Skoraj vsakdo pozna koga, ki kaj zbira. Za nekatere so to spominki s potovanj, za druge predmeti, ki jih spominjajo na otroštvo, tretji pa preprosto uživajo v iskanju vedno novih primerkov. Toda ko zbirateljska strast preraste v nekaj sto predmetov, lahko postane tudi precejšen prostorski in finančni izziv. Še posebej, če gre za predmete, ki jih večina ljudi uporablja vsak dan.

Britanka Amy Sinfield iz Bedforda je svojo ljubezen do skodelic za čaj spremenila v pravo zbirateljsko pustolovščino. V sedmih letih jih je zbrala že 256, samo v zadnjem letu pa je njena zbirka postala bogatejša za sto novih primerkov. Zanje je doslej odštela več kot 2500 funtov oziroma približno 2900 evrov. Ker običajne kuhinjske omarice že dolgo ne zadostujejo več, imajo njene skodelice doma prav posebno omaro. »Velik del moje plače gre za širjenje zbirke. Nakup nove skodelice je zame skoraj kot terapija – čaj iz nove skodelice je vedno boljšega okusa,« priznava 26-letna projektna vodja.

Skodelica se mora ujemati tudi z oblačili

Njena zbirka še zdaleč ni sestavljena iz naključno kupljenih skodelic. Med njenimi najljubšimi so izdelki priznanih znamk Emma Bridgewater, Le Creuset in Eleanor Bowmer, pri čemer posamezni primerki stanejo tudi več kot 20 funtov. In kako se človek zjutraj odloči, iz katere skodelice bo pil čaj, če jih ima na voljo kar 256? Amy ima izdelan prav poseben sistem. »To je vedno odvisno od mojega razpoloženja, v devetih od desetih primerov pa tudi od tega, kaj imam oblečeno. Všeč mi je, da uskladim svoja oblačila s skodelico, iz katere pijem,« pojasnjuje.

Story from Jam Press (Mug Collection)Pictured: Amy showing her mug collection.'I have spent Ł2,500 on MUGS in search of the perfect cuppa with over 250 options in a dedicated cupboard – but I always pull out THIS one for builders'A woman obsessed with finding the perfect cuppa has spent over Ł2,500 on mugs – for which she has a dedicated cupboard that leaves people shocked.Amy Sinfield has gone viral after sharing the extent of her passion, which has seen her purchase 100 new mugs in the past year – that's more than eight every month.In total, the 26-year-old has 256 mugs worth thousands, including a special Emma Bridgewater collection that retails at upwards of Ł20 a pop and a Sports Direct mug specifically for "workmen".Viewers online were left stunned when earlier this month, Amy revealed where she keeps her many mugs, in a clip that has over 800,000 views."A lot of my wage goes towards growing the collection," Amy, a project officer from Bedford, told creatorzine.com."Buying a new mug feels almost like a therapy session to me – a cuppa always tastes better in a new mug."I actually had to pause buying mugs for a while at my previous house because I completely ran out of cupboard space – I was at about 100 by that point."[Now], my dedicated mug cabinet is perfect because it's deep enough to stack them all the way back."I also use two kitchen cupboards above my coffee machine for seasonal pieces and daily favourites like my Le Creuset, Eleanor Bowmer, and Cornishware items."I live with my husband, Jack, and he definitely lives by the saying, 'Happy wife, happy life!'"Some people think I'm exaggerating, so when they see the collection in person, it's always a shock."It's hard to envision 250 mugs, so to see the collection in person, they realise it's huge."It takes them a few minutes to pick a mug, for sure."I [might] offer a Le Creuset, as those are crowd-pleasers."[But] whenever we have workmen over, I pull out a giant Sports Direct mug I keep hidden at the back of the cupboard specifically for them!"As for how she chooses her daily mug from the sprawling collection?Amy said: "The mug I pick every day always depends on my mood and, nine times out of 10, my outfit."I love coordinating what I wear with my mug – little details like that really help me romanticise daily life."I also have plenty of seasonal pieces, so during autumn, I'll strictly use my autumnal mugs, followed by Christmas, spring, and so on."Amy's collection started seven years ago, and was partly inspired by her mum, who similarly has a huge collection, spanning just under 300 mugs.She said: "Eight years ago, we visited the Emma Bridgewater shop at Bicester Village where I bought my first-ever piece, and that was just the start."While I mainly collected that brand at first, I've since discovered others like Le Creuset, Sophie Allport, Gisela Graham, Eleanor Bowmer, and Cornishware, which I absolutely adore."While most 21-year-olds want a big night out for their birthday, I spent my 21st at the Emma Bridgewater factory!"As for the future, Amy doesn't have a mug goal in mind, but she has no plans of slowing down.She added: "I'll definitely keep adding to it – it's hard to stop when my favourite brands keep releasing gorgeous new designs."A major life goal of mine would be to collaborate with a brand to design my own collection; that would be the absolute dream."ENDSEDITOR'S NOTE: Exclusive Licence: An exclusive licence has been obtained directly from the verified copyright holder. Jam Press holds exclusive distribution rights for the agreed content within the terms of the contributor agreement.,Image: 1138015251, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: EDITOR'S NOTE: Exclusive Licence: An exclusive licence has been obtained directly from the verified copyright holder. Jam Press holds exclusive distribution rights for the agreed content within the terms of the contributor agreement., Model Release: no

Pri izbiri skodelice imajo pomembno vlogo tudi letni časi. Foto: Profimedia

Pomembno vlogo imajo tudi letni časi. Jeseni na police postavi skodelice z jesenskimi motivi, decembra jih zamenjajo praznične, spomladi pa pridejo na vrsto svetlejši in bolj cvetlični vzorci.

Toda vseh skodelic ne namenja vsakdanji uporabi. Za mojstre, ki pridejo v njuno hišo opravljat popravila, ima rezervirano prav posebno skodelico iz trgovine Sports Direct. »Skrivam jo čisto zadaj v omari prav zanje,« se smeji. Njen mož Jack se je medtem že sprijaznil z dejstvom, da je v njunem domu skodelic precej več, kot bi jih gospodinjstvo dejansko potrebovalo. In kot kaže, jih bo v prihodnje še več.

Ljubezen do skodelic je podedovala po mami

Zbirateljska strast ima pri Amy tudi družinske korenine. Njena mama ima namreč doma skoraj 300 skodelic, zato ni presenetljivo, da je hči že zgodaj razvila podobno zanimanje. Svojo prvo zbirateljsko skodelico je kupila pred sedmimi leti v trgovini Emma Bridgewater v nakupovalnem središču Bicester Village. Od takrat se je njena zbirka samo še povečevala.

Kako zelo pomembne so zanjo skodelice, pove tudi podatek, kako je praznovala svoj 21. rojstni dan. »Medtem ko si večina enaindvajsetletnikov za rojstni dan želi veliko zabavo, sem jaz svoj rojstni dan preživela v tovarni Emma Bridgewater,« pripoveduje. In če bi kdo pomislil, da je 256 skodelic že dovolj, se moti. Amy si ni postavila nobene zgornje meje, njene najljubše znamke pa jo z novimi kolekcijami vedno znova premamijo. »Težko je nehati, ko moje najljubše znamke nenehno predstavljajo čudovite nove dizajne,« priznava.

Njena največja želja je, da bi nekoč oblikovala lastno kolekcijo skodelic. Do takrat pa bo še naprej iskala nove barve, vzorce in oblike, ki bodo našli prostor v njeni zbirki.

 

Priporočamo