Category Archives: step 1: decide

step one of the DOABLE approach to telling your family’s tales

Gift Idea #15 – Family Puzzle

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idea numbers15I got the idea for this gift from a magazine article on family unity.

“My wife and I prepared an object lesson for our children on the importance of family unity by creating a puzzle. I found a current family picture that I then copied and cut into puzzle pieces. I made sure each piece included the face of one family member. Before the lesson I prepared a few thoughts on each person—the things that made him or her unique and special to our family.”

This idea inspired me to think how much fun it would be to do the same thing with an old family photo and have stories about the people on the puzzle piece so that everyone in the family can get to know their extended family members or ancestors better.

You can make your own puzzle or there are many online sources for making custom puzzles from your photos. Of those I looked at PortraitPuzzles.com seems the most compatible to this idea because they have puzzles options with only a few pieces. One way to adapt the idea would be to write numbers on the back of the puzzle pieces and write the stories on a piece of paper with the corresponding number.

Portrait Puzzles

Photo Puzzles

Custom Puzzles

 

 

Gift Idea #14 – Memory Quilt or Pillow

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idea numbers14I have contemplated making a memory quilt for my mom’s ninetieth birthday coming up in a few months. There are a few different basic approaches to a memory quilt. I think the most common is to use fabric from the person’s clothing to make the quilt blocks. Another way is to have photos transferred to fabric and use those in the quilt blocks. A third way in my mind is to choose block patterns that are symbolic of the person the quilt honors.

I think it would be neat to join all three of these into one quilt. Depending on the circumstances you might not have clothing or photos from an ancestor. But you could still create a memory quilt. I can imagine a quilt with blocks that help to tell the story of the ancestors life. It would be neat to cuddled up with a child or grandchild in the memory quilt and share stories about their family.

A quilt could also serve to remember several family members. Or to make the project smaller a pillow could be put together instead of an entire quilt. Adapt this idea to your needs and circumstances. You don’t even have to know how to sew. There are quilters who are willing an able to put your project together for you. Below are a few links with ideas on what others have done for memory quilts.

Memory Quilt

Custom Memory Quilts

Pictures of Memory Quilts

Gift Idea #13 – A Family Tree

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A beautiful family tree or pedigree chart would make a wonderful gift for any member of your family. There are so many, many ways to do a family tree. I did a post about pedigree charts last summer that shows a few options. Some are very simple with and others are very elaborate works of art. You can make your own from scratch or there are lots of options for customized charts. Minted.com has more than a dozen Custom Family Tree Art options. A search of “custom family tree” on Etsy.com comes up with more than 4,000 items. I never dreamed there were so many family tree styles out there. One summer not too long ago I drew a couple of family trees for my mother and my mother-in-law. I’ll have to find those on my computer and write a post about them sometime. You have two options. Create something yourself or pick one of the customizable options out there. If you enjoy drawing or crafting I’d suggest doing something on your own. Look at the options out there and let them be your inspiration.

 

 

Gift Idea #12 – Ancestral Greeting Card

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How about using an old family photo with your family by using it in a Christmas card. I’ve never been too good about sending out traditional holiday cards every year but I think that I’ll add an e-card to this years family directory and send it out for Christmas. I could also use it on the calendar I’m making to give to my family this year. It only seems fitting to use the image I have of Mary Taylor this year with all the things I’ve done to learn more about her. I think I’ll include a very short bio on the back of the card. I’ll post it here when I get it done over the next few days.

There are lots of resources both local and on the internet to help you put together a custom card featuring one of your ancestors. I find another blog post on Making an Ancestral Greeting Card here.

 

 

Gift Idea #11 – Family Cookbook

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What could be better than a cookbook full of all of your family‘s favorite recipes? This is another project that is on my to-do list for some future date.

A family cookbook could be a simple project such as a binder with just a few recipes to start or even a recipe box. These two ideas have the advantage the ability to start small and add to them in the future. The could even be started with the intention that when the collection of recipes is large enough to put them into a printed book.

On the other end of the scale would be a beautifully bound book with photos of the recipes and the stories behind these family favorites. Or do an enhanced ebook with videos about the recipes and their stories. Which ever direction you decide to take this project it is bound to bring up treasured memories and give new opportunities to make new memories all centered around families and good food.

