collectables...

I don't like clutter - a cluttered room, space, house makes me feel anxious. Which is one of the reasons I don't own a lot of knickknacks. However, there are a couple of things that I can't resist collecting - horse figurines and mini eiffel towers. Strange, huh? I mean, the eiffel towers make sense - I'm a total Francophile, but horses? I don't even particularly love real horses - but there's something about horse figurines that I'm drawn to. I'm not talking about the kind that look realistic - I like ones that look more abstracted...like this one:

Eric's mom gave me this horse - she got it when they were living in Japan years ago. I love the shape and the detailing of the reins - it's beautiful. It's my favorite in my collection...did I also mention that there are only three pieces in my collection? But three officially makes a collection, right?

I also find the Tema e Variazioni (Themes and Variations) plates by Italian artist, Piero Fornasetti, irresistable. They depict a woman's face that Fornasetti found in a 19th century French magazine and there are over 350 variations on this image.

image via

They are definitely a little strange and creepy, but in a good way. Her face is...spellbinding. At almost $200 a plate, I don't think I'll be starting this collection anytime soon. But there is a more affordable option:

Wallpaper! You can get it through Cole and Son and it comes in a few different background colors - I think a cream, a magenta and the grey-blue-green color pictured above. I found it for sale online for less than $100 - a bargain compared to the plates! Now I just need to find a place in my house to use it...