new listings on Friday, January 5, 2014.  All orders from any and all shops will be shipping out on Friday, January 5, 2014!  

Thanks for looking!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!

And thank you Ivy, my California BFF for using the invite to open your new Etsy shop, Love Lotus Vintage!  Visit her newly opened shop, Love Lotus Vintage! 

She has opened with romantic clothing, such a good way to begin the New Year!  My favorites are the kawaii Japanese red Yukata robe with strawberries and bunnies, here and 50s pink handmade house dress here.  I just love that big collar!  

Today's favorite is this Gunne Sax dress, here!  I love it's 80s style and it's just my size too! 
If anyone else would like an invite to open their own Etsy shop and get 40 free listings, let me know how I can help you! 

"Harmony.  It's not about what's lasting or permanent.  It's about individual voices coming together for a moment.  And that moment may only last a length of a breath...." ---Francis Underwood from the House of Cards

Thank you to all who have come and gone or about to come with harmony....

Not My Dollhouse Family Dolls: The Destiny of Things, Story #144

Not My Dollhouse Family Dolls:  The Destiny of Things, Story #144

On December 2, 2013 I was shocked, surprised, dismayed and in utter disbelief......

See how two dolls look as though they are struggling to get up?  That's how I was feeling, while other family members just looked on and didn't offer any help!  photo via Hoarder Rehab

because someone actually ordered my little people family from childhood!!!!!  Then my heart sank and later it felt like a heart attack... a slow non discerning one that didn't care about anything except ripping it to shreds and I didn't know what to do and sadly the only thing to do was to say goodbye to them.

It took me a long time to carefully and tenderly wrap them up and package them for shipping and my only hope was that in a couple days they'd get my dolls with my letter and return a story.

Well, a couple of days went by and then a week and then my heart sank even more until eventually other hoarded items sold leaving me in the same distress and I started to deactivate listings and eventually put the all the shops on vacation mode.

Which has turned into a good thing because I've had some time to enjoy myself without thinking or dreaming about Etsy or my hoard.  It's like being on more than a vacation because it's been like being inside the spaces between the words, which I just wrote and have no idea what it means, which often is the case with me and my writing to get me some where.

So yesterday, during one of the "space in between the words" time outs I inadvertently went to the Hoarder Rehab shop and checked it even though it was on "vacation mode" and found this email with this photo!

  The little doll family is happily at home in my granddaughter dollhouse.....! 

I was astounded!!!!  Someone took the time to steal away from the Christmas family gathering to take a photo and send it to me with an email on Christmas day!!!!

I am so grateful and as a recovering hoarder there are no words at the moment to describe the thankful joy I feel about seeing my doll in the photo in her granddaughter's dollhouse!  It feels like being on the top bunk without a fight, rational reason, taking turns or negotiation, but just because the other person doesn't want the top bunk but the lower bunk!  And everyone gets what they want without a fuss, like it was just meant to be!  An effortless win win situation!

Small miracles happen all the time and it seems more often now!  or is it that I just notice them more now that my home and mind are less cluttered?

I think it's quite interesting to mention the colors of the bunk beds too because my childhood dollhouse furniture is the same color, which I call pepto bismol pink and lime green!

I think it's a sign that my dollhouse family is right were it's supposed to be and is in the good hands of a little girl who might have more than two things in common with me!

photo via Hoarder Rehab, dollhouse furniture available here

I don't know what happened to the mattresses I made or the bed covers, but I do remember my Grandmother showing me how to make yoyo quilts for them using a quarter or was it a nickel?  I think I might have the yoyo quilts some where or perhaps my Mom has them.

My Grandmother often made me dolls, which as a child I didn't play with much, but I do remember a doll that had the same matching clothes as I did.  

We had matching double breasted wool hounds tooth coats with deep purple satin lining, pockets and Sherlock Holmes hats to match!  A light blue chiffon dress with white embossed flowers with blue satin lining, puffed sleeves and mother of pearl buttons with a matching purse, a play dress made from tropical print fabric with coordinating outfits all in the same matching tropical print we all had from my Grandmother's dress, mother's dress, shorts and top for me and dress and play clothes for Dolly.

What memories that doll family brought back! I  learned to sew from my Grandmother and Mother and by high school made all of my own clothes!

