Out of all the Buildings on our Property the G-Kid Force are most fascinated by the back Cottage on the far East of our Acreage that we use for Storage.
They want to get in there ALL of the time... and so they were totally Jazzed this week when I asked them to Assist me in the Great Edit & Purge of 2012 that would now be going on in there. FINALLY they'd get to root thru everything stashed back there with reckless abandon! *LOL*
As I made preparations for Selling Off our Childhoods by gathering up all the Vintage & Collectible Toys from the 60's onward that would be Showroom bound just in time for Christmas and our Big 15% Off Holiday Sale!
Every Year I've always Encouraged our Children when they were Young, and now our G-Kids, to go through their possessions to Donate to Charity around Christmastime. And we still had our Donate Boxes ready for anything not Hand-Made, Vintage or Collectible.
And I Applaude the both of them for even offering up some of the Collectible Toys they've been fond of and diligently Collected for Years... such as their extensive Chevron Car Collection. Which has been well Loved & we know other Children or Collectors of them will Enjoy because they're priced to Sell, out of the Packaging and therefore CAN be actually played with.
I totally 'Get' that the Serious Toy Collectors want everything in Original Packaging if at all possible... but in our Family we've always used our Collections and Vintage or Antique Items in our Daily Lives and Enjoyed them that way. We use the "Good Stuff" and don't wanna just look at it or use it for only Special Occassions... every Day IS a Special Occassion for us!
So most of what I will offer has been Loved and utilized, with a few exceptions. And quite often we Sourced our Collections during the Thrill Of The Hunt anyway and didn't buy Retail on Purpose... because we find that to be more Challenging, Exciting, Frugal and Fun! We're all Avid Scavenger Magpie's at our Core in this Family! *Smiles*
I totally 'Get' that the Serious Toy Collectors want everything in Original Packaging if at all possible... but in our Family we've always used our Collections and Vintage or Antique Items in our Daily Lives and Enjoyed them that way. We use the "Good Stuff" and don't wanna just look at it or use it for only Special Occassions... every Day IS a Special Occassion for us!
We would also be going through the entire Christmas Ornament & Holiday Decor Stash to Edit & Purge those I'd be Letting Go of...
And turn up as many Antique and Vintage Shiny Brights & Retro Ornaments for this year's Christmas Tree as we could too since an Old Fashioned Retro Christmas is this Year's Theme. So my Showroom and my Home will look similar this Season... since I'm splitting what I keep & Sell of my vast Holiday Collections.
I'll give you just a Sampling of some of what turned up during the Storage Cottage Cull... starting with the Dolls of the 60's... Stacey the British Friend of Barbie. My Dad Designed and Created all of my Barbie Clothes, except what the Dolls came dressed in at purchase. As a Teen I remember we'd pick out the Fabrics together and check out the latest Mod or Ethnic Fashions I Adored and he'd come up with something Fantastic! I didn't play with Dolls much but I do recall, being the Magpie & Artsy Type, that the Collecting & Styling of them was a blast that I Enjoyed into my Teens. So they really didn't get much wear & tear, which is a good thing & handy when you're ready to part Company. *Winks*
I always Loved this Mermaid Gown he Designed for my Dolls. He also Designed and Created most of my Clothes for that matter, which is why I'm still particularly fond of and wear mostly OOAK distinctive Fashions, preferably Hand-made and not mass produced.
And then there was Julia, I Adored Diahann Carroll in that 60's Series, what a Classy & Beautiful Lady she has always been. The Doll used to have Darker Brunette hair but for some reason over the years it almost always turned Auburn unless Stored in a dark place.
I remember that I was Delighted when Barbie Dolls of various Ethnicities & Cultures were finally introduced. The Original Nurse's Outfit was way too boring for Yours Truly though, so Dad Designed and Created this Fab Gold Brocade Fabric Mini Dress Inspired by the popular Nehru Jacket of that Era & Julia wears it so well.
And finally Brunette Barbie... I disliked that most Barbies were Blondes and very few Dolls had Dark Eyes either... due to my Family's Heritage I gravitated towards Dolls that had more Flavor so Brunette Barbie was my preference and was harder to come by. She's still in her original Swimsuit. And no... in case you were wondering, the Barbies of that Era didn't have Piercings or heavy Glam Make-up... that was me Gypsy-fying my Gals... who had multiple Piercings, Tattoos and extra Glam long before it was Fashionable or Socially Acceptable... just like me! *Winks* Not that I was necessarily a Rebel, that's just how our Family Rolled... my Paternal Native American Gramma was heavily Tribal Tattooed and Pierced as distinctive Cultural Beauty.
