Archiving the treasure from 2013...

Right around the same time... every year... I gather all the treasure from the past year and create a collage of memory... things I want to remember. I used to make a jar for each year but since last year... I switched a gear and have decided to archive them in a more accessible format using MIDORI Bee Notebook.

This process really helps me to organize little artifacts that are too precious to let go... but don't have a permanent locations... you know... things that tend to collect in little corners of the house (everywhere). I am thankful that this notebook gives just enough so it can accommodate slightly three dimensional things like hospital tags from Coco's birth, etc...

Since the notebook gets so "full" after putting everything inside, I usually like to put a secure closure. Last year I made a make shift string and button closure but this year... I was able to use MIDORI eyelet and string sticker to make sure nothing falls out of the notebook. (thank you MIDORI... for making my life easier and simpler).

I like giving each page (an envelope with a window to be exact) a little theme. A page about welcoming Coco in our life (that was a big one in 2013...), our travel, a page about sisterhood, opening the shop... I write a few things around the window on each page to remember why certain artifacts made it to the page with a hope that our girls will someday look back and sense our life in a tangible way.

2013... you were good to us.

In case you are interested, here is a list of tools I used:
MIDORI Bee spiral notebook
Brass alphabet bookmark
Brass number bookmark
MIDORI eyelet and string sticker
mt masking tape
Label sticker / cream
Brass pen

 

Reflecting and archiving the year: 2012

I think I should dedicate a day (or two) a week as my creative outlet day. Take a day to slow down on the operational/logistic side of the shop and use my hands & right brain to create something... possibly using materials and supplies we have available at our shop.

Making a book for the year of 2012 has been on my "things I like to do" list for a while (it was really supposed to happen in December... oh well.) so it was a perfect project to tackle today. For last six years, I put all the trinkets from the year's adventure in glass jars. I always enjoyed this annual ritual as a way to capsule some of the great memories with the hope that we will open them someday and look back with smile.

This year, I wanted to try something different - to create a system that is little more accessible to look back whenever we want to. And that's when I realized that MIDORI Spiral Bee Notebook with windows will be just perfect!

Since we were on the road quite a bit last year, 2012 box was filled with travel memorandum. Mix of Japanese, German and American trinkets. A perfect caption to our family:) This is how my desk looked when I emptied the box...



I decided to dedicate the back of front cover to our 2012 letter to ourselves since this is how we welcomed the year...

Then filled each page with bits and pieces of our life from the year. In order to keep some visibility to the items, I avoided putting everything in the envelope with window. Instead, I glued and clipped some of the larger items like photographs on the page. For example..., while we were traveling, we mailed a few postcards to ourselves with special quotes, so I inserted the postcard on the back of the page using Film Pocket Stickers in Postcard Size.  (left side of the page on the below picture).

More photos after jump!

Keeping the keepsake with MIDORI Bee Notebook

One more project post to share with you:)

I was pretty thrilled when MIDORI came up with a new Bee Spiratl Notebook last year. It's like their Kraft Envelope with Window meets a spiral binding!!

I instantly knew that this will be so perfect to collect little goodies that come from our family in Germany. The other day, Roo received a letter from her omi + opi with a pressed four leaf clover! That's special, right??

I love that I can write a little memo directly on the envelope.  I know there will be a time in the future that Roo will be able to look at this and appreciate the letter...

Until then... it's safe and secure in this special notebook:)