Thursday, February 23, 2012

Pondering with a Purpose

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This Week's prompt is: Collections
I am so glad that this weeks prompt was plural.  Not that I am a hoarder, by any means, but I certainly am a collector.  If I like one of anything, well then, two or more has got to be better. I love plurals! I have some serious collection that make me happy.
I enjoy making scale miniatures, so of course I have a collection of miniatures.  In this display are a few of the things that I have made. On the top shelf is a Victorian bassinet in 1/12 scale (One inch equals one foot).  The second shelf has a couple of houses in 1/144 scale.

Another thing that I love to collect are chickens.  I have a lot of chickens in my kitchen.  Above my cupboards I have several basket and ceramic hens. Elsewhere, I have chicken paintings and plates. 
Another collection that I have in my kitchen are my cream pitchers, with a couple of unusual cups and saucers thrown in for good measure.  I love so many of the old china patterns, and collecting sets would have been just too expensive and cumbersome. Most everyone collects salt and pepper shakers, so I decided that I would remind myself of those great old patterns with cream pitchers. One of my most treasured pitchers is on the middle shelf, second from the left.  It is a paper thin while porcelain pitcher made in Ireland that my mother-in-law gave me over 30 years ago.
I collect other things, such as Santas, and ethnic textiles, but the collection that brings me the most joy is my collection of angels.  Some years, I decorate my Christmas tree exclusively with angels, and I always display a lot of them at the holiday season.  But a few of them are out year round.  The picture below is of a few of the angel magnets on my refrigerator.  The angel with the most meaning to me is the one made of mirrors.  In 1994 my mother was in the intensive care unit of OHSU hospital  in Portland Oregon.  The intensive care waiting room was furnished with benches, and those waiting relatives were welcome to spend the night, sleeping there.  I spent about a week living in the waiting room while my mom recovered from a brown recluse spider bite.  One of the other ladies waiting had a husband who was to receive the first lung transplant that OHSU had performed.  This woman was from Alaska where she had a radio ministry program.  She was such a comfort to all the families waiting there, offering words of encouragement, and prayers.  When someone's loved one didn't make it, she comforted them. Even though her husband was in critical condition, she took the time to minister to others.  She gave me this mirror angel that she had made as a reminder that God has angels watching over us.
So, you have been able to share with me some of my collections and the stories behind a couple of them.  I collect what brings a smile to my face.  I smile a lot.


18 comments:

  1. Good morning Marti....What lovely collections you have. I have collected a few little cream pitchers as well...but my collection is not nearly so fine as yours. Thanks for sharing this with us today.

    Well...off for my annual physical today.

    xo

    Jo

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  2. What great stories and collections. I love your little creamers. You have quite a lot of them..and the one your mil gave you is special. Love that mirror angel, too. xo Diana

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  3. I love the creamers! My in-laws used to have a similar collection. They would go to auctions all the time and pick them up. I think they ended up being quite valuable.

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  4. I love this post Marty! Thank you for pondering with me.... and your angels are beautiful!

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  5. Enjoyed seeing your collections. My main collection is Angels!!! I love your glass one and can certainly understand why it would be your favorite.

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  6. Fun, fun, fun. Love the creamers. I must admit I am usually so drawn to them in stores. My favorite is a little white cow. Nowadays I'm down to one collection and that is tags. I've received so many beautiful ones from blogging friends. They bless my heart.
    Hope you'll join in the 2 FOR 1 Blog Party, celebrating a birthday, and a blogaversary, and the theme is friendship.
    Much love!

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  7. About the only things I collect anymore (besides dust bunnies) are snowmen and santas. The older I get, the less stuff I find I need or want. I still like roosters and see some I'd like to get, but I'm also running out of room. My house isn't all that big. You have some nice collections!

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  8. Great collections.
    I collect vintage purses and old buttons.
    We won't even go onto my studio, too many to list. LOL
    hugs Lynn
    I'm sending you a pm

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  9. Very nice collections! I love the pitchers! I've always been interested with miniatures also, but never started a collection. Hope you had a nice day!

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  10. What a sweet story! We have brown recluse spiders down here too! I love collections, my favorites are fabrics and perfume bottles and jars. You were way ahead of the trend with your fabulous rooster collection!

    Carol

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  11. Marti,

    My mother collects angels too! One time a Spanish minister from Colombia visited her and called her house "The House of Angels". :) No wonder that angel is special to you!

    My husband was also bitten by a brown recluse a few years ago. He has an awful big nasty scar from it! I was also bitten by one this past Christmas but it was on my knuckle and I received a shot within hours after it happened....so between those two (the knuckle not having much tissue and receiving this shot), mine turned out fine...no scar at all. It can be very scary! And we have lots of those around this area!

    Thanks for sharing your collections!
    Tammy

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  12. Marti you have a wonderful collection. I love collecting things of sentiment too.

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  13. Hi, What would we do if we couldn't collect things? OH MY! Have a nice weekend....

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  14. I like your reason for your collections - it put a smile on your face. That is the best reason there could be.

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  15. Your collections are sweet - I enjoyed seeing them and glad they made you smile. sandie

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  16. Marti, I love your pitcher collection. I have just a few, along with quite a few teapots (and I was about to say I'm not a collector!).

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  17. Nice miniatures and very heart warming story about the your mother and the angels. : )

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