And yes, I'm even Selling Off the Childhoods of my Adult Kids since they've had me Storing this crap priceless Childhood Heirlooms for decades now. *LOL* And why don't you pass it on to the G-Kid Force you might be Wondering? Well... there is much that we did pass along... and though we and our Kids took extraordinary care of our Toys during Childhood, the G-Kid Force could be called The Demolition Force because not much survives long at their hands.
Coming from the 'Disposable Generation' I Observe that as a Generation in General they're much harder on Stuff than previous Generations and more inclined to want the Next New Thing being touted. Making everything prior allegedly Obsolete or Embarrassing to still own or use!. *Le Sigh* If you Doubt me, just look at Electronics & Phone Commercials! When I was coming up we used a Telephone until it broke... and the Old Ones NEVER broke! *Smiles* And very little nowadays is actually High Quality, Hand-Made or OOAK & not mass produced & cheaply made.
So after numerous Collectible Vintage Toys the G-Force were given were soon in shambles, mauled and worthless to flip... we decided the rest would be Sold Off rather than Inherited by The Force, which they were totally Okay with actually. So that they might Survive at the hands of an Appreciative Collector reliving their Childhood and properly Enjoying the Nostalgia, plus gleen some CASH for coveted expensive Electronics the G-Kid Force desperately want. *Winks* Princess T could even see that her NEW Barbies can look positively Ravaged in a matter of days & all Clothing lost in the Abyss that is their Room... whereas you see my Barbies from the 60's are still Clothed & don't look half bad after being handled by two Generations for over 40+ years... so long as Princess T doesn't get her hands on 'em that is! *LOL*
And we're wading through piles of boxes of Vintage and Antique Ornaments. I'm bagging up Grab Bags of Vintage Ornaments for the Showroom... and setting aside the Shiny Brights and European Antique Glass Ornaments as we go, along with Fav Retro & Home-Made Ornaments for this Year's Christmas Tree.
I've been Collecting Christmas Ornaments since I was 13 years old so they are my Oldest surviving Collection and many have been handed down to me. But it's Time to Let Go of many since we don't Decorate as many Christmas Trees as we used to and its a shame for most of them to remain in Storage year after year unused and unappreciated. I'm allowing the G-Kid Force to help me decide which will be Showroom bound in the Grab Bags and we're having a lot of Fun in the Process of Letting Go as I Share some of the Stories & Memories and Reminisce about Christmases Past as they ask Questions about the many Decorations.
Of coarse some of the very Old Fragile Antique European Blown Glass Ornaments passed down for Generations from my Mom's side of the Family that are probably over 100 years Old aren't going anywhere... but they're the exception...
And as we sat in the Glorious Sunshine of the back Acreage sorting and editing all day... and then again in the Candlelight inside after the Sun had set... it reminded me that it's not so much the Stuff that is most Precious...
But the Good Times Shared with Family...
And with Sweet Friends... and the Memories Created of those Good Times that we hold Dear to our Hearts, especially during the Holidays. The Annual Traditions... and Newly incorporated Traditions...
The Silly Times... including the realization that this Gal is now as Big as Santa!!! *Gasp!!!* You know what my Top New Year's Resolution will be for 2013!!!???? *Le Sigh*
And so the Selling Off isn't so difficult really when the Time has come... because we fully Intend to Create even more Good Times and Cherished Memories with those we Love, want to Invest in, spend our Time with and Care about, Now and into the Future.
Looking fondly back at the Past is Nostalgic, but Living Fully in the Moment and looking forward to the Future is the biggest Rush of all...
May you continue to have Good Times & Create Fond Memories...
And be able to Let Go with Ease when the Time comes that you should... and Enjoy what is Left Fully and with utter Contentment...
Blessings and Love coming to you all from the Arizona Desert...
Where it's continuing to look a lot like Christmas each day as we Prepare for this Important Holy Holiday that has a much Deeper Meaning for us than just the exchange of Gifts and Adorning everything with Festive and Enchanting Decor...
And we're thinking about all our Decor that has the Hues of Christmas apparent in them... particularly Love my Jadeite Kitchenware at Christmastime...
And please come to the Beautiful Holiday Blog Party full of Nostalgic Memories and Sharing over at my Blog Friend Cindy's MY ROMANTIC HOME, but be sure to bring your Kleenex as many of the Memories and Stories are Sentimental and Heartfelt, Revealing those Intimate Details that make the Holidays absolutely Priceless in the Lives of those Sharing their Beautiful Stories!
Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian