Another Heritage Page

I've been wanting to create this layout for awhile now, and finally found the perfect papers to do it with. This is the first time I've worked with Graphic 45 products, and I couldn't quit layering all those pretty papers! I love that you can easily intermix papers from many different collections. I really, really like this stuff!!

To create the flowers, I die cut and punched different sizes of circles from double-sided paper. Then I lightly spritzed each circle with water and carefully munched them up. I let them dry while they were still slightly crumpled, then layered them together and attached a pretty pearl brad in the center. For the leaves, I cut them out of green paper and basically followed the same procedure as the flowers.

Papers: Graphic 45 and 7 Gypsies; Die Cuts: QuicKutz; Font: Adler, Punches: EK Success; Digital Photo Frame: Jessica Sprague; Brads: Making Memories

Here's a little info about this layout...

The man on the left is Charles Coulson Rich. In 1863, he led a party of pioneers to the Bear Lake Valley and settled in what is now Paris, Idaho. This was the beginning of a 20-year struggle to maintain the colony in the face of severe winters, poor harvest, delicate Indian relations, and isolation. Rich County, Utah and St. Charles, Idaho are named after him.

My great-great-grandparents were among the first group of settlers in the Bear Lake Valley. They named their son (who was the first white boy born there) Charles Coulson Shirley.

His son (my grandfather) was named Arthur Coulson Shirley.

Then my brother, Arthur, is in the 4th photo.

And last is my nephew, Coulson.


I love creating heritage pages! They are often a challenge, but it's so rewarding to tell the stories of my ancestors through scrapbooking.

Lots and lots of QuicKutz

QuicKutz dies are quickly becoming a favorite of mine to use in the classes that I teach. They are easier for everyone to use than stamps and create less mess. Right now at Porter's, they are having a huge promotion to launch the new Epic Six Tool. I have been able to purchase dies for killer prices!!

So on this latest layout I created for class, I might have gotten a little carried away! I used two fonts (Chocolate and Moonlight), the picket fence, vine, and cherry dies. Thank goodness for the Xyron sticker maker to attach all those little letters. It sure makes life easier!

So here's the story behind this layout...

I ran across an old 1936 cookbook of my Grandma's and got laughing about some of the recipes. We just eat so differently now than they did then. For starters, apparently molded salads of all kinds were the popular thing to serve. And don't get me started on the Boiled Tongue and Parsnip Fritters. Here's an interesting menu idea:

• Spaghetti Ring
• Creamed Crab
• Browned Parsnips
• Lettuce with French Dressing
• Baked Prune Whip
• Coffee and Milk

or how about:

• Curried Oysters and Hard Cooked Eggs
• Buttered Rice
• Stewed Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• French Dressing
• Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Coffee and Milk

(Ok...so that one's not too bad except maybe for the Curried Oysters...Eek!)

• Boiled Tongue
• Parsley Potatoes
• Buttered Beets
• Stuffed Prune Salad
• Browned Honey Rice Pudding
• Coffee and Milk

And then since you will have leftovers the next day:

• Onion Soup
• Toasted Tongue and Relish Sandwiches
• Banana Fluff
• Coffee, Tea, Milk

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

So I decided to make a layout comparing recipes then and now. It took me awhile to figure out how to approach this idea, but I finally decided to create a restaurant-style menu featuring recipes from 1936 and 2009. After I got the kids in bed, I stayed up really late writing all the descriptions and finding pictures to match. I also wrote journaling explaining everything I have told you here that pulls out from behind the upper left corner. I really, really wish the photo was better...my scanner was giving me fits and kept cutting off all the wrong edges so I tried taking a picture at work but their camera isn't that great. You might be able to read the items better in this scan...

My kids really laughed at the "Daily Special" although I'm really not that mean. They are pretty spoiled. At least you won't have to think too hard about what to fix for dinner tonight since I've provided you with some wonderful, delicious ideas! Happy cooking!

Scrapbooking Family History

I love creating heritage pages although sometimes they can be a challenge. I try to find ways to make a layout beautiful as well as record family history. Sometimes there's not a lot of information about a certain person or photo, but I can usually glean little bits here and there.

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny; Stamps: Inque Boutique; Glimmer Mist: Tattered Angels; Flowers: Bazzill, Prima; Pin: Making Memories; Ribbon: Bazzill

I made this layout for a class I taught at Porter's last night. My great-grandparents are in the large photo in the center. Then the smaller photos are of them and their children...when they are young and then years later. I made a family chart down the left side of the layout starting with my great-grandparents. I thought it was a great way to tie all the pictures together and also give the reader a quick visual of how everyone is related.

The butterfly was made by cutting a pattern from regular paper and attaching it to the layout with temporary adhesive. Then I sprayed Glimmer Mist over that area. After it dried, I removed the mask and there you have it...a beautiful, shimmery accent!

I have a couple of kits left over from class. If anyone is interested, let me know!

Heritage Photos

Last summer, a cousin of ours was going through an old box of photos she discovered in the family home where my grandfather grew up. She allowed me to take the photos so I could scan them and make copies for other family members. I was thrilled!

There were tons of pictures, many dating back to the 1800's. A lot of them had notes about who was in the photo as well as where and when it was taken, or were made into actual postcards with messages written on the back. Many pictures were of friends and neighbors. And sadly, quite a few had nothing written on them at all. My grandfather passed away almost three years ago (at the age of 101) and was the last of that generation, so no one else can identify the people in the pictures. On a happy note, I do have plenty of labeled heritage photos to scrap!



I have been teaching scrapbooking classes at my lss for several years. Last year, one of my classes focused on using heritage photos and scrapping memories from family history. It was so popular, we decided to carry it over into 2009. My challenge in designing layouts for this class is remembering that not everyone is blessed with a vast array of heritage photos. Therefore, I always try to design the layouts so they are versatile enough to work with modern pictures as well.

Here's one I designed for a class coming up on April 23rd using a little bit of everything! It's got a variety of patterned papers, notebook pages, chipboard, flowers, stamping, tickets, metal, and more. I love the eclectic mix and am excited to teach this class!


One tip I must give in working with heritage photos is always, ALWAYS work with a copy and never the original photo. Oftentimes it is the only one left in existence, and it would not be a great idea to cut it up or attach it permanently in your scrapbook. With the options that are available today for copying photographs, there's no reason why you should be altering the original. It's always a great idea to share copies with family members. Not only would most of them appreciate having a piece of their history, but then if the original somehow got destroyed, you would always have a backup.