December Holiday Traditions

In a week, a niece will be marrying and I wonder what Christmas holiday traditions she will carry on and make new with her fiancé. I know one of her mother's (my sister) traditions was to purchase dated Christmas ornaments at every place they traveled to on vacation.'

When David and I married, we made the mistake of not talking about how we wanted to celebrate the holidays with each other and our parents. David just assumed that I would go along with his family's traditions and his toe tripped over a speed bump when he discovered his bride had some wishes of her own in addition to both our parents expecting us to celebrate the holidays with them that first Christmas. Oops!

One thing common to both of us was that we had celebrated Christmas together with our extended families -- grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We decided that we wanted to continue that tradition, however, deciding who got first dibs without ruffling feathers became a major struggle as both of our parents lived in the same metro area and our grandparents lived out of town in opposite directions. A few years ago, I read of a couple of capital ideas I wish we could have implemented in the beginning of our journey together as man and wife -- alternate holidays every month on an annual basis (I'd have to write it in on my calendar so I wouldn't forget) or make one holiday such as Thanksgiving a paternal holiday always and Christmas a maternal one or visa versa. 

My family stayed home for most of the holidays during the year and celebrated them together, along with school parties. We were only able to visit my grandparents in southwestern Kansas and the panhandle of Oklahoma two times a year as they lived an 8-10 hour drive away. First my parents and siblings would open gifts at home, around my brother's birthday on the 21st, then drive to the Kansas grandparents, spending several days there and then going on to the Oklahoma grandparents before returning home. We had three Christmas' in one!

Some of my favorite memories from those times are -- looking up and seeing the "great star" (Jupiter and another planet's conjunction) in the sky as from a mattress in my folk's station wagon (mom and dad almost always made up a bed for us four kids so we could sleep while they drove all night); getting out of school because of a blizzard that roared through Oklahoma; playing with our cousins; attending church with our grandparents and seeing old friends; Christmas dinner; watching for familiar towns along the way down and the mounting excitement of being almost there and the alternate -- the growing homesickness as we pass those same towns coming back and the longing to be home; and watching my grandmother's eyes mist with tears as they waved goodbye to us. My grandparents have all graduated to heaven and as I write this, I miss them very much and know I won't be able to celebrate holidays with them again until I meet them in the sky. 

David's immediate family spent the night at his paternal grandparent's home and woke up at dawn on Christmas morning to open gifts. Then in the afternoon, they would all pile in the car to go visit his mother's parents. He said his favorite memory was hanging out with all his cousins. And let me tell you, he has quite a few in Cole and Miller Counties, MO. 
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Some of our blended Christmas traditions came when we had our son. I found a recipe for a Christmas cottage in the newspaper and we'd get together, either with his cousins or his homeschool friends and make them from pop-tarts, frosting, and Christmas candies. It's very much like a gingerbread house.

We also had a birthday party for Jesus with cake and ice cream after my aunt gave our son a book about celebrating Jesus' birthday with a party. We made Christmas ornaments together and exchanged them with friends' homemade ones. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we drove around to see the lights and generally, we'd wait until after Thanksgiving, usually on my birthday to decorate the house for Christmas. We also collected one or two Christmas books or videos a year and sit and read or watch them together before Christmas day. And we still love to play games and put puzzles together with our friends and family  Christmas evening! 

At my Kansas grandparents we would open gifts after Christmas dinner at noon and only after all the dishes were done and she read the Christmas story from her Bible. It seemed like it took forever before we actually got to open the gifts, but imagine our son's excitement when he was allowed as a first time reader to read his shortened version of the Christmas story at his Grandma's house! After all, Jesus is the reason for this season! 

As preschool Sunday School teachers, David and I have participated in our home church's children's pageant -- me helping with costumes and David/stage and props. In previous years, we participated in a Living Nativity (next time you see David ask him how cold it gets without long handles under a costume and about the braying donkey) and choir cantatas. This year we're reading a new devotional book called "Anticipate: An Advent Experience" by Paul Sheneman and published by Beacon Hill Press. I'm decorating paper tags based on this book's Jesse Tree symbols called "24 tags of Christmas" to hang on my Christmas tree. This would be a good book to have for your own family tradition of celebrating Advent preceding Christmas. A Jesse Tree is a version of an advent calendar. 

