Russian Pi?ata Furniture

When looking for that perfect gift don’t forget the old youth favorites—they’re still available. Remember the Atari 2600? Remember the nesting dolls? (www.dollnests.com) Did you forget about the slinky? And how about the slip n slide? All four of these toys from our past are still available to the average consumer. You don’t even need to be that diligent about finding them.

Living in southern California in the early to mid 1980s made me quite accustomed to seeing pi?atas at birthday parties. If it wasn’t for pi?atas being available online (www.pinatabox.com) I would never see them here in Washington State. Cabbage Patch dolls ruled my sister’s life and micro machines ruled mine. Hot Wheelz and Matchbox cars were my main obsession. My second obsession was the magical Nintendo Entertainment System with Super Mario Brothers.

Cap guns were a blast and marbles weren’t far behind. Lego’s were a big part of my life for many years. The action figures in the 1980s were Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Masters of the Universe. The Transformers and Care Bears were also huge marketing successes. Micro Machines were a huge hit for many years and are now only available in Europe. Some of the doll-related merchandise included Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, and My Little Pony.

The Rubik’s Cube, invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik, got huge in 1980 and has sold 300 million to date. Who could forget G.I. Joe, a real American hero? This toy line from Hasbro lasted from 1982 to 1993, which was a remake of the G.I. Joe figure of 1960 that stood twelve inches tall.

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Succession Planning for Collectibles

Assuming that you do not need an estate plan is one of the worst assumptions you can make and could cost your family loads of money in taxes and hours of frustration. The only people who can honestly say they would not benefit from an estate plan are those unfortunate enough to have no family or assets or property of their own, which would in fact represent a very small fraction of the population.
You will more than likely be surprised at the total value of your estate when once you actually start documenting your assets. Your estate includes everything you own – investments, insurance policies, real estate, jewelry, vehicles, cash in the bank and even your coin or model aircraft collections or any other collectibles. What happens to everything in your estate after your death can be determined with a good estate plan.
Collecting is part and parcel of human nature and most of us are collectors of some kind. Some of us may own collections passed through generations or left to us by a friend or relative who felt that we are the chosen one to inherit their collection. Others among us may have started their own collection based on our own interest or passion for a collectible item and it may all have started as a hobby.
One thing all collections have in common is value – whether it is in monetary value or the pleasure and sentimental value of owning these collections. Either way, an important element of a collector’s overall estate planning is an art succession plan. The goal of such a plan is to preserve and distribute the collection to heirs with the least expense and confusion. Here are a few suggestions offered by collectors and art succession planners.
• Maintain a Proper Inventory of Your Collectibles
A comprehensive up-to-date inventory of the items in the collection should always be maintained by the collector.
Each and every purchase and sale transaction should be recorded and if available all documentation relating to the collection should be documented. This includes all Certificates of Authenticity, origins or sources of the collectibles and if sold all subsequent owners. Specially designed software is available if so required but if the collection is relatively small a simple spreadsheet should suffice.

• Have the Collection Valuated

The general rule for federal state, gift and income taxes is that property is transferred at its “fair market value”. Sometimes, the tax authorities will accept the buyer’s cost, or a recent sale, as evidence of fair market value. Most often, however, fair market value will need to be determined by an official appraisal of the collection. If your collection’s monetary value is of any significance then an appraisal or valuation for each item in the collection may be required by the IRS. The appraiser will be required to meet the standards set by the IRS. One of the most important considerations in planning for the disposition of art and collectibles is the correct valuation of the collectibles as incorrect valuations for tax purposes could result in additional taxes and penalties being imposed.
• Discuss your Art Succession Plan with your family
Discussing estate planning and art succession planning with your family can not be done without talking about death and money – two very sensitive issues that most of us prefer to avoid. When an aging parent discusses death with their children it is too close for comfort and they shy away from this topic pointing the discussion in a different direction.
A sudden death or incapacitating illness may cause you to have missed the opportunity to ensure that your collectibles are distributed according to your wishes and it is imperative that your succession plan be discussed openly with your family. If it is your wish that your collection remain intact then you must know which, if any, of your family would be interested in inheriting and maintaining your collection. If you discover, or are aware, that none of your immediate family shares your interest in your collectibles alternative plans must be made for the succession of your collection. Museums, fellow collectors or charity organizations are options to consider but proper planning is essential to ensure that any allowable tax benefit is optimized in your succession plan.
A good financial adviser will be best able to advise you of all the advantages or pitfalls of the various options available and the tax implications of each. The most important step is the first one – realizing that very few of us do not need an estate plan and that collectors need to include an art succession plan in their estate plan.

