Thursday, April 7, 2011

I'm basically like Ariel

So, we've all been there right? You find something you love and suddenly you have 100 of it. So you call it a collection. My nan collects spoons and owls. It just so happens that my favourite utensil is the spoon, and I also love owls. If she ever tired of her collections, she'd be screwed, because every year she is bound to get more owl paraphernalia and spoons from family members.

Then there's me. I like collecting things just to have collections. Seriously. The idea of having a collection really excites me. It's like I'm in my own little club and I have a cool collection. I also love clubs. Sure, the dancy bar kind, but more so the kind that you join membership to. Like a craft club (note: I am not yet part of a craft club, but I have a name for myself if I ever join one.. Crafty Cat*), or a book club (which I am a part of and LOVE).. or a cool kids club. Those exist, right? If someone ever wants me to sign up for anything, just call it a club, and HECK YES I will join. Can we take attendance?

Whoa. Anyway, sorry for getting all excited there. Back to collections. More specifically, my collections.

I've had many, many collections over the past couple decades.

1. Rocks. I still collect rocks. I have some rocks from France on my bookshelf right now. How cool is that? Way cooler than when I used to steal rocks from other people's front gardens. Also, I wish rocks would stay the same pretty colour as when they are wet. For a child there is nothing more disappointing than taking her rock collection from the stream out and realizing that they are all dull grey. Not shiny and pretty. However, I did have a real rock collection. With amethyst, fool's gold, tiger's eye, quartz, marble, amber and so many others. I loved it. And I still have it. I used to love going to this one store when I was a kid and picking out my next rock.

2. Tabs from cans. What? Why? I don't remember. But I collected them. Maybe they used them to make wheelchairs? I had a shit ton of them and then threw them out when I was tired of them. But I'm pretty sure I held on to them dearly for longer than I should have.. and I didn't make wheelchairs out of them. I also spent a summer collecting beer bottle caps. We won't talk about how many I collected, or what possessed me to collect them. They smell bad.

3. Nail polish. First off, when I was a kid I loved garage sales. Others' junk was my JACKPOT. Much to my parents' chagrin. So, after I bought a bike at a garage sale ($15 bitches) I started going to even more garage sales. Mind you, my memory from my childhood is skewed (I blame it on competitions my brother and I would have to see who could hit their head on the wall harder.....) so I could have only gone to like, 3 garage sales. But I doubt it. So, nail polish. I bought 49 bottles and 2 things of nail polish remover from one lady. Forty nine bottles. And I kept them. And I bought more over the years. I went through a mini phase where I bought mini bottles of nail polish. I still like to collect nail polish, but I also throw old colours away. Maybe some kid can buy my collection some day. And the cycle shall continue.

4. Shit from White Rose. Anybody else remember this place? It was like Michael's on crack. It was this massive crafty type of store and I was in heaven. There was always something I wanted. Like boxes, any type of box - wooden, glass, woven, paper. Or old school candle holders with wicks and oil. Or candles, or even beeswax to make candles. What didn't I need from that place? I wanted everything!

5. Stuffed animals. There's a picture of me as a baby surrounded by a collection of stuffed animals. It was like Where's Waldo. And that's where my teddy collection began. My dad would occasionally bring me back a teddy bear from his business trips too. And then those damn Beanie Babies came around and I was all gaga over those. But there was one condition to this phase - the stuffed animal could have clothing, as long as it was removable. Because duh, bears don't really have tee shirts. They also don't have tags, so those came off too. I still have a couple of stuffed animals in my cupboard: AJ the green bear, Stitch (my old roomie gave him to me), and a tiny dog that my mom got me after I begged for a dog one year.

6. Keys. This started when I was a kid, and I still collect keys. I have always been fascinated by them. Big, small, old, new. I love them all. I recently bought some jailer's keys and adore them!

You thought that was it? No, here are more of my collections: lip gloss (I even made my own), clown faces (not my best moment), stickers (who didn't collect stickers!), photos, denim, perfume and starburst wrappers (what?!).

* When you say Crafty Cat, you have to say it like a Cool Cat that plays jazz. Get it? And do a little head bob and wave your hands.

9 comments:

Random Girl said...

You are too funny! I knew about your key thing but had no idea you had so many "things". Whatever makes you happy, love. There are worse things you could do with your space.

PorkStar said...

I tried to say Crafty Cat with the head bob and hand wave and people near my cubicle are looking at me weird. Maybe I shouldn't approach them and say Crafty Cat, head bob and wave hand.

Anyways, interesting collection. I've never heard of anyone who collected keys. I hate them, actually. I don't like carrying more than one key around. They are so loud, useless and take up too much space. Well useless except for the obvious.

Clown faces? ohhh kay then. lol

nice post.

Strugglecity said...

@Lisa - This is true. I could turn it into a crackhouse.
@ Porkstar - I'll do a vlog and show you how to do it properly. You need to sort of whisper it. Creepy right?
The clowns weren't my proudest moment.

tina - Half Of What I Say said...

Love this post! Clowns, that is terrifying!

Too funny, I just wrote about my collection (that isn't a collection) of animal figures, on my blog yesterday.

Elly Lou said...

I primarily collect bad decisions and single socks.

Strugglecity said...

@ tina - Yes, I'm not sure what possessed me to collect clown faces. Maybe I was possessed?

@ Elly Lou - I too collect single socks. I'll catch the dryer thief one day... one day..

Anonymous said...

I love collections too and actually auditioned my family for collection ideas. I settled on pins. I'm pretty excited by my choice and bought a cool glass bowl to display them in. I have done shot glasses, cats, faries, anything moon & stars, tshirts from places I went, journals (I can literally never write enough to fill all the ones I have), books, notebooks, cds/movies like you wouldn't believe. It's insane but I love it too!

katsidhe said...

These are all perfectly acceptable collections, love.~

Me? I've always collected SOULS~~~ *evil laughter*

(I'm...in a bit of a MOOD. Heheh. ^_^;)

Strugglecity said...

@ Jewels - did you collect real cats? I also collect books! I love them all.
@ Kat - muahaha. Kindred spirits? Can evil have a kindred spirit?