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The Internet, Ebay and Me
The internet has played a major role in my life, and continues to do so. It was in a special interest online chatroom that I met the man, an American, whom I eventually married. After forty something years in a sleepy suburb of Melbourne, Australia where I'd raised a daughter and pursued academic interests in psychology, philosophy and education, love landed me suddenly in USA, where my husband, our spotted cat, Shiva and I inhabit a loft in downtown Los Angeles's Artist District. Here we bought and remodeled a disreputable old dive bar, turning it into a hip, culturally diverse and welcoming place which garnered accolades and awards from most of the city's print media. Having sold it just recently, we have been trying to decide what to do next. I've suggested opening an ebay store as we both love computers and, in this transient of neighborhoods, we seem to constantly acquire interesting objects: furniture, clothes and knicknacks. As nearly everyone around here was originally from somewhere else there are always people moving out and holding loft sales or simply giving things away. Some of the local homeless make a decent living combing through dumpsters then selling what they find to local residents (such as us). It's truly amazing what people throw away. My husband found an entire wardrobe of clean, brand-new Italian designer clothes (most with pricetags still attached) in a nearby dumpster. Armani suits, cashmere jackets - thousands of dollars worth and all in his size. Maybe sometime soonish I'll summon up the courage to list my first item for sale, but meanwhile I'm just a buyer.

a unique art nouveau coffee table

What I like to buy
From childhood onwards I've had a passion for Art Nouveau but never imagined I could afford to own anything from the period. One day, back in late January 2006 I happened to put the words 'Art Nouveau' into the Ebay search engine and saw dozens of amazing tiles for sale at affordable prices. I was awed by the grace and beauty of these tiles, each a miniature artwork which evoked a strangely nostalgic feeling for an era long before my birth. I was also struck by how fresh and vibrant the colors remain on these objects created approximately a century ago. Thus began my collection of Art Nouveau tiles. In just a few weeks I obtained over 100 original tiles; enough to cover an 72" x 36" coffee table, leaving plenty more to hang on the wall. Soon I knew some names of tile designers and manufacturers of the time and noticed that German Art Nouveau tiles, (my favorites) tend to be comparitively more abstract than the British ones and often quite quirky-looking. Later, Art Deco, old Persian, Delft, Spanish, and medieval French tiles were added to the collection as my interest in tiles broadened, and I ordered several books to further my knowledge and enjoyment. I also began collecting small original Art Nouveau metal objects of silver, gold, bronze and brass; items such as brooches, pins, buckles and rings. If you have any genuine Art Nouveau items listed with Ebay in 'Buy it now' or auction, please feel free to send me a message and I will happily check out your store or listings. I'm also currently in love with the gemstone, tourmaline, which, in case you did not know (and I only recently learned) happens to be USA's national gemstone, even though it seems to usually come from places like Brazil or Nigeria. I've never seen a stone which comes in such a wide variety of colors! You can also find bi-colored and even tri-colored ones. My Ebay purchasing experience has brought and continues to bring me immense joy; as a portal through which to access interesting and beautiful objects from around the world, broadening my education and fostering interaction with some wonderful people. It's one more way too in which the internet has enriched my life.