The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: InkyMilk on October 28, 2014, 11:54:23 AM
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Forgive me if this post is all over the place.
I've recently been granted access back to my entire room (for a long time it doubled as the playroom for when we babysat my nieces and nephews), and it's amazing having so much space again! For the past couple days I've been turning it back into MY room and not a room for the kids. But the toys...MY toys, that is, my ponies, are leaving me feeling conflicted. Granted, most of them are in storage, the only ones I have out are 4 fashion style ponies and my nearly complete collection of G3 babies which take up one little display all to themselves.
Jumping ahead, my boyfriend and I are pretty serious and have a rough timeline of moving into our own place in a little over a year. I'm very excited and he knows about all my toys and he likes them and doesn't mind them. Even so, they're bothering me. When we move out, it's really important to me that we have a home that feels like it belongs to adults, that feels mature and not like a college room dorm. I don't delude myself that we can afford to move into this huge, multi-room home, and likely will have to settle with only one, maybe two bedrooms. So...where to put the ponies? Is there any way to display them in any way that will still look....grown-up? Or should I just put the rest away in storage and only pull them out when I want to look at them? If we have a second room I know logic would reason to put them in there, but I know that second room would go to our future child, and even though that not until at least 5 years away, I still feel strange putting something away that's only temporary.
I'm probably really overthinking things. All I know is I'm tired of feeling like a big kid (and I'm not picking on those who enjoy feeling this way, different strokes for different folks), and I think the fact that I have other toys (TMNT, BJDs) that I love and don't want to part with also doesn't help.
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Maybe get some glass cabinets for your ponies. That way your statement is: "Look, I can afford glass cabinets like an adult, and here is the adult collection that I keep in the cabinets!"
But I don't know. I'm eager to move back into my own place (currently I'm living in a house with a roommate) so that I can put ponies EVERYWHERE, instead of just in one room. So I guess I'm a little opposite from you.
But anyway, lots of adults collect things. Just don't think of your ponies as toys -- think of them as collector's pieces. That might help. :)
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Just like the post above said, think of your ponies as collectibles and not toys! That'll make things much easier.
Right now my fiance and I are living in a one bedroom apartment with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small hallway. We have attic space as well as a huge back room where we keep a lot of boxes and such. Our living room and bedroom are full of ponies and other collectibles that we both enjoy. Although we joke that it looks like there's a child living here and not a 24 and 25 year old, we're quite proud of what we have because we've spent our hard earned money on our "toys". ^.^ Next year we're hoping that we'll be able to move into a house with at least two bedrooms (although 3 would be ideal) so that I can have my very own pony room.
Anywho, I wouldn't put the ponies in storage. If you want to have them out, have them out! Dedicate some shelf space to your favorites, or get an entire bookcase to set them all on! If you love your toys, show them off and don't be embarrassed! There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a big kid, so long as you have your priorities and responsibilities straight.
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I forget the exact quote, but C.S. Lewis said something to effect of "I came to a point when I had to put aside my childish things...like thinking things are childish and that I have to act like a grown up."
Decorate with your ponies. If your boyfriend is fine with it, there's no problem.
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I forget the exact quote, but C.S. Lewis said something to effect of "I came to a point when I had to put aside my childish things...like thinking things are childish and that I have to act like a grown up."
Decorate with your ponies. If your boyfriend is fine with it, there's no problem.
Ahh, I just love that quote!
Anyway, I can identify with your conflict. My husband and I are about to move into our own place; we'd been living with one of our best friends for a while and we decided we need our own place, and I also have the desire to make it seem like a place that is lived in by adults, while not neglecting my toys. I have a lot of toys too, not just ponies. I'm still working out how to manage this myself, but we have a large walk-in closet off of our bedroom and my husband is fine with me using part of it as a mini pony room. My plan is, then, to have a minimal amount of my collection outside that room, rotating a few ponies every now and then.
I think probably the best solution is to keep them from being scattered throughout your room so that it doesn't look too cluttered. If your collection is organized, I think that will definitely help. :) Good luck!
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I collect ponies and dolls, my hubby collects transformers, Legos and warhammer figures. We mix them in with our books. For example we'll have a bookcase with a few books on a shelf and then a star scream standing next to them. My ponies do have their own bookcase. The point is to make sure it isnt cluttered. Then it looks like a collection and not a bunch of toys.
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When we lived in a house that I was uncomfortable declaring a room as my pony room, I chose instead to line a closet with shelves and "display" them in there. It still allowed everyone to be out of storage, but also let me easily cover them in a hurry if I was wanting to make the area seem more "grown up". It's easier to find an extra dresser for clothing while keeping a non-collector-looking space than it is to find showcase-type shelving, in my experience.
