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Thanksgiving Collections

I’m sure there are all sorts of things we could collect to commemorate Thanksgiving.

I myself collect dishes with turkeys on them and amber glassware and ceramic pumpkins, of course.  However, I think there are other, more important “things” to collect to honor the sentiment of Thanksgiving.

For example, we could collect…

  • appreciation, gratitude, and thankfulness
  • beneficence, blessings, and gifts
  • gladness, happiness, and joy
  • family, kin, and relatives
  • home, hearth, and warmth
  • celebrations, dinners, and feasts

I’m sure you, too, can think of other “things” to collect that mean far more than the collectibles, decorations, and dust-catchers that we acquire.

While we’re thinking of all the “things” we have to be thankful for, let’s make sure we enjoy the upcoming holiday with the ones we love and let them know how important they are to us.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

Patti
The Committed Collector

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum.
All rights reserved.

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The Best Reasons to Collect

A collecting friend and I were talking the other evening about ways to explain our interests to others, who have yet to be bitten by our particular collecting bugs.

She mentioned that people often become interested in collecting antique postcards (which is one of her areas of specialty) when they come across ones from their hometowns.  Maybe they were just wandering through an antiques store or show and noticed boxes of postcards, all nicely categorized.

From there, they probably noticed the boxes labeled by state and then the cards groups by cities, towns, and major attractions.  Once they realized they could recapture images from their childhood, they’re on the way to being hooked by the various charms of postcards.

However, reawakening childhood memories isn’t the only reason to collect.  In fact, I can think of several other excellent reasons to shop, buy, display, and store far more than anyone really needs.

The Best Reasons to Collect

1. Memories—As just mentioned, collecting items that bring back memories and feelings of nostalgia are popular reasons to buy vintage and antique items, especially toys.

2. Souvenirs—Likewise, picking up mementoes and other trinkets that will remind us of our current travels and experiences are reasons to shop—or to hang on to things like maps, tickets, and show programs.

3. Adventures—Collecting, often called antiquing, can be an adventure in itself and can get us out of the house and encourage outings to shops and markets near and far.

4. Usefulness—Collecting things we can actually use around the house means our money goes twice as far, so feel free to amass kitchen gear, wicker baskets, and antique furniture.

5. Holidays and Seasons—Linking our collecting with our family celebrations and traditions is another way to make our spending do double duty: We get the thrill of hunting and gathering as well as the feelings evoked by seasonal collectibles.

6. Attractiveness—Investing our time and money in beautiful items that can be considered decorative accessories and even works of art means we can surround ourselves with things we enjoy seeing.

7. Other Sensual Appeals—Likewise, collecting music or wind chimes is something auditory people will do, while buying games or puzzles that can be played is something experiential types will enjoy, and collecting textiles and stuffed animals is for tactile types.

8. Shared Interests—Another way collecting can help us feel things is by sharing our interests and adventures will like-minded people. The only thing better than an afternoon antiquing is an afternoon antiquing with a shopping friend.

9. Personal Emotions—Of course, the best reason to collect any genre is because of the way the things make you feel. Maybe colorful teapots make getting out of bed worthwhile.  Perhaps humorous ties make getting dressed up for the office bearable.  Perhaps landscape drawings make coming home even better for you.

No matter what you collect, or whatever reasons you have for owning things, ultimately it’s the positive ways they make you feel that are truly important, so make sure to take time to enjoy your collections.  You built them for a reason—or two.

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you?  What are your reasons for collecting?  Please leave a comment and let us know.  We’d love to hear about your interests.

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum.
All rights reserved.

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Literary Leanings

It’s already November, and many of us in Western New York are wondering what’s happened to autumn and all its beautiful colors. Some trees are finally turning, and the drive across town includes a radiant scene or two, but the usual bright yellows and deep scarlets have been slow to appear—or quick to disappear with the gusting winds.

Indeed, we’ve had quite a bit of clouds and rain lately, which makes the seasonal fun of raking leaves and other outdoor activities a challenge. Of course, that means indoor activities—like antiquing and surfing the web—are calling to us committed collectors.

