I readily admitted that I was never into collectibles when I was younger. I refer to them as “dust collectors”; just one more thing that needs my attention. So I avoided trinkets for many years. I don’t know what changed in my life, other than the fact that I got older (as we all did), and now I like those trinkets! In fact, I have developed an appreciation for glass or resin collectibles from birdhouses, angels, Department. 56 and the Boyd Bears. To me, they symbolize simpler times (I think it’s all in my head because I never experienced ‘simpler times’ – I grew up in Southern California and was known as Disco Mama when I was young… but that’s another story).
I display my glass collectibles in a curio cabinet, which I highly recommend. To maximize your space, select an upright lighted curio cabinet. I turn on the interior light every day because I like the soft backlight of my screen. I still have a problem with dust (who doesn’t in Arizona?), but I’ve heard that you can buy curio cabinets that are supposed to be dust free on the inside (can anyone vouch for that?). And make sure your cabinet of curiosities is where you can see it; an input would be nice.
I display my resin collectibles in a group on a shelf. They still collect dust, but now I vacuum them up with the little vacuum attachments you can buy for computers. It’s so much easier than using a dust cloth, spreading dust from one trinket to the next (oops! Did I say ‘trinket’? I meant collectible).
Jokes aside, there’s a fine line between your collectibles being an artistic display or a dusty, messy mess. I do have recommendations though! Rotate your collectibles with the change of the holidays. Not only does it keep the screen interesting, but you can also control its size (and the amount of dust). I have a vertical storage cabinet in my laundry room that holds my collectibles in more fragile boxes. They are easily accessible and the boxes and shelves are labeled. All the others are stored in their boxes in the attic (easily accessible with a pull-down ladder). The bottom line is that you want to enjoy your collectibles, and that means you should have easy access to them without disrupting your home (in other words, store your empty display boxes out of sight so they don’t fall over).