Learn How To Appraise Your Own Antiques

There are numerous individuals who will get an antique plate or teapot from family members. There are some others who might stumble on what they think could be an antique at a flea market. If you think what you have is worth something than you must have it evaluated.
To know the exact value of the piece you have to take it to a professional who will study it for a couple of days. Yet, there are things that you can do to help you find out if this is even necessary. You don’t want to spend a hundred dollars on somebody if the piece is nothing more than a replication.
The value of an antique is based upon who made it, what time period it was produced in, the pattern, and if it is broken at all. Buy an identification guide. This is a thick book that will have information and pictures on a variety of antiques that are from around the world. Attempt to discover a picture of what you own or something similar to it.
If you are not able to acquire the right piece than try to look for the maker’s mark. This mark is usually located on the bottom of every piece. It may be a signature or a unique design. Use this mark as a reference to discover who produced the piece and the time period. Next to the maker’s mark you need to search for a date. This can tell you quickly if it is a knock off or not.
You need to look at the piece cautiously for any chips, fissures, discoloration, or other flaws. Utilize a magnifying glass to get a closer look at it and make sure to record what you find. If you decide to have your antique appraised you need to give any information you have.

Coin Collecting Supplies Are Essential For Coin Care

There are many basic supplies necessary for coin collectors. Manufacturers have managed to tap into the business of producing products useful to enhance the activity of coin collecting for the collector. Many of these products are necessary as without them it would be impossible to maintain the condition of the coin.

If the condition is not duly maintained then it would result in a loss in the value of the coin. Coin supplies can range from items used to clean the products, magnify the products, check for counterfeits, books and softwares but mostly the essential supplies are used to store the coins properly so that they do not get damaged.

There are many different ways to keep the coins. Products used to store the coins include 2x2s, tubes, air-tites, slabs, quarter maps, boxes, vinyl pages, coin boxes, coin holders, frosted cases, zipper bags, snap lock cases, coin envelopes, velour bags, albums and coin cases. Among these categories there are wide variations as well for example some 2x2s are made up of plastic while the others are made up of cardboard. Air-tite coin holders are popularly used because they provide excellent protection. Additionally, they are easy to use and come in various sizes. They can be ordered in direct fit or ring type air-tite.

Coins should be kept away from humid or moist conditions to ensure their condition is not deteriorated. Silica gel is used to remove the humidity from the coins. You should also be aware that if coins come into contact with hard surfaces they can be damaged. Coins are not supposed to be cleaned or wiped as their surface could be damaged.

Gloves have become an essential supply as well as they are used by coin collectors to handle the coins. Finger Cots and tongs are used to handle coins as well. Coin solvents like Koinsolv, MS-70 Coin Cleaner, Nic-A-Lene and e*Z*est Coin Cleaner are used to clean coins after their image has been tarnish or their condition has been deteriorated.

Special coin albums are produced which are organized chronologically or by country. Coin collectors fill these albums with their collections to know what is lacking in their own collection. A certain set is said to be completed when these coin albums are completed. Often these albums are beautifully manufactures – some are even embossed with gold to give them a royal look. The beauty of these products attracts as much attention as its usefulness.

Specially designed coin cases are manufactured for coin collectors. These coin cases have the image of the coins on top so that the coin itself can be well protected while the owner can store and categorize them easily as well. The attraction of coin collectors to aesthetic beauty has also resulted in the vast availability of coin displays, whose purpose is to display the coins in the most beautiful manner possible. For beginners specially designed coin collecting kits are available, which contain all the products necessary for a person to begin collecting coins. Products contained in these kits might include a guide, albums, magnifiers, schedules, folders and inventory guides.

In conclusion, these supplies are essential in maintaining coin collecting supplies – so all collectors should be familiar with them.

Passing a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle

The characteristics of a needle, and those of the thread must be taken into consideration when trying to pass a camel through the eye of a needle.  There are several methods of threading a needle.  But first you have to deal with the camel.

