Blog to Book . . .

Hi everyone. Thanks for reading my blog How to Create a Family Museum.  

The purpose of the blog is to inspire, encourage and motivate you on how to preserve, protect and display your family’s history. It is vitally important to do so, and if you have yet to do so, start today. It is only too late if your history has been disposed of; and I am not talking just about things like souvenirs, collectibles, objet d'art, novelties, bits and pieces, odds and ends – another word stuff, if that word rings a more familiar bell. I am talking about all of these things and more; the everyday things used in the past and present that need to be saved for the future, because it is history, your history, and all of it has a story to tell – your story. 

I have been writing this blog for over a year, however, compared to some who have been writing their blogs for years, my time is not very long. But that’s OK. All of my posts are thoughtfully written and visually educational. As of this date, there are 116 posts covering everything you need to know on how to create your family museum. Being traditionally minded, I am conservative when it comes to social networking sites, so as the saying goes, “I have put all of eggs in one basket,” my blog. However, it is now time that I count those eggs and turn them into pages in a book to expand my message and help you save your history.

Now, I am not talking about another how-to book on home organization, storage, de-cluttering, downsizing, re-purposing, etc. Though there is a plethora of advice in those books, as well as online help, in newspaper articles and on television shows, they all have one thing in common – establishing some orderliness in your life and home. That’s good and necessary to keep your living space clean or organized, however, by doing so you may, even sometimes unintentionally, throw away, get rid of, or donate something near and dear to you or someone else, resulting in a loss of valuable memories and memoirs that literally make you who you are.

So as you organize whatever mess, clutter, disorder, jumble and jam, and are needing to confront, face up to, tackle head on, and deal with, this is the time to set aside your precious things and create a place in your home, even your office, that is designated as a showplace, a personal museum, that will display, protect, and preserve your history.

I truly believe making a book available to my readers with all the how-to instructions, pictures, renderings and narratives that appear on my blog will guide you to creating this very special place in your home and in your family’s life. Once the book is published, it will be available for purchase at bookstores and online booksellers which I will provide links to. And I will continue to write my blog offering edifying information and entertaining quips that keeps on inspiring and encouraging you to create your family museum.      

Please and thank you for your support and comments.   Liz 

 

(Mockup of cover design; subject to change)  

      

 

Dog Days of Summer . . .

Dog Days is the name for the sultriest period of summer, from about July 3 to August 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius, the Dog Star, and the sun. And once the evening sky turns ebony black and the stars begin to shine, see if you can spot the constellations and find Sirius. And check out this site for more great details:

http://blog.dictionary.com/dog-days-of-summer/

Hence, what a great time this would be to stay indoors, the air-conditioner humming away as it keeps you cool and gives you a bit more energy to tackle some things that should be done before the new school years starts, along with all those holiday celebrations.  And what exactly do I have in mind? Well of course, creating your Family Museum!

As my past posts suggests and gives how-to advice on creating the museum, sometimes it seems overwhelming, especially with all this hyped-up movement to downsize and de-clutter, getting rid of the stuff that no longer has a need or does not matter anymore. However, sometimes the things that do matter may get lost in the shuffle, and that is why you need to be thoughtful and careful as you organize your stuff, separating the not-keep and the-keeps. As the old motto says,

“A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Therefore, here are some ideas for the preservation and storage of family heirlooms, for example photographs. Invest in archival art storage boxes that will keep photos looking their best for years to come. There are several sizes of archival boxes and larger ones can accommodate greeting cards, letters from loved ones, newspapers, and all sorts of paper odds-and ends that should be kept.  Visit this site for everything you need. http://www.dickblick.com/archival/storage/

Another way to save pictures is to upload your pics onto CD and DVD discs to play on computers and TV’s. That’s a great way for many people to share your memories. Now, there are differences between the discs and to make sure you use the correct one, here is a website that will give you all the info you need:   http://www.differencebetween.info/

And speaking of dogs, another fabulous way to save photo memories is by making an online photo album. I recommend Snapfish because I have created many of these photo albums. The program is easy to navigate and they offer many types of albums and other photo gifts. This is a picture from the album of our dearly departed Sophie Peach. On hot summer days and every day of the year, she loved to take a car ride. Here she is waiting for us to get in the car and go, go, go! Check out this website for more info: http://www2.snapfish.com

In any event, when starting to organize the keepsakes, go steady and take your time. After all, it took many years to collect, so don’t rush the process. And if you display your heirlooms or not, because it is a fact that many homes do not have the space for a museum, there are still many ways of creating a space that can be designated as your family museum. Past and future posts will tell you how-to.
Enjoy the dog days of summer and look at the stars as often as you can.
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