I’m not one to be very conscious of the world of haute couture or those certain articles of clothing which might be worth more than my college tuition. In fact, I’m quite the opposite, but mostly out of necessity. I have student loans to repay, and my general proportions and demeanor are appropriately masked and amplified by one of the only cosmetic choices that I choose to affect - my ever-lovin’ t-shirt. My adventures don’t take me to anyplace that requires any higher state of refinement, so it’s usually me and my t-shirt against the world. And because of this, I have about a katrillion of ‘em. The nerd banner for the new millennium. And, well, millenniums past. However long they’ve been putting Captain America on t-shirts. That’s how long.

I wouldn’t normally classify my shirts as a collection, except for the fact that I possess an excess of them beyond any practicality. I could wear the same three t-shirts and be perfectly content from here until the apocalypse, but society at large tends to shun those people whose attire is as constant as that of a cartoon character. One wonders if Charlie Brown actually had more than one zigzag shirt, or if his state of perpetual morbidity prevented him from ever even changing his clothes, because really, what’s the point? What the hell is the point?

For the past year or so, my wardrobe has been composed of almost entirely shirts purchased from Threadless, a designer T company that I first became attracted to when I learned that all of their designs are user-submitted and audience-voted creations. This ensures a variety of ideas and designs among their products, and very rarely does a snide and pseudo-witty slogan besmirch the canvas of their otherwise intelligent and beautiful shirts. My philosophy on t-shirts matches that of my philosophy on coffee mugs - because of their ease of production, it’s a world populated by foul, unattractive denizens, and you have to dig deep to find something that isn’t outright embarrassing to anyone with an IQ over 70, but Threadless pulls it off.

Of course, I must admit to a biased opinion. Especially about Bone Gramophone, which I’d designed for a contest and subsequently placed third in. These user-submitted designs, once selected through a process influenced by audience voting (but ultimately, resting heavily on the shoulders of the site’s young and entrepreneurial proprietors), win a significant chunk of cash and mini-fame, so there’s scarcely a party who does not benefit from the arrangement. Their catalogue spans a vast array of choices, so there’s something for all ages and senses of humor and beauty. Their attention to the artistry of design has led them to treat their shirts as objets d’art, actually giving them editions which increase as the shirt’s popularity demands that it be reprinted. With shirts being seen as status symbols, a first edition shirt says ‘I was there WHEN!’, if you ever find yourself in a group of people so self-conscious and arrogant that you need to prove yourself in such a way. Me, I resort to a ninja-kick and ducking around a corner to cry, but you can do it your own way.

Personally, I’ve been absurdly in love with my Dark Side of the Garden shirt, as it appeals to both a strong sense of design and my passion for all things Vader. My love of vinyl and design is also fairly exemplified in The Outdoor Mix. Piece of Meat is another favorite, as I can proudly display my much-maligned omnivorism. There’s no shortage of robots or squid either. There are a lot of shirt sites out there, as shirt printing has become a very accessible technology, but there are few that really possess this much goodwill and Web 2.0 awareness. And if you love your shirts? Submit a photo of yourself wearing it and they’ll give you a buck or so off of your next order. Submit a winning design and get a ridiculous number of free shirts along with your cash prize.

(My most recent self-portrait submission)

Outside of Threadless, no truly useful t-shirt collection would be complete without at least one Fantastic Four shirt (courtesy of Graphitti Designs, fine purveyors of nerdware) and at least three shirts that were clearly given away as free promotional items at conventions. Throw in a few shirts from Goodwill that say things that are completely unrelated to you, like ‘Tuscaloosa Women’s Volleyball Team 1982’ or ‘Slim’s Microwave Repair’ for some hardcore indie cred. And please, for the love of all that is holy, exclude any shirts that have a necktie and tuxedo printed on them, or anything that says ‘princess’ in sequins. Those things don’t even work in a ‘so ironic it’s cool’ way.

Because it’s really not.

A good t-shirt won’t last forever if it’s good enough to wear, and the best ones won’t last very long at all. I’ve accepted the transient nature of the t-shirt - the unraveling seams, the unattractive bleach stain from where you grandmother went crazy in the laundry room, that little pinprick hole from the cat’s claw that never went away - but more than other ‘collectibles’, these things have a timeline and memory because of their active involvement in daily life. I don’t remember when my Red Son Batman action figure arrived in the mail, but I remember the comments that I got on my Basement of the Alamo shirt, or the shirt with the big ol’ Bizarro insignia. Many crafter-types have given a second life to shirts in disrepair also, in pillows and handbags. I recently used an old t-shirt to sew some extra awkward tentacles and a face onto squid plush I was making, and that’s some soft stuff.

