Rose's Collector's Corner ~

This is one of my favorite sections of the website. I wanted to include it so I could share some of our wonderful customers with you and to let them tell the stories of their collections.
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I'd like  you to meet Jean who came into the shop one day and walked out a collector of Wee Forest Folk Bears. We had so much fun chatting away about collecting treasures and Jean found just the new collection she wanted to collect and started right then and there.
 Jean is everything to do with bears..even her purse she carries has a bear on it.
Please enjoy reading about Jean's new collection of Wee Forest Folk Bears.  ~Rose~

Hi ya 'll,

I've been collecting bears since I was a little girl and every nook and cranny in my house has a bear or two in it. I told my family not to buy me anymore bears, that is until I walked into Rose's shop and saw those bears looking right back at me. These bears have the cutest faces I've ever seen and I knew I was hooked. My problem was figuring out which one I wanted first.

Rose says you always remember the very first one you buy so I needed it to be just right. I decided I would start my collection with 'Party Time' because I felt like celebrating my new found bear collection. I also got 'Welcome Home' which I remember the day my husband came home from serving in Vietnam and  then I picked 'Lunch on a Log' because I always packed his lunch when he went to work.

 I left carrying my pretty bag from Rose's with my 3 mice  and have been adding to them once a month.
For Father's Day I am getting 'Honey Bear' in honor of my husband's father who had bee hives in his back yard and we always got the best honey from him.

After all these months I only have a few left to get to complete all of them in the line. Rose told me they have retired some so we will now be on the look out for them too.

This summer I will get 'Lost on the Trail' which reminds me of my husband and oldest son  who were always going hiking. Then for Halloween I will get both 'Halloween Fairy Bear' and 'Sugar Plum Fairy Bear' because we have two daughters.

Rose made me this big glass case with trees and grass and flowers in it and every time I get a new bear all I have to do it lift the glass top off and add it to the scene. All of the bears fit in there and it is perfect.

I sure hope they keep adding more bears so I can keep collecting them!

Bearly yours,
Jean

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Last evening I was chatting with my daughter and this section came up in conversation and Christina said, "Mom please let me be the next to write in this section. And of course I said..Yes.

So let me introduce you to my beautiful grown daughter, Christina ('Sweet Pea' to me) who is an absolute delight and a joy in my life!   ~Rose~

Hi Everyone!

I am thrilled to be able to share my story about the Wee Forest Folk and the connection they have in my life.

I remember the day it all began, I was 8 years old and with my parents and brother walking around the mall 'window shopping'. We walked into a gift store and there they were... right at my eye level... at the counter... behind glass.... smiling at me! Oh my gosh!!!

From that very second on, my ponies and dolls were just a memory. Well, not really but I was in love with those mice!!
We left that store with 'our' very first mice. Little Squirt, April Showers also Stars and Stripes and a catalog!!!! Oh... that catalog!!! I still have it, with circles and stars all over it, it's all worn out and torn and oh so loved!

Now, MY very first mouse arrived  that Christmas...Pageant mouse... in purple, my most favorite color.

 I can tell you, whenever there was anything important going on, like birthdays, holidays, when I was really sick for that summer, when the new pieces came out, when I learned to drive, my first date, tea parties, my graduation, my marriage, the birth of my two sons, my little home. Everyone of those times and many many 'just because' times my collection grew.

 It's been 22 years now and I can tell you everything about everyone of my precious Wee Folk. My parents always made sure that we opened a special new mouse in that great little box.

I moved into my new little place last month and Momma met me there the night I got the keys. We had a great time that evening giggling and sharing dreams, sitting outside on my deck listening to all the frogs singing and just for my mom... a hummingbird buzzed by several times to say 'Welcome'. So between the hummingbird humming and all the frogs croaking.. I felt right at home!

 After Momma left I walked into my new little kitchen and there sitting on my window sill, in that oh so special little box was... a mouse.... just it... and me... Oh my gosh!!!!
I opened the box and saw 'Mouse' smiling at me!