Hey Family, I would love it if you would add your favorite Christmas memories to the comment section below. Thanks!

Written by Dolores J. Rush. 

Colonial Dames of America

If you aren’t qualified to join the Daughters of the American Revolution but can prove that your lineage descends from pioneers who settled in America during the colonial days (from your school days, do you remember what the 13 original colonies were?), then perhaps this group is for you instead.

My encyclopedia seems to indicate that there are two groups of Colonial Dames of America. One was founded in 1890 and the other in 1891. The membership for the first depends on whether you are descended from an ancestor of distinction who resided in the colonies previous to 1776 or in the second, you were descended from a worthy ancestor settling in the colonies previous to 1750. Both groups collect and preserve records, documents, manuscripts, etc. that pertain to the colonies and the revolutionary period activities.

Most of my ancestors were ordinary men. Take for instance on my maternal grandfather’s side, the family traces back to a Peter ULLOM (me, mom, Grandpa John, Alford, Lorenzo Dow, Stephen, Peter). Peter was born in 1748 or 49 in Lancaster County, PA.

A cousin on my maternal grandmother’s side always told me I was descended from Robert MORRIS, the financier and signer of the Declaration of Independence, but it’s not been proven.

In years, we may be just shy of the requirement of colonial days, unless another family researcher has gone further back than I have. I’d love to know.

DAR: Daughters of the American Revolution

One of David’s cousins called him last year asking for help to fill out some admission papers for the local chapter of the  Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Her dad got sick shortly after that and we haven’t heard anything recently concerning her paperwork.

We talked to the regent of the local chapter at the Grinter Applefest in Wyandotte County, KS. last weekend. The DAR is a volunteer service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history and securing America’s future through better education for children. But in order to be a member, one must be a woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. They have a DAR library and archives. The genealogy library is said to be the second largest research center in the world, with more than 300,000 files, 185,000 books, and 65,000 microfilms, in the national headquarters. The Archives has nearly 5,000 early American manuscripts and imprints.

Some of their activities involve awarding scholarships and financial aid to students, locating and marking historical landmarks and graves of countless Revolutionary War patriots, volunteering at VA hospitals, preserving local landmarks and historic structures in communities across the country, conserving pre-Industrial American decorative art objects, giving copies of the DAR Manual for Citizenship to immigrants studying for naturalization and becoming docents at local museums.

I was interested in learning that over thirty DAR state societies maintain a state or period room at the National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the Kansas Chapel contains stained glass sunflower windows assembled from twelve panels removed during the 1967 remodeling of the Carnegie Library in Wichita. The sunflower is Kansas' state flower. Talk about preserving history! *smile*

David’s 5th great-grandfather, Abel Stout, from New Jersey, fought in the American Revolution.

For more information on either the local chapter  or the national organization check out their websites.  

Revolutionary War Ancestors: 
Fletcher, William (1750-1792), DAR #A209074
Griffin, Richard (name posted on DAR plaque at the Montgomery Co, KY courthouse).
Morgan II, Morgan (1737-1797), DAR  #A080522
Stout, Abel (1740-1797), DAR #A110657
Todd, Peter ( 1756-1841), DAR #A114383

Possible Ancestor:
Morris, Sr., Lewis (1726-1798), DAR #A101275

Rush Reunion Recap

Our family reunion day dawned pleasant, cool, and fair. Actually it wasn’t too bad under the shelter at the park. It helps when there is a little breeze, however, I heard that the pool numbers were down from the previous years. And I’m sorry about the miscommunication about the time. Hope it didn’t spoil your fun!

The attendee that came the farthest drove straight through from California. Also, the cousin who introduced David to me via a blind date was there. We were delighted to see all who attended!

