Family Heritage

See the cute little guy in the overalls front and center? That's my father-in-law, turning 90 on the 25th! This photo was taken in about 1925 near Dwight, Kansas, and how many stories they would find to tell in the coming years.

Once again, Mary Brown was the inspiration for this project. I began with a sheet of our amazing Presto Patterns specialty paper, then studied the photo to see what colors were hidden in the sepia tones. I decided yellows, browns, and pinks, so began sponging on thin layers, beginning with the lightest color. It was magic watching the design from the Presto Pattern sheet emerge! I worked back and forth, here and there, with a general idea where I wanted my photo, keeping in mind that in this case the "white space" that would rest the eye and make a contrast to the other techniques meant leaving the ink off.

When I thought I had enough color, I finalized the placement of the photo and used an x-acto to mark where the edges intersected with large swirls on the Presto Patterns paper. I removed the photo, and used the x-acto to cut around the printed pattern out so that I could slide the photo underneath. When I finished, I secured the photo.

Next, I stamped the floral spray from Elements of Style three times on Naturals Vanilla and watercolored it using Rose Red and Old Olive to represent the wild roses that grow along the stone fences in the area, built by a great-grandfather. I then cut out these rose sprays, cut them apart, and tucked them here and there on the page to add some detail and color.

Now, how to add text that I don't have stamps for? I used Word to create a file with the family name and and a few other details, turning the letters a dark brown that approximates Chocolate Chip. I then ran a sheet of vanilla CS through the printer and cut out around the elements I needed, popping them up on dimensionals so they would cast a shadow for interest. The only handwritten element is the "Circa 1925" on the little round Mini Vintage Tag, which hangs from a satin bow tinted pink here and there with marker and aqua painter. And voila!

I love the concept of framing a scrapbook page. You can display it for as long as you want on the wall, then tuck it into a protective scrap book and put up something new on your wall. Hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me, Kathy

Stamps: Elements of Style
Ink: Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Old Olive classic (* just retired); Pink Pirouette marker
Paper: Presto Patterns DSP, Naturals Vanilla, Very Vanilla
Accessories: aquapainter, 5/8" vanilla satin ribbon, Mini VintageTag, Styled Vanilla hardware (shadowbox frame from local clearance rack)