Brian McElney was born in Hong Kong in the early 1930s, and for more than two decades was one of the territory's top lawyers. But in his spare time, he also put together one of the most comprehensive collections of East Asian antiques in the world, many of them spotted by him amongst the knick-knacks on Hollywood Road and Cat Street. His memoir, Collecting China, starts at the height of the Cultural Revolution in the mid-1960s, when it was just not known whether the Red Guards would storm over the border and start smashing up porcelain on the Mid-Levels, and then tells tales ranging from the Hong Kong of the 1930s through to the establishment by Brian of what is today the only museum specialising in Chinese antiquities in the United Kingdom - the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath.

Stylistic Village Vignettes is the second book in the Village Vignettes Series, following Realistic Village Vignettes. This book takes a different path to displaying miniature porcelain and ceramic village pieces. Instead of creating a logical village scene found in the Realistic Village Vignettes book, Stylistic Village Vignettes combines elements such as other collectibles, containers, objects d'art, and more into fabulous vignettes conserving both space and time. Besides the traditional containers such as baskets, unique trays and elegant serving pieces found at fine home decor centers, family heirlooms, thrift store caste offs and garage sale finds can also enhance the proper village piece or pieces. Even if a lack of space or time prevents creating an extensive village setting, a village focused collage can still showcase your favorite village pieces. Christmas was the impetus for most village collections. There are numerous Christmas related suggestions, but there are also ideas for the smaller holidays such as Valentine's Day and Easter. Spring and Autumn are not forgotten, and of course, Halloween has its own chapter. A special chapter has also been included by Sue Chretien, a master at developing stylistic displays. She is constantly on the hunt for dramatic ways to enhance her vignettes - many of them featuring food related pieces finding their way into the kitchen and dining areas. In addition to Sue, over forty other village collectors have contributed to this excellent display resource, sharing their ideas; and providing creative inspirations as starting points for other collectors to appreciate their village pieces in a different way. They say a picture is worth 10,000 words. This book - as well as Realist Village Vignettes - are filled with excellent photographs depicting hundreds of ideas to implement. And even if a collector doesn't have the exact same pieces, many of these ideas can be tweaked using your favorite pieces. If space or time are limited, just about everybody has some flat space somewhere to showcase at least a couple of pieces, alone or in conjunction with a prized "something" passed down through the generations. In combination, they are worth much more than the sum of their parts. Therefore, if you find you no longer have the space, or the time, or the energy to plan and create an awesome village display scene, try developing a dynamic smaller Stylistic Village Vignettes. Other Books by Village Display Tips: The Original Village Display Tips Village Display Tips: Volume II More Village Display Tips Display Building on a Budget Realistic Village Vignettes Stylistic Village Vignettes DVDs by Village Scaping: Halloween: 101 Halloween: 102 Village Vignettes (DVD) Creating Large Displays A Christmas Story

Realistic Village Vignettes is the fifth book created by Village Display Tips, resources for collectors of miniature porcelain and ceramic villages. These books, as well as five Village Scaping DVDs, provide creative ideas and techniques to develop and enhance any village display. Whether creating an individual vignette or a mega display, there are hundreds of ideas included to improve any miniature village...