My daughter came up with the best idea to save her 2 1/2 year old twin boys artwork! Riley and Rhaynan started daycare at the beginning of summer. They do some kind of art project nearly every day, and the papers were really beginning to pile up at home! In trying to come up with a solution to curb the clutter, but still be able to view her budding artists' masterpieces, she came up with the idea to get a binder, put the papers in page protector sleeves, and file them in the binder. Now they have a nice little coffee table book for everyone to look at, and the twins absolutely LOVE to be able to be to view their creativity. If you do this, put a couple of strips of tape over the opening of the page so the papers don't fall out and the kids can't pull them out!
I stopped by today and the first thing they had to do was pull the book out to show me and they told me all about it. I just had to take a picture of them, they are so proud of themselves!
P.S. Please excuse their messy appearance, they just finished a hard day of "school" and were looking a bit bedraggled!
By Lyonpridej from Tulsa, OK
My earliest memories of my grandmother are connected to her busy with some kind of needlecraft. She was keen on sewing, quilting, and crocheting.
As she grew older, she wanted to leave an heirloom to each of her grandchildren. At that stage, guided by the ignorance of youth, I declined her offer.
Then, my grandmother became very ill. She gradually lost her eyesight, and eventually was unable to continue busying herself with the needlecraft she so much loved. Her life, once so meaningful, was reduced to her bed and her chair in her old-age home. The final straw was when she developed gangrene in her left foot. The operation to amputate part of her left leg was too severe an intervention for a woman of her age, and she died at the age of eighty-seven.
Shortly after her death, I came across the quilt that she made for my mother a few years before losing her eyesight. Suddenly it began to dawn upon me. When I looked at the quilt, I did not see a blanket. Instead, I saw a scrapbook made from material. It was as if, by looking at the quilt, I was paging through my family album. I remembered the times when we baked cookies with my mother, the times when my sisters and I played with our tea-set, the first "Superman"-movie I saw with my dad, my first day at school, the visits we had with our grandparents and many other special memories. Each memory was carefully interwoven into this quilt.
I begged my mom to give me the quilt, and luckily, she did. I now treasure this quilt, thinking of all the memories stitched into this quilt, each stitch done with love.
I just wish my grandmother could still be around. I would have loved to share the importance of the memories she captured in the quilt. She had the wisdom I once lacked, knowing that the quilt she made is something that will always touch both my past and my future(1). I also realize that this is what crafts are all about ~ capturing memories in the present that will have meaning in the future.
Bibliography:
1. http://www.aprairiehomequilts.com/quilting-resources/quilting-quotes.html
By BessieBessie
When she says things like, "Nannie, I love you to the moon and back" or tells me she has to come help me because she loves just being with me, I have it all written down as to never forget the thoughtful, and loving things this beautiful child says to me. I record the dates also.
She has no idea I do this. When she grows up I will give this journal to her.
By ashleybunkin from WV
Every year, since our kids were in Kindergarten, I have taken a photo of them in their cubbies. Looking back at them, they are so small those first few years.
This last year, with much protest, I forced our son to once again climb into his cubby. He is in 5th grade and over 5 foot tall, so he barely fits!
I absolutely love having these photos and have put them on notice that I will be taking them each year until they graduate, like it or not! Why not think of a fun image that you can capture each year as they grow up? :) It will be well worth the protest, I promise!
By lalala...
You will be amazed at the changes.
By Jani49 from Sedalia, MO
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