FOND MEMORIES VINTAGE ATB

Hello vintage lovers and welcome to my blog!

My fellow Creative Guide, Terry is hosting this bi-weekly challenge at A Vintage Journey.  The theme she chose is "Fond Memories".  Ahh ..... don't you just love the sound of that?  It conjures up so many memories of my childhood and family. So I decided to capture some of my "fond memories", those precious moments in time, on this very vintage ATB block.

Appropriately titled "Where I Come From," every side of my block focuses on my precious parents and grandparents.  They truly are where I come from and I am so proud of how they lived their lives and were such a huge part of who I am today.

Let me share my memories with you as I guide you through how this ATB came to be. 
I'm not sure if there is a "correct" format for an ATB or not. I guess it really doesn't matter ... as long as it's a cube, right?  So, strap on your seat belts and let the creative journey begin!

 Since I didn't have an Eileen Hull 3 D Blocks/Cubes die cut, (has three sizes of blocks included in the die cut), I used my We R Memories Gift Box Punch Board and kraft cardstock to create a 3 1/4" box. It went together so easily!

 Then I reinforced all of the seams with structure strips. You've seen me use these before.  They are 1" strips of paper, scored down the center at the 1/2" point.  Double sided 1/4" Scor Tape is added to either side of the strip and these are used to reinforce joints, seams or corners. I distressed all of my edges with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot Distress Inks to create an even more vintage look.

 The next step is to decide on my background papers for all of the sides of my block.  I have chosen these gorgeous images from Tim Holtz' new Wallflower Paper Stash.  I cut them from the 6" squares section from the stash.  I inked around all of the edges with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot to give them a more worn, old look as well.

 I decided that each side of my block was going to pay tribute to my beloved parents and grandparents.  I went through family photos saved on my computer.  I sized them to fit my blocks and the little special features I wanted to do on each side.  In some instances, I cut around the people instead of using an entire photograph.

 

 A perfect example of this is on the top of the block.  This is a photograph of myself at age 2. I still have this little dress that I was wearing! I I decided to cut out my picture and pop it onto the top because I loved the background paper and thought that the photograph and the paper worked well together. "Where I Come From" is computer generated, distressed and glued onto the top. "Collector of Memories" across the bottom of my photograph is from Tim Holtz' Words Remnant Rubs and I thought it perfect for this block as I am a collector of memories and proudly display them here.

The photograph is printed out on semi-gloss photo paper.  I colorized the little dress with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and my hair is lightly tinted with Scattered Straw Distress Ink.  I will remind you how to colorize black and white photographs later in this journey. I edged the photograph (and all of my paper and photographs) with Gathered Twigs followed by a touch of Black Soot.

Moving away from the top, let's start with the side dedicated to Roy and Maeme, my paternal grandparents.

He was in the Army during World War I and her family immigrated to the US from Sweden before she was born. They were simple people who lived their lives for their family. Possessing very little money but having a strong faith, they loved and nurtured two growing boys ... the youngest being my father. Sadly, they both passed away while I was very young but I still have wonderful memories of walking with my Grandpa to get a Popsicle from the store on the corner every Saturday.  Grandma always had on a apron and I loved having delicious family meals in their sunlit breakfast room that Grandpa had added on to the back of their modest home.

The photos above are the beginning stages of what would end up being a gate fold presentation.

I added the two side panels with Tim's Tissue Tape and two Ring Fasteners that would serve as pulls to open up the gate fold. The back of this center piece would glue directly onto my ATB. 

I loved the florals of the background of the center portion so I decided to cut out the images of my Grandpa, Grandma and myself. I also wanted to have a little pocket where I could store some of my memories of them. So, I picked a small clear glassine envelope that I had and cut off most of the backside of the envelope, leaving tabs that after adding 1/4" Scor Tape, created a pocket I could attach to the background. I colorized my little dress and Grandpa's shirt to bring more warmth and "life" to this very special picture of me with my Grandparents.

And here is the finished interior of my gate fold page.  I added Tim Holtz' Borders Industrious Stickers (arrow and stars) to my Grandpa's side and sweet little German scrap flowers and metallic Dresden trim to my Grandma's side.  In the center, you can see the glassine pocket behind my Grandpa in his Tumbled Glass colorized shirt, me in my Tattered Rose colorized dress and my Grandma. 

** To colorize these images, I simply used a Cut N' Dry Craft Nib with a chosen Distress Ink color and lightly colored in the item that I wanted to highlight.  When finished, I used my Ink Blending Tool and Antique Linen Distress Ink and gently pressed over the images.  Antique Linen softens the look and "sets" the colors.

 Here is the front of the gate fold section.  I added more of Tim's Tissue Tape to the outside edges and a piece of ribbon through the Ring Fasteners to serve as a pretty closure. I added another piece of Picket Fence washed Tissue Tape to the front and heat embossed "family" using Black Embossing Powder. To the left is a small Mirrored Star.  Isn't that paper just beautiful?  Very vintage looking!

Moving to the front of my block is a flip out section featuring my maternal Grandparents.

The whole idea for this section came from this ... I loved this "Received of" image that was a part of one of the 6x6 Wallflower paper sections.  This piece actually measures about 2 1/2" across ... not quite wide enough for what I wanted to do with it.  So I added some kraft paper behind it, distressed the edges using a Tonic Paper Distresser and Gathered Twigs and Black Soot. I also left a 1/4"  tab on the right that I could use to create a little binding for a mini album that I could then glue to the block background. 

