Miniature tea sets. The kind you might have played with as a child. I started with 2 sets I had as a girl. One was a set that had belonged to an aunt of mine. She gave it to me in the 50's along with a new Blue Willow set for my birthday. Hers was a Mickey Mouse set that has some collectible value now.

I started adding sets back in the 80's-90's, especially when I was traveling a lot, and then found a few on eBay. It was definitely fun to hunt. I stopped because it gets to be too much and there were too many new, tacky sets hitting the market.

Clay figures from India. My father started the collection and I inherited it and have added to it over the years, one at a time. I love these figures, both for the vivid colors and artistry and also because I remember my father every time I look at them. Here is a lot on at First Dibs I had my eye on; they are very similar to mine:

My biggest/most expensive collection is hostas. I have about 50, which is very small potatoes to a hosta collector. I'm lucky to live near a specialty hosta grower. Yesterday MIL came over to check out the garden and I gave her a little hosta tour ending with a streaky mini hosta, "and this is a $50 hosta." I think she was appalled. I didn't tell her how many really pricey ones I covet.

I have mini collections of amateur oil landscapes (group of seven style, yard sale prices), tin toys, local pottery and matryoshkas. I think I'd like to start into vintage paperweights. I find them very pleasing to the eye and touch.

So funny robo! I have done that with camellias and mostly daylilies and there are some pricey daylilies that I want. Like you, I am not a major collector at all except everyone thinks I am. And at this time of year with a lot of them ragged and brown, I don't even like them.

Brush McCoy New Art Vellum pottery -- just in green. I haven't added to this collection in years because I think I might have all of the forms.

1939 New York World's Fair memorabilia. There is just something intriguing about what the "future" looked like in 1939, and it's the year my parents were born. I haven't added to this one in years, either.

I used to pick up a refrigerator magnet whenever I travelled, saw a show, etc. But what with refrigerators no longer being magnetic and all . . . they're all in a bag in a drawer.

I think I hit the downsizing/simplification stage of my life a few years ago, and have somewhat lost the acquisition gene. I still love to look at the things I've collected, but don't have the drive anymore to add or to start anew.

Rock music and sports memorabilia. We recently picked up some autographed sports jerseys that we will hang in the home office. Just waiting for the most recent one to arrive, so we can arrange them.

I also have a lot of Mustang-related items. DH likes vintage motorcycles thanks to Mike and Frank from American Pickers.

Kswl2- I have a set of those figures from my grandparents too! They spent time in Pakistan and I always thought that's where they came from.

I also love Heisey Orchid glassware. My grandmother would bring it out for special occasions and it made me feel grown up and special. Have some of hers and have added to it.

I also enjoy vintage evening bags, boxes and books but haven't purchased any collectables in a long time.

Antique holly driving whips. Not SO strange when you consider the antique carriage collection. I have them hanging on whip reels in the entry hall...equestrian chic decor, remember??

You know, since I put those up, the Jehovah's Witnesses have not been by....

1929; They may well have been from Pakistan, too. Pakistan was part of India until the late 40s.

Mtn, I forgot that was the case. I believe they were there in the late 50's.

I almost forgot one of my favorite unusual things. We're not sure if it was a promo item or not, but I have a vintage Coach bag with a metal interior tag and the info cards. Not that unusual, except it has the presidential seal on the outer flap. It's most likely from sometime in the 60's

If I can drag myself out of bed and away from my coffee, I'll post a pic later in the day.

The variety of objects we fix on is wonderful. I officially no longer feel that what I collect is unusual in fact it's ordinary compared to some of you.

@sueb - love the shotglass idea. I have a friend who collects cocktail shakers. I enjoy watching the cocktail-making in 1930s movies. Always makes me think of the Thin Man series with Myrna Loy and the adorable dog.

@bumble -- another Penzey's person! Just placed my first order. I could get seriously obsessed with them.

@lynn - I've seen beautiful crucifix collections in homes in Spain and Portugal as well.

@prettyblue - don't want to cause trouble but I just got a sale email from Nancy's Daily Dish. She's a transferware dealer.

1929, I only knew because I am planning an India trip and one of the places we want to go is a desert town near the Pakistan border. One more reason I don't hesitate to have my kids miss a few days of school when we travel (we will be gone 20 days over spring break); they learn a lot, and so do I!

Lynn, LOL re the vampires.

All, I think this thread should have more photos, yes?

@ folkstone - do you mass the holders? Must be beautiful.

@ magdalena - exclusive footware? Would love to see the fun ones. How do you keep them organized?

@grama - I keep looking at spongware. There were two beautiful blue and white platters at the last auction I attended. Had to keep hitting my arm till it dropped. A certain color?

@beagles - are you the one with the mirrored dish cabinet? It would be nice to know more about your 'dish problem.' Used to have that -- now DD does.

@mtn - as I'm sure you know Pakistan is a very dangerous place for Americans right now so I hope you will be careful if you go to the border. Will be interesting to see how the Indians feel about that. DH lived in India for 6 years and covered the Bangladesh war. He then went back to Pakistan in the late '90s to do a piece on child labor. Nike had children making soccer balls there at the time.

