I come from a family of collectors. My dad loves Mr. Peanut, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Betty Boop memorabilia, my bro loves Mad magazine stuff, my uncle collects Wedgwood biscuit barrels and Pez dispensers. I love anything that has to do with Marilyn Monroe, I Love Lucy, and old colored glass items.
My dad and I love to go to antique stores together; it's our "thing" we do when we have a day to spend with one another. No one else will go with us when we go antiquing, why? We will spend at least five hours or more at one store. We meticulously look over each shelf, look behind piles, and dig through boxes, careful not to miss anything.
Anymore it's really not difficult to find the things I like to collect. Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball are everywhere these days; there are salt and pepper shakers, dolls, beanie babies, fold out chairs (I have one for camping!), luggage, mouse pads, coasters, etc. You name it, it's out there! The question is, how much of these items do I really need?
When it comes to collecting items you really need to determine what you absolutely LOVE and what isn't so great. My dad is SUPER picky about what he picks up. Most of the licensed Betty Boop items are REALLY poorly done, which makes my dad angry, but makes him easier to resist items. He only picks up the items that really are of good quality that appeal to him. I tend to follow his lead. When determining what you'd like to collect, evaluate each piece you find and ask yourself if it will add to or take away from your current collection. You want to display a collection that you have pride in, that was fun to search for (after all, isn't more fun when you find a unique item that may have taken you months to find as opposed to finding it at Wal-Mart?).
Limit your collection of whatever you chose to just a few pieces, it will be easier to maintain, won't get out of control, and you'll really have the quality pieces that shine. Wouldn't your rather have 10 really nice items as opposed to 25 pieces that just create clutter?
If you have a collection right now, reevaluate all the pieces picking the ones you love the most, that mean the most to you. Once you clean out your collection, you'll realize how much better it looks when the quality pieces stand out.
Picture from: http://www.tresmundosgallery.com
1 comment:
Ya know, I don't think I really collect anything anymore! I guess its because I realized that it can become such a clutter. I used to collect the dolphin stuff, after moving here I realized that crap is everywhere and there really is no need for it. I too love to go shopping for antiques. I love the old flea markets and thrift stores. When I go into them I really look for old glass pieces or records from way back. I could go overboard with it if I didn't really watch out and control the buying. I agree with you on going through the collections and take out the stuff that you really aren't that fond of, the stuff that you bought just because it was there. The collections can get way out of control if you don't do this every once in awhile. Good advice LL!! Keep up the good advise giving and I hope to see this turn into a success. Love ya and support ya 100%.
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