Somehow, I knew that would be the answer… Well, there’s nothing like a challenge. 
GT
Post a picture of it! Let us all compete to come up with answers sensible and not. 
Okey dokey…they’re not great, but I think you can tell what it looks like. Let the guessing begin!
GT
Well, it looks homemade. It reminds me of the hatch covers on lockers in boats, the hole being where one reaches to remove the cover, but this is way too small for that. My first thought was candle base. Or maybe a little trivet. Or a part of something else that cannot be determined from this piece.
You could use it as a coaster, as long as the glass you place on it isn’t drippy or sweaty.
Other than that, I got nothin’…
For those keeping track, the kiln is down under 450 degrees F - I may be able to unload it tonight. Maybe.
Dear Elephantee,
Your box is currently making its way across the country to New England. I sent it this morning via Pachyderm Xpress.
Yours,
mle
ps. I moved in May so I didn’t have a whole lot of stuff to gift you with. Sorry it isn’t an enormous box.
Could it be a float of some sort? I’ve seen the same thing about the same size, in styrofoam, on the pier where the crabbers go.
It’s wood, and the bottom isn’t painted at all, so I don’t think it’s meant to be in water.
Seems likely that it’s a part of something else. Kinda has a Tinker Toy feeling to it. Worst part is that it looks awfully familiar; I feel like I ought to know what it’s a part of.
GT
Could it be part of a lamp base?
I received my elephant yesterday evening–thanks so much rocking chair!!!
There was a TON of stuff, so here are the highlights:
An inflatable toucan
A gorgeous set of ceramic spice holders, made to look like little houses (already decorating the top of my stove)
Rubber monster stamps
A beautiful crocheted doily (LOVE IT)
A kitty cat paperweight
A homemade coin purse (total guess, I really have no clue what that strange little thing is)
Pretty candle holder with a bird on top, as well as a Christmas themed and pillar candle holders
Betta bowl treatment (my daughter has wanted a betta for forever, maybe it is time to get her one)
A stuffed puppy with a really big head
A ton of note pads (I am a list maker, so these are much appreciated)
A sheep with a hole in it (holy sheep!)
Catnip seeds
Various boxes and baskets
Markers and pencils
Football
THANK YOU again, rocking chair! You always send such great things when we do these exchanges–we loved it!
Yes, they are lace curtains. I beleive either from my husbands grandmother in Germany or Circa 1950 Michigan, from my Grandmother. I’ve only had them for 13 years.
I’m glad it arrived in a timely fashion. Therapy has never been so cheap as to mail that off!
i’m glad things got there in one piece.
the sheep is a napkin holder, i think. could the hand made thing be a tissue thing? i think i threw one of those in there. or it could be a coin thing. there were some mystery attachments to a backpack i have. couldn’t figure them all out.
enjoy!!
no pachyderms arrived here yet; the outbound 'phant should be daparting this weekend
:smack: :smack:
I thought of a floater too, here in the mediterranean you see them in wood and unpainted all over the place. We’re old fashioned, see…
Elephant on its way as of this afternoon!
melondeca, two notes:
- Open carefully, as there are a couple of smaller items hiding in the packing paper.
- If you want to post a list of what’s in there once you receive it, I’ll be happy to supply you with additional details on what some of them are (some are obvious).
I’m glad to see no one can figure out what that thing is, either.
My effalunt hasn’t arrived yet. Seems like he’s making a looooooooong journey! ::awaiting anxiously::
Received White Elephant, thanks, jayjay.
Inventory:
Small musical wizard figurine.
Small straw basket
Small decorative doll sized straw hat.
Skein of beautiful soft purple yarn with large needles. (I’ll have to remember how to knit, it’s in the mind, somewhere in the dark recesses)
Mini stapler, woo hoo, hopefully I’ll be able to hide THIS one from the kids.
Mardi Gras beads
2 condensed Readers Digest books.
Notepad for lists (Habitual listmaker, thanks.)
Flyer from the Lancaster Public Library.
3 small crocheted yarn doilies.
