Girl Guides & Girl Scouts Patch Collecting Blog

We get by with a little help from our friends

2018-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

...and some wonderful heretofore strangers, as well.

Joyful 2018 greetings, everyone! How are you doing as we kick off this exciting new year?

As is often the case here, several months have passed since my last entry on this blog. A heartfelt missive in which I shared about the immense tragedy that befell myself and my husband in October 2016 (which you can read all about here).

In the time since that post went live last April, tons of things have transpired in our lives and we've been fortunate to have made some substantial headway in terms of piecing our lives back together.

Though that process and journey is definitely still continuing, we're grateful to have achieved the progress that we have so far and feel like our world is significantly more stable these days than it was in the challenging months immediately following the terrible arson fire that shook our life to the core.

I'm happy (thrilled, actually! :)) to report that, as touched on in my last post, I've been able to start purchasing some items and rebuilding my GG/GS collection that was lost entirely in the blaze.

The process of beginning to amass a new collection has been aided greatly by the incredibly kind, heartwarming and generous help of a few awesome folks around the world who have sent me some Girl Guide and/or Girl Scout patches from their own collections.

I would never have dreamed one person, let alone multiple people, would wish to help me in this way and have been profoundly humbled and touched to my core by the beautiful compassion that our patch collecting community has extended to me in recent months.

In some instances, I was previously acquainted with the folks who have aided me in this way, in others they were complete strangers who caught wind of what occurred to us.

Whether one patch/badge/pin or multiple, I am indescribably grateful to each person who has generously sent gifts my way. They've laid the foundation for me new GG/GS collection, while also serving as a powerfully moving and uplifting counterpoint to the unfortunate experience that we went through.

I cannot begin to thank everyone (vary much including my lovely friend Annette, who runs the terrific UK based Badge Collectors Club newsletter) who has helped me/us in this way enough. You touched my heart, lifted my spirits, and reminded me all the more why our close-knit patch collecting community is the wonderful group that it is.

As we embrace the great unknown of that is the twelve months of 2018, amidst plenty of assorted happenings, big and small alike, in my/our life, I am aiming to photograph and share online my current Girl Guide and Girl Scout patch/badge/pin/etc collection, continuing to do so periodically as new additions come along.

I (massively!) wish that I'd had such documentation for my now lost collection, and while, sadly, one can't go back in time to create such a record, I can hopefully make one of my current collection to not only catalog what I presently own, but also to help others who may wish to learn more about the types of GG and GF patches (et all) that I personally have.

Photographing (with my iPhone) is already underway and while I haven't quite decided where online I'll upload the photos (maybe Flickr - though I haven't posted anything on my account there in a few years, so am not sure if it's the most logical choice, yet can't really think of a better spot at the moment, lol!), I will let you know in a future post here when I've begun sharing snaps of my current Girl Guide and Girl Scout collection.

Watch this space for that announcement and know that, with all of my might, I am sending my deepest and most sincere thanks to everyone who has been there for myself, my husband, and our darling dog Annie (who recently underwent major surgery to repair a severely torn CCL in her back left leg) in any way whatsoever since the fire.

You have my/our unending gratitude and appreciation. ❤

Here's to the prospect of a fabulous, enjoyable, happy, and healthy year - complete with lots of exciting patch collecting related happenings - ahead!!!

Starting my patch collection over again after losing everything to an arson fire

2017-04-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

It is not uncommon for several months (or longer) to pass here on this blog between posts. As I've long acknowledged, this site has primarily been a way for me to connect with fellow collectors and GG/GS enthusiasts from the around the world, not a blog that I actively update on an overly frequent basis.

My most recent "quiet period" however was extended all the more due to a staggeringly unfortunate happening. On the night of October 13, 2016, my husband and I lost our house, my home based online (vintage shop) business, our beloved cat (Stella), and very nearly everything that we owned in the whole world when an eighteen-year old neighbour who lived kitty-corner to us in the same fourplex building decided to suddenly set fire to the condo/townhouse that she and her own mother lived in (the two were in the midst of a domestic dispute).

In doing so, she destroyed not only her own home, but all three of the other houses and their contents in the adjacent homes that comprised that fourplex building.

To learn more about the tragic events of that night, I suggest that you read this blog post of mine over at my vintage site, Chronically Vintage.

Extremely fortunately, neither myself, my husband or our darling dog (Annie) was seriously harmed by the blaze - nor were any of the other people who lived in the fourplex (sadly, another family lost their pet birds though, just as we did, our sweet cat). That was certainly miraculous and we were forever be grateful that we pulled through without being physically injured.

Tomorrow (the 13th) marks exactly six months, half a year's time, since that horrible night in which our lives changed in countless ways and a huge wrench was thrown into the plans, goals, dreams, and hopes for our future.

We've come a long way already in terms of getting back on our feet and have been blessed to receive help, love, support, kindness and generosity from so many amazing people around the world - without which, I'm certain, we would not have made the same amount of progress, nor been able to stay as positive (mentally) as we have.

Unfortunately, I lost absolutely all of my Girl Guide and Girl Scout related collection to the fire. Many, many years of tireless collecting, buying, and hunting were wiped out in the blink of an eye. I lost many other various collections that night, too, and spoke at greater length about the far reaching impact of such in this CV post.

It is a profoundly strange thing to find oneself without (virtually) any of their possessions and to have to start over from scratch in a multitude of different areas of their life, home and belongings.

I didn't have photos, videos or written records of all of my GG/GS items by any means. I had a small number of scans and digital photos (thankfully backed up on Photobucket) and used Louise's Excel spreadsheet GGC A/D/D and provincial checklist to track the Canadian A/D/Ds and provincial patches that I had, but beyond that, I really don't have much in the way of records when it comes to the large volume of GG/GS items that I owned.

Thus, I must rely on memory alone when I think back on the various types and volumes of Girl Guide and Girl Scout items that my collection housed. It included, amongst others, the following:

-A substantial number of A/D/Ds and provincial patches, including many rare/hard to find and unique ones (some of the rarest of which were those from the Yukon and Northwest Territories). I would estimate that I probably had in the range of 800 - 900+ patches of this nature (my Excel spreadsheet list of such was lost due to the fire destroying my computer and my/our external hard drives). It could have been a little less or more, but that range feels quite realistic.

As many here know, A/D/Ds have always been the main focus of my patch collecting, so losing all of those crests in one fell swoop really was a massive blow.

-A small collection of patches and other items pertaining to GGC packs and troops on foreign soil, as well as some items related to international (GGC) travel.

-Full or nearly full collections of Spark, Brownie, Guide, and Pathfinder earned badges from the 1960s (or later, in the case of branches that started more recently, such as Sparks and Pathfinders) onward, including the present day ones. I also had some, but not all, of the (fairly) briefly issued Ranger badges, which as some of you no doubt know, are so hard to find they make hen's teeth look abundant by comparison.

-A fairly extensive collection of Guides francophones du Canada / Guides francocanadiennes patches, badges, and pins (including many location specific crests.)

-Various Religion in Life badges/patches.

-Lots of patrol badges/emblems, title tapes, and similar items, as well as branch helper (Spark, Brownie and Guide) helper patches.

-Hundreds of different Canadian silks, fun patches (including full sets of the cute GGC striped uniform polo shirts, camp hats, doll shaped, and "Happiness Is Being A" themed fun patches), camp patches, event patches, and (lots of) challenge patches. Included amongst which were numerous full sets of various different "shaped" fun patches (hexagons, wedges, petals, and so forth).

-Many different GGC related pins, including the official enrollment pins for all of the branches and their respective Guiders. Lots of location pins, challenge pins, award pins, membership year number pins (both star and circle styles), fun pins, camp pins, and an assortment of others.

-All-Around (All-Round) challenge pin and cord; Gold Cord challenge pin and cord itself (the latter being a relatively recent acquisition), and Canada Cord and pin (as well, additionally, as my own Canada Cord set that I earned back when I was a Pathfinder).

-A variety of GGC related uniforms, camp hats, sashes (some with badges on them), uniform catalogs, program books/manuals, other GGC issues books, GGC bookmarks, GGC dolls and plush toys, GGC stationery supplies, GGC postcards, GGC stickers, GGC enrollment and branching related items, and a myriad of other GCC issued items (including jewelry).

