collectomania..

ends of threads looking pretty in a jar

The collecting is getting out of hand.... I found myself seriously contemplating saving a wispy gold piece of tinsel.. I think its called angel hair, that had escaped from the christmas deccies when we got something out of the loft.. I spotted it sparkling on the floor and picked it up ready to stash it somewhere when I just thought, maybe not, what exactly am I going to do with a piece of scratty angle hair - put it in the bin!!!

I fear- I get more like my mother every passing day.  When she died we found lots of little collections the most interesting one being bean wrappers - hundreds of them - I didn't keep them - shame really they would have been so retro now!!   Actually on reflection I'm quite happy to be like mum...

a few boxes with precious stuff in

I am mostly drawn to shiny happy things (people included) and can swoop like a magpie on glinting treasure discarded wherever.  Mostly its not useful - discarded sweet wrappers or such like but I live in hope I might find a diamond or even just something shiny I can incorporate into a new bit of art.  I will without hesitation collect anything that might just 'come in' at some point.

I have jars with various contents, buttons, beads, sequins, shells, stones, even the threads I have cut off sewing..... I have boxes full 'stuff' to collage with, sweet wrappers, paper cut offs, magazines, wallpaper samples, I have easter egg foils from when my kids were about eight and five yrs old.... I have bags with scrap fabric in - all sizes from seam trimmings to pieces as large as a metre long... I have drawers with wool - every colour you could imagine except the one I actually need at that moment... I have more boxes with ribbons, zips, cotton reels, lace and 'interesting items' in - I have hat boxes containing hats and more potential art materials, replacement paint pans, pastels, watercolour pencils, erasers, a seemingly endless supply of pencils - some of which are so old they probably contain lead!!!

precious scraps for a rainy day..

That's just the current stuff!  I also have a space in another house known to all as 'under the eaves'  -
its full of precious things - more fabric, vinyl records, every picture my children ever bought home from school, handbags, shoes, every gig ticket I ever went to when I was a teenager, my first pair of levis - coming up 50 years old in a few years - and of course books... and more books, and quite a few books.... and I'm pretty sure there's more which I cant even remember!!!(or admit to)