Inspired by gathering my Spring candles for May’s band of bloggers, I briefly considered sharing my entire candle collection. Upon further consideration, there was no way I could capture all 100+ of them in a single photo (not even on panoramic) not to mention the destacking and unpacking of crates, hauling up from basement storage, lining up jars that would rather roll away, taking multiple photos, repacking, trudging back downstairs and restoring the various bins I’ve pulled out, all of which brought a change of mind.
I decided to show each seasonal collection when I pull those out for burning, instead.
What I’m sharing today are really my likes and interests more than official collections, hence the miscellany.
A Gathering of Globes
This kooky collection isn’t anything special as most are from secondary chains like TJMaxx or Tuesday Morning. Chosen for their size and neutral shades ranging from $5-$16. I couldn’t pass up the ‘mercury glass look’ accent lamp because it fit my metallic theme so well. It was purchased at TJMaxx for $39. The largest was a flea market find and it exhibits some historical significance with Russia labeled as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
My globe love sprang up sometime in childhood and has been constant ever since.
ISO: a smallish illuminated globe, a lunar globe, a pre-WWII piece and a Replogle metallic.
A Family of Fiestaware
These pitchers sit atop the space above my kitchen cabinets. A friend has the entire rainbow of colors, but with limited space one must pick a palette and I chose warm.
Fiestaware is easy to find, especially in my area because of the proximity to the Homer Laughlin factory. I like the simplicity and bright variety. I have place settings, crocks and server-ware pieces I use daily.
ISO: Marigold, Tangerine and maybe this skull & vine pattern
A stockpile of WWII tomes
Not an active collector of war books, yet I can’t seem to stop acquiring them. Most of these were library donations, when I started looking up the stories behind them, I brought them home. Modern history is one of my favorite eras and I feel compelled to preserve a personal collection of soldiers’ accounts from that significant time.
The Ernie Pyle is copyrighted 1943 and was one of the very first personal accounts by a war correspondent only 6 months after Americans joined WWII.
ISO: none, but that won’t stop me from picking them up.
A study of Holmesian keepsakes
I admittedly got a little lazy here, featuring a past library display rather than taking a current shelfie. This was a shared collection with a friend who owns even more Sherlockian tchotkes. All but two of the books are mine, mostly gifted by a reference librarian. Of the rest, I can claim only the smallest ‘Sleuth’ Toby jug, the Detective Snoopy Hallmark ornament, the boardgame and one of the printed tile boxes.
ISO: I’m old school about my Sherlock fandom but I would love that 221B illuminated house too.
I’ve shared a few of my owls before also, but they’re currently scattered or packed away due to lack of display space.
What else would I collect if money, time and storage were no object? International HP editions, teapots, more globes, jadeite, McCoy pottery, Tiffany glass, old board games, stamps (I’m the nerd excited over new stamp designs) classic books with fabric/leather bound covers, oh, and soup tureens. I’m obsessed with soup tureens!
What’s in your dream collection?
The Scented Library 
Oh my, I love your globes galore! I definitely want to find a vintage globe to go in my bohemian/travel themed future dream bedroom.
Most of my current collections are of the useful variety vs decorative due to space limitations, but I would love to start collecting stones, especially amethyst geodes, travel themed decor, cat stuff, tea stuff, cobalt and carnival glass, and probably a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting. Thanks for sharing your cool collections! I love unique posts like this.
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I’m with ya on the space issue, I’m sure you have to utilize every inch. Collecting is the thing holding me back from embracing minimalism, because, as we know I’m not a fan of dusting the knickknacks:)
A friend of mine has a travel theme to her bedroom, but it’s more safari than bohemian, Rudyard Kipling quotes and vintage leather suitcases. I think bohemian sounds breezy and cool, I like an eclectic style. I actually have some cobalt glass, but not enough for even a mini-collection, it’s nice impact in a window. Geodes and stones are lovely to not just look at but touch too, even better for a collection.
Thanks for the feedback, I need to take a wax break every now and again and chat about other stuff.
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How FUN!!! Your globes are lovely. We have an old one in the classroom that lights up and has a pinpoint of light you can move around inside to highlight a city. It was given to my co-worker by her grandmother. I love it. It has USSR on it too. And some world clocks and stuff in the base. Just super cool. Homer Laughlin makes Fiesta Ware?! How did I not know this? My great-grandmother passed down her wedding china to her first born daughter and so on and so forth until it landed in my home. It is old Homer Laughlin in Jean Republic. I have some broken and chipped pieces so I troll the internet when I can to replace them one by one. I would like to have the creamer set and larger bowls to it too. And maybe tea cups one day since I have the saucers.
