NO, not that!

 

We are all in trouble.  The rules are about to change.  The battle of man verses machine is about to   change.  We are losing, I am sad to say.  To make it worse we can’t even protest.  It is so scary.

Remember   when you were going on vacation and the fight was on for the window seat in the car?  Remember when as a kid   no one wanted to take the garbage out and   you all decided   with a game who will take the stinky bag out.    Having a 9 year old granddaughter who has to make the big decision of does she want mac n’ cheese or ravioli for lunch reminds me of my childhood.  She pulls out the often used decision maker, “ennie, meanie, miney, moe”   and ravioli is the big winner.  The song is a bit different and to be honest much less racist that I grew up with but for children everywhere it still works.

But now with sadness I must tell you that soon the world of decision making for all will change.  Science has done it.  They have taken a bit of our childhood and are in the process of ruining it.  It has been announced that they have made a machine shaped like a hand that can play “rock, paper, scissors” with you and it wins 99% of the time.  It reacts to the movement of your muscles and can tell what you are going to show.  How dare they ruin everything!  Will the child in the back seat pull out their handheld scissor hand and win the seat by the window every time.  I think we need to protest!  I think I will start a petition   against the ruining of this long time game. We can’t let science and machines ruin this time honored game.   Let’s keep the child in rock, paper, scissors.  Let’s keep the “ hands” in the rock and the scissor.  We need sanity.  Won’t you help fight this atrocity!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2487401/Rise-rock-paper-scissors-machines-Japanese-robots-reflexes-fast-beaten---technically-cheating.html

A pretty for a Fall table

 

Just right for your fall table this retro condiment table delights the eye.  Just the right colors for Fall.  Use fall colored cloth napkins and charger plates in many colors.  What a table that would make! 

See it at Carmel Collectibles

   http://www.rubylane.com/item/357173-41A72/Retro-orange-black-U-S

Falling leaves

Peaches and cream, minks, laughter and cake are memories I hold dear.  I love fall.  I  loved it even as a child.  I remember running in the leaves before raking the red, orange yellow and brown of the front yard. The tree lined street we lived on arched over the cars as they drove down our street.  Later as a teen the city had to take away the beauty because of a massive attack of Dutch elm disease.  I remember standing at our front cape cod window watching them tumble down with tears streaming down my cheeks.  We were lucky, for we had an oak that stood tall in our front yard and a maple next door.  As a child I remember staking out the neighbors pear tree in the fall in the backyard.  I watched for a pear to drop to the ground and made my dart to capture it before the birds got to it.  I never saw Mrs. S peeking around the curtain watching me.  Years later she laughingly reminisced of catching me and delighting in watching my siblings and I steal her fruit.  Years later I fell in love and he and I walked the streets of town and went to the neighborhood parks to kiss under the maples and oaks.  We kissed under the trees  the buds of the flowering crabs in the Spring, trees green in the Summer, and later under the reds of Fall.  So when we married, of course, it was an  October  day  with autumn in full beauty.  Orange and red were not colors acceptable for my wedding so I chose peaches and cream for the roses that were so beautiful in the Fall.  Our day was not the normal weather of  the season.  We had sun, rain, wind, sleet and snow on our day.  Some told us it was an omen of happiness to come saying we could weather any storm.  We honeymooned seeing the colors of the season in Wisconsin.  We kissed under the same reds, golds and yellows again  that year and  for 39 years. I watched my husband and my blond haired  granddaughter rake the golden leaves in the front yard from my living room window as they frolicked jumping in those beautiful leaves. My love of leaves has come full circle.  I do so love Fall and its fluttering leaves reminding me of the cycle of life.                

Gifts of love

Love...remember how you felt when you first fell in love?  I fell in and out of love in high school and eventually married my high school sweetheart several years later.  I remember the trip to the fair where my love gift was earned at the shooting range booth.  I remember the French valentine attached to my locker at school.  He was so proud of his being able to write Amour on it.  The gifts have changed over the years and so did the celebration.  I remember the romantic meals on the set up card table in the living room with fancy glass candlesticks and burnt food.  One year I got my Fontanni nativity set on the seat of the car after he  faked a sprained ankle and sent me out to retrieve something on the seat.  The homemade chocolate cake he made and put on a cut-glass plate that was more crumbs than cake.  As the years went on the creativity changed but the gift was never forgotten.  It could be jewelry, a pretty vase, a piece for my collection or a bouquet of flowers.  Many times I told him,  "just bring me one rose,  you   don't have to buy a whole bouquet" but he always said  " You are worth more than that, honey".  My favorites  are the homemade cards he  made when we were too broke to buy anything.   Such wonderful days and how wonderful to be loved. The lesson learned for me is the gift doesn't have to be from Kay's Jewelers, or from the florist it can be something small or tenderly written because it is about the action rather than the amount spent.  Happy Valentine's Day, honey.

My take on "When old becomes new again"

     Goodbye 2012......

Loving collectibles and antiques as I do I was interested in the end of year numbers for what has sold on the collectible site Tias.  As anyone who sells on line  "old junk" we all try and pay attention to what has "returned" and what is not "in" anymore.

Looking at 2012 from a sellers point  of view I saw jewelry as the big seller. When I looked at the "What was selling" area of  Ruby Lane, ebay and Tias I  found that fact frustrating as I do not sell much of the items. All year I have found the numbers  climb weekly. I also find it alarming that the cost of gold has made the allure of money and the economics of the time  more important than holding on to beautiful pieces that were placed on a lapel or a ring by our ancestors who cherished them.  What does that say about the attitude of the young about "old" in any category including people?   Those beauties of stones and gold are now gone forever I am sad to say. The reality is the stories are gone as well of family and how they were obtained.

