Collections: vintage buttons

Until recently, every lady owned a sewing machine, a large assortment of thread and a vast collection of buttons and fabrics. For this reason, a visit to an estate sale or antique mall will likely yield at least one collection of vintage buttons. For those who appreciate pretty treasures from the past, buttons make good collectibles because they are inexpensive, small and unique. Plus, they can be used to decorate jewelry, clothing and even handmade cards! My collection belonged to Joan and my great-grandmother, Elsie, and I display them in a crystal candy dish where I enjoy them every day. They clearly spent their past lives donning jazzy suits, baby clothes and other lovely garments. The colors and details are just perfect, and each one is a family heirloom in its own right.

Do you have any vintage buttons in your possession? Did they belong to family members or did you find them on an antiquing treasure hunt?

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Remembering Joan's 80th Birthday

As I planned this post, I turned to one of my moleskin notebooks where I keep personal thoughts, dreams, quotes, magazine clippings and cherished family mementos and photos. As I flipped through the first notebook in search of a photo, I found and reread the letter Joan wrote to me on May 24, 2002, the day of my high school graduation. I have carried it around for the past ten years, and although I have reread it many times, I hadn't read it since I started this new chapter in my life and career.

When family, friends or complete strangers ask me about Gerald & Joan, I often find myself either tongue-tied or describing it in general, somewhat boring, terms.

This letter shares the mission of Gerald & Joan so perfectly. Gerald & Joan is about family, heritage and telling stories. It's where the past, present and future come together. It's about preserving memories for future generations, focusing on the simple pleasures in life and treasuring every moment along the way. Gerald & Joan is a delicious but healthy recipe, a sweet card or invitation and a passage on an inspiring website. It's your grandmother's china, a favorite book, a getaway to pretty destination and a gathering with family and friends. It makes you smile and occasionally shed a happy tear. It's nostalgic, timeless and it feels like home.

My dearest Crystel, my sweet granddaughter,

Graduation is your first big milestone. You are a young, beautiful lady now. From the first moment I saw you, such a beautiful baby, with crystal blue eyes you could just drop into, you stole my heart. 

As strange as it was, in a crowded airport and noisy, after a long trip from England, Mommy laid you in my arms. I cried tears of joy and hugged you so tight. You never cried, just looked at me with the confidence of an angel, as if to say, "I know you. That's my Grandma who loves me." 

I am so very proud of you today as I have been all your life. I know you have the strength and determination to get through any task that may be ahead for you.

Life is not always easy, yet I have faith in you to meet it head on and rise to the challenge.

Your Great Great Grandma gave me this silver dollar when I was just a little girl. Now I am passing it on to you. Not because it is an old dollar, but because of all the love it holds for me inside, for you and my Grandma. She was a very special, loving person like you -- a proud and strong and loyal person who was caring to others and had faith in God which helped her in many ways through her long and happy life.

I want you to have a wonderful life, and I know these qualities are you, as the two of you do have so much in common. Her name you share, link you together.

When you look at this dollar, I want you to remember all the people around you who love you and angels above that will always watch over you...Besides you will never be broke. 

I will always be one of those that love you dearly and will always watch over you.

Lovingly,

Grandma

Happy Birthday, my sweet grandma.

Family Stories: Clovis D. Geno

For the latest installment of family stories, Jonathan's sister, Julie, tells the story of their maternal grandfather, Clovis D. Geno.

Clovis was born on October 3, 1914 and died on September 11, 1977. He grew up in Tippah County in Mississippi. He had a brother, Vonnie, a half-brother, Frank, and three half-sisters, Lottie, Alice and Ira.

Not much is known about my grandfather's first marriage, except that he had two sons, Franklin and Jerry, who died of pneumonia when they were both one year old, in 1944 and 1948. Clovis also had one daughter, Evelyn, before his marriage ended in divorce. He later married my grandmother, Arletta Barnes Davis.

My grandmother's first husband died in a car crash in 1956, leaving her alone in Joliet, Illinois with seven children. She moved back to Prentiss County, Mississippi and took a job at Marathon Cheese Corporation. My grandfather worked at Kraft Cheese and brought cheese to Marathon for packaging. He courted my grandmother for a short time before they married. My mother was born a year and a half later in 1959.

My grandfather loved his stepchildren like they were his own. He was very proud of his family, and he worked very hard to be a good provider for them. He made sure all nine of his children had everything they needed, and he made sure they all knew how much he loved them.

Clovis' death from a massive heart attack came as a terrible shock to his family, because he had not had any symptoms. On the day he died, he had been playing horsey in the floor with one of his grandchildren. He had been so happy and full of life. My mother said he died happy, with family by his side and on his mind.

Do you have a family story you'd like to share on the blog? Contact us here.

sneak peek: cottage living

For five and a half years, Jonathan and I lived in a sweet mid-century modest cottage. We fell in love with our little home the very first time we laid eyes on it. Everything about it was charming. While it wasn't perfect when we moved in, we were okay with that. We loved adding our touches over time, while working hard to preserve the 60-year-old cottage feel. I don't think we realized how truly charming it was until we listed it for sale at the beginning of July. When I saw the photos of our house on the Internet for the first time, I cried. There was our perfect little cottage, the keeper of our treasures and memories. We arrived here as wide-eyed newlyweds with our cat, and we're leaving with almost six years of marriage under our belts, our cat, our dog and even bigger dreams for the future.

I'm writing this post two weeks before it's actually scheduled, so I'm still in our little cottage. Mountains of boxes surround me, and the process of moving begins tomorrow. I know the tears will come soon.

A sixty-three-year-old house comes with so much history. Five and a half years is such a brief time in the grand scheme of things, and yet I feel that we've left our mark on it -- the roses are blooming, the new windows open wide, the deck welcomes friends and the white paint is so fresh and bright. Yes, it feels like home to us, and it will feel like home to the new owners.

They will add new memories and treasures to the next chapter of the little cottage we once called home.

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