Confessions of an incurable Collector and Junker extraordinaire... how many is enough? Can you really have too many? What is your particular found treasure Kryptonite(s)?
I don't have a short list... just about anything can manifest into a collection or obcession with me and I have the phases of certain items that appeal to me at various Seasons in life. Some I move through, or past, or reach saturation point on and abruptly stop or feel content with the amount I have. Others I never seem to reach a point where I can resist and I have insane amounts of... even by my standards. Its scary when I can identify with some of the Sellers on 'American Pickers' or worse yet, see a shadow of myself on an episode of 'Hoarders' because some of the tendencies and habits are present *Gasp*, or latent, though perhaps not as extreme... YET! *LOL*
Obvious penchants and particular weaknesses are evident if you look around my Home: My OOAK Bags... some I've made, some I've collected. My Rosaries and Religious Art and Artifacts. Vintage Picnic Baskets... well, that seems to be a phase right now and they keep popping up in my forrays... a 'sign' perhaps? *wink* Books... decorating books in particular. Bohemian 'Bling' in the way of vintage and antique Brooches, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Vintage Mirrors and Old Ornate Gesso Frames. Pillows... especially those made of lush European vintage fabrics and floral ticking. French and Belgian vintage cut velvets and brocade fabrics. Antique Vanity sets of matching Brush, Comb, Mirror. Vintage Tablecloths... which, by the way, is a BIG ONE... I literally cannot seem to pass them up if I find a bargain, especially the Floral and Fruit designs! *arghhhhhhh* Antique and vintage Door Knobs and Skeleton Keys. Milk Glass and Jadeite kitchenware and Diner cups and mugs. Architectural Salvage... anything with chippy or crazed paint or worn to perfection, old Doors, Victorian fragments and Stained Glass Windows in particular! Okay, you get the picture, I'm a very sick person... *wink* and coming clean here is cheaper than Therapy! *Smiles* Yes, I'm Dawn and I'm a Junquing Junkie to the 7th Level of hopelessly incurable. I have Partners in my particular area of affliction... who will remain anonymous or the names will be changed to protect their identities. *wink* Any time I try to resist the urge, I can count on one of them to help me fall off the wagon and get run over by it... we can always rationalize our adventures and our eyes equally glaze over as only kindred Spirits "get" when confronted with their particular passionate outlets.
To be sure, those who don't have the Treasure Hunting lust don't always "get us"... how many times have I heard the phrases: "Are you going to refinish or repaint that?" *Le Gasp* "Do you want me to help you dispose of that or haul it to the curb/dump?" *Me Clutching Chest and Staggering* "How many of these do you have?" *You actually expect me to know or keep count??! Smiles* "What are you going to do with THAT?" *What, it's not obvious? Wink* And the most common one isn't a phrase at all, but that astonished speechless look when entering my lair and seeing it all for the first time! *Holy Mother Of God...*
But those of you who do "get it", who rain or shine will brave the elements and wade through, climb over, dig deep into piles and miles of stuff in the 'Thrill Of The Hunt"... whether dusty, musty, boondock locale or going store/booth after store/booth to make the SCORE... it's a comfort to me... when someone can get as excited as I do about the things I can get excited about and the masses just seem perplexed about... I feel a definite connection and a bond that cannot be easily explained. For the love of found treasures is a deep one in me... and I cannot fully explain it either... I just know it was what I was obviously meant to do and be... and knowing you were too, makes us one and the same in a unique way that is definitely distinctive and never, ever, boring! So... here's to one more... or several more... of whatever it is that jumpstarts your Heart like a rush of adrenalin... of our love affair with found treasure... Happy Hunting... Dawn... The Bohemian