Collecting by A Charming Day

Good Morning! First of all, I would like to thank sweet Brooke for asking me to guest post on her super- charming blog. I am a true admirer of that self proclaimed "Neutral Nelly" and am looking forward to her move to my state of Mississippi!

I write a blog called A Charming Day, which records my ramblings about design, entertaining, and the craziness that are my husband and dog. We have been in our 1930's home for over two years and are constantly renovating, redecorating, and entertaining through it all. I was one of those kids who spent my free time decorating and rearranging my shelves in my room. (Typing that makes me sound like I really needed a life, but I loved it!) One thing I learned was the importance of a good collection. I'm not talking Hummels, unless that's your thing, but more of objects that you love and that inspire you... and plenty of them. Color, texture and my culture are what do it for me. While I would love my collections to be of heirloom diamonds, I settle for other cool hand-me-downs, mixed with some awesome gifts, and even some pieces I find at thrift stores and vintage shops. These are a few of my en masse favorites:

Glass Paperweights. One of my very first collections, I almost died the first time I went to my husband's apartment and he had several scattered around his house. Yay! I pick one up whenever I can. I learned that alone, they were pretty boring. But piled into bowls or milk glass compotes? Yes.

Silver. I know this sounds fancy, but my cousins gave me a silver julep cup for my birthday every year until I was 15. Around age 7, I was pretty upset about it , but look me now! (Great gift idea for kids by the way!!!) I turned my great- grandmother's china cabinet into a home for my silver cups and a few trays mixed with thrift store milk glass, white porcelain from my grandmother and oyster plates from my sister in law. Love the look of silver and white.

Books. Duh. I don't understand people without them! I love stacks and stacks. While they are great filler, they are also wondeful memories of trips, people, and times. I had a bookshelf built in our kitchen just for my husband's cookbooks. I love looking at them!

Art. Yes, I think gallery walls are overdone. But we all love them, and they make us happy. Why not rock out a gallery hallway? Or a gallery powder room. Strength is in numbers! Buy
art that is meaningful to you. And if a small piece is all you can afford, mix it up with other pieces!

I hope you have found this a little inspiring. Get out there and start collecting! Big numbers of small items equal awesomeness.  Thanks, Brooke, for letting me visit. Hope you are having a charming day!