Oh The Places You'll Go Dr Seuss Keepsake for Emmett

I really love Pinterest - I've been a fan since the beginning. An online scrapbook to remember internet bookmarks in a visual way?! I was first in the queue. One of the earliest things I pinned was this brilliant idea, way before Emmett was even born. Unfortunately, like many Pinterest pins I'm not sure my source is correct (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

The idea is to get each of your child's teachers (i'm starting with Emmett's nursery ladies) to write a little message in the pages of the book. Each year, you add each teacher in secret and then present the book as a surprise when they finish school or graduate. I'm sure keeping it a surprise will be trickier as he gets older, but I'm going to try my best.

Emmett starts school in September. It's bitter sweet as I will miss having him around everyday, but he's so smart and so ready for school it feels right. I know he's going to love it. We were also one of the lucky families that got our first choice school. I'm so excited.

I bought my special edition in a slipcase on ebay. I also found some really nice covering notes other families have produced here. They are still quite a few listed if you'd like to make this part of your family tradition. Have you started one already? I'd love to hear how it's going

No affiliate links - I just thought it was a really lovely idea and wanted to share :-)

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 3 - The 1980s Disney Collector

This was my most recent eye popping find. Last year I happened upon a house clearance sale disposing of a whole lifetime of collecting. The other dealers were most interested in the huge piles of Christmas collectibles and handbags, but for me it was the Disney. The family had obviously been huge fans and were regular visitors of all the American theme parks during the 1980s and early 1990s but what was most exciting for me was the condition. Everything was in it's original carrier bags and there were multiples of everything - not just one keyring but 20 all in a carrier bag...not just one coin purse, but 12 in a carrier bag. Like I said, EYE POPPING. Some of the best items were from this great print range by Australian artist Ken Done.

I bought these spoons because I loved them - I have a pot full. I can't find anything out about them. are they simply teaspoons from the cafes and the collector saved them? I'd love to know

After again making a huge pile of awesomeness came the most exciting news - there was more! I'd been pleasant with the sellers and struck up a conversation. It turned out it had been a huge house - they had another two lorry loads at least from the same collection. Over the next two weeks I proceeded to get two more car loads of stock from them. I love it with my job that I never really know what I'm going to find next. I'm going to put that original 1985 carrier bag in a frame to remember just how great a find this collection was.

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 2 - The G1 My Little Pony Motherlode

Here we are for part 2 of my best ever hauls of stock for Pica Pica Vintage. This time I was at a carboot sale outside my local area. I'm terrible - I can't drive past a jumble sale, car boot sale or charity shop without stopping for a little peep. I was visiting my Mum in Sussex in 2011. I was already quite satisfied with my finds so far at the sale until I caught a glimpse of all those pony tails all jumbled up in a box together. I abandoned my route up and down the rows and ran over worried that someone else might have spotted what I'd seen. Without digging in the box too deeply, I asked the price for the whole lot. I could have cried. They were all mine. I'd just bought nearly 200 vintage My Little Ponies.

They were all in good condition, and luckily only in need of a little TLC to get them ready for my customers. I really wish I'd taken pictures of them all lined up drying in the garden in the sunshine. It was of my most lucarative collections I've ever bought as there were some real gems including rare accessories and Europe and UK exclusive ponies. All of my collectors were really pleased. By the time I'd finished sorting everything out I even found some ponies were complete with all their original accesories. I still sometimes dream about that find.

Do you have something missing from your collection? Just send us an email vic(at)picapicavintage.com and we'll do our best to help!

Woo hoo - 4500 Happy eBay Customer Feedbacks :-)

Thank you, lovely customers ;-D Here's to many more happy collectors!

My Best Ever Pica Pica Vintage Hauls Part 1 - MEGO Dolls & Mint In Box Fisher Price Toys

I've got a great nose for a bargain and I've really tried to fine tune my eye to spot the best vintage toys for my customers. I've been running Pica Pica Vintage for 6 years now (with two bouts of maternity leave thrown in for good measure) but I've actually been thrifting ever since I can remember (sheesh - over 25 years?!) I was THAT contrary child who didn't like 1980s neon pink Barbie dolls. I spent my childhood searching out 1960s and 1970s Sindy dolls as i preferred their more realistic clothes and furniture. They had brunette hair that was more like my own. Maybe this was where my love affair with vintage began?

Anyway, here is part 1 of some of my all time favourite finds of the past 6 years. Isn't it a bummer we only think to take more pictures now? I really wish I'd have had the thought to take pictures at the time.

Ones early morning I was feeling down heartened to have only found some 1980s McDonalds toys - still good for my inventory, but nothing to get too over excited about. Suddenly I spotted the corner of a box. Straight away it was the bright blue and red of vintage Fisher Price. Soon I amassed a huge pile including the Fisher Price record player mint in box along with several other sets including the airport which I was really pleased with. I had a word with the stall holder and asked if it was ok to start a pile. I always find this polite and also showing that kind of courtesy will show you're a serious buyer and could even mean you get first dibs on things that haven't been unpacked yet. This haul made me take a trip to the cash point for more money and three trips back to the car with a trolley of toys. This collection turned out to all date from the 1970s / 1980s and had been looked after perfectly with most things never having been removed from their boxes.

