I come from a family of collectors. As a child it was a pretty much a weekly occurrence to visit antique or collectors fairs with my parents. I grew up with an appreciation of what it was 'to collect'.
I have been admiring Claire's beautiful home on Instagram for some
time now and am planning to do a little tour and interview in the near
future, but as soon as I saw Claires caravan collection i just had to
find out more and share.
Claire was kind enough to answer some questions about her collection....
Hello! My name is Claire I'm 35 and I live in Strasbourg
France with my Husband Simon, Son Lucas, Step-Son Colin, and our two cats Holly
and Tom. I'm currently a stay at home Mum and I'm originally from London in the
UK. I moved to Strasbourg to be with my now Husband who I met online. I've been
here just over 6 years. Previous to that I spent 3.5 years living in Melbourne,
Australia, so I've moved around quite a bit!
What made you start
collecting caravans?
I first started collecting caravans just over a year ago, after
noticing the collection of a fellow instagrammer (@junkshopvenus) which I
really admired! I then spotted one at a charity shop and that was it! I've been
searching them out ever since.
Did you holiday in caravans as a child so do they have a
nostalgic value for you?
My grandparents had a caravan when I was very small, but I
think for me, it’s just a nostalgia for anything in the past. I'm a bit
obsessed with collecting anything from the 50's/60's/70's.
Do you have a caravan of your own?
No...But I really, really wish that I did!! Perhaps one
day....
Where do you buy them
from?
The majority of mine have been found at charity shops, Car
boot sales, vide greniers ect, though I have found a couple on ebay, One was
gifted to me from the Instagram friend whose collection I mentioned above, that
kick-started me to begin collecting them myself, which was really lovely!
Is there a wish list caravan?
Not especially, as instead of searching for particular
models, I prefer to see what I come across when hunting charity shops and car
boot sales. That said, I would really like some of the Dinky models that I
don't have in my collection, which don't really turn up often in France. For
me, the thrill is finding one 'in the wild' that I don't already have. Even if
it’s the same, but in a different colourway to one already in my collection.
Different colour - Different caravan!
What is the most you
have paid for one?
I think the most I paid was £5 on Ebay, for one that I
really wanted. But usually I pay between 50 cents and 3 euros. Mine is not an
expensive collection!
Do you have any other
collections?
Do I? Ha-ha! I have so many collections that it would take
too long to list them all here ;)
Among other things, I collect West German plant pots,
Vintage bride and groom wedding cake toppers, Kitsch Spanish holiday souvenirs
from the 70's, vintage tights/stockings in their original packaging, anything
tiny that I display in old print drawers, retro/vintage kitchen items, Anything
religious, creepy vintage plastic squeak toys and basically anything
vintage/kitsch/curious that catches my attention. Most of my collections have
happened by accident, where I have found one of the items, loved it, and then
spotted others out and about. Once I've found three of something, it’s officially
a collection! All of my things have been found cheaply in charity shops or at
car boot sales.
A massive thank you to fellow mama Claire, I know how precious time is when you have a little one xx
If any of you have a collection you would like to share please email me at moontomoon@live.co.uk
