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......... to make the present even more special!

March is Women’s History Month: a time for celebrating women’s heritage and inspiring stories. Women have always had a role in keeping the history of their families and communities alive, through storytelling, handing down recipes, and keeping family treasures safe. This month, why not highlight the classic and timeless heirlooms, comforting recipes and traditions that enrich our lives and homes today by framing those from the past?

Embrace timeless décor traditions and use them as inspiration in your home!  If some of your heirlooms and mementoes don’t have a place of honor in your current décor and you’d like them to, stop in and we’ll offer some fresh ideas for incorporating them.

• Revisit Your Heirlooms: open up boxes, scour the attic and explore the basement to discover what treasures you have that could be displayed from times gone by.
  
• Handmade Beauty: Whether handmade by a family member or given as a gift, textile treasures can add personal detail to your rooms. Family monograms or crests, embroideries, cross-stitch and quilts can all tell a story about the time period, the person who made them and the people they were made for. Sometimes these items can be fragile, especially if they’ve been passed down and are well loved. Try framing textile treasures behind glass or in shadowboxes so you can prevent them from being damaged, while still enjoying their beauty. Be sure to frame textiles with conservation UV protective glazing to help prevent fading.
  Precious Metals: Display ornate or decorative family silverware sets or baby spoon collections in a unique way by picking a few special pieces to frame.
  
• Family Silhouettes:The art of paper cut silhouettes originated in Europe in the early 1700’s. Skilled artists would capture their subjects in profile by cutting their portraits in black paper by hand. Through the years they’ve become cherished collectibles and highly personal works of art. Even though they contain no colors or shading, they can beautifully show off the unique and intimate details of a person’s face. Many people no longer cut silhouettes freehand as digital cameras make this timeless art much easier. You can use this modern technique to create your own special family portraits. If you already have silhouettes of parents or grandparents, try mixing them in with your new family portraits. Create a modern family tree by arranging framed silhouettes on a wall with grandparents at the top and successive generations below them. Try a free-form arrangement or make a geometric shape with your framed family artwork.
  

Whether you hang onto treasures from the past or focus on creating heirlooms for the future, pay attention to those special items that bring history and meaning into your home.