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Bringing Your
Heritage Pages To Life This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but when I was pregnant with my first child in 1997, I decided to learn how to use a computer. My first goal was to learn how a mouse worked, so you could say I was a total beginner. I accomplished this first goal and never looked back. My second child came along in 1998. For Christmas that year, my dad gave me a framed family tree that went all the way back to my great-great grandparents on his side ... complete with pictures. This got me thinking that my kids needed to know their ancestors and I got really interested in genealogy and old family photos. It was just a matter of time before I wanted to showcase these pictures online so I bought a cheap web design program and started teaching myself how to create a web site. This family tree web site (www.EnglandTree.com) has several hundred old family photographs dating back to the mid-1800's. This web design hobby took on a life of its own after I was approached to start designing web sites for other people. I started learning to use Adobe Photoshop and was amazed at all the things I could create with it. Almost 5 version upgrades later, I still find new and creative ways to utilize its features. Like digital scrapbooking, for instance. I have done the occasional paper scrapping since my children were born (I now have 4). But when I discovered heritage scrapbooking, I knew it was my passion. However, I don't particularly love traditional heritage layouts. The standard browns with lace and pearls just doesn't excite me very much. I believe that although our ancestors only had black and white photography, their lives were anything but colorless! So I try to design with this in mind. The first heritage album that I completed was a "magazine" that I made for my dad's 60th birthday. This book included all of the important events in his life. It was a real challenge for me but I am very proud of the end result. I know that Dad will cherish the album for the rest of his life and that gives me great pleasure. I then created an online version of the magazine to share with friends and family (www.WayneMagazine.com). I have spent years researching my family and I know quite a bit about all of my family lines. But this is not required to start a heritage album. Anyone can do it. But the time to start is now. Ask your grandparents for pictures and stories. Ask your parents. Ask distant relatives. Just don't wait too long or some of the memories and pictures will be lost forever. Even if you don't know all of the details about your pages, start with what you have. The beauty of digital scrapbooking is that you can always go in and fill in the blanks later. If you don't have the journaling you need, get a little creative: research the town they lived in, or the history of the car they are standing in front of. The options are endless. To get started, the first step is to find a few pictures. Then take your favorite kit and get to scrapping! You will find that heritage scrapping can be addictive. Have fun and I can't wait to see the galleries fill up with wonderful heritage masterpieces! |
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Copyright © 2006 Digital Memories Magazine and Robyn England |
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