-At least a few dozen different GGC metal (button style) pins.

-Approximately (and this really is a rough estimate) 250 - 400 GSUSA Council patches, as well as approx. 150 - 200 other Girl Scouts USA related fun patches, earned badges and similar items.

-Approximately (again, this is a total ballpark estimate) 500 different patches (including many location specific ones) from international countries, World Centers, and WAGGGS from around the globe. I had long been trying to obtain at least one official location specific patch from every country in WAGGGS and while that collection wasn't complete, I had made good headway for sure.

-An assortment (approx. 20 - 30 titles) of books about Guiding and its history from around the world, including several that one lovely friend in Australia had very sweetly sent me over the years.

-The campfire blanket that I made as an adult (sadly, my youth campfire blanket was long lost to the hands of time back during a move that my parents made when I was still a teenager).

-Any other (beyond my Canada Cord pin and cord, I mean) earned and/or collected GGC related items from my years in Guiding that were still in my possession all those years (and scads of moves) later.

-Various other assorted GGC (including an array of vintage pieces), GSUSA and intentional items. When one's a collector, it can be hard to pass up anything that pertains to our beloved hobby. :)

I do not, and I cannot stress this point enough, share the scope of my collection here with all of you to brag or boast in any way whatsoever. That is the furthest thing from my intention or the type of person that I try to be. Instead, I post what I have here today both to help me remember, as time rolls on and certain areas of my memory may naturally fade, and to inspire me onward in the future.

At first, I won't lie, I had though that - especially given how relatively rare it is to find much in the way of GGC items for sale or trade online these days - perhaps I wouldn't be able to start a new patch collection again. However, the more time that passes (since the fire), the more I feel like it's an area of my life that I simply do not want to relegate simply to the confines of my memory and the past.

For a host of different reasons, I fully understand that my collection may never be as large, diverse or peppered with rare items again and I accept that. I was very fortunate to own all of the items (GG/GS related and otherwise) that I did before the fire and I don't take that for granted in the slightest.

My budget, when it comes to personal spending, is quite literally nonexistent at present in the wake of the seemingly endless array of expenses involved with rebuilding our lives, and will remain as such for quite a while to come.

That said, I would like to set aside a few dollars (say, $15 or $20 Cnd) every now and then to splurge on GGC related purchases and really hope that such will be possible.

Right now, I do not have any items to trade, but there too, as time passes, it is my steadfast hope that I will once more (especially since that can be such a great way to build up one's collection). If/when that happens, I will try to issue a new version of my Dupes & Traders page here on this site.

And speaking of this blog, which is now - rather delightfully - in its 10th year of life, I have every intention of keeping it online for the time being and hope to continue to still post here every now and then (especially since it might be fun, I think, to share with you how my brand new collection is, hopefully, coming along).

This experience (of the fire) has been, hands down, one of the hardest and most painful of my entire life. We lost so much in the blink of an eye and will forever be changed and shaped in countless ways by what we experienced. I am not the same person that I was before the blaze and that has both pros and cons to it, naturally.

Many of my longstanding passions, interests, and loves are as strong as ever though, even if my collections pertaining to such are small or even nonexistent at this early stage in the rebuilding game.

I don't think anything on earth could ever shake my adoration for GG/GS and the collectible items associated with such from my heart. That was planted there back on the very first day I ever became a part of the GGC when I was a small child and will remain with me for the rest of my days.

Hopefully, as time goes on I can build up a new patch (et al) collection once more. It may not be as grand or expensive, diverse or rare as its predecessor, but it will be no less loved and treasured - perhaps, one might argue, if such is possible, it might even be loved all the more.

Should you be curious, I plan to tighten my patch collecting focus all the more and try very hard to rebuild some of the GGC collection that I had before the fire (hopefully adding some items that I didn't have previously into the mix, too). I know that it will take time and effort, but those things rarely rattle me and I look forward to the lifelong challenge of such.

Wish me luck, my lovely friends, and do, by all means, still feel to drop me a line anytime if you'd like to chat about Girl Guiding or Scouting.

What's up, fellow patch traders?

2016-03-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

My stars, has it really been well over a year now since my last entry here? Goodness, how time flies when your staggeringly busy around the clock! As some of you know, this site my main blog (that would be Chronically Vintage), but I do still like to post here every now and then, if only to let others know that I'm still actively trading, selling, and buying GG patches.

While my life has certainly seen many changes and advances since my previous entry here, things remain largely the same on the Girl Guide patch (et al) related front. I continue to receive the occasional email from someone wishing to swap items and considerably more from folks who have GG/GS collecting related questions (be they pertaining to collecting or otherwise).

Though I find it goes through bursts of activity, as has been the case by and large for the last few years, eBay remains fairly slow on the GG front, particularly in terms of my key area of collecting, GGC Area, Division, District, and Provincial patches (though of course I do collect many other types of GG items, too).

I know that as time goes on, fewer and fewer people are still involved in the patch collecting scene (especially as it relates to the web) and that at least a couple of prominent collectors have scaled back or retired from the hobby (obsession! :D) in recent years.

Luckily though, there are still some of us out there keeping this wonderful pastime and passion alive and well (and of course heartfelt thanks enough cannot possibly go out to those who blazed the trail when it comes online trading, no matter if they're in the game, so to speak, any more or not).

Looking ahead in 2016, I plan to stay the course on that front and was struck recently by the fact that this blog is in its ninth year of life now, which is really cool. I eagerly look forward to hitting a solid decade next year.

As always, I adore hearing from fellow Girl Guide and Girl Scout collectors and enthusiasts, and welcome your emails on any subject pertaining to such.

Have an awesome, fun filled year and great time growing your own collection further in 2016, my friends!

This blog got a major makeover!

2014-10-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

It had been one of *those days*. You know the sort, where you just can't seem to catch a break, everyone and their dog is in a crabby mood, and all you want to do is silently, secretly slink off to a private desert island somewhere and let the waves carry your worries away.

Drastically lacking the needed Air Miles for such, I turned instead to a longstanding second retreat of mine - creating something new as a means of calming my nerves and mind alike. For me this usually falls into one of three headings: crafting, organizing/home decorating, or writing.

A couple of nights ago though, following that less-than-stellar day, I didn't opt for my usual writing haven - penning a post or two for my vintage fashion and lifestyle blog, Chronically Vintage - no, instead I figured it was high time I finally gave this blog a serious makeover!

Now, it should be stated for the record that I'm not a pro coder, nor a graphic designer, in the slightest. I have however been running, building and tinkering with various websites for over a decade now though, so I like to think I've picked up a bit of know-how in that time. :)

First to go? I was still using the (very!) old version of Blogger, so I updated and opted for a free Blogger template and background design that I thought had a Girl Guide-esque quality to it. I then set about tweaking and adding things here and there, completely revamping my sidebar, adding handy-dandy tabs to the top of the page, putting up a new photo of myself on the sidebar, sharing my social media links (granted most of them relate more to my vintage interests and daily life than Girl Guiding, but in some cases, such as Pinterest, they tie into my passion for GG/GS related happenings, too), and other things that helped to bring blog up-to-date from the 2007 version it had been operating in (and looking like) for seven years now.

I've still got a bit of work to do here and there (and plan to create a FAQ page as soon as time permits), but overall, considering I did all of this work on my own, I'm pretty happy with how things are looking. If anything really starts to nag at me, I can always ask my husband - a software engineer and computer programmer for IBM - for help, but the independent, headstrong Girl Guide in me likes to try and accomplish as much as I can on my own first! :)

This blog is at present the oldest site (that I founded) that I still have online and I really want it to continue to be my way to connect with fellow patch/crest/badge/pin/etc collectors across Canadian and around the world, so in addition to all the sprucing up I've been doing here this week, I also plan to post at least slightly more often than I have in the past couple of years.

If there's ever a GG/GS collecting (or otherwise) related topic that you'd like me to write about, please don't hesitate to let me know. I welcome your suggestions and may very well end up turning them into future posts here.

I'm really psyched about this new Girl Guides & Girl Scouts Patch Collecting Blog revamping and hope that it might just help bring some more patch trades my way (as goodness knows things have been mighty slow on that front for ages now!).

