WOYWW 72: Rocking the night away

For the 10th week in a row, I made it to everyone's desk whose link was viable at Julia's Stamping Ground, where the links are kept. I even went back to many that I couldn't comment on last Wednesday. If I missed you, I apologize. There were a couple that just wouldn't let me leave a comment, no matter what I tried. Now on to this week's post. After all, you are busy and don't want to hear me complain about blogger!

Last week, Brenda at Butler's Abroad and Kirsty at Handmade by Kirsty both wanted to know basically the same thing: why I have so many rocking horses (about 450, give or take a few) and if there was a story behind this obsession collection. So instead of showing a sterile desk this week (still having trouble getting anything artistic going), I will answer the question of the rocking horses. If this is your first time visiting my blog, please click to see the entire photo.

It all began back in the mid-80s, while on one of my many business trips. I met this woman who collected old perfume bottles. She had them everywhere in her home, and they all had to be hand blown from before the 20th century . She said she wanted her collection to be everywhere she looked, and even though many were displayed in vignettes, she truly did have them EVERYWHERE.

That got me thinking. I suddenly wanted to collect something, something I could place in any room in the house, but at the time, the trendy things to collect in the States were those country ducks with blue ribbons, owls, or cows. NO THANKS to all those options! So I decided to collect something difficult to find. After all, the hunt was as much fun as the collecting, and I've never been exactly trendy.

I had always loved rocking horses, so that was how it started. Mainly, I found them at Christmas, but I also went looking elsewhere.


Although it's a lousy photo, I found this ceramic one in an antique store in Arkansas.

This is a shelf in my office that holds many. You can see three in this photo, so I do ascribe to keeping them together. After all, I don't want them getting lonely.

I apologize for the photos. Seems my "good" camera is on the fritz and I am now using my old one that turns everything nasty colored.

On that same shelf you can see one of two votive candle holders.

And this is a vignette on my wall in the office. Again, very poor lighting (not brown spots) and photo.


I found this earring (very blurry in photo) in a parking lot. Only one, but too cute to let go. It now hangs on the container that holds my paper clips.

This was the best I could do in the dark of this office shelf. There are three here, one of which is the ceramic mug, I failed to turn toward the camera.

Although it's a poor shot, this is one of my favorites. It is handmade and came from Alaska.

No place is sacred in my office. The rocking horses are allowed to roam free,

just like these two, which I will have to show on my workdesk one of these posts, since they simply refused to photograph on the bookcase shelf. The back one is blown glass and the one in front is part of a pewter train set I got in Omaha while on internship there.

The small glass one in the photo on the shelf above is a cousin to this one, which broke when a friend sent it to me. Never letting a rocking horse die, I turned it into an award winning medal!

And finally, technically not a rocking horse, or even a horse at all, I love this one for its shape, which is a shoe scraper. Now who would clean their muddy feet on this baby? Not me, that's for sure. I hope you've enjoyed seeing just a few more of my many, many rocking horses.

Today's blog is another person I met through WOYWW. But I also see her on Project Dress Up, too. Sherry, the owner of Sherry's Simple Blog, works in many media. She might be making an altered book out of coasters, making paper dolls, turning matchboxes into Christmas decorations, or designing dresses for our monthly exchange. Sherry lives in London and even I know that's in the UK! Although I wouldn't call it "simple," if you like altered art, be sure to stop by Sherry's Simple Blog today.