Each and every mouse is so special to me that it would be hard to pick favorites (and besides 'they' all live in very close quarters! te-te) But I will say among the top are Freddie and Flirty Frogs... in lavender of course.

I've not had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Petersen,Willie or Donna but the wonderful stories I've been told and the emotion that shows on each little Wee Folk's face warms my heart and allows me to feel that special love that only a collector would know.

Thanks for reading my 'tale' and Happy Mousing!
Christina



 

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I'd like to introduce you to Melanie. From the moment she stepped into the shop and exclaimed, "Oh, you have Wee Forest Folk!" we connected. Four hours later, and still chatting away, our hearts had connected too. It was pure serendipity. I hope you enjoy her reading  about her collection. ~Rose~

Hi All!

I'm Melanie and a while ago I had the very good fortune of discovering the most delightful shop that I think I have ever been in… and it carried Wee Forest Folk! The shop's name is Sweet Hummingbird Lane.  Rose, the shop's owner, is honestly one of the friendliest, warmest ladies you would ever hope to meet. Her passion for and knowledge of Wee Forest Folk is truly amazing and it definitely shows in the way she lovingly and creatively displays the mice.

As for me, it was in 1982 that I fell head over heels in love with a mouse. Yes, a mouse! Go figure! This wee mouse, a.k.a. Baby Sitter, was a very special gift from my dear sister to thank me for my help after she had her first child. I was totally, unabashedly, and quite happily smitten, not only with my niece of course, but with a mouse!

My collection has grown over the years as I have fallen in love with another sweet mouse that seemed to reflect a significant event in my life that I hold dear to my heart or that reminded me of one of my loved ones. Some of my mice have been given to me by friends or family or I have gotten just because I thought they were just so darn cute!

One of my very favorite places to be is the beach. I rarely get to go, but when I look at my On the Beach pieces, they transport me there and I'm as happy as (don't groan) a clam. All of my beach mouseys are sitting on a clear glass dish filled with fine sand (to keep their little feet happy), tiny shells and small bits of driftwood…maybe they're having a beach party…fun times!

It would be difficult for me to pick a favorite mouse…each is so special to me for it's own reason. The Forest Scene pieces I have honor my dear husband and our courtship—Gosh, do they still use that word?! When he got his first chainsaw, I got Woody Woodmouse…a good deal, I thought!  Colleen O'Green and That's Blarney celebrate a dream come true of the two of us going to Ireland…and yes, he did kiss the Blarney Stone… I didn't; I was a big chicken! All of the mom and baby girl pieces like Beddy-bye Mousey, Sweet Dreams, Her Big Hug, and especially Ring Around Rosie make me think of our two beloved daughters. Both are now grown with precious families of their own and have blessed us with 3 beautiful grandchildren. Oh boy, that means more WFF!!!

Our 7-1/2 year-old granddaughter, Sara, loves to hear the "stories" about each mouse. She'll say, "Tell me about this one, Gramma! Why did you get that one?" And as she carefully holds them, I'll tell her, "Oh, I got that one, Christmas Cutie, after you were born…" or "I got that one, Kitty Cuddle, because you love kitties…" or, "I got Slap-Shot (a.k.a Phil Mouseposito), because your daddy played junior hockey…" or, "I got Ace to honor your great-grandpa who was a WWII pilot." I smile because I see the sparkle in her eyes and the love on her face as I tell her our family history. These are special moments for us.

Last Christmas my darling girls surprised me with Helpful Elf. Now…I love all of my Christmas pieces but oh, this piece...it's special! I was so captivated by this sweet little piece that does such a wonderful job of expressing the kind, gentle care of one creature for another. It's no wonder that it won the Collector's Choice Award!

I am so grateful to the truly gifted Petersen's, the talented painters and those that help them for bringing so many smiles to so many faces over the years. For me, their creations never, ever fail to make me happy.

Happy Mousing to all!
Melanie