Monday, November 23, 2015

Fortune Teller Fish and Georgia State Fair Artful Table: The Destiny of Things, Story 330

Fortune Fish and Georgia State Fair Artful Table:  The Destiny of Things, Story 330

These come in handy for all kinds of fun themed events!

Choose your amount of Fortune Teller Fish from 30 to 100, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

These went to a local art event and I hope they added some nostalgic fun to an Etsy buyer's "artful table."   

Here is the email I received:

I got your note with my order, so I am writing to tell you what I am doing with the fish.

At our local art center we have an event called "Artful Table".  Individuals or companies decorate a table.  They are judged and all guests sit at them and have lunch.  The tables need to be over the top.

Last year the theme was holidays and I did New Years Eve.  I won!  This year the theme is "Georgia on my mind".  My table is called "Georgia State Fair".  It will have a red and white canopy over the table and a carousel horse in the middle of the table that will go up and down.
 
I am putting things on the table that you would see at a fair.  The fish, along with other vintage prizes will be on the table.  If you would like, I will send you a picture after the event.
 
Here is what I wrote back:
 
Hi there!
 
Your story is so awesome!  I just love it and would love to see pictures of your "Artful Table!"  Your table sounds over the top with a carousel horse that goes up and down at your mini fun Georgia State Fair!  I hope you win again!  Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to see your final product!

Thank you for making my day!
Kennedy
 
Choose your amount of Fortune Teller Fish from 30 to 100, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy
 
How fun!  She said everyone had fun with these and they were straight from her childhood!  I hope she won!  Can you imagine having lunch at a mini Georgia State Fair with a carousel as your centerpiece?  Too cool!

I never used them for something as fancy as that!  I would have loved to have been a fly on the carousel to see that one!  I used mine in the classroom in many ways, but mainly as a fun prop for every student to have as an introduction into "All Things Magic!"

All the magic I introduced in my classroom were either math and science related and these fortune teller fish, not only tell you your "love" fortune, but was an introduction to chemistry!

I had tons left over from my teaching days and couldn't give enough away, so I listed them at our Etsy shops and now they are one of our most popular items!

Choose your amount of Fortune Teller Fish from 30 to 100, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

My third grade students just loved these and later took them home to share with family as part of their homework!  They had to collect data on their family's fortune and explain how they worked.

Another lesson was for English Language Development on synonyms and antonyms and would create their own fortunes using the writing process and the final product was a sticker that went over the original fortunes to share with family and friends as part of another homework assignment.

These are so fun, they would go a long way inside and outside the classroom with all kinds of teachable moments.  Some of my students who needed a lot of audience attention or liked being the "life of the party" would even mime act the fortune fish movements out and we'd all call out which fortunes the movements matched!  So many different kinds of teachable fun!

Smaller amounts from 8 to 20, available here

Saying Goodbye:  I give these away like candy!  They usually go in every order from all our Etsy shops in a little "thank you" goodie bag and I never dreamed they would become so popular at our Etsy shops.

I love them because they bring back old memories with a smile to many and make new memories for all ages.

Smaller amounts from 8 to 20, available here

What I Learned:

1.  These may have once been a teaching tool for me, but I've learned that Etsy buyers use them in all kinds of ways!  From carnival to circus themed weddings and birthday to magic to fortune teller parties, fish themed birthday party favors for dads, Bohemian wedding favors, and more!

At a couple of wedding events they just left these on the plates for guests to entertain themselves and use as ice breakers while they waited for their meal to be served.  They said they were instant hits!

They've even been used at a quilting bee!  An Etsy buyer said her friends were thrilled and had so much fun playing and remembering stories from their past with these.

One never knows what a little magic dancing fish will bring!

Another popular item from our shops in 50 or 100 here
In smaller amounts of 10 and in themed colors here at JunkDrawerAndMore
 photo via Hoarder Rehab

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for taking the time to email and share your story and I wish the highest success and fun at your local art center's "Artful Table" event!
Thank you for the teaching trip down memory lane because teaching magic through math and science made teaching so much fun back then and also, I am so thankful it brought back childhood memories to you too!
 