And yes, I did write the reunion invitation poem. I’ve had several poems published, mostly in literary magazines in my youth. I decided this year I would crank up the creaky writing skills and get to work. It took me awhile without a rhyming dictionary, but I’m glad to say, I believe the poem came out all right! It said what it needed to say! *smile*

I must say though, I don’t know what happened to all the picnic tables (must make note to self = remind folks to bring lawn chairs and card tables next year). There wasn’t enough seating to go round. Hey, family, if you are reading this, call or write Eldon, MO’s Chamber of Commerce and urge them to purchase or build more picnic tables or get up the 4-H’ers, Boy Scouts or a high school shop class to make and donate some more. I’m sure they would appreciate it! We will!

Did you get to visit our table at the reunion? We had “Rush Report” order forms and copies of each of Gaynelle Moore’s books for your viewing pleasure as well as many ancestral photos to view. Also, I think the neatest thing was Rev. Alexander Sullen’s certificate, signed by the President of the United States, for his service in the Civil War which we received when David ordered his veteran tombstone from the government. Alexander is buried at the Spring Garden, MO. cemetery where the Christian church once stood. 

There was electricity at the shelter. David had his laptop hooked up to it. 

In regard to the Reunion invitation address list – I do not share it with anyone except those members of the family directly involved in the reunion planning. And we are often the last ones to know when family members move, pass away, or get married. In the past few years, I’ve sent out directory update forms but few have been returned. IF you are interested in receiving a notice to the next reunion, please try to remember to contact us when your situation changes. I especially need your descendants’ (grown children who move out) addresses. And even if your last name isn’t RUSH, but you are descended from a RUSH, or are related to one through marriage, you are welcome to come! The more the merrier!

And for your information, only dead relatives are allowed on our blog, unless we get your permission to relay your personal data such as in the “Family Links” for research or advertising purposes (at our discretion, see side menu) or if you make a comment under an article. If you wish to comment or ask a question and feel uncomfortable about leaving your full name, please leave your first name and I will answer underneath yours via the pop-up contact post (return to blog for answer after a couple of days or click notify box) or leave your email address (again I state I will not publish it; it's for my eyes only) and I will answer you via our reunion email. Use whichever method that suits you best.

David and I tried to get to the Miller County Museum before they closed, but didn’t quite make it. One or two family members headed over to Rush Chapel Cemetery to check it out! Then at suppertime, a large group gathered at Lehman’s Mennonite Restaurant (permanently closed) over in Versailles for the best open-faced roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and brown gravy (they also have a dinner/salad bar w/ dessert; Yum!) and a few split off to go miniature golfing in Osage Beach. There was worship at the Eldon Nazarene church the next morning and shopping at the local flea markets in the afternoon with lots of visiting in between. I enjoyed myself, did you?

Rush Reunion_2012

Family Picnic

By Dolores J. Rush

Mother on a summer day

Put on her apron of gingham gay

Cooked a dish of home-dried fruit

And pressed her husband’s Sunday suit.

Washed the dishes, made the bed

Boxed up fried chicken, loaves of bread

A cake or pie, the butter and jam

Deviled eggs and a bit of ham.

She tied up the dog and fed the cat

Gathered the kids; their ball and bat

Grabbed lawn chairs; a quilt to sit on

Directed daddy to load the wagon.

Putt, putt to the picnic at the park

To see grandma and grandpa, cousin Fred, until dark

To have a bit of frolic and bunches of fun

To splash in the pool and roast in the sun.

Mother brought her latest project, a recipe or two

To share with her sisters and cousins too

A snippet of fabric; a start of a houseplant,

School photos to dole out to all great-aunts.

Mother had a delightful time; a visit with the folks

Her family’s day ended on a gentle note

Full of happy memories; good food; tired bodies too

They couldn’t wait till next year to begin anew.

Recipes of Tacy Emma Berry Ullom

Miss Tacy Emma Berry was hired on as a nanny to Mr. Alford Ullom's six children after their mother, Samantha, and baby sister passed away after childbirth. Eventually, she cooked for Mr. Ullom. He ran two businesses in Coffeyville, Kansas, a café on Main Street and an inn called the Farmer's Home . Tacy and Alford were married two weeks before the Dalton Raid on the Banks in 1896. Here are some of her recipes that fortunately have been recorded by her youngest daughter, Laura Belle.