I'm still here and happy to trade Girl Guide or Girl Scout patches anytime

2014-10-14T03:16:00.001-07:00

Phew!!! It's hard to believe that well over a year has passed since my last post here. Granted, it is not my focal blog at this point in my life (that would be my vintage fashion and lifestyle blog, Chronically Vintage), but I do want folks from around the world to know that it's still active and that I am continuing, as always, to collect, trade, and purchase Girl Guide and Girl Scout patches, crests, silks, badges, pins, and various other related items.

A great deal has transpired in my life since I last penned a post for this blog, and telling you all about it could fill many, many entries - if not a whole book, but again, I'll defer you to Chronically Vintage, if you want to learn more about my daily going ones in recent months. :)

One extremely exciting thing, and great new undertaking, in my life that I will mention here is that in May of this year (2014), I launched an Etsy shop dedicated to antique and vintage fashions, jewelry, hats, accessories, books, sewing and knitting related items, ephemera, and various other delightful old school items.

Chronically Vintage was already a full-time job (I'm very fortunate to have been able to turn my vintage blog into my career in recent years), and now with my shop, which I put many (many!) hours into each week, I have two jobs, on top of running a household, tending to our pets, and making time to spend with my husband and family (as well as the occasional day of R&R for myself!).

{Click on any of the listings above to learn more about it and visit my Etsy vintage shop, which shares the same name as my popular vintage blog, Chronically Vintage.}

While I do not currently have any Girl Guide, Girl Scout, Scouts Canada or Boy Scout related items in the shop, given my unending passion for this field of collecting, it's highly conceivable that some will land there in the future. You'll definitely want to favourite my shop now so that you can catch wind of it right away when such listings come to fruition (and to see all the other super cool antique and vintage items I sell there).

Though the patch trading front in Canada continues to be exceedingly slow and I can often go months or more between trades, again, as always, I remain very committed to this fabulous hobby (obsession! :)) and sincerely welcome you to zip me an email anytime if you'd like to set up a trade or simply chat about any aspect of patch collecting or Girl Guiding/Scouting in general.

We're in the midst of my favourite season, autumn, right now and though not terribly warm here in Penticton any longer, the sun is still poking out most days and we're having a beautiful (is somewhat windy at the moment!) season. I hope that the same rings true for all of you, wherever you live and that you have a joyful, awesome remainder of 2014.

Welcoming summer and Girl Guide patch swaps

2013-06-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that it's 3am, there are about 50 things I should/could be doing right now, however as the better part of half a year has passed since my last post here, it seemed like high time I reminded that - and why not do so in the wee morning hours?

While very little has been transpiring on the patch front so far this year (I've enjoyed two lovely swaps as of late - one with a Canadian, the other an Irish gal from Dublin, a city I lived for a while myself back in 2004-5), most other areas of my life have been akin to a three ring circus of activity.

From getting a puppy (the first my husband and I have owned together) in March to having to go in for surgery again April, various serious health related issues, tax time, family events, and raising our incredibly energetic, but equally darling new puppy (an American Bullador - half American Bulldog, half Labrador Retriever that we named Annie, because she was mine and my husband's gift to each other to celebrate the ninth anniversary of the day we met),I haven't had a lot of time to blog (outside of my main blog, Chronically Vintage).

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, little is shaking on the online patch trading front these days any more, and (as per the past 3-4 years) eBay rarely offers much in the way of Canadian Girl Guide items these days (especially ones I'm interested in and don't already have).

I continue to keep my dupes and traders list up-to-date after each (occasional) trade occurs, but by and large, my collection hasn't grown much this year. As always though, I'm still actively collecting and trading, and always welcome new (or returning) patch swapping partners (just shoot me an email, if you're interested).

{Image source}

With summer less than a week away and the Guiding year wrapping up once more, I hope that this little post finds you all well and gearing up for a fabulous season ahead. Whether you'll be headed off to a big Girl Guide or Scout camp, relaxing at the cabin, embarking on a road trip, enjoying a two month long staycation, or any other fun activity, summer is all about good times, good friends, good food (roasted marshmallows very much included!), and great memories, and I wholeheartedly hope all of those things (plus some new patches!) will be yours this season!

Happy summer & patch collecting, everyone!

How did January fly by so quickly?

2013-01-27T14:39:00.001-08:00

My goodness, it's hard to believe that the better part of three months has whizzed past since my last post here. As they are for many, the holidays were a very busy time for us, and then January turned out to be a busy, stressful, and rather expensive (big car repairs, hefty personal and business taxes, etc) month, so between all that, I haven't had too much time for blog posts outside of my main personal site (Chronically Vintage).

I can't claim for a second that this weekend has been any less stressful or hectic, but I don't like to let too long pass here without posting, so I'm taking a moment on this chilly Sunday afternoon to pop in and say hello - as well as to extend my slightly belated New Year's wishes to all of my readers here.

Not too much has been shaking on the Girl Guide patch trading front lately on my end. I still check eBay at least a couple of times a week for GGC items, but have bought very few (as there haven't many listing for things I didn't already have which were of interest to me) new patches, pins, or badges in the past year. While that might be good for my wallet (no, not really, I just end up spending the money I would have on Girl Guide items on one of my other many hobbies and passions), it isn't so grand for my collection, which hasn't seen many newcomers for quite some time.

One exception to that statement is that, thanks to a dear Guiding friend in Australia, I have continued to grow my collection of Australian Girl Guide items over the past couple of years in leaps and bounds. On the Canadian and US fronts however, things have been pretty slow.

I know that there aren't nearly as many collectors and traders out there still as there was once was, but I just want to let anyone who may be reading this know that I'm still actively trading and collecting. So, by all means, feel free to zip an email my way anytime if you're still doing the same thing as well.

I suspect that 2013 is going to be a busy year - especially if this first month is any indication of what's to come - but at some point, I would like to update this blog, as it's running on a rather old Blogger template and should probably be updated sooner or later. I'm not sure yet when I'll make this switch (if I do), but will post here to let you know if construction (so to speak) is going to be taking place for a while.

As January draws to an end, I hope that you've all had a fantastic start of 2013, and that we'll all be able to grow our patch collections as the year progresses.

Join me in welcoming a new patch trading blog to the community

2012-11-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue, and I really must apologize to the person who asked me to write about their blog here last January for that. At the time we were incredibly busy in the midst of packing and preparing for a big cross country move, and I wasn't spending much time online, let alone writing post for this blog, so I wasn't able to accommodate her request at the time (but said that I would definitely aim to later on).

I always, always try to keep my word though, and thus am happy today to let all of you know about a new Girl Guide related blog on the block. Last January Stephanie Nash, a fellow patch trading and Guiding enthusiast started a blog of her own to document some of her swapping and Guiding related going-ons called Misty's Trading Post.

There are so few of us still actively seeking new (or returning) patch swapping partners online, let alone folks with blogs of their own devoted to the topic, so I really have been very eager to announce Stephanie's here for some time.

I hope you'll join me in extending a warm (slightly belated) welcome to Stephanie and her charming blog, and that you'll all take a moment to stop by, say hello, and perhaps zip an email her way if you're interested in trading.

I appreciate that you contacted me about your blog earlier this year, Stephanie, and really hope that things have been going great on the Guiding and patch trading fronts for you throughout 2012.
It's always a joy to hear from those with Guiding related blogs, and I welcome you to contact me anytime if you'd like me to consider blogging about your site here, too.

Happy start of November, everyone - here's to the hope that it will be a month filled with plenty of wonderful patch swaps for all of us!

Fondly remembering the heyday of eBay Girl Guide listings

2012-09-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

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You know those moments when something miffs you a bit and you really need to get your mind off of it? Well, I'm having one of those right now regarding an overseas eBay seller and their rather unscrupulous, rude approach to handing the fact that my order (of some craft supplies) did not arrive. I filed a PayPal dispute on the last possible day to do so (so a full 45 days after I paid for my order) and they're basically going postal (no pun intended) on me for doing so, even though I'm 100% within my rights to do so.

Oh well, we'll just see happens there! (This isn't the first problem I've run into with various China/Hong Kong based craft supply sellers, but it will definitely be the last time I order from one of them - the few dollars saved from buying overseas isn't worth the headache!)

