Crafters are "Collectors" too!

It seems that many of us with a passion for crafting also have a passion for collecting. For those that sew collecting could mean continually adding to our fabric stash. We come across a certain fabric and the drooling begins. Before we can stop ourselves our hands automatically gravitate to the wonderful fabric, we quickly whip out our wallets and before we know it we are on our way home with several piles of yardage. I suppose there are worse compulsions (:



I wonder about other things that crafters may collect. Do you have a collection? I'd love to hear about them if so. Just leave your comments below and tell me what you collect. For me, when I'm not crafting or designing patterns I love to browse antique malls. Granted my browsing tends to turn into buying. But a piece really has to catch my eye. Of course the price is a factor too and just how badly I want it.



I find that I am quickly falling into the "packrat" catagory. My goodness, what in the world am I going to do with all this "stuff"? Could I give up my collections and live a very meager lifestyle? Of course! I truly believe I could. But for now, I just enjoy the nastalgia of these vintage and antique pieces. Perhaps looking at them as a investment might be easier than admitting I'm a packrat.



I look around my house and think to myself, oh my! Imagine if we moved one day and just how long it would take me to pack everything. I think I'd quickly go into the "meager lifestyle" mode and have a huge yard sale. Anyway, here are some things I enjoy collecting. Mainly my collections are vintage or antique items and the catagories are usually:

~ Vintage books
~ Vintage baby & womens clothing (slips, petticoats, highbutton shoes)
~ Old oil cans and funnels (what the appeal is I'm not sure, just like the way they look)
~ Vintage kitchen items
~ Small vintage dolls
~ Old advertising and paper goods
~ Outdoor & Garden items (Tools, chicken feeders, Old birdhouses)



I think a fondness for collecting and crafting really go hand in hand. Folks that are creative tend to want to surround themselves with unique and inspiring things. I know for me the vintage and antique items I collect most certainly inspire me!