Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Reindeer & Putz

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My visit to two different antique shops yesterday was disappointing. One, which is one of my favorites, didn’t have what I wanted. This shop has recently opened a new ‘warehouse’ so I stopped there, as well. SO disappointing! Yes, it’s a huge warehouse, but except for a couple of booths, it’s pretty junky. Like walking into Goodwill or the Salvation Army (at least the ones around here) but arranged with a bit more style. Sigh.

Anyway, I returned home feeling as if I’d wasted three hours. My reaction to all of this seemed to be a bit too strong and sure enough, come the evening, I started to feel under the weather. So that might explain it. Today, I’m also feeling crappy, but I’m not ‘have to stay in bed crappy.’ Hopefully, this will fade away quickly.

These are my vintage celluloid deer that I found several years ago and rediscovered when I pulled out the bins in the shed to decorate the real Christmas tree. I really love them. I’m guessing they were hung from a tree at one point.

I was rearranging the putz sheep yesterday and looked a bit more closely at this one:

Do you remember my saying that this girl had everything; the bow, the cloth/wool ears, the bell?

Well, she also has Germany stamped on her leg. She’s got it all, that girl!

I did stop at Michael’s yesterday and added this little picket fence to the scene on my shelf.

It’s a gray day today but I’ll try to take a photo of the entire scene as it is…so far. Because you know I’m going to putz a bit with my putz sheep.

Happy Friday.

 

The Sheep

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It’s not easy to take a photo of all the putz sheep. It’s always a bit dark in this room. I’ll try to take a better one with my big girl camera later today. I have two other sheep on this shelf, but they’re not putz sheep, so I didn’t include them in the photo.

Eventually, I want this entire shelf filled with sheep, leaving no empty space between them. I’m going to highlight some of the sheep.

First, on the far left, is a sheep that dear Judy sent me, complete with party hat.

The next sheep is my tallest – I can’t remember where I found him.

He’s one of two sheep that have the word “Germany” on their collars. His is fainter, but it’s there. And he has two broken ears, poor thing.

Next, one of the sheep I bought on Sunday – the one with the tilt to her head.

Next, my Vignettes sheep:

The owner of Vignettes in Ocean Beach, CA had a large collection of putz sheep which she was selling after having them in her home for several years and I bought one from her. (Can’t remember which one!) I visited Vignettes on a weekly basis – I bought my cherub painting from her. I’d been out there working for a couple of months in 2010 and after I got home, Lori said she was sending me something. Lori had pulled a sheep from her collection and had one of the women connected with the shop who does exquisite work with paper decorate it. She made a hat, a blanket, ruffles for the ankles, and a pack that says “Vignettes or Bust!” There’s a little Eiffel Tower hanging from the collar.

Needless to say, I was gobsmacked. It’s exquisite. It means so, so much to me.

Next to the Vignettes sheep is the sheep I purchased last week. It has a bell and is my fluffiest.

Next to her, the other sheep I purchased on Sunday.

Next to her….The Lamb with the Party Hat!

The LWTPH was my first buy. I was working out in San Diego for six months in 2009 and I drove to Country Roads Antiques in Orange, CA on my day off. I saw three little putz sheep in one of the glass displays. My sister loves sheep as well – she’s a knitter and crocheter – so I took a picture and mentioned them to her. I ended up going back for all three – two went to Mere and I kept the third.

I’d seen a blog post by a blogger showing a party hat on a much larger sheep that lived on her mantel, so I set about making a hat for my little sheep. That photo of her that is my blog logo was taken in San Diego. She’s my tiniest – only 2 inches high.

The next one I found a few years ago. She has everything: the elusive bell, a collar, wool ears, and a bow on her tush. Probably worth the most of any of the putz sheep. She might have come from Sydney’s booth a couple of years ago, but I can’t be sure.

The next is my other sheep with Germany on the collar:

Fairly fluffy, as well.

And finally, another little sheep with a pink collar. Most of the little sheep are 2 ½  – 3 inches high. Finding one with a bell is a plus. Finding one with Germany stamped on the collar or the leg is a plus. And finding wool ears is a big plus (I just read that bit of info the other day.) There are also black sheep out there, but I’ve yet to see one that’s vintage.

