(Hello everyone, come on in!)

My name is Vanessa. I originally from Honolulu, Hawai, on the island of Ohu and now live in Washington State with my Husband. Sorry if my "ME" page froze your computer while downloading. I VERY new to this HTML thingy. I go by the name Hulagirl, but someone already has that "ID", so I have to settle for.....

Hehehehehehe! Actually....I just liked the ring of "Hulagirl Poi Place.....Where Everything All Mixed Up!"....lol.

Ok....the truth.....Poi is made from the root of the taro plant (kalo). It is a main staple of food for Hawaiians. It kinda purple (grayish?) in color and pastey looking. To make it, you use a stone, called a "Poi Pounder", then mash the taro with it using water (sometimes milk) to make this paste. You have to "mix" it all up. That just an easy explanation of Poi. We eat it like rice, potato, pasta....yatta yatta yatta!

I think Poi taste better when eaten with something else like "Lomi lomi salmon", "Lau lau", "Kalua Pig" (these are some types of Hawaiian food)....so I think that where I got the "all mixed up" from. So....like POI...my LIFE & LIKES are all MIXED UP! Get it? hehehehe.

Why "ME"?

Well, I thought since I started to sell some of my Precious Moments pieces on eBay, I thought that this info. page may help to answer some of your questions. Of course, feel free to e-mail me and ask me other questions.

Ie been collecting Precious Moments figurines since 1984. My collection grew to 300+. I started to downsize my collection for various reason in October 1997. I ran an Ad in my local newspaper, which had a great turnout. But, It took up so much of my time (setting up appointments for people to see my pieces, keeping my house clean ALL THE TIME......hahaha)! I was suppose to run another Ad in January 1998, but I became lazy and just haven thought about it.....until now.....until......

eBay!

I've been on eBay since December 1998, which started with purchasing beanies, but has evolved into Anything and Everything! lol. It's been a positive and safe place, so I decided to try and sell some of my pieces. So, here I am :-)

My figurines that I am selling are from my own personal collection. They are displayed in my home (and sometimes at work)in a curio cabinet (two of them at home). There are no boxes because after the 1st 5 years of collecting, I just didn't have anymore room to store the boxes (I was afraid the Fire Dept. would site me with a "Fire Hazard" warning....lol). I felt that because of this I could not call them "mint" or "mint w/o box", because they were displayed. So I called them "Good". Well, after my last auction, many buyers told me that my pieces were "Mint" because they were in excellent condition (NO cracks, repairs, missing pieces). After doing some research in collectable magazines & auction shows, my pieces should be classified as "Mint w/o box".

I clean my pieces every 6 months using only water and a clean cloth (This usually takes or took almost 1 week to complete....whew!) If there was anything wrong with the piece (i.e. broken, missing a part, etc.), I would state that in my auction. These pieces come from a PM collector who loved them so (dat's me! Hulagirl).

My next planned "Auction"?

As of right now, I'm really a "Buyer". I'll sell things as I feel like putting an auction up or when it's time to "Clean House".

What kind of "stuff" do I like to buy/search for on eBay?

This Hulagirl's likes are all over the place. I love Hula items, but not just your ordinary touristy stuff (ok, ok, ok....sometimes). Don't ask for the details....when I see it, then I'll know.

Right now I'm obsessed with Betty Boop Hula items. That means if she has a hula skirt on her.....I WANT IT!!!!! LOL. Hey now! But I am very picky about what I choose and how much I'll pay for it.....kinda, sorta, maybe.....lol. I have two (2) BB Hula Nodders; green skirt & nautral colored skirt. These are my two most treasured items in my collection!

These are other items that I collect.....

• Betty Boop Hula
• Precious Moments Figurines
• Hawaiiana Hula Items
• Water Garden Items
• Hostas! Hostas! Hostas!
• Cacti/Succulents

The "Good & Bad" about eBay?

The really nice people I've met (& still keep in touch with) and the "Sellers" who are truly appreciative (friendly & post feed back). People are generally very HONEST! (I've been very lucky).

Those few individuals who "Bogus" or "Shill" bid on their own auctions. I've finally learned to just say "NO" and not bid anymore on those auctions (although it was tough, 'cause I really wanted that item....lol).