Holiday Ornaments and Collectibles: Display them, treasure them, preserve them

You may not be a collector--but do you have holiday ornaments and family mementos that you enjoy every year?  Then-guess what-you do have a collection that is worth preserving and displaying well.  Here are some tips:

PRESERVING & ORGANIZING

•  Tips for preserving hand-crafted ornaments: Store in sealable plastic bags and containers NEVER cardboard,  Use confetti/shredded paper as padding, consider framing or shadowboxing treasured family items, and include a record of the item's history for future generations.

•  Store ornaments in their original packaging. Most of the ornaments have custom packing to protect each ornament. If the original packaging is no longer available use and ornament storage container with appropriate sized compartments and tissue paper if you need extra padding. Separate ornaments by the type of material they are made from—glass, paper, metal, etc.  Store somewhere dry and in strong plastic containers up off the floor.

• Check with your homeowners or rental insurance about collectible insurance. A lot of insurance companies require a separate rider for collectibles and need an inventory to correctly determine value.

• YuleLog Ornament Collection Database and Price Guide: Use this to create an inventory of your Hallmark Ornaments, all you have to do is select the ornaments that you own (from a list of all the ornaments produced by Hallmark since 1973) and they will be added to your personal list of ornaments.

• For more information about storing and preserving just about any sort of collectible item, check out the book  Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions by Don Williams.

•  Group like objects together rather than scattered around an entire room. You could also create a display of objects all of the same color.

• Use common object un-commonly: Fore example arrange vintage ornament balls in the shape of a tree onto a screen to create a wall display.

• Frame or shadowbox paper collectibles like cards, handicrafts, sheet music (using acid free materials) to create a piece of wall art out of holiday memorabilia.

• A lot of collectible lines have national clubs you can belong to. Hallmark has one that you get two ornaments each year which equal the membership price. You also get the Dream Book early so you can plan what you want to buy. The Hallmark store will accept a list of what you want so they can put it aside for you so you don't miss out on something.  For more information about Topeka's Hallmark Ornament club, contact Gloria at foghorn_lovesong@yahoo.com  or 272-4407.
• For more great ideas, check out  Collections: Projects and Ideas to Display Your Treasures by Better Homes & Gardens and House Beautiful Collections on Display: Decorating With Your Favorite Objects by Elaine Louie.

Share your ideas and stories about your experiences with taking care of holiday ornaments and collectible by commenting on this post, we'd love to hear them!