What to collect?

I used to collect thimbles and have a nice display iny cabinet. I used to be a member of a thimble club and they sent a leaflet every month but it is now disbanded.

Bathsheba they are written postcards and I have made a number of friendship through this hobby in different countries around the world
You can do as little or as much as you want

Like gillybob, I collect sea glass too. It's free, it's a good reason to walk around the beach looking for it and it's lovely to have it in a glass bowl in the bathroom. I've collected enough to cover a small garden table with it; like a mosaic top. Now I'm looking specifically for particular colours of glass.

My obsession is wood. Anything beautifully made from wood especially if mother nature has had a hand in it... You can find some lovely branches/twigs on walks or holidays their colours or shapes, and for those too big to take away (the shape of some trees are so beautiful) a photo is sufficient.

My obsession is plants. I prefer to grow them from cuttings or seeds but also love buying them when I have been away from home to remind me of the occasion.

Oh, and good watercolours but we are just about out of wall space, so the pocket is spared for now!

gillybob. I too collect seaglass. I put most in tall jars in the conservatory, but I have decorated photograph frames with pieces and would like to make jewellery

I’ve been an inveterate collector all my life, but have scaled down my activities these days. I collect ceramic Napoleonic military figurines, silver vesta cases and calling card cases, unusual ink wells, Georgian caddy spoons, small silver items relating to the history of this city, sea glass, fossils...... I had a large collection of bells and old blue and white china but got rid of them when we moved ! If I ever have any spare money (ha ha) I would like to start a collection of vinaigrettes, but they fetch serious prices, so it might be a long time coming!

MYbe you shouldn’t try to decide what to collect. Have a wander around some antique / retro type shops and see if anything catches your eye and go from there.
I have a small collection of silver spoons which are displayed in a couple of box frames on the wall and so take the place of pictures.

I used to collect miniature cups and saucers and tea sets but when I had to pack them away as we were having a new floor put down I decided to sell them as they took up so much space. I've recently started an enamel bird collection which I buy when they are in the sale from The Museum catalogue. They are small and very pretty.

Oh, I've got perfume bottles as well! And mid century pottery but I wouldn't call that a collection - more what I like!

A small collection of perfume bottles!

Also as others have posted
sea shells and pebbles in the conservatory.

I collected mid century pottery,
but happily sold it all when DD was pregnant with our first DGS.
We used the moneyto buy nursery furniture and pram etc .
I loved the extra space I gained!

I do however still have a small perfume bottles which are quite pretty.

J52, I have boxes of the small cheap ones in the eaves and only display the bigger pieces with nice sayings on. I think I got carried away at the beginning!

I collect fridge magnets from places I visit on holiday and have a sizeable collection. Until recently, I had them displayed on the freezer in the kitchen but having banished that to the garage due to a kitchen makeover, I now have nowhere to stick them. ?

I have a small bowl of sea shells and coral (found on the beach not taken from the sea!) which DH collected from every beach we visited - brings back lovely memories and doesn't take up much room.

Glass paperweights from any place that I go on holiday to just the smaller ones mainly plain coloured glass they are displayed on the bottom shelf of a display unit in my hall so they take up hardly any space at all they give me fond memories as to where I bought them from.

I used to collect teapots, thimbles and other stuff but now I realise it's just more stuff to dust so they've all gone.

Kitty I also collected Mottoware. It now resides in boxes in the Garage! I stopped displaying it after a room refurb.
I’d almost forgotten about it!
I used to collect bow brooches, made of any material. They were easy to collect and display.

Do people write anything on the postcards Bluebelle? A little bit of info about who they are or where they live in the world? Or are the postcards simply addressed, to add to your collection?

Thanks for your suggestions! I try to be minimalist and hate clutter, hence why im looking for something small! And as I get older I am conscious of the stuff I will leave behind once I'm gone. I don't know mottoware so will look it up. The postcard group sounds interesting too.

I belong to a worldwide postcard group basically you draw a name and address out of a virtual hat and send them a postcard and similarly someone else in the world draws your name and sends you one it doesn’t have to be one you can send as many as you want to as many addresses as you want to draw, I used to collect pc’s when I was a kid and now I can get something through my letterbox other than bills

I collect Mottoware (as does sal, I think)

And I collect small silver things. Cutlery pill boxes etc but it is a pain to keep clean.

It depends where you live bella2 but I collect sea glass . It cost me nothing at all and I enjoy arranging it in jars and bottles . It looks lovely.

My DD collects Swarovski crystal animals (started by my DDiL who bought her first piece a few years ago) She has a lovely Little wall cabinet she displays them in .

Over thirty years ago I thought it would be a good idea to collect Pen Delphin figures. Then I got fed up having to dust them. They ended up in 2 paper boxes in the loft. Can’t give the blooming things away now. Am now firmly in the “no more stuff” camp. Sorry, can’t help you bella.