Cake

1 cup sugar
1 ¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder.

Mix together =
¼ cup melted butter
2 eggs in cup & fill with milk
flavor
Put all these in bowl together and beat 5 minutes. Layer or loaf.
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Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

2 cups milk
2 cups cornmeal
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon melted shortening
3 level teaspoons baking powder

Mix by stirring thoroughly, let stand a few minutes for meal to swell.
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Johnny Cake

2 cups whole, sour milk
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon soda dissolved in milk
4 tablespoon butter
2 cup cornmeal
2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Bake in moderate oven. Raisins or date gems may be made by adding ¾ cup of chopped & seeded fruit to the batter.
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Milk Pie Crust

(for one two-crust pie)

Ingredients = ½ cup lard, ¼ cup milk with just enough flour so you can roll and handle the crust.
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Cookies

2 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup sour milk
4 cup flour
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To Can Beans

Pick beans. Put in clean jars cold to 1 half gallon jar. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Put in boiler and boil for 3 hours. Fill jars up with cold water before cooking. Fill up in a inch or so of top. Put false bottom so cans don’t break. Cook for 3 hour.
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Dill Pickle Recipt

1 quart vinegar
2 quarts water
1 cup salt

Heat real hot & seal.
Put in some dill.
Wash cucumbers. Put in glass jars. Pour liquid hot over the cucumbers. Seal tight.
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Mustered Pickels Recipt

1 gallon vinegar
3 cups sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup dry mustard

have pickles in glass jars. Put over cold. Seal tight. They are fine. Don’t weaken vinegar.

More to Read:
Cookbooks

Compiled by Dolores J. Rush

Poke and Grits

I recall a recent conversation with a desk librarian at the library we visit quite frequently. She asked me if I had ever heard of the phrase “poke and grits?” I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, so asked her where she had heard this term. She said her mother always told anyone who asked what they were having for supper that they were having “poke and grits.” As a young girl she was curious to know where the expression came from so she asked her mother about it and her mother said it was her mother's expression. So the next time her grandmother came to visit, her grandma told her,  “poke your feet under the table and grit your teeth,” meaning “get ready to eat.”

I don’t recall that my mother ever saying this to us, but I do remember her telling us to wash up right before she brought the food to the table.

In David’s family, the saying was "come to the table before the food gets cold,” which sometimes meant wild greens –young poke sprouts, lambs quarters and burdock, fried morel mushrooms (YUM! 😋), fried wild meats like squirrel, rabbit, fish, frog legs, turkey, eel, coon or tame meat and vegetables. Often there was wild grape or elderberry jelly to spread on Grandma Marie’s homemade lightbread and sometimes wild blueberry pie or custard pie to eat. And like us, they didn't eat grits except as a hot breakfast cereal.

I asked my mother after we were married, why our family never ate wild things and she relayed a story about how after the first winter after her grandparents moved to Oklahoma, they were starving for fresh greens in the spring and gathered a big bunch up, cooked them and about poisoned all of themselves to death, not knowing the proper plants to pick in that area. After that time, her family stayed away from picking wild plants to eat. My dad, however, loved to hunt deer and we fished (mostly catfish) at Grandpa's pond on the farm.

And my husband's family also has another saying in their family about eating -- "chickie fly high, no good eat." A wandering gypsy, tramping through their part of the Ozarks, in his broken English, told them that one must be careful about what wild birds one eats -- certain flying birds were not edible -- one had made him sick! 😛

More to Read:
Cookbooks
His Relatives' Recipes

Written by Dolores J. Rush.

Mom Quotes, Daddy-isms, and Nursery Rhymes

HER

Ever catch yourself doing this when you had a kid underfoot and (s)he was getting on that LAST NERVE ...

Things you said to yourself that you would never, ever say to your kids when you had them and then... you clap your hand over your mouth when you realize you just did! 😮

👦👧💖 👨👩

I was thinking of the things my dad used to say today. He was an air conditioning and heating serviceman and a trustee at church. He took care of all our church’s air-conditioning, heating and some of the plumbing and I remember that he told me “to leave a place better than I found it!” 

