On collections and other things........

My Steiff "Pillo" and little chick

My first acquisition...Chickadee

One day I was shopping at a local thrift store and came across a very cute chickadee figurine.  It was well worn, its beak was eroded, its once-vivid colors were faded and there was some damage to its base. It appealed to me, however, it hearkened back to the story of chicken little and small fuzzy things such as stuffed animals and Easter holidays that I lived from long ago. And, too, it needed me to save it. It seemed to be withering away there on the shelf, so I purchased it.  Some people have rescue dogs, (like my good friend Joan G). Well, I had a rescue chick. 

I have since added a couple more of these very cute bird creatures to my collection.  I happened upon an Ebay ad for the Steiff "Pillo" stuffed chick.  Besides being something that would eventually be a collectible, it appealed to me immediately.  Then adding the tiny little figurine next to it in the picture, before I knew it I had a collection. (Incidentally, the tiny porcelain chick was purchased at a RePurpose warehouse sale where I met Cari from Cash and Cari, an HGTV program!)  Together, they are a new collection of things that I love to surround myself with in my house.



Now, I know that collections can be fun and great conversation starters.  But having this house so full of stuff and at times, too much stuff, I know how collecting can get out of control.  I have let go of many things over the past few months that I would rather have kept, but as time went by, thinning out things created less clutter in my mind, and I had lost the connection I had with the items anyway.    I have become a minimalist, and in that vein, I adhere to three special rules of collecting.  I do not have more than three of anything that I keep out for people to see. I stop at three and eventually find myself latching on to something else to collect eventually.   Second, I only acquire things that would remind someone I love of me..because long after I am gone, these "things" will be left to someone I care about and who I would want to remember me each time they look at it. Third, I only keep things that trigger a fond memory of my childhood or a special occasion.

What do you collect?  Is it salt and pepper shakers, or Limoges hinged boxes, or crystal animals from Swarovski?  What "does it" for you?  What moment or time from your past would you like to revisit through something you can touch or hold in your hand?  What is that "thing" you desire to hang on to? What is it that you collect that would enable someone you love to someday remember you?