And you are so right -- this thread needs more photos!

Here are two of my towels taken when they arrived (I boil wash them before using LOL). They are hand-hemmed. Also, because they are so big there are handmade loops sewn on the center of the border. They hang neatly and shorter that way.

@allison - Forgot about the quills. Yes, fun of the hunt. But like jakabedy I've been trying to edit and clear out this house. And I still have that huge bag of my Mom's jewelry.

@robo - do you plant like a field of hostas or just a border? I know 0 about gardening. Love to look at gardens and dream.

@kswl - I will show those figurines to DH. He may know something though probably not. I've seen Indian miniatures but not those figurines -- wonderful.

@jakabedy - You're a baby! My grandparents went to the 1939 World's Fair. It was in Flushing NY. I think I have a pin from that somewhere. And I can remember one of those odd little compacts -- the kind with a section for powder and a tiny lipstick that slides in as a WF souvenir in one of my grandma's drawers when I was growing up. That's long gone, of course. There was a name for those -- anyone know?

@gscience - Sounds like you share your DH's interest. Mine collects nothing; saves everything. If I ever need rent money I can open a rubber band store.

@springroz - I won't dare ask how you started to collect whips...but do share pics pls.

I love Pan (the young boy) garden statues. They're so hard to find, which is a good thing! This one I got at a antique store, supposedly from the 1930's.

I'm not really a collector but I bought quite a few Lladro pieces for my mom when I was studying in Spain in the early 70's and she passed them back to me when they downsized. I also have a collection of those blue I think Danish Christmas plates that my grandmother gave to my mom for many years. All are buried in the basement somewhere....I just don't have anywhere to display or hang them where they would look good.

I am liking when I hear you all speak of knowing when you have "enough". I have too many collections to mention but I could join the hosta,day lily group. Lets not even get started with holiday collections!! I have a favorite painters, Terry Redlin being one,but paintings are large so I have all his "America" series, in plates around the soffets in my kitchen. I only buy the Norman Rockwell plates that show an event that is significant to my life. This keeps that obsession under control. I like to collect seasonal tchotchkes....I laughed at the 70 crosses. Crosses are small compared to the 70+ nativity sets I own. What I love most about my collections is they do not overwhelm my home and I use them all in a years time. I work a lot of church sales and there is nothing sadder than when a collection comes in.

I didn't even think about my daylily addiction/collection! I don't have any that are extremely high priced (those would be the ones most likely to die instantly) but I do have over 20 varieties I'm sure. If not for the deer population, I would also have a lot of hosta, but they really love those. I have managed to keep them out of the daylilies. I also have all of my grandmother's hankies. She had quite a lot of them and tatted the lace around many of them, so they are very special to me.

Other things I would collect given time and $$$$$ - vintage quilts, raku ware, stained glass, named vintage teak. Oh I could collect alright!

What a fun thread! I've got a little collection of tea towels from places I love in England, and I plan to (someday) have them stitched together into a "travel memory" quilt, sort of like this ...

I also have a growing collection of Cornishware.

Auntjen, I have seen that done with kids t-shirts when they go off to college, tea towels is cute idea too.

It did occur to me that I have collection of Herend porcelain figurines from my Mom. It probably will not surprise anyone who "knows" me here that I am not much of a collector, as I am too impatient. I would want to finish the collection in like a few weeks!

Rococo, How fascinating to have lived in that area. Yes, I don't think we'd venture into Pakistan. We are going to be in Jaisalmer, which is 50 miles from the border but there are no roads and no crossing there, just the Thar desert.

I also collect Scandinavian blue Christmas plates from Bing and Grondahl, Royal Copenhagen and Porsgrund. I have a "blue room" bedroom specifically for display of those plates.

My dad called me "mouse" when I was little, and over the years he gave me various mice as birthday and Christmas gifts. One of my most treasured possessions is a collection of five wooden ornaments of mice wearing glasses, one in a clock, one on a merry go round, one on a tricycle, etc. I also collect silver revere bowls with enameled interiors and a few other things :-) this thread makes me sound like a packrat!

Thanks kitch & robo for posting the garden shots. @robo - you clearly have a vision. As someone who is clueless about gardens I really admire your work. I've studied enough to know it's not easy to do.

@auntjen - Never saw a quilt like that. Smart way to organize and be able to enjoy at the same time.

@kswl - Every year I do a post on Royal Copenhagen Christmas for my blog. Love to see the tables they do. I always drool over those Christmas plates.

Mtn - DH has often talked of Rajahsthan. Sounds like a very exciting trip.

Teak Danish modern candle holders (about 75)

certain Keane prints (between 25-30)

green pottery with 2 handles

strange objects and bits and pieces of things

the letters C, D, and S to give to my nieces.

sterling Christmas bells (the collection was started in 1967 by my parents)

handmade glass Christmas ornaments. They need to be all glass including the hanging loop. I've bought them for the staff in one office I work in for over a dozen years, and at some point got smart enough to buy one or two for myself. (I also got all of same that I bought for my parents when my father moved)

tile (this is inadvertent because I get samples of every tile I consider for anything.

