I blame my Mom for passing on the need to collect, gene. Ever since I can remember my Mom had some type of collection. Green glass, bells, thimbles, dolls, recipe books and the list goes on.
At a young age, I too decided I need to collect/hoard things that caught my eye. I had scrapbooks filled with pretty or cute candy wrappers from Easter candies or every birthday card I received. I collected stamps for many years. Also, those little souvenir spoons that you can buy at almost any destination. Now instead of the little spoons I collect refridgerator magnets from my travels and Christmas ornaments.
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, I have enough to cover at least four 10 foot trees. Hallmark ornaments are my downfall. I start various series and can't skip a year. Those little Frosty Friend ornaments have been going on for well over 30 years and I have them all! Don't forget the Mickey Mouse head ornaments in every size and color I could find at Disneyland.
I also collect recipe books, but finally gave away a few boxes of them, after realizing I never made anything out of them.
I mustn't forget my Beanie Baby collection. Oh the hours I spent standing in lines to perhaps get a special beanie. The adrenaline rush when we found out that one of the stores around us just got a new shipment. They are now all stored away waiting until I give them away. Flushed that money right down the drain!
A few years later Webkinz entered the pictures. They cost about $10 more than Beanie Babies, but you could play a fun online game with them as well...
Perhaps the collection that held my attention the longest is my Barbie collection. When I finally got too old to play with my Barbies, I decided that I would start collecting them. What better reason to continue playing with them that to say "I was collecting them."? Finally, Mattel started cranking those Barbies out at speeds my bank account and little house could not keep up with and I tired of the collection. But not before I had accumulated over 350 of them.
Over the years my daughters figured out how to make the most of my need to collect. "Mom, the kids at school are playing with pogs." After I figured out what the heck pogs were, I took them to the local 6 Star store where they had big bins of pogs. We spent hours combing through those things, looking for 2 each of all 50 states, or 2 each of the cute Disney pictures and so on. I was so obsessed with the pogs that I would go there on my own, while the girls were in school, and dig through the bins.
Being the daughters of an obsessive Barbie collector, paid off for them too. They had more Barbies than any kid should have. The wouldn't even play with them. Barbie playing for them was organizing all of the hoards of Barbies and clothes they had into groups.
My older daughter hasn't inherited the collecting gene or if she has she's suppressed it pretty well. She is trying to lead an uncluttered lifestyle and collecting doesn't exactly fit into that.
My youngest has not escaped it. Giraffe items are her big obsession. Someday, when she has her own home, she will have a beautiful theme going on. Now it's not too beautiful because she also lives in this cluttered house.
She still can take advantage of my obsessive collecting ways, by living with me. She decided to start crafting and needed some material. Let's just say that she has plenty of material now and patterns, buttons, well you get the picture.
I don't see my need to collect ending anytime soon, in fact, as one ends another begins. Such as, my need for more notepads and that wonderful Temp-tations bakeware. I can hear my husband groaning now.
Here's a picture of a few of my cookbooks and this years ornament additions, so far.
A couple of my Barbies and you might notice a few items from another collection, I forgot to mention, Precious Moments figurines.
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