A day like today, which is rainy and chilly and altogether dreary, is, in fact, the perfect day for collecting —and particularly for indulging in a certain genre of collecting, and I’m one of many who have literary leanings.

In other words, I love books. I buy books, and I borrow them from our esteemed Monroe County Library System. I buy new books, and I buy used ones. I buy books to read, books to look through, ones to have on hand as a reference, and a few simply to have.

Accordingly, I have a large collection of books, or at least an extensive accumulation of them:

  • My personal library includes two bookcases full of cookbooks that serve as fonts of inspiration and sources for an occasional recipe or two.
  • I have another two bookcases full of tomes on architecture, interior design, and decorating, and I’ve learned quite a lot from them.
  • I have a full bookcase of gardening books, including several shelves dedicated to growing roses, which have provided helpful information, ongoing motivation, and constant envy.
  • Then there’s the bookcase with romance novels and the one with real literature, including the works of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Mark Twain.
  • Another bookcase holds my favorites from the realm of popular fiction, like the Outlander series and the Father Tim stories.
  • Yet another two bookcases house my library of non-fiction, including a variety of writing guides, self-help books, and works on popular culture, including The Phantom of the Opera and other musicals.
  • Of course, as someone who is opening a museum dedicated to displaying large collections, I’m also putting together a library of books about collecting and collections, museums and galleries, which provide great information and much inspiration.
  • Finally, there’s the shrine dedicated to my collection of books about tea and teatime. These books are probably the only ones that I primarily collect. The others I actually use.

I buy teatime books because I collect teapots and other tea-related items.

My teatime books, therefore, are part of my larger teatime collection. They fill all four shelves of a short-yet-wide bookcase and are beginning to get stacked on top. That means it’s either time to cull my collection or get a taller bookcase—time for a new bookcase, of course.

My teatime library includes quite a few books about the Camellia sinensis plant and its origin in Asia, dozens about the English custom of afternoon tea, and even some teatime fiction, like the Laura Childs’ tea shop mystery series.

I’ve looked through all of these books. I’ve learned a lot about growing tea and processing it. I’ve often referred to the ones on afternoon tea for inspiration and recipes, and I’ve even read the tea-themed novels.

Nonetheless, I buy these books not to use them, but to have them, to organize and to preserve them, for they represent the knowledge and scope of the plant, the product, and the meal. In short, my library of tea-related books is another sub-collection of mine that I enjoy almost as much as my teapot collection.

And a day like today is one designed for a pot of hot tea, a comfy throw, and a stack of books. Maybe I’ll start with my Thanksgiving cookbooks and then move on to an anthology of Thanksgiving romances.

Patti
The Committed Collector

What are you doing on a dreary Saturday? Giving in to the shopping temptations on the Internet? Binge watching a collection of DVDs? Rereading a classic work of literature or revisiting a childhood favorite? Why not leave a comment and let us know how you enjoy your collections on a day off? We’d love to hear from you.

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum.
All rights reserved.

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18 Tips for Collecting Roses

As a member of The Greater Rochester Rose Society, I know that most of the members are rose lovers and readily say they grow roses. Many of them are all-around gardeners, too, so they say they garden with roses. I’m probably the only one who says, “I collect roses,” but I think the other members should consider that’s exactly what they do, too.

Collecting by definition means amassing a quantity of similar or related items, and it seems to me that’s what we members of the local rose society do. Just as another collector might focus on bottles, we focus on roses, and anyone who has 200 rose bushes growing in their yard is a collector in my book.

As we buy additional rose bushes, we rose growers/gardeners/collectors also take into account features like color, size, shape, and variety—just like another collector might have green Depression Glass or miniature clocks or spherical vases or assorted marbles.

The fact that our floriferous collection is a living one—and lives outside the house, for that matter—is irrelevant to me, the committed collector, for a collection is a collection is a collection.

