Exploring Cricut - Exploring Our Heritage

I must confess scrapbooking has gone to the wayside for me. I am AT LEAST three years behind on photos. And honestly, I don't really want to know just HOW FAR BEHIND I am. It just might scare me! So when Diane asked me to join the Exploring Cricut team I promised myself I would do more pages. So counting Monday's post I now have 2 pages done! Whoo hoo!!! Now for most of you that is not a big deal but for me that is HUGE!!!! Praying I will get back in the groove again and get some of this stuff done...

Have you ever wondered why we do this? Hey, I'm preaching to the choir... OF COURSE you know why we do this!! I suspect, like me, you have had people say... "I don't have time for that stuff..."

Several years ago my last great aunt died. She was well in her 90's. She was the sole survivor of a large brood. She could tell stories about riding in a wagon (not station mind you) to town. She and her husband never had any children. And as the last remaining child, she had become the caretaker of family lore and legend. Before her estate sale, the family was called in to gather any photos they might want. Many of the nieces and nephews, including my father, had already passed on. When I walked into her living room, I was astounded to find a plethora of photos, all jumbled together, many unlabeled and unfortunately unknown. I gathered the few faces I knew, mine, my father, aunts and uncles and bundled then into an envelope. But then a stack caught my eye. There were a few tin type photos from the late 1800s and one that appeared almost to be painted. It drew me in. Somehow the faces looked familiar to me. As I peered at those images in a velvet case I noticed a small scrap of paper sticking out of the corner. I pulled it out to find in dear Aunt's handwriting -- "mama & papa." I held in my hand the image of my great grandfather and grandmother! And how easily those precious images could have been tossed away or sold in a lot in the auction! Then I started digging. And I found labels on the tin types! Here were post Civil War photos of my great great grandfather and grandmother!

So this is why we do it! So someday our photos won't be discarded and our family will know all about the people, places and events that shaped our lives. And just so you know... these are scanned images of those two sweet faces in my lineage. Blessings to you and make sure to cherish and PRESERVE those memories...



Heritage Cricut Cartridge

Tree - Page 25 - 10 1/2 inches
Charm (base for my photos) - Page 27 - 3 3/4 inches
Bicycle - Page 63 - 3 inches
Fence & Shadow - Page 43 - 4 inch
Leaves & Shadow - Page 24 - 3 inches
Legacy - Page 43 - 2 inches
Frame - Page 43 - 2 inches

A dab of Flower Soft (Heather) in the bicycle basket...



I tied each of the photos on the tree with thin satin ribbon (burgundy.) The background paper is actually a paper bag that I crumpled up, flattened out and adhered to black card stock. A few weeks ago when I traveled to a craft festival one of the stores put my item in this shopping bag. I told the ladies I traveled with I couldn't tear it as I would use it on a card. They thought I was crazy! But it looks pretty good on this page... (or at least I think so...)