who we are
oUR storied lives history
Digging through a trove of her grandmother’s items, Brenda, the creator of Our Storied Lives, discovered a small collection of printed vignettes gathered and bound together in a small book by a great aunt. The stories were poignant and funny and followed the lives of her grandfather’s family as they grew up, chronicling their daily experiences playing together, their special moments of worship and communion, and the scary and exciting time her grandfather fell into the ice on the Grand River. Brenda recognised in their stories themes that were repeated in her own: families growing up together, learning to play together, and sometimes fight, sharing experiences and private jokes, and appreciating the shifting relationships as each sibling stepped into adulthood and started their own families. Brenda learned how to treasure all of the nuances of her own personal history.
oUR storied lives history
Digging through a trove of her grandmother’s items, Brenda, the creator of Our Storied Lives, discovered a small collection of printed vignettes gathered and bound together in a small book by a great aunt. The stories were poignant and funny and followed the lives of her grandfather’s family as they grew up, chronicling their daily experiences playing together, their special moments of worship and communion, and the scary and exciting time her grandfather fell into the ice on the Grand River. Brenda recognised in their stories themes that were repeated in her own: families growing up together, learning to play together, and sometimes fight, sharing experiences and private jokes, and appreciating the shifting relationships as each sibling stepped into adulthood and started their own families. Brenda learned how to treasure all of the nuances of her personal history.
The lure of learning about, sharing and celebrating family and loved ones was further cemented by another family story. A distant relative, not quite recognised, shared the story of Brenda’s grandparent’s wedding: it was simple and small, just a group of friends and family gathering together to enjoy some comfort food and games, and much laughter and fun. It was a true celebration of love, without stress or affectation, and Brenda modelled her own wedding after it.
With a life-long interest in both creative writing and personal history, Our Storied Lives was born. It is a celebration of love and experience in all its iterations. We create customized, handcrafted books of your lives, writing your experiences as stories, memoirs or even as poems. They are presented to you in hand-bound, hard-covered books made using traditional bookbinding techniques, made to share and enjoy.
The lure of learning about, sharing and celebrating family and loved ones was further cemented by another family story. A distant relative, not quite recognised, shared the story of Brenda’s grandparent’s wedding: it was simple and small, just a group of friends and family gathering together to enjoy some comfort food and games, and much laughter and fun. It was a true celebration of love, without stress or affectation, and Brenda modelled her own wedding after it.
With a life-long interest in both creative writing and personal history, Our Storied Lives was born. It is a celebration of love and experience in all its iterations. We create customized, handcrafted books of your lives, writing your experiences as stories, memoirs or even as poems. They are presented to you in hand-bound, hard-covered books made using traditional bookbinding techniques, made to share and enjoy.
“It began with an interview that revealed memories buried deep in my heart… it flourished into a gift for generations to come, a story of a lifetime that captures the essence of our journey, our family and our bond.”
– Dawn M
mEET THE AUTHOR
Our founder, writer and bookbinder, Brenda has found comfort in holding a book in her hands since she was a child playing library in her bedroom, and returns to her favourite reads again and again.
Her Liberal Arts degree allowed her to pursue all realms of interest and fed into her creativity. At the core of each course were all manner of human experiences, both fictional and historical. She quickly learned that she was drawn to personal stories and that these stories can bind us together, showing us how similar we all are rather than pulling us apart.
Our Storied Lives encompasses and showcases all of Brenda’s core values: love, creativity and gratitude. Love, because she believes that love is central to all our stories, be they romantic or not. Creativity guides each step in the process as she presents your memories as stories, gifting your experience back to you in a customized book. And finally, gratitude because Brenda is truly thankful to be able to participate in creating the hand-crafted books that honour so many lives.
