A Collector at Heart

It runs in the family. Collecting stuff that is. You name it. I will probably find a way to collect it. My mothers parents were extremely avid yard salers. Grandpa was a music collector and grandma was along for the ride. He had 10,000 player piano rolls, 7 pianos, 5,000 records, drums, old clarinets, flutes, saxophone's and whatever else played music. Hundreds of instruments. It was a child's paradise complete with a pinball machine. When you flicked on the lights a huge stained glass music machine kicked on playing wonderful carnival style music. The pinball machine came to life and a train started cruising around the room. Boxes of toys for us to pick through and a row of colorful clowns sat along the wall. Each one of us had a favorite.



I have about six boxes of glass bottles. I have spent hours digging through old home sites and dump areas for any type of glass. Old soda bottles, china, and lots of medicine bottles. I found my first when i was around the age of five, laying in the little creek behind our farm house. A beautiful blue medicine bottle complete with lettering in the glass. A prized possession, I still love my blue glass bottle. I have found more since but the first is always the most cherished.

I inherited my grandmothers button collection. It's been steadily growing since then. Its a nice little assortment of buttons. Each one so dainty and full of purpose. Someday each one will lend itself to something greater.

I have been collecting wool sweaters as well. I have plans for them too. Sweater bags. Its really simple and it will be fun to accessorize them with my cute little buttons. They are great for farm market bags. Its a fun way to re purpose old wool sweaters.

I collect books and lots of em! Whether i plan to read them or not. If they are old and charming I will give them a home. I especially love books that have been written in. I have several that have sweet messages in them and were given to loved ones. The dates are from the 30's and 50's. It's as if i feel the books story. Not the one it tells inside but what the gift meant. I smile when i read the little notes, "To my dearest with love", 1939. I don't know their love story but i like to think it was a passionate one.

Since irises are my favorite it makes perfect sense that i save anything that has to do with them. I have over 20 years each of Cooley's, Keppel's and Schreiner's catalogs. Great pictures and history for an avid iris grower. A large tote is overflowing with them. Its time to graduate them to a much bigger area.

I have a huge seed collection too. I have a lot of sowing to do. It should keep me busy for several years! I have vegetables, perennials, datura's, morning glories, and many other goodies to grow and share.

It was inevitable that i would grow up to love things. Surrounded by people who cherished them, I grew to appreciate the simple joys of collecting. My buttons, chairs, books, cheese graters, pie plates, glass bottles, garden magazines, figurines, picture frames, beads, yarns, old windows, and fabrics to name a few, are just pieces of what make me happy. Someday i will have a place to call my own where my wonderful treasures can be displayed and gain new lives and purposes throughout my home.