Collections vs. Hoarding

I like a lot of stuff.  As in, different things.  Pyrex, cookie cutters, books, cookbooks, milk glass, Jadeite,  melamine, vintage tablecloths, vintage sheets.  Just to name a few.  Since I like so many things, I also have  a lot of things.  I  have convinced myself I have collections of things and have them all neatly organized and displayed so as not to appear on an episode of Hoarders. 

So when I took the Christmas decorations down I decided to mix it up a bit and showcase some stuff that was stashed away in boxes in the basement.  It's kind of like finding a hidden treasure and getting a whole new box of stuff :)

95% of my melamine collection 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melamine resin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Idealized structure of melamine resin

Melamine resin or melamine formaldehyde (also shortened to melamine) is a hard, thermosetting plastic material made from melamine and formaldehyde by polymerization. In its butylated form, it is dissolved in n-butanol and xylene. It is then used to cross-link with alkyd, epoxy, acrylic, and polyester resins, used in surface coatings. There are many types, varying from very slow to very fast curing.

Applications

In the kitchen

A melamine-resin plate

Melamine resin is often used in kitchen utensils and plates (such as Melmac). Melamine resin utensils and bowls are not microwave safe, as they absorb the microwave radiation and heat up.^[1] As with all thermosetting materials, melamine resin cannot be melted and, therefore, cannot be recycled through melting.

During the late 1950s and 1960s melamine tableware became highly fashionable. Aided crucially by the stylish modern designs of A. H. Woodfull and the Product Design Unit of British Industrial Plastics, it was thought to threaten the dominant position of ceramics in the market. The tendency of melamine cups and plates to stain and scratch led sales to decline in the late 1960s, however, and eventually the material became largely restricted to the camping and nursery market.^[2]

Flower Frogs – Another Collection

Our first featured “guest” collector is Pam Bell, my niece. Pam has some wonderful collections….old scales, cake plates, metal stools…and this is her latest collection – flower frogs. She lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, just a jog up the interstate from Loveland. There are some really great flea markets in Cheyenne.
I was especially excited about this collection after reading a feature article on flower frogs in the magazine Flea Market Style. Check out their blog.  Thanks for sharing your collection, Pam.

My favorite book collection

I love to read. I don’t think I always have time to read. But that really depends on what is meant by “reading”. Does it mean a good novel? A quick romance story? Or does it mean the daily newspaper? Or daily devotions? Maybe you read a great children’s book every night! I guess I do have time to read! It is probably no surprise to some of you that I love to read cookbooks. This is another wonderful trait passed on to me by my mom. We always joked that she read cookbooks as if they were novels…beginning to end. So here is a peek into my favorite book collection. I have cookbooks in 3 rooms, on 4 shelves and 2 tables…just on the main floor. My flea market collection of cookbooks lives in the basement…(that’s another story).
 

I like to buy cookbooks as souvenirs…Here are my latest.

I’m still reading through these two. Keep your eyes open for a spicy recipe coming soon!

Think Spring! (One of my many collections)

 

As of Good Friday, we have been in our house for 3 years!  It is hard to believe it has been that long already and just last week I unpacked the very last box we still had in the basement.

It was the box with all my jadeite green things!  I have a great turkey, a chicken, a squirrel perched on an acorn and two little bunnies that are all covered dishes.  I also have other assorted pieces  like coffee cups, vases, a cake stand and wonderful flowered candy dish that was Gram’s.

Here they all are, put to good use and out of the box!

Things we Collect

col·lec·tion  [kuh-lek-shuhn] –noun
1. the act of collecting.
2. something that is collected; a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location, esp. for some purpose or as a result of some process: a stamp collection; a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom; a collection of books on Churchill.

I collect many things. Probably too many things. But I do love my collections and I love the collecting part. The search for one new piece to add to the collection…it gives us something to do and takes us to exciting places like the flea market, a collectors paradise. Some of my collectibles become my home decor, others actually serve a useful purpose. My enamelware collection started out small with a few pieces I just loved. Once I found a purpose for them, my collection started to grow. My craft room was renamed the “Craft Kitchen” once I got my collection of enamelware out in the open and serving a purpose.

My wonderful collection holds all my necessary items and tools for many of my crafts.

Like scissors…

and ribbon…
well, you get the picture.
Here is my latest piece. Thanks to Kellee who spotted this one at the Arc Thrift store, but didn’t buy it, knowing the $10 price was a little high….Fortunately the day she took me back to look at it was half-price day! Love those half-price days.

Tucked away inside this beauty is my new collection of old bias and hem tape.
Keep your eye on our blog every Saturday for a peek into our many collections. We would love to hear about your collections!