I love pottery and not just one kind but many types and price brackets.  I cannot pass up a figurine with wonderful details and delicacy.  Just head to a dollar store or a huge merchandise store to see the lack of workmanship our young people are buying.  It lacks detail, quality and even weight.  Sadly each one is the same and  mass produced as well. The quality is just a sad reflection of the fact that buying a piece of technology is far more impressive to young people these days then finding a piece of our past made by a crafters hands. The beauty of a planter is definitely a plus when you are talking pottery.  Yes, there are some beautiful pieces of planters now but isn't it interesting that at my garage sale every year that is one of the items most asked for.  Maybe people realize the sturdy durability of the old pieces Grandma used.  In looking at my own selling numbers sales have definitely been slower of those pieces on line this year but they have been consistent.

I am in heaven when I get the chance to look at old toys and games.  I am definitely hung up on the memories they bring  I guess.  Interestingly this year I have sold quite a few.  I believe there is a renewal of the" old" slowly trickling into the market.  My thought is that some parents are seeing the unwanted influence of technology and are looking for a way to bring  family time back  into their life. "Game nights" and the resurgence of the remake of old standby games prove that in the trendy specialty stores.   Even though the WII has become a family favorite I believe there is also a sense of some wanting the next generation to learn how to do fun without the modern conveniences and in a simple way.  From my view my granddaughter was totally enthralled with a game of jacks on the front sidewalk and we played for a good hour.  I think that says it all.

Lastly, is the trend of vintage clothing.  Now there is where you see quality.  Goodness knows, we all complain about the quality of the mass produced new these days.  Hollywood has helped this trend upsurge, I believe.  Economics has helped as well.  People are now not as able to afford the price of the fashionable new and fashion has, as it always does, taken from the past so that has definitely helped vintage clothing sellers.  I am afraid the real reality is as the population increases in size the ability to wear the clothing of the past will become less marketable. Tiny waists and small sizes were the trend years ago.   So if we want sales we need to promote the diet and exercise push now in our market not only for sales but also for better health. 

So that is my take on the end of year evaluation.  It is not worth much I am afraid and is not done with the economics of numbers as math is not my God given talent.  It is just one lonely seller with a keyboard and an opinion. 

Check out my "The Vintage Village" blog for my page to see the numbers and what was in and what was out.            

Happy Anniversary

I had the chance to watch this movie again and it is just as good as it was when it first came out. A synopsis of the 2005 movie, Coach Carter, would tell you it is about basketball at Richmond High School, academics and showing youth the value of education.  It is excellent and should be shared with our children and grandchildren.  The lessons on values, what is really important and the lack of some to see that teaching our youth is more important than using sports to get ahead are a reminder of what many people believe.  Although, I do not embrace all that Marianne Williamson   has written this portion of the quote used in the movie speaks volumes. 

Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to  manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. 

When I started my Carmel Collectibles Shop I had my husband pushing me to expand my world.  There were others who saw me as a foolish person, or a collector of “knicknacks” or junk, or someone not wise enough to be able to do it.  I took the step and am glad I did.  I have succeeded to have kept the shop open since November of 2005. I have lost a partner, closed a brick and mortar shop and have had very lean years.  Have I made oodles of money, no, but I have enjoyed what I have done.  Have I enjoyed the hunt, oh yes!  Do I have way too much inventory and could some say I border on hoarding, oh yes.  Do I still have nay sayers in my family who believe I should load up everything into  black garbage bags and walk it to the trash, oh yes I do but to them I say, no. 

It is another shop anniversary.  To my buyers and friends thank you for your support.  If you find something you like lower the cost with my blogger 20% discount.  Just mention the name ”coach”.  Why the blog about the movie?  Coach Carter defied the nay sayers and he believed in what he believed in and I hope I always do that as well and not let anyone  convince me this is not the right thing to do.  Happy Anniversary to me and Carmel  Collectibles.    

Most people head to the second hand store looking for items to buy but I also look for “the lookers”.  I enjoy browsing at next to new shops, The Rescue Mission, Goodwill and Salvation Army.    I love to watch people picking through the shelves of the Goodwill Store.  I have kind of categorized the people.  There is the   ”select picker”.  They lean over slightly with their hands on their back or at their side and they only pick up if they are truly interested.  When they pick up they don’t scrutinize the item they just take it.  There are the “lookers” who wander but never touch.  They just tip their head from side to side or elongate their neck to see the upper shelf.  They never seem to find anything to buy or hold.  Then there are the “grazers”.  They pick up, set down and pick up again.  Glance at the item and put it back.   Their cart usually has only one or two items in it.  Then there are the “grazers” who pick up everything they like and put numerous items in the cart and after they walk through the aisles they go back and put half the cart back on the shelf.  The ones I always am amazed at are those who are not intimidated by the search.  They are willing to spend an hour checking out the tubs piled high with items not on the shelf yet  or search piles of clothes to see what is at the bottom.  I call them the “bottom finders”.  Often they find a goodie way down underneath that no one else ever even saw.   And finally   there are the “collecters” who selectively look at items checking the bottom for marks or ringing   the edge looking for nicks.  You see them in there a lot and some days the cart is full and some days they leave empty handed.  The clerks know them and they exchange a hi or a smile.  Next time you head to the Goodwill Store play the treasure hunter game and see how many of the “lookers” you can identify.