Owens Corning

When Stuff Becomes A Collection

Most of us have too much "stuff". We're comfortable surrounded by things. Creative people know how to arrange their things better than others do and then their "stuff" is called a collection.

What Is A Collection?
A group of similar things artfully arranged is usually referred to as a collection. A collection doesn't have to be of any monetary value and there are no specific criteria for collecting something.

Many collections started by accident. Perhaps you bought a Toby mug at a flea market, then another at a yard sale and now you find yourself looking for Toby mugs whenever you're traveling. A collection can start with anything that attracts your interest for whatever reason.

A collection is usually not purchased as a whole, but rather collected piece by piece. That's the fun of a collection. First you have the experience of finding a new piece and then you have the experience of seeing it displayed with the rest of the collection. There is no end to the number you can add. Each piece is a reminder of a different time or place where the item was purchased.

Personalized Collection
A collection is an individual and personal statement. Sometimes a collection is visited upon the unsuspecting. My husband's uncle had the misfortune of being nicknamed "Bunny." Need I say more? Everyone knew exactly what to give him for Christmas and birthdays. He had glass bunnies, ceramic bunnies, stuffed bunnies, large and miniature bunnies. And because they were gifts he could never give any of them away.

Collections I Have Known

l. Oversized crocks filling a niche of shelves.

2. Antique, mechanical toys displayed on narrow shelves.

3. Black and white photographs of family members lining a narrow wall area and all framed alike with narrow black frames.

4. Teddy bears playfully arranged around a room as if they were perfectly at home. One sits in a child's high chair, one propped in a bookshelf, another tucked into the arm of a sofa.

5. Small wooden boxes of all sorts with interesting fittings and handles. Some grouped, others stacked, larger ones on the floor. All should be used to hold something so they are useful as well as decorative.

6. Baskets hanging from a rafter or beam, or lined up on a bench or shelf always within easy access for practical uses.

7. Glass lamps or pretty vases grouped on top of a highboy or sideboard in a dining room near a window to catch the light.

8. Quilts on beds, as wall hangings, tablecloths, over a sofa or chair. Damaged quilts can be used to cover pillows.

9. Early samplers simply framed and grouped on one wall or over a fireplace.

l0. Early American tools mounted and carefully arranged on a wall or set on a table to be admired and handled.

ll. Carefully arranged books filling an entire wall as the focal point of an otherwise stark and uncluttered room. Great for the soul!

l2. Unusual antique eyeglass cases laid out on a table with a few, carefully selected, complimentary objects.

Copyright Leslie Linsley, author
Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.

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