German Toy Book

Hard to believe there are only five more days till Christmas! Before I hunker down with last minute preparations for our own family celebration I wanted to share this gem of a book with you. Published in 1938 it is a colorful catalog of classic German toys....spielzeug! Chock-full of whirligigs, kites, building blocks, anthropomorphic veggies, paper toys, hobby horses, jumping jacks and marionettes, there is something to tickle everyone's fancy. And with this plateful of eye-candy I bid you and yours a very happy holiday season. I'll see you back here in the New Year!

Small World

Small World, mixed media assemblage in wooden box

I've been puzzling out this piece in the studio over the past week. These assemblages are diy puzzles for sure....trying to find the 'right' shape to fill each gap and dabbing paint here 'n there....an attempt to lend the illusion of balance to this small world.

More Ornaments

As promised there are more jingle-jangle-dangle ornaments hanging out in the shop. Have a jolly weekend!

Chicken Scratch

Chicken Scratch, shadow box assemblage with vintage toys

I had such fun playing with this shadow box assemblage. Reminiscing doll houses, dioramas, pecking hens, scratchy scrawls and stitching...a lighthearted piece for all you chicken lovers out there!

And...a warm thanks to Elise for sending the vintage farm figures my way.

Tiny Town House Blocks

Tiny Town House Building Blocks by The Embossing Company

Another special find for the vintage shop this Friday morning. Don't forget that Sushipot's Christmas in July sale continues in both shops through midnight (cst) on Sunday.

Oh La La

Vintage Clown Erasers at Ruggy Design

 

Oh la la, an Etsy treasury

One of my quirkiest clown finds to date--a pair of costumed erasers. This little treasure was inspiration for a fun Etsy treasury last week. Oh la la! I'm gonna tell Santa that these would make a great stocking stuffer for me ('cuz I've been so good this year).

Block Collection In Uppercase

I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of issue #14 of Uppercase Magazine. When I glimpsed the familiar envelope in the mailman's hands this afternoon I zipped out the door to retrieve it immediately.

Yes, I've expressed my undying love for this magazine in the past but this issue is special indeed. I was thrilled when Janine contacted me to put together a grouping of my vintage block images for the Collection spread (see pages 58 & 59 of your issue or you can preview a digital copy here).

Lizzie was just as excited to see the feature as she has arranged many of these block designs for me to photograph. The theme of this issue is all about PLAY and I must say it looks chock-full 'o fun. Now I just need to settle down with a cuppa and leisurely enjoy its pages!

If these vintage block images are making you itch to get your hands on a set of your own I do have some available in the shop right here. Or....you can pick up a set of reproduction color cubes by Froebel right here.

We also love the old-school pennant with the Uppercase slogan of "Creative & Curious" that was tucked inside our package. It will be proudly displayed here at the Sushipot headquarters! And now....I'm going to take a bit of time off to PLAY (and clean up the house a smidgen!) as my parents are headed this way for a visit (Yay for grandparents!!). See you back here next week.

Parquetry Tiles

Poppin' in to share these vintage parquetry tiles with you. They've been in the shop for a few days but I realized I hadn't shared them here and they are way too fun to be missed! The set was manufactured by Tofa of the Czech Republic.

Cubes Alphabétiques

Cubes Alphabétiques, antique French alphabet blocks

Jack In The Box

Jack In The Box, mixed media assemblage

As I was standing in line to pay for my thrifty finds at The Grand Ol' Trunk a couple of months ago I spotted a lone Indian club. A few weeks later I came across a silly vintage clown head (formerly a piggybank) at MonaCross and instantly knew it would make a perfect match for this comical Jack In The Box assemblage.

Blockville Village

We've been building little villages with these charming Blockville blocks by Halsam. When it comes to photographing toys for the shop, Lizzie is always eager to help set things up. I think she kinda likes having this rotating source of new 'old' toys to play with!