Don Greytak

Found this at Savers while looking for items for my sister-in-law's shower. And no, this is not for her baby shower, unless her baby really likes pencil art, then I will consider it...but she'll have to REALLY like it and it might be gifted to her as her inheritance from her aunt, so she'll have to wait awhile.

In my defense, this pencil drawing by Don Greytak was the only me present I came home with and that's saying a lot.

From a distance I thought this framed pencil drawing was unfinished, but when I got closer I saw the snow covered fence going all the way back to an unseen driveway and snow covered house or cabin. Yeah, this was coming home with me. When my husband saw it hanging in the dining room, he thought it was unfinished as well. It's an amazing optical illusion which adds to the artwork itself. Don signed the bottom and it's 12/300. He also signed the mailbox.

When I went to his website here: http://dongreytak.com/about-us/ I found his biography and a slew of his other pencil works which are all amazing! If you have time, please check out his website.

Hebrew Eye Chart

I found this at Savers for 2.99. I'm embarrassed to say that I immediately texted my sister-in-law to ask her if it was Mandarin. When I didn't get a response, I googled and found that it was Hebrew. My sister-in-law eventually texted back that my brother said it was Hebrew. Thanks to Google, I already knew this, but I knew that my brother didn't need to google, he just knew, and I doubt he got it confused with Mandarin.

Language ignorances aside, I'm a sucker for word art. This bad boy was sitting on the top shelf so I initially didn't notice it and was toting around (okay my husband was doing the toting) a painteed wood picture of a guy carrying a surfboard and it said: "California Summer". I knew it would be at home in my bathroom, which, believe it or not, is devoid of any Savers artwork.

Something didn't feel right. I walked back to the artwork and put it back and that's when I saw it! A framed eye chart in another language. Thank goodness I'm learning to listen to my instincts, that and artwork calling to me...

I haven't found this exact eye chart on internet land, but some similar.

Try Amazon, Etsy, Houzz, Cascadilla Press on Cafe Press...or your local thrift store, not mine though.

Christmas in July...and August and the other 10 months.

I found 4 of these Saguaro glasses at Savers. I bought them with the Christmas season in mind, however we use them year-round. Sometimes I think they should go in the Christmas closet and come out only for Christmas season (October-February). However, after thinking about it, I've decided that sometimes Christmas decor needs to be year-round. These glasses are one of those exceptions.

*An aside: I've decided that cats photo-bombing my item shots are going to be my new trademark.*

Why are they an exception, you ask. Well, for starters, I picture Christmas drink-ware being more muggish (of or pertaining to resembling mugs). These glasses are perfect for ice-cold water. Believe it or not, even in the desert we drink hot beverages, when it gets below 76 degrees (outside). So, for 9 months out of the year, these bad boys are the right choice.

Also, they just make me happy. And isn't happiness the main rule of item non-discardis.

And how can you not just adore Saguaros? They are the most welcoming plant, with piercingly sharp injection-like spines, out there. Their cacti arms extend outward as if saying: "Welcome to Arizona, but don't get too close or I'll stab you right in the cornea."

Anyone having grown up in AZ has Cacti-run-in stories. And anyone having grown up in AZ should own glasses like these and use them year-round.

I feel like I can say that and show my bias outright, especially in this political day and age where one is allowed to say anything without repercussions.

I hope I have persuaded you to go buy Saguaro, Christmas glasses and use them year-round, even at the cost of peer pressure or ridicule at committing, out-of-season-household-heresy. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe.

Penny-Shoe-Boxes

I've been trying to clean my house. I tell myself that picking up one small thing is better than just staring in overwhelm-ment at a huge mountain of what-do-I-do-with-all-this-crap, some of which is sentimental.  I guess I need to read the tidying up book again.

So, this morning, after walking past these tiny shoes and  tiny boxes for weeks, and just shrugging my internal shoulders at the huge hurdle (watching the Olympics) of decision making these tiny pieces of material culture apparently are to my brain, I decided to make a decision.

First, I validated myself over the immenseness of the hurdle facing me. After all, miniature things are my Achilles heel, thus throwing the tiny boxes and tiny shoes away wouldn't be my first instinct.

Second, I admitted that the hallway counter-ledge-space was not where these tiny items belonged. (I've found that stating the ovbious increases my chances of making some type of movement).

Third, I determined that the tiny items were sitting here for a reason, that being, my toddler can't reach them and choke on them.

Next, I decided they were so cute that before throwing them away, (and by that I mean, throwing them into a dresser drawer and pretending I threw them away) I would blog about them.

I  might end up really throwing the shoes away, but I'm not ready to part with these chokable, colorful, Russian-doll, boxes from the Container Store.  The non-chokable boxes are in the play room, because what is more fun for humans than colorful, stacking boxes. I think my child will be a genius after playing with these.

For now, I need to decide what use these boxes will have in my dresser drawer. If I was 4, they would be the perfect tooth fairy-tooth-holder. If I was 10,  they would be the perfect eraser holders. If I was 12, they would hold folded up notes and/or stickers, which I would have previously spent an hour and a half cutting up into a hundred perfectly cut, individual stickers. If I was 20 they would be decorative on my dresser and/or ring holders. I'm almost 36, which of course means I will go on Pinterest and search for uses for miniature boxes, pin several ideas to my "craft" board, daydream about completing the pins, and then never do them.

Match Box Jig Saw Puzzle

I want to talk about miniature things today, starting with this neat, miniature match box puzzle that I found in some of my Grandmother's things. It has 12 wooden pieces and says "Shackman" and "N.Y." on the box. There is no date of production but many think it was manufactured in the 70's. 

I want to briefly mention the definition of miniature from Google: “(especially of a replica of something) of a much smaller size than normal; very small.”

