Thimbles -- I inherited a handful of utilitarian ones from my Mother & Grandmother; I keep them in a Depression glass sherbet bowl in my sewing room. Then one day, I was looking at Etsy & for a reason I cannot explain, I did a search of thimbles. A wealth of possibilities came up. One bunch caught my eye: a group of 63 from a seller in The Netherlands -- some utilitarian, some souvenirs of travel, some fine china. But these 6 sealed the deal -- 5 brass, 1 pewter, all with little delftware tops. This was the first of quite a few shipments from Etsy sellers that have arrived at my house.
Collecting is in my genes. Back in the day, Mom & I would go to the thrift stores & antique malls, each of us with our list of collections: elephants, interesting birds, wedding cake brides & grooms, cow creamers, butter pats, etc, etc. The hunt, the thrill of a find, the fun & companionship of the search -- such wonderful memories! But I rarely add to my collections anymore, it isn't as much fun going alone. I do sometimes look on Etsy or eBay, but it is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel -- the sport is gone. I doubt my thimble mania will last long, but for now, they are giving me pleasure. When we were emptying out Mom & Dad's house, my brother, 2 nieces & I could not absorb all of the collections that lived there. Some were put up for sale & I like to think of those things now being loved & enjoyed in another collector's collection. This is how I feel about the thimbles -- someone's tokens from travels, gifts, pretty purchases -- now living & being loved in my house.
Mom would understand.
