Mixed Media Art Auctions

Mixed media art auctions have a lot to offer.  Today I found several seriolithographs.  I liked the colors that the Polish artist Zamy Steynovitz used.
The fun part of mixed media art auctions is that you just never know what you’ll find.  I found a pebble art piece from the 1960’s that featured a bare-chested chariot driver cracking a whip.  The piece also had three horses.  The medium of pebbles was very interesting.
Another interesting find while I was looking through mixed media art auctions was a mirrored wall hanging that represents the Manhattan skyline.  This piece was made before the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings and they are represented in the piece.
Sometimes the medium used in mixed media art is the same as other categories of art.  I found a nice acrylic painting in a mixed media art auction that was unusual because of its subject.  The artist painted a red sea dragon with a lovely woman.  I learned that the artist was influenced by Salvador Dali, HP Lovecraft and his love of the game Dungeons and Dragons.
I found a really pretty 3-D art collage shadowbox while I was looking through the mixed media art auctions.  The title of the piece was True Confessions of a Mermaid Gone Bad.  The piece was listed as professionally framed art with glass in yellow stained wood.
Mixed media art auctions bring so many different artistic styles to light.  I found a Scandinavian inspired design of two peacocks on a hand stitched wall hanging.  The piece was surrounded by a decorative border and the frame was reported to be in great condition.
Sometimes the mixed media art auctions include artistic things like hand made cards.  I found an artist that lists auctions of greeting card collages.  The ones that I was looking at used vintage images, ink and extremely decorative paper.
There was an item of art that came up in my searches of mixed media art auctions that I really liked.  It was listed as a beautiful abstract tin art.  It was actually quite impressive and was listed as measuring two feet by two and a half feet.  I think this would actually look great on my mother-in-law’s wall.
So many of the paintings I found listed in the mixed media art auctions were just unusual versions of mainstream subjects.  I have found so many art auctions with poppies painted on canvas, but today I found a white poppy painted in oil with a brilliant emerald green background.  It was very striking and I think that the contemporary feel to this piece came across very well.
I had never considered vintage maps to be art before I found them in the mixed media art auctions.  I guess when a map becomes antique and is no longer useful for its original intended purpose, it can become art.  I found a listing for battle maps that was very intriguing.  This map would look good framed and displayed with other war related memorabilia.
Mixed media art auctions really do have a lot of different kinds of art represented.  I found an artist with items listed whose medium is purses.  She makes purses from cigar boxes and solders a handle and various embellishments on the side.  The purses are really quite delightful.

Tips On Storing Quartz Watch

(1)Storage environment counts a lot in storing watches. Try to keep the normal temperature indoor as well as a dry environment. No high temperature in the storage environment. Avoid long-term exposure to sunlight and incandescent lamp.And quartz watch is no exception. Protect your quartz watches from moisture and long-term insolation. You should know even gold-plated or K gold watches can get oxidized and discolor with the presence of purple flecks on the case and bracelets. Therefore, you should buy a watch storage box to collect quartz watches. In the mean time, put some moistureproof silica gel inside the watch storage box.

(2)No volatile chemicals around quartz watches, such as epoxy resin glue, camphor ball , medicine. Speaking of cosmetic products, some cosmetic products containing lead and mercury can induce discoloration to gold-plated or k gold watches as long as they have contact.

(3)Prepare a single white jersey gloves and a soft wiping cloth. Wear the golves when you need to have a look at your watch. Wipe the fingerprints out the moment you find fingerprints on case or bracelets. Because it is hard to wipe the fingerprints out after a long time, especially the gold-plated watches.

(4) If your quartz watches are just for the collection purpose, the most imporant thing is to take the battery out of the watch,especially true for bead battery. As I have state in my previous blog ,it can cause disaster to your quartz watches if you don’t take the battery out. To tell you the truth,I personally have learnt a lesson of this disaster.

Wooden Toys – the Most Durable Toys in the World

Wooden toys are regaining popularity again. And the main reason for this? It’s durability. But first, how did wooden toys come about? Wooden toys exist because that’s the most readily available material, and toys can be produced simply with a carving knife.
The price of a wooden toy depends very much on its age and general condition. The older it is, and the better the overall condition, the more valuable it will be.
In terms of price, wooden toys cannot match plastic toys upfront, as it’s cheaper to produce plastic toys. However, wooden toys often last much longer, resulting in substantial savings in the long run.
Wooden toys traditionally started out to be cheaper than all other toys. But as technology evolves, plastic eventually starts to replace wood when it comes to making toys. Hence, many toy makers switched to plastic. So if the decision to buy a toy is based on price alone, then perhaps plastic toys will win this battle. But often, toys mean more than just money alone.
Today, the price of a piece of wooden toy rises in proportion to the time and skill required to make the toy. In other words, the more time and skill needed, the higher the price. Still, people continue to buy wooden toys because they are suitable for everyone.
Whether you are an adult or a young child, you will fall in love with tiny wooden toys, as they are just too adorable to resist. Wooden toys are also suitable for both boys and girls. There are toys like toy cars and toy furniture that are suitable for both genders. Children love wooden toys because they can play with them both indoors and outdoors.
To preserve a wooden toy, clean the surface with a wet cloth before putting it away. Regular cleaning will make the wooden toy last longer. Some children like to use wooden toys for pretend play. Pretend play stimulates a child’s imagination. Simple wooden toys engages children and motivates them to think. The secret to improving thinking and motor skills is to use simple wooden toys to play simple games. For example, use wooden blocks for counting games, or use puzzles to help encourage thinking.
But for most toy collectors, they like to collect wooden toys because wooden toys can last for a very long time, they are often kept for sentimental reasons. For an avid toy collector, there are many different types of wooden toys to choose from. But what makes a wooden toy a desirable artifact to collect?
For one, as wooden toys last so long, they are often still around even when their owners have grown up. And despite having grown up, the owners often refuse to give away their wooden toys as these toys bring back many happy memories. Also, one does not have to worry about harming the environment with wooden toys. In terms of durability, wooden toys can outlast any plastic toys with ease. They are also popular because of their versatility.
Case in point: skilled toy makers can create more complex wooden toys such as puppets. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet in a fairy tale, and he wants to become a boy. Puppets are interesting toys that can move. Simple wooden blocks can be used as educational toys. They can be used to playing counting games, or to build shapes. Such wooden toys can be used many times over.
So whether simple or complex, wood can be made into all sorts of different toys. That means, surely, there must be some wooden toy out there suitable for everyone.

