Showing posts with label treasures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treasures. Show all posts

Friday, August 16, 2013

Memorykeeping: a peek

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Memorykeeping has always been important to me. My parents kept a handmade baby album for me, bursting from its binding with cards, drawings, photos and teeny gym certificates. They also kept scrapbooks from every trip they took: Dad collected endless pamphlets and ticket stubs, and Mum wrote the captions for photos. When we were old enough to write, my parents encouraged both my sister and I to keep travel diaries. I'm so pleased that they persisted once the novelty wore off for us - they are priceless keepsakes. The habit took hold, and as a young adult adventuring around the world I found myself collecting ticket stubs, postcards and feathers, and although it sometimes felt like it was becoming a bit of a nuisance to pause and reflect when excitement beckoned, I would stay firm about writing a diary entry and pasting in the day's collection of papers and beautiful things.

The past month or so I have been working on Saskia's baby album. Watching the beautiful leather bound album triple in size. I'm nearly finished sticking in the bits and pieces I've collected over the last few years, but I still need to go back and write on each page. When I'm finished I'd love to post a little about it.

I've always been inspired by Ronnie's memorykeeping process. It's why I was a teeny bit beside myself when she put the call out for the Life:Captured workshop and I signed up straightaway. I've been counting down since early June. I'm travelling to Sydney and I'll spend my first two night's away from Saskia...

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Christmas branch and a little advent

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Our Christmas branch went up yesterday. I added a few more ornaments to the collection, and keeping with the tradition I started last year, there was a new decoration for Saskia (the Paper Boat Press bird pictured), one for me (a small photo frame with a picture of my Granny), and this year, as it will be the first without K's father, I bought him a ceramic 'remember' star (also from Paper Boat Press). We're going to light 3 little tea lights underneath the branch every night until Christmas Eve, and there are a few strands of solar powered fairy lights strung up along the balcony and around our tree sculpture (a bare cherry blossom) in the back courtyard. It's as simple as that.
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In mid November Kelly and I sent a special package across the seas. This year will be the first time that our dearest friend (and my cousin) will be overseas for Christmas, away from family and friends...and she's carrying a little baby. We gathered, thrifted and crafted 24 little gifts (for her and the little one), wrapped them in brown paper and twine, and attached cards with 4-letter hints for each present. We had so much fun planning the advent gift and bundling up the package, but the real joy is in knowing that our friend will feel loved (and missed) every day. 

(J, if you are reading, stop now! Spoiler alert!)...

Friday, November 18, 2011

Closeness

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She's craves closeness at the moment. Lying tummy to tummy, tucked up in the sling, or nestled into the crook of an arm. So very precious.

According to research this type of behaviour comes right before a baby's developmental leap. Her world is changing and she feels a bit overwhelmed so she wants to cling to her Mama.

Knowing this makes me all the more happier about carrying her around with me or snuggling with her more than usual. I'm aware it won't last forever so I'm soaking up every minute of the time spent close to my baby girl... I think I even look forward to that quiet time, pacing the hall at night, patting her off to sleep and listening to her breathing slow down to soft sighs.

...and for those of you admiring the teapot snapped in my last post, it is part of a special edition tea set by Kat Macleod...while we're talking about that clever lady (and friends at Ortolan), pop in here for a laugh and sign up for some inbox love...today's forecast made me laugh. Out loud.