that time should be
So rich yet fugitive a pageantry.

forsake it then and with us fly
Into the past where nothing now can die:
Where even the young and lovely, old and staid
Live on unchanged - of purest fantasy made.

Prologue - W. de la Mare

Friday, June 21, 2013

Scrap Around The World June Challenge

I am joining in this month's challenge at the Scrap Around The World site. Here is the challenge mood board, used for inspiration.......




I was inspired by the images in the upper left and the lower right. I loved the worn, soft brownish/golden tones of the old suitcases, books, cameras and the grasses. I thought of a sweet little photo of my Mother that was taken when she went to school. It is the earliest photograph I have of her. And she is giving a hesitant, yet dear little smile for the camera!




Roughly based on the sketch, I put my Mom's little photo over to the right. Substituted the clock and the drips, and the berry vine for the banners. Then along the bottom of my page I added elements that had special meaning to my Mother's life when she was a little girl. I also added some mementos, the little tag with the basket was actually made by my Mother. She made the most incredible dried floral arrangements on paper. And she grew and pressed her own herbs and flowers. On this adorable little tag you can see the tiny little johnny jump ups that she featured in the center of her basket, and on the handle. The body of the basket was made out of little bits of herbs, and decorated with tiny vetch swirls. There is also a little basket made out of an apricot pit! This was made by my Dad, it was something he learned to do when he was in WW2 over in Europe!

When Mom was a little girl, she was always outside in the fields, meadows and woods that surrounded her home. Gathering berries, fruits, mushrooms, flowers and all manner of wild things, was a very big part of her life. She went with her immigrant Mother often to collect things for the family use. And they always used baskets to collect their treasure. Thus the many baskets on this page. Mom also was an avid recorder of the natural world, she sketched and drew and observed all manner of wild things, loving especially birds and wildflowers. Looking back on her early years, she always recalled with great fondness how lovely and simple and poetic life was back then. (1920's)
So I incorporated the torn poetry scrap as part of the title, and then added the "my childhood" pieces. This page, filled with wildflowers, grasses, and other objects from the natural world, reflects the innocence and wonder of a childhood unfettered by modern technology. It is my way of honoring her youth.


A closeup of the upper right corner.







And the lower left corner.


10 comments:

  1. What a beautiful vintage page! Love the heritage items you have included on your LO. Please don't forget to link back to the challenge post on the SATW blog to be considered for a prize.
    Thank you for playing along with Scrap Around the World!

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  2. Such a lovely page. Beautiful soft vintage colours! Thanks for playing at SATW :)

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  3. Oh Nat what a delightfully sweet page you have created! loved reading about your mum and the symbolism of all details on your layout. Thank you so much for sharing this with us at SATW!

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  4. I love your page ! I love the richness it records in terms of memory, time, place and activities. It is heavy in detail and yet it has a lovely "lightness' to it. Thank you for playing along at Scrap Around The World.

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  5. I love all the ephemera on your page. Great composition and use of colours!

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  6. This is a lovely page, thanks for joining in at SATW.

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  7. This is a beautiful page! Please don't forget to link back to the challenge post on the SATW blog to be considered for a prize.
    Thank you for playing along with Scrap Around the World!

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  8. Beautiful page as usual. Love your stories too.

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  9. I like how you twisted the sketch. Your skills in vintage layouts are simply amazing! I watch each one with delight! Thank you for playing along at SATW!

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  10. Lovely layout. Thank you so much for sharing your page with us at SATW!

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