Friday, August 16, 2013

The Rest of the Collection...

Did you know that the first thimbles in England were called "thumb bells" because they were worn on the thumb and shaped like a bell?  The shape eventually changed, but the name softened into "thimble."  And did you know that a person who collects thimbles is known as a digitabulist?  No??  Me neither.  :)

Computer search engines are turning me into a real-life Cliff Clavin.  :-D  Remember "Cheers"?  Such a funny show, and good old Cliff was a storehouse of trivia.  There was one episode where Cliff was selected to be a contestant on "Jeopardy"; it was just hilarious.  My husband and I still laugh about it all these years later.

I thought I would show you the rest of my little treasures from yesterday's post.





 This is the other thimble house my mom bought for me years ago.  I like the little Victorian "architectural" features, such as the gingerbread trim.  It holds the rest of my thimbles, but it contains some other things too...


...small blown-glass pigs with little curly tails; a tiny orange, glass hen (or rooster) bought for me by my son at the Dixie Classic Fair when he was a little boy; a miniature beer stein from the German gift shop at Epcot on our trip to Disneyworld; and a porcelain china teacup and saucer from our local tea shop.  There are a few mementos from across The Pond -- an English windmill, two English cottages, and an Irish house.


 The thimble on the top right row has always reminded me of Princess Diana.  Her hair color and cut, her style of clothing and hat are like something Diana would have worn, especially in the early years of her marriage.  What do you think?  The blue and white windmill is also a thimble.


There's a Lenox swan salt cellar received when we got married; it reminds me of our trip to England.  A black Scottie with a red bow sits in the bottom right corner -- no explanation needed there.  :)  There aren't as many thimbles in this thimble house, but all were gifts from my mom.  I LOVE the four Christmas thimbles especially.


So that's it, folks.  A friend of mine once remarked that everything in my house has a history.  I think she was right up to a point; we do have some new things, and ideally I prefer a mix of the old and the new.  How about you?  Do you like all new things, all old, or a combination of the two?

Thanks so much for visiting House at Forest Manor.  It is so boring here today; I don't know how much more of this gloomy weather I can stand.  Hoping for sunshine soon!

Denise

10 comments:

  1. Your thimbles, etc., hold such fond memories. If something doesn't have special meaning here, I try to cull it. Trouble is that there are so many memories. I do like a mix of old and new things.

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  2. I love your thimble collection....I just have a dozen or so that I have collected from my travels..yours is just amazing...

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  3. Hi Denise~ I love your thimble collection! So interesting about the name change and a digitabulist as a collector. I would tank on Jeopardy :) I am in desperate need of some sunshine, this week's forecast is damp & depressing.

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  4. How nice to know some history of the treasures you possess. I like things like this with lots of details! Hugs!

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  5. Blogger ate my comment! Either that, or it is the storm outside. I wish I could remember all that I said because as usual, it was a novella.

    I really do love your collection of miniatures and "thumb bells" (That was a cool tidbit, Cliffie. ) I love tiny treasures displayed that way.

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  6. What a great collection of thimbles and other tiny treasures. The Christmas ones are my hands down favorites. So cute. I also love the display case. Just perfect for your collection.
    Thanks for stopping by yesterday and letting me know I'm not the only grump in NC. Ha. Today we have sun. Yippee!! Hope you do too.

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  7. I had forgotten how many thimbles you have and of course you remember where every one of them came from. I may have to start adding to your collection on some of my trips and I will have to find you another thimble house. Enjoyed the post very much. Love you, Mom

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  8. What a wonderful collection. I adore the "Diana" thimble. Over the years I have developed a small traditional collection of thimbles which were often in sewing notion boxes I purchased at estate sales, etc. I have a few favorites I actually use.

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  9. I just love this little historical trivia - about words, no less - and sewing - so I'm delighted! Thanks for sharing. Also - clicked on your Richard Armitage story - you know he is the dwarf prince in The Hobbit, right? You best catch that one, too! Loved him in North and South - a huge favorite. But, I don't do edgy shows. Just not welcome in my eye gate. It's a Pride and Prejudice world for me . . .
    Joy!
    Kathy

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  10. Oh wow... many years ago I was very into thimbles and I had the EXACT lady thimble (and a few of her friends) AND the exact Christmas thimble. This past year when putting up my Christmas decor, I came across a little box I had forgotten about and found.... a full nativity scene set .. in thimbles! Love your boxes.
    GADawn57

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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