On the topic of eBay however, I'm sure I'm not alone in being the only that has noticed the ongoing decline in Canada Girl Guide item listings (I don't monitor GG/GS from other countries very closely, so I can't comment too much on how things have been in this regard with listings from the US, UK, Australia, etc). Five years ago now (wow, where does the time go?!) when I started collecting GG items again (for the first time as an adult) there was often quite an abundance of eBay listings for patches, badges, pins, buttons, uniform pieces, and sundry other Girl Guides of Canada related pieces.

It was well beyond the scope of my budget at the time to bid on (or buy every listing that caught my eye, but it was through eBay (especially during 2007 and 2008) that I built up the bulk of my present day collection. Had it not been for the large number of listings (and I can only guess at how many there were before 2007 - but I suspect perhaps even more then when I began bidding), my collection would be a far cry smaller than it is for sure!

{Official eBay logo via eBay.}

Much as the interest in patch collecting as a whole has dwindled over the years (a point regular readers of this blog have certainly seen my talk about me before), so too has the number of GGC eBay listings.

This isn't surprising to me, as I see the two as going hand-in-hand rather naturally. If there's less of a demand for something, there's likely to be fewer people selling it. The fact that various parts of the country (such as Ontario) have done away with the A/D/D system (and thus are not producing A/D/D crests any more), and also shut down all of the real world Guide shops, certainly didn't help matters either.

Have there been times over the past few years when there was a sudden spike in Girl Guide listings? Absolutely, but - especially from 2010 onward - they are become exceedingly few and far between. At any given moment there is at least a small number of GGC listings (often for Brownie or Guide badges and activity/camp crests), but it's been a good long time since there was much in the way of A/D/D or pin action.

I'm sure that as time goes on, there were will be other listings for these types of items, but I suspect it will be a very rare occurrence indeed when we see a seller listing ten, twenty or more A/D/Ds, hard to find badges, or other highly sought after items during the same week or month.

Nevertheless, I have no plans to give up my nearly daily eBay keyword searches for Girl Guide items, and am sure that every now and then a new listing for an item I don't already have (and would love to add to my collection) will pop up - and I want to ensure I toss my bid into the ring, so to speak, bright and early when it does!

A few handy tips for packing and moving your Girl Guide collection

2012-07-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Cheerful July greetings, everyone! Can you believe that we're nearly a month into summer? While the weather this year has often been anything but ideal (think rain, rain and scads more rain!), we have been getting a few roasty-toasty days as of late, so hopefully when all is said and done, the Okanagan will bestow a beautiful summer on us this year.

Not too much is shaking on the patch front, as finding new swap partners continues to be elusive at times (though I did just do one small trade a few days ago). I've noticed that on eBay, too, for the most part GGC listings continue to be down, with one encountering far less A/D/Ds, proficiency badges, pins, and the like then we used to see a few years ago. I suspect that this is a trend that, by and large, is here to stay, but nevertheless, I remain diligent in my frequent eBay searches, and as always welcome your emails about swapping patches.

Having recently moved across the vastness that is Canada, hopping from Ontario back to my home province of B.C., I thought I'd take moment in the early morning hours here today and share some quick tips to keep in mind regarding how to pack up your Girl Guide/Girl Scout collection when moving.

First things first, ensure that you're collection is securely sealed in plastic bags and/or containers. Technically metal or any waterproof material would work, too, but plastic zip-lock bags are relatively inexpensive and weigh considerably less than metal boxes. You can sort/divide up your collection however you like, or if you keep everything swirled together, just place it into plastic bags/containers, squeezing out the air if applicable and checking that there are no holes in the plastic. This step is taken to ensure that, in the event that in the course of your move, the moving box or boxes with your collection in it got wet, you're far more likely to have your patches (et al) come out unscathed.

Ok, technically, there's a step you could take before you put your collection into plastic bags, and that would be to catalog it if you haven't already done so, or update your catalog if needed. You could do this with in Excel or Word document, on paper, or simply by taking photographs. This is important in case, goodness forbid, something (theft, fire damage, etc) was to occur to your collection during transportation (if you need to make an insurance claim with your movers or insurance company, the more documentation of your missing/damaged possessions you have, the better).

(Image via the GGC's clip art collection.)

On that note, while individual patches, badges, and the like are not usually overly valuable from a monetary standpoint (excluding certain very old and/or very hard to find ones, especially those prior to the 1930s), your collection as a whole may very well be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, so for that reason alone, you may want to look into purchasing insurance for your move (most reputable moving companies will offer you this service right from the get-go). Remember, as Guides, we're always keen on being well prepared! :)

When packing your Girl Guide/Girl Scout items into boxes (after you're put them in plastic), be sure to pad the bottom, top and sides of the box a little with paper (plain newsprint, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc) to help cushion the contents in case the box takes a tumble or has heavier boxes stacked on top of it.

If any of the items in your collection are especially delicate or even remotely fragile, you'll definitely want to wrap them individually before placing them into a larger bag/container with other items. Bubble wrap, newsprint, tissue paper, and fabric scraps/rags can all be used for this purpose.

Try not to over-pack your boxes in terms of weight, and be sure to securely close them with sturdy packing tape. Always place something between the contents of your box and the cardboard top flaps (such as a layer of bubble wrap), so that when the box is cut open, there's less risk that the knife blade will accidentally slice into your patches themselves (just imagine how gut wrenching it would be to have that happen!).

Clearly label the content of your boxes on the top and at at least one side (along with your name and, if know, the desired room in your new house where the boxes will be going) with permanent marker (such as Sharpies). If for any reason you can't write on the boxes themselves, use a large label or piece of masking tape and write the same information on that instead before attaching it to your boxes.

Once you've arrived at your new home and have unloaded all of the boxes from the truck, van, etc, if possible, take a few moments to ensure that you see that your Girl Guide/Girl Scout boxes have arrived safely and that none of them are missing. If anything appears to be missing or damaged, you'll want to file an insurance claim (assuming you got insurance before hand) immediately.

Hopefully though, such will not be the case and you'll soon be able to unpack your wonderful collection once more. If it's going to be a little while before that's possible however, definitely make sure that you do not leave your Girl Guide/Girl boxes anywhere with a high risk of water damage (either from flooding or weather), fire, or extreme weather conditions (severe humidity, for example, can quickly wreck havoc on fabric and paper items). A clean, dry, well ventilated storage room, basement, or bedroom would likely be a good spot to house your boxes until you're ready to unpack them.

Now that you're settled into your new home, have fun unpacking and rearranging (if needed) your patches. If you didn't do so prior to moving, consider using unpacking as a great time to create a catalog of everything in your collection. Doing so is an immensely handy way to quickly see at a glance just what you do, and do not have, so that you don't end up with any unintentional duplicates.

If you have other tips or stories pertaining to moving your Girl Guide/Girl Scout collection, I'd love to hear them, and hope that anyone facing an upcoming move has a pleasant, hassle-free experience.

Touching base from beautiful British Columbia

2012-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly three months since I last posted here, but as many of you may recall from my previous entry, earlier this year my husband and I made the decision to uproot our lives and move across the country from the urban wilds of Toronto to the fabulously sun-kissed, sage green hills of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

To say that these past few months have been a three ring circus of activity would be an understatement. There were sleepless nights, days that were a whirl of stress, seemingly endless rolls of packing tape, renos, many shopping trips, oodles of decor decisions, and scads of unpacking (still have a bit of that to do, though most has been tackled at this point), but I wouldn't have traded a moment of it for anything.

I'm elated to be back in my home town of Penticton, and hope that as things continue to return to a more normal pace of life in the coming months, I’m be able to post here about once a month again.

Though some of my Girl Guide and Girl Scout collectibles, patches, badges, and pins are still packed away, as always I encourage you to contact me at any time if you'd like discuss trading.

So from my lovely new home on the most serenely peaceful street one could ever hope for (our house is across a small two lane street from a bubbling creek), I'm sending happy wishes out to all of you, dear friends, for a May and remainder of spring that abound with sunny days, great patch swaps, and tons of end of the Guiding year fun!

Preparing for a big move

2012-01-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

Many times - likely more than I could begin to recall - throughout my life, the skills and lessons I learned during my years in Guiding have served me well and helped make a wide range of situations easier to navigate.

