From
Madelyn’s Sunporch
To all Homemakers
Many
of us have family heirloom and have no idea what to do with them. We don’t want
to part with them because of the sweet, happy memories and childhood ties. It’s
like being hooked to Mama’s apron strings, well, that can actually be true if
you have a stash of Mama’s or Grandma’s old aprons. So, here I sit on my
beautiful sunporch, with my deliciously flavored French Vanilla Coffee, sweet
and creamy, in hand thinking about all the wonderful recollections I have, in
the form of several vintage collectables that belonged to family members from
long ago. It is quite acceptable to be sentimental and want to keep these many
diverse kinds of memorabilia. Heirlooms epitomize the memories, history, and possessions
of the family that have been gathered for possible generations. Many of them
tell of the struggles, adventures, and countless pathways that were traveled.
We prize the depression glass from the Great Depression Era and the glass
buttons that came from Great Grandmother’s mourning dress. Rather than have these
silent voices packed away to dry rot, why not use them in a productive manner
and allow others to get a view of our family in a more trendy, fanciful
fashion. For example, the handles on your kitchen cabinets or drawers can be replaced
by using the silver-plated flatware that belong to your favorite Aunt. Just use
a rubber mallet to flatten the head of the spoon or fork and bend the handles
to make a loop. Use a drill to make tiny holes, and attach to your cabinets and
drawers with screws using a drill. They can match or be mismatched. The design
is up to you. Old mismatched silverware can also be made into necklaces, rings,
and bracelets that are lovely and stunning. To design your jewelry, use a jewelry saw to cut off the end of the
spoon or fork, drill a tiny hole, if needed, and file down the sharp edges; add
a chain if required.
If Grandma or Mama left a box of
beautiful handkerchiefs or elegant linens to make curtains, apron, or simply
frame them with a picture of the loved one. Make a memory shadow box using the
hankies, brooches, gloves, buttons, old movie ticket, cards, and other small
keepsakes; even a piece of lace from Grandma’s wedding gown can be used. The end results are fabulous. A beautiful quilt
can be made and enjoyed by using the old hankies. Just cut pieces of flannel and fleece squares
to back each hanky, then sew blocks of hankies together in a row, leaving a
one-inch wide seam between each block. Snip perpendicular to the seams between
each block to create the traditional "rag" style.
Start projecting your own family treasures and
memories for future generations by journaling. Tell of your many exciting and entertaining
childhood experience and vacations, Describe Sunday family gatherings, the “big
family wedding,” or church potlucks. Add pictures and names of loved ones and
folk who were there. Add interesting facts about each individual you write
about. For instance, are they a jokester, telling funny stories all the time; Are
they very practical or talented. Perhaps they play music and sing, writing
their own song and poems. All these facts are fascinating, motivating, and just
plain fun.
Scrapbook
old family recipes that are the” best ever.” Add a drawing and/or pictures of
the cake, cookies, or pie, telling whose recipe is was, with a picture of the
original owner, if possible. If you own a family heirloom recipe book, make
notes about the chance of measurements. For instance, if it says “add butter
the size of a hen’s egg” check out that measure in today’s measurements to
enable making the recipe correctly. In today age of “keyboarding” samples of
your hand-writing are a nice thing for future generations.
Keep
in mind that heirlooms and memories are a perishable commodity. They go away
with time, so it is of great importance that we preserve such simple things as
handwriting, old letters, and old ideas; sometimes those old ideas work better
than the new ones! Every family has a
story to tell! What is yours?
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