Just one thing- week one of the Home Mini

Welcome to the mini-book edition of the DT challenge. Over the next few weeks, the DT will be giving you prompts for pages that have a "Home" theme. Our hope is that you will take these prompts and create a mini-book that you and your family will cherish. If a mini-book is not your thing, then you are welcome to create full size pages.

Just to give you some idea of how I plan to approach this project, I am going to share my cover with you. I used a piece of 6x6 clear acrylic and decorated it with papers from the American Crafts Abode Collection. I will be using this line of papers and embellishments throughout my book to keep a consistent look to it. You certainly do not have to use the same approach. This just helps me make decisions easier. I will be binding my book with my Bind It All at the end so I have already punched the holes.

 I cut my inside pages from Kraft cardstock and made them each 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 to have a little room around the edges. I also punched holes in those pages, too so I'd know where my embellishing would have to stop.

So, your first prompt is "Just one thing." Tell me about something in your home that has a special meaning to it or is very important to you and why. I took a trip around my house and gathered up a few things that have stories and took pictures of them. Here are a few of them.

This ceramic tea lite holder was a gift that my uncle brought to my grandmother from Taiwan when he was stationed there in the 70s. When she died, it was one of the items, along with her stoneware dishes that I took from her house as a remembrance. I've had it since she died in 1977. I also still have the dishes but I did a whole page on those a couple of years ago.

 This is a piece of polished stone that my husband gave me early in our relationship while we were still teenagers. It stays on my dresser and is one of my favorite possessions.

 This is one piece from a vast collection of decorated cows that used to belong to my sister-in-law. When she died 5 years ago and my brother began the process of going through their house to sell it, he offered me anything I wanted from a vast array of decorative things and clothes and purses. I didn't want any of those things, but I chose this cow because whenever I look at it, I am reminded of her.

This is my rocking chair. Curtis gave it to me for my 18th birthday and I still have it.

I looked at these things plus a few others and decided to use the chair. I took more pictures of it and opted to go with a close up of the arm so you can see the wear on it that many years of loving touches have given it. Here is my finished page.

If you click on the picture, it will get big enough for you to read the journaling. Now, it is your turn. Find something special in your home and tell us the story.