Heirloom Preservation ~ How do you preserve them? Here's one way .......

 

 What qualifies as an heirloom?

Like "beauty" the definition of an heirloom is arguably somewhat subjective.  Technically, a valuable object that has belonged to a family for one or more generations, is an heirloom.

I know that most of you probably have items that have been handed down to you from your parents, grandparents and great grandparents.  Whether it’s a desk, a set of spoons, a ceramic rooster, a photo album or whatever, these items usually have sentimental meaning to us.

Enter today’s culture and the current thinking that if things aren’t new, they aren’t worth anything. This is what I’ve learned from talking to nieces, nephews, grandchildren and others of a younger generation.

Granted, when we were younger we too were anxious for the latest and greatest.  We didn’t spend much time worrying about an item that might have been passed down from previous generations. 

But, as we got older and perhaps wiser, our thinking changed.  I have to admit though, that I’ve always been a fan of anything historic and was inclined to keep older items.

Do you have a plan for ensuring or at least trying to ensure that those historical family items aren’t thrown in the trash or given as donations?

My plan is to take photos of the items, enter the information about the item on an “Heirloom Card” and then create a digital scrapbook page.  Then I will print the pages and have them included with my will/trust.  I will also label the items as best I can so that someone might find out who they’d belonged to before me.

Here is the blank Heirloom Card created in a Word document. From here I change the colors of the background and add pertinent information, then crop the page as needed.

And here are 3 pages I’ve created so far.  These are all items that came from my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould.

TIP - In order to add each item to that memory card, I wanted to remove any background and create a png image.  I use a website called remove.bg for that purpose. Just a simple removal of the background and download of the item is free.

I have several more items from my maternal grandmother and even one item from a great grandmother.

•  What are your thoughts on this subject?
•   Do you have a plan?  I’d love to hear about it.

   Happy Hunting,

   Michigan Girl

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

TALENTED TUESDAY ~ Today I’m going to share something I’ve been doing this week

Most of the genealogists I know also have other hobbies or interests.  For some it’s quilting, for others gardening or sewing.  Still others use their scrapbook skills to create family books they can share.

Before I began this amazing genealogical journey, I was an avid (my husband might say obsessed) paper scrapbooker.  I attended group scrapbooking sessions and conferences all the time.  I still have all my supplies, but haven’t touched them in over 15 years. 

Always in the back of my mind I’ve wanted to create ancestor scrapbook pages.  At first I was going to do this on paper.  But, as time has gone by, I realize the most obvious choice for me is to do digital scrapbooking. 

PROBLEM: Where do I start?

I decided to look for groups on Facebook that were dedicated to scrapbooking, specifically heritage scrapbooking.  In joining a couple of groups I learned that there are programs out there that you can use to create your digital pages.  I also learned that many people just use Photo Shop or Photoshop Elements for this purpose. That seemed the logical choice to me since I already have PS Elements 15 and have used it many times.

Trouble is, I know I’m not very good at manipulating the images and using layers.  I struggle with this every time I want to create a new header for my blog or create a collage. 

SOLUTION:  Go go Google and find tutorial videos on this subject.

This is just what I did and was rewarded for my efforts.  Shoutout to my friend Devon Noel Lee at Family History Fanatics for her excellent videos on YouTube.  Very easy to follow and lots of good information.  I watched one of her videos 3 times.

Then I moved on and found other tutorials and have been watching them for the past couple of days.  I have MUCH more to learn.  But, I’m thrilled to be using this particular talent again.  I very much enjoy the artistic side of scrapbooking.

I thought I would share my first three pages with you today.  These are just my beginner pages and I’m still learning how to better arrange the images in PS Elements.  My goal is to create pages that I can print and give to family members.

Yes, I have a blog and write family stories, but I think having photo albums or scrapbooks is also important.

So here they are.  From my very first digital page about my parents bringing me home from the hospital.  No journaling and I’ll probably go back and tweak that one a bit.  Then on to my maternal grandparent’s wedding day and then my paternal grandparent’s wedding day.

Do you have other hobbies that you enjoy?  I'd love to hear about them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2021   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION