Restorasnap

The humble and very wonky first harvest of this summer's tomatoes. My late dad's favourite and planted in our garden every year as a quiet nod to him.

There's a gentle change happening here at Restorasnap where genealogy was front and centre to a more blended space that will now encompasse organic gardening, homesteading, bespoke ceramics, art and heirloom recipes. It is a natural and necessary process for us that aligns with our core values and interests in taking care of our beautiful planet.

No longer are we just as a storefront.
No hard sells, just a place to see and be inspired.
Restora is place to observe old ways revisited and rekindled along with the memories they evoke. In turn we are creating new stories for our next generation. A legacy we feel most worthy of laying the foundations for.

The new Restora promises to showcase a more gentle, simple lifestyle where people just like you can come along on our restoration journey and be inspired to come back to family stories via the tactile, authentic and life sustaining pastimes that saw our ancestors thrive.

We do hope you'll stay. 🌱🩷








🌱

This little haul of homegrown lemons means a big batch is on the way 🍋✨ — and I can’t wait to share my grandmother’s simple, beautiful lemon jam recipe with you soon. It’s one of those family favourites that reminds me how much wisdom and joy lives in the old ways.

Did you know:
Not all family history is about archives and pedigree charts. Sometimes it’s in the vege patch, the kitchen, the craft shed — and in the everyday habits and trades quietly passed down through generations.

While I’m gently adding more of these slow-living projects and memory-rich recipes here, it’s still business as usual over at the template shop too!

This gentle expansion speaks to many family history lovers who, like me, feel deeply connected to:

✨ Objects and keepsakes left behind
🍽️ Old recipes revived for modern kitchens
🌱 Traditional skills like gardening and preserving
🖼️ Handmade projects that honour ancestors
📖 Creative ways to tell family stories when the paper trail runs dry

Restora is growing into a space that offers:
🌿 Tools and templates for family history projects
📒 Printable recipe + garden journals
📷 Tips for photographing heirlooms and memory objects
🎨 Tutorials for creating keepsakes and homegrown traditions
📚 Resources for finding meaning beyond the records

If you’re new here, pop over and take a look — fresh items and resources are being added to the template shop all the time to help you preserve your family’s story in meaningful, creative ways.

I hope you’ll stay for both. ✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_wT8QSPxy/?igsh=a2VmNnZ0M3ppeTJr

✨ Unlock the Stories Hidden in Everyday Treasures🌳 Stuck staring at a blank screen, wondering how to start writing your family storybook? The answer might be sitting right in front of you—a treasure holding a world of memories. 💚Here's my grandmother’s frosted float bowl or as the family knew it “THE GREEN LADY”. It sat on a huge cabinet by her busy kitchen & seemed to glow amongst my grandparents dark furniture & austere, simple decor of the late 1970's. My father made a sturdy wooden box when it was passed to us & treated it with such care. What objects are you overlooking with their ready made stories? A tie pin your grandfather wore, or the chipped ornament you’ve had for years, your dads old camera or even a spanner? They’re more than just “things.” They’re invisible bridges that connect vivid memories & heartfelt stories to real, relatable, & deeply engaging stories that people will be crazy about! Why? Because they’re authentic, are meaningful & will inspire the connection that may have been missing in your writings 'til now. 🖊️ How to Start Your Story: 1️⃣ Describe the object: What is it, and where did it come from? 2️⃣ Recall the moment it became yours: How did you find it? 3️⃣ Add sensory details: How does it look, feel, or smell? 4️⃣ Reflect on its meaning: Why does it matter to you? 5️⃣ Tie it to an event: When did it first play a role in your life? I call these little storytelling gems #Mementograms (which is super corny, but an undeniable game-changer when I need a gap-filler in my own books!). They’re perfect for adding depth to your family history—especially when photos of your relatives are scarce or inspiration feels distant. 🪞 Every object has a story. What’s your Green Lady story? 🍃 Share it using #Mementogram and #FamilyStorybookClub—I’d love to see your treasures come to life! 📖 Let’s turn trinkets into timeless tales. If you love this kind of advice & find it helpful for levelling up your storybook creating-game: Pop "INTHEKNOW" in the comments and I’ll shoot you a DM link to my newsletter. It's full of free resources, tutorials & magic shortcuts so that you can be a more productive, creative,family history hero!🎉

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEtocI1yDOo/?igsh=cXE5amRma3VpdHlm

✨ Happy New Year! 🎉 This year, let’s leave the overwhelm behind and embrace the power of small, consistent steps. 💡 Remember: “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” 🌱 If organizing your family history is on your list for 2025, you don’t need to dive into a massive project all at once. Instead, start small, stay focused, and make it fun with tools that simplify the process—like templates! 💌 My latest blog post is packed with helpful tips to: ✅ Use easy, creative templates to organize family stories ✅ Build habits to stay on top of your research without clutter ✅ Stay motivated with a FREE Staying Focused Checklist 💖 Imagine creating a fuss-free family history library you actually look forward to working on! 🎁 Kick off the New Year by downloading your free checklist—your future self will thank you. Comment "FOCUS!" and like magic I can send your 44+ tips to you right here! 📖 Be sure to Read the blog now for some more insider tips! Let’s make this the year of celebrating progress, not perfection! Make sure you join the thriving creative genealogy community when you're in there! #HappyNewYear #LittleByLittle #GenealogyMadeSimple #FamilyHistoryFun #DeclutterYourResearch #OrganizeYourFamilyStory #ProgressNotPerfection

🎄🎁 Christmas Giveaway Alert! 🎁🎄

Looking for the perfect way to decode all those cousin connections at your holiday gatherings? 🎅✨ We're gifting you our Genealogy Christmas Cousin Decoder Chart PLUS bonus family games—completely FREE!