This website https://retail.shackman.com/

leads me to believe that it could be the same company.  Here is the description:  "Since 1898 B. Shackman Company has been manufacturing and importing unique gift items. Many remember our famous store in lower Manhatten in New York City. Now you can buy our wonderful products direct online around the world!" 

In my research I discovered that Shackman also made other miniature things including furniture, which lead to these other names: Reutter and Bespaq and if you Google them you will find miniature furniture such as this: 

Check out this website for Shackman Miniature Furniture: https://www.popscreen.com/prod/MTgxMzUyMDI0/Shackman-Dollhouse-Furniture. 

During my research a Google images search for the word, “miniature” brought up a slew of miniature items, including miniature houses, miniature food, miniature animals. I was particularly taken with the mini llamas. I love llamas...very noble and proud creatures are they. 

Volcom Hoodie

I found this freaky sweatshirt at Savers for $1. This particular Savers was due to be closed for forever the next week and the clothes were significantly "picked-over" which is another way of saying, "Other annoying people got there first and this is what they left."

This particular sweatshirt was in the women's aisle and when I bought it I had no idea the hoodie zipped up all the way. In fact, I didn't even know these types of sweatshirts existed.

Imagine my surprise when I went to try it on again at home, with my 6 year old standing by, and voila...THIS. My daughter was intrigued and I was seriously freaked out at my reflection in the mirror. Also, I'm claustrophobic and the fear of the zipper malfunctioning and me being stuck in this thing forever was terrifying. I tried to use my logical brain and knew that if the zipper malfunctioned, I should be more concerned with my scissor-happy child poking my eyes out or stabbing a major artery while trying to cut me free.  


How could this fun trip to a dying outlet thrift store result in these death-defying outcomes? I just wanted a lightweight sweatshirt that I could wear to the beach. 

That night as my husband worked on his computer, my daughter and I decided to try to scare the crap out of him, because why not. I think it would have worked except for my daughter's hysterical laughing as I waited patiently for him to notice me while trying not to pass out from the fear of my own reflection in the mirror. Without her laughs I may well have passed out before he noticed this beachy, Hawaiian masked stranger about to strangle him or even worse...delete the video he was working on. 

He slowly turned, smiled, and said: "What is this.?" I asked him why he wasn't more scared and he said: "You were too nice about it." I guess next time I try to make my husband scream like a little girl so I can never let him hear the end of the time I scared him with the freaky sweater mask outfit and he screamed like a little girl, I will NOT be so nice about it (evil-hands and squinted eyes emoji). The rest of the evening, the three of us took turns wearing the sweatshirt and trying to scare each other.  My daughter is the best at acting like she's scared. My husband should take a cue from her (in the name of humoring his wife once in a while...and in the name of acting). We live in a dramatic household. 

All dramatics aside, I found this very sweatshirt on Pinterest, eBay, and Riamart.  Volcom is the company that makes it and officially named it: "Boys Vacation Full Zip Youth Sweatshirt". I can think of some other names for it, but they may not be quite as politically correct. 

I found a couple of interesting articles on the "hoodie" which I will list below. Apparently, people that wear full-mask hoodies are sometimes, up to no good...I say sometimes, because when my daughter walks to the beach in this thing, I will stare down anyone who judges her intentions, as more than just an anonymous walk to beach, while preventing her face from being accosted by the cool ocean breezes, and who can blame her for that? 

I copied this from Pinterest: 

"Volcom is an action sports based modern lifestyle brand that embodies the creative spirit of youth culture."

Here are the hoodie articles: 


1) http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/03/trayvon_martin_killing_when_did_hoods_become_associated_with_illicit_activity_.html

2) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/opinion/23wilson.html?_r=0

Do you know these people?

I found this California photo album at Savers for $2.99. Initially I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't empty and ready for my hundreds of past and future CA pictures to fill its very original and vintage-y shell.  But when I opened it and saw the story of Irving Hartivgson and his photo mate, who only refers to herself as "myself" I knew that it would be a shame to not take it home.  What if someone bought it, took it home, ripped out the nails and leather that hold the old, brown pages together and threw all these old pictures away?

So instead, I bought it and decided to research the main characters.  There are definitely more questions than answers, but that's what makes up interesting mysteries right? Actually mysteries are only fun when the answers are eventually found, but that's just me.

So what we DO know is that Irving was in the Navy. He was staying at or visiting the Hotel Casa de Manana in La Jolla, CA. This blog article, written by Ashley Mackin:
http://www.lajollalight.com/news/2014/dec/18/casa-manana-celebrates-90-years-village-history/
explains the history of this hotel and how in it's heyday it was a booming resort that even saw a celebrity once in a while. The interesting part is that it hosted men in the Navy who came home from combat, as a place for rejuvenation. Now, it is a retirement community, for any of you thinking of retiring soon...you'll need to shell out between $3200 and $9975 monthly...either that or go back in time and return alive from the Navy.

What else do we know? That's about it other than he was chilling on La Jolla Beach with this beautiful chick. Since, she doesn't identify herself or the nature of their relationship, I'm going to assume they are dating. In this picture they are holding hands. I would think if they were married she might refer to him in a less formal way, like, "Irv" and maybe would have at least mentioned her own name.

It's really discouraging for family members  (or for nosy-sounds-better-than-creepy strangers like myself) to find the real answers they seek when the historian fails to identify the people in the photos. That's okay. Maybe she was too shy about their relationship, or maybe it was that generation of patriarchy that made it more important to mention his name versus her name. Or maybe because she is the owner of the album, she didn't need to be reminded of her own name.  That's the more likely version.

If anyone knows any of these people please feel free to email me at crapifoundyou@gmail.com.

                                                         Do You Know These People?