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In response to my post, Sentimental Journeys with Your Crafts, Anitra shared, in the comments, her family art and crafts project, making photo CD coasters.

Image: sxc.hu

We made coasters from old family photos and Cds. I still smile when I see mine-happy memories!

At her Coffee Pot People blog, Anitra describes the process she and family members used, for making these coasters.  The materials are inexpensive and may be some you already have around the house.  It’s a great way to use those old CD’s you no longer want that seem to accumulate. 

This is a great project for family members of all ages, would make wonderful gifts, and could be wall hangings, as well as coasters.

What family memory projects have you undertaken…by yourself and as a family project?

Post from: Blisstree

Sentimental Journeys – Photo CD Coasters

How do you do this?

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• Make a quilt or mixed media art with fabrics from a relative or ancestor.
• Create shadow boxes with memorabilia.
• Stitch fabric art from a relative’s neckties.
• Display memorabilia in a glass enclosed cabinet.
• Make scrapbooks
• Write journals
• Incorporate memorabilia and photos into collages and altered books.
• Frame quilt blocks that a family member started but didn’t get around to putting into a quilt.

What have you done with memorabilia that will save your heritage and take family members on sentimental journeys?

In future posts, I’ll describe some of the “sentimental journeys” I’m taking with family memorabilia.

Post from: Blisstree

Sentimental Journeys with Your Crafts

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Some ideas:

• Make shadowboxes with memorabilia from past and present family members
• Create a CD or slide show of family pictures and documents.  Several family members said they’d like the photos I have in the family history album on a CD.
• Make a quilt hanging using some family photos and scenes.
• Create postcards and notepaper from photos of family homes.
• Make a collage representing the different family lines.
• Start a journal of family stories, with various family members contributing.
• Write biographies of ancestors
• Collect family recipes and food stories for a recipe book

What have you done with family and family reunion art and crafts?

Post from: Blisstree

Creating Family Reunion Crafts

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It contained too many memories for me to give it away, but I didn’t have time to refinish and uphoster it.  Actually I didn’t know how. 

Today at a yard sale, a lady remarked on its nice lines and sturdiness.  It would be great if finished, she informed me.  But she didn’t know how either.  As my daughter and I hauled it back to storage, I started relating the memories associated with it.

This was my paternal grandmother’s rocker.  I recall her using it when I was a child.  When my maternal grandmother visited, she used the chair, too.  My mom enjoyed it as well.  When Mother developed Alzheimer’s and I had to sell her home and move her to another state with me, I discovered the old rocker, used and worn and filled with memories.  So I simply  moved  it, too.

My daughter decided she’d research the old rocking chair and how to refinish and upholster it.  I’m trying to recall the type of cloth used…a dark red upholstery (not exactly like the picture above), I think.  I’ll search through some family photos and see if there are any of  it.

Do you have some old furniture associated with family memories?

Post from: Blisstree

Saving the Old Rocking Chair

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I also want to use other bits of memorabilia on the quilt.  These would be more effective in a wall quilt.  They include items such as shirt buttons, medals, tie tacks, tags from the backs of ties.

I also could use a tie or two in a shadow box, as a backdrop for display of other memorabilia.  Perhaps you’ll write a journal to go along with the quilt, telling of memories associated with the ties and other items.

Do you have a picture of the family member wearing the tie?  Include it in the journal or scrapbook.  (Remember, scrapbooks come in various sizes, from the mini to the larger more common ones.)

What have you done with neckties to create memory quilts?

Post from: Blisstree

Memory Quilts from Neckties

• For the dad of young children in the family.
• For grandfather…his life, achievements, and hobbies
• For uncles who play a special role in your children’s lives.
• For someone who has like a dad or grandfather in your family’s life.

What do you include?

• Photos of special events
• Photos, journal entries and memories
• Photos of an unfolding life
• Contributions from various family members

This can be a fun family project that recalls fond times and hard times and draws families closer together. 

I need to do one about my dad for family members, so children will remember him and his achievements.  I also must pull together photos and incidents from my husband’s life so our daughter and her children will know more about him.

Do you have any special projects surrounding the Dads in your life?

Post from: Blisstree

Scrapbooking for Dad

Reproducing family photos on fabric, generally with the computer and printer nowadays, although some people still like to make sun prints and similar applications.

Gathering fabrics used in clothing worn by family members, either from many or just one person.  Among these are t-shirts that appeal to a particular family member.

Using designs that connect with a person’s interest, hobby or occupation.  My daughter made a quilt for her young son with blocks of different trucks during his truck stage.

Tracing each family member’s hand and appliquing it to a quilt.  Each person might sign his/her hand.  My daughter did this for her family and added birth dates to the hands.

For a wall quilt, attach three dimensional objects associated with the person or family’s life.

What do you do for family memory quilts?

(Personal History image at Amazon)

Post from: Blisstree

Various Types of Family History Quilts

They are rocks and seashells, seaglass, foods from the area, something a relative may have made, and stories of places we’ve visited.  The natural objects are typical of that area and may tell of the geology and history.  We bring home recipes to try and ingredients we might not find at home.  (I use these for my travel writing, but the grandchildren seem to look forward to them, too.)

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•  Rocks of a particular area
• Shells from a beach
• Foods
• Recipes
• Food ingredients for making ours at home
• A costume
• Piece of jewelry typical of the region
• Postcards for making collections or scrapbooks
• Seaglass

My daughter was going through some of her souvenirs from trips as a child and teen.  Even though she might have purchased a few “touristy” items, those she saved were stones and seashells, postcards and photos!

 What do you collect for your grandchildren when you travel?  Are there items that aren’t expensive?  That create memories?  That add to the youngsters’ knowledge?  That expand their imaginations?

Post from: Blisstree

Rocks & Seashells- Simple Gifts for Kids

Sarah O. Green, of Mountain Ash Design, creates aprons from vintage and other recycled fabrics for a unique business that I feature at Home Biz Notes.  She also makes other items from these fabrics and older clothing that put her in the category of  operating a “green” businesses, as well.

Aprons that bring back memories seem to be making a comeback.  I also recalled that my first “clothing for sale” project consisted of aprons  I made to display at my mother’s general store.  Her store was in New York State and I lived in Texas, where my husband was in an Air Force pilot training program.  As a way to use my sewing skills for earning money, my mom suggested I stitch up some aprons she could sell.

My first sewing project ever was an apron with drawstring waist made from a printed feed sack.  My 4-H leader, Aunt Mary, taught me to use a treadle sewing machine with the apron project.

Do you have apron memories?  Collect aprons?  Make aprons?  Wear aprons?

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

Aprons in Art, Business & Memories

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You’ll find many ways to save your family memories in scrapbooks:

• Simply a collection of pictures with names or captions
• Adding journal notes and explanations to the pictures
• Writing stories and using the photos and pictures to illustrate
• Write a fiction story, or biography, illustrated with scrapbooking techniques, as I’ve been doing with the story of my Uncle William “Buffalo Bill” Mathewson of New York State and Kansas.
• Creating altered books with family stories and memorabilia
• Designing shadow boxes with family collectibles

I enjoy incorporating scrapbooking techniques with family history and being creative with my stories and illustrating.  I even teach classes on this to help others find the pleasure I do.

Where have you found some great resources for scrapbooking?

Post from: Blisstree

Scrapbooking Your Family Memories