CollectInTexas Gal Photo Featured on 'A Sunday Drive'

 

I received a comment/notice from Jerry Beuterbaugh, author/blogger of As The Crackerhead Crumbles , that the above photo has been included in his weekly Sunday Drive post for today, Sunday, June 7th.

 

He explained....Back during our childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and me after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived.  Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them again, and this is why "A Sunday Drive"  sounded about right for the name of a series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.

 

I replied with a comment thanking him for including CollectInTexas Gal in his Sunday Drive series and mentioned to him how 'A Sunday Drive' brought back happy memories for me.  I imagine many of you...CITexasGal readers...will relate to Sunday after church family doings, too.

 

Like, Sunday Dinners where a pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions had been put in the oven just before leaving for Sunday School.  Then after church, all you had to do was set the table and make Texas Sweet Tea while your Mom finished the baking with biscuts and making brown gravy from the roast drippings. 

 

Or...if you were Southern Baptist, like me, some Sunday's it was 'Pot Luck' in the Church Social Hall where a spread of fried chicken, the pot roast, salads of all kinds, veggie casseroles, and heavenly cherry pie as well as homemade vanilla ice cream served straight out of the ice bucket where it had been turning during the preachers sermon.  I remember on those Pot Luck Sunday's the preacher cut short his sermon straight up high noon and blessed the Pot Luck Meal before dismissing so we could go right to the Social Hall and dig in.  Baptist are famous for Pot Luck Meals and Food Blessings...we were truly blessed.

 

As for the Featured Photo on Jerry's Sunday Drive, it was from a post written on January 24, 2014 entitled Scrapbooking and Crochet...Perfect Cold Day Projects.  It was a Friday and I was deep into the Restoration of my Mother's 1940 Scrapbook.  It was the second restoration of her scrapbook as I had done the first one at least 20 years earlier...before 'Scrapbooking' became a Craft Industry and acid free, themed papers, and 12x12 Albums made scrapbooks 'Family Heirlooms' for generations to come. 

 

I remembered that post in particular and am pleased that Jerry recognized it's significance as being intensely personal for me.  It was a form of grief therapy...Mother had joined the Heavenly Angels Choir the month before on December 13, 2013.  In my mind that day should have been a Sunday, but it was a Friday.  I think I will continue to think of it as Sunday...for it makes me smile to think of her squeezing my hand at the end of the Pot Luck Blessing, putting on her Sunday Apron and serving her Sunday Pot Roast. 

 

Thank-you Jerry...my Mother would be so pleased to be included in your 'Sunday Drive'...as am I.

 

More about Mother's Scrapbook in the following links:

1940's SCRABOOK Restoration

 

1940 US CENSUS Project

Wordless Wednesday...Home Is Where the Heart Is.

A page from Thelma's 1940's Scrapbook.

With mother...Minnie...niece JoAnn and nephew Gary.



Wordless Wednesday...Roaring Twenties Photo Restoration

 

Restoration Tips in Post....Scrapbook Photo Tape-G-Gone Restoration

A Toggled Restoration between

Windows 7 Live Photo Gallery and PAINT Program.



Scrapbook Photo TAPE-B-Gone Restoration

Here's hoping a "Picture is worth more than a thousand words"....

When Microsoft upgraded to Windows Live Photo Gallery, so did I.  I switched from the software that came with my camera to downloading photos directly to Windows Live Photo Gallery.  I do much of the cropping, enhancing and improving photo quality there.  The 'RETOUCH' feature is a Mini Photo Shop where imperfections, marks and blemishes can be blurred or even removed.  When I need to do more than what I can do in the Photo Gallery, I OPEN the photo in PAINT...a right click option.

I have used Windows Paint since I first started on the computer.  With every upgrade, Microsoft has improved Paint to where it is for me today in Windows 7.   I have tried several Photo Shop programs and found them to be time consuming to learn and complicated.  It is not my intention to change my photos drastically, and if I want a 'Fad/PhotoFunia' type change, there are lots of 'Fun Photo' websites that fill that need.

Here is a SIMPLE technique to Cover/Hide larger areas that the 'RETOUCH' feature will not accommodate.  Start by....resizing the photo in the 'Gallery' to a size that fits your monitor...small or smaller works well.  OPEN the resized photo by right clicking and selecting from the drop down menu...Open with Paint.  Then you are ready to proceed to step one...all copy and paste menus are a right click on the mouse.

Once you have tried this 'Simple Restoration' technique, you will be able to tackle a little more detailed restoration that will require you to 'Toggle' back and forth between Paint and The Gallery.

Replacing larger sections of tape by 'Copy-Paste-Drag and Drop' in Paint and then SAVING it back to the photo in The Gallery allows you to go back to the 'RETOUCH' feature to blur the edges and improve the background and even lost features like the ear on the PRIN. Takes some practice, but worth it...don't you think?