Both my Mom and Grandmother had sewing stations and kept drawers full of patterns, which my Mom kept for decades.  Now my Mom's sewing room is huge and even has a walk in closet for her textile collection.  

When I was bedridden ill, I shopped and bought many of the patterns from my past thinking I was going to remake them when I got well.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, since some of the patterns were from my high school days, however buying those patterns did get me through a difficult year by giving me enough hope to get well.

I know exactly what happened that caused me to hoard sewing patterns, but that's another story!

Saying Goodbye:  I am not quite sure what is going on with the leaving of these dolls, but I think I have some clues since I get the winter holiday blues every year, however these dolls hadn't seen the time of day in decades and it was time to let them go.

I know and have seen where they are now and can rest easy and feel much better, as if knowing since my dollhouse family dolls have come full circle, soon I will be doing so also.  The photo with the doll daughter on the top bunk with the pink and green furniture matching mine brought it all together for me.

How coincidental serendipitous is all that coming together on Christmas day and now?  It appears to be another Destiny as Infinity moment!

Thank you kind Etsy buyer from Hoarder Rehab for taking the time on Christmas day to shoot me a photo and email story!

Thank you Etsy for bringing happiness to at least three people with this transaction and connection!

Thank you US, China, Canada, Germany and Pakistan my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab,  The Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEtsy and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!  There are about 100 items listed on JunkDrawerLoveEtsy and will resume new listings in a few days and will continue to relist 1-2 items at the other shops!  Thanks for looking!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!
 
"We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we begin and to know the place for the first time."  TS Eliot

Coming Home For Christmas: The Best Gift Wrapped Presents Ever!

Coming Home:  There is No Greater Gift Than the Gift of Family

From Christmas Past:

Here is an intriguing story, Christmas Memories of Santa, where the comments are just as good and in some cases, better(depending on your own memories) than the original story, about the funny gifts children ask for and get from Santa!

Can you guess what the author asked for?

Hilarious Kid Gift Requests:  The Year I Asked Santa for a Hamburger by Tess Wilson, Apartment Therapy


From Christmas Future:

A story about how a deceased family member comes to life two years later and how her wishes come true and how many other fulfill her wishes to make the best memories yet to come to her new family.

Get the box of kleenex for this story!


If you want to know how this husband gets a letter from his deceased wife two years later and makes all her wishes from the past come alive in the future...read this article from Yahoo news and watch the video with a box of kleenex!

Read and watch the story unfold HERE!


From Christmas Present:

Families coming home in large packages!





Coming Home:  There is No Greater Gift Than the Gift of Family

The Best Gift Wrapped Presents Ever!  Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

Kneeling Santa Praying: The Destiny of Things, Story #143

Kneeling Santa Praying to Baby Jesus:  The Destiny of Things, Story #143

Some good old fashioned 80s Christmas kitsch that came with a story!

photo via VintageToGoEtsy

Here's my story from the listed description:

Side Kick Story: I used to have a collection of these in various sizes, not due to my own hoarding ways, but they were given to me yearly as Christmas gifts from different aunts and uncles. One was huge, like 8" x 12" and weighed a ton! I think this is the only one I have still because it is the smallest to store more easily. I am conflicted as to categorize this as Collectible Novelty or Kawaii Kitsch. I hope someone finds this oddly interesting and loves this as I do as Christmas kitsch!

And someone did!

photo via VintageToGoEtsy

Story by email:

Hi, I ordered the kneeling Santa and got your note. My story- my aunt gave me the same figurine for my first Christmas and it was my favorite decoration. It wasn't Christmas until it was out. My aunt had a daughter, my cousin, and we are very close. Now, 30 years later, I'm the godmother of my cousins daughter. I thought it would be special to give her the same decoration. I still display mine every year and hope she will too. Thanks so much! Best wishes and happy holidays!

 photo via VintageToGoEtsy

One Aunt and Uncle who gave me these are Catholics and the other ones are Christians, both paternal Aunts.  

It was a sure thing for my wishes to come true for either my birthday or Christmas, but became shakey practice after a certain age, which I suppose was when I was around third grade.  I remember washing the dishes while standing on a stool and asking my Mom about church...

I think I mentioned in other posts that many different religions are practiced in my family, however my nuclear family didn't practice any and when I asked my Mom if she would take me to church oddly enough and shortly after I was placed on a basketball team instead.

