DAD'S ALBUM FINAL DAY!!!

This is the final page and inside of the back cover. It is a photo of my father and I. I would have been just about 1. He liked to say I wasn't a surprise later in life, I was more like a shock, adding they must have broken the mold! Funny, my husband says this too!!!

He was 56 when I was born. As I near this age, I really appreciate and now comprehend the challenges they must have faced.

Dad always did say I kept him busy!!!!

This is a very personal piece for me, one I cherish. My special thanks to all of you who have left such kind and heartfelt comments - they are truly appreciated!
Hope you have enjoyed the journey....

Back tomorrow with "new" art.

THE BERRY PATCH

A little break from the album.

Prior to visiting Colorado this summer, I happened to come across a beautiful blog Ivory Blush Roses. Lisa is a very talented stitcher. I spent quite some time on her blog and came across an entry about a store, The Berry Patch in Niwot which is a very short distance from Longmont. This is an INCREDIBLE store, not to be missed if you are into crazy quilting or use lots of trims, ribbons and buttons in your work. The store boasts the largest selection of trims in the US! Surprising since Niwot is about 2 blocks in length!!!!

Don't these look scrumptious.....
Thank you Lisa. This was well worth the visit.

I love COLOUR!

I'll be finishing off the album tomorrow.

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 9

This is the second to last page so we are almost finished!

This was taken in December 1958 and I have a feeling it would have been prior to attending church since we never dressed up like this otherwise. It is my most cherished photo of my brother and I. He is 12 and I'm almost 3! Yes, I had "white" hair! It's brown now with no grey so far as my hairdresser keeps telling me....

The photo is mounted in an old book cover which a friend June had given me some time ago. I wanted to use it for something special. I've used various textiles for the background and part of a fake leather photo album cover I grew up with. The album used to store early photos. I took it apart long ago and kept the covers thinking I would use them for something in the future. Well, I did use part of one.....

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 8

Hope all of you enjoyed your weekend. I have several projects in various stages on the go at present so more to share later this week. Returning to the next page of Dad's album.

Although my father was a realtor earlier in life, as I was growing up, he and my mother ran a flower shop. The background is a floral fabric overlaid with a chipboard house. I soldered the charm which contains the store business card and the flower in mica is one of Mom's dried flowers. The store was "Bee's Flowers" hence the reason I have bees in my blog design, logo etc.

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 7

Am returning to my father's story today. The next page is an engagement photo of my mother and father, married in 1942. I apologize for the glare but it is under acetate. The brooch is a gift from him to my mother.

More on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

MORE MAIL ART

I'VE BEEN PLAYING

This is one side of a mail art envelope I recently completed using a manilla file folder as a base.

This is the other side. The background was painted with acrylics then various collage elements applied.
Back tomorrow with more of Dad's album.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT TODAY!

I thought I would take a break from Dad's album for a couple of days and share a special something that arrived in the mail several weeks ago! This is Trudi's skinny to me for August. Didn't she do a beautiful job! Love it girlfriend.....
When I received the package it was quite large so I wondered what else she had sent. Lucky me, she sent me one of her digital collages. She sells these in her etsy. Oh my, now where will I hang it.....

Thank you Trudi!!!

Enjoy your day whatever you get up to.

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 6

Following his return from the war, Dad moved west to Trail, British Columbia where he settled and lived for a number of years. He worked in the mines and was active in the Masonic Lodge and soccer. I've aged the page with various techniques in black to represent the mines.

Photos above are circa 1920-1922.

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 5

The story continues...
Dad enlisted and served in France (WW1). The metal "Canada" is from a uniform but I believe from my grandfather versus Dad. This photo is actually a postcard written by one of his war buddies. This page opens to reveal....
parts of his attestation paper March 1918, parts of his discharge certificate March 1919 and the back of the postcard which reads

March 2, 1920
Here's a card you will remember where we had it taken in Parie-Plague (spelling?)where we used to go for the Vin Blanc and fried spuds. I got it about 3 months after we got back here. You look jake(?) but I look like some red skin. Some bunch of red necks.

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 4

Dad arrived in Canada as a ward of Fegan's on April 11, 1914 on the SS Empress of Britain (pictured above). Research indicates he was transported from Halifax to a receiving home in Toronto then placed on a farm in Guelph where he remained from 1914 - 1918.

I've used ticking and tattered cheesecloth to give a "farm" feel to the page. I've added some dried flowers my mother had dried many years ago. The scrolls are "progress reports" from October 1914 and April 1917. His annual wages were $110, the cost of clothing deducted with the balance sent to the home.......

