Unless you count kitchen "stuff" I'm not really a collector of anything. And I'm actually ok with that because I'm sure I'd get bored with having a collection of one type of thing. For example, I love the pineapple, and the history of the pineapple and it's colonial connotation for hospitality and welcome. But other than my brass pineapple welcome door plaque and a single wooden pineapple I picked up several years ago in Costa Rica (or was it Boston?), I don't need a pineapple designed grocery pad, post-it notes, magnet, serving platter, lamp, etc. One or two pineapple-themed things are more than enough to express my appreciation. I find one needs to hesitate in declaring something one loves lest one be gifted with "BLANK" themed items for the rest of one's life. Brandi and I were talking about this issue at her recent garage sale as she tried to get rid of gifted items that were redundant.
See, the problem is that the gifter has the best of intentions, and really thinks they are giving something the giftee will "absolutely LOVE!" I know this because one Christmas I tried to gift a friend with a love for stars (she has a small collection of star-themed decor items) something star-themed that I'd found and instantly thought she would love. I was so proud of myself for finding the perfect gift! Turned out she already had one of the items I'd purchased and felt that keeping the others pushed the star theme into overboard. I totally get it! My intentions were good but I failed to follow my own cardinal rule about collecting. (Although it must be said that some people out there in this world really do want to collect things and are happy to fill their houses with a billion of one type of item; me, and my sister and my friend, well, we are just not those people.)
All this to say that my fancy was caught recently by the whimsical little Limoges box that Pioneer Woman recently posted about (photo right, hers). While I am not a chocolate truffle fan as she is, part of me wants to find my perfect little Limoges box as a single piece to add to my decor. I felt that same way after seeing a Faberge exhibit one time; while not technically my style, one cannot deny the over-the-top beauty and the artistry, and it made me want to stumble upon a Faberge egg that had a history and was perhaps chipped or broken, and that somehow, when I got it home, it worked perfectly in my decor.
Although items like Faberge eggs and Limoges boxes may just be dust collectors, one or two carefully chosen and placed pieces are what often make a house a home, with the story each item carries with it.
Are you a collector? If so, of what?
Friday, April 18, 2008
Dust Collectors
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10 comments:
I am So with you, sister. Not so into collections. (Again, I think we are scarred from dusting doll-, cow creamer, teddy collections, etc.)
For me collections have to be functional in some way--I'm just not into knick knacks. So if I have a collection, it's probably cookbooks. Although I hardly ever actually follow recipes, I do love beautiful cookbooks. Note: Cookbooks without beautiful food photography get sold at my yard sales. Books, in general, are M and my weakness. We have tons and want to keep them all.
As evidenced by what I struggled most to get rid of when de-cluttering, I am also a sucker for beautiful & unique vases & pitchers. And while I don't really need more than 2 or 3, I can't seem to part with any of the 15 or so I own.
Oh, shoot. And shoes. I can't seem to part with shoes either. Even any of the heels, boots, etc. that I have owned for years but have only rare occasion in my mommy-lifestyle, to use.
I guess I am a collector. Just not of knick knacks. Crap.
I usually just collect dust. :)
And, of course, shoes!!
My one and only collecting/hoarding obsession is books. I love to buy them, read them, touch them, smell them, think back and remember them, just have them near. As a result, I have a lot of them. A LOT. And it's extremely difficult to let any of them go, so I very rarely do. But when it comes to knickknacks and whatnot, I actively avoid them. Like the plague. A nasty tchotchke plague.
I collect animals! Live ones! xoxo
I was the "star friend? huh Kel? :) oops!! I love you and appreciated the thought! I am a pumpkin collector and a cake plate collector.
Children. Defintely children. And friends.
i collect old windows, doors and crafty things... related to paper goods, painting, photography and sewing... all things artsy... other than that... I'll pretty much toss ANYTHING in my house in a heart beat
I don't really collect anything... but I remember when I was a kid I collected keychains. I was so proud of my giant tangled bunch of keychains - one shaped like idaho, one a disney character, one a leather coin purse. We would drive to MN so I would try to get one from everywhere we stopped. So funny to picture it now... And come to think of it, I don't think there were even any keys on it!!
I collect ticket stubs. When I was younger I collected sports cards. My dad collected TV guides until they came out with the "collectors" 34 different covers. We have them going back to the early 1960's
um... just found my stamp collection the other day. JA gave me the "What kind of a nerd are you"-look :-D
In my defense, I haven't really collected any stamps for almost 20 years. I just can't throw them out...
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