Expect the "Impossible": A VoiceQuilt Gift Giver Amazes Us

We are continuously amazed by how creative and determined VoiceQuilt gift givers can be...

How do you make your mother's 80th Birthday extra special?

If you are ALisa S., you sign up for VoiceQuilt's 3 days of Unlimited Messages, immediately send email invitations to 51 friends and family, and then start choosing and uploading 16 songs that you know your mother will enjoy.

You are not concerned about delivering your VoiceQuilt on a Saturday to the North Georgia mountains. You aren't even deterred when neither UPS nor Fedex offer delivery to the North Georgia mountains on Saturdays. You simply Google a hotel in a town nearby and cajole the Hotel Manager into accepting a Saturday delivery for you (even though no one will be renting a room). Then, you coax a few of your mother's neighbors to trek over the mountains to retrieve the treasured gift so that Mom has it in time for her 80th birthday on Sunday.

Words Are a Wonderful Christmas Present

We received an "early Christmas present" - some wonderful words in an email from Royce and Marge I. of Iowa.

"...We had never heard of VoiceQuilt until our daughter Susan, who is with her husband and girls in Japan where he is stationed with the Marines, put together messages from over a 100 of our family and friends...

We immediately played all of the messages from our children, spouses, and grandchildren and it was very emotional. Both of us had tears in our eyes, as well as did many in the room with us.

A Cherished Family Recipe That Creates Tradition...And Connection.

Ann, one of VoiceQuilt’s amazing partners, asked me to share the following:

Yesterday, I got a request from my sister-in-law for the recipe for a sweet potato casserole that I prepared last Thanksgiving while visiting relatives in Massachusetts. This delicious concoction is one of my favorite Holiday treats and I’ve been making it for years.

I flipped through my recipe book and remembered that I originally got this recipe from my sister – when she lived in Indiana. She got the recipe from her mother-in-law who lived in Atlanta.

This recipe has traveled from state to state, thanks to the women in my family. In some ways, it has become a cherished family tradition that brings us together – even if we aren’t sitting around the same dining table on Christmas day.

A Quilt (in Whatever Form) Tells An Amazing Story

A few years ago, Brianna created a “Merry Christmas!” VoiceQuilt for her husband deployed in Afghanistan. On Christmas day, Mike enjoyed hearing toasts and greetings -- especially from his infant son and his Uncle Mike (last voice message shown here).

Brianna’s VoiceQuilt for Mike reminds me of the quilt pictured above. "Scott's Victory Quilt" was part of the Alliance for American’ Quilt’s “If These Quilts Could Talk” exhibit. Pam, the stepmother of a serviceman in Afghanistan, tells how she literally incorporated uplifting and encouraging messages from friends and family into a quilt for her stepson.

Holiday Singing, Memories and VoiceQuilt

As we head into the home stretch until Christmas, we’re hearing carols wafting from the VoiceQuilt Keepsake fulfillment area. We've heard many toddlers singing “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells”. I've also heard snippets of memories about favorite meals, traditions and stories.

We’re been collecting ideas around planting MORE memories around the holidays. Yum Sugar suggests a number of fun party themes…

* A party to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
* A tree trimming party where everyone wears their most garish holiday sweater
* A white elephant party – where everyone brings a gift that they didn’t like from a previous year

Our family rented “The Grinch” last Friday night – the original. The clerk at Blockbuster tried to convince us to rent the Jim Carrey version instead. Much as I enjoyed Mr. Carrey in Ace Ventura Pet Detective, we prefer the original Grinch. How 'bout you?

Celebrate the Holidays By Creating Memories.

A few months back, the New York Times reported that experiences are valued much more highly than expected and more (or as much) as things.

“One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.”

Oprah’s writers have been saying this for years.

"Great memories, not more "things" should be the theme...A day of baking cookies, a trip to a museum, a concert, theater ticket, restaurant gift certificate or even a donation to a special charity can leave a more lasting impression than another scarf or one more thing that really isn't needed."

Now that holiday shopping is underway, we are literally overhearing Christmas VoiceQuilt Keepsakes during quality testing. We can hear memories of holiday songs, stories and recipes. So far no mention of a specific holiday gift...

Why not focus on creating memories this holiday? Caring.com readers recently suggested starting these holiday traditions.

1.) Get in the mood by renting holiday classic movies.
2.) Have a baking or cooking party.
3.) Pile everyone in the car to drive around viewing holiday lights.

(By the way, the VoiceQuilt team voted ELF as a favorite holiday classic. Especially the scene shown above with the spaghetti!)

Hear The Voices In Those Stitches?

The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) is a non-profit organization that celebrates quilting and history. Thanks to their efforts, over 1,000 interviews with quilters have been transcribed and archived by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

VoiceQuilt proudly donated services so that quilting artists could phone in comments about their work exhibited at the International Quilt Festival. The AAQ also invited exhibit visitors to call in their reactions. Many called VoiceQuilt’s toll-free number to talk about which Quilt touched their heart most.

Now, the pitch. The AAQ is auctioning off small, hand-made artistic creations on Ebay here. These pieces would make lovely holiday gifts. Plus, it’s a terrific cause.

In the words of blogger Betty Londergan:

"Quilts are finally beginning to get the artistic respect they deserve – thanks in large part to the efforts of The Alliance for American Quilts, a tiny powerhouse of an organization that is fanatically committed to preserving, archiving and promoting quilters and quilting online."

There are only 2 days left to bid on AAQ quilts! Please do some holiday shopping here.