collections: brooches

I thought it would be fun to share some of my collections here once in a while. Partially because, like I said in this post, I want to post more about my various interests, and partially because I just really, really like collections. I like having them, photographing them, lining them up, looking at them.. thinking about them.

I can remember in third grade we did some sort of project where we had to tell the class about something we collect, and I couldn't decide between my Disney VHS tapes, my pillows (I've always had a lot of pillows and apparently I used to consider them worthy of show-and-tell. Actually I still do. My pillows will probably be featured in a future installment of this series) or my Barbie dolls.

Now that I'm all grown up with no parental veto power over my desire to excessively collect a bunch of stupid things, I've acquired quite a few collections. One of my favorites is my brooch collection.



I started collecting brooches a year or two ago. I love being able to accessorize but I've never been a huge fan of necklaces or bracelets since I always feel the need to fuss with them. A brooch is a nice little non-invasive way of adding something special to an outfit. I used to have them tossed in a few containers on my dresser, but last week I found this dessert tray at Target (only $10! yay!) and knew it would be perfect to display my pins! I love that I can see them all at a glance and the chances of pricking my finger on one that mysteriously popped open is much slimmer now.

Here are some of my favorites!



The unicorn stick-pin was a gift from Solanah. The carousel is from modcloth. For Christmas I got one for me and one for my grandmom since we always used to ride the merry-go-round together when I was a kid :) I like to get her one carousel themed gift each year if I can.  The "Math is as Easy as Pi" pin is from amazon. That's my Pi Day pin! The Carl Sagan brooch is from The Science Boutique. I also have a glow-in-the-dark Marie Curie and a Nikola Tesla from them as well. The rainbow sweater clips and the dinosaur are both from my Sweet and Lovely shop. I'm so tempted to keep one of everything for myself ;) The constellation brooch is from Under the Shade of a Bonsai Tree (I'm a scorpio!) and lastly the cute little heart is a vintage find. I'm planning on wearing that one on Valentines Day (obviously.)



The I love Cats pin is from modcloth (although I think the amount of cat hair I have on all of my clothing advertises this fact without me having to spell it out lol) The kitty cats were a birthday present from Casey. The corn brooch was something I picked up when I had a pesky ear infection that wouldn't go away last summer. I was visiting the doctor so often I thought it would be a funny joke but nobody noticed. Oh well, I still thought it was funny :) The enamel flowers were lucky flea market finds (I love these so much but can't justify spending the $20+ people ask on etsy. I got mine for $1 each. woo!) The mod girl is one that I made from these wood cut-outs. I love this shop so much! I bought a couple other sets that I've turned into brooches too! And lastly the hot air balloon eraser brooch was a DIY on the blog last year! :)