I was recently asked by Jocelyn over at Reading Residence to share all the important things in my life that are made out of paper, for her #BringBackPaper feature. I thought I would share the post here, for those who didn’t see it.
I am a big fan of the internet. I am on most social networks (with varying success!), but I do love good old fashioned paper and all things stationary. It is so special, given the electronic age we live in, to create something using paper. I hope my blog provides us with a record of our family life and documents Baby growing up, but I also take time to create other things in ‘hard copy’, mainly keepsakes. Here is a little insight into our paper world.
My Life Story
I think this is fabulous! It was a present for Baby from her Aunty and Uncle. Basically, it is a diary for your whole life, sectioned into seasons. It includes space to add pictures, write about your favourite things/people and provide a snapshot of your life 4 times a year (although you can add to it continuously), forever. As Baby is, well just a baby, I have to update it for her until she is older. I hope she will continue it when she can, as it will provide her with a truly unique insight/record of her life.
Birthday book
If you are a regular reader, you will know that Baby has recently had her first birthday. I wanted to give her a way of remembering this party, so I created a birthday book for her. I bought an A5 hardback book from Wilko and I will personalised the front (just haven’t had time yet!). All our party guests wrote a little message for Baby. I have added photographs of the day and keepsakes, like her cards, party bag etc. So all her memories are kept together and it will be easy for her to look back on when she is older. I will try to do this every year.
Letters to my Baby
Every six months I write a letter to Baby. I publish it on my blog, but I also write it out by hand on some lovely paper. I seal them up to be given to her when she is older.
Keepsake Box & Tags
Baby and I both have a pink hat box, that I use to store our keepsakes in. Every time we go somewhere new on a day out, we buy Baby a little keepsake, usually a keyring. I then attach luggage tags to everything and write the details on each one (i.e. where we went and when). Also in her keepsake box, is the newspaper we bought for her on the day she was born and all Baby’s cards (Easter, Christmas etc). In mine is special items of clothes that I am keeping and my first Mother’s Day card.
I hope you enjoyed a little visit to our paper world. Do you use paper to help you record your memories or are you all technology based?
Comments 55
Some lovely ideas here. I particularly like the keepsake box and my life story. #mmwbh
Author
Thank you very much x
Aw what a lovely post and some gorgeous keep sakes. I love things like this but I always think about doing them after the event or when its too late. Or I have every intention of doing it then I forget to do it. Things like this are so lovely to look back on. #MMWBH
Author
Thank you very much. It does take me a bit of effort to remember, but I will be glad I did x
This post makes a valid point everything is digital !! We have become so lazy with it all 🙂 #MMWBH
Author
Yes it just takes a bit of effort to record these things on paper x
What lovely ideas. I especially love the idea of the letters and the birthday book. Although I love having things online sometimes it is nice to sit down with some ‘real’ photos or letters to look through.
Author
Thank you. Yes I see the benefit of both ways x
I love all that but I’m just not organised enough to do any of it! Besides, it would be a lot of paper for my lot! #MMWBH
Author
Thank you. The benefit of having just the one! 🙂 x
You are such a great memory keeper! I have great intentions but never end up seeing them through. I have a drawer where I have stuffed the little ones important bits from his first year and I ill get around to sorting it our one day! I also do a photo book looking back at the year for each Christmas, and it is a lovely thing to have and look back on. I love your letter writing idea x
Author
Thanks, I try! 🙂 The photo books sounds like a lovely idea x
I also have a big love for paper and craft things like scrapbooks, I love the idea of the life story book, I have not seen that before. I have boxes of things in my loft for the girls as I have three of them and my oldest is 16 I have managed to collect quite a lot of memories! #MMWBH
Author
I can imagine you have lots! My Life story is a great product x
I love stationary! Always have – so pretty and just waiting to be filled with ideas, doodles, memories! You have some great ideas here – I particularly love the first birthday book as a way of storing memories of that special day for the future 🙂
Author
Thank you very much. x
I love letters and cards and all things that you can hold and keep and treasure. The internet totally has its place but nothing beats a good old fashioned letter. x
mmwbh
Author
I agree and I love having memory captured on both mediums x
Some great ideas, the keepsake box is one I might copy to keep all those lovely little bits and bobs in. Mmwbh
Author
Thanks, copy away, I hope you have fun! x
The life story book is a fantastic idea, it will make a beautiful keepsake. I have a special box where I have kept scan pictures, cards from special occasions and Joseph’s special school work x
Author
I hope she keeps it up throughout her life x
I love paper and we have some great books for the boys called from you to me x
Author
I have never heard of them, will look them up x
i love paper and the written word
Author
It means a lot doesn’t it x
I’ve got so many things to make scrapbooks out of, yet with the digital age I never “find the time” I really, really must!!
