Gifting a Word Collage

Here's a great idea from Tiffany...something that I've never thought of.  Read on...

Recently, my husband celebrated a (rather) milestone birthday and I wanted to commemorate with family and friends - but with everyone around the world, I was stuck.

Then I stumbled upon word collages - what a great gift for a writer to give her husband. And a great way to incorporate love from everyone. I had family and friends send me a word (the total equaled his number of years) to describe him or their relationship with him. He was touched.

Word collages are great for our military spouse life because they are inexpensive, special and unique. Imagine you have a retirement to attend. What do you give the retiree, or the spouse, to commemorate such service - and not spend an arm and a leg? Or spouse club going away parties? Or little morale gifts?

Here are my tips for word collages in the military life:
- Incorporate jargon. You know those silly acronyms and words that somehow become part of our vocabulary. Word collages are a great place to celebrate the weird language we have learned - and the intricacies of a field or specialty.
- Don't forget to include some of the jokes, quotes, rules and overused phrases among the guys or girls in your community. I would avoid anything too offensive, but those slightly off-color jokes can bring back lots of memories.
- If you are commemorating a whole career, make sure you think back to the early days. Were there special schools or trainings? Deployments? Include words from all his or experiences. (You might need a spouse to help with this one!)
- Include a list of duty stations, zip codes or bases in the collage. (My friend made one of all the street names of their former addresses. Too cute.)
- The best word collages have a whole mix of words. Use names of tools, uniforms or equipment. Use verbs regarding tactics or missions. Use commands and lyrics. Use places and addresses. Use adjectives or adverbs to describe certain experiences.

If you want more tips, come on over to my website.  I have lots of ideas!

Have you ever created a word collage? How was it received?

Thanks Tiffanie for the neat idea!

That Plantation in Ballyhoo and Being a Part of History

Ahh...I'm getting nostalgic again. About 10 years ago, after repeated stories from my grandmom about some plantation in Ballyhoo where my ancestors supposedly were treated like family and distant memories of African princesses and the dream that we were more than just slaves, I decided to try to go on some kind of fact-finding mission to find out for myself. I knew nothing about genealogy or how to go about finding my ancestors...in fact, I don't think I even knew what the word genealogy really meant back then. I think Ancestry.com was just gaining a foothold on the internet at that time, as well as Genealogy.com.

One of the first things I did was go online to both sites and post a simple message about a plantation in that town, with the plantation owner's name, along with a few other specifics. Really, that's all we had. That was about the extent of my grandmother's information. After a few weeks, I noticed an email with a response from one of those sites. I dutifully clicked on the link and started reading....I will never forget the goosebumps I had that night...don't things like this always happen late at night....and realizing a perfect stranger's words mirrored some of the things my grandmother had so vehemently told me all these years. I was hooked.

This lady I ended up corresponding with and who I still am in contact with, happened to be a direct descendant of that plantation owner. She filled me on the plantation owner's life. She shared some photos and military records and some copies of old county records. It seemed with every new document or photo, there was yet another clue that explained something from my family's task...down to the very details of how we did certain things today!

But what really got me to fall out of my chair, was when she sent photos and grave rubbings from an old abandoned cemetery that took her over two years to find....after talking to numerous oldtimers and hacking her way through the dense underbrush of a Mississippi forest, she literally stumbled upon it when she tripped over a gravestone. She had found the old plantation family cemetery and found the slaves, my ancestors, buried right next to the plantation owner and his family. More validation that my grandmother's claims were correct and a very unusual thing to find in the South...slaveowners and slaves, side-by-side, resting in peace.

I spent the next few years dutifully researching records online and learning how to shake my family tree. I found census records online as well as records through the Mormom Church and their Family History Centers, open to anyone who has an interest in researching their family...no Mormon membership required. I dutifully recorded and copied everything I could find. I was even able to find a slave narrative interview done during the WPA where this particular slave being interviewed was a brother of one of my distant grandfathers....he too validated almost everything we had already heard about the slaveowner and the slave patriarch of our family, Joe, who we found was born in Africa.

I also jumped in waist deep into my husband's family history. I followed schooner ships across the Atlantic, went to Ellis Island (their online database), scrolled through microfilmed records of two hundred year old records belonging to tiny churches when Germany wasn't even a country. I even read first-hand battlefield accounts of a soldier who fought alongside one of my husband's great grandfathers, as he fought his way and survived the Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War! Wow, history takes on a whole new meaning when you find pieces of your own being embedded within it!

Why am I telling you all this? In hopes that it will get you motivated to trace your own roots. Most of what we are is a direct result of where we came from. We gain more insight into ourselves by looking back at our past...we might as well be looking into a mirror. We also have the added benefit of having a sense of belonging and being able to pass down something valuable to our children. What can make us richer than a rich past?!