Many home children never saw or had further contact with family, my father included. You look through a "hole" to the ship in this page to represent this loss.

For those of you who may be interested you can view some history of home children here. Incidentally, 2010 is the year of the home children and I believe there is a stamp to commemorate this.

Happier times follow next week.....

DAD'S ALBUM DAY 3

Excerpt from the book The Little Immigrants by Kenneth Bagnell

"Between 1870 and the depression of the 1930's more than 80,000 children journeyed from the British Isles to Canada in an extrordinary but almost forgotten odyssey. Some came from the streets of London and Liverpool where they lived by their wits: others were taken from loving families who could no longer provide for them. Often with no choice in the decision, they were sent to Canada by well-meaning philanthropists in what seemed the perfect solution to a dual problem; what to do with tens of thousands of children from the slums of Britain who had no future there, and how to meet the need for cheap labour on Canadian farms. Once in this country, most of them were placed with farm families and put to work in the fields, planting, harvesting and opening the land of a young nation.

They were known as "home children", but beneath the benign description was a story of lonely and forlorn youngsters to whom a new life in Canada meant only hardship and abuse. While some households were welcoming, too many were cold and unsympathetic."

My father was one of these home children.

This is the earliest photograph I have taken at the "hiving off" in 1914 from Liverpool to Canada when he emigrated.

Sadly, I have no idea who he is as names were not noted.

DAD'S ALBUM

This is the first page of the first signature. I thought it appropriate to show who the book is about! No particular significance with the paper and textile bits, just an aged feel to compliment the photo. Thank you to Bev for the cabinet card frame. The "P" is for Peter.

Circa 1921

Thank you all for your very kind comments!

Another page tomorrow....

DAD'S ALBUM

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I attended a 3 day workshop in August taught by the very talented Judy Wilkenfeld. The workshop was entitled "Just in Case" - in the event of tragedy what would be the most important personal possessions to take with you!?

My topic is memories of my father's life. Over the next several weeks I will be sharing "pages" of his life and story. I hope you enjoy the journey....

The cover is a pale green velvet embossed in class. I chose green to represent growth. The handle is a thrift store find.
This is the inside of the front cover. This page contains a copy of my grandparents marriage certificate from 1886 and my father's birth certificate. I chose today to start his story as he was born on September 14th, 1899.

MAIL....

Thank all of you for your incredibly kind comments about my crazy quilt pillow! Believe me, I have a ways to go with the stitching - I must have edited this photo very well !!!!

I signed up to join the crazy quilt international yahoo group prior to my vacation and I had the most lovely email following this from Pat Winter. Pat is a very talented crazy quilter. She sent me this little package of her hand dyed ribbons and printed images!

How generous - thank you so much Pat.

Something special starting tomorrow!!!!!

Crazy quilting block......

I started this practice block several months ago but found I needed more variety in threads which took some time to arrive. Luckily, they arrived just in time for vacation so ended up completing this block very recently. The background is silks, satins and a damask napkin dyed. The threads are silks, rayons and cottons and some silk ribbon. As I don't have many beads, I improvised using brads I had from my previous scrapbooking days. I think they turned out rather well - don't you!?

Well naturally I had to make something once the block was finished! The pillow measures about 7" square and resides in my studio.

Thank you all for your kind comments regarding my thrift finds. Seems as if I have inspired some of you to re-wrap your ribbons, laces etc!

That's it for this week! Chat Monday......

Thrift finds....

LOOK what I found! At the thrift store no less. As they took up a considerable amount of space, I decided to discard the rolls and re-roll the lace on clothes pegs. They take up a lot less space now.

I'll likely use these in future collages.

Mail art!

I have been playing with some more mail art! This has a new home now. Used up lots of scraps, some stenciling, freehand drawing (lousy) with markers etc. The base is an old manila folder I picked up at the thrift store. These are quite addictive!

Managed some stitching yesterday - anticipate photos later this week....

Also dyed some embroidery threads which are drying as I write.

Enjoy your day - more tomorrow....

I'M BACK!!!!!

I'm back from a very busy summer vacation. Attended a couple of wonderful workshops, shared margaritas with visiting friends from out of town, read several books but generally relaxed quite a bit in my back yard. Thought I would start with showing you some of my roses currently in bloom.....

I recently re-stocked a variety of new luscious layers bundles - you can see them here.

I did manage to accomplish some art, finishing old projects as well as starting new ones, all of which I'll be sharing in upcoming posts commencing tomorrow.

It is a rather dull day so as I say, a good art day!

Look forward getting back to chatting with you all. Until tomorrow....