I made my way to a church basketball team and by high school had two sets of friends.  Friends from high school and friend's from church basketball.  I'm still friends with my friends from basketball but I only lasted four years going to church.

I am still spiritual in my own ways and although I've forgotten now, I used to know the Bible backwards and forwards and still have the "The Way Living Bible" some where in my hoard or at least I think I do.

Anyone else remember this version of the Bible from the 70s?

Here is the story about the Kneeling Santa:

Even Santa has time to stop and adore baby Jesus in his manger. His cheeks still rosy from Christmas eve deliveries, Santa removes his hat and kneels to get a closer look at the young boy in the manger.

The Kneeling Santa Figure has helped depict the relationship between Santa Claus and the Birth of Jesus Christ for many years. This intriguing representation showcases a heart-warming figure that ties together both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas. This perception helps us focus on the true meaning of Christmas, which is the greatest gift to us all, The Baby Jesus Christ. In the presence of such love, we are all brought to our knees with humble thankfulness.

photo via VintageToGoEtsy

Saying Goodbye:   I really like the idea that Christmas doesn't begin until this Kneeling Santa is out and about!  And how this may be an heirloom item for years to come given from an Aunt just like it was given to me!  I am very happy and thankful that an Etsy buyer spent the time to send me an email to let me know.

Most likely, only another recovering hoarder will know how much relief, peace, gratitude and happiness it brings to know where a hoarded item actually landed and who is taking care of it now!

What I Learned:

1.  It seems that since 548 hoarded items have found new lives, many of them with stories public and private, I seem to have peeled away the outer layers and am getting into the nitty gritty juicy part of the core which is ambiguous, quite delicate and akin to being as vulnerable as being nude in public or some how stripped of all armor.  It is a very uncomfortable unlikeable feeling for me.

2.  The upside is that I must be getting somewhere and need to keep moving onwards and upwards, despite the above mentioned feelings to some how move past and get through to the other side, no matter how scary, unknown and/or exciting it becomes for me.

Anyone "out there" made it to the flip side?  I'm sure it was worth it, but how did it feel getting through it?

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEtsy for sending your email story and joining me for a bit on my Hoarder Rehab journey!  It is kind people like you who are making all the difference!

Thank you Etsy for helping me find over 548 new homes and better lives for my items packed and hoarded away in boxes, some of which haven't seen daylight in decades!

Thank you readers from US, Australia, Germany, Libya and Sweden for stopping by since yesterday and visiting my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

All shops are on vacation mode until December 26, if there is something you need from : HoarderRehab,  The Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEtsy and JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!  please email us at hoarderrehab@gmail.com 

We will return and resume new listings after the Christmas holidays on December 26 or 27!  Thank you!

Some of the Related Christmas Stories from last year:

1.  A Destiny as Infinity Story, where someone actually took the words in my description to heart and wanted the Polaroid cameras to make a scrap book and show her younger cousins how photos used to be taken and needed a layaway plan, but instead her Mom say it in her favorites and bought it for her for Christmas birthday!  Read it here

2.  Romantic Christmas Cross story about Roger buying a cross and keeping it a secret for his wife!  Read it here, visit his etsy shop, Casanova Design, visit his wife's Etsy shop, Esmeraldas.

3.  Many of my stories have made my wishes come true in more ways than one and many now are what I call, Destiny as Infinity Stories, read about what it means to me and how it all started here!

"I'll catch you on the flip side!"  Rocco from the movie, Boondock Saints as heard on Utube if you click on the link, one of my favorite action movies!  Watch it on netflix!  Too violent for Christmas cheer and the holiday spirit!

Religious Hobnail Votive Candle Holder: The Destiny of Things, Story #142

Religious Hobnail Votive Candle Holder:  The Destiny of Things, Story #142

Sometimes my hoard finds it's way as an exact missing piece replacement!

photo via The Destiny of Things, green and amber votive holders, available here

I'm not sure what the exact name for these are, but I've been trying to collect them since the 80s for my Day of the Dead shrines, but they are not easy to find.  I've heard them called any number and combinations of the following:  hobnail, votive, 1000 eyes, tea light candle holders.

I got lucky and found some sets of 4 in white, green and light blue.  The white set have sold, here.  The light green set of 4 is available here and the light blue are still lost in the hoard.

