The Memory Bee

February 9 My Little Books continue...

My love of doing a daily page in my little books continues... it motivates me to look for something good in every day; it gets me up and moving because I want to have something to include in my book; and it makes the days not just go by in a blur - but rather be celebrated in this little way.

My January book has been added to the little volumes and February is begun...

Let's go back to where we left off in January - it's great way to catch up on life. On this day, I cleaned out my travel drawer - oh, how I miss my travels. It seems like another life that I hope we can return to someday.

Just a little peek inside that drawer... I keep everything travel related here... the foreign plugs and adapters, the foreign money and store cards, etc - keeping the ones for each country in a separate wallet, suitcase scale, foreign cords, and all those things for each country.

Soon after the inauguration the Bernie meme hit the internet... I captured my favorite ones in this collage. It was a exciting Sunday when the Buffalo Bills were in the AFC championship game, which they sadly lost. We went for a long walk from the center of the city to the waterfront and back. I'm missing cities!!

I've got screenshots of some of the shows that have occupied the evenings (you must watch Lupin on Netflix if you love Paris! Be sure to watch it in French with English subtitles rather than dubbed in English.)

On a day when there isn't much happening here, I like to make a collage of screenshots like on the 26th. (I've started a new Instagram account where I keep the screenshots if you'd like to follow me there: debbygayes. It is a private account and if I don't recognize a follower, I may not grant permission - if you'd like to send me an email or leave a comment to be sure that I know you are a follower of mine, you can do that.)

On the 27th I even recorded a visit to the DMV - every venture out of the house is an adventure these days. LOL Even with the required appointment, I had to wait in line outside before it was my turn to enter. I didn't have the ID with me that I needed, so I had to go back home about ten miles and back and do it all over again later that day. Ugh!

I already blogged about redecorating the living room and dining room and recorded some of the process here.

I was so good about getting rid of lots of things - we took a trunk full to Goodwill. I included a photo of a page from a book that was good that someone posted about waiting on God, and the opening of the beautiful roses on my desk.

We enjoy Niagara Falls more than we ever have - it used to be that we only went there every few years when someone was visiting from out of town, but now we like to go and appreciate the beauty there.

It was finally the end of the longest month ever. There are 137 little photos in this book! It is a really good feeling of satisfaction to have another book done.

Yay, February!! A new book begun...

Pictures from a phone call with my sweetie pie on the first page and then screenshots from Groundhog's Day and the death of Captain Tom from the UK for the 2nd.

Photos from my walks for the next two days - it takes an effort to get out there in the cold and snow but wanting something for my pages gives me the kick to get out there.

I bought a hyacinth at Trader Joe's and it's filled my office with its lovely fragrance! It's the simple pleasures these days.

If you're interested in how I make the little collages and add titles and journaling to photos, you can take my iPhone technique class that you can read more about HERE. I also have another new iPhone technique class coming up in the beginning of March with tips about taking better photos and doing easy editing techniques to make them the best they can be. I love taking photos and sharing them and can't wait to share the techniques I use with everyone! That class is listed in my online store, too. You can choose the day that is best for you HERE.

A few kits with Zoom classes are in my online shop, too. Just one or two left of each one, so don't miss out, if you're interested.

I hope you're having a good week! Thanks for reading! Love, Debby xoxo

 

February 6 A Tour of Treasures

Last week I shared photos on Facebook of my knickknacks and treasures all out at one time as I cleaned and sorted and ended up giving a trunk load of things to Goodwill. I thought I'd share some of the process and thoughts in case it inspires someone to do the same thing!

Here's a wide view of the finished living room and dining room. It's small and cozy and, believe it or not, I got rid of a lot! (For minimalists, this still looks like too much, I'm sure!)

Here's one of the before/in process photos... I got out all the stuff I had in cupboards, on shelves in the basement, etc. and put it all out where I could see it at one time...

I've been a collector all my life - I love pretty things and used to go to garage sales, flea markets, and auctions regularly. I've collected tea pots and cups and saucers, pink and other pastel pottery, German, French, and English porcelain, alarm clocks...

Sunglow pottery and Hull pottery...

Cute baskets, globes, old letters and papers...

Buttons, dishes, sewing supplies...

And tons of old books and little Bibles... (I put a lot of the old books that were here and there around the house in a big pile and then separated them by color and size.)

I fussed and fixed things around for a day or two and then settled on this arrangement below for the shelves. I tried to find a photo of the "before" but couldn't find one but there is a lot less on the shelves than there was! I love making little vignettes and strive for the right balance in the overall look. For example, I used to have plates lined up all along the second row of shelves but now there are just two plates on the left side, so there aren't too many circle shapes in a row. There are several circles with the plates, the globe, and the little round suitcase, so I tried to get a balance of those. There are also a few things with black, so I spread those out, so no shelf looks too "heavy." My goal is that your eye would go from the top left and flow down to the bottom.

The things I love most about my treasures is that most of them have special meaning and memories of where I was or who I was with. Nothing is terribly valuable, so as things have gotten broken over the years, I was able to let it go.

On the shelf below I've got books, a little glass French bulldog, and a squirrel from the Paris flea market, hydrangeas from my yard, and one of the collection of baby paintings that I actually put away for now except this one.

This is the tacky travel souvenir shelf... I love my tiny snow globes and all... the tiny tea cup is from a flea market in Oslo, Norway - such a fun memory! Another favorite is the green plastic Statue of Liberty that I found in the bottom of a bin at the Bargain Barn.

I've never been able to find out if there is a name for this pottery - it only says Made in USA on the bottom or side, but I've collected several pieces of it over the years. I got these paintings at the Paris flea market, also. I've had the black sewing box for loads of years - I can't remember where I got it now - at a flea market somewhere!

