"individuals tend to collect things from the past which has some relevance to them. They may collect things from their own past, or from another person’s past that they believe has personal significance. Structuring one’s past is a very important part of structuring identity." -interview with Susan Pearcemy grandmother was certainly a 'pack rat', but a relatively organized one. i remember going to her house as a little girl for sleep overs and being fascinated by the piles of books & magazines on the floors of her bedroom, the hundreds of bottles of products lined up on her bathroom vanity, the endless amounts of jewelry and clothing crammed into her drawers and assembled in the closets. every surface seemed to be filled with something. eventually, when they moved from their house in Hastings-on-Hudson, a house they lived in for 30+ years, my aunts & uncles went to help them pack up...and what a feat it was. they divided up the things my grandmother had accumulated over those 3 decades among them, and i was given a few little sets of demitasse cups to keep...this was the beginning my collecting habits...
when my poppy died he passed down to my sister and i a coin collection he had started...not the coolest hobby in the world i'll admit. not knowing the first thing about coins i turned to my great uncle George, a coin collector himself, for some guidance. i spent a long afternoon with him and great aunt Dorothy sorting and cataloguing those coins over lunch, learning how to handle them and how to find out what they're worth. i've still got them, not sure i could ever sell them, mainly because they were once his and that's one of the only pieces of him we still have left.
having followed mom to endless antique stores & flea markets over the years i've also picked up collecting antique (and a few non-antique) salt & pepper shakers. a good friend of mine has also added to my collection, acquiring some wonderful s&p shakers for me from her travels abroad. have a look...
...and after seeing Country Living's article about collecting white bowls i'm thinking about starting my own collection of them. simple, clean, classic...they'd go with any decor. hmmm, maybe i'll find some at Brimfield or Bouckville or Elephant's Trunk this summer?...
images courtesy of Country Livingi also like the idea of collecting vintage sterling silver mint julep cups...can be used to drink juleps, hold flower or just have out on display on your bar. having lived in Louisville, Kentucky for a couple of years, attended the kentucky derby a few times, and still have some dear old friends living there seems like it would be a perfect item to acquire these darlings...
mom collects vintage watering cans. they currently reside at the house in Nova Scotia but could be a perfect addition to any space...
i guess you can collect just about anything you want as long as you love it...but it's really all about how you display it...
image courtesy of eHow
images courtesy of Apartment Therapy
image courtesy of Urban Grace Interiors
image courtesy of Flickr
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