The scythe is usually recognized as the preferred prop of the grim reaper. The sickle is usually recognized as a symbol of communist Russia.  Both the scythe and sickle have been around since the preneolithic times.  Sickles were used for harvesting grass-like crops such as wheat and hay.  Sickles were later replaced with scythes.   Since…

Walking sticks and canes date back to prehistoric times – often believed to have a limited purpose of providing stability and protection. They were more often a representation of ones’ status in society and cultural. Walking sticks and canes fall into three categories: folk art, city sticks, and gadget canes (secret sticks). Material used to…

Hard to believe that only this much is left in the old shop. We will be totally out by Wednesday and will begin to curate the inventory in the new shop. I will try to upload some photos of the new space soon. I look forward to seeing everyone again in April. Laurel

The snow is melting! The days are getting longer! The birds are coming home. Spruce up your yard and make it an outdoor living space. Solar lanterns are economical, convenient, and environmentally friendly.

Siddhartha Gautama was raised in great luxury and shielded from religion and human suffering. He had little experience of the world outside the walls of his palaces. During a ride along the countryside; Siddhartha Gautama encountered his first experiences with old age, disease and death. He also encountered a man that had renounced the world….

Windmills enabled farmable land in the Netherlands. They were used to divert water away from swamps and marshes. Windmills were used to maintain more low lying land for farming. Windmills were also a source of milling grains. In the Netherlands, windmills were used to send messages of grief or joy by attaching and adjusting sails…

Victorian Hat Pins and holder @ Time’s Tin Cup ! Hatpins were originally designed to be used in pairs to fasten a women’s hat to her hair. But a hatpin might just be the deadliest fashion accessory in history. Although hatpins are ornamental, they have a sharp point for fastening. Hats grew in fashion during…

From hieroglyphs to motion pictures. Visual art has captured simulations that communicate ideas, stories perceptions, feelings, and beauty. Vintage cameras are a piece of this history. They highlight the evolution of this technology from the magic lantern to sound on film. Staff with film equipment and tape reels in the Audio Visual Services Department at…

The pack basket has withstood the test of time. It has been in use since 900 B.C. and is still loved today by trappers, hunters and foragers. It is not just outdoorsmen that make the pack basket a tool of choice. Some very creative moms find the pack basket a tool of choice for laundry…