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab I could ever imagine!

Thank you all readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things with your visits!
 
 Another popular item from my hoard of hoard collections for carnival, circus, zoo and safari themed events, available in 14 or 48 count here
They make fun drink or cup cake toppers
 
I am adding new items weekly to each shop until I have 800 of my dehoard listed that will be 200 items listed at each shop!  However, I still need to focus on my health, so I'm adding slowly, but surely.  I hit my goal at VintageToGoeasy!  yahoo!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 198 items, The Destiny of Things- 180 items, VintageToGoEasy - 200 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 185 items!    

Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 
 Our latest best seller.... must be a lot of toothless grins out there lately!
Another great teaching tool for oral hygiene week and for all the teeth that fall out in third grade!  Also for sweet tooth parties and dessert brunches!
Available here in 5 or 10 count
 
Related Stories:
 
 
 
3.  Other wedding themed ideas:   Fortune Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story 238
 
4.  As Underwater theme decor, see update photos and story here  
 
 
6.  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 
 
7.  How these fish work:  Teachable Moments with  Fortune Fish Tellers:  The Destiny of Things, Story 180 
 
8.  With an updated photo from an Etsy buyer using some of my items from the "Thank you" package, here 
 
9.  Fortune Fish at a quilting bee where old memories made new ones! Read it here!
 
10.  Miracle Fish Fortune Teller Surprise Balls:  The Destiny of Things, Story XCII, here 
 
11.  UPDATE on A Little Girl and her Miracle Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story #112, Part 2, here
 
"Some old memories making many new ones!"---Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things  
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Monday, November 16, 2015

Adopt a dog Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels: The Destiny of Things, Story 329

Adopt a dog Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels:  The Destiny of Things, Story 329

Gone to a loving home!

Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels: Sold out
More from my Hagen Renaker collection and other figurines here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

Some of my Hagen Renaker collections is from my childhood and have given me many happy memories and I'm not the only one!

Here is the happy story I received:

Hi there! 

I have the puppies of these two for over 20 years and I'm so happy to find his mom and dad!!! 😊 I didn't even know they existed!!!

Since you said you like to hear stories from your buyers (and I'm potentially one), I'm going to tell you mine. ☺️

Around 22 years ago, I got this tiny little puppy miniature as a gift from my God mother. Since then, I'm in love with miniatures. No matter what kind, I just love them. The smaller it is, the more of a good feeling it gives to me. I don't even know how to explain. But animals are definitely my favorite ones. I just adore them.

I'm from Brazil and when I was a little girl (and I believe still nowadays) it wasn't easy to find shops that sell miniatures. Therefore, I never had many of them and of course I remember the story of each one I got in a young age, since they meant (and still mean) so much to me.

But back to the Hagen-Renaker puppies... I love him so much and kept him as a treasure all my life. It was the only high quality animal miniature I ever had until not too long ago.

My God Mother used to have a beautiful collection of miniatures and I remember staring at them, completely mesmerized, every time I went to her house. I used to just sit there and look and admire how such a tinny little thing could be so detailed and well done. I simply loved that.

Unfortunately, my dear God Mother passed away not too long after she gave me her puppies miniature. Maybe that's also why I kept him so close to me and took so good care of him through all these years...

Time passed by and decades later I moved to America. The paradise of shopping, but it can also drive one crazy with so many options... You can find anything here... Too many shops, too many options, just "too many" of everything...

Anyway... My God mother miniature collection never got out off my mind. I always dreamed about having such cute tiny little animals myself, but I had no idea where she bought those precious little things, so it always remained more as a childhood memory than a "wish", because I never thought I could find those precious little things for sale. I had no idea who made them.

But a few weeks ago, out of the blue (and as I said, about 22 years later!) I thought to myself: "why don't you just google "tiny miniature dog" and see if you can find a clue at least?!". And there he was! I couldn't believe it took me so long to have such a silly brilliant idea that is now bringing me so much joy (and desperation to my husband, because the past days I'm totally obsessed, searching for "Hagen-Renaker animal miniatures" and I'm going bonkers with how many options are out there!)! 😄

Again, I'm from a country where most, if not everybody, doesn't even know Hagen-Renaker exists and what it's is about...