Here are a few links for sites that can help you get a family cookbook put together.

Make a Family Cookbook

Cookbook Software

G&R Publishing

Heritage Cookbook

Family Cookbook Binders

Family Cookbooks

 

 

 

 

Gift Idea #10 – Family Time Capsule

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I think putting together a time capsule for your family would be a fun gift. I want to do one for my 50th birthday and I’m planning to do it at the end of the year. I was amazed at how much information there is on the internet on how to do a time capsule. Some are very simple and doable and some are very extensive and serious in making sure everything is well-preserved. So this project is very adaptable to you and your families needs and desires. This could easily become a yearly family tradition. What you put in the time capsule is up to you. It could be things from today or things that connect you and your family to the past.

Creating a Family Time Capsule

How to Make a Family Time Capsule

Making a Family Time Capsule

Family Time Caspule

Setting up a Time Capsule

 

 

 

Gift Idea #9 – Write a Song

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If you have the desire and/or the talent writing a song about your family or an ancestor would be a powerful gift to give your loved ones. Music is so amazing in its ability to tell a story, share emotions and connect people. I love music but I’ve never tried to write a song. I hope that one day I will be inspired to take on a project like that.

Below are two videos about a woman who, after searching and finding her great grandmother Emma, is inspired to write a beautiful song about her experience. The first video is only about 5 minutes long and the second one, an episode of BYUtv’s The Generations Project, follows her in more detail on her journey. It ends with her singing the song she wrote to honor Emma.

Searching for Emma

The Generations Project – Maile

Gift Idea #8 – Family Directory

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My family has had a directory for many years now. My mom was in charge of keeping it up to date until her eye sight got too bad, then my aunt took over. About a year ago the task was passed on to me. If your family doesn’t have an official directory it would be a great gift to put all the contact information for your family in one spot.

There are lots of ways to handle this. My mom and aunt used a word processor and periodically printed out copies to share. This works but it can be hard to keep the formatting consistent. I think a spread sheet might work better. When I took over the job I decided to transfer all the information to Microsoft Outlook and use the tools under contacts to manage all the information. The family knows to let me know if there are changes. If someone needs an up to date list for a wedding or such I can give them the latest information. Once a year in January, I email out the family directory in a pdf format and as an exported data file from Outlook. This way it isn’t too hard to keep things organized and accurate.

A printed out in a half sheet booklet form would also be a great way to share it with family. If you really wanted to get fancy it would be fun to collect photos from each family or person to include in the directory. I’m sure there are ways to put together and manage a family directory that I haven’t though of yet, If you have a suggestion let me know and I’ll include it here. A directory is a great way to help keep extended family in touch with each other. Isn’t that what family is all about? Making and keeping those bonds and connections strong.

I found this page on eHow for making a family directory that might be helpful:

How to Make a Family Directory

 

Gift Idea #7 – Children’s Story Book

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If you have followed my blog you know how excited I am about the illustrated children’s story book we are working on about my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor. Even though we won’t have this project finished for Christmas it would make a great gift. (Our deadline is actually for my mom’s 90th birthday in March.) With the Mary book I try to imagine it being used as a bed time story for Mary’s many descendants.

Do you have a family story that would lend itself to a story with illustrations? The pictures could be simple drawings or you could set up a photo shoot and have “actors” dress up to illustrate the story. The text doesn’t have to be complicated or long, the illustrations will help tell the story. Publishing could be as simple as printing it on your computer and/or taking it to your local copy center to make copies and have it bound. Of course a print on demand service such as Blurb or Lulu would also work. I think this project would be a perfect way to share one of your family stories with the next generation. Plus I think that even the older members of your family will take the time to read a short illustrated story when they would never take the time to read a long family history book.

Gift Idea #6 – Old Family Letters

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A project I would like to do in the future as a gift to my extended family has to do with the love letters my grandparents wrote to each other before they got married. I’d like to transcribe them but also scan them so that everyone could see what the originals looked like but also make it easier to read them.

This project could be easily shared on a cd or dvd. But it would also be nice in a book format with the image of the letter on one page and the transcription on the facing page. I think reading these old letters would help today’s generation have a whole new understanding of their great-grandparents.

You could do the same thing with letters from a family member while away at school or war or some other common theme for a series of correspondences.