Tintinitus

Thanks to Colin and Justin (who may not be on HGTV anymore - sniff), I'm slowly learning how to display collectables. I've amassed a rather large collection of tobacco and coffee tins over the years. They were the most affordable pieces I could find in antique shops and I liked how the artwork romanticized bad habits. Most of the tins are vintage, some are new. When we bought our house, I began putting them on the picture rail in our dining room, where they've sat gathering dust for many years. Now that we're fixing up the dining room, I'm going to take them all down and display just a few at a time in an appropriate place in the house. I'll now be looking to The Elegant Thrifter (and Stan's book The Find), for further direction in how to display vintage goodies.

* Since this post was published, Susan at The T-Cozy has posted pictures on the correct way to display a collection. Check it out http://tparty.typepad.com/the_tcozy I want to be sitting in that overstuffed pink armchair with a big mug of coffee in one hand, and a Jean Rhys novel in the other. The T-Cozy is a beautiful blog. I always enjoy Susan's photography and her joy of living that comes through in her writing. - Erin

Above and below: how not to display tins.