Well, so I guess I'm the new collector on the block... I only have 4 HR by now (my precious puppies I just told you about; another puppy from a different breed; the cutest calf on earth and the tiniest mouse I've ever seen), but I'm absolutely amazed and thrilled with the idea that one day I might have a beautiful collection just like my beloved God mother had (she used to travel to the U.S. a lot back in the days and I'm sure she got her miniatures here!).

So this is my story. Sorry for being so extensive, I just revived it all by telling it. ❤️

Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels: Sold out
More from my Hagen Renaker collection and other figurines here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

This Etsy buyer is so nice and we sent several emails back and forth remembering our childhood miniatures!  

Here is what I wrote back:

Hi there!

Thank you for your beautiful story, email and inquiry! Yes, shipping includes tracking and insurance.

Now to the best part! I love your story!!!! I so know what you mean about too many options and decisions to make when shopping, especially with collection items! and I've lived here all my life.

We have a lot in common with our Hagen Renaker collections. My grandmother and aunt had collections of family miniature animals at their house too and I'd sit and ooh and ahhh and sometimes we were allowed to play with them and sometimes I was allowed to rearrange them on the shelf!

Such happy memories! And so happy they've been revived in you too with your God mother.

I just love your story, it brought me joy, laughter and brought back many happy memories for me too! Thank you!

Let me know if there is anything else we can do for you!

Thanks again for the trip down memory lane!
Kennedy

Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels: Sold out
More from my Hagen Renaker collection and other figurines here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

It's emails like hers that makes my dehoarding so much easier and fun!  Later, she even sent a photo of her complete family! 

Here it is:

 photo via Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy

How cute is that completed family?  Totally cuteness overload!  So happy she adopted both dogs and now they have such an appreciative loving home with a complete family!  As a recovering hoarder with letting go anxiety issues I could not ask for more!  Such a pleasant happy fun adoption!  

Thank you Etsy buyer for your email story, I love every word! and photo!

Hagen Renaker Cocker Spaniels: Sold out
More from my Hagen Renaker collection and other figurines here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

Saying Goodbye:  Etsy buyers have been making letting go so much easier with less anxiety and stress because I'm getting so much support from emails and photos!  It was so pleasant sharing memories with someone who has had her HR for over 20 years too!

Adopt two Hagen Renaker Pekinese dogs here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

What I Learned:

1.  I can totally relate to her "paradise of shopping" and having too many shopping options and many times as a recovering hoarder, if I can not decide on just one or two, I end up buying them all!

2.  I can also relate to this Etsy buyer about miniatures and the smaller the better without any sense or reason!  I just love them!

3.  I thought it so funny that she is now the new HR collector on the block thanks to Google!  Google is my fr-enemy, as a recovering hoarder because it does make it so much easier for me to find all the things I remember from my childhood!

4.  I am learning, as a recovering hoarder that it's not so much the "things" that own me, but the memories they keep, the good feelings they bring back and the fun of seeing them again or holding them.  Then it seems to be over and I can move on.  

Unfortunately, most of the time, it's moving on to the next thing in my head and heart I want to find!  Although I'm learning to dig for the memory without the item, but it's not always that easy.  I must be a tactile learner.

5.  I have sciatica, insomnia and now a head cold slowing me down to the point I haven't blogged in "I don't know" how long.  The sciatica keeps me from sitting in any conventional chairs, so that means no driving around either!  If I want to sit down it has to be on the floor in various yoga positions for short periods of time.

Physical therapy and pain management is not an easy task when I can't sit in the driver's seat long enough to get me anywhere!

There is a silver lining!  I do a lot of walking to relieve the pain and yoga at least twice a day which appears to help adjust and align my body and has helped with my posture.

6.  I was slightly stressed when I missed blogging for Halloween and Day of the Dead because I had some great Etsy buyer stories, but with this head cold I can't remember them, so I am thankful I wrote them down some where.  Now to find that list!

Adopt a Hagen Renaker owl, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for sharing your email story, even before you ordered and sending a photo afterward.  It's nice to know that I am not alone and have found so many things in common with a non hoarder.  Thank you so much!

Thanks again for your trip down memory lane to help give me insight to end my hoarding ways.  Also, I am so thankful we have similar childhood memories with family and HR and are now building new memories too!
 
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab I could ever imagine!

Thank you all readers from all over the world who have stopped by to take part in my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things with your visit!
 
 Adopt a Hagen Renaker raccoon here
 photo via VintageToGoEasy

I am adding new items weekly to each shop until I have 800 of my dehoard listed!  However this past month, I need to focus on my health, so I'm adding slowly, but surely.

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 197 items, The Destiny of Things- 178 items, VintageToGoEasy - 197 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 178 items!    
 
Interesting there are 197 items listed at 2 shops and 178 items listed at the other 2 shops!  I didn't plan that...but it's inspiring!
 
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 
 Adopt a Hagen Renaker rabbit here
photo via VintageToGoEasy 
 
Related Stories:
 
 
2.  My Grandmother and Aunt collected "Red Ball" glass animal figurines:   Red Ball Brand Glass Deer with Japan Sticker:  The Destiny of Things, Story 297 
 
3.  Another Etsy buyer collects big eyed "It's a Small World" doll figurines.  She sent photos of her entire collection!  Rockabilly Cowgirl Porcelain Doll Figurine:  The Destiny of Things, Story 301 
 
"We're all stories in the end, so make it a good one." 
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Friday, October 23, 2015

Not My Mini Miss Dior Perfume Sample Bottle: The Destiny of Things, Story 328

Not My Mini Miss Dior Perfume Sample Bottle!  The Destiny of Things, Story 328

One of my favorite perfumes from my collection went to a new home!

I've had this since childhood and now it's long gone!
The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

I've loved miniatures all my life and family and friends have helped my miniature collections grow ever since!  Luckily now they leave them at my mom's house on a bathroom shelf that's getting quite overpopulated.

I can't recall how many vintage perfume bottles I had, but I only like the bottles, not so much the perfume inside them, so many were full bottles unless they were given to me from family and friends who used them up first.

As a kid, I didn't care if they were empty or not, I just loved the mini bottles that looked like the originals and most of the time filled them up with colored water using food coloring and had a grand time changing the display of them monthly.

Here's is a photo of some of what I had:

The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

Even my childhood classroom teachers gave me their perfume bottles, which reminds me one of them gave me an etched glass one with a sterling floral topper with a glass dabber.  I wonder where that is?  I'll have to go hoard diving again!

Another one gave me the tiny gold and blue in the cabinet on the right side of the knobs.  It's in the square a tad below the knob.  It's a gold filigree one with a cameo style cabochon and a blue jewel like gem that sits on top.  As a child I thought it was the fancy!

All my life I've received perfume as gifts and a family friend worked in the cosmetic department at Bullock's and she'd have a bag full of perfume samples for me every time she would visit.

Now I'm allergic to anything with perfume, even if it's laundry detergent, even if the neighbor is doing their laundry.  Some days are better than others, but most days any contact with perfume sends me to bed.

The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

This particular perfume I didn't like until perhaps my mid thirties or so and I suspect I was becoming allergic to perfumes back then because I mainly left it in my travel case and only used it when I traveled.

My last favorite perfume that I could use was Thierry Mugler's Angel perfume which someone gave me as a gift.  I used every last drop of that one, but I still loved it's star shape and very cool box!

Empty Thierry Mugler's Angel perfume bottle and box, available here

Interesting how one goes through life with different favorite perfumes for years and then a new one moves in.  When I first became allergic to any perfume I was too sick to miss them and I still don't miss using perfume.

I guess it's like my jewelry, even though I'm allergic to it, I still love jewelry, but don't miss wearing any anymore.  If I see a piece I love, it still makes my heart jump, but not with perfume, the scent will just leave my head pounding.

The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

I was a little anxious when my Miss Dior perfume left, but it went to someone who loves it and will use it and what a relief to get a story!

Here it is:

That is great that you are recovering from your hoarding - not an easy thing for sure. I have a weakness for jewelry, perfume, and stuffed animals, and I try to curb my own buying tendencies too.  

