Spring cleaning always comes four months early in my household. Every January, I love to sit down and sift through piles of papers, drawers, and closets. I just can’t hit the reset button at the start of a new year, or a new decade, without sorting out my past first. Each time I do this, I inevitably wind up reminiscing about a photo, button, drawing, or old camp letter that instantly sends me back to a moment in time when my kids, now adults, were little.
“Can’t wait to see you, Mommy and Daddy, on visiting day! Love Laura,” reads one short camp letter I found stuck behind my bulletin board. It was scribbled in the most hysterical kid handwriting on a piece of paper with a little dog on it. I love that note. I carefully tacked it up on my bulletin board, where I keep all other wonderful notes from clients, family, and friends.
I’ve made it a point in my life to enjoy many of my kids’ projects and notes, like Laura’s letter, on a daily basis. I did this by scattering their artistic pieces throughout our home. Some of their drawings and paintings are framed and hanging in our hallway. A few white bowls they handmade are mixed in with my white pottery collection. A plexigrass frame containing our family photo that my other daughter, Danielle, made using ribbons and glitter, leans on my bathroom vanity, where I can look at it every single day.
On my studio desk, where I’m sitting right now and typing this, I have three ceramic bowls—one is orange, the other green, and the third is orange and green! They hold pennies, a tape measure, thumb tacks, paper clips and other special little things I have accumulated over the years. These little bowls are so important to me and hold so many memories, both literally and figuratively. I can’t think of a better spot to store my memories than in pieces of art my children carefully crafted for me, their mom.
How do you live with your kids’ masterpieces? Share your decorating secrets with us below and, perhaps, we can inspire each other to find new ways to enjoy these meaningful things more often.
xox,
M
P.S. We have an interesting mix of stories lined up for you this week, including a look at an extraordinary collection of samplers (have you ever heard of these 18th and 19th century swaths of fabric?) in Piece by Piece, and a story about the history of turntablism (the art of moving a record back and forth to create a unique sound) in our Music column.
Also, great news: We’ve decided to bring back last fall’s necklace giveaway starting this week through Valentine’s Day. Every week, one lucky reader will win a Sterling Silver “Love” Fob Necklace. Simply sign up for our weekly e-mail newsletter to enter your name in the random drawing. Good luck!!
Published on January 11, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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