Dad always said his two favorite pies were "hot and cold!" His favorite cake was applesauce cake made with black walnuts. And it was especially yummy with cream cheese frosting! 

I remember playing these games as a child: Basketball; Dodge ball; Hide & Seek; Hide the Thimble; Hopscotch; Hot Potato; Hula Hoop;  Jump Rope, Kickball; Mother, May I;  Red Rover; Relay Games; Simon Says; Softball; Tag; and Who Got the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? 

My Kansas grandmother taught all her grandkids how to play "Hide the Thimble." The more the merrier in this case. She said her mother taught her how to play it.  Grandma would hide the thimble first or she would choose someone to be "It" and then all the other players had to leave the room. Grandma or one of the aunties or uncles or sometimes the oldest child stood guard at the door so there was no cheating by peeking. "It" hid the thimble in plain sight somewhere in the room. The thimble could not be hidden behind or under anything, but could be seen from any corner of the room and often "It" had to check before sitting down. When "It" called okay, then all the players came back into the room and stood in the middle of the room. The first person who spies the thimble, is the next hider. If "It" hides the thimble so well that nobody can find it, then "It" may give clues like, "You are warm" meaning someone is close to the thimble and if they are next to it and still don't see it, then they are hot. If they move away, then they are getting cold. The game is a lot of fun and I taught the game to my in-law's family. It's surprising how well a tiny silver object can blend in with the contents of a room. 

I wasn't very good at active outside games, but I did try. I surprised myself though once and everyone else I think, when I won a game of 2-ball dodgeball in sixth grade. My first bicycle was a red boys bike and the first time I crashed it on a girlfriend's hilly front yard, I couldn't sit down for a week. smile! We had a heavy metal pipe swing set in the back yard. Dad set the feet down in concrete, so we could swing high on it without it falling over. Mom bought a commercial metal slide at a rummage sale at the New Santa Fe Christian Church and it stood next to the swing set. Later, mom bought us kids a metal fort. It was two stories tall -- we could climb up to the top story by ladder and slide down a pole in one corner like a fireman. 

I collected dolls and had a Barbie doll. She was a single lady -- she never kept company with Ken at my house. My sisters and I sometimes made our Barbie doll clothes out of the tops of stray socks or stitched clothing for them by hand from bits and pieces of rescued fabric that my mother tossed out after sewing up our clothing.  

Saturday mornings were for watching cartoons. I remember when the kids in school told me about Batman. I was so excited about it and asked my mother if I could watch it. Then I missed the whole show when I fell asleep on the sofa waiting for it to come on. We didn't have a remote control; we had to get up to change the channel on our black and white TV. We didn't get a colored TV or Atari until I was in high school. Our local PBS channel was on the "U" section of our dial. I remember watching Captain Kangaroo. I loved his side-kick, Mr. Green Jeans. Once my sister was on television when she and her classmates visited our local television channel to pay a visit to Torey Time, our local children's programming. 

Mom used to say a version of this poem:

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz I wonder where the birdies is The birdies are up high in the sky Dropping whitewash down in my eye I am good, I don’t cry I’m just glad that cows don’t fly.

She also used to tell us about the peanut and the choo-choo train whose heart was all a flutter, then along came the choo-choo train and he became peanut butter!

👦👧💖 👨👩

HIS family used to quote favorite rhymes for fun. Ishmael used to say these:

"Entry, ventry, cutry, corn

Apple seed and apple thorn.

Wire, brier, limber lock,

Three geese in a flock.

One flew east, one flew west,

And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

All the way out, you old dirty cloud,

Never saw a pretty girl, but what I liked her some."

---------------

"Let's go to bed," said Sleepyhead.

"Oh no," said Slow, "let's eat a bite before we go."

---------------

This one was accompanied by hand motions as a finger game. It never fails to amaze the little ones!

Two blackbirds

Sitting on a log,

One named "Jack"

And one named "Jill."

Fly away, Jack,

Fly away, Jill,

Come back, Jack,

Come back, Jill.

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Marie's dad, Wm. Thornton, used to say this one:

"Penny-nip, clip, clap, clam, roady-hoady, brush-him-over, Peter Pan-Dan, sigh-all-lo-dy."

