Who: Tara Ross, 29, of Newport, a homemaker who loves Hello Kitty collectibles.

        Where: In two of the bedrooms of the home she shares with husband, Jim, their 14-month-old son, Will, and two mischievous dogs, Rosie and Bodhi.

ara Ross with her Hello Kitty collection and son Will. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        On display: More than 60 Hello Kitty items, including stuffed animals, jewelry boxes, a glass bank, a snow globe and books. Mrs. Ross also has a red Hello Kitty suitcase (a special order item she had to wait six months for), several purses, jewelry, a backpack, a tin box and pillowcases.

        Greetings Baby Cat: “I had Hello Kitty stuff when I was a little girl,” Mrs. Ross explains. “But I played with it. The first one that I would consider a "collectible' was one I bought for a quarter at a yard sale. It is Hello Kitty standing on a flower vase.

        “When you squeeze it,” she giggles, “It squeaks.”

        Hello Martha Stewart: Mrs. Ross began decorating one of the family's bedrooms in a Hello Kitty theme a couple of years ago.

        “My husband said, "OK, go for it,' she says with a grin. “So, I painted the headboard pink and bought a pink bedspread and Hello Kitty pillows. Then, I put up Hello Kitty border.”

        Goodbye Kitty: “That's when I realized that Hello Kitty Pepto Bismol pink could be a bit overwhelming,” she says with a frown.

        “My husband and I have two bedrooms,” she confesses. The one upstairs (where she keeps her collectibles and they almost never sleep) is “nice and fancy” and the one downstairs (where they spend most of their time) “is more down to earth.”

        Off limits: Most importantly, that is the one the dogs are allowed in.

        “I don't think dogs like Hello Kitty,” she laughs. “Because they've eaten quite a few pieces.”

        The one that got away: Mrs. Ross' only regret is that she hasn't been able to get her hands on any Hello Kitty display items from Target.

        “When I was living in Toledo back in 1998, they had these huge Hello Kitty signs,” she sighs. “When I asked if I could have one, the manager said that they weren't allowed to give that stuff away because of licenses. I even checked the Dumpsters and they were locked.”

        She even considered getting a job there, but decided against it.

        “It would have been too much hassle,” she concedes. “Besides that, I probably would have gotten fired.”

       Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer; e-mail: marsolete@aol.com.
       

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