Restoring Theodora

{beautiful floral background paper & frame from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD} 

Theodora was born in a little town in Alberta, Canada in 1910…

…named for her grandfather, Theodore, lovingly raised by her parents, surrounded by two older sisters and two adoring younger brothers, all of whom called her “Dody”…

{Theodora, at 21 months old, 1912…with her older sisters, Ann & Mary}

…so beautifully photographed all throughout her life…

I really don’t know much about this great-aunt of mine, though she passed away just eight years before I was born…

I know that she had a very upscale dress shop in downtown Montreal in the late 40’s & early 50’s…

{vintage pearl-topped pins from my grandmother’s sewing box}

I know that she was married for a very brief time…we don’t know why she divorced.  She never had any children…

…maybe this is the reason I’ve been thinking about her and her sisters so much lately…none of them had children…there’s no one else to give them a voice, is there?

I’ve come to love Theodora through her lovely portraits…I see a resemblance in her face to my wonderful Grandad, Dow…her little brother born just two years after her…

Knowing him so well, knowing his playful sense of humor, the twinkle in his eye, his loving nature…I suddenly feel I might just know Theodora a bit better than I think I do…

I found this gorgeous, old portrait in a scrapbook my mother gave me from her Dad’s side of the family  this summer…

 

…it’s just a mess, poor thing!

So, for the first time, I tried my hand at a bit of photo restoration in Photoshop this morning---it’s  certainly not perfect, but it’s better!  {I’ve got SO much to learn!}

Another page for my heritage album made yesterday…

 

…just a simple, very feminine page to remind my family of this beautiful auntie of ours…

As often happens to me when I’m working on a family story, things coincide in my life that connect one thing to another…

I’ve been working on an old cabinet I bought for a song at a yard sale a couple of months ago…

…the poor girl’s a mess!

I wish I took pictures of her before I got started…

Built around the ‘20’s, the cabinet was painted & repainted, then wallpapered in different places, if you can believe it!  That’s what’s causing me the biggest headache…removing the old wallpaper that shouldn’t have been put there in the first place!

After working on cleaning up Theodora’s portrait this morning, I headed out into our sunny courtyard to work on the cabinet…

…as I soaked & scraped, scraped & soaked, I found myself talking out loud to it…

“Beauty takes pain, you know,” I said…we have a relationship now, she and I…

She will next be sanded & painted a lovely, soft Martha Stewart “ballet slipper pink”…just perfect for the old girl, I think…

I’ll show you pictures when I’m finished.

When she’s all ready, she will be the keeper of much of my old family papers & photos…that’s her new purpose in life…

You know, I think I’ll name her Theodora…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Theodora Ostlund,heritage scrapbook

All That Glitters…

…is not gold.  So goes the old saying.  Shakespeare said it, although the word he actually used was “glisters”…the Old English form of the word…

J.R.R. Tolkien also used the reference in a beautiful poem he wrote for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, long a favorite of mine:

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost…”

 

…isn’t that wonderful?

But back to my original reference—not all that glitters is gold…

…sometimes, it’s a rock!

{our friend Jessica holding my two perfect rocks}

A rock from the beach… 

  {beautiful Monterey Bay}

On a golden afternoon…just this past Labor Day, my family and I enjoyed a beautiful few hours on the beach at Monterey Bay…

{two of my girls with their friend Jessica}

While we were there, the girls found this very interesting rock…I quickly put it in my pocket to save for another day…

…I knew the moment I saw it EXACTLY what it would become!

And finally, months later, here it is…

{modeled by my beautiful daughter Annie}

 

Covered with Mod Podge and then literally doused, rolled & covered with real silver shavings glitter {my absolute favorite glitter!}, then covered over with Mod Podge once again to seal it all…

…it’s ready to wear.  A fun, very sparkly remembrance of a glittering day on the beach with my family…

Not all that glitters is gold.  Sometimes it’s something even better…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

 

LiveJournal Tags: Glitter,Monterey Bay

Tapping into Memories

“It was a blue costume”…she told me immediately, “light blue satin with black X’s on it…”

“I was about 5 years old, and we sang & danced to the song “School Days”…and she started singing it for me…

“School days, school days
Dear old golden rule days
Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hickory stick.”

“You were my queen in calico
I was your bashful barefoot beau
And you wrote on my slate
"I love you, so"
When we were a couple of kids.”

As she finished singing to me over the phone, she giggled like a little girl… “I still remember all the words!”

  {new page for my heritage scrapbook…Mom, ages 5 & 6, in her tap costumes…}

“Our recital was at the Old Fox Theater in downtown Phoenix…it was so exciting!  It was such a fancy, old theater…”

 

“Right after the performance, my mother turned that dance costume into a Little Bo Peep costume for me for Halloween…”, she said…

{I really do think you can find ANYTHING online!  This cute little tap step button was one of those little findings}

Suddenly, she started in with:

“jump forward, back, toe plant…

“jump forward, back, toe plant…

“step, knock, knock…

“jump forward, back, toe plant!”

Giggling again, she said, “I’m doing it right now!”  {sure wish I had a video phone!}

“In the other picture” , she said, “I was about 6 years old, and my costume was silver, with TONS of sequins all over the top…don’t remember what I danced in that one…” 

Sweet keepsakes, long protected…first by her mother, now by me…

…metal plates…still shining, but oh, so worn…evidence of many, many practicing days on those little dancing feet…

And best of all, as I turned it over…carefully written by her mother’s hand about 66 years ago…

…I had never noticed that before… “Karen Ann Ostlund”…

Scuffed, rumpled, and ever-so-precious…I love these silver shoes…

I need to share with you something my Mom made for me this Halloween season.  I know I’ve shared with you before what an amazing doll maker she is…

Please let me introduce you to Bonita…{Bone-ita!}

…standing (with help!) at a little over 6 feet tall, this regal, skeletal beauty happily occupies a corner in my dining room…

…just look at that fabulous rib cage!  Made using PVC pipe, bleached muslin & stuffing…genius!

And a face only my mother could create…nothing scary about Bonita…just a sweet, new Halloween friend…{she does give you a bit of a fright, however, if you happen to be walking around in the middle of the night…she almost glows in the dark!}

Sending loving birthday wishes to my wonderful mother…

…thanks for letting me help you “tap” into your memories!

…“jump forward, back, toe plant…”, she said again at the end of our phone chat…

“I’ll do it for you when I see you next time!”, she said happily…

I can’t wait!

Love you, Mom.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Karen Ostlund Smith,tap dancing,birthday,memories