Blog HQ

I have a desktop computer so I am 'stuck' in one place when writing my blog posts and I do so envy anyone with a laptop, and therefore, mobility. Theirs is the freedom to blog from anywhere they choose!

Anyway, I have my computer in a tiny cupboard I like to call 'the computer room'.

The Computer Room

It's a very uninspiring space, cramped and isolated from the family. Therefore I decorate it with personal photos and mementoes to make it a cheerful place to be. On the wall behind my chair I have a display frame for my 12x12 scrapbook pages and I change the one on display frequently - little things please little minds they say - and it's always a splash of colour in the room.

Now you've seen where I do my Blogging you can see other people's Blog HQ's this week over at Pip's

Hats and More Minibooks

I've been busy this morning as I knew the weather was going to be better this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have time for a walk later. I have made a couple of minibooks in my crafting session. All the photos are quite small so they fit well into a flip book made from one sheet of 12x12. 

Most of the people in the photos are dead now so the book is a record of who's who in the older members of my side of the family.

My husband's family do not have any old photos of previous generations. He is one of 5 children living with their parents in London's Islington district. He and his brother shared a bed, and his three sisters shared another. They certainly did not have any money spare for photographers. The family was moved out of London to Aylesbury which is where I met my husband, but that's another story.

I think black and white photos are so much clearer than colour. You can see every fine detail in the faces and clothing even though the images may be old. Personally, I think it's hard to scrap old photos. You need to be sympathetic to their content,  not be too modern in the choice of papers, make room for names (and stories if you know any!) and try to let the photos speak for themselves.

I just love the hats in old photos! Isn't it a shame we rarely wear hats now? Usually they're worn just for weddings these days, yet I think they are lovely at any time. Look at these 1930's hats. The ladies' Sunday Best I'm sure! Dad's written on the back of the photo 'Mr Watson School Master at Sunday Church Outing'. He can't remember the place, date, or the ladies' names, but I'm  guessing one is Mr Watson's wife.

I also made a small fold up minibook documenting Dad's working life. He worked in an Ironmonger's Shop from when he left school with the only break being when he was drafted into the RAF. At 18 he was made the manager, although he thought he was too young for the job! I remember going there as a young child and watching Dad serve petrol and paraffin to customers - he tells me the petrol was 1shilling (10p) a gallon in those days! He later moved from the shop in Woburn to the premises in Woburn Sands where he was manager for 33 years before retiring with ill-health. Both shops are still there today, but the Woburn store was taken over and now sells china. To keep both minibooks safe I made a slipcover to keep them in.

So now I hope there's time for a walk before tea, but I don't have a hat to wear for my Bank Holiday Promenade!

Neat or Not?

I was reading Julia Dunnit's blog post the other day and it had me laughing out loud http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/2009/08/image-from-shimelle-part-of-everyone.html  She compares real life to the perfect lives we talk about or show photos of on our blogs.  Most of you are honest and show photos of the crafty mess you get into. There are some very candid shots for 'What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday'.  This photo of mine is less than perfect- it was taken in my computer room at 9.30pm with no natural light.

Julia's post got me thinking about the photos I show - and those I choose not to.

So, I'm going to ask you a question. How neat is the back of your scrapbook page?

I must admit that many of mine are not pretty. Some have holes cut into the paper (gusseting is the polite term or being frugal is the excuse I use), stamps tested out in different colours until I find the one I like, sticky tape holding ribbons in place or those unsightly brad legs sticking through! I've even gussetted pages before now, forgotten about it and got sticky tape showing through which then sticks to everything in sight! My remedy for that faux pas is to put strips of waste paper over the glue  - thus making the back even more unsightly!

My reasoning for accepting pages like this is that I put one page back-to-back with another in my albums, so it doesn't matter what the rear of each individual layout looks like. But.... there's always a but... find the odd page in its' clear plastic holder that hasn't yet got a partner behind it ... and anyone can see what you've done!

Also, I've just bought an acryllic 12x12 page holder to hang on my wall. The layouts can easily be slid in and out and changed whenever I like. This one purchase has made me look hard at the finish quality of my work which is now displayed for visitors to see.

As a salutary exercise, and in the interests of Truthful Blogging, I've looked through all my layouts and here is the worst backside example I could find. Sadly, it's the back of the layout shown at the top of the blog.

The less said the better!