Every Day Magic - Collections

Challenge #26 from Every day Magic is to scrapbook about a collection or collections you have. If you know me, you know I have collections of all kinds of things. So this took me awhile! :) I hope you learn something about me with these posts and maybe even remember something fun from your childhood that makes you smile. I just realized that I didn't mention quotes in my journaling about collections. I love quotes. I had a book that I always wrote them in. I've had quote jars with a quote a day, I've had quote calendars and lots of quote books. One of my best friends in high school gave me several quote books when I graduated from high school ... still have them on my bookshelf now. Strangely, I don't have a quote calendar or jar right now. Maybe that's why I love it so much when people post quotes for their facebook status. Anyway, here are my pages about "I'm a collector!" Yes, I did 3 pages and they each have quite a bit of journaling. I've copied the journaling into this blog beneath the picture so it is easier to read.

Page 1 - I'm a Collector!
I have always loved to collect things. I remember first understanding "collections" when I was very little and would go to Mrs. King's house. She was the little "old" lady who lived next door to us. I would go to her house and play with polished rocks that she kept on the fireplace in an abalone shell. I would count them and arrange them and then do it again. I was fascinated with that collection of little rocks.

So, yes, you can guess that I collected polished rocks when I could find them, seashells and glass polished by the waves and sand and they still remind me of Mrs. King. I collected stuffed animals. I was like most girls my age and collected stickers - stored them in photo albums and traded them with friends. I collected postcards of different places and had a dream to collect one from every state in the US. When we'd visit my grandparents in Ohio, we always went to the Fenton Glass factory, so I also collected glass figurines of all kinds as well as glass boxes of different shapes.

I still have boxes of nicknacks in addition to my miniature animals and porcelain dolls thaht I've collected over the years and just won't part with. I'm very sentimental so when my grandmother passed away, I inherited several tiny tea sets from her collection and those are displayed in my living room. Steve and I now collect spoons from all the places we travel. We also try to collect something authentic or unique to the area ... a Venetian Mask from Venice, the traditional blue and white pottery from Holland, and paintings from the local artists in Rome and Barcelona.

Page 2 - Miniature Animals

My Aunt Donna collected glass miniature animals made by Hagen-Renaker. I remember visiting her house and absolutely falling in love with ALL the the little detailed animals. I was about 7 years old, and I started a collection during that same trip. My first ones were plastic, but none-the-less, I started my collection. As I got older, I bought more of them, spending a good deal of my paper route money. For the Hagen-Renaker brand which I preferred for the detail, the prices ranged ranged from $1 for a tiny one to about $10 for the larger ones. I bought them at the Hallmark store and the employees began to recognize me because I went in so often. They'd point out new ones that had come in since I'd last been in. It didn't take long before my collection outgrew my aunt's collection and the space in my room to display them. So, my dad and I built special shelves to display them. We moved not long after that, and we couldn't find them in the local stores. I began mail ordering them which worked well since I had more than most stores carried. I actively collected them for about 8 years. Most of my animals are currently boxed, to keep them away from little fingers, but I look forward to the day when I can pull them out again. My favorites are my cocker-spaniels and the sea otters.


Page 3 - Porcelain Dolls

When I was a little girl, my mom started giving me porcelain dolls for Christmas. I'm not sure exactly when it started, but I was pretty young. They were always special dolls ... not to play with so they went on a shelf or the top of a dresser. Some were special because of where they came from, others were special because they reminded my mom of me for some reason. Some were special because they were made by a friend. Some matched my sisters' dolls, but most were just mine. It creeps some people out, but I have the dolls displayed on a ledge around the top edge of my bedroom. These are some of my favorites ... top picture - peach dress, a plastic doll that my sister crocheted the dress for. - blue dress holds a flute in her lap because I played flute in high school. The middle pictures: - Scottish drum major - represents Steve. It was made for him when he was in high school. - Peaches 'n Cream - reminded my mom of me when I was little - I had a peach dress and I gained the nickname peaches because I wore it so often to church. Bottom picture - a variety of the dolls on my ledge. My mom now continues that tradition with my 3 daughters.