Tacky Tourist Junk: I like the moose doo made into earrings and pendants. That's always been my personal favorite. Also the felt collegiate banners with the huge red cockroach (read lobster) on it. No coastal roadside "gallery" should be without these!

Brian

Tacky Tourist Junk: Love the remembrances of tacky souvenir stuff! Made me think of a few more: silvery pot metal ashtrays in the shape of various states/provinces, with gaudy embossed lettering and scenic highlights (e.g., New York with Niagara Falls and Statue of Liberty) maple syrup in small jugs or cabin- shaped tins, small boxes of leaf-shaped maple sugar candies, prickly-pear shaped cactus candies, sticky-sweet dates. Fake wood-grain boxes with instant collections -- sets of labeled sea shells or mineral samples glued into a grid inside (the sparkly fools' gold and petrified wood were big favorites, as were any recognizable fossils). Plastic-ribbed fans with gaudy printed scenery -- love these when I find them at yard sales, they make great mini-craft materials. Small mesh bags with a couple of clam shells -- fill a glass with water, drop in the shells, and the glue linking them dissolved so origami-like water lilies "bloomed" by popping up out of the shells on a string and floating to the surface. For some reason those were just fascinating! Come on, everybody, I bet there are even more souvenir ideas out there.

Loretta Sniarowski

Tacky Tourist Junk: Coffee mugs, snow globes, back scratchers, key chains, baseball caps, decks of cards. film, maps and brochures for local attractions, candy and gum. Anywhere near a beach, add salt water taffy and shells to the list.

Char in San Diego

Tacky Tourist Junk: The one set of items I didn't see listed with the tourist souvenirs, are salt and pepper shakers. I see them wherever I go - some are beautiful artwork, and others are whimsical or local craft work. (Some are off-color.) I have a set of sheep I've had for 30 years, just because they were sweet and unusual. As long as you have two tiny items alike or very similar, they could become salt and pepper shakers.

Paulette in IN

Tacky Tourist Junk: There always seem to be postcards, shot glasses, ashtrays, crumpled soda cans still with soda in them, and depending on where you are, some of the local things, like here in Fl., there are sparkley plaster seashells filled with a beach scene, huge sun glasses, straw hats, the snow filled glass domes, key chains, kids license plates with their names on them. Then in other areas I've seen little outhouses that when you open the door, there is a pen and pad to write a note if the people you were visiting weren't home.

In Arizona we found lots of beautiful dream catchers, cactus jellies, small cacti in tiny pots, rabbit fur and beautiful Indian jewelry.

In New Mexico there were little bags of petrified wood different polished rocks and beautiful stones.

Where ever we have gone there are always rings of several types. There are also the necklaces made with fishing line and have the little charms on them.

In Wis. there are the cheese hats and moo-cow creamers, sugar bowls and salt and pepper sets.

Marilyn Cole

Tacky Tourist Junk: Has anyone mentioned those felt pennants in bright colours bearing the name of cities, or favourite baseball teams - I had quite a collection of those when I was growing up. And weird things made out of seashells.

Ann in Thorold, Ont.

Tacky Outside Tourist Junk: For years, SW Ohio has been a major stronghold of theme-costumed goose statues (OSU and U K uniforms more popular in years like this when the Reds are weak), but lately I've noticed a new trend, really, really tacky mailboxes shaped like NASCAR vehicles, speedboats, police cars, fire trucks, etc. Local truck farmer has a big ear of corn, and somebody around the corner just put up a bigmouth bass lure complete with triple hooks, though I noticed yesterday the hooks were gone. Postman must have complained. Other perennials are gazing balls in the largest size and most lurid colors (purple, green, red) and those wood cutouts on a stake that are supposed to be the fanny of a plus-size, bent-over gardener (lady in dress with bloomers or gent in droop-seated overalls). Painted cement statues of wildlife (bunnies, raccoons, deer, frogs), kissing Dutch kids, the Virgin Mary, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, and the ever-popular lawn jockey, now available in multiple ethnicities in an attempt to overcome its racist past. Slightly more tasteful signs like "Bunny Crossing" or "Deer Crossing." And don't forget the cheesy road signs, usually printed in red on white, with slogans like "This Property Protected By Smith & Wesson" or "This Property Protected By An Attack Cat" or "Parking Space Reserved for GM Trucks" or "Trespassers Without Beer Will Be Prosecuted" etc. Hmm, I detect a theme. This stuff mostly seems aimed at our inner redneck!

Loretta.Sniarowski

Tacky Outside Tourist Junk: My whole favourite place when I was little was a 'trading' post in Ontario which looked like an old log cabin with a wide front porch. They had a huge bear skin stretched from the porch roof down over the railings. Of course, now, I wouldn't go near such a place, but back then this city kid had nothing but wonder for the size of that bear.

My other favourites I've seen include very fake totem poles, a giant sized rocking chair, concrete child-sized versions of elves, huge toy trains, flags and more flags, tethered weather balloons, real train cars or streetcars turned into restaurants or stores or, in one hotel, meeting rooms, cars and trucks on roofs, half a car sticking out of the side of a building, goats on the roof of a 'country' store, huge smiley faces. I think there must be a giant sized one of everything in North America stuck outside or on top of a store or restaurant. I like roadside places that have a fountain and a bench outside - and maybe an old fashioned Coke machine.

Heather in Toronto

Model Magic/PaperClay: The Model Magic doesn't work very well as it never really hardens. It get to the stage of feeling like a marshmallow and that's it. It isn't very durable, either....breaks easily. I'd suggest you try PaperClay. Its much softer and easier to work than poly clay (like Fimo), but dries rock hard. It is also an air dry clay, though I bake mine to speed up the drying.....250-275 degrees for twenty minutes (large pieces) does nicely. No toxic fumes like poly clays, either.

Sloan

Storing Model Magic: If you have a Food Saver II that would work great for storing your unused model magic!

Marsha, Newark, CA