Thursday 27 October 2011

Treasured Things: What would you save?



If your house was burning, what would you take with you? 
It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental. 
What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. 
Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.

I found the above website the other day while trying to research journalists who may like u-ni-k gifts.

It made me chuckle as it used to be something that my old boss, Maureen would say to me while we tried to choose the next seasons collection or decide which beautiful things to pick out of too many wonderful things that were being presented to us. 

The article I stumbled accross was by Georgie Dehn of The Telegraph. She'd written a profile piece on the author of the above website Foster Huntington. The article itself is fascinating.  However i didn't get to the end of the piece before i'd rushed to see the mentioned website.

The website is a collection of people and thier lists of thier treasured items with a photo of the groupings.
I loved the fact that the chosen items and lists were a mixture of practical and valuable. Not valuable in a monetary way but in a sentimental way.
While scrolling through the collections of treasures I noticed many were treasured items from infant years. Or heirlooms handed down. Not things of value but things that were simply treasures.
 
The collections that caught my eye were-

1. Eric Heins from Boston MA. His childhood blanket, his cat and current journal.
2. Shawna Ernst from Spokane Washington. Her copy Peter pan that her Father gave her when she was seven, her lucky bamboo & a pebble pot made by her son.


3. Helen Stuttard from England. Her Teddy & her Dad's first shoe and a poem from her sister. 
4. Sarah Neuendorf from Berlin. Her Teddy from her childhood, her sketchbooks, her rabbit Lotte and her copy of Moby-Dick.
5. Laura Brown from Portland OR. A quilt that she and her mother chose while bargain hunting as a child, A shell from her father from a long ago trip & a beaded purse from her great grandmother.


6.Tiffany Dyer from Charlotte, North Carolina. Her box of memories, Her Grandmother's camera and her Childhood Rabbit Rosy.
7. Loria Crews from Atlanta, GA. Her son's blanket (can't leave home without it, and make sure i have the original one!) & Her daughter's baby blanket.


8. Rachel from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her baby book given to her by her mother containing irreplaceable items and photo's & her baby blanket that she still uses for comfort when she is sad!

I didn't get to the end of the website and the lists of collections before i started to think what my collected list would be. I sat for a while listing my treasures and trying not to miss anything important. My list is as follows-

  • My Children, Ida & Samson
  • My bunnies Primrose & Seth
  • Mr Elephant (for Ida)
  • My William Phipps silver spoon that i was given when i went on maternity leave on my 31st birthday.
  • My photo albums
  • My photo's of my Dad.
  • Ida first scribbles and works in glitter (her favourite medium at the moment)
  • Ida and Sam's collection of baby things
  • My Grandma's hoya plant that is still alive and thriving today.
  • The blanket I bought my Grandma for her 90th birthday. I told her that when she turned 90 she needed to sit with a blanket on her knee.
  • My Nana's beads and treasures. Mostly plastic but I love them and loved playing with them as a child.
  • My favourite childhood story books.
I keep adding things Ive forgotten ....I think my list is endless. 
Why don't you make a list and see what treasures you would take with you! You can even submit them to the website!




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