With so much time inside these days, I’ve been making little changes around the apartment from new vases to more efficient organization. It’s been fun to find new and updated ways to display some of my favorite things, especially the items I collect.
I’ve been a collector since I was a little kid, back in day when I would focus on organizing my Beanie Babies and Got Milk? ads. When I got to high school, I started my Vogue subscription and still to this day, I have every issue starting from 2008. While my parents were not fans of me when I begged to ship them all to NYC, I’ve found ways to put them to good use as you’ll see. I began a few other collections through the years and today I’m sharing a little bit about each one and why they all mean so much to me.
4 Fun Things to Collect:
VOGUE MAGAZINES
As I shared, I started my Vogue collection in high school when I was gifted a subscription. As I started saving issues, I loved how they looked so clean and crisp stacked on my bookshelf. When I moved to NYC, I got the idea to use them as a nightstand and add an acrylic tray on top of the stack. The stack has grown dramatically but they still make up my nightstand, as well as fill up our TV stand along with my other collection…
COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
Another collection I began in high school was coffee table books. I loved organizing them by color and size on my bookshelves and of course, flipping through them for inspiration. The struggle of NYC apartments and not a lot of space came into play so not all of them made their way here. However some of my favorites are displayed on a shelf above our TV and in our bookshelf for whenever I need some inspiration.
MATCHBOOKS
I love holding on to items that have sentimental value and to me that’s the matchbooks from the restaurants and bars I’ve visited. I started saving them the summer I interned in NYC and then it quickly grew into an obsession after moving here to find new ones. The collection is huge now and my NYC ones are displayed on our bar cart and others from travels around the world I keep in a crystal dish and repurposed Diptyque candles in my room. I love looking through them and remembering nights out with my girlfriends, a special dinner or memories of an once-in-a-lifetime vacation. They can sometimes be hard to find so I always ask the hostess or bartender if they have any before leaving a spot because the good ones are usually hidden!
PLAYBILLS
I’ve shared my love of Broadway before and how I’ve saved every single one of my Playbills (except the first show I ever saw, need to find on eBay!) through the years. I keep them organized by the date I saw them in this Playbill organizer and it’s such a fun way to look back at all the shows I’ve seen throughout the years.
SHOP THESE FUN THINGS TO COLLECT:
I also collect matchbooks when places have them, but so few places do anymore! My husband and I are more careful to collect business cards from restaurants and have a big Ikea frame in our kitchen where we add the most special ones (which means lots of discussion about ‘”frame worthy” cards). I also collect postcards, keep my empty Diptyque jars, and have all but 2 issues of Martha Stewart weddings from 2009 onward.
I have a huge collection of matchbooks! So fun and vintage.
I would love to know more about displaying your matchbooks. I have 2 crystal bowls of them.
I once went to an old SF home where the husband had glued them to the wall. Ill have to send you a picture.
Do your vogue’s ever get knocked over?