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What's Your Heritage?
The reason most of us started scrapbooking was because we wanted a way to display all our wonderful pictures of our weddings, children, parties, and other wonderful holiday events. In looking back through the years, your children will be able to see their history through your beautiful scrapbooks. They will be able to know some of their heritage. Yet are we doing enough?
It's important that once you catch up on your current generation of photos, to take the time and go back and scrapbook the previous generations. If you don't have pictures to go with it, then use die cuts and elements to decorate a page full of your journaling about your heritage.
Take the time out this holiday season, and ask your elderly mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin about their parents and grandparents. Find out where they were born, their full names, names of their children, weddings, birthdays, etc. Yet dig even deeper than that. Have them describe a typical day of their life when they were at various ages, such as 10 years, 15 years, 21 years, etc. You will be amazed in how their stories can truly bring your heritage to life! That is the best book of heritage that can be cherished for generations to come!
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Here is a picture of my heritage. My great-grandmother is the little baby girl in this picture. When my great-grandmother was still alive, she went through all her pictures before her death. There were boxes of them and she labeled them all. I have since been taking scans of those photos, and putting them into an 8x8 scrapbook.
In this picture are my great-great grandparents, and all my great-great aunts and uncles. All of them have passed on. The young man in the suit is unknown by my great-grandmother, but she figures, since he was in a prominent family photo that perhaps he emigrated from Denmark with her parents, and was quite possibly a cousin or uncle to her. It is most likely that he came over to help work the new farmstead as well as have a chance at a new life.
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My great-great-grandmother was also brought over to the new country to help her brother-in-law (my great-great-grandfather) raise his children from his deceased wife (her sister). Eventually, she married him, and they had 2 more children. They are the youngest two in the photo.
It's so nice to look at this picture, and pick out similarities in features, as well as imagining what it must have been like to immigrate to a whole new country and start a new beginning for your life. The picture was taken in approximately 1908-1909, based on the age of my great-grandmother, who figures she was about 6-7 months old in that photo. She was born in July 1908.
I am so grateful my great-grandmother took the time to label those pictures and to pass on our family's stories to us. I know how precious this is. I'm sure it will be treasured for many generations to come.
Happy Holidays,
Michelle Hessler
Owner
www.paperthreads.com
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Forum Member of Month
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by Shirley Clark, Shirley Clark Designs
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We have so many awesome members at Paperthreads Forum. Choosing a member of the month is difficult to say the least! The person chosen for this month has only been with the forum since September. At that time, she had started her quest for a cutter. She became very active in those early days asking questions and deciding which cutter to get. Once she got her cutter, she started joining challenges and swaps and is doing very well. She's also been seen hanging around with that wild and crazy bingo group! She has already achieved the status of Cutter Phenomenon! I admire her ability to jump in with both feet and achieve incredible results in such a short time.
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How to Turn Paper Into Metal
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by Shelly Sweigart, Shelly's Art
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Metal accents add depth and beauty to any project, but they also add bulk and weight! Save your money by not buying expensive metal charms and embellishments. Create your own! Shelly Sweigart has written a tutorial that will teach you how to make your own faux metal charms with your electronic die cutting machine and some stamping supplies you may already have on hand. It's much easier than you think!
To download this great tutorial: CLICK HERE!
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Holiday Cards Made Easy!
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by Jan Bryson, Sam & Hailey Designs
There are only 45 cardmaking days until Christmas! Wait! Don't panic! Take a deep breath, grab some chocolate and a cup of hot cocoa and curl up with Jan's tips for turning Holiday Cardmaking Madness into Holiday Cardmaking Joy! You too can get those cards done that you never thought you'd have time for. Did we mention going to get some chocolate? Now would be the time!
CLICK HERE to put your mind at ease and get started!
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What's New... Plus 10 Easy Gift Ideas!
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by Michelle Hessler, Paperthreads Designs
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We have some great new products in the store right now! Most importantly, the brand new KNK MAXX machines! Bringing you more power and ability, this machine has lots of changes, making it even more of an ultimate scrapbooking tool! Now with 950 grams of pressure, improved grit shaft, and so much more! They will be shipping around November, 20th... so in just a few days, the first owners will have their machines!
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Then, the Pink is in the House! By the pink, I'm talking about the Zutter Pink Bind-It-All and Dreamkuts! The new Bind It All has 35% greater capability in punching thickness and can punch fabric-covered covers, canvas, or covered acrylic with ease! It has an extension paper guide bar for easy placement with numbered register marks for accuracy, and an extension paper stop guide. It is stronger and more versatile than the original blue machines! Now there's a matching Bind-A-Bag, Book & Journal Tool Kit, and Round-It-All with a storage pouch. Don't forget to pick up the space bar as well!
For great holiday gift ideas, don't forget the Glass Etch Decal, which we now carry in the store, along with Wall Decal and Sign Decal. All of these can be used to make some wonderful crafts for the holidays! Here are some quick and easy ideas for using the vinyl:
 Use the Glass Etch Vinyl on a solid colored coffee mug, customizing it with a friend, family member, or teacher's name, then fill it with packets of hot cocoa, and tie a ribbon through the handle. It makes a great, quick gift, or even a great table place setting. Make sure to include a note recommending hand washing for the mug, to preserve the vinyl for years to come!
Get some empty candle jars or candy jars. You can pick some up for as little as $0.99 at a discount store or dollar store. Take some vinyl, cut out a design or pattern, and decorate the jar. Then fill it with some homemade cookies, and top it off with a ribbon or bow.
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Take a nice black matte vinyl and cut a simple silhouette pattern from it. Mount it on some heavy cardstock. Then stick it in a frame and add a ribbon accent.
Cover glass ornaments with family members' names or holiday wishes and hang on your tree.
Decorate a glass dinner plate with family members' names to make their table setting unique.
Put all the adults' names on the base of wineglasses for easy identification of whose glass is whose.
Cut an overlay piece or silhouettes and decorate the windows and glass in your home with a nativity scene or other holiday decorations.
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A vinyl silhouette in a frame
makes a great gift! |
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Cut a Christmas tree base from Wall Decal and stick it on the wall. Then have everyone write on a precut ornament, something they are thankful for and then stick it to the tree. Everyone will have the rest of the day to read the tree and see for what everyone else was thankful.
Buy some mirror bases, and decorate them with some vinyl. Use these as coasters for your guests.
Make some cut-outs from vinyl of your school mascot and put it on glass ornaments to give to your teachers or teammates.
The possibilities are endless! With just a few easy crafts, you're sure to have a unique holiday celebration that everyone will remember for years to come.
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