If you've never researched anything about your family past, now is a good time to start. Many records can be found on the internet. Yes, there are many paid and subscription sites out there, but you'd be surprised at how many libraries give their patrons free access, either at home through a special account or at the library itself. Many have genealogy research rooms now too.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Start talking to your elders now. When they are gone, the good stories and the clues to your past may be completely gone from this earth. Don't delay! Here are some ideas.

• Check with your local library. Ask what they have available, either in book form, online or through inter-library loan. Find out if they have a genealogy club and plan to attend.

• See what you've already got. Did you inherit any old photo albums or family Bibles? You can find clues there. Ask relatives if you can scan some of their old photos and documents. You can't copy everything, but you can take notes and you can copy here and there. I even found some writing on someone's old desk that was passed on down through the generations...cast a wide net, and you will find something.
  

• Record where you got every bit of information. I made the mistake, when I first got started, of not writing down exactly where I got that latest tidbit of information. Great grandma Josephine married Great grandpa Karl on 15 March 1911...and then later, have no idea where you read that, saw it or heard it? One thing you learn in genealogical research....data with nothing to back it up is just hearsay....always, always keep track of where you got it. It may also help you later on down the road when you try to make more connections.

• Have a good record keeping system. Whether it's file folders or binders or just drawers, label everything and make it logical. I started out with a rubber tote myself...just threw everything in there. After 100+ documents, I had to finally get it organized into file folders.
  

• Safeguard the valuables. I'm talking irreplaceable documents and photos. I keep old family albums in a fireproof safe. I've also scanned copies of photos and documents and made sure other family members have copies on CD, should my house burn down or be swept away in a flood! Take no chances on being disappointed.

• Share your work. Not only will you bring joy to others in your extended family, it will keep a sense of order about all you have done so far. It does no good to hoard the information, or be disorganized about it. What if something happens to you? Then all your work and research may very likely be lost....who can make sense of all your stuff and what do they keep and what do they toss? I use a computer genealogy program, Legacy Family Tree, to keep all my information straight. It keeps everyone in line, tracks my sources, keeps photos and scanned documents in order and makes some great reports. I have also used the templates from Mended Memories to make some beautiful homemade books using just a word processing computer program such as Microsoft Word. It's amazing what you can do with the backgrounds, borders and graphics they have available. I've even substituted some of their drawings with some of my own and others I found on the internet to make each page more unique.

Do you have an interesting family story to share? Do you have old family albums and keepsakes? How do you preserve and protect them? Have you done any family history research?

Got Photos?

If you're anything like me and tend to put some things off, you probably have stacks of photos somewhere in your house. I was really motivated at one time to tackle them. I even took a Creative Memories class and bought some of their stuff to make a nice little album. Well, it took me THREE YEARS to do ONE ALBUM. I said enough is enough...there had to be a better way and there had to be a better way that looked just as creative and nice...just as nice as what they can do.

So after brainstorming a bit, I came up with collaging. Let me give an example. I have about fifty photos that were taken in one day, at a pool. I wanted to put them in an album. I couldn't imagine putting them in a regular binder...one photo after the other...all with the same background...how boring...plus, I'd run out of album space before long. But, I couldn't whittle them down to a few choice ones...look at the expression of my little boy in that one...and look at that other photo where the boys are laughing with glee...I can't choose one over the other!

So then in a selfish moment, I said why can't I use them all? These are OUR photos for OUR family, and I want to be able to look back and get a real sense of how much fun we had that day at the pool!

I'm sure it's been done before, and if my Creative Memories teacher covers this, it must be in a more advanced class, but what about cutting up the photos to make a collage? I know, I know..you're not supposed to cut-up photos...at least that's what my mom taught me. That was a big no-no in our house. I had a hard enough time cutting off the ends and corners of photos in my class but quickly learned that if there is nothing distinctive in that part of the photo, it's okay to cut that part off. So I started cutting beyond what I was taught and was able to fit all the shots on two facing album pages...and I think it does look very nice and creative...AND, I can get a real sense of the joy and happiness we experienced as a family on that day!

Here are a few more nice examples of collaging. I am not that creative myself, but I hope to use some of these ideas in the future:



How do you deal with all your photos? Do you even print them out? Do they stay in your computer? How do you organize them there? How do you put your albums together? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Christmas Craft: The Snowman Family

I am not going to admit I came up with this idea myself. I did not. But, I figured this would be something you could somewhat easily put together for your family and friends. They can make great inexpensive gifts that will be treasured rather than thrown away. I bought this item at a craft show a few years ago. The man selling them, had a line 10 deep to get at these things! It was unbelievable! Here's what you need to know to make them yourself at home.


Obviously, look at the pictures carefully. I've taken photos at a few different angles to help you out. I am not going to take apart my small treasure, but I will walk you through how I think it's put together.

