| One of the simplest way of making your surroundings more beautiful and amusing yourself at the same time is by collecting things. Anyone can be a collector: You don’t have to be rich and collections will fit just as happily into a bed-sitter as into a stately home.
WHAT CAN YOU COLLECT?
It is all a question of what you want to give up, in terms of money, time and space. If your budget is limited, stick to something readily available at a low cost. Study your collection carefully. Are the objects rather difficult to clean? For example model galleons complete with rigging or dolls dressed in minutely detailed costumes? Collections of this nature are best stored under cover. You may know every piece you have in your collection intimately. You know its history, where you obtained it, what you were doing at the time, who you were with etc. and have many fond memories of this piece of memorabilia. The person seeing your collection for the first time only has a jumbled memory of sense overkill and will never fathom your fascination of your treasures. This is why displaying collectibles in an interesting manner is so important.
Model-making shops sell plastic domes, or you could hunt around junk shops for old glass domes. Alternatively you could house your collection in a small wall cabinet behind glass doors. Some collections, for example those which combine various quite diverse items are ideally displayed on open shelving units. There are no set rules for the best way to arrange your objects; you must just move them around until they look right. It is largely a question of visual weight. Use your objects to break up a row of books, but make sure they all vary in shape and size. Don’t start with a tall objects and finish with the smallest causing your eye just to slope from one side to the other; mix up the different ‘weights’ for a good effect. Sometimes your objects will look better divided up into small groups, for example three items in one, four in another and so on. Try using one object to link a lot of smaller items together; stand a group of small bottles on a tile. Sometimes you can display your collections on a table top, grouping them together just as you would pictures. Beware if you have children or pets even adults can accidentally sweep an object off a low table. Some objects look best mounted on a board; heavier objects can be glued with an epoxy resin. Marbles are beautiful when displayed in crystal containers and placed in the sun. They also look well displayed on mirrored trays where they can reflect the light into the room. |
