My sister spends her spare time working on her new Etsy shop called:
Currently Mrs. Beebose features some beautiful hand-sewn necklaces made from various vintage fabrics. You can check out what she has in stock and even request certain colors/styles (Remember, it is a brand new shop, so there's not a whole lot of inventory right now!).
My brother is very creative, stylish, and artsy as well. I should have taken a pic of his bedroom when I was last down there because it is pretty darn cool. He's got this collection of clocks on the wall that just pops at you when you walk in the room. He's either really good at decorating with clocks, or very obsessed with being on time. He's also pretty dabbled a bit in art as well. We've got this painting he did of Kim Novak on the wall in our apt (that will eventually fit in with the rest of my film history collection).
Now my parents definitely helped us develop our creative abilities. They also taught us the valuable lesson of making COLLECTIONS. Kaleb has this collection of clocks, Kristopher used to have this collection of all things panda (I'm not sure what she has now that she's moved!), my mom has MANY collections (planters and rose dishes to name a few), my dad had his collection of lunch boxes, and I had a variety of collections as well (books, postcards, Braves memorabilia, coins, rocks). There is a difference between Collecting and Hoarding for those not familiar with having collections. There is also a difference between Collecting and Materialism.
Obviously, just as a museum has collections that make an exhibit more valuable, when you have collections of good size that consist of valuable objects then your collection will be all the more valuable. But for us growing up, and even to this day, having these collections is not about the money. Being able to put beautiful groups of similar items on display in an aesthetically pleasing way creates not only a sense of accomplishment but a sense of wonder as well. Not just for the person who owns the items, but also for those who come to visit. Our most recent, small collection happened on accident. We've apparently become very fond of cats. Not kittens like the pics you see on Written? Kitten! these kittens are very much different. The first one Nick fell in love with at a thrift store. The second we got to play with at a wildlife preserve, the third my parents gave us as a sort of housewarming gift.
The first cat is a panther I guess. Someone hand carved it from wood and it's got an odd burn mark in it's mouth as if someone was using the teeth to hold a cigar. Now it's on our wall!
Below the panther is this photo Nick took (yeah he can be creative too) of this lion cub we were able to play with at a wildlife preserve. Gorgeous! I also totally recommend the experience if you can afford it!
This last cat that we have acquired was a gift. It stands about 3 feet tall and is made from old Mexican comics turned into a papier mâché piece of art. I love this cat, it's so odd and out there.
If you want to start collecting COOL STUFF, then here are a few guidelines.
1- You should have at least THREE objects to make a collection. Two is just a pair, three is a collection!
2- If you're collecting something lacking luster like books or beer glasses, come up with a really neat way to display them! I know so many people who have shot glass and beer glass collections and loads of books but they usually just sit in a cabinet where no one can appreciate them. Create a fun display so that when you are entertaining guests they stare in awe or gasp in amazement or laugh because it's just...so...OUT THERE!
3- Create a colossal collection of your collections on Pinterest. You can check out some of my photo collections here: Katie's Pinterest. Use Pinterest to gain inspiration and insight.
4- Collect UNIQUE and DIFFERENT items. I never understood why people collected Beanie Babies. I mean, I shouldn't judge them because we collected them too when we were younger, but they were cute and cuddly and I liked the tiger ones. But I don't understand why EVERYONE wanted to collect them. It was just a stuffed animal. And if you were collecting them, you were collecting the same exact thing as everyone else collecting Beanie Babies. This is what you should do- Look on Ebay, Etsy, thrift shops and shop local. Support your local artists, support your friends. Use their art to make your collection one of a kind. I have a few friends who are great artists (Kelly McKernan and Charlotte Hager) and I've been dying to buy some prints or originals from them to fit into my current collections! It's on my never ending to-do-list of course. Here's the thing- the more original and rare items you put in, the more unique and valuable your collection becomes.
5- Remember the amount of space you have! We live in a two bed, two bath apt. It's the perfect size for us because there are only two of us! But when decorating and rearranging we always have to keep in mind the amount of space we have. The wall you saw with the cats and Kim Novak, well, I plan on filling that wall up with various prints, objects that can hang, etc. It will be a visual collection and I have set a limitation on the amount of space to use so I know I can't get anything that is going to exceed the space. Creating some boundaries makes you consider each piece carefully, and I always ask myself, "Is this going to add or take away from my collection?"
Now that I've said "collection" a million times I'm going to let you go and work on yours. Leave some comments and feedback on what you collect! I'm interested to see what other people like filling their homes with :) I'll have a few more updates later this week on projects that Nick is working on so stay tuned!
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