Savouring Memories

Six years ago I wrote a post here about my collection of recipes handed down, shared and cooked by my grandparents, parents, friends, relatives  and colleagues - all with their own unique memories. My sister Helen came up with an idea a few years later about writing a book about recipes from the past.  Well it sounded a good idea at the time and my sisters and I got excited at the prospect of possibly publishing a book that could be handed down to future generations, but it didn't happen - life often gets in the way of good ideas and so it was forgotten about, abandoned.

However, it has always been there in the background for me and as a maker of Journals over the years I decided to turn this idea into a Journal for myself not only about the recipes but incorporating  kitchens of the past and the gadgets, utensils and kitchen paraphernalia that housewives have used over the years, me included (I have always been a sucker for new gadgets which often lay at the back of a cupboard for years before they see the light of day again).

So, armed with all my old recipes and cooking ephemera and a huge amount of research I set about making the Journal. The cover was from an old hardback book that I gutted (sorry book lovers but it was found in a charity shop and destined for book heaven anyway). I covered the front and back covers and then joined it together with rings.  I generally make my own signatures and sew them into a cover but for this purpose it was easier using rings as I was, and am still able to add other items as I go along.

I found photos of old cooking utensils and copied lots of my old cookery books and food advertising that go back for 70 plus years, to the time of my grandmothers' kitchens.

I've been busy making tucks and pockets, banners and labels in order to facilitate all my ephemera. 

Inside the actual journal I am adding a further three mini journals/signature that I have made, to cater for the many scraps of paper/recipes that I have collected since I married 48 year ago. This has evoked so many happy memories - like the shoe shop receipt for my daughter's first pair of Clarke's shoes aged 4 year old in 1977 - with a recipe hastily written on the reverse. The shoes by the way cost a mere £4.49!

Then there's memories of the Peanut butter and other cookies and jotted down on an American friend's scribble pad. I only knew her for 18 month before she returned home to the USA and now sadly lost touch.

This has been such an exciting venture for me and evoked so many happy memories. Each scrap of paper/recipe/photo has a story to tell. It certainly kept me busy during the dark dreary winter months and delighted I have something to show for it. I'll be hand-writing and using my old vintage typewriter on occasions for making my Journal entries.

And who remembers the days of Hostess trollies, fondue sets and pressure cookers let alone the electric carving knife, wall can openers, choppers, mandolin slicers  - to name but a few, although I'm sure many of these are still found in households today. And then of course there was the introduction of the deep freezer into our homes in the late 1960s which then was a revolution but one we couldn't be without today!

So, the adventure carries on. This is definitely a work-in-progress and each day I'm finding and adding new ideas all the time. Whilst I can't take credit for Helen's original idea, it certainly gave me food for thought (no pun intended!)

Be back again soon P x

Book making

I've been making notebooks, journals, scrapbooks and mini photo albums for a few years now, loving the diversity of the many designs, layouts and size. I'm a collectaholic, (is there such a word? my automatic spellcheck doesn't seem to think there is) and I'm always on the look out for bits of ephemera and memorbillia, cuttings from magazines, sheet music, script, quotations and so much more besides. You name it, I keep it.

Now some might scorn at what I'm about to say but I actually check out charity shops for old books which are long past their use by date and about to go into the great bookshop in the sky. Why you ask? Well I've been learning all about the craft of Altered Books or Book Reinvention. Basically ripping the pages out of a hard back book (the pages can be saved for later use eg making book page sculptures or Christmas decorations - more about that another time). Anyway once the pages are out and the spine is intact then you have a solid cover for turning into your own journal, notebook or whatever.

Just punch some holes in the cover and correspondingly your own paper and there you have it. The titles of some books are often very apt for the kind of book I'm making. For instance "In and out of London" ideal for recording my trips into town. "Looking back at the past" great for my family history and so it goes on. Never a dull moment!

I love paper in any shape or form and have enjoyed using various techniques on many types - sketchbook paper, handmade, lined, squared and even wallpaper lining paper. Stamping, painting, drawing, writing, torn edges, there's so much scope for creating your own personalised work of art.

So, here is one of my recent makes - a scrappy, shabby kind of book which I can add to whenever and wherever I want. Memories of anything or everything, recent or not so recent.

I sprayed my cover with a few different water colours and then decided on a name - couldn't be anything else could it? 

I'm very much looking forward to filling it now that 

I've prepped all my pages

And because it's an anytime kind of scrappy book I can start my recollections wherever I want to and a perfect place for my eclectic musings, sketches, poems and favourite quotations.

As well as the occasional photos

Enjoy the rest of the week and I'll be back soon.

Bye for now x