Few circumstances drill home this point better than when I'm getting ready for to move houses, which I'm very pleased to share with all of you, my husband and I will be doing at the end of this coming February.

After nearly six years of living in Ontario, following a great deal of thought, planning, and consideration, we recently decided that the best step for us at this point in our lives (for a number of important reasons) would be leave Toronto and move to my home province of British Columbia.

Though I grew up (and enjoyed all of my Guiding years) in B.C., this will be the first time that my European born and raised husband will get to call Canada's most westerly province his own.

As anyone who's ever prepared for a cross country move (in which you pack up all your belongings) knows, there's a significant amount of work involved with such a major life change. From detailed checklists to weeks of packing, finding a new home, organizing transportation, and following a budget, a long distance move like this requires careful preparation and well coordinated efforts on everybody's parts.

At times like this I think back to days spent planning for Girl Guide camps, several of which involved weeks or even months (as in the case of SOAR 1998) to prepare for. Then as now, there was planning, budgeting, task division, and plenty of packing involved. And of course, you have to be as prepared as possible for the unexpected - one of the cornerstones of the Guiding philosophy for sure.

When we arrive in B.C. we'll have about 7 to 14 days between then and when the moving company delivers our belongings, so for a little while (though we'll be graciously hosted by some of my relatives) we'll be channelling a campout vibe by living out of our suitcases (in a nod to camping packsacks) and adapting to a different environment than the one we're used to.

Fortunately we see this move as a positive one and we’re both extremely excited about it - as well as for the many prospects the future holds in store for us in British Columbia.

As there's only about a month left until our moving day, this is likely the last post I'll be sharing here for the next few weeks. Once we're settled into our new home and have the internet set up (sometime in March), I'll be sure to let you know how things are going.

During this time, though you can always email me with your patch trading and other Girl Guide/Girl Scout related queries, please be aware that I may not respond to you as quickly as usual and that I won't be able to send out any patch swaps (as my all of patches have already been packed up for the move).

I appreciate your understanding about this and hope you'll join in my excitement regarding this exciting new chapter in my life.

Until we chat again, Guiding and Scouting friends, may you all have a wonderful rest of the winter – and lots of terrific patch swaps!

Merry Christmas wishes to one and all!

2011-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind, unpredictable, often trying year it's been on this end. Never dull for the tiniest of moments, 2011 has been one of the rockiest years I can recall throughout my adult life.

Yet, I’m the first to admit that it could (goodness forbid!) have certainly been worse, and I'm immensely grateful for those moments that did go right and the special people in my life who have helped make this year more bearable.

All thoughts of the past twelve months are but a distant memory this morning though, for Christmas is here and with it the invaluable gift of the unwritten future that lies ahead for 2012 and beyond.

While things for many, myself very much included, continue to be quite slow on the patch trading front, there too lies the prospect that perhaps one of these days our beloved hobby will see a resurgence of activity once again.

{A wonderfully charming vintage image of Canadian Girl Guide and Boy Scout who were helping Santa Claus deliver Christmas gifts to needy children during the 1920s. Photograph by way of The Glenbow Museum on Flickr.}

For the moment though, all is calm and right in the world on this frosty winter morn. Neighbourhood lights twinkle like fireflies in the pale morning light as a bitingly cold wind rustles through the air, while deep inside the recesses of my little apartment, the kitchen is already starting to heat up with activity for today's feast.

Soon present will be opened, laughter shared, smiles passed around the room, and holiday songs played for the soundtrack of another beautiful December 25th.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish each and every one of you a truly, incredibly lovely Christmas, holiday season, and New Year!

Let us all raise our glasses in a collective toast to the inspiring, important, and downright wonderful spirit of this most glorious time of the year.

♥ Jessica

Interviewed about my love of patch collecting

2011-11-21T08:00:00.002-08:00

Recently I was contact by a young gal named Lilly from the States who wanted to interview about my interest in patch collecting for a school paper she was writing.

I was deeply touched that wanted to do so and instantly agreed to conduct an interview by email. Once it was completed, I asked her if she'd be ok me publishing her questions along with my answers to them here on this site and she said that was totally fine that.

Though I've been interviewed before by various blogs, publications and radio stations in relation to certain interests and aspects of my life, this was the first interview I'd had pertaining to patch collecting, which makes extra special in my eyes.

Long time readers of this blog may already know some of this information about me and my history with patch collecting, but as I haven't done a post on the specifics of what got me into swapping and gathering Girl Guide and Girl Scout patches in quite a while, I thought that this interview would make for a great post on that topic.

Without further ado, here's the lovely interview that Lilly and I held last week.

1. What was the first girl guide item you collected?

Technically the first Girl Guide item I collected with a Girl Guides of Canada Brownie program book and small number of Brownie badges that had belonged to one of my aunts in the 1960s. My Grandma gave me these items to play with for fun when I was little, however I did not become a member of the Girl Guides of Canada myself until a few years later when I was 12 years old. Once I was part of the GGC myself, I began to ardently trade and collect Girl Guide patches at camps and other Guiding events (in my home province of British Columbia) and have been hooked on collecting GG items ever since!

2. Why did you decide to collect girl guide insignia?

I've always enjoyed collecting a wide array of items (I have pretty eclectic tastes), but for me as an adult now these days, collecting Girl Guide items is a way to keep the wonderful memories I have of my years as a youth member of the GGC alive and in my heart. I've been chronically ill for the past decade and not well enough to be an active member of the GGC, so for me collecting is also an especially important way to not lose the connection I loved so much when I was younger with Guiding.

3. What is your favorite item in your collection?

This is a very tricky question to answer, because I have so many favourites, but I would have to say that my favourite item is the red and white, tasselled Canada Cord which I earned myself when I was a Pathfinder.

4.) How or where do you get your pins/badges/patches from?

When I was a youth member of the GGC I collected all of my patches and pins with other girls or adult members at camps and other Guiding events, however since I began collecting again a few years ago (in 2007), I've connected almost solely with fellow collectors online and arranged trades by email (with the items themselves going out and arriving by postal mail). Through online trading I've connected with people as close as my own city and as far away as places like Australia and South Africa - some of whom have since become good friends (as tends to happen when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts connect anywhere!).

5. Was there anyone who inspired you to start collecting Girl Guide insignia?

No, not specially. I started collecting out of my own interest in Guiding as a girl and collected the whole time I was with the GGC. In 2007, wanting to reconnect with my Guiding roots, but not being in good enough health to be an active member of the GGC, I started collecting again and have been doing so ever since (and certainly plan to collect for as long as I possibly can).

6. How long have you had your collection?

Unfortunately only a few (perhaps six or seven) items from my childhood collection survive any more (nearly all of my first Girl Guide collection was lost during a move many years ago), however I've built up a wonderful collection over the past four years, which is the duration for which I've been collecting again for as a adult.

7. Why did you start your blog for girl guides and girl scout?

I started my Girl Guide and Girl Scout blog primarily for two main reasons. One, to share my love of Guiding and patch collecting with the world, and secondly as a means by which to connect with fellow patch collectors online.

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I want to sincerely thank Lilly for finding me, this blog, and my patch collect interesting enough to interview. Doing so was a total joy and I very much hope that my answers helped her get a great grade on her school assignment.

Requirements for the All Round Cord

2011-10-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

It's fascinating, as a result of this blog (which, has been online now for nearly four years, can you believe it?), I'm frequently contacted by all kinds of folks from around the world who have a bevy of different questions pertaining to Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Sometimes people want to know what a specific badge or patch is (and certainly if I know, or have an idea as to where they can look to find that info out, I tell them), others want to share their personal Guiding experiences with me.

Many people are interested in knowing if I have a specific item they're after (remember, you can always see a current list of what I have available in my Dupes and Traders list), and others still have a more obscure query (such as if I know who the mascot was for a certain camp).

From time-to-time I hear from people who are curious as to what the specific requirement were to earn a certain badge, pin, or cord.

Earlier this month I received an email from a woman who was wondering what a girl had to do to earn the GGC's All Round Cord during the 1990s (this much loved Guide award was in place between roughly 1910 and 1993).

(The All Round Cord, also known as the All Around Cord, as it looked during the 80s and 90s. Image first used in my post from 2009 about what your Holy Grail of Girl Guide Collecting is.)