Consequently, I’ve asked the members of the Rose Society to consider what decisions they make as they choose new roses each season or decide which ones to add to their garden designs, and here is their advice:

Suggestions for Collecting Rose Bushes
Courtesy of The Greater Rochester Rose Society

1. Since this collection features living plants, buy rose bushes only from reputable sellers, so you start with healthy, hearty plants.

2. To assemble a collection of rose bushes that are most likely to survive our winters in Western New York, consider buying roses with their own root stock rather than those grafted onto another’s. Or, at least, talk to your neighbors who grow roses, so you can collect ones that do well in our area.

3. An additional way to choose roses for their hardiness is by noting their suitability for our hardiness zone. Being south of Lake Ontario puts most of us in Zone 6. Depending on your specific conditions, landscape, and micro-climate, you may need to collect roses that are fit for one zone either way.

4. To ensure that your collection is always looking its best, chose roses that are known for another kind of hardiness—their disease resistance.

5. If you’re new to roses, visit the website of the American Rose Society, www.rose.org. Among its valuable information is what you’ll need to decide if you want to collect Floribundas or Shrubs or Climbers or Old Garden Roses, for example. The website explains the different classes of roses, their shapes, their growing habits, and their bloom cycles, so you can decide if you want to collect some of each or specialize in one kind or another.

6. If you’re adding rose bushes to a garden or designing a new one, check out a resource like the book Right Rose, Right Place, so you can choose the appropriate roses for your yard and its conditions.

7. If you’re growing roses to exhibit in rose shows, or if you simply want a stellar garden display, collect only roses that have high ARS scores, which are compiled by the American Rose Society based on information from thousands of gardeners around the country. Roses with high scores are often thought to be among the most beautiful.

8. Consider fragrance, too, as a primary feature of this collection. After all, everyone instinctively puts their nose in a blossom hoping there’s a heady scent. Some of the rose bushes suggested for a “fragrance” collection include Double Delight, Perfume Delight, Sunsprite, and Mr. Lincoln.

In addition, make “display” decisions based on the strength of the rose’s perfume. For example, in a bed, you might display (plant) strongly scented ones away from each other, so you can enjoy their differences. Also, you might display (plant) particularly fragrant ones near your entrance or deck, so you can be around their scent often.

9. One deciding factor for many collectors is color, and rose lovers are no exception. If you love vibrant hues and many shades, consider choosing a variety of them and then alternating the specimens in your rose collection by color. (In other words, plant roses of different colors so they alternate with each other.)

10. Conversely, consider planting monochromatic rose beds or ones of complimentary colors. By choosing roses all in one shade, like pink or white, you can go for maximum impact. By buying roses that go well together, like purples and yellows, your display will have a different effect.

11. If you’re fastidious about color: (1) buy rose bushes only when they’re blooming or (2) buy a color wheel and note the exact shade of this year’s roses to have handy when you shop next year, or (3) transplant rose bushes if their flower colors clash with those next to them.

12. Another way to curate a rose collection is by having a theme, such as by planting a celebrity garden. Flower beds could include rose bushes named after the famous (like Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton, and Elizabeth Taylor) or the important (like Queen Elizabeth, John F. Kennedy, and Billy Graham) or the fun (like Don Juan, Santa Claus, or Graham Thomas, who’s a superhero to rose lovers). Visitors are enchanted by such a cast of characters and can have fun guessing which one is which.

13. One way to have cohesion in a rose bed is to collect rose bushes that are all of the same classes, like Hybrid Teas or English Roses or miniatures. Most of your choices then will have the same general look, growing habits, and needs.

14. Otherwise, if you’re attracted to all kinds of rose bushes, as a true collector would be, buy and display (plant) roses according to their height and overall size, as we would when arranging items in any other collections.

15. Once winter arrives, spend the time poring over books, catalogs, and websites, so you’ll know what you like when rose bushes arrive in the nurseries in the spring. Then you can shop with your design idea in mind.

16. Watch for the local rose shows in 2019, so you can see the blossoms and foliage on hundreds of different varieties. You’ll see different shapes of blooms, for example, as well as different shades of color and different edges of petals. You’ll also get an idea of how small miniature rose blooms are compared to those of standard varieties. Any of these features can be inspiration for starting a collection.

