More Exceptional Christmas Gifts

Really, you must drop in. There is something for everyone, and I can't tell you how delicious the beeswax candles smell.
The Continental Construction, Memphis Tenn. sign is getting positively lost behind the other goodies--It would be delicious in a kitchen. Don't you want to put all your Obama campaign parenphenalia inside the Camelot hat box for safekeeping?Note the handmade paper victorian chair. The paper is inprinted iwth a wicker design. It's too wonderful, totally unique, and only $12. The handmade wooly sheep also must be a hundred years old, at least. Note the solo bisque doll head at the back.
The perfecty distressed doll table. At about 8 inches high, it holds a miniature tea set perfectly (You can pick one of those up from us too-- I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.)
Handrolled beeswax tapers. Handrolled by Kate and Elise, personally, and wrapped with a collection of unique papers and ribbons. At 16" they are gloriously, decadently tall-- tall enough to last all through Christmas night, even if you forget to blow them up becasue you're having such an uproariously good time. $12 a pair.

Crusted with dirt, languishing in the corner of an old garage, Kate rescued this fantastic Monte Christo Toilet Preparation display, nursed it back to health, and brought it in. We're pleased as punch to show it to you, and even happier to fill it full of the most delicate and exquisite niceties, including an old paper maché marionette head, a handmade Victorian sheep, a tiny Victorian paper chair, imprinted in faux wicker, a vintage fish hook box, and finally (and do forgive me for not having a photo of this yet) a wonderful box of old hairpins called "Scoldy Lox."

The display case seems inspired by the Crystal Palace. It's four tiers, and each part of the case has its own door, fastened with a tiny brass latch at the case's back.

The middle tier currently houses old passamenterie silk flowers. The bottom holds a bisque doll's head, a good-tacky tea cup, and some tiny paper roses.

I haven't been able to find out anything about Monte Christo Toilet Preparations. "Christo" seems misspelled on purpose to lead you off the trail of Dumas's count, but still evokes that hero's glamor.

It's a glamor that this beheaded marionette could use. He's no Edmond Dantés, though his paper collar shows he's a man who cares about personal appearance. And his probiscous suggests that a toilet preparation attracting ladies could help him.

Refashioning wind up toys

A lovely little foray into the archives at Z Recommends hooked me into this idea of repurposing a windup-toy to make a drawing robot, courtesy of Finkbuilt (a fantastic blog) courtesy of, etc., all the way back to Zoom.

A little wind-up toy motor works as a power sources to shake a shimmy the pen-legs about the paper. What a wonderful project!

Not for sale at K& E, but well worth noting by those who like the find new life for old things, and for anyone looking for an unusual piece of art for their wall!