Though I don't have a copy of the GGC's Guide handbook from the the very early 90s, I do have one from the 80s, which includes the criteria one needed to complete in order to earn the All Round Cord. The requirements really didn't change much between the 80s and 90s, so I felt confident sharing this information with someone else.

Many of us are intrigued by all of the cords that the Girl Guides of Canada have offered over the years (including the Gold Cord and Canada Cord, on top of the All Round Cord), so I thought that I'd share the same information with all of you, too, in case anyone else out there is curious about what the requirements were that one had to complete in order to qualify for the All Round Cord.

According to the 1981 copy of the Girl Guides of Canada’s Guide program book that I have, in order to earn the All Round Cord, a Guide needed to do/earn (all of) the following:

-The Complete Adventure Challenge (badge set) and Voyageur Challenge (badge set)

-Complete at least one of the following badges: History, World Trefoil or World Neighbor Badge

-Hold the Camp Badge, plus at least four of the following badges: Explorer, Stalker, Astronomer, Naturalist, Hiker, Trackers, Forest, Bird Watcher, Outdoor Adventure, Ecologist, Conservationist, or Wildflower

-Hold at least one of the following badges: Cook, Homemaker, Handywoman, or Seamstress

-Hold at least one of the following badges: Fire Safety, First Aid, or Rescuer

-Hold both the Citizen and Law Awareness badges

-Hold at least one of the following badges: Health, Keep-Fit, or Athlete

-Learn about three organizations or agencies which held others. Tell how you could work with or contribute to the work of one of these.

-Chose and carry out a project in which you give service to others. This project was a challenge that was approved and evaluated by a Guide's company and the person(s) to whom she gave the service.

-Find out about Pathfinders and take part in an activity with them, if possible.

-Do a project which shows what the Promise and Law mean to you. This was then presented to either the Guide's Company or a small group of Guides.

"When you have checked off each of the items in this record you will have earned the All Round Cord. Congratulations!"

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Though this was certainly a heavy work load, it wasn't incredibly tricky, especially for those girls who were quite keen on earning badges, and as a result thousands of young women earned the All Round Cord over the decades it was in use.

While no longer used today, the All Round Cord still sparks memories for many who were involved with Guiding when it was a popular part of the Guide program.

Much sought after as a collectible, those hoping to track down a blue and white All Round Cord of their own, are wise to keep their eyes peeled on eBay, where this earned Guide item does, very occasionally, pop up.

I'm always interested in trying to help people who are interested in Girl Guiding and Scouting, so if you have a query of any sort (while I can't promise you I know the answer), by all means feel free to email me with your Guiding questions any time.

It's time to kick off a great new Guiding year!

2011-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

There's still a hefty glint of sunshine in the air, but as the days grow a little shorter and the familiar routine of the school year starts up again next week, it's time to make peace with the fact (hard as it can be sometimes!) summer will soon be behind us.

I've always loved autumn (it's my favourite season), and have especially fond memories of the new Guiding years that September ushered in. Just as going back to class meant fresh pencils, squeaky crisp binders, and perfectly unmarred erasers, so too did starting another Guiding year bring the chance to earn more badges, make new friends, and amass a wonderful array of skills.

Though those lovely days of badge work and weekend camps are long behind me, I still get a serge of excitement as the Guiding year gets underway and have been sorting through my patch box, organizing and doing inventory, for much of this week.

As a result I've updated my Dupes and Traders list, with what I believe to be an accurate account of those items I presently have available to swap.

I know that not as many of us are swapping these days, but for those who still are, I'd always love to hear from you. Shoot your patch trading offer my way and we can definitely go from there.

(Autumn and the return of the Guiding season means it's time to live the words of the classic Girl Guide song that say, "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold". Making patch trading friends is always a great thing, too! Image via the Girl Guides of Canada's clip art collection.)

Whether you're heading back to school, Guiding, or just readying yourself for the changing of the seasons, I wish you all a beautiful, happy, super fun month of September.

Here's to a great new Guiding - and patch trading - year ahead!

Memories of SOAR 1998

2011-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

There are certain events in one's life that stick with them like super glue throughout all of their days. Sometimes an event is momentary - your first kiss, the instant your newborn child cries for the first time - other are longer, spanning days, weeks or even whole months at a time. While not as momentous as, say, my wedding day, one event that had a profound impact on my life was SOAR 1998.

For those who haven't heard of the Girl Guides of Canada SOAR (which stands for Spirit of Adventure Rendezvous) camps before, they're large week long camps for both Canadian and international Guiding members that are held in various lovely locations throughout the province of British Columbia.

As with many big camps - even national level ones - that carry hefty price tags, preparing for SOAR took several months of creative, dedicated fundraising and more than a little elbow grease. We did bottle drive after bottle drive, hosted event nights for friends and family, worked at the local Christmas craft fair, anything and everything we could think of to help us reach the funding we needed to attend SOAR 1998.

It was close in the end - I still remember standing in a local park near the beach in my hometown while one of my Guiders stressed to parents how important it was that contribute whatever they could to help send their daughters to this wonderful camp.

She was right, it was wonderful - in more ways than I could have ever imagined as I trudged through the snow in early spring to sell cookies for a camp that would take place under the sizzling hot July sun.

I'd been to many of Girl Guide camps before my feet hit the long, dusty path that wound through thick Vancouver Island brush to reach the SOAR '98 campsite. Some had been overnight, others for a weekend or three days - but this camp, at a week long - was not only my biggest camp to date, it was also going to be the longest I'd ever spent away from home and my family.

It would take a lifetime for me to explain the dynamics of my home life when I was growing up, but sufficient to say, it wasn't exactly a bed of roses. Freedom was as obtainable to me as a child as the sea is to a person standing smack dab in the middle of the Sahara desert, so you can imagine my elation at being hundreds of miles away from home, just my close Pathfinder friends (and our two Guiders) and I setting up tents, cooking three hearty meals a day, learning new skills and having a ball.

SOAR '98 was many things, one of the most memorable of which was hot, hot, hot! In fact, though I do recall at least one drizzly day, this camp earned the nickname "Sear" because of it's constant warm temps and gorgeous sunshine.

Under that toasty summer light I paddled a canoe, hiked up a mountain, bicycled for 40 kilometers (my legs felt like aching Jell-o after that!), paddled canoes, made my first (and subsequently second) dream catcher, learned about the eco system of Sooke (where the camp was located), greatly enjoyed a day trip into Victoria, and swapped with anyone and everyone I came in contact with during the whole week (but that, I think, is another post unto itself).

Over the week my summer tan darkened, I slept beneath the diamond-esque stars, took a shower under a bag of water with a hole poked in it. I spent my own money on souvenirs without having to ask my parents for permission to do so (or doing so in secret, which would have been more probable by that age).

I bonded even more deeply with the other Pathfinders in my unit (two of whom, Karen an Anne, were my best friends at the time), stood my ground during an argument that arose one evening during meal prep, sent postcards home to my siblings, took walks around camp on my own and felt, perhaps for the first real time in my young life, like I could sense what adulthood was going to be like.

Of all the things to take away from a week long summer camp, that may seem like an odd one, but it was so immensely poignant in shaping many of the life altering decisions I would make in the coming years.

Though sadly, I do not have any photos from that camp (and the only patches from it currently in my collection are ones I've bought online in recent years), the memories of those summer days spent on Vancouver Island, camping with around 2,000 other Guiding sisters, learning new skills (both Guiding and life related) and growing as a person will remain vivid in my memory for the rest of time.

While '98 remains the only SOAR I've ever attended, with the recent occurrence of SOAR 2011, I couldn't help but pause to reflect back, with a wave of nostalgia and immense fondness, at that amazing week I spent under the golden Sooke sun and the many, many important lessons I learned from my time at such an exceellent Guide camp.

Going to be missing in patch trading action for a little while

2011-06-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

My goodness, can we really be nearly half way through the sixth month of the year?! I realize that there haven’t been too many new posts so far throughout 2011 on this site, my friends, but serious ongoing health problems have been occupying much of my time.

To that extent, this message is actually to let you all know that I’m going to be heading into the hospital for a pair of surgeries this week, and that I will not likely be online much (if at all) for the rest of the month. (For more details about this matter, please see the post on my other blog, Chronically Vintage, about it.)