Anyways, on to the best part of this story!  Roger who owns an Etsy shop, rogersden sent me an email asking if I'd just sell the red votive candle holder and ship to Canada.  I could tell he was very happy and excited to find this candle holder so I asked him why.....

and it's because it fit in his religious alter shrine perfectly!  and he even sent a "before" photo:

photo via Roger of rogersden

Every time one of my pieces finds it's way as the perfect missing piece for someone it boggles my mind to no end as to how the two come together and meet!  And this isn't the first time it's happened, it's happened more times than I can remember, perhaps 10 -11+ times, some more astonishing than others, but just as sentimental and amazing to me.

 photo via Roger of rogersden

So off the red votive holder went to it's new life as the last piece for a religious shrine with it's new home in Canada with Roger!

 

 photo via The Destiny of Things, green and amber votive holders, available here

The closest I got to collecting these was once on ebay back in the 80s when I saw a 101 church votive candle stand like this one, but in red, but I passed it up due to lack of space!

photo via The Times Picayanne and were found in a trash heap after Hurricane Katrina and salvaged, rest of the story here

I guess back then, I was a hoarder with some common sense to stop buying once I ran out of space, however I did have quite an extensive collection of Mexican Folk Art that streamed into Day of the Dead Folk Art into Religious Folk Art int religious medals and moveable charms.

I didn't think I was a hoarder back then and I remember that house too.  Now that I look back, there were several hoarded rooms, two very packed and one that could not be entered.  A full garage with an added on make shift storage room where I lost much of my paper hoard and childhood hoard to little critters!

Things I can remember being destroyed or made into winter nests for critter families:  my childhood felt Christmas stocking made by my Mom.  It was a tradition to give it to my Dad at Thanksgiving and he'd fill it up and return it on Christmas day.  

Christmas ornaments made through childhood as a family.  Art and cards made in childhood.

All of my Black Sparrow Press books by Charles Bukowski and John Fante and my coffee table books from them.  I'm a big fan of picture books!

A metal medicine cabinet that opened up into a beveled glass floral three way mirror, it just never smelled the same again.

Most of my college books, notebooks, yes, I saved many of my notes from college classes and letters and postcards many saved from childhood.  Luckily no photos were damaged.

 photo via Roger of rogersden

Saying Goodbye:  I was happy to see this go to complete Roger's shrine!  Also, I was even happier to hear how happy Roger was when he received it and sent this photo!

What I Learned:

1.  I'm not sure why some of my items can leave so happily and others do not.  As a matter of fact, it seems I've slowly come to a road block.  At first I deactivated many items that I knew would bother me if they were to leave during the winter holidays and then someone from Hoarder Rehab wanted to buy all my Russel Wright Carnation Sterling China plates with a discount and it came with a story and I just unraveled into a limp over cooked noodle of indecision.... all mush all over the place.

Anyone who asks for a discount, sends a story with pictures usually leaves as happy as I do, but not this time.  Now I'll have to change that sentence to "almost" anyone because I'm in a different situation.

It brought me to a standstill and for the past two or three days all I did was procrastinate on everything!  which eventually led me to put all my shops on vacation mode so I could regroup and ponder.

2.  I feel as though my progress as a recovering hoarder has gone askew and backwards.  I wasn't like this last year, although I did have a different melt down of some sorts last year,  however this year's set back has brought me something valuable, like insight into some of my old habits that I haven't experienced in quite some time.

Complete crippling of indecision and how it brings on an  episode of  guilt filled procrastination.  No amount of rational bargaining with myself let me find peace with letting the Russel Wright pieces go, not even a shopping spree with all of it's proceeds!

I find it very strange and leads me to the brink of some dismay that a hoarded item can bring me crashing down without notice, cause or reason!

3.  All in all, what am I do to with all this new information about myself as a recovering hoarder?  except to enjoy the holidays! and put the rest on my list of 2014 New Year's Resolutions!

How are you doing as the final days crescendo into biggest holiday of the year?  I'm riding the waves as best possible with so much to be thankfulness!

Thank you Roger, Etsy shop owner of rogersden for letting me use your story and photos to bring me closer to my Hoarder Rehab destination.  Visit his shop by clicking on the highlighted links.  I'm not a big Barbie fan, but this huge lot of new Barbie dolls and clothes looks tempting me to me, check it out here

Thank you Etsy for for helping me make connections not just with my hoard items finding their perfect match to complete something for someone else, but with other interesting people!

