real people pez

Holy Pez! I need desperately want a custom dispenser. Hop Pop Factory made these as party favors, using 3D technology to replicate the faces / heads of the employees that attended. I'm a freak for these plastic guys. In fact I'm the proud owner of roughly 1,000 (oh those were dark days on ebay). It would be so fun to be able to add something like this to my collection.

Read more about the process that was in play to make these here: Hop Pop Factory blog.

secret club tags

This only manages to feed my illogical love for old motel fobs. Add to that, I love the idea of joining clubs. AND, when you order one of these suckers from Three Potato Four you get your very own membership number printed on it. If only I needed 6 different key chains. You can buy your own here. 

mold-a-mania

When I was a kid I desperately wanted one of those animals you could get out of a machine for $.50 at the zoo. I never got one, and clearly never got over it, even after ordering a set on-line a few years ago. Mold-a-rama machines gifted kids with an array of plastic figurines during the last several decades of the 20th century. They're not sophisticated toys by any stretch but they're bright and they're fun (and if you got one from a machine you saw them come to life). I stumbled upon Mold-a-Mania's site and discovered a really amazing collection that I'm currently coveting. Also be sure to check out the companion Flickr profile if you need to bookmark some favorites. And I might be crazy but I think some of these images would make great prints -- I'd buy them.

the shaker project

Here's another thing I have resisted collecting but have come close to starting up... salt and pepper shakers. They're small, come in so many varieties, and are generally cheap; the temptation becomes that much greater. It's when I visualize my home overrun with yet another thing I don't need that I shake (no pun intended) off the urge. Thank goodness for a vivid imagination and also for The Shaker Project. I can live vicariously through them.

[ via Swiss Miss ]

vintage thermos collection

My collector genes are jumping. I want these.

[ photo credit Chris Ferebee ]

cool coasters

Just like a book cover can sometimes be misleading when its art makes more of a statement than the content, so too can a vintage coaster. Cool graphics, iffy beer. Some of these I would even frame. I feel a new collection coming on...

1. Coltera 2. MTippingAtelier 3. straubted 4. Breweriana Collector's Store

goodbye curtis allina (1922-2009)

This may not be common knowledge to some of you, but I have in my possession around 1,000 Pez dispensers. To say I love collecting them would be an understatement, however in these tough economic times my obsession has lately been limited to the occasional dollar store purchase rather than the ruthless and overpriced world of Ebay auctions. It's just as well.

Hearing of the passing of Pez pioneer Curtis Allina saddened me; he is afterall the man responsible for giving the dispensers a face, which to me is the mainonly appeal (I just say no to the candy believe it or not). Thanks for contributing to my passion for plastic and bringing joy to so many.

POP THIS:
Pez Database [ My Pez QL
Official Pez Site [ Pez.com ]
Pez Shopping [ Canada Candy Connection ]
Pez Movie [ Pez Heads: The Movie ]
Pez Museum [ Burlingame Pez Museum ]

music to my eyes

What a fantastic and never ending collection that illustrator Kavel Rafferty has put together! Record Envelope: the Little Library of Factory Sleeves offers a ton of artwork and design goodies.

more olympic postage

I wasn't feeling good for most of the day. So as is sometimes the case when stationed at home but bored, I went back to my nostalgia vaults and got reacquainted with my scanner. After finding my '84 Olympic stamps I figured I'd go back for a second look. Roundup #2 brings the rest of my lot. Some I like better than others. Overall though I'm sort of digging this hobby and may actively revisit it.

In related news... I watched some of the events tonight.

TWO THINGS:
Sasha Artemev on the pommel horse gave me goose bumps [ Washington Post ]
This commercial is the new "reach out and touch someone" and makes me teary [ You Tube ]

Conclusion... I am just the gal propaganda loving corporate America must be looking for. OR... I have a heart.

wish list: matte stephens

(artwork by Matte Stephens)

license to mail

(link to Royal Mail)

I admit it, I was a stamp nerd once. These mini book covers translated into postal currency may just result in revisiting this abandoned hobby (probably not, but eh it doesn't change my love for these little suckers).

Just released in the UK to commemorate 100 years since Bond creator Ian Fleming was born. Fleming penned 14 007 novels, all of which were adapted to the big screen over a few decades (in case anyone was living under a rock).