Christmas music on the radio... I like it.

I've rolled my eyes in the past when radio stations start playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but this year I like it.
Maybe because we've already had snow? (It melted.)
Or because I'm in an unusually acquisitive, present-seeking mood?

I  revised my plan to only work with animals that come to me, organically (like, in the alley)--you just don't find wonderful old ones lying around.  I've never ordered anything off eBay before, but in the past week I've spent almost $100 for a dozen or so old stuffed animals to repair and reinvent.

The first shipment arrived last night--you can see why I might be in a Christmas-y mood:

I immediately put them on the back porch in the below-freezing temps--I read this kills dust mites, and I've been sneezing more, lately... I also need to buy a dust mask to use when I'm de-stuffing toys.

I like repairing animals for others, and but since these ones don't belong to anyone (except to me, now), I feel free to change them up. 

Not sure exactly what I'll do---maybe just a little visible mending on their worn spots; I'd like to somehow highlight the handwork in the hand-sewn ones. 
But I also might change them up, incorporate other textiles, scraps of old hand-sewn work, trinkets, or embroider them myself...
And then give them away or sell them. I don't intend to keep most of them. (Famous last words?)

Meanwhile, I do find amazing non-fabric things at Goodwill.
Look at these hand-painted mice on this ceramic plate with a handle, from Bavaria. ($2.25, with my 25% senior discount.)

I especially like the one that is looking up with some indignation at the handle: 
Who's disturbing our gymnastics?

A little googling and I found that plates with handles like this are lemon servers, for slices of lemon at tea time. 
The mice seemed weird to me, but I found a couple others like it.
Mostly, however, Bavarian ceramics are all about fruits or pheasants.