🎮🎲💪🎣🎯🏀🏊🎳

David said he can remember his dad saying that if he ever got into trouble at school, expect trouble at home.  How many of your parents said the same? Mine did!

David said a favorite game to play at his grandparents over their farmhouse was "Andy, Andy, Over." The object of the game involved throwing a ball over their house's roof to players on the opposite side to capture and add in team members. He said the two teams were usually divided equally, in this instance, I'll call them the A Team and Team B. Anybody could pitch the ball over from the starting team, say from Team B and as they threw it, they yelled "Andy, Andy, Over" giving warning to A Team that a ball was in the air. David said the trick was to just get it over the peak of the roof to roll or bounce a couple of times before dropping down into a catcher's hands.  The catcher and everyone else on the A Team then ran around to the other side of the house to try to tag anybody they could for their team.  The throwing team couldn't run until they saw people coming around the corner of the house and they could be coming from either side, so you had be alert. Also, Team B didn't know who held the ball, so they had to run away from everyone on the A Team. My husband said the game generally lasted about a half hour or so or until someone damaged a body part while running or getting bonked over the head with a ball. 

David said this to me tonight -- March winds bring April showers bring May flowers and June Bugs!

Got any mom quotes, daddy-isms, or fun jingles your family used to say? Please share in the comments below. 

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A Moment in Time Ephemera

Some people like to use 3-D decorations in their heritage scrapbooks of the ancestors, but I, personally, don’t like bumpy albums with dented pages. I do like using personal keepsakes, however, that bring my ancestors to life and thought I would compile a list of flat ephemera one could use. Take time to plunder the attics, closets, dressers, hope chests, jewelry boxes, junk drawers, photo albums, recipe boxes, scrapbooks, sewing cabinets, and writing desks of your grand-relatives for mementoes before the estate sale.

Note: Reproduce good quality permanent copies of paper documents at your local printer and archive the originals in a fireproof document box. Ink-jet photocopies are temporary in nature and might fade over time.

address labels, alphabet stencils (new and used), autographs, baseball trading cards, botanical illustrations, bookmarks, calling/business cards, cancelled checks, car keys, certificates (adoption, award, birth, church membership, death, guarantees, marriage, military, prize, stock, Sunday School promotion, warranties) children’s artwork, church bulletins, clothing tags, candy packaging labels (candy bar, crackerjack, gum wrappers, Valentine), dance cards, desk calendar pages, dog tags, flashcards, garden catalogs, garden seed packets, hair ribbons, embroidery thread, favorite poetry (Bible verses, quotes), feathers, flattened spice tin fronts, foreign coins (tokens), funeral leaflets, graduation diploma, handwritten recipes, hankies, images from a favorite book, lace, lacy gloves, ledger, library cards, guest-books (guest check receipts), journal and diary accounts, letters, a lock of hair (hair-nets), locker tag, maps (paper), menus, old-fashioned packaging labels, old greeting cards,  old schoolbook pages, measuring tapes, needle threader, newspaper clippings, old magazine ads, old patterns (envelopes with images and tissue patterns), old typewriter keys, paper doilies, paper dolls, patches, photos of heirlooms (favorite toys), photographs of their homes, perfume bottle labels, pinked swatches of calico and gingham feedsack fabric, playing cards, postcards,  pressed flowers, printed tablecloths,

quilt patterns, receipts, report cards, rickrack, school papers, a sequin from a special dress, sheet metal jewelry (photos of jewelry), sheet music, silhouettes, slides, stereoscopic viewing cards, suitcase stickers, theater programs, ticket stubs, traced hands or feet cut-outs, travel brochures, utility bills/receipts, used envelopes, used postage stamps, vintage Valentines, vintage wrapping paper, wallpaper remnants, watch parts (crystals, faces, hands, gears), wedding invitations, and wedding dress fabric.

Postscript: I stumbled across a Civil War quilt blog and she had an article on Albums: Silk and Paper. Another item to add to the list to look for!