8 petrified dough pieces, (gingerbread man, croissants, pretzel, bagel, etc.)
Small stuffed snowman. ( Thanks for the reminder, bah.)
Refrigerator magnets.
“Purr if you like cats” hanging plaque.
Cat toy
4 movies, “Monster in Law,” “Bewitched,” and two Kirk Douglas films, “My Dear Secretary,” and “The Big Trees.”
And lastly, my two favorite things, a light up pen, and a “Guide to Perennials” book with great photography. That pen is way cool, and I need a good perennial book.
THanks a lot, jayjay!
/hijack/
A good friend of mine shares the same name as you. What are the odds?
/hijack/
Woo hoo! I came home tonight to find a Pachyderm Perched on my Porch! (How’s that for alliteration?)
And it was crammed with neat stuff. To wit:
Most mysterious item:
A piece of wood approximately 1.5" by 10.5" by 1/4" thick. Painted black. Shallow groove about the size of a pencil diameter routed most of the length. One end has a smiling sun painted on it in gold. The other end bends up slightly at the end, and has two small holes drilled through it.
Anybody want to guess what it is? (I suspect I know what it is, but I’m holding off to let those who enjoy ‘Guess the Whatzit’ to have a chance.)
Absolutely Hit the Spot Item:
A handheld blacklight/flashlight combo! Just last week I broke a combination reading light/flashlight gizmo I kept beneath my desk for times I had to do battle with wires to and from my computer, and here I have a replacement! I’m not sure of the black light part. Maybe I’ll dig out one of my posters from college it stick it up in the footwell of my desk…
Item most likely to be turned into a stocking stuffer:
A stick-on heart-shaped face ornament, little crystals outlining a clear center. Looks like a prize from a gumball machine. (My niece is going to love it.)
Item I’m most likely to wear soon:
Earrings, tiny red hearts. (I love 'em!)
Item I will wear later:
Choker make of a zillion strands of tiny, sparkly beads. Perfect for when I’m wearing my little black dress, which is also sparkly.
Item that will be used first:
(Already sampled in fact.) two packets of “Foot Spa.” Not just foot lotion, but “Sea Botanical” foot lotion, an “Anti-stress foot essential.” Revitalizes and soothes, it says. Relieves perspiration and improves circulation. Reduces swelling (good) and odor (Hummph!).
Don’t know about the circulation part, but my feet smell good enough to eat.
Item most appropos for the moment:
A lovely blank notebook. The covers are maps of the subway systems in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with a matching pen. No, I’m not planning a trip to NYC, but I AM going to be doing NaNoWriMo in November, and I’ve been looking around for a notebook to use for on-the-run writing. Bingo!
Item most likely to be donated to charity:
4 skeins of really nice yarn, 100% virgin wool worsted, two shades of green plus natural and a dark gray. Well, I know how to knit in theory, but I’ve never yet produced anything a human being actually could or would wear. But I’m associated with an organization that knits caps, mittens and scarves that are given to children in homeless shelters in chilly Boston so I will pass it along to one of my more talented co-members. Much better that the yarn helps keep some kids warm than it be mangled into a monstrosity by me. 
Item than made me go “hmmmm”:
A book, “Life After God” by Douglas Coupland. At first I feared for my soul, but it appears to be humorous essays, so that’s good.
Item that appeals to the kid in me:
An orange and green yoyo! With a smiling cat face on one side, and leopard spots (actually look more like tadpoles having convulsions) on the other. I never managed to master the yoyo as a child, so I guess this is my second chance.
The most “this is so not me” item(s)"
Seven assorted ring shaped things. Four look to be macrame, two sewn from cloth, one pieced from felt. Diameters from roughly 2" to 4". All but one elasticized. Hmmm. Hair scrunchies? (But who has hair that thick?) Armlets/bracelets, maybe? I put the shiny green cloth one onto my black cat as a necklace: it fit great and looked wonderful, though he didn’t seem to appreciate it.