17. All collections need to be maintained, and that’s particularly true of living things, so you can contact your local rose society to find out what type of rose will suit your lifestyle. Each chapter of the ARS has consulting rosarians who are more than qualified to answer your specific questions.

18. The only thing more helpful than contacting a rose society is joining one. The Greater Rochester Rose Society usually meets at 7:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month from March through December. In July, the group has its annual picnic and garden tour, of course.

For more information about the rose society, visit its website at https://greaterrochesterrosesociety.weebly.com/ or send an email message to rochrosesociety@gmail.com.

A warning about collecting roses as well as a word of encouragement from one of the rose society members: “Growing roses is a challenge, yet it’s very addictive. Somehow a few plantings can increase to 65 rose bushes, but it is a most gratifying hobby when the garden is in full flush.”

Spoken like a true collector if you ask me.

Patti
The Committed Collectors

If you’re a gardener who has a particular favorite or a scheme in mind as you choose your plants, why not leave a comment and let us know what features influence your choices?

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery.
All rights reserved.

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Lunar Collections

If you enjoy marking the seasons as much as I do, you’ll know we’ve reached the time of the Harvest Moon, which happened to be last night’s full moon—or was it this morning’s?
Summer was supposed to go out with the embers of Labor Day cookouts. The nights have finally gotten cooler, and the farmers’ markets are bursting with both apples and pumpkins. Halloween can’t be far behind.

Soon, we’ll be transfixed by enchantresses or terrified by werewolves. Before then, though, we might consider the beauty and mystery of the moon, especially when it’s full and glowing.

Presumably since the beginning of time, people have been mesmerized by the moon, imbued it with mystical powers, and found it symbolic of many things.

Collectors, too, have been fascinated by the moon and its many guises. Just think of all the moon-related things we could collect!

Wordsmiths can have fun with all the terms that contain “moon” and compile quite a list:

  • moonbeam and moonlight
  • honeymoon and honeymooners
  • moonshine, bathtub gin, bootleggers
  • the moonwalk, moon rocks, lunar samples
  • moonshots, moonscapes
  • moon-roofs
  • being moon-eyed or mooning over someone
  • not to be confused with mooning someone

Avid readers, bibliophiles, and other book lovers might have libraries filled with these titles:

  • Carolina Moon, Moon Shadows, or Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts
  • The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
  • From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
  • Full Moon by P.G. Wodehouse
  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  • The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck
  • The Moon Lady by Amy Tan
  • The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs
  • Moon over Water by Debbie Macomber
  • The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
  • New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Music lovers of all ages can find moon-songs for their collections that might include:

  • Rodgers and Hart’s “Blue Moon”
  • Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon”
  • “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”
  • Duran Duran’s “New Moon on Monday”

Movies buffs can have any or all of the following films in their collections, depending on their tastes:

  • Moon over Miami with Betty Grable
  • Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Franco Zeffirelli
  • Paper Moon with father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal
  • Roger Moore as James Bond in Moonraker
  • Moonstruck with Cher and Nickolas Cage
  • The Twilight Saga: New Moon with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson

Of course, if I collected moon-related items, my DVD library would definitely include both the Roy Rogers’ film from 1938 as well as the 1944 version with Ann Sheridan. After all, I’d want it to Shine on Harvest Moon.

Patti
The Committed Collectors

How about you? Do you know anything about the comics or video games that feature the moon? Those fields are outside of my areas of interest, so I’d love to hear what you suggest–please leave a comment.

 

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery.
All rights reserved.

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It’s Collecting Time

With the weekend here, committed collectors like I am might be thinking, “Forget Miller time. It’s collecting time.”

We’re likely to be looking forward to spending part of our Saturday or Sunday at garage sales or on antiquing jaunts, and even devoting the entire weekend at conventions where we can find all kinds of treasures.