So it doesn’t all have to be advertisements splashed across attractive chests - no, your bosoms, be they masculine or feminine, can say something meaningful. Let them say it proudly.

It’s probably obvious by now that I really like all that girly-girl stuff, so it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of lace. Love it, from the lace doily under the flower vase in the hallway to the lace tablecloth in the dining room. My mother has a beautiful tablecloth that was crocheted especially for her by her aunt. My lace has been found here and there, things I happened upon and purchased for the little antiques booth I once had and then couldn’t bear to part with.

Lacemaking has been around for a long time, but got a big boost during Elizabethan times, when large lace ruffs at the neck were popular among those who could afford them. They didn’t come cheap! This website gives some fantastic information about uses of lace and methods of making lace during this era.

Belgium became a center of lacemaking and to this day visitors can easily find stunning examples of Belgian lace in the shops.

To learn more about the early history of lace, read this article that was featured in Lace magazine.

Related Links:

Anyone in or visiting the Sunnyvale, California area can visit The Lace Museum, devoted to exhibiting superior examples of lace and keeping alive the art of lacemaking.

Lace collectors and those who enjoy creating lace, or want to learn how, might be interested in Lace Magazine. Here you’ll find courses in lacemaking as well as patterns and lacemaking supplies. There are also beautiful examples of handmade antique lace for sale. Furthermore, there are many informative articles about lace and lacemaking.

Based in the United Kingdom, The Lace Guild boasts over 5000 members worldwide. Take a look at their website to see interesting articles about bobbin and needle lace, learn about their publications, see infor about upcoming lace events and more.

The word “reproduction” strikes fear into the hearts of many collectors of antique and vintage glassware, but not everyone avoids these new pieces. While it’s true reproduction pieces should never be sold as authentic antiques or vintage pieces, there are many collectors and others who welcome these newly made gems.

There are many people restoring old houses and apartments (and those who create new homes) who want the look and feel of glass doorknobs and cabinet pulls. Architectural elements such as gingerbreading, moulding and fireplaces are “allowed” — as are garden pieces such as benches, fountains and iron gates. We acknowledge the practicality of newly made copies of charming old patterns in these cases, so why not consider glassware in the same light?

In collecting, the value of a piece is threatened when used. This is especially true in the case of glassware which chips, cracks and breaks easily. Just water can etch glass!

So what if you want to use that romantic vase to show-off your dozen long-stem red roses? What if you want to set the table in Depression pink glassware because it’s the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen? Should you dare put salt & pepper in those vintage S & P shakers? What if you just love Scottie dogs, but couldn’t care less if they are younger than your brand new Scottish Terrier pup?

If you love the look of older pieces but can’t afford to enter the market for authentic jadeite (let alone get a full service for 12), and you want to use it anyway, consider reproduction glass your new best friend.

Once upon a time, reproduction glassware was the last resort of a collector who just wasn’t able to get that last spice shaker or gravy boat (at least to fill-in until they were so lucky). But now, many folk realize that new glass in old designs offers piece of mind. Free from worry, you may safely use the stuff, and frankly, it’s a lovely option in home decor.

There certainly is much to be said for the charm and grace of such decorative appointments in bathrooms, kitchens, and throughout a living space — and I daresay little turns a bedroom into a boudoir like the look of old glass candlesticks.

Just knowing it’s been inspired by or otherwise copied from an actual era is all many of us need.

With the return to home fashion vintage and retro looks, even appliances are ‘throw-backs’ to design, why not complete the look with reproduced glass pieces? Add an eclectic surprise to your home. Create future heirlooms with the same old-fashioned looks.

Did grandma only leave one stunning candy dish and your sister got it? Perhaps it’s being reproduced today from the same factory mold — sure, it’s neither “old” nor “grandma’s”, but you can still have the sweet reminder. And your grandkids can have the same feeling over this dish in the future.

(Maybe you should get one for each grandchild and head off this problem for future generations?)

So go ahead, buy reproduction glassware are dare to use it. Afterall, that’s what it’s made for.

Lenticular items, or ‘you know, those plastic things that look like one thing when you look at them one way and another when you turn them, what are they called?’, can usually be found, well, wedged in with other more noticeable things. They’re sidekicks, mere extras making cameo appearances in the shadow of more glorious, scene-stealing items. Small slips of cardboard and plastic in the bottom of a bag of delicious potato chips, or as a useless accessory next to a neato action figure, or an extra-showy slipcover to a new DVD.

