Are you a collector?

[Roxyluvsme13]

i erh... tend to collect pictures i find off the internet of someone too.

*cough* FOXY *cough*

But I do that, too, Vette.

[IRescue452]

I have tons of collections, but I limit them and reduce the amount all the time. Often I regift stuff people buy for me, sell it online, or I toss it in the garbage. Since I like dogs, I get all sorts of dog stuff, and most of it gets tossed or given away. I think accidental collections get started when people are hard to think of gifts for.

[Zippy]

I used to collect beanie babies and my little ponys.I also used to have a huge collection of books also and vhs movies.They all got reduced with each move.I have no vhs movies,20 or so beanie babies,7 or so my little ponys and 7 or so books.

[DrKym]

Does Pokemon count???? I also collect porcelain dolls, and carousel horses

[Taz_Zoee]

I have been collecting bells for about 24 years. You know the souvenir bells you get in gift shops? I got a beautiful brass bell with a unicorn on it from my uncle when I was 10 and that's when it started. Anytime someone travels they always bring me back a bell. I believe I have over 100 now. Unfortunately, I do not have room for them here, so they are all at my mom's.

People also know I love Taz (Looney Tunes character), so I get lots of Taz stuff too.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I collect cat things like figurines, plates, pictures, stuffed animals,socks, mugs, etc. and most people know that I love cats so they usually get me cat things.

[wolfsoul]

My grandmother is unfortunatly the first stereotype to a T. She collects mostly animals. She is an animal hoarder -- it is a sickening disease. She has been known to have 20 or 30 dogs and 100-200 cats at a time. The dogs would be tied to anything in the yard or driveway. She would breed them and keep puppies. The cats would run free through the house and the outdoors, constantly breeding. She would keep the kittens. My mother and aunts had a terrible childhood. They were not able to go play with their friends because they had too many chores at home -- cleaning cages, mostly.

My mom and aunts have been harsh on her these past few years. We've spayed and neutered most of her cats (and for some reason these were always the ones to be eaten by bears and coyotes) and the big fire wiped out alot of her cats, she is now down to maybe 5 or 6 cats. Unfortunatly 4 of them are unaltered so she will soon have more I'm sure. Now down to 3 dogs. We got them all spayed thank goodness. Not before Hildi had three litters, Nikki had two, and her Border collie had one when she was only 11 months.

My mom and aunts go up ther her shack about once a year to clean out her property. Basically they force it on her. My mom remembers going into one room. She opened the door, got it about 1/4 open and it stopped. She shoved and shoved and finally poked her head in. The entire room was covered literally from the ground to the roof with old newspapers. Took forever to get them all out. There was poop on the counters, pee and poop all over the bed, in the bathtub. Everywhere. Now she has another crazy lady living with her so she's keeping it much cleaner. Sometimes collecting is a very dangerous thing..becomes obsessive, and you don't care about anything else.

As for myself, I collect anything to do with wolves and Belgian shepherds. My entire house is covered in wolves. I have 5 wolf blankets hanging on my walls, one on my couch, one on my bed...Wolf pictures framed in every room, a wolf shower curtain, wolf bathroom towels, kitchen cloths, ceramic/glass wolves, wolf plates, hanging decorations, shirts, mugs, picture frames...Anything nice I can find. I grew up collecting things. I went from thing to thing though. I had My Little Ponies, and anything to do with horses mostly. I guess I started out with cats though, and began to like dogs alot. I had a Pokemon phase too, that was a big one.

[Pam]

I am the opposite of a collector. I am a *thrower outer.* I think this is because my mom collected things. She wasn't a collector/hoarder like this thread talks about but she often bought things she didn't need and had no organizational skills. She'd put things away and forget where she'd put them, so she'd buy the same thing all over again. I am constantly throwing things out. I absolutely hate any kind of clutter.

[Sevaede]

For multiple reasons, I have a fondness for dragons and certain other "mythical" (in quotes cause I don't know how it should be described) creatures. We don't have a bunch of any particular item but we do have a little mini statue and some other little things.

[sirrahbed]

When I graduated from highschool, my grandmother gave me a fancy little box. I guess it was supposed to be a jewelry box. Anyway, it is red metallic with ornate decorations and a red velvet lining. I was intrigued by it because it was fancy, rather useless and because I don't recall any other gift from that grandmother.

Over the years I have bought and received as gifts - unique and interesting boxes. They range in size from thimble-sized to boxes that are about as big as a pack of cigarettes.

Each box has a story, too. I have boxes that represent the country they came from - like my porcelain boxes from Europe. Kaiser porcelain, Villeroy & Boch, Wedgewood. I have olivewood from the Holy Land, marble, soapstone, Austrian crystal, russian lacquered enamel, etc. A favorite is a leather box that my mom used to hold her rosary.

I have pretty boxes that my husband and children bought me over the years that represent holidays and things that they like or that I like. For example, hearts for valentines, pretty florals for mother's day, a box with my favorite flowers (tulips) or cats.

I have boxes from friends that are very special to me. I mentioned once before that I like boxes and a PT buddy sent me a pretty paper mache kitty box. A gift swap friend sent me two stained glass boxes. I have little boxes that contain little figuerines like my sewing basket box with tiny yarn ball and spools of thread. I have a pewter cat shaped box that contains a little mouse and slice of cheese. There is another box that looks like silver that is decorated with a pair of real earrings and a pendant & chain.

This is an interesting thread!

[sasvermont]

I must admit, of all of the things I collect, it all has started out with a gift from a friend.....and I liked it so much, I began to collect it. It is as though a trigger in my brain goes off, and I notice the object ... and then maybe the next year, I get another of the same from the same person.... and wammo. I am collecting it. I don't think I have ever started collecting things as an original thought. Hey, that sounds like I need a little time on "the couch".... Sounds as though I am being lead around by my ear.......or eyes..... but not making decisions on my own? Oh well, I happen to like what I have collected......so far........

I am sure there is a great deal of psychology to this habit......

Oh well.

SAs

[sirrahbed]

I must admit, of all of the things I collect, it all has started out with a gift from a friend.....and I liked it so much, I began to collect it. ........ Sounds as though I am being lead around by my ear.......or eyes..... but not making decisions on my own? Oh well, I happen to like what I have collected......so far........

I am sure there is a great deal of psychology to this habit......

Guess we both are the "accidental" collectors, SallyAnne. I also like what I have...so far. I suppose I will add a few more over the years but I want each item to be special and unique. Right now, I have some of my boxes displayed on a shelf in the livingroom and they look pretty and are fun to look at from time to time. I also validate my collection because little boxes can be useful and contain such things as baby teeth from my children, foreign coins and cat whiskers.

Uh-Oh it does sound a bit obsessive when I see that some little boxes contain these "mini-collections"

[Freedom]

For years there were these mobils of the solar system, and they included Pluto. Now that Pluto has been demoted and is no longer a planet, I suppose all those mobiles are collectibles?

[Roxyluvsme13]

Pluto's no longer a planet?

[jazzcat]

I guess I'm an accidental collector because I said I like elephants years ago and then the gifts came. I have a curio cabinet my Dad made for me full of elephants now. I have a couple of storage boxes full of elephants too. Plus I have tons of elephant stuff that doesn't go in a curio like blankets, pillows, purses, pictures, pot holders, you name it.

Lately I've become more of a "thrower outer" like Pam. I'm tired of clutter and so much stuff. It really makes my husband mad since he likes to keep everything because according to him "you never know when you'll need it". He has never let me forget that I argued with him that he would never need that high school history book again but it did come in handy holding up the bed until we replaced the broken frame.