50 Button Crafts: idea #19 – multi-strand crochet button necklace

Posted on May 11, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

crocheted button necklace from Ljeans on Etsy.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

I really like the idea of using crochet to link together buttons into a multi-strand necklace. Many of our ancestors used skills like crocheting to make useful items and beautiful things to enhance their lives. A necklace like this is an opportunity to teach about those skills and maybe even teach a child or grandchild the skill of crocheting. Ljeans has a tutorial on Etsy that will take you through step by step how to make a necklace like the one above. It looks like it is mostly chain stitches so I bet the project would work up pretty fast, a great weekend project.

It would be a good idea to document where the buttons for your project came from and any relevant stories or information about that person or family. If you are looking for more button crafts, check out my Pinterest board.

Pupdate: Fable – friendly

Posted on May 8, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Waffle and Fable

Fable turned 10 months old yesterday! Time is starting to speed up, she could be recalled in just 4 more months. Bad news for two of her littermates in the last month. Her sister Fancy and brother Fuller where career changed. They have returned to Guide Dogs for the Blind in search of just the right home for them. I don’t know why Fuller was dropped from the program but Fancy’s challenge was being distracted by cats and probably dogs too.

Fable, Waffle and another yellow lab at the beach

Fable can be distracted by dogs and people too. But I don’t think it is something that she can’t manage. She is super friendly and thinks that all dogs feel the same way about her and people too. Puppies in training tend to lead very shelter lives. They think the world revolves around them. We work to avoid situations where they might be hurt or have a frightening experience. The first time we walked by a fence with barking dogs she was startled but got over it pretty quickly with the help of kibble. Fable’s biggest fault with other dogs is going in full blast. She has no idea that a 50 lb. lab barreling down might be scary for another dog.

Fable and a little girl

Thankfully Fable is a bit more intuitive when it comes to people. She spots a dog lover in nothing flat, loves to jump on them, especially if they are women. She gets excited to see kids. An exuberant puppy can be traumatic so I’m glad that Fable is more gentle with kids, which makes me proud. She sure loves the attention.

50 Button Crafts: idea #18 – Mother’s are Like Buttons (part 2)

Posted on May 7, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Mother’s Day gift

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

Well my ideas for Mother’s Day got scaled down a bit out of practicality and time. Instead of doing a frame and quote I just printed the quote with an image on paper. It will act as a tag for a lunch sack full of apricots, attached with a paper clip adorned with buttons. Below is a png of the quote so you can print it on your own background or print on plain paper and embellish it with real buttons. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

for personal, non commercial use only

Family Tree: family reunion thumbprint tree

Posted on May 5, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Family Tree with Thumbprints by Elisabeth Ventling

We are planning a family reunion this summer and I think we should do a thumbprint tree like the one above available in the ElisabethVentlingArt shop on Etsy. While not a tradition family tree showing relationships of one member to another, this kind of tree captures those who are there at the family reunion. It seems like young and old alike would enjoy putting their mark on the tree. Have you ever done a thumbprint tree?

50 Button Crafts: idea #17 – Button Picture Frame

Posted on May 4, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

custom button frame via YankeeMagazine.com

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

This would also make a great Mother’s Day gift or birthday or anytime for that matter. All you need is an inexpensive flat frame. If the color of the frame isn’t similar to the color of the buttons you are using, it will look better if you paint it first. Then just glue on the buttons with hot glue or household glue. Slip in a favorite photo and you have a precious gift.

custom button frame from YankeeMagazine.com

Family History Writing Studio

Posted on April 29, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Lynn Palermo of the Armchair Genealogist has put together a great resource for anyone writing their family history. The studio was inspired by her annual Family History Writing Challenge. I think the writing part is the most intimidating part of putting together a family history, so for me this is a wonderful resource. So if your like me and need some help in this area, here is some of what you will find in the Family History Writing Studio.

What’s in the Writing Studio

Workbooks – Lynn’s series of Family History Writing Workbooks are designed to build on one another. Each workbook looks at one aspect of writing your family history narratives. Filled with worksheets, they will help you apply the various elements of creative nonfiction to your own research and ancestors.

Webinars – On-demand webinars work nicely with Lynn’s workbooks. They provide exercises and examples to expand on the workbook content. They are designed for you to watch over and again at your convenience. There will also be stand-alone content, addressing a variety of needs family history writers face.

Courses – Our online courses are designed for writers who want to have a more in-depth look at a particular aspect of writing in a more intimate environment. Lessons will be delivered in a variety of formats from downloadable worksheets, workbooks, and videos. All courses include private groups and forums to bring the class together for discussions and critiques with the teacher. Classes are small to provide a more personal learning environment.

Personal Coaching – If you’re nervous about sharing in a group environment then personal coaching might be more your style. In the personal coaching section, Lynn offers a couple of options to work privately work with her, whether it be to brainstorm your story or book or for a critique of your written narrative.

Family Tree: FamilyTreeTemplates.net

Posted on April 28, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Just came across this great resource, FamilyTreeTemplates.net. They have tons of kinds of family trees in pdf format, free to download, print and fill out. Some of them are also available in DOC format for $4 that you can edit and then print. There is an amazing variety from simple two generation charts to 10 generations, with graphics and without graphics, simple fancy etc. etc. Here a just a couple of samples. Click on over and check it out.

7 generation radial family tree

family tree coloring page

family migration chart

50 Button Crafts: idea #16 – Mothers are like Buttons

Posted on April 27, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Got a box or jar full of buttons carefully saved by your mother or grandmother? For 2015 I’m in search of great ways to put those buttons to use. Here is this week’s idea:

Mothers Day snuck up on me and it finally hit me a couple of days ago that it is just two weeks away. My sister hosts most of our family gatherings but Mothers Day is traditionally in my court since I’m the only one with both my mother and my mother-in-law still living. It simplifies things by having it at our house. I like to give all the mothers attending gifts so today I did some searching for a button themed gift. I’m still working on the ideas but I’m sure about part of it. I want to do some kind of wall hanging with the words “Mothers are like buttons, they hold everything together.” Here are some of the ideas I found during my research.

I’ll report back with what the finished product looks like. Hopefully next week.

StoryCorps App: part 2

Posted on April 22, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

I downloaded the StoryCorps app today. It looks pretty easy to use. At first I couldn’t figure out where the questions where but then realized that when you add a new interview it automatically takes you to the list of questions. They are listed under different categories, starting with a fairly short list of “the best questions.” It is very simple to click on the questions you like to add them to your custom list. You can also make your own questions.

My Dad had is appendix removed last week so he is recovering at my sister’s house for a few weeks. I’ll be visiting him on Friday. Hopefully he will feel up to answering a few questions so I can try this app out. If not maybe I can get my Mom to talk or maybe one of my sisters.

I’ll let you know how it goes. This seems like a really great way to get family stories recorded.