Sign up for the Family Tree Newsletter Plus, you’ll receive our 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms PDF as a special thank you!
Get Your Free Genealogy Forms
"*" indicates required fields
It Takes Two has the right mix of papers for memorializing your hero or showing your pedigree in a heritage layout. Create a patriotic display of Grandpa’s photo and military service certificate like the one at left by combining red, blue and an American flag. For a wow effect on your pedigree page, triple-mat It Takes Two’s family tree upon leaf-green vellum, wood-grain-patterned and solid dark brown papers. Mount small, oval photos of your ancestors on slightly larger ovals of the leaf-green vellum. Place them on their designated branches, and you’ll wind up with a family tree page that will delight your family and future generations. Ask for these scrapbook products at the craft retailer nearest you. (800) 331-9843, <www.ittakestwo.com>
Scrap Speak: Cropping
Scrappers often talk about “cropping” and all-night “crops,” but what do they mean? The term cropping refers to trimming a photo to improve its appearance in a scrapbook. Scrap-bookers may use decorative scissors to cut a design around an image and turn it into a work of art, or a paper trimmer to remove unnecessary background. Cropping around the photo subject’s shape with straight-edge scissors creates a silhouette that can add interest to your page, When a group of crafters gets together to work on album pages, their scrapbooking sessions are called crops. Avid scrapbookers sometimes hold all-night crops — if you’re invited to such a party, be prepared to crop till you drop!
Vanishing Act
Vellum-finish paper adds sheer beauty to your heritage-album pages. But adhering vellum to your ancestral project can be a challenge — glue and tape usually show through, To combat these unsightly problems, 3M developed Scotch Vellum Adhesive, a photo-safe tape with a dry, textured look that matches the sheen of vellum. To apply, place the tape textured-side down on your page. Hold one end of the tape with your finger while pressing and smoothing the tape liner with a ruler. Repeat, holding the other end of the tape. Then, easily remove the liner from the page, leaving the adhesive behind. Gently press the vellum over the adhesive. It’s virtually invisible, and won’t cause paper to yellow. Vellum Adhesive retails for $5.89, and is available at craft, office-supply and many other stores. (888) 364-3577, <www.mmm.com>
Top Honors
On May 5,1868, Gen. John Logan, the Grand Army of the Republic’s national commander, proclaimed a Decoration Day to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. The country observed the first Decoration Day May 30, and Arlington National Cemetery bloomed with flowers left on the graves of deceased Union and Confederate soldiers. After World War I, the observance grew to include Americans who died fighting in any war. In 1968, Congress voted to celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May.
Today, Memorial Day isn’t just about honoring war heroes — it’s meant for honoring all our long-gone loved ones. And you can honor those friends and family members in more ways than visiting the cemetery. A memorial album helps you remember year-round. Along with photos and personal effects, you can preserve mementos from the memorial service. For example, the ribbon from the funeral flowers was cut to make the title of the Daughter page here; the layout also incorporates a funeral card. The Loving Mother page above also uses flower-arrangement ribbons. By preserving these keepsakes in a scrapbook, you’ll be giving future generations a glimpse into their ancestors’ lives.
From the June 2003 Family Tree Magazine
ADVERTISEMENT
