New Year, New School

I spent most of the month of August going into my new library. I organized the supply closet, cataloged books, made lots of lists, and rearranged a few things. One thing that's very important to me is creating a welcoming space, where the kids want to visit. So, I brought in some new furniture and decorations.

This rocking chair was a roadside find from a few years back. I gave it a nice new paint job, and added a throw pillow.

I made this wind-chime last year. All of the strands are themed by a book or story. One of the kids complimented it on the first day, and he was impressed when I told him I made it.

I'm a big believer in flexible seating arrangements. As long as the student can prove that they can work independently without goofing around the whole time, then I don't mind if they want to work at different places around the room. I plan to buy some more chairs like this, so there can be several sitting areas throughout the library.

This coffee table was a very recent roadside find. After I scrubbed it clean, I painted it royal blue, and placed it in the middle of this rug. I was hoping to get bean bag chairs, but I have to make sure they are 'flame retardant' ones. It may be easier to just purchase some floor cushions that can be easily stored.

As you can see, it really did need a makeover:

I'll post photos of all the displays I made in another post.

Another Year, Another Faire

Saturday was my fourth time as an exhibitor at the Dover Maker Faire.

 In the past, I brought various dollhouses to display and talked to people about how I build them from kits, or find them at thrift stores or build them from scratch using upcycled/recycled materials.

I enjoyed the response I got from the Faire go-ers, but it was always very laborious to pack them up, transport them, unpack them and set them all up, and then pack them up again. So this year I decided to showcase my junk journals and how I create mixed media art with found materials.

I was inside the old mills, and I was a bit out of place because most of the exhibits inside were technology focused: robotics and circuiting activities.

Some of the Faire go-ers did pass me by in favor of the high-tech stuff, but the people who did stop and chat with me really enjoyed looking at the junk journals, contributing to the 'community' junk journal that I had out, and exchanging ideas.

One woman is involved with NH Home Schooling, and she took one of my cards because she wants to talk more with me.

One of the benefits of being a Maker at the Dover Maker Faire is the Load In Party the night before. After I set up my table, I go into the Children's Museum, which is closed to the general public at that time, and get free pizza. And it's not just any old pizza either, it's from La Festa Brick & Brew. I think I devoured at least three slices of the buffalo chicken pizza, and I also samples the white pizza and the spinach and feta cheese one,.

The Children's Museum is usually a pretty hoppin' place, so it's nice when we get a chance to enjoy it with fewer people around. Johnny was the only kid in attendance at the Load In Party, so he had the run of the place. And then on the day of the event, he was living a dream: robots, pirates, Storm Troopers, Ghostbusters and Santa Clause were all in attendance.

Here are some of the pages from the community junk journal:

So all in all, it was another successful year at the Maker Faire. I had yesterday to relax, and today is my orientation at my new job (eek!).

Victrola Museum in Dover, DE

Okay, last post  about my vacation.

We visited a really interesting museum that I learned about on Atlas Obscura.

The Victrola Museum in Dover, DE sounds wouldn't jump out to most people as a must-see attraction. But it was so worth our time spent there.

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with RCA Victrola because it has a pretty cute icon at the helm:

Nipper the dog, listening to a Victrola, proved to have the lasting power, and is the official logo of the company. I knew the logo, but I never realized how much merchandising this pup inspired:

It's funny to note that although this dog's image is seen so frequently, more than 100 years after the logo immortalized him, that there is actually only one photograph of him in existence.

I think we often don't appreciate the artistic effort put into some of our household items and appliances. Many of the Victrolas at the museum have the same basic appearance, but the top floor housed some horns that were beautifully painted:

The staff there is extremely knowledgeable about the collection, music, and local history. I ended up having a wonderful conversation with one of the guides about classic films.

I asked which machine is the oldest, still working one, and the guide was happy to put a record on for me. I also learned where two common expressions come from:

"Put a sock in it"= the earliest Victrolas had no volume control. If the listener desired a softer volume,  she could put a balled up sock in the horn.

"Put a lid on it"= Later models of the machines had a hinged top on the wooden base, which could be open for louder volume or closed for softer volume.

The museum is FREE, which is always a plus, but anyone who appreciates music should find something to catch her interest there.

Rehoboth is My Chosen Beach

Another post from my vacation last week.

I live in New England. The beaches in Maine and New Hampshire are about an hour away. Also, I live on a lake, and I work at the local beach on its shores.

But my favorite beach is Rehoboth. I went there when I was little.

When we lived on the Eastern Shore, we chose to go there rather than Ocean City.

And now we bring our little boy there.

This was his third year there, and I love using this trip as a measure of how much he grows in a year:

2016

2017

2018

He happened to be wearing the same tie dyed shirt as last year, but his short hair makes him look older.

Did you know that Elvis had a third nipple?

Because I sure didn't. That was just one of the things I learned during my day in Baltimore. I went to a tiny little museum which houses artifacts of the morbid, macabre and mysterious. It's located inside Protean Books & Records. Sorry the photo is dark, but the atmosphere must match the tone of the attraction:

To be fair, I haven't read anything that confirms that bit of trivia, but just in case it's a hoax, Dr. Gloom's Crypt of Curiosities had other oddities to offer:

one of the famous Fiji mermaids (hoax made famous by Robert Ripley)

this clown painting, which is rumored to cause Death to anyone 

who dares stare into the black eyes for too long (probably a hoax, but I didn't test it!)

the remains of Baron Radu, the Eschede Vampire 

(looks real enough, but I couldn't find anything to prove it's not a hoax)

So I guess they were all hoaxes.   .  .