The most “I wish this was me” item:
A padded, zippered case, with a lot of tiny compartments and velcro attached strips and a draw string pouch inside. A travel jewelry organizer, I’m guessing. Just the thing to keep my rubies and sapphires and diamonds properly sorted out the next time I bop over to Monte Carlo…
All in all a very satisfactory haul. But…no note from my giver! C’mon, fess up so I can thank you.
BTW, I’m starting to get worried about the elephant I mailed. It went out to Texas on Oct. 19 – surely it should have arrived by now?? At least I remembered to pay for one of those tracking numbers. Now if I can just find the receipt I can find out where the heck it has wandered off to. I think I stuck receipt into my junk drawer at work…
All of those were little things supervenusfreak’s mother won playing bingo at her graycare center.
From when I was going through my “buy little useless things off of eBay” period.
It’s my Traditional White Elephant Knitting Missionary contribution. Everyone who’s ever gotten a WE from me has gotten yarn and needles.
We bought a big bag of beads when we were going to New Orleans for Southern Decadence the year Katrina hit. Obviously, we ended up having no real use for them. I gave you a string of each color.
It was on the bookcase when I was filling the box. Local interest, ya know…
Those are gen-u-wine vintage early 1980s-era refrigerator magnets, that actually hung on my mother’s refrigerator for YEARS!
That was a little gift from one of my co-workers. And I hardly think a Minnesotan would need a reminder, considering that I’ve heard there’s been snow already…
The best part of Monster-in-Law is the last 10 minutes, with Elaine Stritch. There is no best part of Bewitched. Those are like the Wishing Imp…the only way to get rid of them is to give them to an unsuspecting victim…
The light-up pen was a giveaway from a bear run we went to last year. It’s cool, but I don’t get much use out of it, so use it in good health! The book is really neat, but we have about six square feet of space to work with as a garden. I don’t get much use out of the book, therefore, either.
I’m glad you liked it!
Got it!
I’ve recently started a stash of toys for my future grandchildren to play with when they come to visit me. I added the *skating Cabbage Patch doll * and the Nala and Simba toys to my stash. Also the frog bean bag, which is a good size to go with a beanbag target game we have.
I would have added the stuffed pink cat to my future-grandchild stash, but the dog appropriated it. Max spent several happy hours alternately humping and shaking it and it is now residing in his toy box. He also has his eye on the can of vienna sausages. I’ll give him one or two a day until they run out – he’ll be very grateful to his Auntie Stacia.
Kevin wouldn’t let me add the potato gun to the future-grandchild stash for fear one of them would put out an eye. So I slipped it into my son’s dresser drawer. He’ll be pleased to find it when he comes home on leave. A potato gun being exactly the sort of thing that sailors and Marines will enjoy playing with. As a matter of fact, I’ll put the whip up there, too. He and his buddies do enjoy things that they can injure each other with. Hopefully none of them will put out an eye.
The glue stick, soap, paper plates, ice cream scoop, cosmetics bag, bottle opener, buttons, pompoms and perfume sample all fall into the ‘always handy’ catagory and were dispatched to the appropriate loacations around my house.
The pez dispensers were placed on my library shelves – Charlie Brown is on the shelf with the cartoon collections, Eeyore is over with the children’s books. I put the monkey pencil topper on a pencil and put it in the pencil cup on my desk – very cute and amusing. I put the devil duckie pencil topper on another pencil and put it upstairs on my husband’s desk. So he wouldn’t feel left out.
My mother snapped up the kitty-ball pendant, which she is going to hang on the rear view mirror of her car. My dad took the personal organizer – he likes electronic gadgets like that.
I think my daughter did the best though. She loves Calvin Klein Eternity perfume. She almost bought this variety (purple orchid) before she left for school, but went with a different one instead. She will be thrilled to have this almost full bottle! She also loves that Chrome nail polish and didn’t have it in the pink. And, she is a Christian who will love a nice WWJD pen.
That leaves just a few things (a bottle cap, keychain, ring, brooch, and confetti) to be placed lovingly in my newly clean junk drawer to await a rainy day (or next year’s White Elephant exchange).
Thanks, Anastasaeon! This was fun for the whole family!