 Here is the backside of my "Received of" cover. This is a photograph of Claude and Edna, my maternal Grandparents.  They married very young and had two daughters by the time my Grandma was 18.  They divorced when my mother (the youngest of the girls) was very young but my mother always remained very close to both of her parents. Grandpa was one of the smartest men I ever knew; which was quite an accomplishment considering he had to quit school in the 8th grade to help with his family. He was a veracious reader and I think he knew something about everything.  Grandma was a sweet young girl who modeled and always loved fashion.  I remember my mother telling me how she used to sit and watch her mother get ready for work or a date.  She thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.  Unfortunately, my Grandmother passed away when I was only three and I really don't have a lot of memories of her.  But I do remember her laugh and her big brown eyes.  That is something that she passed down to my mother and my mother passed on to me. 

I added a piece of Tim's Tissue Tape to the left and a "together" Chit Chat onto the photograph. The little "2" is a Number Brad and behind the photograph is a piece of vintage lace.

Here are the photographs that I used to create the other "pages" for my little photo album.  All were mounted on kraft cardstock and all have a tab on the right.  This is where I double side taped the photos together to create the album. (The back of the center photograph has another photo of my Grandfather using a metallic oval frame that you will see in a future photograph). 

 Here is the album put together.  The photo on the left was taken of my Grandma and Grandpa in 1926, probably not long before they separated.  It is sort of a sad story because my Mother showed me letters that her Father had sent her over the years telling her that he would love her Mother until his last breath but that they just were not good together.  When Grandma passed away at the young age of 51; my Grandfather was heart broken.  Such a sad love story.  Flipping the page ...

The photo of my Grandfather is framed by a Tim Holtz metallic Industrious Frame. I love the vintage quality they add. I also added a cream pearl flourish to the left of my Grandmother's cabinet card photograph. The background of her picture is what I glued to the block. 

  

To provide a pretty closure to my album, I added a Mini Paper Clip and a Heart Charm. It works perfectly!

And here is the finished side celebrating my maternal Grandparents. I added a "tell your story" from Tim's Words Remanent Rubs and a metallic "C" from Tim's Cirque Industrious Stickers. I slightly altered the pewter looking metallic "C" with some touches of a Gold Paint Dabber.

Now it was time to move to the side reserved for my Mom and Dad.

For this section, I wanted to use several photographs. So I decided to create my own "accordion folder" that could store the additional photographs I wanted to include.  I created the folder from a 3 3/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Wallflower paper.  This allowed me to have 1/4" tabs along the bottom and sides that would fold under.  I also created two 2 1/2" x 3" accordion sides out of kraft cardstock.  I scored the two sides every 1/4" to create the accordion folds. I distressed all of the edges with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot.

Next, working on the backside of the folder, I attached my two accordion sides using a piece of double sided 1/4" Scor Tape. 

With the one end of the accordion side attached to the front of the folder, I simply lined up the bottom of the paper that would be background paper glued onto the block to the bottom of my folder front. I made sure the outside edges also lined up and then pressed the back tab of the accordion side in place on the back of the paper.

I chose this photograph of my parents on their wedding day for the front of my folder.  Calvin and Loretto were married on October 19th, 1946. Little did they know when they started playing tennis together in high school that they would fall in love and marry, have two children, five grandchildren and so far, seven great grandchildren!  After the end of World War II, Daddy came home from being a radio man and gunner in the Navy.  Mom had an office job but always loved "artsy" things.  Their love deepened while he was away and upon his return, they decided that they wanted to live out the rest of their days together. Daddy graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute but knew he would not be able to provide for a family as a "starving artist".  So, he worked as an advertising manager his whole life. I still have some of his art from his art institute days and I am amazed at how gifted he truly was. Mom never met a stranger.  She was so full of life and loved every second of it. They are both gone now but I cherish everything they taught me, all of the purely selfless love they gave me and I will thank God for the rest of my days that he blessed me with my parents. 

Here are the photographs of my parents that I included in my folder.  I colorized the first photograph with Tumbled Glass and Tattered Rose. I have added photo corners to the photos and mounted them on either torn black cardstock (reminiscent of photos being torn out of old scrapbooks) or kraft cardstock. They are "filed" into the mini folder and can easily be removed.

Here is a photograph of the finished side.  I ended up clipping off the paper tab I'd left at the top of the folder and I added a File Tab with the caption "dreams".  I thought this was so appropriate for this wedding picture and all of their fulfilled dreams that lie ahead.

And finally ... the last side of my block.  One that I dedicated to some of the very strong women in my life and a photograph that means the world to me ...

Four generations ... my maternal Great Grandmother, Emma (far right), my maternal Grandmother Edna (far left), my Mother Loretto (center) and me sitting on her lap.

I colorized this photograph with Mustard Seed, Tattered Rose, Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters and went over it with Antique Linen. 

I added photo corners and wrapped the photograph with twine and a Word Band. I colored the letters by running Salty Ocean Distress Paint over the band and then wiping off the surface, leaving the blue paint in the letters. "Capture life's moments".  Yes, we should all do that by photograph but especially in our memories!  I then added Tim's "4" Numeral that was covered with Tissue Tape, lightly colored with a Worn Lipstick Distress Paint. When dry, I distressed the edges with Black Soot and coated the number with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  Underneath the "4" I added "GEN" (to represent "generations") using Tim's Label Letters. 

Thank you for sharing my fond memories with me as we journeyed through the construction of this vintage ATB.  I hope that I've inspired you to share your own fond memories with all of us at A Vintage Journey by entering our challenge. Please tell us what of Tim's products or techniques strongly inspired you to create your piece.  At the end of our two week challenge, all of your Creative Guides will choose the project that speaks to us the most to receive our most generous sponsor's £10 gift voucher to 

Thanks for sharing a bit of your day with me!  I can't wait to read about your fond memories!