Today Gary showed me this, what appeared to be a bundle of papers tied up with yarn, didn't have a clue at first glance what it was. Well, what a treat it is! His aunt passed away in January, and we inherited her recipes, all glued into handmade books that she had made! The covers were mostly cereal boxes, flattened out, then filled recipes she had taped or glued onto the pages which consisted of everything from more cereal boxes, to paper bags, junk mail, or large envelopes that mail had arrived in. Nothing was wasted in her house!
Each one is neatly labeled, one was even made using an old shirt box for the covers, and all sewn together with bits of yarn into the holes she had punched into these pages. I remember Katie once talking on her blog about how her Mom, and now Katie herself, saved cereal boxes and any other box that they got their hands on-now I really know why! This is the type of thing that could so easily have been thrown away, and in reality is such a treasure. Sometimes, (ok, most times) I get so hung up on doing things "right" and trying to get it as close to perfect as I'm capable of, that it takes some of the joy out of creating go flying right out the window. This is such a perfect example of a straightforward approach of getting the job done, making it functional, using materials at hand, and not stressing out about it. It wasn't made to stand the test of time, or win a prize, or to question the ability of the skill level needed to create this. Instead it was done to serve a purpose, has such great character, this is so much better, perfect in fact! I never could get any of her recipes to turn out right, maybe now I can:)
This was just too sweet to not share, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! I ran into a blog post on Beth's blog today, asking her readers to send her suggestions of pictures they'd like to see her take today. I'd like to ask my readers to find a treasure in their house, old or new, that they'd like to share-like I just did with the cookbooks. Take a picture, post it, and tell us what makes it special to you. If you don't have a blog, just leave a comment to tell me, and if you do have a blog leave a comment with the link so I can go see. This could be fun! And don't forget to go over to Beth's and give her some ideas!
I had my mom's main cookbook until last year - water leaked where it sat and it got ruined. I saved the banana bread page and a few jottings in her hand (she's been one for 32 years now)...it was SUCH a loss! Lucky you - this is wonderful! on so very many levels.
Posted by: tammy vitale | March 29, 2009 at 09:01 AM
Talk about an amazing "found object" and an original "altered book." Thanks for sharing it!
Posted by: Seth | March 29, 2009 at 10:41 AM
this is great sue - and to see the cereals that she most liked, such a history.
Posted by: katie | March 29, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Wow, what a treasure to find... That is amazing. You will have to share a few recipes with us when you have time...
Posted by: Kathleen | April 01, 2009 at 02:47 PM
Lucky you...an altered book and cherished family recipes! Kim
Posted by: Kim Cataldo | April 01, 2009 at 06:33 PM
What a treasure!
You should copy the pages and turn it into a real cookbook!
Posted by: Maija Lepore | April 02, 2009 at 12:15 PM
How thoughtful of hubby. What a special package - bet there are so many stories to each recipe there.
Posted by: Judy Wilkenfeld | April 03, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Holy Moly what treasures!!!!
Posted by: Kris | April 05, 2009 at 09:54 PM