[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > This identification exercise has prompted me to tie a tag to a 7" silver > filigree tube with solid ends and endcap, plus (kept inside) a much smaller > ivory-colored tube with cap. These resemble in size several wooden tubes > for old knitting needles/crochet hooks and special purpose needles. They > are all stored inside a secretary/desk. Obviously, one might think the > described tubes are needlework-related. They are not! > > The larger filigree tube is meant for a toothbrush when traveling, the > smaller tube is for tooth powder. Very Victorian and fun to own, but it is > a good idea to avoid possibly confusing an executor. > > Leading to .... a suggestion that those of you with unique collectibles find > a way to identify them with a tag that will not damage the surface. Nothing > permanent or sticky, please. (Trying to remove adhesive at a later time > might damage the surface.) > > Jeri Ames > Lace and Embroidery Resource Center > I'll second that! -- and add to it, that if you have interesting / well-crafted / materially valuable objects (not just the unique objects) which you intend keeping until you die (to put it bluntly), attach to the object, or keep somewhere your executors can easily find it, the "story" of what the objects have meant to you, how you've used them, how and why you acquired them, and any interesting anecdotes connected to them. This is especially true of the "arty" things we make ourselves, such as hand-made lace (whether or not it's to an original design), but particularly if a lace piece is made for a special occasion or person. Information like that is so easily lost.
An owner's catalogue or inventory, with photos or scans of the objects, is an ideal way to document these valued possessions. It could be the "tipping point" for whether and which of your heirs keep things you bequeath to them. It makes so much difference in a family to have objects which were owned, used, even loved, by family members who have passed away. I know: I come from a large, long-lived, and acquisitive family, and the lovely bits and pieces that have come to me from people I've cared about have not only brought back memories of good times, but have helped me to pass along a care of family to my kids, who (now that we're living in Australia, while all the family are in the US) don't have much direct contact with family, especially the elder members. Even the mysterious "What Is Its?" can be bridges between generations and family branches. My personal preference is for hard-copies of this info -- paper and photo-prints. If I'd relied on electronic storage, all my early bobbin and lace documents would have been on large floppy disks, and all my children's early years would have been recorded on VCR tapes in Beta format -- both, nowadays, pretty solidly inaccessible. Do they sell /any/ computers now with 5.5" floppy disk drives? Cheers, all! Beth --- in sunny and very cold Kambah, Canberra, where so many folks are suffering "dreaded lurgies" - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
