More Treasures from the Past

I'm still digging through my childhood junk mementos that my Mom sent home with me after a visit a few weeks ago.  The latest boxes had lots of letters from family and friends that I got thoughout my high school and college days. (Remember when people wrote actual letters?)  It was so nice to relive those moments from their lives all over again.   I also found one or two things to share that are actually decor related!

First up, a piece of the wallpaper selected by me and installed by my mother when I redecorated my room at the age of 12. (so sorry about the lo-fi quality of the iphone pics!)

I loved this paper with it's delicate blue flowers on a twisting vine with pale pink pinstripes and gold dots.  How could it not be awesome.  Seriously, considering it was selected by a 12 yr. old during the 1980s I think it's a pretty nice choice.

In general, I've always thought it was a bad idea to do any major decorating at such a pivotal age. To paraphrase Brittany Spears (I can't believe I just typed that, ugh) "I'm not at girl, not yet a teenager."  I was more than ready for more of a room that looked like me but I also decorated every surface and wall with teddy bears.  By the age of 15 I was BEGGING my mom to get rid of the dainty wallpaper and all those teddy bears.  I have some of those bears in a box downstairs if you really need proof.

I also found these ceramic book ends, made by my next door neighbor and gifted to me around the same time as the wallpaper and all those bears.

They're keepers, right?  I think i like them.  I don't know where they're going to live but I'll find somewhere, eventually. 

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

Just hum a little Boyz II Men while you follow along...Now that my Parents are moving I've had to take possession of a trunks worth of my childhood.    It's all memorabilia of from my early life.  The stuff that the Parents lovingly saved (report cards, kindergarten papers, awards, etc) but not something that I need to or should hang onto for the shrine of Me.  Basically I was happy to know that it all existed but I don't want it at my house!  Last night I made it through the first of several boxes.  Almost all of it will go to recycling but there are a few things that made me laugh/cry and I thought I'd share.

Here I've signed my name to the top of a paper brought home from Kindergarten.

I'm left handed and when I first started writing I wrote from right to left, completely mirrored.  In fact I can still write like that today without a lot of thought. 

Here I am practicing writing my name.  Apparently I also liked to practice writing my sister's name (Alison) as well.  I have her name written all over lots of my papers.

I found my Cabbage Patch dolls' birth certificates.  I had erased their given names and had given them my own.  (Cleveland Yves became Chad Ryan because it was 1985. I feel like it's 1985 just reading that again.  And Callie Calli became Kelly Calli for awhile) But at some point I decided to go back to their original names and had rewritten them back in pencil, including a heart over the i.

The dress I wore while performing 'Tomorrow' from 'Annie' in the school talent show from 4th grade was wadded up in the bottom of the box next to my ribbon for first place.  My Mama made that dress for me.  I loved it.  It's a shame I can't even come close to wearing it now.  I'd still rock it if I could in some way.

Apparently I've been drawing floorplans for my entire life.  I think I was around 12 years old in this one.

 Clearly this was long before I learned anything about scale and proportion.  But I had a vision then and I could see every detail in my head.

But my favorite thing by far in the box was this handmade Christmas card from my sister, sometime during our elementary school days.

I think this sums it up for both of us even now.  She's still my best bud(d)y even though we're sisters and I love her very much.