MHM Time Machine: Curate your life

Recently I was forced to go through my things at my parents’ house. I was unsure what to keep and what to get rid of. I was able to convince my parents to keep storing big-ticket items, like my old dollhouse and rocking chair, with a promise of grandchildren in the future. Smaller toys, however, had to go to my house or goodwill. I wanted to keep it all, but I also did not want my house to look like a children’s playroom! The entire experience got me thinking about how to decorate and showcase toys from my past in a sophisticated way.

This week’s Curate Your Life blog is dedicated to answering that very question!

Barbies

Most of us played with Barbies, dolls, GI Joes, or some other kind of action figure. My sisters and I loved to play Barbies, and with three girls we managed to accumulate lots of Barbies and accessories. When it came down to what to get rid of, I found myself unable to discard certain Barbie clothes. They were the dresses my sisters and I fought over every time we played Barbies, and were therefore what I remembered most. Here is how I displayed them in my home.

Framing clothes, or even the dolls themselves, in keepsake frames can be used to highlight all types of childhood toys!

LEGOS

LEGOs were a great toy for both girls and boys. My Dad hated playing Barbies, but we would play with LEGOs for hours. We played until our fingers hurt from pulling the pieces apart and putting them back together!

Here are some great ways to add color to your home and highlight your past love of LEGOs!

LEGO people make great wall art!
Would this work with Polly Pockets? Image from
http://cheezburger.com/7074794496

Image from:http://furdancs.blog.hu/
This blog has lots of ideas on how to use LEGOs

Image from: trendland.com

Toy Cars

I never played with little toy cars, but I know they were popular. I am sure there are many men out there that have little toy cars hidden around their parents’ home. If you have a collection of miniature cars, maybe you can make an art piece for your wall.

This is an image of David T. Walker’s installation entitled Car- Atlas Rainbow. This art piece, made of 1,500 toy cars, is installed on the floor, but something similar could be done on a wall in your home!

Toy Planters

While doing my research for this blog, I came across the idea of using toys to make planters. You can use old tonka trucks or hollow plastic toys. I can't wait to spruce up my garden with these whimsical planters!