🎉 How to claim your gift:
💌 Simply subscribe (no purchase needed!) and grab this festive family must-have.

🎁 Already subscribed? Don’t forget to visit our store for one-of-a-kind gifts for the family researcher who has everything. Because who doesn’t love a little genealogy under the tree? 🎄🕊️

Hurry—this offer won’t last forever! 🎅

👉 CLICK THE LINK IN MY BIO ABOVE TO ACCESS YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD!❤

"📸 Cherish the Pixels 🖼️: In the age of digital memories, let's revere the images we find on our research journey, just like the physical photos of old.

Why, you ask? Because websites, online groups, and archives aren't always in our control; rights, rules, and access can change in the blink of an eye.

Save that image that tugs at your heart in its exact state, the proper way..

Check out our blog to discover why preserving a master copy of those precious digital photos is a priceless act of preserving history

"📸 Cherish the Pixels 🖼️:

In the age of computer screen memories, let's revere the digital images we find just like the physical photos of old.

Why, you ask? Because social media, ancestry websites, online groups, and archives aren't always in our control; terms, rules, and access can change at a whim.

Be the circuit breaker! Save that image that tugs at your heart in its exact state when you find it.

🕰️ It will be shared, uploaded, and repurposed countless times by many online which can potentially cause irreparable degradation to its clarity and quality.

Check out our blog to discover more about saving
a master copy of your finds
is a priceless act of preserving history. 📜💻

"🔍🌿 Ever been so obsessed with your genealogy research that you get lost in the intensity of it all?

We've been there too! But here's the scoop – sometimes, you need to take a break, and it's totally okay.🤓

It wasn't until we decided to spend a little more time on other hobbies that we understood the postive impact it could have.

We revisited some of our frustrating dead ends with fresh eyes, and it was like a breath of fresh air for our research journey.💆‍♂️💆‍♀️ So, if you're feeling stuck in the archives, remember to make time for something else you love. For us, it's pottery, some music ...and tea..LOTS OF TEA!🏺 When I join my mum in her little workshop, we forget all else.💖

Time stands still, and we both completely decompress.👉 We'd love to know, how do you de-stress or take your research breaks?

Share your go-to escapes in the comments! 💬

Is messing around with font pairings robbing you of precious research time?

If you're excited to play around with different fonts in your family history book templates, go ahead and try the many options in your free Canva account. 💥But here's a trusty tip: stick to using just two different font styles. This way, your project will look neat and professional. Also, when it comes to the size of the fonts, it's best to keep it consistent with only two or three variations throughout the book. You can check out the tutorials in the app from phone or desktop/pc under Learn or Help. for some great font combinations and size suggestions. This will make your design process a lot easier and less confusing. 😊No more struggling to decide on what fonts to use! If you're keen to get more decorative suggestions, why not join the Restorsnap community, where we regularly share design hacks and shortcuts to help you really make your genealogy creations something special! 💟Hit the link in our bio then >>♡ "JOIN our creative genealogy community" #CanvaTutorials #FamilyHistory #AncestryBook #Genealogy #Restorasnap #ancestryresearch #familytreetemplates

Discover the joy of creating beautiful ancestry books with our affordable, easy-to-follow E-book designed expressly for beginners to book creation.

Learn how to transform piles of research into a stunning family heirloom in just five simple steps.🖐

☺With our user-friendly templates and gentle introduction to (Free) Canva, creating simple, fun to read short bios, simple profiles, or even full scale printed books becomes an achievable (and enjoyable) task.

Forget the frustration of intimidating apps and the dreaded blank screen; our guide provides an accessible and uncomplicated route to making visually engaging stories a new skill so that you can power through and get on with your important research with a more organised collection that your family will be clamouring to read!

💚At Restorasnap it is our mission to bridge the gap between design applications and family research by putting these skills in the hands of people on all stages of their journey no matter their age or experience.

Embark on your creative genealogy journey today by tapping "Start Here" via the link in our bio, where you'll find the 2 Hour Ancestry Book Creator. It's time to make your ancestry book dreams come true.

Are you looking for ways to create beautiful and meaningful family memory books for your loved ones? 🎨💟 Look no further! Our "Grandpa Style" Easy Genealogy Template Book Kit has everything you need to get started. With our DIY Biography and “Our Template Your Way” options, you can easily craft a unique family tree book that you’ll treasure for a lifetime.🌳💗 Plus, our EASY Canva Ancestry Templates provide a fun and creative way to present your family’s history without you needing to step away from your research to start from scratch with book design - IT'S ALL DONE FOR YOU The simple and easy to use drag and drop features in Canva ( all you need is a FREE account) make it a breeze to churn out family books for gifts, family events, or just for your own collection. 🎨Change the book's colors, fonts, and art elements completely, or stick with our sumptuous design! TOO EASY. For those new to Canva, we have a Bonus guidebook to give you all the help you need. . So don’t delay - hit the link in our bio to 💖 Visit My ETSY Restorasnap store 💖 and get started on your Family History Library today! Feel free to DM me with any questions. #familytreeresearch #genealogy #restorasnapgenealogy #genealogist #mementogram #savinghistory #Genealogytemplates #memorybooks #Ancestrystories #ancestralstory #familytreebook #memorialbooks #memorybooks #diyfamilyhistory #scrapbookgenealogy #canvascrapbooks #photobooks #canvagenealogy #familytreenotebooks