Thursday, June 2, 2016

One, Two, Three! It's A Collection!

By Cathy


What is about collecting that brings us pleasure and satisfaction? Does it connect us to or bring back emotions from a period in our lives that we feel strongly about? In looking at what I collect there is definitely a connection to childhood memories. For instance, I have a collection of bears. My mother told me I loved my first teddy bear; carried it, hugged it, and slept with it. I still have that teddy bear and over the years have added a few more unique ones.


Along with my teddy bear, I loved Little Golden books. They were the first books that I remember someone reading to me. The oldest one I have from my childhood  is Prayers For Children by Eloise Wilken. I still have my copy of Mother Goose, Snow White, Hansel and GretelTom and Jerry, Nurse Nancy, Zorro, and Sleeping Beauty. Oh, how I loved Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three fairies in Sleeping Beauty and I loved the plump fairy godmother in Cinderella waving her wand and chanting as she changed Cinderella's rags into the "loveliest ball dress that ever was."

“Salaga doola,
Menchicka boola
Bibbidy bobbidy boo!”

One day after I was looking through my collection of over 200 Golden books trying to find one about a train to read to my grandsons, I realized they needed to be in some sort of order. I spent a very enjoyable afternoon sorting them by themes:  trains, fairy tales, bears, dogs, Christmas, religious, Disney, etc. Of course, part of the afternoon was spent reading several of them; bringing back memory after memory. Sweet, sweet memories.


I love to scatter little collections throughout the house, such as my shell collection in the bathroom that makes me think of family vacations, old keys in the guest bedroom that remind me of my grandparents’ house, and wooden spools in my sewing room that make me remember all the things my grandmother, mom, and I once sewed. These little things are special, sometimes only to me.


My favorite collection though, is my collection of rocks. Yes, you read that right – rocks! This collection began when my grandsons were small. They would pick up rocks and bring them to me as gifts; rocks for gramma instead of flowers. Oh, I’ve gotten flowers, but I’ve gotten many more rocks. They still bring me rocks now and then, especially if they find a heart-shaped one. I display these precious gifts in an old cracked bird bath in my shade garden along with others I’ve picked up on my wanderings.


It seems we all collect something. I’ve read all you need is three of a similar thing to have a collection. It may be photographs, ticket stubs, children’s school work, cameras, or books. The scope of collecting is absolutely unlimited.  Those who know me know I love to research. So, of course, I did a little research looking for unusual objects that are collected. You would not believe some of the things people collect. Here’s just a few of the “not so very strange” collections I found.

  banana stickers – over 7,000 unique labels
 bars of soap – 5,000 bars from all over the world
 joker playing cards - 8,520
 napkins – 125,866 different napkins
 erasers – 19,571 from over 100 countries

And the list goes on and on!


I enjoy the quest of collecting whether it’s a book, a shell, or even a simple rock. Do you collect anything? Do you enjoy the thrill of the hunt, the organizing, and the displaying? Do you collect for investment purposes, sentimentality, or simply because you love something? Wander through your home and spend some time with your collections. Maybe your collection is pretty journals stacked on your desk, family pictures arranged on the wall, delicate teacups displayed in the kitchen or an album of vintage postcards. Whatever it is . . . touch it . . . arrange it . . . organize it . . . enjoy it and smile!!



8 comments:

Carol said...

Miss Cathy! I could not love this post more! Look how adorable you are with your bear! And your pictures of your collections are gorgeous! I couldn't say that I have "collection -collections," but I am drawn to each of the above! Lets see... I have 2 shells and a few rocks (from my son) in my bathroom; I have a few Christmas Golden books - one where Mickey and Minnie take their nephews Chritmas shopping and the kids get locked in Macy's toy department! I have some old "jail keys" and journals.
But I think you have given me some ideas here for my quest to clean out the junk here. I think I need to gather some of these and make more or a display - they would look neater and mean more. I never really looked at why I like these things , but you have shown me that its all about memories.
and one more thing -I love this post beCAUSE of the memories! Oh my gosh -Pokey, and Flora and Fauna! And the bright blue rabbit that I slept with! Thanks for the memories this morning! Its the start of a good day -I can feel it!

Dotti said...

I do love your post! Since I'm a longtime reader of your personal blog, I've known about some of your treasures. That photo of you and your Teddy is a treasure unto itself. {{ smile }} What do I collect? Teapots. I know, you're all shocked! And tea mugs. More shock waves. Cameras. I have some older film cameras along with my digital cameras. I guess you could say I collect camera lenses. So, yes, this is a marvelous post to get us thinking about what we treasure, maybe what we should part with and most of all -- the memories represented by these collections. That's the best part.


terriporter said...

Oh, wow, I LOVE this! Yes, as Carol said, some of them really bring back memories. The Golden Books for sure! I remember so many of them, although I don't still have any, sad to say. We moved a lot when I was young and I think my mother was of the mind that if it wasn't currently being used, it wasn't worth moving and out it went. And you know how much I LOVE your ink bottles! I also collect shells and rocks (also gifts from my sons and grandson) as well as old bottles and jars, especially antique Ball jars. And lately I've been collecting cactus! I discovered the beauty of their blooms a few years ago and now I want one in every color! Thanks, Cathy, for such a fun post!

kelly said...

cathy, I'm tearing up thinking about lying in my granny's feather bed with my little brother snuggled up beside me and listening to my granny read the pokey little puppy. so love your posts cathy because you have a way of connecting me to some of my most treasured memories. thank you friend for the big warm fuzzy today. :) xoxoxo

Deanna said...

Lovely post, Cathy. I too still have a few golden books left from my childhood, even some old first grade readers with Dick and Jane and Spot. I am trying not to collect anything more since I have a house full of "stuff" but I can never resist a pretty new coffee cup.

kybarb said...

Loved your post today Cathy! I love sneaking peeks at other people's collections --even better when you get to read why they collect. Check out #magpiemonday on Instagram if you want to see lots of fun collections! I'm a collector from way back--been collecting rocks since I was a kid. My latest collecting passions--small blue and white China dogs, letter & number wood game pieces, & vintage Christmas ornaments.

Anonymous said...

Cathy, I love all your collections, and the way you use your treasures in your photography. And I absolutely adore that photo of little you with your teddy bear! I realized in reading your post that I have collections of many similar things, but I've never thought of them as "collections" so much as "themes." Now I'm thinking of how I could pull them together so they could be seen and appreciated better...by myself, if no one else. Thanks for the inspiration!

DianeSchuller.com said...

Oh Cathy that's lovely. I used to have a few of those Golden books too. Such heartwarming memories

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