What sign are you?

Sing to tune of "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine" from Hair

When you have a man cave in your house,

With a pool table, or p'rhaps a bar,

Then you will need to decorate it

With neat stuff about your fav'rite car!

(Chorus)

You know you want to buy

A tin sign or two from us,

Tin sign or two from us.

A sign from us

Is marvelous!

Made of tin or even porcelain --

Show the stuff that you think is "in"

Muscle cars that you envision,

Snacks and smokes and even some libations --

'Vettes and 'Stangs and signs from old gas stations,

Even petroleum preparations...

A sign from us

Is marvelous!

When your office space could be more friendly,

Or your kitchen needs a bit of life,

Then get yourself a "Beer served here" sign

Or "Gas today" to scare your wife!

(Chorus)

You know you want to buy

A tin sign or two from us,

Tin sign or two from us.

A sign from us

Is marvelous!

Get a slick sign, check our slick sign bin,

For one made of tin...

Tin Toy Temptations!

Many of us remember those glorious tin toys of old, those brightly colored mechanical wonders we lusted for every birthday, Christmas, release from reform school....whatever the occasion! These older original treasures are now immensely collectible -- immensely expensive -- reminders of "pre-plastic, pre-electronic" childhood.

Luckily, there is a current batch of marvelous tin toys guaranteed to delight the young and the young-at-heart today. The Dog House Garage stocks a nice selection of Schylling gems, and while most of them quite naturally feature automotive themes, we've got some that hearken back to those "Space Race" years of the '50s and 60s!

For example, we've got robots! The Robot 2008 is a foot-tall bad boy that walks and shoots ray guns from an opening door in this chest. The Mechanical Planet Robot calls to mind that old Forbidden Planet Robbie the Robot that, in it's original issue, now brings astronomical amounts at toy shows! We also offer the Robot Lilliput for a smaller dose of mechanical nostalgia.

For automobilia fans, we have several cars. For absolute grins and giggles, the Future Car (available in three color combinations) offers a glimpse of futurism as seen in the late '40s and early '50s. (Today, it looks more like a cross between an amusement park ride and a "B" science fiction flick!) The Racer hints at mid-century Mercedes race cars, while the Jet Car boasts "piston Pounding Engine Sound"!

The list goes on! The fascinating Road Race Spinning Top has "Roaring Racing Sound"; the three-car Flying Yankee Streamline Train speaks of the days of Art Deco design. Our Auto Raceway is a chameleon wonder: the car goes into the "pit stop" garage and appear to emerge in a different color! And while not tin, the chrome-look Cosmic Blaster ray gun features Saturday-matinee light and sound effects!

While really aimed at collectors rather than tots, the Schylling retro-look toys have a charm that spans many generations. Check out our website for out complete listing.

Kindle-schmindle; read a book!

We know that the Kindle and its brethren are revolutionizing the way we read. We can see the benefits of electronic readers, and yet.... Well, let's look at an analogy:

Being who we are, we can see the benefits of modern, fuel efficient, "let me park myself for you" automobiles, but we lust for the road feel and sheer presence of Road Runners, Sting Rays, Duesenbergs, and the like. Similarly, to us, books have pages, weight, a comforting feel on a rainy afternoon. They are meant to be kept in personal libraries, to be shared with enthusiastic friends, to be revisited time and time again.

At the Dog House Garage, we stock a large number of titles guaranteed to appeal to people who love transportation that wears tires. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and the culture that surrounds them cruise across the pages of our books. Most feature fantastic graphics that simply cannot be duplicated -- we feel -- on an electronic reader.

Here's a sample of some of our titles:

• Microcars at Large -- fantastic picture-laden volume of European "bubblecars."
• Corvette: a Piece of the Action -- photos, commentary from Bill Mitchell and Allan Girdler...32 years of fiberglass dreams!
• The Iron Redskin -- the history of America's Indian Motorcycle -- lots of photos, large format
• Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives -- food Network's Guy Fieri shares highlights of his "food joint" visits, along with dozens of recipes from his travels! We have additional titles from the spiky blond chef, as well!
• Ultimate Garages -- Drop in man caves like no others!

We have dozens of others, from serious research tools to cartoon collections! Check out our listings on-line or drop in for a visit!

Display your treasures with that extra "WOW" factor!

You know how it is...you have that perfect piece of automotive memorabilia -- a hood mascot, a die-cast model, that elusive oil can you've spent years seeking out -- and you want to be sure it becomes a focal point of you man-cave. What better way to showcase that find that to display it on one of our automobile shelves?

Made of fiberglass, painted with realist detail, our automotive shelves the front or rear view of an iconic four-wheeled gem. Topped with an included glass top, they average about twenty inches in width and come with "keyhole" hanging slots for a flush mount against your wall.