Creating the illusion of motion where none is actually present is one of my favorite kinds of optical illusions - that which changes within your perception but makes no physical change whatsoever, tearing small rifts in everything you think you know about reality and time and where you left your car keys. These little perceptual glitches open up understandings about how the brain and eyes work, and they fascinate me. If you’re still not sure what I’m talking about, take a look at the cover to the Transamerica DVD, in which Felicity Huffman transforms from a man to a woman with a slight turn of the case, or the cover to the Napoleon Dynamite DVD that has him dancing all over the place with a slight shift of perspective. Please keep in mind that these things do not respond well to photography, as they’re designed to be perceived by the human eye alone and not a camera lens, otherwise I’d be showing you all kinds of clear examples from my awkward collection.

Essentially, what these lenticular items do is create a short animation using a series of frames that are broken up into narrow strips and interlaced together, creating a single image. A clear, ridged grating is laid over this image, and as it is viewed, light is refracted back to the eye at different angles because of the ridging of the plastic grate. Certain parts of the image are revealed and others obscured. Shifting the angle reveals (and obscures) another perspective and other areas of the image. This can reveal an instantaneous change between two images, or the animation can hold up to a full second of ‘video’ animation. A second’s worth of information might not seem like much, but keep in mind that all of this glorious information is stored in a non-electrical, static object. Instead of storing the video information of the entire World Series on one, you could definitely store video of the winning touchdown. Or whatever it is those guys do. I prefer Dungeons and Dragons and crying alone in my room.

And thusly, like I am a sucker for so many things (Batman, cephalopods, Slim Jims, Legos, girls with glasses, and so on), I am a sucker for lenticular images. They’re gimmicky and entrancing enough to be suitably hypnotic for use as promotional devices and are often just given away, all willy-nilly, to promote new films or action figure lines or toothbrushes. A Spider-Man that turns his head and spins a web, or a C-3PO that inexplicably transforms into an Ewok.

In the mid-80s, Marvel and Mattel’s Secret Wars line of toys (which is a story unto itself, defining the very word ‘toyetic’) each came with a ‘shield’ which bore that character’s portrait. Turn it slightly and it would reveal his alter ego, or a slightly different image. While I could never grasp the practicality of defending oneself with a giant banner that revealed to your attacker which of your friends and family to kill to REALLY get at you, it seemed to work for Iron Man. Mattel would use this lenticular gimmick a whole bunch, most recently repeating it in their JLU Mission Vision line. BanDai includes small lenticular discs in their Ben Ten line of toys which animate a three-frame transformation between Ben Tennyson and the character that he’s becoming. Of course, this (and smart character designs) was enough to sway me into picking up the line. DEVO used to sell ‘wiggle discs’ as part of their merchandise, printed on their record sleeve catalogues.

Marvel had also put out a small (and relatively unpopular) line of trading cards under the name ‘Marvel Motion’, which were entirely lenticular and featured such things as Beast swinging through the treetops or Danny Ketch morphing into Ghost Rider. So enamored with these I am that I’ve even looked into making some myself, and there are companies out there who will produce your mini-animations for you (and send you free samples). As someone who’d madly in love with animation, lenticular items seem like a perfect way to both collect small animations and create your own without a team of artists and photographers hovering around.

So please, spread the word. These things have a proper name. My mission will be complete if I never hear the phrase ‘really, is that what they’re called? I didn’t know that!’ ever again.

As a collector myself, I’ve tried to interest my kids in collecting. When my son was three he picked out a little turtle figurine at a shop while we were on vacation. It was adorable, and I thought maybe he could start a turtle collection. So we picked up a few more turtles on a few more trips, but it quickly became clear that he couldn’t care less about turtle figurines. I tried the same thing with cats for my daughter, but no dice. Then I looked at their Thomas the Tank Engine set, which numbers over 40 trains, thanks to a set of over-indulgent grandparents, and realized they already had a collection. In fact, at any given moment they could tell you the next two trains they were planning to get.

For a while we collected things that they found on our daily walks in the woods behind our house and displayed them on a pretty plate, but that kind of died off. These days my six-year-old is getting into Hotwheels cars, which are much cheaper than the trains, thank goodness.

So I’ve learned that trying to direct a kid into a particular area of collecting doesn’t necessarily work - they’ll wind up collecting what they like, so it’s a better idea to keep an eye on their interests and encourage them. I’m also discovering that what they’re interested in collecting can change from year to year, especially when they’re still really little like mine are. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

The Smithsonian Institute has a nice site for kids who are interested in collecting.