Infuse Character here

Decorating with collections can be tricky. We get on a collection and then realize, how do I display to love it?

Few ideas:
Group like things together-
 This is probably the easiest solution but it also makes it  
  look cohesive and lush, instant eye candy. Infuse
 character.

Use common things uncommonly-
 A bowl full of antique doorknobs, hang pez on the wall,
 globes hanging from ceiling.

Frame your collections-
 Put them in a case, in vintage fruit crates on wall or some
 custom shelving made to size.

Recreate an era-
 This is easy for kitchen collectibles, all sorts of kitchen
 items of a certain era mixed with an old stove and
 furnishings.

Mix old with the new-
 A wall of vintage radios mixed in with modern furniture,
 old bottles lining a kitchen window in a new, state of the
 art eating area.

Rotate your collectibles-
 Mix them up every so often, holidays, seasons, children
 growing up or interests change. Best time is when you
 have to clean them. Box them up right away.

Use what you have-
 You might not know you even have a collection. Look
 what you have a lot of and see if it works as a collection.
 You would be surprised.

PUSH THE ENVELOPE-
 There are no set rules, you are unique and show it.
 I collect vintage metal moth ball containers, why? Not
 sure but I love the graphics. My son collects animals that
 are made of shells, major dust collectors I am afraid. He is his mothers son.

Signs of Life for those who Judge

I had an acquaintance who although was very much into shopping vintage items, she had become one of the Stepford Wives. Everything had become controlled, had a perfect spot, children/animals were not to be in rooms and either crated most of the day or sent to quietly play in rooms with one specific toy. Nothing had any meaning but when she put a pic on instagram it had that run of the mill nothing flair of a staged presence. Great, she mastered duplication. She was meeting some design esthetic that was conceived by others.

A couple things wrong with that scenario, people with character, penache, love of memories, etc.... don’t live for “perfect” instagram posts. They use their instagram to share ideas and not set up the most contrived setting and wait for the response. I always felt I had to respond to her posts or she would get mad. She verbalized when others didn't respond and so why wouldn’t I be included in that gripe? In my world, everything does not have to have a perfect curated place, sometimes things evolve into where they end up.

Ms. Stepford, keeping her anonymous, also wants everyone elses world to be as hers. How you raise your children, making sure your spouse works, in addition to him cooking, shopping and does virtually everything. She also questioned and stated who you should associate with, what politics, etc... I think I burned out on so many “helpful” hints. I have grown children her age and they all work, eat and are productive. So I think I am good there. She still has ones that are ten and under with a husband who does everything, good luck. So I wasn’t upset when we parted ways. I felt strangled by no toys, no kids artwork, seen and not heard, robots, uncomfortable encounters when the children wanted to share their enthusiasm and mom told them this is HER friend. Her statements that weekends were for her and not for any sport the kids would want to participate in. Large dogs and pups crated all day only to be let out to do their business. I felt those canines pain.

Judgemental of others and how they kept their homes was always at the top of her list. I listened and so I never let her come to my house. I am a lover of things that comes through the eye, evokes emotion and other playful memory filled sparks. I think I have mentioned before my mother was a minimalist, very mod but minimalist. I tended to go the other the direction. I love textiles, ethnic, artsy, whatever but they have to bring something to the table. I love how one thing plays off another. I would walk in a room a million times to see how it effects me. It is my easthetic, no one else’s.

Some offspring of creativity would be more up my alley. Currently reading several books on clutter, collecting and chaos. A lot of work goes into collecting, shopping, loosely curating. In addition, there is that visual of my now deceased friend, “Don’t deny yourself!!!” Across a flea market, with strangers agreeing as I walk on by. Yes many of a time I just get what I think is my thing to get. I will work out where it goes later. So it evokes memories, such as the exclamation across a flea market. That is what I think is important. I am not discounting minimalism, I think that evokes other memories and emotion.  Sure I want one of those rooms too and then I want the rest as a cavalcade of personal, ever-changing emotional eye candy.