Match Collection
I can't really take credit for this collection, because it actually belonged to my great-grandmother. She did all the ground work for this one. Thanks, Granny. Right now, these matchbooks live in a giant plastic bag, the same plastic bag they were in when I received them from her empty home after she passed away. I have several items from her life — jewelry, old cameras, glass figurines, dishes — but for some reason, these matches speak to me. They show me where she's been, places she's seen. I can just see her as her younger self, glitzy jewelry on and puffing a cigarette. Back then, smoking wasn't a big deal, and matchbooks were more popular because of all the smoking. It made sense to collect them. What if you needed a light?
There are several from Disney World, and a lot of them are from places she went when she took cruises. She loved to travel and take adventures, and she would bring a matchbook back with her. She has matchbooks from so many different locations, even local ones like Gino's Pizza. I think that is hysterical.
The ones with her handwriting on them are so interesting to me. Some have phone numbers, some have names and dates on them. I wonder what she was doing at that moment. Who did these numbers belong to?
I particularly like the ones from Heritage Station. I want local places to start making these cool matchbooks again! I mean, I need matches even though I don't smoke. I have lots of candles, you know.
There's also a special matchbook from a family friend's wedding. The sight of this makes my heart stop and my throat close up, because both of those beautiful people are gone now, too.
On my long list of projects for my house is a display of some sort for these matchbooks. They just look so interesting when they're all together, so I'd like to create something to show them off a bit more. I'm open to ideas. But for now I suppose they will just stay in their big plastic ziploc bag, smelling mildly of dust and her house. Thanks again, Granny. Because of you, I'll always have a spark.
I'll be continuing this collections series throughout the month, and you can check out my owl collection post here.