A Seed Planted and A Collection Grew

I am so grateful to have such special family, friends and fans in my life.   I had a wonderful New Years Eve celebration this year and would love to have you post what you did for your celebration in the comments. 

I was busy this morning creating a large New Years Day dinner.   Cooking gave me a chance to reflect back on what a busy but great year it has been.  One of the wonderful things that have happened this year is that I started my two little shops.  I am sure that I am no different than anyone else with a small business in that each of my shops started with a tiny seed planted in my head as a child.  I have always loved to learn and discover new things and I think that is why I find the thrill of  finding postcards and vintage items and rock hounding for gems and minerals so exhilarating.  Although these things may seem far reaching they are joined by one common passion - treasure hunting.

The seed for treasure hunting was planted by my grandparents through their gifts of antique postcards and collectibles.  They would also show me their collections and tell me why they collected it and where it came from.  One of the seeds my grandparents planted bloomed into my passion for rock hounding.

When I was around 4 years old they gave me a large chunk of petrified wood.  The interest grew as they told me the story about how they bought it in Arizona when they visited the Petrified Forest.  They spent time telling me about how it was formed and what the forest looked liked.  I was utterly amazed that an entire forest could be turned into stone and I couldn't get enough of this phenomenon.   I wanted desperately to see it for myself and spent hours unending dreaming of the day when I could travel to Arizona.



This awesome vintage postcard showing the Petrified Forest was found in ETSY shop The Flying Broom at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFlyingBroom?ref=seller_info

 A few years later my uncle was stationed in Arizona's Air Force base and he sent me more amazing specimens.  Among what he sent me was Chalcedony Roses, Desert Rose and Apache Tears (obsidian rocks that you could see through) and from that I was officially obsessed with finding gems and minerals - a rock hound was born.

This lovely example of an Apache Tear or Obsidian stone was found in ETSY shop
No Stone Left Unturned 2 at
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/NoStoneLeftUnturned2?ref=seller_info

All of the hobbies have started out the same; a little trinket, a souvenir, a story, and a seed was planted and from that a collection grew.  Here are some new finds that remind me of the things that sparked my interests as a child.