December Daily and Stories by the Month

Hello everyone, how are you doing with your New Year's resolutions so far?

The only one I have this year is to tell more of my family's stories.

The desire to do so came to me last November when I saw that Ali Edwards offers a Stories by the Month kit subscription. Each month you get a small assortment of journaling cards and embellishments, geared towards telling seasonal recurring stories.

At the same time I was seeing that Ali and a lot of the other prominent memory keepers were gearing up for December Daily, which is literally telling one story each day in December, focusing on whatever holiday tradition is being celebrated.

So here is the beginning of my attempts to get those stories told!

This is only my second December Daily. I made the first one ten years ago and of course our lives looked very different then. I'm grateful to my past self for having made that project happen. Knowing how intense the task can be, at first I decided that this year I would just write a small note at the end of each day, and that those accumulated notes would result in one page in my 2022 album. However, as the month progressed I started seeing how those notes could become bigger stories and found myself making a plan to complete an entire album. Now the album is essentially done - there's just a few more items to check off the list.

In January there was only one big story to tell. My son Tayo got his first apartment with his girlfriend Ellie. Of course such a big life event requires mom getting a photo on the big day and I felt that a large 6 x 8 print was essential in the documenting. I will write in some details on the two journal cards on the left.

The most appealing idea behind both December Daily and Stories by the Month is that there are no rules about how to document. It just requires that you think about and know your why. For some, December Daily is telling stories every day in the month, while for others it's December 'Daily-ish', acknowledging that there are limits to what one can (or should) get done during a busy hectic month. Same for Stories by the Month - maybe there is only one good story in the month to tell or maybe the plan is to document several smaller stories.

So here is where I'm currently at in my memory keeping journey thus far this year - one big, long story for December and one big important event for January.

It's the last day of February and I had a birthday earlier in the month so I'm hoping to get my photos of that event edited and printed, because, after all the February Stories by the Month kit is just waiting to be crushed, right?

Moonshine, Starshine by Yuji Hiratsuka

Hello friends and Happy New Year!

Back in 2018 when I started seeing the end of the child rearing years ahead, I started to focus on what I would want my home to look like once my kids grew up and moved into their own homes. That is when I discovered the Style Matters podcast, hosted by Zandra Zuraw.

Zandra calls her approach to home decor 'slow style' and it's all about "developing a personal style in your home and surrounding yourself with beauty in a way that is meaningful." As an avid collector of mid century and antique home wares, I was attracted to Zandra's philosophy and method and have been working on developing a cohesive eclectic style ever since.

So when I started getting the idea that it was time to purchase an interesting modern, colorful (and fun!) piece of art to add to my living room, I visited the White Lotus Gallery in downtown Eugene. I've been there many times over the years and chose that particular gallery for their selection of original Chinese and Japanese prints and paintings.

On one particular visit the gallery was featuring printmaker Yuji Hiratsuka. There were many of his whimsical, yet metaphysical, intalglio prints lining the walls. Most all featured a central human figure or figures engaged in some activity. I found myself drawn to Mr. Hiratsuka's use of character in this way and revisited the gallery a couple more times, trying to pick a favorite to purchase.

After much thought, I settled on Moonshine, Starshine. It is an intaglio and chine colle', meaning it is an intaglio print that has been collaged.

I wanted something that would jazz up the room and I think this piece does just that. I enjoy the fact that it is modern, yet traditional and incorporates both eastern and western influences.

Have you purchased original art for your home? What were some of your considerations? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for looking and bye for now!