I love having family photos on display... my Grandma always had that little glass pitcher on her side table and I played with it every time I went there when I was little, so I love having it now.

I've also collected pictures that have poems on them - two of them hang here along with the painting I got at the Paris flea market the last time I was there. They are all hanging with hot glue since they are very lightweight. The books are mine from when I was little and the Army guy Legos are from when Brandon was a medic in Iraq.

I treasure the little round suitcase that I got at Vignettes in Ocean Beach near San Diego... "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe"... and the little glass shoe that I found somewhere - probably at the Bargain Barn in Florida. I treasure my collection of old little Bibles - the oldest is signed from 1864 from a father to his daughter.

I always find the mantle a challenge... it's easy to have everything look like it's marching in a row. I think I need something taller at the left end - maybe some kind of topiary. I used to have one but can't find it now, so it must have been donated in another purge! LOL (Beau is sleeping on this chair which is unusual because his spot is on the couch!)

I finally put the little oil paint canvas in a frame that I got at the flea market in Rome, and now it's one of my favorite things. The turquoise basket had an old dried flower arrangement in it which I threw away and scrubbed the basket and now I love it on display.

I've had this long pink pottery vase/dish for a long time and never did anything with it, but now I've filled it with some cute stuffed things and added a delicate pink doily. I used to have stuffed things on display and had put them all away since they seemed too childish, but I decided to get them out since I have a granddaughter that will hopefully be coming to visit someday!

I have my grandparent's piano that I am keeping for my son to take someday when he has a home, but for now it's a place for me to have more stuff! I consolidated all the little vintage sewing supplies into a soup tureen that doesn't have a lid, but I've kept because I love the birds on the front. Sometimes a collection can have more impact when it's all in one place like this instead of scattered here and there. One of my favorite things is the spool of thread that still has a bit of tatting still attached - a very old work in progress!

I always have fun rearranging the scene inside the birdcage from Melrose Vintage - this time all treasures from Paris, except the flowers and the bird...

I put some Hull pottery on the china cupboard...

And I rearranged the doodads in the old glass front cupboard that hangs in the dining room.

I treasure the set of leather books on the top row and my little books from many countries on the bottom shelf...

The corner cupboard stayed pretty much the same - I got rid of most of the Japanese tea pieces that didn't have any meaning to me and kept the French, German, and Austrian pieces with pretty flowers that I like best. The cow creamer on the top shelf was my great-grandmother's and the bee plate was a sweet gift from friends on a NYC trip.

I love my tea cups and saucers and the books from the book shop in Galerie Viviene in Paris and the shell found in the sand out in the water in Florida...

Whew! That's a lot of stuff to love! I enjoy seeing other people's collections and how they display them, so I hope you've enjoyed this little tour. (By the way, the old suitcases at the end of the couch hold scrapbook papers and stickers that I'm saving for kids to play with someday. I love using vintage pieces like that for storage.)

Enjoy your weekend! We're in for the weekend, I think, since we're getting a lot of snow! Stay warm! Love, Debby xoxo

February 3 New Classes

I'm so excited to announce a new hand's on iPhone technique class that I'll be teaching live on Zoom on Saturday and Sunday, March 6 and 7. You can read all about it and sign up for the session that you prefer in my online shop HERE. This is my second iPhone technique class - you can also get the recording of the live Zoom class learning how to use photo apps to make collages and small size photos, etc. in the shop, too, if you missed that class, but it is not a prerequisite to this new class.

In this new class I'll be sharing what I've learned over the years to help me take better photos with my phone - they say that the best camera is the one that you have with you, and since we always have our phones with us, I want to take the best photos I can to capture the memories and beauty around me. The better photo that I take means the less editing I need to do to the photo, so better original photos are the goal, but almost every photo can use a little tweaking to make it the best that it can be. I'll be sharing the simple editing techniques that I use, and then also share some fun editing apps to use to mix in with your more traditional photos. I will be demonstrating all my tips and techniques on an iPhone, and while some of the basic principles will apply to any phone you might have, I won't be talking about editing on an Android phone.

About two weeks before class, you'll be sent a list of apps to have downloaded to your iPhone so that you can work alongside me and try each technique for yourself. If you can't attend the live Zoom class, you can still sign up for either day and receive the recording of the class for you to enjoy anytime. The place to sign up is HERE.

I also listed a brand new class that I recorded a Zoom class for - this is the album I taught in Greece on my retreat there last year. I had class kits set aside for my next retreat there, but since I don't know when that will happen again, I decided to record the step by step class and offer the kits to everyone. There are only six kits, so if you are interested, don't delay! The kit is huge for this beautiful album. There isn't anything that is specifically for Greece in the album, so you can change the title to anything you'd like. It's perfect for beach, tropical, or summer photos and mementos.

This week I also recorded the class session for two older kits - Sunkissed Memories and A Corner of My Heart. There are 6 kits for each of those classes also. Those kits are discounted but still come with the recording of the Keynote presentation showing each step to make the albums. You can find all this good stuff in my online shop... The Memory Bee. The link is always at the top of the right hand column if you want to come back to it later.

I've ordered all the new products for 5 new Zoom classes that will debut this spring after products arrive and the classes are designed. A new class with the Maggie Holmes collection Garden Party arrives in March - I ordered a huge amount of that collection to use in a beautiful new album. Another new class with the Simple Stories Safe Travel collection is arriving later this month, and the other new classes have products that arrive in April.

I hope you are staying safe and well and warm! Thank you for your friendship and support! Love, Debby xoxo