Wednesday 17 September 2014

Precious Things



Thank you for all the comments on my previous post. I love reading about what other people are up to and what their plans are (and I also love knowing I'm not the only September enthusiast out there)...

I mentioned a new little project: a collaboration between myself and some lovely fellow bloggers. It's called Precious Things. Allow me to explain the idea behind it...

I've often read interviews in magazines where that ubiquitous question pops up. You know, the one about what you'd save if the house was burning down. Well, with the exception of all living things, my camera, my new hard drive (which Royal Mail are now a week late in delivering) and perhaps a bottle of gin to calm the nerves, there are lots of little treasures which hold special meaning to me and which I'd hate to lose.

These things are not necessarily valuable in terms of financial merit but they're worth a whole lot more in terms of the memories they hold.

Mitenska is my special place where a particular blend of emotions, ideas and, I suppose, ramblings come together to form a whole. There's definitely some nostalgia in there. Bits of stories, things I remember from childhood. Inherited wisdom. Mental snapshots of people and places and experiences.

So it made sense to me to start a series looking at some of these little treasures, these precious things. And to think about what makes them so important.

Precious Things can take many forms: inherited jewellery, postcards, gifts from your children. Maybe a little something you bought with your first ever pay cheque, or a find you unearthed at a flea market - something where you have to imagine the life it had before you came along.


For my first post then, a few little treasures brought back from a long weekend in Prague.

When travelling (how cosmopolitan that sounds. The reality these days is that we don't stray far at all) I always like to find a souvenir or two. These souvenirs tend to be something for the house. And I'm a sucker for a vase, I really am.

So: these two treasures, procured from Golden Lane (which runs alongside Prague Castle). Both caught my eye for entirely different reasons; the heavy vase in splashy, monochrome Czech glass because of it's shape and size and my knowing it would look perfect on the bookcase. The little bookmark was just sweet and unusual, and that perfect mix of form and functionality. I still use it now, years later.

These souvenirs aren't just things I look at and use. They evoke memories of an icy city in March; of cold beer and horseradish dumplings and bookshops. And that's what makes them part of my collection of Precious Things.

*********************************************************************************

Please look out for my fellow blogger's posts on their Precious Things:


And as I get things a little bit more organised we should hopefully be posting simultaneously and with a guest post each month. 

20 comments:

  1. Lovely things, the bookmark is clever and unusual. I love things that take you straight back to the place you first found them, the sights, the sounds, the smells. They have a little magic about them I think. I shall look forward to following your series. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks CJ - I'm looking forward to reading what the others choose too. Always interesting to see what people treasure and why...
      S x

      Delete
  2. What a wonderful idea, I am captivated by this! I can think of lots of things that have meaning attached to them and it's fun to explore why. I am very attached a set of pink Russian dolls I bought in Prague about ten years ago - I still love them now.

    Are you a Tori Amos fan? Your post title reminded me of her song of the same name. on her first album.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gillian!

      I don't have anything by Tori Amos. I've always been a bit of a punk and rock music type... I do have a set of Russian dolls though. Joe adores them (although I don't let him play with them unattended as I'm convinced he'll swallow the tiniest one!)

      Don't be surprised if you're invited to guest post on this one at some point. All the lovely people in our blogging circle will be getting a knock on their virtual doors, I suspect :)

      S x

      Delete
  3. Gorgeous. My post will be up soon. Thanks for asking me to join in.
    Leanne xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! Looking forward to reading it - such a personal thing and it's going to be really fun to see what people choose and why.

      S x

      Delete
  4. What a lovely idea. I have a 'treasure box' in which I keep things mainly saved from when my daughters were small, such as little drawings they did or their first shoes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, my mum kept a little pill box with some of my milk teeth in it and a curl of my hair. The teeth are a bit gruesome-looking to be honest but I know I'll do the same with Joe. And yes, those first shoes - so sweet.

      Delete
  5. what a lovely idea for a collaberative project xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It's something we can all relate to and hopefully it'll get people thinking about the little things they treasure the most... x

      Delete
  6. What a lovely idea! I look forward to reading many more posts about your treasure. Cx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christina! Again, I'll probably come calling before too long if you'd consider writing a guest post for the series :)
      S x

      Delete
  7. I have a few precious things, yes. I think my precious things often look like junk to other people, but that's okay. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good thing! I love how all these things have meanings... like people, it's what's on the inside that counts :)

      Delete
  8. What a wonderful idea. So many things can hold wonderful memories :). I too have kept a memory box for each of my children to give to them when they are older.

    I love your bookmark, I something similar which I was given by friends for my birthday a few years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is such a good project. Despite serious attempts to declutter here, I hang on to so much, even stuff that's broken. I think my problem, and maybe it's the same for other people, is I associate things with people - the person who gave it, the person who once owned it or wore it, the person who made it. Also, I do what you do which is treat myself to something as a reminder of a holiday or a place visited. It all makes for a lot of precious things!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a lovely idea, it calls to the inner hoarder in me. Splendid how items can hold such an array of emotions isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try not to hoard (my brother has a serious problem with it - as in, his house is virtually impossible to move around in) but there are some things I really struggle to resist. So I have a few 'collections' and several items which are just full of memories and sentiment... I could never let them go.

      Delete
  11. What a really lovely post Sarah. Thanks so much for including me. I've loved writing my post and am excited for this project. Bee xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you so much for asking me to join in Sarah. I love reading the others' posts too and have even manged to get mine posted! My first item also brings back memories from travel too.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...