My secret collection

It wasn't something I originally chose to collect, or had been passed down from previous generations, or even something that another family or friend collected. No, my collection started on my 21st birthday as a gift from my aunt and uncle. When I first opened the slightly worn and aged jewellery box, I was slightly sceptical and had always been told from a young age not to be ungrateful for any present and to smile and say thank you for the gift. So imagine my reaction when I opened the box and found four unusually shaped ornaments. My aunt at this point explained that she wanted to buy me a gift that I could keep and start to expand into a collection. Still I had no idea what they were or what they stood for. She began to explain to me that the "ornaments" were in fact perfume bottles, not used ones, but actual decorative ones that people collect and she wanted me to start collecting too. 

 

I have to say being 21, and at stage in my life all I was concerned with was going out, clothes, drinking & meeting boys, I didn't really appreciate them. So I smiled, gave my thank you cuddles & never thought much more of them. That was until Christmas...22 days later, when I received another bottle, then the following December I received another 2 for my birthday and 1 for my christmas, and so on. A trend was beginning to develop here!

In fact it probably wasn't until I left the family home, and had my own space that I begun to appreciate my growing collection. I then began to dispplay them on shelves, units, chest of drawers and actually grew to love them!

I currently have 19 bottles in my collection, which is displayed on an unit in my bedroom. Not sure how the boyfriend feels about this but hey ho. Sadly, however, some never made it moving from house to house, which has been 5 in the past 6 years but I'm pleased that most of my favourites are still with me :)

 

I don't have a certain style I like in particular and I love them all in different ways. Some have  delicate & intricate glass work, whilst others are beautiful colours (especially when the light hits off them), a couple of them have the vintage style atomizers (which I love) and quite a few have very sparkly jewels on them. They are all just so pretty and girly and now on my birthdays and christmas I get excited about what one I'll receive next. Even one of my friends has started to buy me them as birthday gifts too!

 

Sadly I have limited knowledge about perfume bottles, their history, and what era's so of them are from (because a couple of them are quite old). Maybe that is something I will begin to explore as my collection expands! As random as it is, I hope you like them as much as I do :)