Fan Mail Friday- June 20th, 2025

I too am the family keeper of things past, things that no one else wanted. I even have items from my former and now deceased husband’s family. I keep them because they are still part of my daughter’s heritage. I even have his grandfather’s portrait in a large gilt frame on an easel in my living room. Why no one from his family wanted them is beyond me. My mom was not one to keep a lot of things, but I have her old ceder chest, you know the kind that every young woman from the ‘40s had, and inside were the crude drawings that my daughter had sent to her when she was a kid. These were important for her to keep. I am the one who keeps all the old pics. I was very angry and upset, however, when my aunt died. She never married and was the keeper of all family items. I remember sitting with her one day looking at all the old pics and family documents, like citizenship papers, immigration papers, baptism forms, ration books from WW2 and letters that my dad sent home from the war. I asked her if I could have some of them and she replied that I knew where they were and when she died I could have them, but she wanted to hold on to them for the time being, not willing to part with her past. I understood that. However, she went on to live her final days in a nursing home, and when my cousin inherited her house she sold it with most of the contents included. Unfortunately, that included all those family keepsakes. She did not offer them to any of the cousins but instead let the guy who bought her house keep them. He fancies himself as a “historian” and wanted to keep them. He may be a historian, but I feel he stole MY family history. I even offered to buy them, but he refused. It isn’t like my family was rich or famous or historically relevant, why would he want to keep it. And why would my cousin not offer it to anyone else in the family? My aunt is probably rolling over in her grave at this point to know what happened. I say to everyone out there, don’t assume these items will go to family when you die, specify who you want to have them or give them away while you are still alive. Don’t assume your heirs will do the right thing. So much of my family history has been lost because of it. One time when my granddaughter was walking home from school with her mom they passed by a house being renovated. In front of the house was a trash can that was overflowing with all kinds of papers and pictures. The man who had lived in the house had died and all of his things were tossed. She was only maybe six years old, and she started crying, why would family just toss out all of his memories? She actually had her mom walk her back to the site and retrieve some of the items, which she passed on a lot to me. None of us knew this man, but there were family pictures, albums from his college days, clippings, etc. I guess some of us are more sentimental than others. This same granddaughter, who just graduated from high school, has kept every card I have made and sent her. Hopefully there are still some people who value these ephemeral memories.

What generosity to receive such a treasured gift of the antique cards and postcards from the past. I was in awl of their beauty and design from a truly beautiful person who is a valued griffinite in our community of the love of Anna’s amazing products. We are all like minded in our creativity and the joy it produces in us when we still can enjoy things of the past made new . What a blessing for sure in this FMF ,

I enjoyed seeing the gatefold and flip cards. I need to pull out my dies and use them. The archive items are truly beautiful!

WOW…I was deeply impressed listening to you Anna, as you showed the antique treasures & keepsakes of pictures, cards and postcards passed on to you for appreciation and safe-keeping. It brought back memories as a little girl, sitting on saggy old dark red velvet couch in an upstairs bedroom at my grandmothers house, looking at a scrapbook my mother and & her sister put together. It was full of beautiful pictures of every sort, clipped and pasted on the pages (non archival safe) of a huge scrapbook tied together with cording.
I can vividly remember many of the illustrated lovely flowers, birds, bird baths in pretty gardens, horses, bunnies, kittens, puppies, beautiful women in colorful flowing dresses, styles of the 1930’s-40’s. All these pictures were painted, of course and cut out of magazines. They were breathtaking & marvelous! Anna thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and true feelings about other peoples treasures passed along to you knowing you would appreciate all of it.

I love the word MAGNIFICENT to describe Deb’s family’s collection’s (treasures) that she has passed to you Anna. Gosh I know there is a lot of us Griffinites that would love to come over sit on your pouch and drink some tea and spend hours looking at these together. One of the reasons I feel we love your products is because WE also love these old things!!!!
Today’s Fan Mail is STUNNING thanks for the ideas.