As for knick-knacks... Ah, where to begin...
There's really none that I don't like, or would like to get rid of... Or I would have gotten rid of them by now, so...
Steve and I would collect monkeys whenever we would go shopping or on trips. Small plush ones, Christmas ornaments, cast metal, ceramic, plastic, etc. We didn't buy any monkey in sight. It had to be special to us at the time for whatever reason(s). We never bought that many, but it was a nice-sized collection.
When I was on my one and only bus and truck tour - 42 cities in 63 days!?!?!?! - I tried to buy a refrigerator magnet in each city we stopped in. Thus, my refrigerator in Richmond has a nice display of various magnets from various cities across the US. *We hit all but FIVE of the 50 states in that time!
The ones I do love are the pysanky eggs my college piano teacher would give to her studio each Easter. Should would make them throughout the year, then place a basket on the desk in the studio for each of us to select one from. I think two of them are now "casualties", but the rest of them still look very nice. And it was also very neat feeling them get lighter in weight each year as the insides started to dry out and disintegrate. -But, one did break about a year after I got it - P!U!