Ruby Tuesday

This stormy weather has me double-checking for matches. We all know about my obsession with matches, as seen in my very first post here on Pretty Things. Well, now I have found this match artwork by Pei-San Ng and I cannot contain my excitement. Rest assured, no matter how big the storm, you would never catch me striking one of these sticks!

J.

I am a phillumenist. So was my grandmother.

Although this sounds impressive and I think it would look great on my resume, in reality it means I collect matchbooks. It probably will not help advance my career, but I still think it’s pretty neat. I inherited the collection from my Grandma and love everything about them. The colours, the graphics, and the history behind them all add to my fixation. My Grandma did a ton of traveling in her lifetime and along the way dabbled in a bit of black jack according to the many casino matchbooks that are part of the collection! She was quite the popular lady, explaining why nearly a third of the collection is wedding favours. Dating back to 1966, most of them are white, with metallic writing, but there are a few pretty pinks, blues, and even one with rainbow cursive. Unfortunately, this trend has faded as the dangers of smoking have become more evident. Perhaps a resurgence is in order? I think this would still serve as a charming favour for any occasion.

Other matchbooks in the collection sport logos of hotels and restaurants from Indiana to Hawaii. Each matchbook tells a story from my grandmother’s life and I hope that I will be able to add my own stories with the same colour and flare as she did.

J.