Aside from Dr. Gloom's, we made a few other stops that match my bizarre interests.

We ate lunch at The Horse You Came In On Saloon, which is Baltimore's oldest bar.

 

 Edgar Allen Poe used to drink there, and local lore says that he had his last drink there before he died.

And of course, no vacation of mine would be complete without a stop in a cemetery.

We found John Wilkes Booth's headstone. It's not marked, but it's in the corner of the family's plot, and it's believed to be his. The tradition for visitors is to place a penny, head side up, on top of his stone, so we did that.

We also found Elijah Bond's grave. Bond patented the Ouijia Board. But even if you didn't know that, you'd be able to figure it out pretty easily:

So that was my day in Baltimore: a boob, some booze, a Booth and a Board.

Haulin'

Since we bought a pick-up truck recently, we chose to take that vehicle on our annual trip to DE/MD. I wanted to make my pilgrimage to the Crumpton auction, and with a truck, we knew we'd be able to pick up more than we had in past years.

We had a pretty successful time there. I found an old coffee table, which is going to be repainted of course:

A ton of records, including these goodies:

Some vintage dishes:

an antique bottle from Boston:

I didn't know what sulpho napthol was, so I had to look it up. It was mainly advertised as a disinfectant cleaner for hospitals and homes. However, an 1890 booklet produced by the Cabot company also suggests using it as bath soap, shampoo, even a mouthwash.

this funny sailor is a lamp, but I plan to make him into a garden statue:

A vintage embroidered decoration, because I love vintage linens:

And last but not least, I found my very own Edward Cullen:

He didn't look very sparkly, but hey, neither did I.

The Trouble with Tourism

We just got back home from our annual trip to Delaware and Maryland. This time, we made a brief stop in Ambler, PA.

The reason for the stop was so I could try and get a look at Lindenwold Castle. The building, which served as a filming location for one of my favorite films: The Trouble with Angels. I've been watching the movie since I was a kid, and earlier this year I read the book, too. Last Christmas, my husband gave me the soundtrack on record so I really wanted to keep adding to my knowledge on the film, and visit the place that served as the fictitious St. Francis school.

It was first a private residence, and has also been the St. Mary's Home for Children. The building is surrounded by expansive grounds, which at originally totaled 400 acres.

Unfortunately for me, the building is no longer in use and is fenced off from the public. There is a chain link fence around the estate, and "no trespassing" signs posted every few feet within the property.

I was tempted to jump the fence because I really wanted to see the building. My husband talked me out of it. He called the local police station, hoping they could advise us on how to get the best view of the landmark, but all we could do was look through a gap in the trees, and I saw part of the building.

This is the best photo I could get of it:

I was pretty disappointed that we made a special trip, and I only got to see a quarter of the building, a mile away, through a bunch of trees, but at least I tried.

Marx Tin Dollhouse

Usually, when I blog about dollhouses, it's because I am working on my own. But for my birthday last month, one of my friends gifted me a vintage tin dollhouse!

 I already knew how popular these were in the mid 20th century, and I've encountered a few at auctions and in antique shops, but it was really cool to receive one to keep!

The first things I did, of course, was to research it. I know that the Marx company was one of the main manufacturers of these toys, but with anything popular, there are always imitation products. It didn't take long before I tracked down an image from the dollhouse's original box, and I confirmed that this is a genuine Marx dollhouse:

Marx dollhouses were popular from the late 1940's (after WWII, tin did not have to be saved for airplane production) until the early 1960's. In fact, the rarest Marx tin dollhouse of all was released in 1962. This dollhouse was only produced that year, and in a very limited quantity.

 It's value is not only in its rarity, it's what the toy represents; the Cold War. In the midst of the conflict, many Americans were convinced that "the big one" could drop from the sky at a moment's notice. Construction of fallout shelters in urban areas, as well as in suburban backyards, reached its peak in the early 60's as the Cuban Missile Crisis loomed. And true to its era, this 1962 Marx dollhouse comes with its very own fallout shelter:

I love dollhouses for their craftsmanship and creative potential, but I think many people underestimate their usefulness as historic artifacts Not only do they present us with a view of how children in the past have played, they also provide insight into the climate of a culture at a given point in time.

Japanese Kit Kats: Houji

The last of my Japanese Kit Kats!

It's another very exotic flavor: houji tea. Like the amazake flavor, I did not know what houji was before I tried the  candy.

The first thing I noticed is that it smells like hazelnut chocolate. I wasn't sure it was going to taste like any type of tea.

However, it has an aftertaste like when you drink a cup of really strong black tea. This is the one flavor that tasted the least like a regular Kit Kat bar.

I already plan to order some more exotic flavor, probably in the fall when I have have more money in "exotic candy" budget.

The rum raisin, cranberry almond, and strawberry maple are calling to me.  .  .