Collecting Histories

I collect lapel pins from places I’ve been. My dad did it as a kid when he’d go to hockey tournaments, and when I was in novice at a tournament he suggested the idea. Ever since, if I go travelling, skiing, or visit a museum, I make sure to get a pin for my collection. I collect pins because they are unique to a place, small enough to not take up loads of space, and are available pretty much anywhere. The crown jewel of my collection is a Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey tournament champions pin from when I was a kid. It was one of only three years they made them, with only five teams receiving them each year, so only 150 were made in total.

I collect police, fire, and paramedic shoulder patches from across Canada, and construct plaques or shadow boxes for each geographical area. One of my prime focuses is of course my hometown, Kingston. The history behind each patch is something I love to learn about, whether it be the designer, meaning, or simply the years of use. My collection has emergency services patches dating from the 1940s all the way through to this year!

I collect antiques but specifically capes and cloaks, jewellery, clocks, artwork, Mohawk-made pin cushions and Inuit artwork. Also antique Russian china that I use everyday, vintage hats and purses, embroidery and lace, Brutalist metal work and fabulous illustrated books. Shout out to the lady who collects earrings.

My mom was a hoarder, so I tend away from collecting anything that's unnecessary.

Don't know why, but I collect empty Pringles potato chip cans. Once cleaned they come in handy for storing socks, knick knacks, a variety of screws and nails and all those pesky shampoos collected from traveling that we simply must take with us. They even stand up as bowling pins on long winter nights. Who knew?

I collect trinkets from places I travel to, small figures, handicraft, stuff like that. They're gathering dust all over the house, but they are nice mementos nonetheless.

I collect patches from places that I travel to! They are small, light and I sew them onto my camera/travel bag. Instead of buying other souvenirs I try to find unique representations of the cities and countries I visit, whether it's a flag, a logo or something else, they remind me of all the memories I made there and they make me smile whenever I see them. They also make it easier to pick out my bag at the airport!

I collect a little bit of everything, I do not have one all consuming collection. What I collect is both diverse and meaningful, from vintage Pyrex that reminds me of my grandmother to 17th century European Art. Both collections are deeply meaningful and make me incredibly happy. That's what makes collecting special, you have an emotional connection to an object or rather object(s). Happy collecting everyone. :)

My earrings collection began when over a decade ago, my mother passed on a few sets of her childhood earrings to me. Since then, I've added earrings from each of my grandmothers who are no longer with us; some gifts from treasured family and friends; other vintage sets from the places I've live;, and several pairs purchased on my travels to various Canadian cities and places abroad, such as Poland and Italy. I even had my left ear pierced in a second spot in 2019 to add another spot to show off more earrings each day! I never feel completely put together without earrings in, they have become part of my identity.