HP- Week 42

[AnnieClaus]

Welcome to week 42 of The Happiness Project. This month we are working on the subject of: Be Serious About Play. We have worked on: Find More Fun, Take Time to be Silly, Go Off the Path and this week we add: Start a Collection. Corresponding reading pages: 130-134.

Gretchen decided to do this because she had always wanted a collection and never had one.

She discovered there are two kinds of collectors.
1- A collector who seeks to have a complete set of something- stamps, coins, Barbie dolls.
2- This collector is driven by sheer desire- a call to all objects.

Gretchen decided that her collection would be blue birds. This is based on her love of a play called The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck.
Note: Have you ever noticed that there is a blue bird on the cover of The Happiness Project? And that all the you tube videos start with a cartoon blue bird?

Before this goal, Grechen would have never allowed herself to buy blue bird stuff, thinking that it would cause too much clutter. A friend wisely told her, "Remember to leave a little mess." We all need our junk drawers to find unexpected things.
The blue bird collection also allowed Gretchen to pursure last week's resolution of: Go off the path as she went into to different stores and places in search of blue birds.

Another thing Gretchen did was start a Happiness Box. In this she put little knick knacks, sentimental objects that when looking through this box, these things would make her happy.

Gretchen asked her blog readers what they collected. Their answers:
* Light up globes
* Vintage religious art books
* dolls
* Vintage girl scout stuff

This Week's Resolution: Start a Collection
This Week's Thought: A collection provides a mission, a reason to visit new places, the excitement of the chase, a field of expertise, and, often, a bond with other people.

Share your thoughts, journey here this week.

 

[girlsinmo]

I like the idea of a happiness box that can be stored & brought out at will..Since we're basically starting with a clean slate I want to keep it simple...If we don't love it, need it or it must bring happiness in order to be in our home..Hope DH will agree with me on that...

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I like the idea of the happiness box also. I just happen to have a collection of small wooden boxes to work with this idea. Will have to keep my eyes open for items to put into one of them. These I do not buy but friends have been having fun finding them for me.

I collect the Barns from the Ceramic Villages. I have lots. Part of the display is now on the top of the kitchen cabinets. They stay up all year. It started out to be a collection of barn bird houses but grew to the ceramic ones very quickly. I need to have an electrician come in to wire some plugs for their lights. And I need to find a place for the rest of the collection that is packed downstairs from our move.

Nuns. Yep I have a small collection of nuns. I'm not catholic, just like the looks of nuns. I have that displayed on the kitchen wall right by the front door. This collections started because I saw a cute nun who held a spoon and a pot of soup (have lost the spoon at some point). I figured it would be a great thing to collect since you do not see them often so the collection would get overwhelming (like the barns!).

I have a few hedgehogs that I started to collect while in Germany. When I returned to the states there were no hedgehogs to be found so that collection was abandoned.

I have a small collection of Moose Christmas stockings (some stuffed mooses and a few figurines). Hard to find moose stockings.

When we travel I try to find a small ceramic Cowboy boots to add to that collection. It's getting hard to find ones I do not have now. It's not a real big collection but I love them.

And just a few years ago it just happened that a few people gave us some Cowboy Snowmen so now I have a collection of them.

I have some salt and pepper shakers but I wouldn't say I collect them. My mother did and these are a few of hers.

I'm rather picking about what I put in my collections. I use the rule: Do I really love this enough to want to clean it. Helps keep the collections down in size.

 

[luludou]

The happiness box is a great idea. I would want a beautiful box too.

Diedra I saw your collection of nuns and they are great!! It,s true it's not something you see often. I have cows but now I told mom to stop, I've got way too much.

What would you put in your happiness box?
- A drawing by each child
- Some pictures
- Poems
- Dried flowers or leaves

what else?

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Collecting cows (or pigs or elephants) certainly would lead to a huge collection. Guess you could only collect a certain bread of cow.

My grandmother collected elephants. I can see some in some of the photos I have. Her collection went to my Dad's cousin's adopted son. My brother asked him about the collection, he'd got rid of them. They didn't mean a thing to him. Both my brother and I still miss them. I do have two elephants that a friend gave me. Both are broken and repaired. They do remind me of my grandmother.

 

[luludou]

My mom has a collection of elephants... some are really nice!

 

[AnnieClaus]

I'm kind of weird about collections- don't really have any.

The thing about if you collect a certain something- then that's all you get for gifts.

My mom decided to collect pigs- and boy did she get pigs! She finally had to say, "No more pigs. My collection is done." But my aunt still gives her pigs.
My SIL collects hippos- same thing- hippos, hippos, hippos.

One time as a gift I got a Jim Shore cat. Someone saw it, and they gave me another Jim Shore cat. Then I got another! Then when people asked me if I collected them I said, "No." So, stopped geting them.

I really really like the idea of the Happiness Box. Because sometimes we hold on to something- a little trinket or match box from a memorable dinner and we don't know what to do with them!
I have the cork from the bottle of champagne that my family opened once I was done with my radiation treatment. That would be the perfect thing to put in my happiness box!

Annie

 

[ChristmasPir8]

I used to collect chickens. But Annie is right. It started w/ me saying I wanted a hen on nest and suddenly I got more and more chicken stuff. When I redid my kitchen I kept the ones I wanted most and am getting rid of the rest. I also cellect snowman. Those I am always willing to have more of but I do get rid of some as I decide they are not of any importance to me. There is nothing I collect now to sit around the house.

We also collect ornaments from places we go on vacation for the tree.

I guess, to some degree I do collect pirate stuff. Its in the boys bathroom mostly but when its clothes at least I can wear those.

The idea of a happiness box is nice. Small things from different places to remind you of special times.

 

[luludou]

Annie - that cork should definitaley go into your happiness box!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Annie,
The cork and the lastest card from the doctor.

 

[AnnieClaus]

I have a plan for all my ALL CLEAR cards. Once I hit the five year mark (that's when you're considered out of remission and now cured), I'm planning on making a shadow box with them all in there and hanging it in my home office.

That will be its own special Happiness Box.

Annie

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I love shadowboxes. Can't wait to see yours.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Yesterday I saw my neighbor out putting her screen doors away for the winter. I was cutting back flowers for the winter. I talked to her about going scrapping with me. She will be busy for the next few months but she may join me. Asking her was one of my goals so I'm happy.

 

[AnnieClaus]

Good to hear, Diedra!!

Annie

 

[AnnieClaus]

Mid-week check in. How is everyone doing?

This isn't a Happiness Box (well, it kind of is)- I set up a purple (color of cancer survival) rubbermaid and put everything I received from my surgery and recovery into it- every card, letter, all the flowers I received- I dried them out and put them all together in a ziplock, plus the night gown I wore home from the hospital.

Annie

 

[Colleen in PA]

I don't really have any collections...except for my grandmother's Waterford ornaments. She left them to me and now I put them on a special tree in my diningroom each year. Of course, my mom now gives ME a new W ornament each year, so I guess it's become my collection.

I love the happiness box idea! I have a fabric box with onesies and the bracelets that my boys came home from the hospital in. I think I will add to that. I would like to include the program from my wedding, etc.

Annie - your purple tote is perfect and the shadowbox will be awesome!