‘Collect’ed Notions

March 19, 2012

Why do we collect things?

Isn’t it interesting how we are like pat racks and squirrels with a collection of shiny objects? Even people who say they don’t collect usually have something they are overlooking. The list of things is infinitely long. I have been thinking about writing this piece for some time now. In the meantime I have been talking with all types of people that range in age & cultures. People’s eyes just light up when they talk about what they love to collect. Even the quite, reserved people talk endlessly about their treasures.

The Reason? What I found is this -
It reminds them of some special time in the past.
It is visually interesting or makes them unique.
It brings them joy.

Of course, there are other reasons why people collect as in money & satisfaction but those weren’t the motives that I found people to talk about. All the types of things collected are so interesting to me. Even children gather things! My oldest daughter hordes so many things that she finds interesting. I usually have to go through her room & playroom every couple of months to help her sort things that need to be tossed. She has stuff that ranges from bottle tops to little scraps of paper with notes on them. I remember a great article on San Juan Parent about kids collecting rocks. I remember my sister-in-law when she was just a little girl collecting rocks. It was unbelievable the amount of rocks that she had. There had to be hundreds of them. She would tuck them in little spots all over the house. Even to this day, a rock will speak to her, and it ends up in her pocket.

I love all my little collections too. I collect Nutcrackers that I display at Christmas time. They have to be the traditional nutcracker with the sword too – not all those character ones. I started collecting those when I was a little girl, and my mom would take me every year to see the professional ballet of The Nutcracker. I was mesmerized! I have old copper molds above my sink (it’s pretty much complete). And the usual things like shoes, purses, clothes, jewelry. Oh and I do love my Mottahedeh fine china collection.

I also have just recently started collecting bluebird things. I already have accumulated quite a bit. Bluebirds are my thing & they are my reminder of how wonderful my life is in this exact moment because life is right NOW in this very moment. Every time I see a bluebird it helps me remember that now is all you have – not the past nor the future. You all should pick your “thing” as your reminder. This life tool was taught to me by a very dear “feather” friend. I have shared this with lots of my friends. Now I also have a “lavender” and “grace” friend.

Let me share a little design lesson about displaying your collections that I learned from my amazingly talented friend, Rain, who owns Charlie Rain & Company Interior Design in Telluride, CO. The key to really showing off your treasures is to keep them together in a group. Don’t spread them out all over your house. If your collection is too great, then just pick out your favorites to show off. Curio Cabinets are a great way to keep them together & protected. Photos are also considered a collection. Picture frames all over your house does not do your memories justice nor does the mismatch of little frames hung all over a wall. Treat your photos like artwork. Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel do a really nice job on their Photography galleries. Use their images as a guide. When you have too many frames, they just get lost and no one really sees them. A couple of key photos in a frame around the house is ok though, but it keep it very minimal. The wall galleries are so inviting to look at esp. with the large white mats that really highlight your loved ones.

Here are some examples of some great collections that I have seen:

Countryhome.com has a great section about “Collecting” that I highly recommend. If you are a collector & still looking for certain pieces then you have to check out Magpie Antiques. Kim has everything & anything that you may be looking for. Currently, she has a booth in the Downtown Mercantile on Main St. in Montrose. But she will hopefully reopen her storefront in Ridgway this summer. Another great spot is the Old School House Emporium in Ridgway. Kevin has the most amazing book collection on the Western Slope.

Here’s a great tool for photo galleries that I found on Pinterest.

I also have friends in this region that collect old fire extinguishers, silver napkin holders, antique cars, cookbooks, pie birds and old red kitchen gadgets.

What do you collect? What special meaning does it have to you?

Photo Sources:

houzz.com
thefrenchtangerine.com
countryhome.com
casadeperrin.com
marleyandlockyer.com
gardenofsimple.tumblr.com
polyvore.com

Krista Montalvo is a Southern Peach living the mountain dream with her children and husband. She owns Ginger Magnolia Catering in Montrose, CO. This year she started Marmie Bags which are handcrafted purses with a vintage flair. She is a lover of all things domestic which ranges from a great antique find to cooking & gardening to fashion for you & your home. She also loves to share all the interesting things she happens to experience along the way!

About Author Krista Montalvo

Tags: collections, krista montalvo, organizing collections

This entry was posted on March 19, 2012 at 6:15 am and is filed under All Things SJP, Contributors' Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.