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![[PHOTO] Wall shelves with Wade miniatures.](http://www.creekcottage.org/images/Wades%20003.JPG)
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My
Collections
Wade Porcelain Miniatures
These sweet little
porcelain figurines were made at the Wade
pottery factory in Burslem, England. They were created as children's
collectibles, and were called "Whimsies", and they are a part of some
of my earliest and fondest memories. They will forever remind me of my
great-grandmother, who lived with us when I was a small child.
Born to
Cornish immigrants , my great-grandmother was an avid tea
drinker,
and preferred Red Rose (which was then a Canadian import). Beginning
in 1967, the Red Rose tea company of Canada began to offer
these little figurines as premiums in their boxes of tea.
Beginning in 1987, Red Rose offered both reissued and new figurines in
the US. (In
Britain, they were also offered as prizes in Tom Smith's Christmas
Crackers.)
As a
child, I started collecting the little figurines that came in
"Gramma-Great's" special tea.
I was always fascinated
by nature and animals, and the majority of these miniatures were
animals. Because they were distributed in Canadian tea, none of my
friends had them. I thought they looked quite nice lined up along the
back of my dresser. I became determined to posess every little creature
pictured on the back of those tea boxes.
It was a real challenge to find
all of the pieces in a set. I had to anxiously wait for a new box of
tea just to see one tiny animal. I would eagerly anticipate the arrival
of the box, hoping fervently that I did not get "doubles". After the
first few boxes, I concluded that collecting a full set at this rate
was going to take a very long time. I decided that I had better
speed up the process.
Much to the baffled delight of
my grandmothers, I quickly became the perfect teatime companion. After
all, every cup I drank brought our household one step closer to an
empty tea box.
I think my delight was complete
when summer came that year. Much to my great-grandmother's chagrin, I
discovered one of America's favorite summer drinks -- iced tea! Armed
with lemon and sugar, I was a child with a mission in life.
Thus began my hobby of
collecting.
To this day, after many years (and many boxes of
tea!),
I still enjoy upgrading and adding to my collection.
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ARE YOU A COLLECTOR?
Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or
emotion, and are quite different than ordinary garden-variety
”clutter.” One man has a love of photography and takes pictures of
everything. Another woman buys more shoes than she could ever wear, to
make up for having hand-me-downs as a child. Someone else might keep
all of her mother’s old clothes and papers after her death. Whether we
love hats, unicorns, or butter tubs that we "might use someday,"
collecting makes us feel good -- it fulfills some NEED in our lives.
What do you love to collect?
However, as much as we love our keepsakes and mementos, any collection
can become overwhelming if it isn’t kept in check. One of my clients
actually considered building on an extra room to house dozens of
antique cups -- until she realized it was a choice between the
renovation and her son’s college tuition! Another client spent hundreds
of dollars a month on storage units, because she couldn’t bear to part
with any of her children’s clothes or toys. The trick is to establish a
set of RULES for sorting, storing, and purging your mementos. Even if
you aren’t buried in memorabilia, it’s important that you properly
store and protect your keepsakes -- after all, your treasured memories
deserve some respect!
SETTING PHYSICAL LIMITS
You may decide to establish a physical limit for your belongings.
Perhaps you tell yourself that you will keep no more than 10 ceramic
frogs, setting numerical limit. Or, you could determine an acceptable
spatial limit -- I won’t buy any more shoes than will fit on this
shelf. Finally, you might decide that you work better with an in / out
ratio -- you get rid of one magazine every time you bring a new one
home. Either way, you are creating a very specific method for keeping
your belongings in check. You never need worry about losing control
again!
THE DISCRIMINATING COLLECTOR
Collecting, like everything in life, should be about quality -- not
just quantity. Resist the urge to own every colored glass bottle on the
planet -- be DISCERNING about your “favorites.” Perhaps you can select
a few representative samples of your collection, display them
beautifully, and discard the rest. Take some time to examine your
treasures, asking yourself which ones really mean something to you. You
may find that a once beloved collection has lost its appeal. Take
picture or shoot a video tape of your collection for posterity -- then
you will feel more free to let go of the past without completely
discarding years of memories.
STORING YOUR KEEPSAKES
The first rule for protecting your memorabilia is to select a space
that is accessible, but not part of your active storage. If you clearly
separate mementos from those items you use regularly, they are less
likely to get damaged or lost. You may use any kind of container, but
one with a lid will keep out dust. I happen to prefer a cedar chest,
because it insures that no creepy-crawlies will decide to munch on my
keepsakes. Insect infestation is a particularly important concern if
you are keeping old clothing or dried flowers. You may want to have
that baby blanket or wedding gown professionally cleaned and sealed
before you store it away.
And be very careful about storing treasures in your garage, attic,
basement. Never store anything in an unprotected area if it might be
damaged by moisture or extremes in temperature -- if it might melt,
freeze, warp, fade, or crack. Finally, be careful about the kind of
packaging you use -- acid-free tissue paper is a better choice than
packing peanuts, which can melt over time.
GETTING YOUR PICTURES IN ORDER
Going through years of backlogged pictures and putting them in order
can either be a nightmare or a fun trip down memory lane -- depending
on how you approach it. Before you do anything, go wash your hands. The
oils on your fingers can permanently damage your snapshots. And
remember that even Ansel Adams threw away the bad pictures. If it’s
underdeveloped, fuzzy, too bright, or you’re making a goofy face, you
can toss it. You won’t go to hell. While we’re at it, let’s talk
DUPLICATES -- why do you need 6 sets of prints from the company picnic?
Keep one and give the rest to the other people in the picture.
The easiest way to begin is to sort your snapshots by date. You can get
a general idea of the time period by the film grain (black and white,
sepia, full-color) and the paper on which the photo is printed (white
edging is older than no edging, textured paper is older than smooth).
Other clues can be found within the pictures themselves. Are those
hotpants from the 1960’s? Perhaps you remember that you took that
cruise to Nassau in 1993. You may only be able to remember the occasion
-- that must have been a family reunion because there’s Aunt Marge!
Separate your snapshots into piles according to the time period and the
occasion. Then, label each photo on the back with a crayon or special
grease pencil -- a sharp pencil or pen will damage the picture. And
don’t forget to label the negatives, as well.
STORING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS
Once your pictures are in chronological order, you’re ready to store
them away. Always use ACID-FREE pages, mylar / polypropylene pockets,
or an acid free box -- never magnetic pages, which will eventually
destroy your snapshots. You will probably want to put some identifying
labels on the pages or box dividers as you go along, so have a pen and
some stickers handy. Keep your negatives in the original packaging,
labeled in chronological order, in a photo box -- or you may buy
special negative sleeves that fit into a ring-binder.
And keep in mind that both photographs and negatives are easily damaged
by moisture and heat. The attic or basement probably is not the best
place for them. You may opt to keep your negatives in a fire safe or
safety deposit box, in case your photos are destroyed. After this
point, be sure to keep some extra photo albums and blank pages on hand,
and reward yourself for organizing your pictures and negatives as soon
as you bring them home.
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Ramona Creel is the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com
-- offering "a world of organizing solutions!"
Visit OnlineOrganizing.com
for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even get a
referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you are
interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all the tools
you need to succeed. (Copyright 2001, Ramona Creel)
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