Collections

Here is my admittedly tiny collection of decoupage basket purses. I don't know the long-term history of these in particular, but short-term history is that I picked up two of them in a French Quarter antique store about 12 or so years ago. (The third one I think I got from ebay.) These are an extension of my long-term basket-purse obsession. I love basket-style purses and have collected them, along with other vintage purses and some lunchboxes, too, for a long time. I ultimately acquired quite a few, and at some point along the way, I passed some along to Goodwill in the name of closet space and other more pressing interests (clothes? shoes?). Luckily, these particular purses survived my up-and-down collection moods.

I used to keep other collections as well. A big one was costume jewelry - I had a huge collection as a teenager. I still have a fair amount, but that group officially disbanded long ago.

To me, a "collection" isn't just a group of common things that you possess, but a group of common things which you treasure, take good care of, devote energy to, and derive energy and inspiration from. In short, a collection connects the material world to our own 'inner' worlds!