1.       You have to catch a camel.  AND give him a good brush up.

2.       You must clean, card, and spin the camel’s combed hair.

3.       The spun camel hair thread will pass through the eye of a needle. 

A CAMEL HAS PASSED THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE.

Getting the camel hair thread through the eye of a needle can be tricky.  It may help to know, generally speaking, how a needle is made.

Steel is squeezed through consecutively smaller holes until it reaches the desired dimensions of the needle.  A hole is punched through one end and a point is made at the other end.

In olden times needles were hard to come by and one needle was carefully housed in some pretty ingenious needle cases.  A favourite gift for a sailor’s lady was a whalebone needle case carved with care during long trips at sea.  Often the sailor decorated the exterior with etching on its outer surface:  scrimshaw.  Sometimes these needle cases held tools for tatting and netting and sewing.  

Nowadays, there are needles for just about every use.  Small, sharp needles are used in quilting, while small blunt needles are used in petitpoint needlework.

Needles come with big eyes and little ones, with round eyes and oval ones.  And some have square eyes.  Some needles are really 2 pieces of steel joined at each end:  twist them and an elongated ‘eye’ opens. 

Some needles are long and strong to be used in making soft animals and dolls.  They have very large eyes.  And some needles are curved:  they are used in upholstery making and saddles and shoes.  And sometimes fine ones are used in beading.  The long fine beading needles are also called ‘straw’ needles for their similarity to a length of straw.

Thin, flexible strands of steel twisted together have nice round holes which collapses as it goes through beads.  The eye of these needles will remain collapsed the more often they are used. These and the long lean beading needles found in packages of different needles are flimsy and give way under the weight of beads. Both sharp needles and blunt ones can be used in beading,  my present day passion. 

Needles are assigned a standard number depending on its use and its size.  The higher the number, the smaller the needle.  Course needles with great big eyes are used in canvas needlepoint while a 26 or a 28 needle is used in petitpoint on silk gauze.

No matter what needle is selected, the eye must be large enough to fit the thread.  And it must make a hole big enough to pass through the fabric or bead that the camel hair thread passes through easily.  If you find yourself tugging at the needle, try a needle with a larger eye.

What do you do when your local needlework store is closed and you need a blunt needle but you have nothing but sharp needles?  Keep a dulling tool in your workroom.  My dulling tools are big stones, rounded and smoothed by the Pacific Ocean.  I found them when walking on the beach at Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island. Rubbing the point of the sharp needle on a rock will make it a blunt needle in no time.  Pay attention, though, that you don’t have any rough spots as you grind down the point:  you don’t want to add snags to your beautiful embroidery.

4.       You can cut the camel hair thread on the bias to help it through the eye.

5.       A disgusting habit, but one even I have practised, is to lick the end of the thread and push it through.  It helps if you also stick the eye of the needle in your mouth:  that little extra saliva helps draw the thread through.  Cut the sopping mess of the thread end off before you begin stitching.

6.       Dip the thread end into some white glue and set it aside to dry.  Once dry it will be stiff and strong.  It now replaces the need for a needle.  Remember to cut off the glued end when your thread is finished.  This, obviously, is used in canvas work.

6.       If you wish, you can fold the camel thread over the end of the needle and, held securely between thumb and forefinger, have the eye of the needle edged over the folded thread.  This works particularly well when you are doing needlepoint or crewel work with wools:  they tend to be fuzzy and must be trained to go through the eye.

         Handmade Japanese needles are wonderful to work with:  they are fine and small.  And they have a square eye.  The foldover method works particularly well with the flat silk threads used in the Japanese silk embroideries. 

7.       Another method of getting the camel through the eye of the needle is to place the end in a small piece of paper folded over which is then passed through the needle’s eye.  I personally have never used this method because it seems to me to be adding bulk where you don’t want it.

8.       Remember my telling you that the eye is a hole punched into the steel?  Well, that plays an important role when trying to thread your camel hair thread through that needle’s eye.  On one side it is smooth an curves inward but on the other side there is a bit of a lip at the edge of the eye. 

         If the camel just flatly refuses to go through the eye, turn the needle around and try threading from the other side.

8.       When all else fails, get somebody else to get your camel hair thread through the eye of your needle.

From grooming your camel to making needles and threading them:  you are now ready for the next steps – – designing and stitching a beautiful piece of art.  Congratulations!