Some of my most treasured possessions are of the tchotchke, knick-nack, whos-its whats-its galore, thingamabobs, ugly, and old category. I've always loved collecting and I would always like to get all of whatever was in the "set" or "collection" including all of the color variations. This method of collecting little treasures has adapted into my "grown-up" life, and I think Ariel had a lot to do with this... her and her darn grotto. I'm just glad I don't have a fork collection. (Side note, I love the innernet: lolz).

As a person who no longer needs a bushel of electronic pets large enough to knock someone out, I have moved on to vintage housewares. Any and all of it. I've always had an affinity for items of the past, but it really came into full swing once I realized that one day I would have my own home to fill and decorate. I wanted ALL the old things. I was (and still am) just stopping in the thrift store real quick to see if there is a mug, or a dish set, an embroidered wall hanging, or a serving platter, an afghan, a macrame owl, or a piece of furniture I might need. A good bit of the time I find clothing and accessories, but most times its housewares.

I still have him, he hangs out as a decoration.

One of my best memories of scoring an amazing vintage item was when I was about 10 years old. My dad was selling our old pedal boat at our favorite campground. There was an amazing antique mall just a few miles away and he promised me that if the boat sold that weekend, we could go back and I could get the purse I saw there the other day. In my head, "get" meant "save". Because I HAD TO SAVE THE POOR LITTLE ALLIGATOR THAT WAS TURNED INTO A PURSE!

Next time, I think I'll share my collection of old coffee mugs! What was your first beloved old or vintage find?

:)