Collecting

Do you love to collect? Of course you do! If you read this blog than you must love vintage as much as I do and vintage lovers love to collect. Plus I read all of your blogs and so many of you have drool worthy collections. I love seeing what people collect, how they display it, why they love certain items. Who knows why things speak to us. Why we feel the need to have something, or five, ten or fifty of something. Who cares really, it makes us happy and I am a firm believer of living with the things you love. That being said, sometimes I will go into a friends house where everything is, dare I say, normal. You know what I mean. Beautiful homes with perfectly placed items. A family picture above the fireplace, one gorgeous vase on a side table, a lovely plant placed in the corner. And I think to myself, do I have too much stuff? Do people think my house is too full of stuff? Should I pare down and live more simply and not spend so much time collecting, and shopping and decorating, and organizing and obsessing about cool vintage stuff? Simply said, no, I shouldn't. Because that's not me, nor is it any of you. I know, I've seen your homes and I love them all. Recently I heard about a new book by Mary Randolph Carter. It's called NEVER STOP TO THINK...DO I HAVE A PLACE FOR THIS? I bought it today. She showcases her collections as well as many other peoples. She puts into words, better than I ever could, why people collect and why it's awesome. Can I say something? You need to buy this book! First off, its pure eye candy. Secondly it will make you stop feeling like a hoarder. It's full of fantastic collections, cool people and lovely stories. Plus it will make you want to add to your collections, or maybe start some new ones! How fun is that! Here is the book

It's not cheap, but worth every penny IMHO. I'm going to do some future posts on a few of my collections. Don't hold your breath waiting for them, I don't want you to pass out, but I am going to try to do a few over the next couple of weeks. And please, share your collections too! Remember people, we're all in this vinatge love together! Magpie Ethel, your excluded because you already share and you are The Queen of Collections.