I am a massive fan of trinkets. Mini figures, stuffed animals, character collectables, thrift store junk, little dishes. You name it, I got it.
Thinking back on it now, being a trinket lover was built into my life from the very beginning. As a kid, I remember having to clear out my nightstand drawers every summer as they would be filled with paper scraps, unfinished crafts, or random knickknacks from those quarter-turn machines in movie theaters and diners. I mean, I just got around to getting rid of some of my birthday card collection which I had been adding to since the 1st grade.
I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to home inspiration filled with pictures of rooms decked out in random trinket collections. I am nowhere near being able to purchase a home, but I can’t help but fantasize about what I can fill one with.
Every inch of my room should be covered in posters, or photographs and littered with random “tchotchskis” as my grandmother would call them. Part of the reason I love this is because it makes my space feel more lived in and cozy. Mixed with some nice warm lighting, a trinketed room is one of the most relaxing places you can be.
Really, though, I love my trinkets mostly because of what, or who, they remind me of.
Most of my most prized trinkets were gifted to me. I look at my little Jellycat bean, or Monchichi and think of my little sister back home who got me them for my birthday. Or I look at the crochet frog on my windowsill or the small Mercyhurst cow stuffed animal sitting on my desk and think of my hometown friends. It’s like I have a little piece of them here with me, which is an extra comfort when I am away from home.
If my trinkets weren’t gifted to me, I got them while with someone else. My beloved Smiski I opened with the rest of my family on Christmas Day two years ago watches over my on top of my sink mirror and brings me back to that happy moment. The Beaker muppet pin in my cork board is one of a pair with the Dr. Bunsen pin my older sister has. We purchased it together on a trip to Disney a few years ago.
I once heard someone say that trinkets are not something you just buy, they are something you find, or something that finds you. Yes, technically I “bought” some of my trinkets. But I didn’t get them because they would “look cool” in my room. I have them because they are a memento of a moment in time. So, each time I look at it I can remember the sweetness of the moment it represents, or the person it represents.
These aren’t just “material possessions” that I have scattered around my room. They’re reminders of the love that surrounds me. That’s really why my room feels cozy, because it is filled with love.