There's something about vintage keys that I can't help but love and every time I see neat keys in thrift shops I have to pick them up. I love all the different shapes, the typography and the design in limited spaces. My other favourite tiny design canvases are vintage matchbooks and bottle caps, but keys are so functional and mysterious to me that they're my very favourites.
Want to see some of my collection?
I love ones that have unique shapes and fonts, especially the tiny ones. I'm excited to wash up my favourites and make them into cute little necklaces for the summer. I picked up a cheap toothbrush on the weekend and I'm going to clean them in water and dish soap, and then scrub them with a little baking soda if they need a little extra polish. I've also heard that WD-40 and vinger are great for cleaning up old keys, so I'm going to test them all out and see which is the best.
Do you have any collections?
All of my neon wool is part collection, part work in progress :)
LAST UPDATED ON: May 3rd, 2011
CATEGORY: All Business & Blogging Posts
I’m slightly terrified the plate I bought for the royal wedding will ne the start of a very expensive collection of my own!
I love these! Great idea to make them into necklaces – a creative and stylish way to showcase a collection that would otherwise remain hidden from view.
I love your cute key collection! I also really love the pretty fabric in your photos…… (swoon)
Jared and I spend too much time in vintage shops searching through keys… glad to see I’m not the only one. :)
I also love keys! I have never thought about collecting them :) I can only imagine how many beautiful ways they could be displayed!
I LOVE old keys! I don’t know why but I’ve always found them fascinating, plus they’re so pretty. It makes me wonder what doors they open! :)
Oh fun! They make me think of the book, The Secret Garden.
I collect aprons, sort of. And photo books of the cities I’ve visited. That’s it though!
oh those are all so fun!
i collect post cards and little elephant statues and shot glasses. some day i’ll know what to do with them all, haha.
Your vintage key collection is so beautiful. I collect vintage cameras. When you make some of them into necklaces, you should definitely take some photos to show us!
Have a beautiful day!
That is such a neat collection. I don’t have any neat collections!
I wish I had some to send you!
I collect Hard Rock Cafe shot glasses from all over (I currently have 36 – a lot more to go!) and rubber ducks!!
I love your key collection! Keys are so interesting to me, and kind of amaze me sometimes. The only thing I realy collect is deer stuff, and I have tons of of vintage figurines and stuff like that :)
Such an interesting collection. It’s exciting to imagine all the places they’ve seen. I’m not much of a collector myself, unless you count my Nora Roberts books.
Oh, I love your collection! So pretty. I’m also a big fan of keys; I have a few key necklaces but I’d love to have an actual vintage key on a chain. :)
Those are great! I would recommend vinegar in small amounts… I use to use it for cleaning coins and soaking them for too long will cause corrosion.
What a fun idea; I always enjoy seeing what other people are attracted to collect. I’ll keep me eye out for vintage keys going forward and if I find any, i’ll be sure to send them your way =)
How lovely. I’ve always had a thing for old keys, I think because they remind me of The Secret Garden…
Katie x
What a neat collection :) I don’t really collect anything these days, unless you count books. I could start my own library …
I love this collection! These will make such great necklaces. I collect Buddha Statues and antique books. I love old things. Antique and vintage shops are my downfall!
I love these photos; they make me wish I could spend an afternoon searching for a doorway or treasure chest to match each key.
I have just one vintage key that I’m hoping to make into a necklace this summer. I can’t wait to get started on the project. :)
How pretty!!! I agree, keys are beautiful and mysterious!
I collect Budai statues, Paper Cranes (all of them are from Jen! We both love the 1000 Paper Crane lore and when we were long distance, every box she sent me had at least one paper crane for good luck and protection!) I also love and collect coins! Old coins, foreign coins, coins with certain years on them, etc. ^_^