• Each snowman is made individually in different heights and sizes. The craft guy had all kinds with different faces, scarves and clothing, all in holiday colors - adult male, adult female, male child, adult child, dog and cat. The scarves, hats, clothing and pet ears were hot glued on. The people also originally all had carrot-like orange wooden noses. Some of the hats also have white pom-poms glued on top.
  

• The figures are made out of white felt, sewn into a cylinder, the bottoms filled with sand and then cotton batting on top to fill up the inside. The tops are gathered into a knot and sewed up. The small dog and cat have white yarn looped out of the top of them.

• The eyes are drawn on (not with a regular marker that would bleed, more like a paint).

• The dog has a big nose drawn on, the cat has whiskers and his mouth made with black yarn.

• Each figure has a wooden painted nameplate. These were blank, already attached to each figure and the crafter had each customer fill out their order form with the names of each person. We browsed around the rest of the fair while we waited for our order to be completed. These names are written in black marker.
  

• The Christmas tree is one of those standard little 13" trees you get in craft stores. Instead of the burlap on the bottom, it has Christmas colored cloth tied around it instead.

• The wooden nameplate on top of the Christmas tree is hot glued on, as are all the others.

• Depending on how many are in your family or whether you want the tree or not, the crafter can stage the figures in whatever order he decides looks best. Most had the small figures in front and large in back. I also saw some with all of them in a line. All figures and the tree are hot glued together.

• We got one for grandmom too, and hers has all the grandkids in a line and her tree nameplate says "My Grandkids"; you can be as creative as you want

Here are a few more photos from other angles:




















Please do send me a photo if you decide to do this craft! I would love to collect them all and upload them to my site (I can remove your names if you like, or take a photo before you put the names on).

I Collect Things

We've talked about clutter before in the past. We all have it to some degree. One thing we haven't talked about is collecting stuff...the stuff you like to display. If you have more than three of something, you've got a collection. Find out how to showcase your collection and make it look like it belongs...right where it is.









Wrong way to display a collection:

• Scattered throughout the house

• Your collection is overflowing its space and taking over other areas

• Your shelf, cabinet or table is sagging with the weight of your stuff

Right way to display your collection:

• Grouped together by some theme (rather than scattered all over)
  

• Curio cabinet or a display case with a light (has the added benefit of keeping the dust away)

• Grouped on a table or shelf with small items in the front, tall in the back and leaving some space in between the items; stagger or alternate the heights
  

• If you have too much stuff in your collection, rotate the items (it's always nice to pull out an item you haven't seen in awhile; you can enjoy it all over again)

• For flat items, consider getting a piece of cut glass to cover a table and display the items underneath the glass; again, a great dust deterrent; you can measure the space and check the yellow pages for a local glass company that can do this
  

• If the items can be hung on a wall, do that to free up table space; don't overload the wall where it will look too busy; "S" hooks on wooden or metal dowels can be used to hang a variety of items (such as a rolling pin collection); look at this antique baby rattle collection
  

• For small items, try a shadowbox; I have also had luck with antique printer's drawers and putting small collectibles in each little space; check out this belt collection
  

• You can use baskets to display "moldable items" such as stuffed animals or needlepoint pillows

• If you have deep shelves, you can create risers out of small boxes; just cover them with artfully arranged linens (napkins, table cloths or sheets); your display will look like something out of a department store

• If you are VERY handy, how about a continuous shelf around the top border of your wall in a room (like a wallpaper border); I have a friend who then installed a model train track up there and now has the room to finally run his model trains (yes, it can get loud)

• If you have pins or jewelry, get a fancy scarf or other item, pin your jewelry there and either display it in a cabinet, hang it from a hook or attach it to a wall; a quilt also works great for this; if only this guy had used a nice scarf or wrap

• A corkboard works nice for pins too
  

• If you have a large collection of small items that look okay in a pile (such as rocks or non-precious gemstones), put them in a decorative glass vase or bowl

• If you have an item and want to see the front and back and it is fairly flat, you can get two pieces of cut glass, put the items(s) between the glass and get it framed; you can then hang this from a location in your house where you can see the front and back (such as between two rooms where there is an opening); if you have more than one item, stagger them, displaying one low and the other high and so on; use pretty ribbon or decorative chains to hang the frames; here are some samples of some floating picture frames if you don't want to do it yourself
  

• I sometimes use those plate stands to display other items that are fairly flat

• Those room dividers or old plantation shutters work great for things that can be draped or hung; you can also use those "S" hooks again
  

• If you're looking for something premade, how about large shadowboxes

• You can also use decorative trays or plates to corral your items; contrasting colors work best
  

Purchasing resources to help you with your display ideas:

• your local hardware or craft store

• Master-pak

• Various display cases

Books to check out:

• Pottery Barn Storage and Display

• Home Rules: Transform the place you live into a place you'll love

• Collections: Projects and Ideas to Dsiplay Your Treasures

How do you display your collections?

