By Mi-Ling StonePoole

I haven’t collected very many items in my life time. Let’s see, I collect Santa Clauses and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Lithographs. Oh yeah, and I collect dishes. I’ve collected Christmas dishes, Thanksgiving dishes and china. Oh, I almost forgot I also collect baskets and cook books and pasta filled jars.

Wow, I didn’t realize how much stuff I had collected until I started to write this article.

Sometimes you inherit other people’s things. Case and point my grandmother “Nonnie’s” salt and pepper collection, of which I still have one box in storage. I can’t remember exactly, but I think I have around 150 salt and pepper shakers and it takes a lot of effort to keep them all dust-free.   My mother collects, well,

almost everything, but she diligently collects elephants and I’ve helped her along through the years by purchasing different types of elephants: Elephant earrings, elephant necklaces, elephant statues, and so on and so forth. She recently informed me that she is now collecting angels.
Collecting is probably one of America’s other greatest pastimes. We seem to accumulate and save just about anything. However, there are some collections that can actually aid in decorating our homes and add beauty and color to our rooms. If you have a collection, don’t hesitate to display them.

Genita Walker has been collecting roosters for over 50 years. She started by inheriting her mothers porcelain rooster collection. She prefers to collect large roosters. They come in all varieties — wooden, porcelain, ceramic and even resin. She has also acquired several plates, salt and pepper shakers and a throw with roosters on it.  Her passion for roosters has grown and she even has a couple of hens.

Genita proudly displays her hens and roosters in her kitchen on top of her cabinets and she has a few scattered throughout the dining area.  “I love my roosters, and I especially love the ones my mother gave me. They’re around 50-years-old and are made of porcelain,” Genita said.

Genita’s roosters are an ice-breaker and a conversation piece. Upon entering into her kitchen you can’t help but notice her roosters.  They add a burst of color to her wood cabinets. Roosters are very confident creatures and they have a noble yet graceful stance.  Some of Genita’s roosters have their mouths open and you can almost hear them cock-a-doodle-doo.

During the holidays it’s not difficult to select a gift for her, because as long as she continues to enjoy her collection of roosters, her family and friends will add to it.

Here are some suggestions for using collections to decorate your home.

Plates can be hung on hangers or plate racks and displayed around a room to add color and interest.

Baskets can be hung with the bottom on the wall or the side to create a shelf and then filled with towels or other objects.  They can also be placed on top of your cabinets to fill up empty space. I like to put them in my pantry to help organize my spices and other food products.

Sea shells can be used in bathrooms to add punch to your tub area. You can also add sand to a glass container and place them inside with a candle. This looks great around the pool or on your picnic table.

Hats can be placed on hooks and they look great on the wall near the back door. If you have gardening hats, group them with your tools for easy access and a cute display.

Crosses are a hot collectible. They can be grouped on a wall or placed on a table to add drama and can be used as a source of inspiration.

Now its time to unlock the drawers, take down the trunks and clear out your closets and organize your stuff and share them with your family and friends. Otherwise, sell them and take the money and go on your dream vacation. After all, no one will appreciate your treasured collections like you will. And most likely they will end up in a garage sale.

Use you collectibles to create your own unique comfort zone.
Photo Credit: Mi-Ling Stone Poole
To add whimsey to her kitchen,  Genita Walker  displays a black and white polka-dotted-rooster