Heirlooms should be like seeing old friends.

I was reminded yesterday the true meaning of an “heirloom”.

A friend is going away on her summer holidays and wants to make sure that all the valuable things she treasures are left with a friend incase of a break in. You’d think she would be worried about the TV or expensive gadgets. But no, …a few of the things that she classes as her treasures are the back up hard drive to her computer that holds all the images of her son’s first year. Gosh…I couldn’t imagine loosing all Ida’s, or even photos of family members that are no longer here to share Ida’s growth with. It would be too painful to think about.

Another treasure of her’s she wants to keep safe is a family heirloom that has little value except a sentimental one.

It started me thinking that perhaps heirlooms were more than just objects of value that have been in families for generations as the dictionary states. And how do you start an heirloom off?

I’ve spoken about my treasures before and I am sure you are all bored of hearing about them! But hey! Today I unpacked my vintage gorgeous blue tea set from the boxes still to be unpacked from my move. I don’t know why as I have no where to put it yet but I missed not seeing it and was hoping that unpacking my ceramics and treasures would give me inspirations about colour for my new home. Now it’s not really a valuable tea set. It was bought for me one Christmas by my Mum and Dad after I spotted it treasure (junk) shopping with my sister. 

Ida and I had great fun unpacking it today. Ida LOVED ripping up the polystyrene nuggets into tiny pieces…. and cardboard boxes…well, as I have said before, who needs toys when you have cardboard boxes! Anyway as she tried to help me stack the cake plates, while I winced waiting for a smash, I realised that my tea set is probably one of the few things I would grab if I was allowed to grab 5 things from a burning fire….among my family photo album and old letters and cards. Irreplacable things that i treasure in my heart.

So I decided that I would add the gorgeous blue tea set to the list of treasures that I would pass down to Ida and BIG boy bump when I am unable to use and treasure it anymore.

An heirloom doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. To start an heirloom off you don't have to spend a fortune. It is simply one of those things that is irreplaceable to you. Whether is be the Steiff teddy bear that my sister’s partner has bought his soon to be born nephew, a pair of handknitted booties or the battered tea set that as I unpacked it today was like seeing old friends again!

So it will become…my very old battered heirloom gift to Ida. Given to her with love.