A lovely keepsake you’ve made! x
Author
Thank you hun. Yes you need to make them as you will enjoy looking back on them x
i love things like this they make great keepsakes, your ideas are fab x
Author
Thank you very much, glad you like them x
thats a great idea, i tend to write things on paper first and only after to type- old-fashioned me, but im not a big fan of keepsake books or baby diaries
Author
I love making memories like this x
We love looking through our memory box – it never fails to make us smile x x
Author
Ah, I already love looking at Baby’s stuff and she has only been here for 13 months xx
lovely ideas, I have keepsake boxes for all my girls x
Author
Thank you. I love making memories and collecting keepsakes x
What wonderful ideas for storing memories! Apart from a few photo albums I just have boxes and boxes of loose birthday cards and paintings and such. Also many many digital shots, which just aren’t the same as physical pictures. When I get a spare decade I must get as organised as you are 😉
Author
Thank you hun. I just knew if I didn’t get organised and stay organised it would end badly! I am rubbish at playing catch up x
Oh my word so many amazing things there. I love stationary too but these are such great ideas. We need to go on a sort to find some things of POD’s that are missing like the hospital bands from when she was born. We need more photo books – I love them it’s just finding the time to sort through thousands of photos! Wonderful post, you will have so much for baby x
Author
Thank you hun. I knew if I didn’t start it straight away and keep it up, it would be so difficult to catch up when she was older. I need to print so many pictures, you don’t print them as much in the age of sharing, but it is nice to have them to hold x
This is such a lovely post. I love how you have got so many memories which are all on paper. We have a wooden keepsake box for Maxwell. x
Author
Thank you very much. I love having lots of memories for her x
I did loads of things like that for my first but just didn’t seem to have time for my second and third. They were both a bit sad that they didn’t have as many keepsake things from when they were born as Aiden has.
I bought the youngest a memory book that we can fill in together about her school years and the middle one made a scrapbook of the things I had managed to save so they’re a bit happier now. I also recently found both of their sets of clothes that we brought them home from the hospital in. They were very pleased to have those 🙂
Author
I just want her to have lots of things to remember her childhood by x
I have scrapbooked all my children’s birth cards, christening cards and 1st birthday. I ran out of steam after that!
Author
I’m not surprised! You would have a lot to do. I only have one SO much easier x
I too love paper and stationary and am about to embark on creating a scrapbook of our trip to Disney. Love your treasures.
Author
Oh that will be lovely and fun to do. Thanks hun x
This is all really lovely. I especially love the letters to your daughter written by hand, wish I’d done something like that. I started a keepsake box for my daughter but with the twins it’s all been too hectic. Although I’m a borderline hoarder and keep loads of the kids stuff so maybe I’ll create something when I have more time 🙂 x
Author
Thank you very much. I don’t imagine you have much free time! x
Wow…I have keepsake boxes for all of my kids but nothing like yours. Wonderful and I love that you hand wrote the letters to Baby as well as post them on your blog. What a beautiful gift to give to her when she’s all grown up!
Thanks so much for sharing. Lovely post! #MMWBH
Author
Ah thanks hun. I just want her to know that she was loved and thought about all the time x
I bought that my life book with such amazing intentions but it has sat empty on the shelf. Saying that it’s not too late to start I just have a lot of catching up to do. x
Author
I would definitely catch up as I think it will be a great gift for them when they are old enough to take it over x
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