Many of them are well-loved. They’ve been handled, placed in scenes under a Christmas tree, loved by family members. Many of them have broken ears. Some need a bit of gentle adjusting to stand upright. That just makes them more precious.

I’m off to look at more antique shops today, hoping for another inexpensive putz house or something else that is vintage and Christmas-y.

I’m also going to change up the background for the sheep. I wanted something contrasting because they are white and the wall is off white, but this isn’t doing it for me. I have some ideas. We’ll see what I can come up with.

Thanks everyone.

Happy Thursday.

A Little Shopping Trip with Don

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An all-day-long rainy day. Gray skies, lots of snow on the ground, and rain make for a dreary landscape. I have lots of stuff to do today, so I’ll be settling in at my desk upstairs with Christmas music playing in the background.

I got an unexpected job offer from Hartford Stage for January and February of next year. Just 5 days work spread over several weeks, but it’s on a new production of Jane Eyre, directed by Elizabeth Williamson, who I’ve worked with before and who is an Associate Artistic Director there. I’ll be the dialect coach. It’s always good to know you have some work coming up in the new year.

Don and I took a little trip to the Clinton Shops yesterday. I wanted him to see a vintage camera that I thought he’d like – though I had no idea of the price – and I wanted to see those darned putz sheep again.

While I was there, the owner came up to me and said she follows me on Instagram and that she loved our stories of our trip to Paris. I’ve spoken to her before. Her name is Nina. We had a lovely conversation and while we were talking, her husband stopped by, so all four of us chatted for quite a while. It’s a lovely little shop.

Don looked at several vintage cameras which were modestly priced and he thought about them and thought about them some more. I looked at putz sheep and I thought about them and thought about them some more.

He bought the camera – a Kodak from the 30s, called the Jiffy Kodak. The minute you look at it, you’ll see why I fell for it.

Hello, Art Deco styling! It’s in good condition and I’m happy to say Don bought it. We’re going to put a shelf up above his desk that can hold some of his other cameras – all of them vintage.

As for the sheep…I held one, then another, I looked at their coats and their faces (and the price.) I put them down and walked away and chatted with the owner. Then I went back. I was especially drawn to two of them, no more than 2 ½ inches high. One had an adorable head tilt. The other had big eyes and a fluffy coat. Both of them had pink collars, so they’re girls.

I couldn’t decide between them. So they both came home with me.

Some of these photos were taken late in the day, so I had to position the sheep on my laptop under my reading light.

A little blurry, but you can see the big eyes on this girl.

Head tilt. It reminded me of the way our dogs would tilt their heads when I used a certain inflection while speaking to them.

Most Putz sheep were made in Germany. The name is derived from the German – I’ve seen the definition as ‘put’ or ‘putter around’ as in ‘putz around the house,’ and as ‘decorate.’ Entire villages were made out of animals and houses – a Christmas tradition in Germany and, later, in the Moravian communities in Pennsylvania. They come in several sizes. The two above are on the petite side. The sheep I bought the other day is larger. The Lamb with the Party Hat, which is the symbol of my blog, is very small. Sometimes, you see “Germany” on the collar or on a leg. I have a couple that have the word Germany on the collar.

Putz houses also had their origin in Germany, but once a certain size of electric light bulb became available, cardboard houses with holes in the back for a light started to be made in Japan. They were inexpensive, pennies apiece. And they were also manufactured here, as seen in the house I bought the other day.

I found one yesterday that I bought for two reasons: it was the least expensive, and it had a design I’d not seen before.

The scalloped edge reminds me a bit of a castle, but the house itself reminds me of California stucco homes. I’ve never seen this design before as most putz houses are more traditional in style.

I have no mantle. The top of the piano is already occupied. So I put them on the McCoy pieces I have in the den:

Germans and German-Americans used to create villages, complete with tree branches and various items found outdoors. Eventually, as the Christmas tree became popular, they would often place the villages at the base of the tree. Once the houses became more popular, glitter and snow were added.

The putz sheep were a part of these displays and they were also used in Nativity scenes.

I could put the houses underneath our tree, but I’m afraid Don will forget they’re there and step on them!

I’ve got 10 putz sheep now and I’m going to rearrange them later today. I’m crazy about them.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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