 Compiled by Dolores J. Rush, Updated: 9/29/2019

Memory Scrapbooking Papers

In my last article on Heritage Scrapbooking, I explained the basics of what to collect to put into your scrapbook. My husband and I have been looking at hobby stores when we go out and about and there are companies out there that are now producing product that cater to family historians. Here are a few.

For starters, my mother gave me a thin paperback book from Deja Views, called “Heritage Technique and Idea Book”. It’s from their Time and Again Vintage Inspired Collection by Lori Pieper, Sharon Kropp, and Norma Manak; 2002 that went with a couple of vinyl decorative scrapbook templates. I love this book! I plan to use this book as a jumping off point when I re-create our family albums. (Note: previous photo albums were damaged in a flood, but that’s a story for another time.)

Next I found three, very good books at my local library on scrapbooking old photographs. The first one is called “Scrapbooking Your Family History.” By Laura Best. A Sterling/Chapelle Book, NY; 2005. The second and third ones are both by Maureen A. Taylor = “Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Precious Family Images” Betterway Books, Cincinnati, OH; 2001 and “Scrapbooking Your Family History” Betterway Books, Cincinnati, OH.; 2003. If your library doesn’t carry them, perhaps you can order them through World Cat (it’s an interlibrary catalogue of books from other library systems around the world). My library doesn’t charge for interlibrary loans within the USA, but I know some libraries do. If that fails or is too costly for your pocketbook, perhaps you can purchase them at a local new/used bookstore or online.

We have found product in different nostalgic styles and colors. What do you like best? If you don’t know, here’s a variety below that might help you decide =

• Antique Toys/Comics/Literature/Old School (think old paper dolls; baby handprints; old comic books; Alice in Wonderland, early Disney illustrations; jacks, jump ropes, rocking horses & wagons; old one room schoolhouse; blackboards, block printing; alphabet strips);

• Artistic/Illustrator (consider your favorite artist’s style, I love Mary Engelbreit's work.);

• Beach/Tropical (sand, pastel colors, lighthouses, macramé, sea shells, palm trees; flamingos); 

• Bistro (think little French/Italian café chefs);

• Colonial (Early Americana);

• Exotic (animal prints, safari, Asian);

• Kitschy or Retro (1940s, 1950s, 60s, 70s);

• Rustic (vintage camp, bears, deer, elk, log cabins, row boats, earth-tones);

• Shabby Chic (vintage/romantic tea garden theme, distressed white metal containers or wicker, lace, vintage Valentines, etc.);

• Traditional (classic, sophisticated patterns like argyle, diamonds, paisley, plaid, and tweed);

• Western/Southwestern/Farmhouse Country (think Cowboys and Indians, pioneers, Little House on the Prairie, calico, quilts, cactus, coyotes); or

• Vintage (Victorian, Edwardian, Gothic romantic). Choose papers accordingly.

 

Like me, you may decide you don’t want one style of scrapbook decoration, but a happy eclectic mixture of what you love.

Next, decide on the color combinations you are drawn to and incorporate them into your scrapbook. Personally, I like to stick to certain color combinations in one project as I feel it gives a harmonious look to the whole book. I usually purchase enough scrapbook paper to make a photo spread (two pages that face each other). You can purchase stickers or die-cuts, if you aren’t into rubber stamping. Sometimes, certain styles, like those mentioned above, dictate color choices. For instance, faded colors of cream, beige, putty, parchment, sand, tarnished gold, tea brown, olive green, smoky grey, jet black, linen, and French country blue evokes an antique mood. When artist Mary Engelbreit first hit the market, her bright colors caught my eye and I was riveted, but as we’ve both matured, she and I have added lighter color tones to our palettes. I also like the cottagey tea garden theme of rose pink, sage green, and off-white of Shabby Chic. It makes me feel deliriously romantic. LOL!

My husband and I have been trying to collect enough scrapbook supplies to reconstruct his and her heritage albums. His color choices are different than mine. He dislikes pink, mint green, and white and is drawn to blue. I would add neutral colors to his blue, like tan, off-white, and black or brown in wood tones or rich leather plus maybe a deep burgundy or gold for a pop of color –a traditional vintage color combination!

Written by Dolores J. Rush, updated 4 May 2023.