Collecting Autographed Memorabilia

Why do we find it so fascinating to collect memorabilia and artifacts from vintage movies? 

Because it takes us back to days gone by, when life was simpler and so many of the movies of that day have become classics. We create a special bond with a movie or a character when we acquire a piece of movie memorabilia, especially if it’s an autographed photo  of your favorite movie star or sports legend. 

If you collect autographs, make sure you get them from a reputable source, preferably from a dealer you know. If they aren’t authentic, then they are basically worthless. You wouldn’t want to pass a fake on to someone else, even if you were fooled by one. As you deal with more collectors, you will learn which dealers to trust and which to avoid. 

When we collect autographs, be they signed photos, books, documents or artifacts, it gives us a feeling that’s hard to convey to non-collectors. It’s a feeling of excitement at finding a key to the past, and the pastime is very satisfying. Handwritten communication is so rare today, that it’s also a bond to the past, to a simpler day and time. 

If you finally find one of the most special autographs to you, or one of the vintage movie posters that you’ve looked for the longest, it’s like you are throwing open a window to the past, and it helps you to understand an event or a person or a time that has become important to you. And you feel closer to that person, that place or that time, when you hold a piece of it in your hands. You can almost feel the emotions of the person on that day long past.

For more information on collecting memorabilia treasures visit www.cvtreasures.com

All About Special Stamps

While snail mail has definitely been declining since it has been replaced by email, a lot of people still value and cherish old fashioned writing. Ask anyone in this hi-tech world, and most would admit to be excited to see real mail on their old mail box, well, as long as it is not a bill or an advertisement. Among the great joys of traditional mail are the stamps that are also starting to become extinct. Stamps add a nice, nostalgic feel to mailed envelopes, and they can also be collected as a hobby.
Stamps are nice by themselves especially now that their use are becoming more seldom. But there are stamps that have more charm and character than others. These are special stamps, usually released and used for special occasions. Special stamps are certain kinds of postage stamps that are intended to be use on holidays and other occasions that occur regularly. Christmas stamps are among the most common examples of special stamps. During the yuletide season, stamps with holiday designs are released and used, usually to accompany Christmas cards.
Special stamps are usually confused with definitive stamps and commemorative stamps as their characteristics are very similar. Like definitive stamps, special stamps can be used for postage, but special stamps are more elaborate and attractive. Definite stamps are just regular stamps, the ones people see in the mail every day. Like commemorative stamps, special stamps celebrate specific events, but they are issued a few weeks before the occasion rather than on the day of the occasion itself, this allows specials stamps to be available during the season in mind. Unlike commemorative stamps, which are primarily for collecting purposes, special stamps are used by more people as they are released during occasions when people send a lot of mail. The production of special stamps are not as limited as that of the commemorative stamps since special stamps are usually intended to be used for a period of time rather than just a one-day event.
Christmas is not the only occasion when special stamps are released. Some time around Valentine’s Day, love-themed stamps are released in the US, since 1973. They are typically used for sending valentine cards and packages. Some love-themed stamps are also used for sending wedding invitations throughout the year. In Japan, where New Year’s Day is more celebrated than Christmas, New Year stamps are also released.
Some places issue special stamps for United Nations Day, independence day, or other national holidays, but such stamps are usually used as commemorative stamps since rarely would people send United Nations Day cards as much as they would send Christmas greetings.
Certain special stamps released by the United States and the United Kingdom have failed because they are rather too specialized. Examples of which are birthday stamps and get well soon stamps. Rarely did they appear in the mail because such occasions are too scattered to for people to buy stamps for them by bulk as people would for Valentine’s and Christmas.
The more popular special stamps are successful because they can be used whenever the occasion they celebrate comes. This is especially true in the United States, where stamps usually retain their value and validity, making them usable even after several years. Thus this year’s special Christmas Stamp can still be used for the next Christmas and several Christmases thereafter.
Some other recently popular special stamps are those that signify a special theme of the year. For instance, places that observe Chinese traditions, like the Chinese zodiac, issue special stamps that celebrate the assigned animal for that year (e.g. Year of the Dog stamps). There are also special stamps that would depict pictures of things and personalities that normally would not appear in stamps, an example of this would be Disney stamps, some of which can be used for postage while still having a decorative purpose.
Receiving traditional, old-fashioned letters is still very much fun today especially when snail mail is become hard to be received. But getting mail with special stamps could definitely add more fun to the joys of getting postage. With special stamps, waiting for the postman can still be enjoyed even by the coming generations.