6 MAR 2020

kaymaycreates Tips For Displaying Your Toys [Part 2]

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Have you heard? We're running a photo contest right now on Instagram - the #MJShelfieGiveaway contest! Find out how you can participate HERE

To help you along with snapping your gorgeous displays, we've enlisted the help of Kay Mason (@kaymaycreates) to share her tips on how to display your collection. You might recognise her photos on Instagram, always clean and distinct. Blending her collection into her living space, almost effortlessly in fact! 

In the second part of the 2 part series, Kay talks about shelving and placement of these fine pieces in her collection. Haven't read part 1? Click HERE to read now.

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My home and collection is centered around organization. I live that mom life so my setups have to be relatively kid friendly. Notice I didn't say childproof because well....that doesn't exist. Keeping kempt and clean is tough at times especially balancing such a large collection, but there are a number of cheap and easy solutions to keeping your small figurines visually stimulating without being hectic.

As obvious or trivial as it sounds, you'd be surprised how often I hear collectors complain about their lack of space all while barely utilizing the simple power of shelves!

Shelves are the display cases of the organization world. They offer all the perks of a physical display case but without taking up a monstrous amount of space. It's 2020, you guys, you can find shelves you like. I personally gravitate toward clear shelving just because with my ever changing taste in decor, clear shelving blends in well with everything.

They also don't distract from your display items in any way so you or your viewers are able to focus on what you're presenting. That doesn't mean i'm not a fan of a good statement shelf (in fact I've owned my fair share of crazy shelving units!) I just think "loud" items need to be mindfully placed.

If you're not digging the modern sleek aesthetic of the clear units, I'd suggest looking into white, black, or wooden "floating" shelves. That style is a very paired back and minimal middle ground. Get creative; I've seen collectors using baseball bat cases, shot glass box frames, hell even IKEA lamps they fill with Dunnys! Have fun and be playful.

So many of us know the absolute struggle it is to display our mini figures like Kidrobot Dunny's and SuperPlastic Janky's (among a myriad of other beloved figs).

Mini shelving units can be used in bulk on both large and small walls. They give a large, somewhat hectic collection of small toys a very coordinated and uniform feel.

For me, mini shelves are a must. I was advised by a fellow collector wayyyyy back in the day (like a year ago lol) to hang my copious collection of Dunny's (over 300 at this point...?) with 1"x1" wooden beams from HomeDepot or Lowes. They're no more than $5.00 each and one beam can get you about two and a half shelves (each shelf measuring about 4 feet).

It was the best advise I ever took! My Dunny wall is a notorious staple of my collection and I most enjoy them hung above my couch.

Also a fairly basic display tool that I see unused in many collections is risers. From mini risers to podiums/platforms for your 20" Dunny's and 1000% Bearbrick's, I don't like when similar sized toys just sit all in a clump.

Risers offer height and depth variety which is overall more visually appealing especially when utilizing shelving units like the IKEA Detolf. Risers also just allow us to see all of the designs so they better help our toys serve their purpose.

A slight pet peeve I'm battling with is displaying toys on the ground. For me, seeing a toy bare on the very floor we walk on feels as if I'm viewing the Mona Lisa with thumbtacks on either end of the canvas. It just feels naked and I seldom put toys on the floor (though you WILL catch a few regrettable shots on my Instagram from time to time, but I concede the toys DON'T stay there, I throw them in for the photo.)

A riser doesn't necessarily need to be an expensive prefab thing, it can be a stack of books or even a pretty toy box! Sometimes an unused and interesting chair with a stack of books can exist as the perfect setting for a small toy vignette.

For collectors on a budget: I often see collectors use the blind-boxes their smaller figures come in to display them. They stack them in a way to add height variation between the other figs.

My creative spaces have always been driven by an instinctual passion, so keep in mind that I've had no formal training. So my words are exactly that, my words.

I'm not a professional but rather just a baller on a budget attempting to display my toys in a way that does them justice. I want to both organize and elevate their worth because after all my home wouldn't be the same without them. 

Thanks for taking the time to virtually tour a small sliver of my eclectic home! And sometimes photos don't do these rooms justice (don't even get me started on interior photography, I could write a novel!) so don't be discouraged if your space doesn't photograph the way you want it to.

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Now that you've read all of Kay's top tips for displaying your collections, it's time to snap some photos and take part in the #MJShelfieGiveaway contest! Stand to win exclusive toys and Mighty Jaxx vouchers, keep your collection growing! More details of the contest HERE.

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Follow Kay on Instagram @kaymaycreates 
and read our fan feature on her HERE 

Read Part 1 of Kay's tips on how to display your toys HERE

All images in this post have been graciously provided by Kay Mason.
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