A Great Time To Be Making Memories

by Julie Pinnell June 11, 2020

A GREAT TIME TO BE MAKING MEMORIES

With many of us currently in ‘lockdown’, we are spending unusual amounts of time with family members, or in regular contact with them, even if not in person.

This can be both a blessing and a curse but with families normally spread out across the country - even worldwide in some cases – those days of sitting around having a chat and sharing stories face to face have all but disappeared. And so many of us usually live life at such a pace, we are often too busy to record anything, so lots of our family stories are being lost. This enforced time of isolation might well be a great time to do something about that.

Why not use the time to record some stories of your life? It’s SO important for future generations and also great for you. Studies have shown that people who write about their experiences have fewer illnesses and more positive moods. Why? Writing down events, happy and sad, can help you to work through them, allowing you to reflect on things you can be grateful for and letting go of those things that you found difficult. This can be done through a number of online sites, by using scrapbooking techniques or just writing down those memories – after all, handwriting is very evocative – much more so than a typed page or online document.

And of course, nothing could be a more thoughtful and original present than a personalised history of someone in your family. Just imagine stumbling across your great-grandfather’s diary… how exciting would that be? You can bet that it wouldn’t matter how it was written. What would matter was that HE wrote it and it contained his thoughts, feelings and day-to-day life. I’d guess you would devour every word and probably end up feeling much closer to him than you ever imagined was possible.

But of course memories are about much more than just words – fragrances are known to be one of the most long lasting memories; photographs; video clips; voice recordings and actual items are all wonderful at conjuring up an image of a person or time gone by.

But which of these will last? Archive ink is rarely used nowadays but the ink in a standard ballpoint pen is unlikely to last more than 20-30 years. Old photos stored in photo albums can be great to look at but it is crucial to handle any old photographs with care because the acid and moisture naturally found on your fingertips can do untold damage to the photo itself. And those old sticky page albums will strip the ink off the photo is lifted up after any length of time. Video players are now becoming obsolete, like the old cine and Super 8 films before them.

So what can you do?

Whilst living in Woking as a new mum, Julie created the ideal way to make sure that your family stories can be written down safely for future generations – her range of Memories books are printed on archive paper which means they will stand the test of time and come with a free archive pen to make sure that anything written won’t just fade away.

The easy-to-complete journals also come with a money-back guarantee and have over 200 questions to prompt memories, followed by space for handwritten answers. The pages have charming line illustrations and there’s also room for photographs to be attached. The value of these completed books is priceless- each one become a unique record of family life for future generations to treasure.

Julie Pinnell dreamed up the idea of her Memories Books while pregnant with her first child at the age of 39. “I had lost all my grandparents by my teens and it came home to me, becoming a mother at a relatively late age, that my own children might not have much time with their grandparents. I wanted them to have a sense of family and to really know their grandparents – through their words and memories as well as face to face.”

What sets Julie’s business apart is that she is personally involved. People who buy her Memories books email Julie to tell her what a difference they’ve made to their lives and Julie responds to everyone. Many of the stories bring a lump to her throat; including those who’ve found completed books when sorting through their relative’s belongings, or the couples who’ve learnt more about each other by filling in a book together, or grandchildren abroad who’ve been kept in touch with grandparents back in Britain through completed books.

Testimonials from customers tell their own story:

“I can honestly say it was one of the best gifts ever. I sat enthralled as I read and read. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t believe that in my mother’s memories there were things I’d never known. It was like the questions had opened the floodgates for more memories to flow out. My brother and sister are green with envy that I hold such an amazing bit of family history, all written down in my Mum’s distinctive handwriting. It is particularly important to use as a family as our father died when we were quite young and with him a lot of memories. I would have dearly loved a Father’s Memories book too. I hope many other people discover the special magic that your Memories books hold – mine is my most prized possession.” Kim

“I’m thrilled to have my parents’ stories written in their own handwriting – their books is now one of my most precious possessions. Thank you so much!” Sue

“I was surprised how easy it was to create a record of my family history, how much I had achieved in my life, how many events of activities in my life I had forgotten had even happened and that there were things I had done which my family didn’t know about. Every one given as a gift has been really appreciated and they all say what a joy they have had from them – carry on with all your good work.” Elizabeth

So what a great way to make sure all the wonderful stories of YOUR family life don’t get lost, whilst using this time to do something fun, healthy and long lasting?

With a Memories Book from Priceless Treasures, everyone’s family memories really can be kept for future generations to enjoy and not lost forever.