While I do consider my ponies as collectibles more than toys, and my husband is infinitely patient and supportive over that, I also realize that professional connections may not understand that, and that's the only reason why I try to keep my ponies in their own area as much as possible.
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I agree with displaying the ponies. Over the years I have had pony rooms, isolated display zones, and ponies in storage.
Having a pony room is definitely a huge luxury... but sometimes our very favorite ponies or sets get under-appreciated. A happy medium is what a lot of others have suggested- have a dedicated pony display space- a really nice space- to rotate ponies on display.
Something I would like to do in the future with my collection display- have custom built display closet with beautiful Shoji pocket doors (and tatami mat flooring- why not it's my fantasy! :P ). When closed the room is a Zen peaceful guest room, meditation space, tea room etc, when open it's a pony room.
Shoji doors: https://www.cherrytreedesign.com/shoji/applications.php?category=shoji-closet-doors
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My ponies now have their own room (although a few has snuck out to my desk and hubby's bookcase). In our smaller places, I'd have a few on a bookcase (usually newer ones) and most were stored away.
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If displaying your entire collection at once feels a bit overwhelming to you, you might enjoy a smaller display that you rotate regularly. This is how I currently display my collection - I have one shelf, and I display 4--8 ponies at one time. I have a few different backgrounds I use (including a simple white liner for when I want to keep things as minimalistic as possible), and I occasionally include props from different playsets as well.
I think it strikes a nice balance between enjoying something you love without having that thing be a focal point of your home. It functions almost the same way a vase of pretty flowers or colourful knick knacks do in regular decorating, but with an additional meaning for you.
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Everyone here has such good ideas! I like the thought of ponies for bookends ^.^
For your enjoyment, a comic about what it truly means to be a grown-up:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/grownups.png
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Everyone here has such good ideas! I like the thought of ponies for bookends ^.^
For your enjoyment, a comic about what it truly means to be a grown-up:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/grownups.png
Great to meet another xkcd fan! I can't get enough of this comic!!
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I think that comic explains things perfectly. You're the adult. Meaning you can say proudly displaying your beloved collection of ponies is adult decoration. That doesn't mean put them everywhere sloppily, but a dignified decorating scheme with the ponies is mature.
Hey, a hundred years ago, people would have porcelain dolls on display in their homes. How different are ponies when you get right down to it?
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Well, as I'm still living with my mom and only have one room to myself, I can't really relate to what's being said here. Though I can understand your concerns and where they're coming from.
My room isn't something what you may call 100% grownup: on the one hand there's my bookshelves full of "grown-up" literature and my small DVD collection with films such as Amadeus. But then there are other shelves which have ponies, transformers, Monster High, manga, 3DS/DS video games and plushies. That and the manga posters hanging around the room.
Heck, I dare even say that my sister's room looks way more "mature" in comparison to mine, lol.
I think the only solution to the problem is, like others have already said, to arrange your collection in a manner that it appears to look "adult". I try to do that with my ponies - in my case, I arrange them by their pose and try to work small compositions that would make somewhat sense and look elegant. Same with my transformers. With my Monster High dolls, I just line them up in order of their release (I only collect signature dolls so that's not a problem). Though I think with MH it's a lot easier because they already look like collectable dolls - if you try hard enough you can almost pass them for quasi-minature BJDs.
But, coming back on topic, I think that this is a good solution. Other one is purchasing one of those glass cabinets - that way it'll really give the impression that those are not just some regular "kids toys".
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Thank you all so much for your responses! I really like the idea of putting them behind glass or a more grown-up type of display- I remember going to a friend's house whose sister collects those Disney Funko things an she had them in a glass cabinet which I thought looked really nice and fit in with the rest of the decor of the house. It's a bit of a shame though since my G3 babies all fit wonderfully in this perfect little floating shelf like it was made for them haha. Oh well, it might be better if I only keep a smaller number like 4 out at a time instead and as you guys say, rotate them regularly with the seasons or something. Either way, a glass case might work well for my TMNT figures and maybe even my BJDs (if it's large enough) as well, which is also really nice.
Thankfully my collection isn't huge (they currently fit into two large, but not enormous, decorative boxes and one "sell/trade" tub), and my wishlist isn't all that large either. I think keeping them in a smaller number helps keep me calmer, especially since I know I'm only keeping my absolute favorites, and I'm sure in the future I'll be parring them down more as well.
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Definitely agreeing with the glass display cases. They can really class up a collection!
(Also...just wanted to say we live in the same city. Totally blowing my mind right now. Small world! Good to know I'm not the only pony collector here.)