Most of these are on hold because I am renovating a house, and with some of these I only want examples that I don't have, or are specific.

Not at all KSWL, a packmouse maybe? I love the Indian figurines, they are so colorful and unusual.

I collect:

Books, teapots, tea towels, sterling flatware, dishes, crystal, artwork with animals as the subject matter. Then there is the matter of my hens. We started out with three leghorn hens and one rooster. We now have twenty hens and donate extra eggs to church members.

I am enjoying seeing all the lovely collections. Robo, your Hostas are amazing!

Rico, I haven't parted with them, I just have less out now. 1 each end table, 1 coffee table, 2 dining table, 1 bedroom, 1 guest bath and one in the kitchen. So no I dan't miss them I change them out now & the. Oh, though tin not pewter I even have candles on our Christmas tree.

@pal - what do you do with the tile? I have some too. Put bumpers on the bottom of one piece and use it as a paperweight. I feel guilty throwing it out.

I used to collect things but I am careful to not overdo things. So I have some milkglass ware which I display. I don't have too much. I love textiles with a story - so old quilts, ikat, kilim, uzbek, south american textiles.. I love to display these things. I also like wall wood carvings like an old Chinese window screen (weighs over a 100 lbs) or an indonesian room divider..

I forgot, I also have a collection of McCoy pottery in white and green. Matte only. I also collect art pottery, not antique, just from art fairs or galleries. That collection needs to be stopped but I'm trying to focus now on more functional pieces. For instance, I recently replaced our boring cereal bowls with bowls made by an Etsy artist. I love them.

We are in Iceland and I just bought our Iceland shot glass today! :)

So the first hemp towel arrived. It is gigantic and perfect to throw over the TV room ottoman where DH holds forth. The ottoman is our dining table so I have a new cloth. It's straw colored; lovely weave. Makes me wonder why we don't know more about hemp. I had to look it up -- all the vintage stuff must be laundered hot -- and evidently hemp is indestructible. It likely has outlived the previous owner -- one PM -- and will probably outlive moi.

Ok this is more than anyone wants to know about anyone else's collectibles LOL.

Rococo - love the towels. Vintage linens are scrumptious.

Sorry to post and run earlier. Weekly work travel is killing my leisure time. Here's a photo of my figurines, cool Coach handbag and my one remaining built in cabinet containing my favorite vintage stuff.

1929 - So glad to see into your vitrine. Nothing like pix.

Here's a pic of my wacky collection. Darn, sorry it's sideways.

Here is an 1/8 of the hosta

Rococo, I started ordering clothes from England two years ago. Most of the shirts I wear daily are hemp. I love love love them. They are very soft, wear and wash well. No fading, shrinking or stretching. I do hang dry them though.

@arcy - Beautiful gardens! Love your angels, too.

@allison. Only hemp clothing I see here is Patagonia. Don't fit me well. You have a link?

Poetry

If low on something, they are good about restocking at a later date if best seller. fyi, it runs large imo. For example, I wear M/L shirt or size 12 pant in US clothing sizes. Poetry I order shirts/8, linen jeans/10, cardigans XS. I love a coated cotton parka (not puffy and not currently shown on website) I purchased last summer. I do not like their jeans at all and stick with RL. Their "linen jeans" (really pants) do stretch a bit and I could probably order 8 next time.

They do not have sales often and usually not available in my size when they do. They ship only so much dollar wise in a box due to customs (they pay fees). They've adjusted the size chart since I started ordering, so it should be easy. Returns are simple. Once I zeroed in on correct size, I went crazy.

I love the hemp clothing. Linen pants are great. I have a couple linen shirts. Some material is on the thin side, and require tank underneath, but you can find out about those by reading reviews. Some of the jackets are long in the front, short in the back so be careful of that if you don't want short in the back.

I glanced at site for a few of my favorite shirts, but they aren't currently available. I machine wash inside out, hang dry.

Edited to Add: If you order, be sure and call your credit card company since it is an international order, so the charge will go through.

Poetry is one of my favorites, too! Nothing is better than hemp!

Up until this moment, I didn't collect anything. Thanks to Allison, I made be starting a collection of hemp shirts. Ooo, they're lovely.

And my favorites aren't even on there now! Cat claws have pierced at least one of them. I will be reordering more if/when they put back on website.

Original Posted Edited to Add: If you order, be sure and call your credit card company,
since it is an international order, so the charge will go through.

Allison, you are an enabler, aren't you?

boxes - all sizes, shapes, materials, ages, etc. these are gifts:

Allison is a wicked enabler. (She had a birthday yesterday).

:D Just don't buy out what I want when they restock!

Happy birthday Allison!

Thank you, Mtn!

I am a collector of random things but I do seem to have a lot of pottery and baskets. Here is a collection of stuff on top of a little box on my desk. In looking at the photo, I realized I have three cats - but it wasn't intentional.

RGRS: I have to say that I love your decorating style! Like that great painting in your dining room, your clock and collectibles here are colorful and wonderfully unique.