The final cherry on the cake was finding a carrier bags full of 1970s poseable MEGO figures. I carefully took them all home to research. Unexpectadly, in my bag of familiar Marvel characters was the ultra rare Zorro figure. No listings on eBay existed with him in his full outfit including his cape. I was delighted to sell him to a London collector for over £100. If only he'd had his sword. The thing is, everything owned by this collector was so well looked after it probably was there and I missed it. One of the things I love most about my job is that I'm always learning. I'll know what his sword looks like for next time

My Collections - Vintage Fisher Price Little People

I used to collect (read: hoard!) a lot of vintage toys. The saddest thing about this though was that there were too many to even display properly, so they were all sat in boxes. This was part of the reason I founded Pica Pica Vintage as a way to thin out my collection.

My biggest collection was vintage Fisher Price - the mid century style paper decals really speak to me and I have such a fondness for those Little People that fit just so perfectly into little hands in a way that they've never managed with subsequent attempts at replicating that original toy line.

This year I've been more about really drilling down and thinking properly about how I want my home to look. I will say that the Marie Kondo book has definitely been an inspiration, but my friend really made me laugh in saying that by buying the book we'd just be cluttering up the house even more! Haha. All that being said, it has made me think and as a result I completely down sized my collection - only keeping one of each of the figures and listing everything else in the shop.

I find this little group of guys much more pleasing to look at now and I honestly prefer the money in the bank rather than sat sadly in boxes in the loft.

If you're looking to add to your Fisher Price collection, some of mine can still be found here in the shop

Tutorial - How To Clean A Vintage Fisher Price 134 Activity Center

Maybe you've bought one online, or you're cleaning up an old family toy that's been sat in the loft for years. Over the years we've sold lots of these and the nostalgic feel of vintage Fisher Price toys seems to be more popular than ever right now. Before you throw away those toys that you thought were too dirty to be loved again, take a look at our tutorial to give it a thorough deep clean to safely pass it on to the next generation.

1. Before we start you'll need a mild detergent - washing up liquid is perfect. You'll also need a soft sponge, an old tooth brush and a screwdriver. Luckily most Fisher Price toys are put together with screws. The plastic may be brittle, so don't be too rough. Carefully remove all the screws and put to one side.

Whoops - have you had a disaster? Moldy decals or you've accidentally soaked one too much? Luckily replacements are available. Use the toy number (in this case 134) to order your replacements online.

2. Carefully take all the components out and put them to one side on a tray. Make sure not to lose any of the small pieces like the yellow piece that dings the bell or the small spike that clicks. 

In a bowl of warm soapy water wash each piece one at a time. You don't want to fully submerge anything especially the pieces with paper decals. Wash all the pieces using the soft sponge and toothbrush to get in all the corners. Don't scrub the paper decals or the clear plastic to avoid damage. If you do accidentally get water trapped in one of the toys, wrap it in kitchen roll and stand it upright in a radiator to dry out. Ideally leave everything to fully dry naturally to avoid putting anything back together damp and causing mold.

3. This is the main body of the toy and has no decals.You can safely submerge this piece and give it a good clean. You may need to change the water in your bowl to do this as this is the part that always seems to hold the most dirt. In this one we found old coins, crayons, stones and paper shreds pushed

 in!

4. Now to clean the front. This side has paper decals, so you don't want to keep this in water for any longer than you need to. You may need to use the cotton ear buds / q tips to get inside the edges of the dial. We used the toothbrush to get inside the run for the tortoise and the hare. It's best to now let everything you've cleaned air dry in the sunshine for a few hours...or, if you live here in the UK, leave it on the draining board to air dry :-)

5. Now that everything is bone dry, it's time to put all the pieces back together. Here is a picture of where they all go back in case you've forgotten :-) One thing worth noting is the mirror - flip it over so that the best side is showing. Check everything is in the right place before putting all the screws back in. Start with the screws in the corners first.

There you go - all fixed and back together! If you're giving the toy to a child we recommend using an anti bacterial spray on kitchen paper and giving it a wipe over. These principals can be used for most vintage Fisher Price. Just send us an email if you need any further help.

This one is fresh and clean ready for it's new owner :-)

Getting Back To It

So, as it turns out having two children under 3 is quite time consuming.

We have barely scratched the surface on all the home projects I'd hoped to have done, but having two little boys literally undoing any cleaning and tidying throughout the day with the effort of a well oiled tag team, I'm powerless to try and fight it. I can't stop the tide. I'm trying to enjoy this time as best as I can and remind myself to feel lucky everyday that I have a job that allows me to be home with these little tornadoes.

Right, let's try and get back to business.

Ebay Auction Sniping

I encountered this idea a few years ago. Sniping is considered bad form by many and a real faux pas - I've definitely been guilty of trying to do a last stitch snipe when an auction is ticking down those last few seconds on something I really want, but a slow broadband connection or the slightest slip on the keyboard can send all those best laid plans out the window when someone else snipes it away from right under your nose.

As a full time Ebay seller I've not encountered this as a problem as I have a policy of listing everything I sell at a Fixed Price / Make An Offer. I like to have my items find their own price and also to have the flexibility of adjusting the cost if someone buys a job lot of things from me at the same time.

With the age of apps and online gadgets for pretty much anything I was surprised and maybe a little impressed to find there are such things as ebay sniper websites. Here's one I found with a quick Google search:



www.auctionsniper.com
 

I definitely have a few "one that got away" ebay stories - like the 25 metres of vintage Superman fabric that I missed out on by 20p (I actually wrote begging emails to the seller and the buyer for that one, to no avail!) These days, I don't stalk my auctions how I used to. I have a more fatalistic attitude. I tend to place a bid then forget about it until I get the email saying whether I've won or lost. Not sure whether that is because I'm older, or because I just go to way too many charity shops and car boot sales and the things I want eventually turn up?!

But, just in case that elusive item I just have to have ever pops up, I've bookmarked this Sniper tool...