In 1990 a representative from a magazine called Early American Life came to interview me and to take pictures of some of my collection for a six-page Christmas spread in their magazine. Today I was opening some cupboards that had been closed for years and I found a copy of this offering. I had written the article and forgot that I knew so much about children's china and glassware. (I don't now.) lol. Seeing the pictures took me back to a very hectic but enjoyable period in my life. I was teaching full time, writing books about these sets, traveling to London and Paris, every spare moment morphed into the world of children's toys, girlie toys. The collection spread and started including beautiful toy furniture or furniture made especially for little girls to have tea parties and to make tableaux with their dolls and dishes. One very very exciting day I discovered eBay. Another world opened up and suddenly I was buying the toys, picturing and writing about them, and, dealing dishes was added to my busy schedule. It took over, actually and I did not collect anymore. I worked for my customers and did not want to compete with them collection wise. I did not want them to think I kept the best and sold them the rest. There was enough competition in these collecting groups as it was. Andy and I had conventions here, we took some groups on tours to London and Paris and this field and the people in it took over my life. I retired from teaching and I noticed that it was time to get out of the toy dishes realm and I eased into another field. I did this time after time. Something told me this is it for this collecting field and I eased away until in 2005 I stopped it all--I have kept a few favorite pieces, especially the furniture which is such a wonderful thing; these items are spread around the house for me to enjoy and remember where I was and what happened in that space of time. If you are a collector, you know what I am talking about.
