Odd Antique Teddy Bear

Last year I found this antique teddy like no bear I've ever seen. She's American and probably dates to the early 1920s, but other than that I'm stumped by her. She has the most unusual body construction:  her proportions are odd, with long, thick, perfectly straight arms and short, equally thick legs with very curved tops. Her torso is incredibly stout, and reminds me of a gorilla, or a wrestler. But her face is charming, with an inset cloth nose and a quirky smile, and I couldn't resist her.

Teddy Bear in a Tin

Antique toy collecting is, in many ways, a treasure hunt, and treasures can sometimes be hiding in the most unlikely of places...like this rusty five inch wide tin box. 

 Nasty looking, isn't it? I'm amazed it wasn't just 

thrown out long ago...

But I'm extremely grateful it wasn't, because inside, 

where she clearly has lived for a very long time, 

was this four inch tall c.1910 Steiff bear and her silver tea set, 

all nestled in an antique embroidered silk cloth:

 Her tea set is itty bitty: the tray is two and a half inches long, 

and the teapot is just an inch tall.

For a sense of the bear's smallness, here she is nestled in my hand:

I thought she might appreciate being out of her box after such a long time tucked away, so here she is all moved into my antique tin kitchen, where she can make as much tea as she likes:

Star Wars Day at My Library

We hosted a Star Wars Day at my library over the past weekend, featuring costumed characters from the 501st and Rebel Legions, who were amazing. (Check out their websites here and here.)

My favorite picture from the event is below. We found the perfect book for Darth Vader on our self-help shelves: Coping With Limb Loss: a Practical Guide to Living With Amputation for You and Your Family (this is, of course, only funny if you know that the character loses all of his limbs to lightsaber blows over the course of the films).

Vintage Travel Souvenir Display

Some Other Stuff I collect besides old toys: vintage travel souvenirs. The kitschier they are, the better I like them. Today is the last day of school here in my town, and the kids are getting ready to start their summer vacation. I thought this might be a good time to post some pics from a display I did at my library, featuring my favorite vintage travel souvenirs. Enjoy the trip!

Some favorite pieces:

Funny Little British Bear

One of my favorite antique teddy bears, and one of the first I purchased years ago, is this comical little 8 1/2 inch British bear, made in the 1920s. I can't identify a maker, but that doesn't really matter: he has such a great expression and so much charm.

 "Don't I just look irresistably kissable?"