Thank you US, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Austria, China, Indonesia and Ukraine for your visits today or over the weekend and being part in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!

All shops are on vacation mode until December 26, if there is something you need from : HoarderRehab,  The Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEtsy and JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!  please email us at hoarderrehab@gmail.com 

We will return and resume new listings after the Christmas holidays on December 26 or 27!  Thank you!

Related Stories:  People I've been fortunate enough to meet because they found exactly what had been lost, stolen or broken at one of my Etsy shops!

The first 3 stories totally amaze me because I think finding their "exact" replacements would be highly less likely possible.

1.  This Etsy buyer lost a rare ring and I had two of them!  She bought the last one!  I've never seen one like it again and call it the Continuous Virgin Mary Ring, read this amazing story of how she refound it, here! 

2.  Etsy buyer, Jennifer spent hours looking for the "exact" oink pig glass that her husband had for decades and by the time she gave up finding it, found it with me!  Read about it here

3.   I had all the pieces except for one for this Japanese screen wall holder, byobu and someone else had the one piece I was missing to complete the set!  Read about the byobu here
  
4.  Actually my first story is from an Etsy buyer who had this cherry red Waechtersbach Plate, You Are Special Today plate for over 30 years and her grand daughter loved it, when it broke, she replaced it with mine!  Read it here!

5.  Some children over wound a rotating Happy Birthday musical cake display stand by Heller Hostess wareand found the "exact" replacement, see photos and read about it here

6.  Little Blue Cocktail Mermaid:  An Etsy buyer had hers for over 50 years and when it's arm broke wanted one whole to keep the one with the broken arm company, read it here  

7.  Twin Native American bracelets I wore and later an Etsy buyer had too until it was stolen, read here

8.  A sad story with a happy ending and a stolen Saint Christopher medal replaced with a new life and new beginning for both of them comes full circle here

9.  An endearing story of a daughter in law replacing a broken lid for her mother in law for their traditional Christmas gathering, I love this story because my own Grandmother would have taped a lid back together too! Read here!

There are a several more, like Freddy the Frog, Mr Happy and Duet Piano Book and more! 

"Nothing is impossible.  Some things are just less likely than others."  --- Jonathan Winters

Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others.
Jonathan Winters
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/nothing_is_impossible.html#0xBJ4x3dWQpV

Puffer Fish Boy Friend Christmas Gift: The Destiny of Things, Story #141

Puffer Fish Boy Friend Christmas Gift:  The Destiny of Things, Story #141

Are you wondering why I hoarded a Puffer Fish?

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

It kinda looks like he's wondering too!  He was one of the best tools for motivating and thrilling students a teacher could own!  He got everyone look at him despite his horrific little self!  He started all kinds of oddity talk about sea creatures, debates and other fun stuff that would turn curiosity,  "just talk, " rumors and /or gossip into into student truth seekers and fact finders!

Here's his Hoarder History Story from the description:

Horrific Halloween decor or thriller teacher classroom decor!

My students loved this and it shows! This is an amazing odd curiosity to bring excitement and suspense when beginning any lesson pertaining to animals, fish, ocean life, carnivores, continents and oceans, etc!

Keep it hidden behind your back, while you introduce talk about dangerous creatures, like man eating fish and such, while turning to the side a bit, here and there AND THEN all of sudden say, "and I've got one to share with you today!" and just whip this out in a clear plastic box, inside a large zip lock bag with a Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass and you will hear the oooooh and aaaaahs, just like I did! Give your passing around rules and take turns with the inspections!

I've had him since the 80s, but he got lost in my teaching hoard and was found in my shell collection from childhood.

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

This is the news I received about his new life and home:

It's going to be a Christmas gift for a boy-friend this holiday!

Plain and simple, short and sweet, fine by me!  Good little memories attached this good little guy!  And I hope it makes more for the couple this Christmas and every Christmas thereafter!

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

Of course, I had many future plans and ideas for this little puffer fish!

1.  I was "going" to put some googly wiggly eyes on him and use him as an unique Christmas tree ornament.  Never did that.

2.  I was "going" to make him into a little night light.  Never did that.  Kinda like this one at here, at EvasFeathers Etsy shop.

