Ever since I was little I have loved collecting things. If you ask my mom I collected cereal boxes when I was 5 to keep on my shelf. (I mean, how cute is Toucan Sam???) My dad was a high school counselor, so with Summer’s free we jumped in the motor home and drove across the country…this is when collecting key chains began. This key chain craze latest through my travels through Europe as an 18 year old. I even braved the red light district of Amsterdam to find the Hard Rock Cafe gift shop for my 8th Hard Rock key chain! My tastes have changed and my organizing of my clutter has evolved, but I still love a good collection of things I find inspiring.
So don’t judge me, but I haven’t even read 5% of these books, but don’t they look beautiful? I love the statement they make in our family room, and boy were they easy to organize…much easier than by subject…Please!
Adding the pop of color with my plate collection really adds interest to our dining area. I have learned my lesson the hard way and now only put my melamine plates at the bottom to keep from getting the dust pan out to sweep up the broken mishaps.
Plates with great design can be found all over. I usually find my plates at Homegoods, Target, and West Elm.
My glass ornament collection usually grows around the winter holidays. These days you can find many non-traditional ornaments that look great year round.
Notebooks! Notebooks! I can’t get enough and stores are stocked with so many beautiful varieties. I wish I had a better way to display so each design could be seen more readily. Believe me, I have a hard time deciding which will be my next idea & sketch journal.
So I love “things that hold other things” and it seems HOOKS fall into that category. I laid out this design pretty free form so I can add the new editions that I find.
My postcards are precious to me. They are each hand picked from Art Museum gift shops ONLY after I have seen the original painting and was touched by it in some way. I collected over 100 postcards while on my study abroad in Europe 20 years ago. I have added a few here and there from my travels.
One thing I believe about collections is that they make a bigger impact when displayed together.
I hope you find inspiration in the way I have displayed my collections and start making your collections a thing of beauty to share with those that enter your home.
All photos by Tiffany Carter Photography
