Saturday, December 5, 2009

I have a photograph, preserve your memories...

TwoGrandfatherJournalPage

Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you.

--bookends...simon & garfunkel--

We all have them. Old photographs in shoe boxes; in photo albums on dusty shelves; in envelopes stuffed in a dresser drawer...and in our busy lives we rarely pull them out and look at them.

Two photos of my Grandfathers were tucked in a large brown envelope at the back of my closet. I made photocopies of each of them and grabbed my Visual Journal...now I look at these photos often and reflect on my families history.

After creating a background using acrylic paints I simply cut out the photocopies and adhered them to the page using a gel medium...I used a gel pen to jot down thoughts that came to mind. Finding an image in a magazine of an antique globe I cut it in half using one half on each page and drew 'stitch marks' to symbolize the connection these two men shared...their children (my Mom & Dad) who joined together.

The original photos are still tucked away (for safe-keeping) -- but now I (and others) can enjoy the memories I have preserved in my Visual Journal that gets opened far more often than the family photo album or shoe box up on the closet shelf :)
Think of what YOU could do with photocopies of old family photos and create a one-of-a-kind Visual Journal as a gift for someone in your family!

(you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it)

4 comments:

Barb Smith said...

It's so good to see you posting! I was just thrilled to see your name lit up on my reader. YAY! I too have began using copies of my photos of family members in my journaling. It makes them so much more personal. Love yours...it's fabulous!
Peace & Love,
~Barb~
Craft Therapy

Ellen Burkett said...

I agree, it's good to see you posting. Great pages! Great tribute to grandpapas! Nice details to read too. Somehow I like knowing about them. BTW,I think you DO love Grandpa Mamola. No "would have" about it. You just didn't get to meet him. Beautiful work, Jolene!

~jolene said...

Barb, I use to be such a regular blogger (before I started working 45+ hours a week)...it feels great to be back...even if it isn't as often as I'd like. Thanks so much for visiting and your kind words!

~jolene said...

Ellen,
You are right - of course I would have loved Grandpa Mamola! He left his stamp - literally - around Los Angeles "Mamola & Sons" and in Santa Barbara building the Fox Theater.
Thank you, as always, for your support and your inspiration!