3.  Lastly, I was going to just "keep" him and leave him on the little stand pictured with him, but decided that although I do eventually will have a Minimalist Organic home, I decided my shells, rocks, wood, fruit, garden flowers and other found objects in nature will suit me just fine.

So I'm going to list all my teacher destash oddities that used to be alive, like this little crab off my Mother's huge shell basket beach tote from Disneyland in the 50s.  My mom and my aunt both did a short stint at Disneyland back in the day!  There's pictures of my aunt with Walt Disney, somewhere!

++++Insert photo here when I find it!++++

Anyways, I have my Mom's shell collection that she started back as souvenirs from Disneyland in the 50s, which I continued since childhood, but all my added shells were found at the beaches and tide pools around California and Hawaii and possibly from the farm (as a kid I would find bleached white shells in the gravel road every once in awhile).  My shell collection is quite large and to display it all would take a lot of space and maintenance, so I need to decide what to do with it too.

In the mean time, so far the small taxidermy crab from my Mom's shell beach tote from Disneyland in the late 50s, possibly early 60s is listed here.  My Mom would actually use her huge beach tote, even after we picked it!

 This is the best example, I could find, but hers is three times bigger and had a ton more shells, I think it might have had three beach scenes on it, photo via Salon of the Dames 

Wow, too bad my we picked the crab and shells of it because this bag is expensive!

She used to take us to the beach almost every day each summer.  She had a white two piece bathing suit with blue cornflowers and butterflies on it and a matching kerchief head top which she actually wore too!  And she wore a crocheted cover up that my Grandmother had made her and she kept our snacks and kool aid in that huge shell beach tote from her Disneyland days!

If my Mom still has that large beach tote, I remember my brother and I picking off all the shells we could! 

photo via JunkDrawerLoveEtsy

Goodbye Puffer Fish:  A slight tinge of sadness went with this puffer fish, but nothing like my sadness and dismay over my other teacher destash, like Freddy the Frog! or my teacher drawer with awards, post its and what not.

I haven't figured out what is up with all the emotions those stir yet, but definitely some layers of the onion have been peeled back and getting to the core is mysterious, but going to be well worth the journey!

What I Learned:

1.  Not only do my collections lead to other collections within collections into other related collections, like a hundred doors leading into Pandora nesting boxes to a core with the golden key, but all my unsung memories seem to be tied up and tangled into it too!

So just like when I started this blog and thought I was on the merry yellow brick road, it seems just like in Baum's books that there are two yellow brick roads and I am now on the one as scary as the yellow brick road with the man eating plants!

What a new mystery journey to start unraveling for the year 2014!

How do you decide which fork in the road to take? and in the end does it really matter?  I have no idea, please leave a comment or email. Please and thank you!

Thank you Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerLoveEtsy for kindly leaving your story to help me find the clues to mine!

Thank you Etsy for helping me in so many different ways, including my Hoarder Rehab journey into the scary, yet exciting unknown.

Thank you US, Kenya, Germany, Finland, Croatia and South Korea for your visits since yesterday and taking part in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!  

Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab,  The Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEtsy and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy!  There are about 110 items listed on JunkDrawerLoveEtsy and will resume new listings in a few days and will continue to relist 1-2 items at the other shops!  Thanks for looking!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!

And thank you Ivy, my California BFF for using the invite to open your new Etsy shop, Love Lotus Vintage!  Visit her newly opened shop, Love Lotus Vintage! 

She has opened with romantic clothing, such a good way to begin the New Year!  My favorites yesterday were the kawaii Japanese red Yukata robe with strawberries and bunnies, here and 50s pink handmade house dress here.  I just love that big collar!  

Today's favorite is the Christian Dior Black Suit Blazer Jacket, here!  I love it's 80s style and it's just my size too! 

If anyone else would like an invite to open their own Etsy shop and get 40 free listings, let me know how I can help you! 

Related Stories:

1.  Freddie the Frog:  Not so easy teacher destash to let go! Read here

2.  Cobalt Blue Koi Fish Pendant:  A story that lead to a childhood memory, here

3.  Orange Koi Fish Pendant:  This story piggy backed on the memory from Cobalt Blue Koi Fish Pendant, read it here 

Most Read Story of the Week:  Left Facing Cameo Pendant Brooch:  The Destiny of Things, Story #136  

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!