Tuesday, May 10, 2011

My Tia Lupe

Here's my first "Houston Memory Card," based on Sian's idea called "Captured in a Card." and made with my May Counterfeit Kit.  Inside it reads, " My Tia Lupe was a talented seamstress, and she often made matching outfits for us."  As you may recall, my plan is to make a set of cards from the counterfeit kit to record random memories from the summers I spent in Houston, Texas visiting extended family.  As a way to finally work on my heritage/ genealogy album, I am also trying to complete a scrapbook layout every time I do a memory card.  Here's the scrapbook layout I made with the few pictures I have of my Tia Lupe (you can click on it to enlarge it and see the details):
The journaling reads:  "Guadalupe Ontiveros. [I hope to insert birth and death dates] Guadalupe and Pete Ontiveros, circa 1925 (left). Below, Guadalupe and Pete, with friends [I left room hoping that I'll be able to find a date or explanation for the photos - my sense is that it was about 1941].  Lupe attended Elliott Elementary School, but only continued through third grade.  She worked at Lone Star Bag & Bagging Co. from age 14-19.  During World War II, she went to school to learn welding and then worked as a welder at Brown Shipyard Co. for 2.5 years. Following the war, Lupe worked as a pantry girl at the Lamar Hotel and as an upholsterer at Shelby Dinette.  She operated her own restaurant, Ontiveros' Mexican Food (on Lyons Avenue) from 1963-1966.  She began working at Coney Island off the Square the next year as executive chef.  She became manager in 1970.  She never married and lived with her mother in the house on Wylie Street.  She came to stay with us a few times to help out when my brother Pete was born and again when my brother Carlos arrived.  She was a wonderful seamstress and often made matching outfits for me and my sister(s)."
I had so much fun making my first Houston Memory Card that I made this second one:
The memory on the inside reads "I knew that Tia Lupe worked at a restaurant called Coney Island.  I envisioned a place that made hot dogs on a boardwalk, so I was always confused when she brought home Mexican food from the restaurant. But I didn't  mind because it was some of the best food I ever tasted!" 
On the right hand side of my scrapbook layout, I have pictures from 1958, 1969 and 1974.  I've identified my family members and Grandmother in most of them. The 1958 picture (on the top left) is from Disneyland, and I'm not sure who is with my dad and my Tia Lupe.  It's either my Aunt Alice or my Aunt Pauline; I need to ask my cousin Irene for some help on that one. 
I'm really happy to finally be working on this album.  For some reason, I have previously found it too intimidating to work on, either because I want each layout to be beautiful and perfect or because I feel like I don't have enough information.  I'm trying really hard to quiet those doubts and just get the photos out of the box and onto pages with whatever information I have.  As you can see, the layout is nice but not particularly fancy.  I'll probably stick with this format.  For those who have asked before, I am scrapping the original pictures I have (I copy the ones I use in my altered art work and collage). I'm using photo corners, instead of adhesive to preserve their longevity and so that I can get to them if I need them.  I would love to hear about other people's experience with creating heritage/genealogy scrapbooks. Have you done it yourself?  Did you find it hard?  Any tips to share?

17 comments:

  1. I really want to get started but feel a bit overwhelmed, some parts of my family have an extensive history which has been well recorded but in others there is almost no information - I think it is the lack of information that prevents me from starting and the format I want to present it all. I have considered just starting from my grandparents and making an album that will be slightly more relevant for the kids and all that information is easily accessible, but, it seems so big and then I lose motivation and that is that!

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  2. Gorgeous card!!! I just love this card. Those background paper and the bird is looking adorable. Those tape design is great. Thanks for this great post.

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  3. Great projects, I love the linen tape on the first card.
    I've done a couple of pages about my grandparents in their youth, but I find it really hard to do because I want to get it right, and I worry I might put on the wrong date or fact. But I guess it's the little details and the stories that really matter isn't it? x

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  4. Great job! Thanks for joining us at CKC!

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  5. Even if you do it and leave space for missing information, that is more recorded than not doing it at all! Kudos for having the courage to just get started!

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  6. This is fabulous Rinda! I get the feeling from it that, even though you think there are gaps in your knowledge, once you started lots of memories and snatches of things came tumbling out. And that's more than enough to make a wonderful heirloom album.

    You have wonderful family stories to tell. I love this one about the feisty seamstress who also knew how to weld. My family would love her!

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  7. Wonderful projects, and wonderful memories. How fun for you to be doing family research and preserving it this way.

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  8. This is going to be such an amazing project and one which you can add to in the future if missing pieces of the puzzle come to light. Fantastic!

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  9. I think you can make a wonderful heirloom album even without all the information.....plus you can add bits as you find out more from relatives...or new snippets come back to memory.
    I veer between using original heirloom photos....and scanning them....depending on how old and precious they are....but the idea of using photo corners is a really good one.

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  10. Like Amy, the thought of putting together a heritage book is overwhelming to me! But I love yours and am definitely inspired...

    And now I'm craving Mexican food! ;o)

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  11. What a great project to capture all those detailed memories. Well done.

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  12. Oh how I would liek to get something like this done. I have alot of the info but, I am just so over whimmed I don't know really where to start. Thanks for sharing and getting me think about this again. You do a outstanding job.

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  13. i am so impressed by your memory and feel that we will all benefit from people like you recording the past in meaningful, creative ways.

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  14. Maria - I could not view the photos well enough to see who was in the pictures. What a wonderful tribute to Tia Lupe. I agree she was an awesome woman who had lots of talent. Some other talents were drawing, painting and cross stitch. I heard that when the house was built they did not have money for drywall. Tia Lupe drew and painted flowers on the wood walls. Everybody thought it was wallpaper. That's creative!

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  15. This is soooo inspiring!!! Wow! Love it. Thanks for sharing it with us. xoxo

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  16. What a nice story...Great way to scrapbook with limited pictures.

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