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I was thinking a glass cabinet of some kind, too, but then I thought, "is that really all it would take?' But I'm glad plenty of other thought the same thing!. I guess it gives off more of a museum kind of vibe! :D
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I am kind of on the "embrace it" bus :P Sure there are weirder things to collect but "weird" is always defined by other people. What you consider weird someone else may think is perfectly normal, what you consider normal someone else may consider weird. And to be fair thats the truth on so much in life...not just in collecting. So I simply try not to judge (although thats not always possible) but assume I will be judged all at the same time. After so many years of collecting, after having people love it, hate it, make a fool of it or simply ignore it, I have got to the stage of thinking its a matter of being confident in collecting, in accepting that not everyone around you is going to share your joy or interest - you cant please everyone right?
If you find your collecting embarrassing or dont like feeling like a big kid, perhaps its what you are collecting thats the problem. You can put ponies in a beautiful display case, a grown up bookcase but at the end of the day they are still pastel pretty plastic childrens toys they are never going to look like a grown up and tasteful china or crystal display.
You honestly cant please everyone and while I completely understand your wish, and do think the best idea to get as close to grown up as possible is a small amount of ponies and a small amount of space on a pretty display, I think you have to decide what makes you happy and go with that.
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I forget the exact quote, but C.S. Lewis said something to effect of "I came to a point when I had to put aside my childish things...like thinking things are childish and that I have to act like a grown up."
Decorate with your ponies. If your boyfriend is fine with it, there's no problem.
I just found and read the whole quote and I love it.
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At the end of the day, grown ups are just big kids. :lol: I'm relying on the scatter-everywhere method with our living room. I'd take photos to show you but the room's a bit of a chaos. Again. :blush: You should think of the fact that it is going to be your home. You need to feel comfortable at your home and the decor has a big role in that. If your toys make you feel awkward, maybe it's just time to let them go. :huh:
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shelves are a nice way to make it look like a collection, you can also try shopping around for small cabinets and cheap bookshelves, some people practically give them away on the sidewalk! I like the glass cabinet idea.
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Personally I think you could make any heap of random nonsense look like a serious collection witht he right display, so ponies should be a breeze.
Here are some displays that I personally love the look of:
Pic is very dark but I love the way they've used the dead space under the stairs here: http://www.spookypop.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DokToyCabinetLitClosedLOREZ-768x1024.jpg.
This one is custom built, but you could get the same effect with ready made modules: http://www.architects-toybox.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ThinkFabricate_BklynHeights-001.2.jpg.
Everything looks sharper when color coordinated!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drblythenstein/5748512709/in/contacts/?&cuid=7b8c77efa6ccd650604ad446b0e913a6.
These IKEA cabinets look more expensive than they are: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx7iLcWt40E/UZSNM759o-I/AAAAAAAAOS4/Ymwni_vC1yQ/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG.
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I took this topic to heart and did a little researching.
I found that shot glass display cases with a glass door are the perfect option for a smaller collection!
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Illusion of larger display is thanks to lights and mirror here
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One on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/display-cabinet-holder-shadow-Door-BLACK/dp/B002ZAZ7H4
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I too recognise your dilema a bit, granted I still live with my family and only have one room so its quite packed no matter what. I love to see my collection but at the same time it feels imprisoning when it grows too large and take up all the space... The collection might mean a lot to me but its not everything to me. So what I did to get away from my collection and get some space and air was to get Billy book cases with glass doors, the current model has a board behind the glas so I dont need to see the collection. Granted a few things I have are too big to be stored in them but it do not feel as over powering as before.
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Here is my attempt at a more "mature" display.
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This is above my computer in our bedroom. I'm thinking that I want to take the top shelf down and repaint it black. Probably replace the top plank with one that can hold a better set of risers for secondary display and add more boxes for display. I have the glass pane to put on the front of the blindbag case but I haven't bothered to put it on as I'd just have to take it off to put more in. ^^;
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I just put some up above our tv and they look pretty nice there. My two non-boy-centric Armies.
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This one needs to be repainted and reworked but is nice to me as it fades into the wall.
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Hi! I store my small collection in a wooden cabinet with solid doors. I also like to have a "grown up" looking space, but I also get the delight of opening up those doors and seeing all the MLP goodness:) I also like the solid cabinet b/c protects my ponies from any sun, and of course a cabinet helps keep ponies from getting dusty.
Here are some pics:
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(http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ValeofSpring/media/July2013001_zpsc1140f8e.jpg.html)
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(http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ValeofSpring/media/July2013028_zps2d033fa6.jpg.html)
Storing the ponies in baskets makes it easy for me to take them out in groups. Thus I can easily take them out to admire or cart them in another room to brush/comb while I'm watching TV:)
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(http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ValeofSpring/media/July2013005_zpsd15a9b53.jpg.html)
Let us know what you end up doing!
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I display mine on a table, spread out like a crowd. I have the buildings behind them, so it's a bit like a city. And I like it. I don't think about childishness.
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Id love for mine to have theor own room, right now they are on various shelves in my home along with my G4s in a tote atm. Id love some black billy bookcases!!!