Take the Time Now to Shake Your Tree

Have you ever had regrets and thoughts of a time not well spent? Were you ever too busy to pick up the phone or just didn't feel like following the almost extinct art of taking pen to paper? Why am I moved to write about this now, and what am I driving at here?

I just visited with my almost 100 year old great aunt Ethel Lee. You see, Aunt Lee is the granddaugther of a Mississippi slave named Mahaley. I even have an old faded photograph of Mahaley, and I can see the likeness in my own Ethel Lee. Their faces are unbelieveable carbon copies of one another.

We made ourselves comfortable with a bucket of that extra special fried chicken and wiled away the afternoon. My grandmom, Daisy Ree, only a few years younger, also joined in the conversation.

I saw both of their eyes light up, and their postures loosened up a bit as we chatted. I believe at one point, they even forgot some of their aches and pains, sharing the joys and also the heartaches of their childhood and early life. I heard not only about their glitz and glamour but also about the hard times and realities of working the land and living out their slave legacies.

Now here is what I am driving at and the gist of this post and what I mean by shaking your tree. Take the time now to preserve your family history while there is still time. Get started now with these easy steps:

• Contact your oldest living relative and set up a time to visit them on their terms

• When you visit, bring a small gift you think they would appreciate (ask close family what would be appropriate)

• Do bring a tape recorder or camcorder; they may get excited about talking, and you don't want to miss anything (always ask permission though, and set it up out of the way so as not to make it obvious)

• Talk about everything under the sun; share your life with them too; most do enjoy the interaction, and you just might make their day (and surprisingly, yours too)

• Be sensitive to their feelings and needs; don't overstay your welcome and make sure they have plenty to eat and drink

• Write down key facts, names, dates and places

There is just so much to learn and enjoy about our elders. I started out my journey, a dozen or so years ago, trying to find myself, my purpose here, my own legacy. I wanted to be able to share who I am and where I came from in the process. It is just now, in the last few years, I have come to realize that my Aunt Lee holds a very special place in my heart. Knowing her, I now know myself and a little bit more of who I am. I have also met someone I truly treasure and enjoy being with. A family connection can be that powerful. This is just so important in our lives and something we need to pass down to our children.

Don't let this time slip away from you. You will never get it back, and you will have the added loss of missing a piece of you and your family history. Touch someone's life who can mean so much and please do it soon. Go pick up your phone or pen and make the arrangements now.

Here are a few more resources to get you started:

How to Interview a Relative

The Grand Generation: The Interview

Family Interview Questions

Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy

Remembering Your Past Duty Assignments

Sometimes, after all the dust settles from yet another move, I actually have a kind of yearning for what has passed. Yes, I do have photo albums, where I like to remember where we've been as a family...but I wanted to have a way to just glance at something, to remember where our travels have taken us....something we could display proudly...in our home somewhere.

I'll be darned if the next week I wasn't invited to a ladies coffee at my husband's commander's house. His wife had all these cute little houses with the names of all of her husband's duty assignments, neatly written on each house. After I got up the courage to ask her where she found those adorable little houses, she ended up ordering me a set too. Since I am not crafty, I ended up experimenting around and painting and re-painting the little rooftops and finally came up with a white craft marker to write a duty assignment on each roof. That seemed to work just fine and ended up being a nice contrast with the black. The houses ended up becoming a prominent little display right by our front door.

Without delay....every new duty assignment, the houses were pulled out of their boxes, and a new house was christenend...now you know, I ended up buying three sets, because you just don't know really, how many times exactly am I gonna move? I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. The houses make a nice conversation piece, and if you're really crafty, you can add little details to the houses with craft paint...something that might remind you of that duty assignment.

Another nice idea to remember your duty assignments, is to come up with a wall hanging. You can actually make this yourself (see below), and make it as simple or elegant as you want!



Again, get out the craft paints and markers. If you've ever used a wood burning tool to write letters (what do you call that thing?), that would be another option! For me, I'd probably burn the house down with something like that, but for you, that might be something you'd like to consider.

In fact, your husband can probably cut out the shapes of each duty station for you in wood. Make holes to attach craft wire at the top and between each piece, and you can just keep adding names of duty stations as you go along until you decide to quit your nomadic lifestyle.

If you are looking for a nice idea to make money at many of the craft bazaars and fairs, I bet you would get a lot of interest from military wives with either of these ideas. I did look around on the internet for someone who might be selling some of these things online. So far, I wasn't able to find anyone! Perhaps this is something that you could capitalize on? How about it?

If anyone has any other interesting ideas, please do share! I would love to hear them!

This article has been featured on Blog Carnival #22 "Make it from Scratch". Be sure to stop by there for some more great articles!