Happy Friday - Collections

Welcome once again to another edition of Happy Friday. I was reading Paul Murray's post yesterday about his collections and was enchanted by his odd assortment of obsessions. Why do some of us stockpile things that we really have no use for? At least with my piles of buttons, fabric and yarn I can justify to myself that these items will come in handy for projects that I might someday do. But what about the things that I hoard for reasons I can't explain other than that they make me happy in some undefineable way? Things I don't need or have more of than I can ever use, like these straw trivets:I had to impose a moratorium on purchasing these. They're available at yard sales in droves and usually cost less than a dollar. I would buy dozens of these things if my space were unlimited. Why? I have no idea. What would I ever do with them all? But everytime I see them I smile.

The other thing I'm a sucker for is little plastic toys. I pull them out of free bins and buy them by the bag at garage sales. I like hiding them around the house and tucking them in drawers and on the bookshelves.

I really don't like clutter but I just can't resist certain things. Somehow these small items make my life feel less hectic and more full - the opposite of how true clutter feels. What odd collections do you have? What can you not resist hoarding because it reflects some part of you?