Being a sentimental person, and appreciating magical things

I'm an extremely sentimental person. I always have been, but in the past two years, I've become even more sentimental. Keeping memories and old passed down treasures, writing letters and finding new forgotten treasures.. I just adore everything that has meaning, and even more so if it's tangible...

There's just something about holding something in your hands. A text isn't the same as a hand written letter – you can't admire the beautiful paper, the person's swirly handwriting, the personality that exudes from the words written on each page. A photograph on a laptop just isn't the same as a physical photograph – with the curled corners, faded edges and discoloured faces. And a new statement faux diamond necklace, just isn't the the same as a vintage pearl necklace – with it's history, cream coloured pearls, and the thousands of stories that each pearl could tell.

These days, people from my generation just don't value tangibility. They don't appreciate old treasures, family heirlooms or hand-written letters. They don't lust over vintage dresses, necklaces or ornaments. And I honestly find it sad... really, really sad in fact. Old things that were once loved by our ancestors and relatives, now aren't valued as much as they once were. I think that more people my age should value things more – that necklace your nan gave to you, which was once her nan's, or that diary that your great aunt gave to you, that she kept for years and din't want to write in.

The other day I visited THE cutest antique shop ever! Full to the brim of cute music boxes and grandfather clocks, among other delights. Oh how I wish I could own one of these. If I had a spare £950 floating around, I'd probably invest/indulge in one 😍 I posted a video of the shop on my stories earlier, so go and check it out to hear some magical music 😍❤

A post shared by Mollie Quirk 🌻 UK Blogger (@theperksofmolliequirk) on May 15, 2018 at 9:30am PDT

Even memories. People don't value them as much anymore. We take for granted that they're stored on our phone or 'in a cloud' – we don't think "ooh, we better print the photos out from the last few weeks", and that's something else I find quite sad. What will our kids be doing? Swiping through photos on their grandparents' tablets? I know we have to move with the times, but isn't an old photo album, or a shoebox full of photos, or a scrapbook full of memories far better than swiping through the highlight reel on an iPad? Photos years ago weren't looked over a million times while picking out a thousand different flaws – they were pure, real, and raw. You'd have a reel of film, snap away, get it developed and you'd love the outcome regardless – but these days we take 60 photos of the same thing, before studying them and deciding on which one we think works best with our 'aesthetic' or 'theme', or which one we want to post that doesn't show our 'big nose', 'double chin', or 'bingo wings'.

I'm obsessed with vintage finds.. you'll often find me foraging through unwanted treasures at antique shops or charity shops. There's something beautiful about giving new life to old things. These are a few of my favourite finds, the antique hand held mirror being a personal favourite 💗 . . . . . #vintage #fashion #retro #antique #handmade #vintagestyle #wedding #vintageshop #love #artist #flatlay #art #streetstyle #ootd #photography #boho #madeinfrance #victorian #flatlays #antiqueshop #pearls

A post shared by Mollie Quirk 🌻 UK Blogger (@theperksofmolliequirk) on May 14, 2018 at 2:28am PDT

Another thing. I've started writing letters again. Letters are beautiful. They're underrated and I much prefer the art of letter writing over sending a text or email – "hi you k? wuut?" doesn't quite have the same sentimental value as a lengthy letter that goes into some kind of depth about the person's life, thoughts, and feelings. Years ago when I was really young, I would meet other girls and boys my age at the park, and we'd keep in touch. I remember one little girl who was the same age as me – she was on holiday, and I remember I gave her one of my bracelets, and my address so that she could write to me. We wrote to each other a few times before it fizzled out, but the lovely thing is, I have the memories still, and I also still have the letters.

I just wanted to write this piece to express my love for all things tangible. I love anything with sentimental value, and I just feel that more people my age and from my generation (and the younger generations too) should appreciate things more, and cherish things from times that have passed.

I would LOVE to live my life in a retro way... fully and wholly. Film cameras, polaroids, letter writing, foraging through antique stores, crafting old treasures into new ones and so much more.

Do you class yourself as a sentimental person? Do you keep old treasures and heirlooms?