Are You A Collector?

I suppose everyone likes something enough to collect them.  When I was a little girl I collected napkins from different places.  Oh how I wish my parents had suggested I collect baseball cards (in the 50’s) or something that would have held it’s value a little more!  Collecting is fun for kids, and it’s great for adults too.  I have a few things that I collect, but I don’t do any of them to excess, and I’m VERY specific about what I collect.   I still haven’t learned to collect things that increase in value, though.  I collect things I like.   I like Barbie dolls, embroidered linens, pie birds, and children’s thunder mugs (only if they have a picture on the side).

Once you have a collection, what can you do with it to enjoy it?  I use my linens.  I have exquisite pillow cases on my beds, and beautiful quilts.  I have hand embroidered kitchen towels for each day of the week, and lovely vintage embroidered aprons that I use.  My pie birds are of a specific maker, but in different colors.  I don’t bake pies, but I have some of the birds lined up on my counter where I can see and enjoy them.   My thunder mugs are lined up above my bed (the exact opposite of where they used to be stored!)  I have potpourri in a few of them.   My Barbie dolls are boxed away, I don’t have any of them out anywhere.  I never could figure out how to display them so that they became a part of my home instead of just a display of dolls in boxes.

What do you collect?  I had a friend that collected antique cookie cutters.  She had them arranged on one bright colored wall in her kitchen.  I never ate a cookie she baked however, I think she just liked the cookie cutters.  A traditional way of displaying collections are by placing them in a cabinet with glass doors.  Safe, but unimaginative.  A shelf is ordinary, unless the placement of it is unique and you make it a focal part of a section of your room.  Paint it a contrasting color from the collectibles so that they pop!   Making a unique pattern of your collectibles on a wall is always nice too.

I would love for you to comment and tell me what you collect, and how you display it!
I do have a word for the wise though, unless you want a lot of collectible things that you didn’t choose yourself, don’t tell anyone that you like, for instance, welcome signs.  You will be showered with welcome signs for every birthday, anniversary, and other holiday, and then feel obligated to display these too!  Be specific, and let people know when you have enough of what you collect!