As always, you can send patch trading offers my way, just be aware that it may be a smidge before you hear back from me.

Whatever you’ve got planned for the coming summer (or winter, for those south of the equator) months – from starry nights spent in a sleeping bag under the stars to mountain hikes, international Guiding trips to some good old fashioned patch trading around a campfire, I wish you all an absolutely fantastic summer!!!

Have you seen Lee Ann's awesome Girl Guide patch collection?

2011-03-21T05:00:00.003-07:00

No? Neither had I until a Google search last night (for "Northwest Territories Guide patches", a term I periodically hunt for in the hope that someone out there on the good ol' interwebs will be looking to swap some of their NTW or Yukon patches) led me to discover the delightful homepage of a fellow collector named Lee Ann, whose put up images of some of here wonderful Girl Guide patch collection on her site.

Sadly over the last few years, many folks who once kept similar sites bursting with photos and/or scans of their great collection of Girl Guide and Girl Scout patches have closed down, which makes it all the more awesome that people like Lee Ann (whose patch collection - which includes very recent items, including some GGC centenary patches - attests to the fact that this site is currently wonderfully up-to-date) decide to share their treasured collections with the world.

Though I couldn't find an email address on Lee Ann's site (so as to contact her to discuss doing a patch swap), she does have guest book on her site, which you can contact her through (or simply leave a friendly message from a fellow patch collector, if you prefer).

Thank you, Lee Ann, for sharing your marvelous collection of beautiful GGC items with the world. Finding your site has definitely been one of the patch collecting highlights of 2011 for me! :)

Are you looking for Girl Guide cookies?

2011-02-28T12:00:00.002-08:00

Like many of us, I have scores of memories pertaining to Girl Guide cookies. I happily trooped around my neighbourhood as a youngster (often with my elementary school best friend and fellow Girl Guide, Karen, and my little sister in tow) selling box after box, case after case of Classic Vanilla and Chocolate cookies, as well as those wonderfully scrumptious Thin Mint cookies (which were often easier, I found, to sell in multiples).

Girl Guide cookies are delightfully fun to eat, while also being highly important to the GGC (the funds they generate go a very long way in helping the organization). However, sometimes they can be tricky to track down (even during cookie campaign time), especially if you don't live in the immediate vicinity of a Guiding unit. For example, I've lived at the same address for the better part of three years and never in all that time, have I had a single Spark, Brownie, Guide, Pathfinder, or Ranger come merrily knocking on my door with their case of cookies.

Yet, what some folks may not know is that many Guide units (and/or District offices) often have a supply of cookies available for part or all of the year (or know another unit that still has some in stock). If you're not a member (or have a child who is) of the GGC though, it can sometimes be tough to find unit in the phone book or by word of mouth.

Happily for all those who are looking for Guide cookies, there's a great form on the Girl Guides of Newfoundland and Labrador's website that you can fill out and then be put in touch with the nearest GGC unit in your area.

So the next time a craving for a wonderfully crisp vanilla sandwich cookie or delectably sweet Thin Mint biscuit strikes you in between cookie campaigns, you can get in contact with the just the right person to help satisfy your need, while your purchase helps the GGC at the same time (definitely a great - and very yummy - win-win situation all around!).

New Girl Scout patch collector launches blog

2011-01-31T09:35:00.002-08:00

You may have heard me comment on before that it seems as though with each passing day (or least month) there are fewer and fewer of us actively trading and collecting patches online any more. Whereas once this hobby was alive and buzzing across the net, these days it seems that more many more sites devoted to patch collecting come down than go up.

As such, I feel that when I get wind of a new site or blog devoted in some capacity to Girl Guide and/or Girl Scout patch trading and collecting, it's all I can do not to jump for joy! I love knowing that people are still taking up (or renewing an interest in) this rewarding, fun-filled hobby, and believe that those of us in the GG/GS patch trading community should do our best to help support these fledgling collectors.

A few days ago I received a lovely email from a woman named Ashley "Stormy" Martin in which she informed me of her brand new site, called "Stormy's WAGGGS Patch Trading Blog", that's devoted to her interest in GSUSA patch collecting.

I'm sure many of can remember when we first started building up our collections and how fantastic it felt when veteran traders were able to help us out by swapping patches and sharing their years of knowledge with us. I will always be indebted to a few kind souls who assisted me in this way (especially my good friend Louise St. Germain).

I definitely remember how I felt when I started collecting patches online, openly encourage any and all fellow patch collectors who are reading this post to bop on over to Stormy's great new blog to say "hello" and see if there's something on her dupes list (which includes some of the beautiful new GSUSA 100th anniversary items) that you'd like to trade for.

If this terrific hobby of ours is going to continue to thieve as we head into the second decade of the twenty-first century, we really need to foster and support new patch traders as much as possible, and I for one am absolutely thrilled to see sites like Stormy's blog emerging again.

The Areas, Divisions, and Districts they are a changin’!

2010-11-30T18:30:00.030-08:00

Come gather round Girl Guide enthusiasts, it’s high time you heard that (some of the) A/D/Ds in Canada are a changin’! Or, to be more accurate and less folk song-ish, some of them already have. :)

As I’m not a member of the GGC at the moment, I’m not particularly privy to the internal structural changes of the Girl Guides of Canada’s provincial organization system. However, once a chance takes place and becomes public knowledge, I often hear about it.

The first (major) structural change that I got wind of happened approximately three years, when the province of Ontario decided to do away with the classic Area/Division/District structure. I would venture to guess that this was a discussion that was not made lightly (at the time Ontario had more A/D/Ds than any other province in Canada) and which had many solid reasons behind it, though I can only speculate as to what those might have been.

With the doing away of Ontario’s A/D/D’s came the emergence of a new type of provincial structure that had not been seen in Canada before (to the best of my knowledge): the Community based system. Instead of a three-tier system, Ontario (and Nunavut, which is grouped together with Ontario) now consists of nearly 40 “Communities” areas, each of which is comprised of a part of the province. Sadly, as things have stood so far, these Communities have not been given geographic location specific names. Instead they are referred to simply as “Community 27”, for example. (I hope very much that one day they will be given actual names, as I feel that calling a Community simply by a number is too impersonal and bureaucratic sounding.)

As many collectors of Canadian patches may know, when Ontario scrapped the A/D/D system, they also stopped producing location specific patches for this province. To date, I am not aware of patches (similar to the classic A/D/D ones) being produced for the Communities of Ontario and Nunavut, though I hold onto the hope that they will be at some point (so that both Guiding members – especially the girls, for whom having patches to swap at camps and other events has always been important – and patch collectors alike will once again have something to collect from Ontario).

Recently my lovely friend Louise St. Germain brought to my attention the fact that over in British Columbia they've been altering their provincial structure as well. Thankfully however (for the time being), B.C. is still using an Area based system. At the moment, B.C. is comprised of ten different Areas (see image below), and is still has Districts (some of which – such as Fraser Skies - have recently put out some really stellar patches, that I’m sure many collectors will be very eager to try and get their hands on).

I would imagine that as the 21st century rolls onward, more and more provinces will be adjusting their Guiding structures to some degree, and think it will be highly interesting to see how such transformations unfold.
If you happen to know about any other parts of the country that have changed their provincial structure in a significant way recently, I would love to hear about it so that I could share that information with the readers of this blog (please feel free to contact me via email or in the comment section of this post, if you have such info).

As the old axiom says, change is inevitable. Sometimes change is good, others it’s not, but the one certainty of change is that it’s always bound to happen at some point. I’m not against change (though I am do not support the doing away with each province/territory having location specific patches – how could I? :-D), it can be great and help usher in a lot of positivity, which I sincerely hope will be the case for those parts of Canada that have altered their provincial structure.

Enter to win a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate

2010-09-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

While I generally like to keep the topics that I post about on this blog relevant to the subject of Girl Guiding and Scouting, occasionally when I feel that something is too interesting not to discuss it pops up here :-)

As I know many of my fellow patch collecting enthusiasts also have a broad range of other interests (including reading – which has always been a lifelong passion of mine), I thought that now would be a great time to tell you about a fantastic new book notification service that my husband (Tony) recently came up with.