We have choices for a wide variety of automotive tastes, including:

• Muscle -- Charger, GTO, Demon, Super Bee, Camaro (both '69 and '10), Mustang, Shelby
• '50s -- '59 Caddy, '57 Vette, 56 Caddy, '57 Chevy
• Trucks -- '50s Ford or Chevy (this one features a chained tailgate as a shelf!)

Check out our website for the selection, or drop us an email or a call! These shelves are the automotive equivalent of that bear head mounted on your wall -- manly, riveting, and just a touch wild!

Celebrate the holidays all year 'round!

We car folk are frequently passionate collectors -- of cars themselves, die-cast models, sales literature, emblems -- you name it! Truth is that for many of us, our "collecting bug" extends to other hobbies. Some of us collect LPs, some matchbook covers, some coins, some stamps. And often, our "significant others" have their own collections "fires" to be fueled, making birthday and holidays gift shopping easier for us!

The Dog House Garage now carries Byer's Choice Ltd. Carolers, figurines guaranteed to raise the level of holiday cheer in your home. Carefully handcrafted, brimming with charming detail, these whimsical singers stand ready to herald in the holiday season. There are also accessories -- trees, gates, etc. -- to pump up the impact of your Carolers display. And, there are plenty of whimsical pieces for the other seasons as well, so your chorus can brighten your mood all year long! From sailors to bakers to musicians, Byer's Carolers suit any decor, room, or profession!

Check out our selection of Byer's Carolers today!

The "less-than-a-buck" wonder!

It's not often these days that you can find something for less than a buck that will put a smile on your face -- or your kids'! Hey, even a lot of candy bars cost more? But at the Dog House Garage, you can buy something for 99¢ that packs a lot of grins!

Visitor's reactions to our Kid Stuff Marketing line of cardboard vehicles has been petty amazing: you'd think they were paper airplanes the way they fly out of the store! Printed in full color in two dimension, the pre-scored, pre-cut vehicles have simple tab/slot assembly; a little scotch tape can be added for a more "permanent" finish. The result is a pretty impressive car that is about the size of a 1:18 scale model.

You may have seen these babies used as carriers in 50s-style restaurants. Indeed, they feature a space where the interior would be for "what have you"; optional clear plastic inserts are available if you'd like to use these vehicles for food. But kids who get them love to simply assemble them and use them as toy cars, perfect for the addition of a small teddy, doll, or dinosaur driver!

Most of the vehicles available are 50s convertibles, including Edsel, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Thunderbird, Corvette, and others. There is also a first-generation Mustang, a mid-Sixties Ford pick-up, and a few mild customs (56 Ford, 57 Chevy). In addition, we stock some Jimi-Hendrix-era vans, a wild-looking space-age amusement-ride car, and a toy-look locomotive!

Now, kids will enjoy assembling and playing with these, but both they and their parents will undoubtedly get creative with dozens of uses for these vehicles! Parents might want to tuck a few in the trunk of the car for the agonizing "wait" period during restaurant visits. They'd make great party favors at birthday celebrations, or can even be filled with candy as a centerpiece of gift. They'd be incredibly cool place-markers -- napkins tucked inside -- for a '50s-themed get together. One visitor intended to use them that way at his high school class reunion! You could even snip out the bottom and use them as a "collar" for small potted plants in your rec room, or strung together as a "groovy" mobile in a college dorm room. An empty can placed inside one would make for a great desk-top pen holder.

Check out our selection on our website, and think creatively!

PotentTote

Elsewhere on the Dog House Garage blog, you have probably noticed the announcement of the return of our wildly popular Mustang zippered canvas bags. Available in black (w/ white lettering/horse outline), red or blue (w/silver lettering/outline), these are a must for Pony Car fans!

We also stock Ford oval bags in black, red, or blue (all with silver lettering and trim); for Chevy fans, we carry the iconic Bow-Tie-shaped bags in black/blue, black/red, silver/red, and blue/yellow (the latter w/ silver "Chevrolet" lettering). All bags have heavy-duty carrying straps and a removable shoulder strap. Inside, you'll find several stretchy side slots for holding items upright.

These bags are a natural for tools or other essentials for the road or car show. However, we've also heard our customers tell us of some other uses for the automaniac totes!

• gym bag
• trunk organizer
• beverage carrier
• camera bag
• beach/pool bag
• diaper bag (dad's love this one!)
• blanket/cushion tote for ball games or races
• "essentials" tote for Mom's trip to the delivery room (yes, it was her husband's idea)

Got a great idea for using our auto logo canvas bags that we haven't listed? That's what blogs are for!