Sherlock. I enjoy reading his tales. I need to get a nice book to keep on my shelf of his collections. I borrowed mine from the middle school I worked at. Baker Street is on my London to do list. Plus I love the Sherlock movies and shows too. What a great story teller. Watson is my favorite and it doesn’t help that my celebrity crush is Martin Freeman.
Your collections are so cool!!! I used to collect baseball cards, Archie comics, coins and such. But I sold most. If I had my way I would collect handmade pottery from small scale artisans, and I do collect handmade silver jewelry. I collect perfume, polish, Harry Potter stuff, mermaid stuff, fabric, and books. Some I don’t do as much anymore but others I am still full steam ahead. Candles. I would like to collect those too but I burn them too fast.
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There’s so much to respond to here, but let’s get this right out of the way: Martin Freeman is my absolute dream. It wasn’t always this way, my crush has grown over time, from how cute/funny, to, I respect him as an actor, to, total heart eyes and 100 emojis! It’s embarrassingly girlish and I follow Pinterest pages and IG accounts dedicated to the Freeman.
Watson is my fave also, as the narrator, he is the sympathetic, relatable character. Any respectable personal library should have a Conan Doyle, I think mine totals 20 books, 2 versions of the anthologies and many pastiches. I will send you my list sometime and can lend you any you’d like to borrow.
Next, this classroom globe. If you could get me a brand name, I’m absolutely interested in looking into it. I geek globes. If USSR is listed it can’t be too old, so I may have a chance of finding one.
Having such a storied set of dishware must be very special. When one of my grandma’s passed, my sisters and I got a few items, mine was stemware I think, but not a whole set. My oldest sis collects milk glass (as did my grandma) and hopes to inherit a few of her pieces from my aunt. I hope you come across the other pieces you are looking for someday. That’s one of the most satisfying parts of collecting, finding the missing piece.
I have to laugh at your enthusiasm for mine, bc I’m pretty sure everybody I know has cooler collections than I do! I love that you used to collect baseball cards. My brother did, and since we were closest in age, I would look over, listen about and discuss his collection with him. We were and are baseball fans for life. Isn’t it fun to have another person interested in one of your collections? Every collector needs to share their collecting love, it adds to the whole thing.
Your jewelry pieces are my fave not only because of the beauty and craftsmanship, but they all seem to tell a story. I’d love to curate some antique silver pieces, in jewelry, server ware, etc. Like you, I’m a silver girl at heart.
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Great Jaybird blog..made me think about what I collect…a minimist I am not! Just sitting here in my “sewing\playroom” I see of course candles..i see toys…yes i have all my webkinz collaction..i see pictures(that is of course a given- my motto is there are not enough pics taken to remember times gone by) I see a piece of my small collection of milk glass and some books of many many here in the house! No wonder I love this room so much.
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Ha, thanks. You do love to be surrounded by your mementos, but who doesn’t? I’d add your jewelry collection is something to behold…I like your burgeoning Italian cucina items, your flamingo-patterned stuff, all things that make zia happy!
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Ooh, I love that Fiestaware – great choice on the warm colour range. That corally-pink would look phenomenal in my apartment…just sayin’. 😉
I’m not much of a collector, never really have been. I was all about stickers when I was a kid (and I recently found my sticker book at my parents’ while I was going through some old things, and it was – and is now – COMPLETELY AMAZING, I’ll have to dig it out and take pictures sometime.) But I haven’t collected anything since then, really. Huh, how weird!
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Good eye, that coral is called Persimmon and is my #1 fave Fiesta color. I have a little sugar packet caddy in it too, adorable. Fiesta has a newer coral pink called Flamingo that would look equally amazing amongst your stuff😊
I don’t think a better age of childhood is possible than the age of the cool sticker book. A few yrs ago, my niece dug mine out of my parents’ house and added to it with her stickers. Mine was mostly animals and scratch n sniffs, how bout you?
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Persimmon! Great colour, and I love that name (although actual persimmons? Not sure if I’ve ever eaten one.) I love blushing pink tones so much – peachy-raspberry and those kind of colours (or am I just talking about jam and/or pie now?)
You are a very nice aunt indeed to allow the merging of your sticker book with your niece’s! I’d probably never allow it, but then again, I’m an only child, and I don’t share well! But mine was GORGEOUS, and I had an amazing book, too – no idea where my parents got it from, but it wasn’t just a photo album, it was a dedicated sticker book with a hard cover and removable pages (jeez, I think I might be rhapsodizing about my sticker book here.) But it was so great; I loved stickers intensely. Smellies were my jam, and my holy grail of stickers were these Smurf smellies (I actually saw a sheet of them on EBay for, like, $15 recently.) I also had a ton of those fuzzy and holographic stickers that came four-to-a-sheet…why is the name Sandylion coming to mind here? Did you share and trade with your friends, or were you selfish like me? (I actually wasn’t selfish at all when it came to trading, just exceptionally shrewd!)
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