Summer weekends are obviously times when recreational activities are popular, so they provide an easy answer to the question “When do collectors collect?” which is the next in the set of journalist’s questions I’m considering.

Online hunting and gathering happens before and after work and during breaks and all evening long for some devotees, so those are rather obvious responses, too. However, my musings have conjured up memories of the times in life (rather than the times of day) when I’ve been most likely to work on my collections.

Likewise, I’ve seen friends pursue their own collections when they’ve gone through different phases in life, so here’s a list of times when we avid collectors are most likely hitting the shops and building our treasure troves.

1. When we have more free time.

When we’re off for a holiday or we’ve got some vacation time, we dedicated collectors will probably spend some (or all) of it in search of pieces for our collections.

When graduates are able to work one full-time job instead of three part-time ones, they might spend some of their free time shopping. Maybe they’re now able to stop into the local vintage vinyl shop or home accessories chain more often.

When empty nesters find they have empty hours, too, they might go for Sunday drives and check out the antiques shops in neighboring small towns, and retirees are usually ready to spend their time doing things they enjoy—like traveling and going to collectors’ conventions, which often feature a number of ways to add to a collection.

2. When we have more money.

Those college grads in their first jobs might be able to use some of their newfound “wealth” to buy choice pieces for their Barbie or Star Wars collections. Established adults are also often at the time in their lives when they can pursue the finer things, so they might be able to buy things like fine art, estate jewelry, or classic cars.

That also means when collectors receive a windfall of any amount, they’re likely to pick up better pieces that they weren’t able to before. Receiving a birthday check or a holiday gift card or, when you’re really lucky, an inheritance can all be occasions to add to a collection.

3. When we move into a new place.

Because collecting takes space—and often lots of it—moving into a larger place is frequently the time when collectors can build their collections. Going from an apartment to a starter home and then to a forever home are typical times when collectors can choose space where they’ll display their collections and then add to them.

Ironically, just moving into a different place, even a smaller one, can be a time when collectors plan to acquire or keep just the right pieces for their collections. When we’re faced with a blank canvas and motivation to show off our treasures just right, we often do just that.

4. When we meet other collectors

Sometimes, collectors feel like they’re all alone in their pursuits because their family and friends just don’t understand what the attraction is to fishing lures or Halloween decorations or bone china teacups. When they finally meet another collector who shares their passion and their willingness to hit the road and engage in the chase, they’re excited to continue their pursuits.

Interestingly, your collecting comrades don’t have to collect what you collect to inspire renewed enthusiasm; another like-minded person with an appreciation for material culture is all it takes to make any time collecting time.

5. When we discover new venues.

Just as finding a kindred spirit in another collector, finding a new source for our favorite collectibles means having many opportunities to shop. Whether it’s an online store or an out-of-the way flea market, collectors often take the time to make return trips when they find places with more than they can buy with one week’s spending money. That means next weekend is collecting time, too.

6. When we discover other collectibles.

Probably the most “dangerous” occasion to collect is after we realize there are other things—different things, better things, more things, many more things—we can collect.

Retailers know all about this and tempt us at the turn of every season or whenever there’s a holiday coming up. When the stores start stocking their shelves, it’s time either to avoid the temptations or give in to them wholeheartedly.

This one little discovery—that there’s a lot more that can be added to our collections—can overtake our evenings with shopping online, reduce our Saturdays to going from one garage sale to another, and limit our Sundays to wandering around yet another flea market.

When a baseball card collector comes across vintage team jerseys, for instance—or when a collector of stamps also begins to notice antique postcards—or when a china collector realizes she needs linens to set a proper table—and crystal and silver, too—that’s when collecting can get really exciting!

That’s also why we need The Collectors Museum, where avid collectors (like yours truly) can display their extensive collections. Then we could spend more time admiring the treasures we’ve already amassed.

Until then, enjoy the weekend—and your time collecting.

Patti
The Committed Collector

Please leave a comment if you’ve spent way too much time collecting, and let us know what kinds of collectibles you devote your spare time to.

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery.
All rights reserved.