Holiday Mementos - Christmas Card (Child's Handmade) - Celebrate the Season

Holiday Mementos - Christmas Card (Child's Handmade) - Celebrate the Season

This memento - a handmade paper Christmas tree -  was made for a now distant Christmas but still rings true to the season.  Hope your holidays are joyous too.  With love, Cynthia G.

Indigo Blue Ceramic Teapot - American Traditions - Afternoon Teatime

Indigo Blue Ceramic Teapot - American Traditions - Afternoon Teatime

This teapot was a gift from a family member honoring the fine tradition of afternoon snacks and tea time.  It has been a decorative item in my house - a reminder of good times and weekend afternoon chats with friends and family.

Modern Asian Glazed Tea Cups Decorated with Grass Style Calligraphy - Japanese and Chinese Tea Rituals

Modern Asian Glazed Tea Cups Decorated with Grass Style Calligraphy - Japanese and Chinese Tea Rituals

These modernized tea cups are inscribed with calligraphy for poetic elements such as the moon.  The cups are gifts from a close family member celebrating the fine ritual of the tea ceremony.  I have been privileged to be served in an authentic Japanese tea ceremony and to visit fine Chinese tea rooms as well.  The memory of gently holding the tea cup and absorbing the warmth, fragrance and gentle steam of the tea is unforgettable.  The style of the cups in this post form a nice East-West artifact and a set of mementos for the ritual of tea time.

Travel Log Photo 32 - Japan circa 1978 - Street Parade Kyoto (a second Geisha)

Travel Log  Photo 32 - Japan circa 1978 - Street Parade Kyoto (a second Geisha)

Grandmother's Lamp - Mementos of Light

Grandmother's Lamp - Mementos of Light

This post features the delicate pattern from the base of a beige pink lamp that was owned by a special family member.  The lamp occupies a dedicated corner of my home and when turned on reminds of the warm glow that filled the evening hours when visiting this loved one.  Lamps and the light given by one person can fill the heart and save the soul from the cold of the winter season.  I hope to enjoy the  many lights of the upcoming season with joy and merriment.

Memory Book Gift (Handmade) - Mementos of Friendship - Roses

Memory Book Gift (Handmade) - Mementos of Friendship - Roses

This beautifully crafted booklet featured photos of times remembered and was gifted to me by a close personal friend.  It brings joy to the heart even now as a reflection of an enduring bond that has deepened and grown over the years with sharing of thoughts and life experiences.  I post it in celebration of friendship.  "Make new friends but keep the old...."

Memories Fade Like Roses

Page with Dedication

Memory Book

Pink Polka Dot Bow

Back of Book with Calligraphy Label

Long View of Rose Print Book Cover

Travel Log Photo 31 - Japan circa 1978 - Young Woman at Water Fountain

Travel Log Photo 31 - Japan circa 1978 - Young Woman at Water Fountain

Rose Painted Glassware and Embroidered Napkins - Antiques Collected - Manners and Mementos

Rose Painted Glassware and Embroidered Napkins - Antiques Collected - Manners and Mementos

Sometimes collected antiques gain meaning because of associated memories of similar pieces which were part of a personal past.  Such is the case with the two pieces in this post. The glassware reminds of lemonade and milk and cookies.  The cloth napkins are a reminder of the politeness and grace which are still the rule at many fine dining events. 

Toy Memorabilia (Butterfly Stamp Print)

Toy Memorabilia (Butterfly Stamp Print) 

Butterfly 

Butterfly Stamp Scallop Edging

Butterfly Stamp Print

This post includes a butterfly stamp printed on a gift from my personal collection.

Eating Utensils - Laquer and Inlay Chopsticks - Asian Cuisines and Artifacts

Eating Utensils - Laquer and Inlay Chopsticks - Asian Cuisines and Artifacts

Now widely familiar to cultures world-wide, chopsticks are eating and cooking utensils - cultural artifacts - associated with many of the cuisines of Asia.  The pair shown in this post serve as a decorative memento of many wonderful meals and of the days when I learned to use chopsticks by meeting the challenge of learning to pick up a single peanut or a single grain of rice. Now I simply enjoy the pleasure of using them once more when I am lucky enough to dine out eating at Chinese or Japanese restaurants.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Dinner

It was good.

Thanksgiving Dinner 

Thanksgiving Meal

Apple Pie

Happy Thanksgiving - Child's Handmade Greeting Card

Happy Thanksgiving - Child's Handmade Greeting Card

              Holiday Greetings to All.  Enjoy that turkey everyone.  Wishing everyone good times.              
         
                                                              Cynthia G.
                  

Travel Log Photo 30 - Africa circa 1980 - Savanna from Kenya Safari

Travel Log Photo 30  -  Africa circa 1980  -  Savanna from Kenya Safari

Taj Mahal - Pastel at Sunset

Taj Mahal - Pastel at Sunset

The pictures show a pastel portrait of the Taj Mahal, the famous memorial to a beloved spouse in India.  It was a sunset colored work in pinks and purples created many years before travel to India allowed me to see the actual magnificence of this wonder of the world.  In person the view was in the bright splendor of daytime so the building shone with the brilliant ivory color of white marble.  For more information on the reason for the creation of the Taj Mahal see this link http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252.

Beaded Purse - Style Mementos

Beaded Purse - Style Mementos

Costume jewelry, scarves and purses can achieve the status of cultural artifact or sometimes even icon as well as serve as a memento of good times for the owner of a prized and fashionable belonging.  These items are often passed down through generations conjuring images of stylish and fashionable relatives generous enough to gift their treasures away to younger family members.  The photographs in this post feature a spring time fashion item in beautiful pink green and white beading whose owner was famous for her Sunday church dress and was an usher for many years.  Fashion for fun and elegance is captured in this style worthy bag.

Fine Crystal Vases - Wedding Presents.- Artifacts of Elegance

Fine Crystal Vases - Wedding Presents - Artifacts of Elegance

A traditional gift to mark momentous events is the crystal vase.   These beautiful vases form lasting images that can stretch over many generations with admiration and enjoyment of their beauty.  The two vases shown in this post portray the elegance of an item that is an artifact of celebration and significance in many elegant homes.

Baby Blanket - Pastel and White Crochet - Handmade Baby Shower Gift

Baby Blanket - Pastel and White Crochet - Handmade Baby Shower Gift

This beautiful hand-made crochet blanket was a shower gift celebrating the birth of a baby in my family.  It serves as a special memory of a cousin who has passed away now but took the time to create by her skilled hands this cozy wrap to bundle a loved one. It is a treasured memento with its own personally designed label from the maker.