Family Tree: Faux Embroidery

Posted on June 2, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

Faux Embroidery Family Tree from PiecesByPolly.com

Here is a light-hearted family tree that many a grandma would love, featuring all of her grankids. Instead of doing the traditional and time intensive embroidery that the pattern (see below) was designed for, Polly used what she calls a faux embroidery technique using crayons instead of thread to add color to the design. Great idea for today’s busy lifestyles. Click on the image above for Polly’s tutorial.

Our Family Tree pattern from TwinStitchers.com

50 Button Crafts: idea #22 – button tie tack

Posted on June 1, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

from feelgoodstyle.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:

Here is a super easy idea for Father’s Day. Find an interesting button and super glue it to a tie tack back you can buy as a craft store. Wait for the glue to dry and all you need to do is wrap it up and add a card. It would be great to include the background of the button to add sentimental value to the gift. Maybe I should make some of these for all the fathers in my life. If you wants a little more detail on making a button tie tack, click on the photo above.

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.

50 Button Crafts: idea #21 – felt house with button shingles

Posted on May 26, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

felt house from pakamera.pl

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 stumbled on this cute little felt house with button shingles on Pinterest. I can see creating something similar patterned after the house where my mom and all of her younger siblings were born. What a sweet gift that would make for my mom. Putting it on my list for future projects. The house was torn down a few years ago and it was emotionally really hard on my mom. I put together a book at the time for her but I think this would be a nice way to remember her childhood home. Do you have a family home like that? Maybe it could just be inspired by the type of home that was typical in the country where you ancestors came from. Lots of fun possibilities with this idea.

Family Tree: tag album

Posted on May 19, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

tag album by Karin van Dalen

Here is another way to represent your family tree, this time in an album. I really like the idea of having a tag for each person with a photo and some information. The album Karin used is very cool because you can take the tags out and then easily return them. I did some research to figure out where to get that kind of album but I struck out. Karin’s website is www.scrapbookatelier.nl and I found the project under her workshop section but even after translation there isn’t enough information to figure out the album. If anyone has seen as album similar to the one above I’d love to know for future reference. Even so I think it is a great idea that is adaptable to available supplies.

50 Button Crafts: idea #20 – DIY button cufflinks

Posted on May 18, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

button cufflink tutorial from cremedelacraft.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:

Is it too soon to start thinking about Father’s Day? If not, here is a super simple idea to make cufflinks (if there is a dad in your life who wears cufflinks). Clink on the photo above for detailed step by step instructions from cremedleacraft.com. This idea would make a really cool gift for a groom to wear if the buttons where from his father, grandfather or great-grandfather’s buttons.

Family Tree: 8×10 Photo Pedigree Chart Template

Posted on May 14, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

As promised here is a link to the InDesign CS6 template for my 8×10 photo pedigree. (Remember that the template file in Dropbox will look really strange but if you save it and open it in InDesign it will look right there.) Feel free to use the template for personal use or gifts. If you’re not an InDesign user, I’ve open an Etsy shop focused on products for puppy raisers and service dog handlers called The Salty Pup Shop. I’ve got both the 8×10 and the 4×12 photo pedigrees available there as custom items. Proceeds from the shop go to paying for the costs of raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Family Tree: 8×10 Photo Pedigree Chart

Posted on May 13, 2015 by tellingfamilytales

I’ve really had lots of fun doing photo pedigree charts for pups. When I looked into having the 4×12 panoramic printed, I realized that not everywhere prints that size. So I changed things up and designed an 8×10 version because it is also super easy to find an 8×10 frame too. I really like this size. I’ll post the InDesign template for this tomorrow.

Yes, Banta has the same grandpa on both sides. When I first found that out I thought it must be a mistake but they sometimes do that in dog breeding. Kentucky was a very successful stud. I’m sure they were hoping that Banta or one of her littermates would be a breeder. Banta was selected for breeding but she was just too much to handling and she didn’t like having her blood drawn or the other things that female breeders have to go through so she was released by the breeding department after a week. Also as you can see I don’t have photos of Kentucky’s parents yet.

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.

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!