Stitching Postcards are a terrifically uncommon item from Uncommon Goods (go figure!) and a unique way to remember a special journey!  These postcards feature your choice of a map of the United States, Europe or the world, along with needle and thread.  A quick and simple sewing session turn the postcard into a frame worthy, one of a kind travel log.

Use these cards to stitch the routes taken, landmarks seen and memories made while traveling from city to city and country to country. (Stitching Postcards, set of 2 for $10)  This is a perfect gift for anyone with a big trip in their near future and also makes a nice teacher’s gift!   For more teacher’s gift ideas, see Terrific Teacher’s Gifts!

And please visit our fabulous Tip Sponsor, Cupcake Swirl!

Tip of the Week – A New and Easy Christmas Tradition!

Each year, when we bring home our Christmas tree, my husband saws an inch or so off of the trunk so that there is a fresh surface to absorb water in the tree stand.  These sawed off “tree circles” have ended up in our fireplace, but no more!  I recently came across a very simple and sentimental idea to turn those wooden “circles” into treasured ornaments!

Once the circle has been sawed from the tree trunk, wrap a thin length of wire around the disk and twist it into a loop on top for hanging.  Cover the wire by gluing ribbon, rick rack, faux greenery, pom poms or whatever fun trim you have handy, around the edge!  Document the year on one side with a permanent marker or paint and add a Christmas photo on the other side!  Voila – you’ll have a meaningful and sentimental record of Christmas 2008 and you can continue the tradition in the years to come!

Please visit our fabulous sponsor, Posh Party Box!  Currently all holiday gifts are 15% off and they are offering free shipping on all items.

You may also enjoy:

• Unique Christmas Problem Solvers
• Holiday Marketplace 2008
• Special Discounts from the Busy Bee Boutique
• Christmas Gift Guide 2008

Tip of the Week – How to Save Vacation Keepsakes!

After any vacation, it’s inevitable that we return with more than just photographs!  At the bottom of our suitcases, there will be room keys, brochures from attractions, ticket stubs, drink stirrers, sea shells and lots of other items that won’t fit into a traditional photo album.  And since this was my family’s “summer of adventures” (see Summer Adventures 2008), we ended the season with an especially large zip lock bag filled with odds and ends too special to toss!

Saving Our Memories

I decided to try a creative idea to solve the dilemma of saving those very special odds and ends. 

• Using a few plain, white paper sandwich bags, my youngest daughter and I labeled them with four highlights of our summer:  beach, concerts, pirates and a whale watch. 
• Annie decorated each bag with adorable drawings and I punched three holes in the same place on each bag – two at the base of the bag and one centered at the end. 
• We looped two loose leaf rings (from Staples) through the holes on the base to create a “book” and then filled each labeled bag with the appropriate souvenirs. 
• A cute ribbon threaded through the holes on the ends closed the bags and secured our keepsakes!

Colorful, condensed and cute all describe our finished product!  You can use this easy, low cost idea for any special trip or to capture memories from a school year, birthday or anniversary. 

And so, if your summer has left you with an assortment of mementos, give the paper bag plan a try!

P.S.  I got so caught up in thinking of ways to enjoy and display vacation souvenirs that another article was clearly in order!  For some additional ideas, head to Displaying and Enjoying Vacation Memories!

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Displaying and Enjoying Vacation Memories!

I’m part of a family that loves souvenirs and I often wonder if the gift shop isn’t why we went somewhere in the first place!  And in addition to the gift shop purchases, we also love to gather all sorts of other memorabilia – from shells, to rocks, to room keys and other fun items along the way.  In a recent Tip of the Week, Saving Vacation Keepsakes, I proposed one way to preserve these “treasures” using paper bags, but I also had a few other ideas that can turn your keepsakes into three dimensional scrap books!

Gather your memorabilia and choose from:

1. A Wooden Tray – line the bottom of the tray with maps, photos or post cards and cover with a piece of glass Plexiglas.  The tray then becomes the perfect place to display all sorts of little mementos.  (See exposures.com for a variety of memory trays including the tray pictured at top.)
2. A Glass Vase – repurpose a low, clear glass vase from flower arranger to memory keeper and stylishly corral all sorts of keepsakes. (click photo at right to enlarge)
3. A Glass Jar – a large, clear glass jar also works beautifully as a memory keeper!  Choose a size that suits the items you’ve collected and stow them inside.  A ribbon trim around the lid is the perfect finishing touch!

The best part about these ideas is the fact that all three can be used to display keepsakes until next summer, your next trip or your next adventure and the new treasures that your family has gathered along the way!

I love the notion of keeping happy times in the forefront of our busy everyday lives!  Give your souvenirs the royal treatment this year!

You may also enjoy:

• Creating a Family Memory Collection
• Creating Family Memory Collections II
• Saving Vacation Keepsakes
• Savoring Vacation Memories

Tags: save vacation souvenirs, keepsacks, memories, savoring, capturing, scrapbooking, recording, unique ways to save your vacation memories, saving vacation memories, clever, fun, unique

Tip of the Week – Create A Family Memory Tablecloth!

This Thursday when my family arrives at my home for Thanksgiving dinner, I will be starting a new tradition – a tablecloth of memories! To make a beautiful family memory tablecloth, have your guests sign their names to a large, plain white tablecloth with a washable ink pen*. After dinner is over and the company has gone home, stitch over the signatures with embroidery thread, preserving the names of loved ones for posterity! In the future, plan to add the names of friends and new family members as they sit around your dining room table at special get-togethers and celebrations!

After you’ve added everyone’s signatures, get creative! Consider phrases that memorialize special events like graduations, marriages, anniversaries, exciting trips and more! If this idea appeals to you as much as it does to me, it’s not too late to give it a try this Thanksgiving!

* I bought my washable pen at Michaels craft store. Pictured above is a white linen tablecloth from Pottery Barn.

Warmest Thanksgiving wishes to all of our Busy Bee readers! Here at Busy Bee Lifestyle we are very thankful for all of you!

You may also enjoy:

• Memory Collections
• Memory Collections II
• Displaying Kids’ Artwork
• Make the Most of Family Meal Times

Tags: making family memories, family memories, family tablecloth, memory tablecloth, beautiful tablecloth, beautiful memory tablecloth, how to create a beautiful family memory, creating beautiful family memories