Called anynewbooks.com, the straightforward website that my husband and I proceeded to produce works like this: you visit the site, select one or more categories from a list of (currently) 42 different genres of books (there truly is something for everyone!), enter your email address, and presto, once a week we’ll send you an email newsletter with a selection of newly released books in the categories of your choice (one email per category).

While, unfortunately, there are few books released that are specifically all about Guiding and Scouting, there are tons of books that can be applied to these areas. For example, cookbooks about outdoor cooking work great for those who love to camp and spend time outdoors, whereas craft books can provide tons of interesting ideas to help keep Guiding members of all ages occupied during meetings, sleepovers, and camps. Books about everything from being a team leader to history, sports to ecology and green living can be useful to those involved with Girl Guiding and Scouting - which is all the more reason why it’s super handy to stay abreast of new books that come out on such topics. Luckily, anynewbooks.com can help you do just that.

{From the youngest Spark to the most venerable of Trefoil Guild members, no matter your age or areas of interest, there are always terrific new books coming out that are worth knowing about. Anynewbooks.com allows you to just that, thanks to its weekly email updates for the categories that you selected upon sign up. Brownie clipart image via Girl Guides of Canada.}

Any New Books? Is an entirely free email notification service that’s here to ensure that you never miss a great new book (on the subjects that are nearest to your heart) again. To celebrate its recent launch and to share this great site with my lovely blogging visitors and friends, Any New Books? and my vintage themed blog, Chronically Vintage, have teamed up to give away a $100.00 (US) Amazon.com gift certificate to one lucky reader!

For more details about, and to enter, the $100.00 amazon.com gift certificate giveaway (which will run until Monday October 4, 2010), please be sure to swing by Chronically Vintage.

Thank you very much for checking out anynewbooks.com. Please feel free to let anyone you wish (from fellow Guiders to your children’s teachers and librarians) know about this useful new way to stay up-to-date on terrific book release.

Many thanks again and happy reading, my fellow booklovers! :-)

Checking in with my fellow patch traders

2010-09-14T12:55:00.003-07:00

Hi everyone, this quick little post is to say that, no, contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth! :)

As those who follow this blog and/or know me from elsewhere may be aware, I’ve been going through a very challenging time with my health this year (well, for much longer than that, but 2010 has been fraught with new issues on the medical front).

About three weeks ago I surgery to (hopefully!) aid one of my (more recent) health problems, and remain steadfastly optimistic that I’ll eventually be able to get help for some of the other pressing medical issues that are dominating my life at the moment.

But enough of all that drearily serious talk! With the hours of sunlight already getting shorter each day and that familiar zesty nip of fall swirling through the air, there’s no skirting around the fact that (for those in the Northern Hemisphere) summer is gingerly meandering its way to a close.

As we slip into the familiar rituals of fall, I am, year after year, struck by the pleasantness of memories filled with childhood Septembers when new Guiding years commenced and once again weekly meetings brought evenings spent intently focusing on such things as badge work, challenges of all sorts, volunteer activity planning, cookie selling, campfires, rousing songs, lessons learned, and friendships formed.

I’ve always felt there was an undeniable buzz to September, rich as it is with new beginnings and anticipated events. From school years to the once-again wearing of cozy sweaters, the launch of the end-of-the-year holiday season (which, depending on who you ask here in Canada, kicks off with either Labour Day or Thanksgiving in October) to the autumn harvest teaming with toothsome apples, pears, and early season root vegetables.

With the fun-filled frenzy of another summer quickly falling behind us, the upbeat tempo of September gives way to a sort of magical autumnal tranquility. Lingering between the excitement of summer and the whirlwind weeks of December, this time of the year is one of the best in which to rekindle favourite pastimes – and what better hobby to once again dive headfirst into than Girl Guide and Girl Scout patch trading?

For those of us still diligently trading patches, the past few years have seen a sharp, ongoing decline in our ranks, but I know that there are still many of us, scattered as we may be around the globe, who are still passionate about this hobby (and/or who are looking to get back into it again).

Now, as the cooler days slip into our midst and evenings spent at nestled at home seem inviting once more, why not take some time to reconnect with past swapping partners or to make new ones? Sort through your patch collection (who hasn’t gone to organize their patches before, only to find you had more dupes than you thought?), spend time sharing your zeal for patch collecting with the younger Guiding members in your life (it’s never too early to get children interested in this rewarding hobby), shot an email to a dear Guiding friend, and enjoy the simple joys that come with being a patch, badge, pin or any other sort of Girl Guide memorabilia collector.

{Autumn, as the new Guiding year takes off, is amongst the beast seasons during which to divulge in your love of patch collecting and trading. This photo, which I shot last fall, shows a small selection of the GGC fun/camp related patches in my collection.}

Though I know that until my health improves further I won’t be able to spend quite as much time online as I’d ideally like to, my email inbox is always open (and checked frequently). If you’d like to swap patches with me (or simply shot the Guiding breeze), be sure to swing by my Dupes and Traders list, than zip an email my way.

Gather together, fellow badge swappers, and lets all start autumn off on a stellar patch trading note! :)

Know what the Girl Guide and Girl Scout community needs?

2010-06-11T22:30:00.001-07:00

Before I jump into the topic of today’s post, I really want to thank my darling husband for posting in my absence recently, to let the wonderful readers of this blog know that I’d be MIA for a while. I’m actually still quite under the weather (for a more detailed account of what’s been going on this regard, please the medical update post that my husband wrote yesterday for my blog Chronically Vintage), but wanted to take a few moments to share an idea with you all that I’ve been toying with for a few months now.

As many of us are keenly aware, the number of online Girl Guide and Girl Scout patch traders continues to dwindle. While there are no hard facts on just how many people actively swap patches these days, I know that that I’ve personally witnessed a drastic decline in the number of online patch traders over the past two to three years (especially from the spring of 2008 onward).

In speaking with Guiding friends and fellow collecting enthusiasts from Canada, America, UK, New Zealand, and Australia, I quickly came to realize that they too had noticed a sharp decline (both amongst online and "real world" traders, but all of the folks I voiced this concern to shared my sentiment that it's online trades in particular that have taken a nose dive).

While it would be easy to dwell on our diminishing ranks, little good can come from focusing on the negative side of things. Instead, the idea I’ve been thinking about implementing is the creation of an online directory (hosted on this blog) of people who are still actively collecting and trading GG and/or GS patches.

Of course this notion is hardly revolutionary. Directories of Girl Guide and Girl Scout patch collectors have been online since the early 90s at least, however the minuscule handful of those that still exist are (by and large) woefully outdated (as are, I’ve found, the directories on most patch trading related Yahoo Groups).

So far those in the GG and GS patch trading community that I’ve discusses this idea with have loved it and told me how much they’d welcome such a service (just as I know I would).

In terms of the information that would be required to join the directory (which of course would be 100% free!), all you’d need to do is email me with your name (just a first name or even online handle is totally fine), what country (state or province is optional) you live in, what kind of Girl Guiding/Scouting items you have available to trade (if you have an online link to your dupes list or photo album, by all means include that too), what sort of items you’re looking for (aka, what you collect), plus a valid email address (this would be how interested parties could contact you to set up swaps).

In order to help keep the directory current, once a year I would contact you via email to ask if you want to remain in the directory and if your information was still up-to-date. This measure would, I hope, help to keep this directory current and to reduce the number of bounced emails.

Before going ahead and putting together this directory, I want to gather some listings (of patch traders) together, so it may be a short while still before the directory itself materializes. I’ve been thinking that so long as I can find at least ten people who’d like to be a part of such a list, I’ll launch it and keep adding names as they come in.

If you’re interested in having you name added to this budding patch swappers list, please email me with your details and I’ll add you to my database of interested parties.

I truly believe in keeping the GG and GS patch trading community alive and sincerely hope that this effort with help to unite those of us – wherever in the world we may be located – who are still actively trading patches, crests, standards, silks, pins, buttons, scarves, books, uniforms, and anything else related to the perpetually wonderful world of Girl Guiding and Scouting.

~ PS ~

For those who are looking for other places in which to potentially connect with fellow swappers, be sure to check out the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Badge Collectors Club, a UK based group for patch enthusiasts the world over.