What do you collect?

With all the talented people I didn't want to completely thread jack that but what do you collect? Anything odd, something you love that you have?

I have a few:
Cookie Jars. This started by accident, I was accumulating odd ones as presents. Nothing expensive that I know of, just quirky ones. A pineapple, a crab, a cable car, some 70's era glass Liberty Bell, also 70's era mushroom my Nanny had, a Christmas cottage, a panda bear and Winnie the Pooh. I am running out of room on the top of my cabinets but I love the cookie jars!

Lennox Dolls- I don't collect these anymore but my Nanny and Pawpaw bought me a total of 10 when I was younger, about 11" tall, porcelain and exquisite. Husband says they are creepy but the live in the top of the china cabinet with Nanny's china.

Christmas Ornaments- We get one when we travel or to symbolize something significant. We started this the first year we were married.

Smooshed pennies- Don't know what you call them but those ones you put in the crank machine and it gives you a penny with an imprint. I just started getting these: Memphis Zoo, Houston Zoo, Muir Woods, Taos, Disneyworld. My husband finds it silly but he will help me find those little machines if we are traveling or somewhere touristy. I love them and I don't know why but they make me giddy like a little kid!

Just 2 things for me:

1) I Love Lucy Barbie dolls

and,

2) Old Dr Pepper memorabilia (old bottles....I clean them and have them refilled and capped; I have a Dr Pepper machine from the late 50's or early 60's that still works; Dr Pepper collector trucks, etc.).

I have a small collection of teapots. I even found a majolica one in Italy - which seems a bit unusual as drinking tea is not common there. I have several from China that friends brought back for me, several from Japan and one proper British teapot from my own trips. Tea seemed pretty non-existent in Spain, so no pot from there....

I collect Betty Boop items. Became enamored of her when I was a little girl because she wasn't blonde haired & blue eyed (just like I wasn't...and still am not :D)

Snowmen. Started as a fluke. I received one as a gift many years ago and thought it needed a companion. They've just been invading ever since :D. They freak out my dog though(all decorations with faces do). :(

Antique telephones

Tin containers- candy, food, whatever as long as it has nice graphics.

Teapots

Postcards-the old ones that look hand-colored

bikes (of course). I have a Luna Eclipse, a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro, and a Jamis Coda Comp. I lost the 1952 JC Higgins 3-speed and the 1980s Vitus road bike in the divorce. Oh well.

Teapots, me too! I love cast iron Japanese teapots. I only have two, but I'm always on the lookout for more. I also have three ceramic teapots--one from England and two from China. I drink tea, and I notice differences in taste depending on the teapot that I use.

Wire bicycles. I haven't made any myself yet, but I plan to. I have only three at the moment.

Photos of cool bikes that I have seen on my travels. I don't have them framed yet, but I have the wall picked out where they will hang. Utility bikes from Nicaragua and Brazil are my favorites, and a Mardi Gras adult trike from N.O.

I collect post cards mailed from country of origin. Some of my more cools ones are Everest Base Camp, Bhutan and Mongolia.

Here are some not so high quality photos of the cookie jars. None of them are expensive but I love each one.


The glass Liberty Bell my husband's stepmother found while cleaning out his Grandmother's house and thought I would like it. It is hideously ugly but cool in a "what the heck is this" way. His stepmom seems to think this brand of glass stuff is of value, I have not clue what it is but the weird cookie jar is cool in its own way, I guess. The other is a Mushroom I found at my Nanny's when we were moving her to assisted living. It always had Chips Ahoy in it when I was a kid, I had forgotten it existed and am proud it is in my possession now.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...ma/70sjars.jpg

The Panda Bear was a gift from my mom because I love Pandas. The Crab was a gift from one of my closest friends because she knew I collected cookie jars and it was just kind of weird.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...eAma/panda.jpg

Pineapple was a gift from my Mom, she saw it at Garden Ridge and thought of me. We have a Palm Tree theme in our kitchen and the pineapple is tropical. That combined with the Christmas jar got me on this cookie jar collecting thing. The Cable Car was a birthday present I bought myself in San Francisco this year. It is the Hyde Street cable car.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25.../pineapple.jpg

And here is the one that started it all, the Christmas Jar. My husband's stepmother knew I liked to bake Christmas Cookies and bought me the jar for them. The Winnie the Pooh one was given to me by my mother because I like Winnie the Pooh.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/AggieAma/pooh.jpg

License Plates. Trying for fifty states and then some.

Mammalian skulls (really).

Wild turkey hunting calls. I have one of the very best ever made. And a pretty good collection otherwise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tulip

Teapots, me too! I love cast iron Japanese teapots. I only have two, but I'm always on the lookout for more. I also have three ceramic teapots--one from England and two from China. I drink tea, and I notice differences in taste depending on the teapot that I use.

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I love my cast iron Japanese pot - I only have one - sooooo expensive, but very beautiful.

Most of mine are Chinese Yixing pots. They come in many shapes and sizes. I tend to like the more subtle or traditional designs than the fanciful ones that are made to look like something else - like a log or an animal.

The largest one is Chinese too, its an antique pot that I found at an estate sale.

Ooooh, nice teapots. I have an iron Japanese one like yours (squished) but it's black and red. My other one is square and all black. Once I get a kitchen back I'll unpack them and take a picture.

I love your little teapots.

I collect bikes, we used to collect violins. I try not to collect anything (except for bikes now) because it just starts to take up space. One might say I collect books too.

I used to collect more different types of stuff. But now I just get books, with great restraint...:D I learned the hard way when I had to relocate to British Columbia. And ended up selling 40 bks., plus gave away over 150 books. Right now tend to lean on travelogue books. And yea, I do have quite a number of cycling travelogue books.

Tight space is a problem where we live.

I also seem to amass new art supplies. Yea, me the great procrastinator ..to use up those supplies.

We are starting to collect bikes, so we had a storage shed built today. Not for the bikes, they need to be locked up much better but so half our two car garage can be dedicated to bikes. The lawn mower, camping stuff, yard stuff, etc... will live in the Mini Barn out back. We are at 7 bikes and I am still trying to figure out how long it will take to save for a Full Suspension Mountain Bike for me. :D

Memories and wishes! :)