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Thursday, April 10, 2014

My Civil War Story & Paper Dolls Too

 
 
Good Morning Friends...Happy Thursday!
There's nothing really special about a Thursday, but it's as good as
any other day when it comes to finding your JOY...right! ;)
 
 
I have always been a HUGE history buff...I truly LOVE history, with
American history being top on my list. I also love genealogy, peering
through 100 year old records in search of a clue that will help you
connect the dots to your own family history.
 
 
For me the two go hand in hand...so as I dived into the Ancestry.com
pool, I was amazed to find the military records for my many times
great~grandfathers. My immediate family came from Illinois by way
of Virginia & we have been in this country since 1617. One of my
grandfathers fought in the 1st Colonial uprising, Bacon's Rebellion.
 
 
We fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Indian
Wars & of course with all that family history, we also fought in the
Civil War. In fact my family fought in the Civil War on both sides.
The idea that they all lived through these wars is a miracle to me &
had anything played out differently, I would probably
not be here...so crazy to think of!
 
 
As one might think, my Virginia 3x Great Grandfather fought for the
Confederacy, while my Illinois 3x Great grandfather fought for the Union
Army. Two men who had never met, who's lives were so completely
different, who would normally have absolutely nothing in common,
found common ground through the love of their children.
 
 
After the war, Virginia was a battlefield...it was in complete ruin. In the 1st
Census after the war which was in 1870, my Grandfather still lived in Virginia
with his wife & 5 children, one of them being my 2x Great~Grandfather who
was 8 years old. His household also included his mother~in~law & 2 young
women, 1 with a small son. {I love that census, it's my favorite! Can you
believe I actually have a favorite census? lol} I'm sure those women were
family or wives of close friends, who's husbands died in the war. It was
some time after this that he gathered up his family & took them west
to a place where he could start over, a place where he could buy
a few acres of land & begin again.
 
 
It was here in Illinois, the state of Abraham Lincoln's birth, my Brewer
clan would settle. Grandpa & Grandma would have 5 more children &
they would raise all 10 of them working the land as their father's,
father's had. And here, their 2nd son would fall in love with the
beautiful daughter of a Union soldier, they would marry
& our story would finally come full circle.
 
This is why I Love history so much.
 
For me, it's important to remember our collective past...
it's what creates the cloth from which we are all
woven from.
 
xoxo
vintagesusie


Monday, April 7, 2014

Paper Bag Fairy Journals DIY

 

Happy Monday Sweet Friends!!!
A brand new week filled with nothing but possibilities...
don't you LOVE it? I BELIEVE in fairies, do you?


In fact, I know of a tiny fairy princess who's about to
have her 1st birthday. Auntie has been creating some
magic of her own, making paper bag Fairy Journals...
Sooooo Adorable & SO Simple!

 
What you'll need...
brown paper bags
hole punch
glue stick
ribbon or twine
1 box of colored pencils
wood clothes pins
printed images
stamps & stickers
bits of burlap & lace
baubles it tie onto your bows
 
 
Take 4 paper bags & put them together...
bottoms of bags always on the inside, alternate bottom
of bag, opening of bag, with the top bag being a bottom.
 
Fold each bag in half making a nice crisp fold.
 
Punch 2 holes on each bag, making sure when you put
them together they will line up properly.
{I punched the 1st bag, then put the 2nd bag folded inside the 1st,
marked holes with a pencil, punched, then the 3rd & 4th}
 
Add your ribbon or twine through the holes to hold your book
together & tie a nice bow. I used ribbon for the girls
& twine for the boys journals.
 
Add your images with a glue stick, stamp the front & back
& on a few of the pages on the inside. Decorate with stickers,
add a page or so of stickers inside of the bags openings.
 
I added a word sticker onto my clothes pins, then used some
clear glitter glue on my finger to cover the top. They can be
used plain too...attach the colored pencil to the side
of book with your clothes pins.
 
Tie a bauble onto your bow with bits of ribbon or twine.
 
Add bits of vintage lace or burlap to the front. I also added
some tiny clothes pins to a few of the pages to attach leaves
or pressed flowers. The kids can color in the book & take
a fairy walk, adding their little treasures inside the bags.
These are PERFECT party favors & can be made
using any theme. Super CUTE!!!
 
 
You can read one of my favorite Fairy Posts HERE about
The Cottingley Fairies...2 little English girls who
found fairies in 1917 & documented it through
early photography.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
the author of Sherlock Holmes
believed...do you?
 
I too was lucky enough to capture the image of a fairy.
I knew she was filled with magic when I saw
her sparkling shoes!!!
 
Hope you enjoyed the DIY...
 
Smiles,
vintagesusie


Sunday, April 6, 2014

The Art of Presentation

 
 
Hi Sweeties,
Don't you just LOVE...
The Art of Presentation?
 
 
To me, how you present a gift is just as fun as the gift
itself. Since burlap is my THING right now, well it's
everybody's thing right now, I can't go wrong
with a burlap bag, some handmade fabric
flowers & vintage linens & lace as
the tissue. Love it!!! 
 
What's some of your favorite ways to present a gift?
 
Smiles...
vintagesusie