The text/date and the frames were also done in Paint. 

To get the copyright symbol © in your signature or text here is the keyboard shortcut....

Hold Down the Alt key and type the number 0169. 

Now you are ready to RESTORE!

Here is how the Supt. and the Prin. looked on the finished scrapbook page.

You would think I'd be done with this page, but NOOOOO, my 'OverDoSue' kicked in when I realized I had names and dates to research.  I needed to know what happened to the Supt. and the Prin. after my mother graduated in 1943.  So on to Ancestry I went and found the PRIN. that's how I got the dates to put under his photo.  Haven't found the Supt....yet...but at least I've found the trick for removing the 71 year old Scotch Tape from the side of his head.

Rest In Restored Peace, Mr. Chisholm.

Wordless Wednesday...Friend In Muskogee

1940's Scrapbook Restoration Project

Scrapbooking and Crochet...Perfect Cold Day Projects

It is cold in Texas today.  It was cold yesterday and last night, as well....the perfect time for Fireside Crocheting.  I am enjoying crocheting this Shawl pattern called Sea Shell Wrap.  So much so, that I have TWO going at the same time.  I work on one for awhile and then the other...which is shades of purple.  One of the things I like about this pattern it is easy to alter.  Yep, I will follow a pattern only so far and for so long before I have to 'Do My Own Thing'.  It's called 'creative license'...I have lots of them.  Without them, there would be more UFO's and WIP's waiting in the wings.



Cold days in Texas are perfect for Scrapbooking, too! 

 So, I'll share a couple of pages from 'The 1940's Scrapbook Restoration' with you. 

How amazing is it to have this original large Class of 1943 photo?  I'd say it is a rare piece of memorabilia along with the photo of the High School building.  Both of these pieces were loose in the original 1940's Album as they did not fit the pages...another amazement of their 73 year survival, and one of the reasons I chose to restore/redo with 12x12 pages.

 

You will notice the original attempt to hold the photo in place with scotch tape which over time turned yellow, ridged and impossible to remove....Arrow #1. 

 

 I DO NOT remove it...I use an exacto knife to trim it even with the outer edges and then hide as much as possible when mounting on the new background paper.   Using the exacto knife, cut  the background paper in a shape...ie top corners...to cover the tape and at the same time anchor the photo to the page.   

 

 I try NOT to permanently set photos or documents to the background paper.

 

In the next Restoration post, I will 'Show and Tell' how to digitally remove the tape to restore the photo to it's pre-scotched yet vintage/aged look....Arrow #2.

 

Stay Warm, Ya'll !!!

click on pic for more

1940's Scrapbook Restoration

1940's Scrapbook Restoration Begins

My Mother's Scrapbook has been a thing of great interest and fascination to me for as long as I can remember.  When I was a little girl I loved seeing my baby pictures...

...Mother was in her Twenties.

As a teenager I got a kick out of my Mama's clothes, hairdos and dark lipstick...

...Mother was in her Thirties.

Days passed into weeks...weeks into months....months into years...

...Mother was in her Eighties when...

Her memories and 1940's Scrapbook was shared with the 1940 US Census Project.

~click on Banner for the 1940's US Census Community Project Posts~

 

The original scrapbook, started in 1941 is now 73 years old and has been through one restoration in 1997 where the deteriorating cover was saved by attaching it to a binder type folder.  The original pages were sheathed in sheet protectors.

Since that time, the quality and availability of Restoration products have made great strides and grown into the 'Scrapbooking Industry' of today.

In the last 17 years, the first restoration has held up well, but it is now time for what I plan to be the last restoration.  This restoration will reflect the Old Scrapbook's photos and memorabilia, and include the new photos and stories inspired by my Mother's being a part of the 'Greatest Generation'.



You are welcome to come along on this my Second Big Restoration Scrapbook Project.

Here's the Sidebar Tag where Restoration Posts will be linked.

Wall Paper Memories

"Mom put up new paper every year.  My job was to brush on the paste."

We rolled out the paper the night before. 

The panels were laid out on the floor in the order they were to be hung

 and cut with the pattern matches made. 

Mom made her own paste...no pre-pasted paper or buckets of commercial paste.

I remember that so well.  It seems like just yesterday, but of course it wasn't...it was 1940.

Does anyone wallpaper anymore?

Not as much as they use to, Mother!

Although, with the 1940 Census now available on the Internet,

and the '1940's Retro Look' becoming more popular,

I bet it won't be long before folks will be 

"Busier than a One-Armed Paper Hanger"!



'SMILE'...You're In A 1940's Photo Booth

The Photo Vending Machine has been around for awhile.

The modern photo booth appeared on Broadway in  New York City in 1925,

and for 25 cents, the booth took, developed and printed 8 photos in about ten minutes.