I do have an array of perfumes, but I never bought them for their bottles, just their scents. This little bottle is actually an exception for me. I'm positive it relates back to my subconscious, when I was in elementary school and had a tiny glass bottle of Tinkerbell cologne, and I was applying it to my wrist as I was walking down the hallway, and it slipped out of my hand and smashed to the floor, perfume and glass everywhere. I was so upset, and I never forgot that cute tiny bottle. Tinkerbell was such an amazing fragrance for little girls back then (mid-70s). 

I wish you all the best my dear, and I'll let you know when the bottle arrives. You have a great day too!

What a great memory to keep!  Her memory helped me know that I could let this perfume go because not only was I adding to her memories, but she to mine and I could totally relate to little incidences like hers from my past that I let get out of control and end up hoarding!

Oh and I used to have a hoard of stuffed animals too!  I wonder what happened to mine.  I used to sort and arrange them on my bed every morning.  I can still picture them in my head.  I think I had over fifty!

The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

I am so happy this went to someone who collects fragrances, unlike me who would rather have the miniature bottle and this one is so usual since it can't stand on it's own, unless upside down.  I just loved this bottle for it's uniqueness.

Also this person was very observant and read that I really only collected for their bottles, not the scents.  Knowing that also helped my anxiousness of having to let this go.

The rest of my childhood perfume collection, available here

Saying Goodbye:  Even though this Miss Dior left me with some discomfort, as a recovering hoarder I can now say I've come a long way!  Before and I'm not kidding, some things when they left felt like I was losing a limb.  It was terribly traumatic for me, until I started asking myself, "okay, little miss, would you rather lose this or a limb?"

Which would give me a reality check and help me put things in perspective, when being allergic to the thing wasn't enough!

 This was my favorite perfume when I went through my Victorian era stage,
This smells like a soft bed of rose petals, available here, 

What I Learned:

1.  A dose of humor goes a mile when the cut feels deeper!  And in the beginning I didn't find any humor in dehoarding and was only doing it for my health because I'm allergic to dust and was stressed out miserable with just listing my stuff and would hope no one would buy it.

2.  Today I am so grateful that everything has a silver lining.

I had a huge bottle of this which was a souvenir from France.  This was my favorite club perfume because it will overpower any other perfume by filling up the room and it lasts for hours.  This mini sample looks almost full, available here


Thank you Etsy buyer from The Destiny of Things for sharing your story.  It's nice to know that I am not alone and how little incidences in life can be overcome with a simple little gesture or replacement buy.  Also, so happy to know that someone else thinks it's as cute as ever!

Thanks again for the trip down memory lane where old perfume bottles never die because they keep making memories!
 
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab I could ever imagine!

Thank you all readers from all over the world who have stopped by to take part in my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things with your visit!
 
These are empty and my Uncle gave them to me.  I remember seeing them in his bathroom during visits and wondering when he'd be done with them.
Empty Hermes and other blue perfume bottles, available here

I am adding new items weekly to each shop until I have 800 of my dehoard listed!  However this week, my computer is on the fritz and needs updates and servicing, so hopefully after this weekend I list new hoard again.

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 187 items, The Destiny of Things- 170 items, VintageToGoEasy - 190 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 177 items!    
 
Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 
This sailor perfume since 1792 is so tiny cute and I had it next to my mini tiny Tabasco sauce sample bottle, even thought it's not perfume, I had to have it!
Vintage Glockengasse Kolnish Wasser No 4711 German miniature perfume: no 4711 mini Eau de Cologne Germany, available here

Related Stories:

1.  My most favorite perfume of all!  This fragrance is very stunning and bring back such memories from just a whiff  Must de Cartier and My Perfume Collection:  The Destiny of Things, Story, XXXIX 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.  Perhaps my most painful of all:  The Destiny of Things:  Freddie the Frog Puppet, Story XII
 
 One of my other favorite bottles during my Victorian era collecting with mini talcum sampler, available here 
 
Happy  Friday!  Crossing my fingers for my computer getting fixed this weekend!  See you again on Monday!
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