Arts and Crafts

I have a few unique Chicago Bears items that I will classify as art. One is some sort of a recessed Chicago Bears player head made up of a paper mache material. It is old school, I believe, because the player helmet has the old style "white C" on the helmet. Plus, the player seems to represent a tough, hard-nosed type of guy. It is signed by Dick Dahlstrom. I'm not real sure who he is, but he does show up on an artist roster when I googled him.



My second piece is a print from a limited lithograph that I bought directly from the artist at a tailgate party the year the Bears played in Champaign, IL. The artist is Paul Ashack and he is renowned for doing Chicago Sports art. He has a nice website, if anybody is interested. The name of my print is "Back In The Day" and it represents tailgating at the old Soldier Field. Mr. Ashack was kind enough to autograph it for me.



My third unique item is really nothing more than a poster. However, the guy I bought it from at a Bears Fan Convention happens to be the guy that took the photograph that is depicted in the poster. It is THE picture where Walter Payton is goofing around in practice and is pulling down Matt Suey's shorts. The photographer, Jim Mantaenis autographed the poster for me. He was working the Fan Convention signing up organ donors for the Payton Foundation. He was working off a deal with the Paytons (I believe)to obtain exclusive rights to THAT photograph, for he was just beginning his own Sports Photography Company.

Chicago Bear Football Cards

Furniture

My brother-in-law decoupaged a Walter Payton poster onto a piece of plywood 25 years ago and I made a table top out of it. I did the same thing with a logo bears head on my game table. My daughters bought me a bar stool one year and I also have a nice lawn chair. In addition, I have a blow up chair somewhere that will make a great addition to a larger room someday.

Christmas

Yeah, I have Christmas stuff...hat, stocking, helmet lights for my tree...Mostly, I just have ornaments...about 35 of them and growing. The holiday manufacturers are Hallmark, Russ, Memory Company and one called Scottish something or another (they hit the market strong last year with glass ornaments)...

Telephones, Clocks, Lamps

I always wanted a phone made out of an actual full sized Riddell Helmet, but the prices I saw on Ebay were always too high....and then, I got lucky.

I won an auction on a phone that was actually used at Madison Square Garden on April 28-29, 1987 for the NFL Draft (Certificate of Authenticity)...The Bears drafted Jim Harbaugh in Round One and Ron Morris in Round Two. The phones provided that day were made by Nardi Enterprises, Inc. and each team was provided only ONE! Some other teams phones were auctioned in the $1,000 - $3,000 range....I lucked out at around $100.00...

Here are a couple of phones that I actually use.....


My birthday was last week and my wife bought me a nice digital scoreboard clock...Needless to say, I LIKE IT! It took some wall rearranging, but of course I was able to do it. I also have a rigid plastic "pennant shaped clock" and a regular round clock...plus an alarm clock (not pictured) and a half dozen different wristwatches (also not shown at this time)




I really had no intention of ever collecting lamps, but they ARE functional. If you pay close attention to some of the "room" pictures you will see them. I have three. One is a made from a 1983 "Huddles" Teddy Bear and another appears to have a late 1970's plastic Bobblehead as a base. I also have this new 17" touch lamp.

And, have I mentioned my latest compulsion.....NIGHT LIGHTS....LOL




I also have lighted pens and a lighted mug. I can put on quite the light show without conventional lighting.....