In the first six months, 280,000 people sat on the stool, drew the curtains and posed.

The Photomation Company was created to place booths nationwide.

In 1940, my Grandmother Minnie....that's her in the top left photo, must have loaded up the kids and some of their friends for a trip to Town.  It would have been an all day affair and really big deal...as they lived on a farm several miles out of Adair, Iowa.  That's my Uncle Eugene in the top right photo....he was sixteen. 

I get a kick out of this Photo Booth picture of my Uncle Leon. 

He went to Town in his everyday overalls, and decided while he was there to buy a new hat.

So why not get my picture taken!

In comparison, another relative got all dressed up for his 'Mug Shot' in his stylish 1940's hat.

These Photo Booth pictures are from my Mother's 1940 Years Album.

My favorites are these of Mom and her BFF...Best Friend Forever.

They came to Texas together in about 1945.

I'm sure glad they did....Mom met a Texas Sailor.

Love At First Sight...It Happened In Texas

'SMILE'...You're In A 1940's Photo Booth written in support of the

1940 US Census Community Project

Upon it's release, the 1940 Census Community Project, a joint initiative between Archives.com, Family Search, findmypast.com and other leading genealogy organizations, will coordinate efforts to provide quick access to these digital images and immediately start indexing these records to make them searchable online with free and open access.

You, too, can support the 1940 US Census Community Project

by volunteering as a 1940 US Census Indexer.

 

Click on Badge and Get Started Today!

Scrapbook Revelations...Thelma Was A ScabbyKnees Stenographer

It was 1943. 

 Thelma  could write Gregg Shorthand for five minutes at eighty words a minute and

then transcribed the notes neatly and accurately.

Not only could she write in Shorthand...she could Type.

Certified Typist mind you...on a Standard Remington Typewriter.

At a net speed of 65 words per minute for fifteen consecutive minutes 

with a total number of errors not exceeding ten.

Pretty impressive for a Gal who regularly had jammed fingers and scraped knuckles!

 You see, Thelma also Excelled in Athletics!
All County Basketball Team 1943

Junior Class of 1943

Thelma is second from the left sitting next to the teacher.

You can's miss her...she's the one with the Scabby Knees!

(no kneepads in 1943 basketball)

My Mother's Scrapbook has been a thing of great interest and fascination to me for as long as I can remember.

When I was a little girl I loved seeing my baby pictures...

...Mama was in her Twenties.

As a teenager I got a kick out of my Mama's clothes, hairdos and dark lipstick...

...Mama was in her Thirties.

Days have passed into weeks...weeks into months....months into years...

...Mama is now in her Eighties.

Her memories of Shorthand, Typing and Skinned Knees have been restored and preserved. 

I wonder if it seems 'Just like yesterday' to her. 

Sometimes it does to me....at least the part about the Scabby Knees.  

Like Mother Like Daughter! 

Sparrows To Swans...My Swoon Booth

Who wouldn't Swoon over this beautiful Hull Swan Vase?

I sure did, so I snatched it for this Photo to Show Off my JunkTique Booth Re-Doeth!

(forgive me Ya'll...I wanted it to sound poetic)

Some of You have asked where I store all the dishes I collect. 

Many of you have wondered I'm sure why I collect such a variety of Stuff. 

And a bunch of you have coveted some of my Thrifin' Finds!

Yep, I'm talkin' about you, Linda at A La Carte'.

Linda is the Junkin' Finding Queen.....next to her I'm just a Princess Junker!

I bet you are thinkin'...Good Grief, Sue's got a thing for Birds!

I really don't, but they do seem to be a Hot Bloggin' Topic here on CITexas Gal since the Birdie B&B opened.

Ya'll already know I DO have a Thing for Quilts!

I have sooooo many that I'm trying to Sell Some

along with the Baby Crib that my BigBoy Grandson out grew several months ago. 

You see I bought it at a Thrift Shop and now it's in my JunkTique Shop

My Booth is called Pastimes.

Just about everything here is Past It's Time in my Collections, so it's time to Pass It On!

Please....somebody buy this Silk Plant...I'm ready to Pass It On for a mere $20.

All those dishes I collect!!!  Some of them end up here!  More of them need to end up here!

I love my dishes!  I think I may take these back home! 

Okay HiHoney?

(he just rolls his eyes)

I hope you have enjoyed this Virtual Tour of my JunkTique Booth!

If you would like a Shot of Reality Tour you can find me at

American British Antiques

San Angelo, Texas

As far as I know, there are no British Antique Dealers there,

 but I have seen quite alot of Texans who claim to have some of the Queens Stuff!

And I'm not talkin' about Junkin' Queen Linda!

Be sure and stop by Linda's Blog... A La Carte.

She's got the Stuff and an ETSY Shop!