Saturday, February 20, 2010

Vintage Grace Freebie

I was so excited when I saw this month's colors for the DSO Color Challenge. I've been wanting to do a heritage type kit and the blues and browns were perfect! Here is a little peek at "Vintage Grace", but then you have to bear with me and let me tell you about the history in this kit.


This kit is so special to me. My Grandmother Grace left me her beautiful cedar chest full of old treasures and I knew the contents were begging to become a scrap kit. I was telling my Mother about this kit and I told her looking into this file is like looking into my Grandma's cedar chest, without the lovely smell. *lol* I couldn't believe how well everything fit into the color scheme even! Most of the items are in the kit "as is". I didn't have to alter the colors at all. There are so many special pieces in this kit I don't know where to start.

Almost every element in this kit that is "antique" belonged to my Great Grandmother or Grandmother. Most of the items come from my Great Grandmother Nora who was born in 1891 and passed away in 1991 at the age of 100. My Grandma would say they are just "costume" jewelry, but the cameo and pearls are my favorite. One picture frame is made from my husband's Father's tie clip. The paper frame is from one of the many ancient pictures I have. The journaling block is from the cover of a 1896 photograph that is in a folder type thing. Remember I told you about all the lovely old cards I came across? Well there was one post card that exactly matched this kit! It had never been mailed, so I included the front and the back for you. The doilies in the kit were made by my Great Grandmother. She made some of the most beautiful things by hand. I have several poke bonnets that she made by hand. They wore them in the fields when they were picking cotton. Most of them are natty and sweat stained, but I love them. She knew how much I loved those old bonnets, so when my daughter was born she made her a tiny little poke bonnet... by hand... at 96 years of age. Talk about a treasure! I couldn't figure out a way to photograph them and add them to the kit though. So no bonnets. :-(

I even did an alpha for this kit inspired by an old embroidered sampler. My first alpha! The fan in this kit is my favorite "creation" to date though, so I have to give you some history on it. When I was browsing WikiCommons I came across a set of public domain drawings that were done to showcase a furrier's work at the Exposition Universal Paris 1900. I love the way they dressed, especially the fancy hats. The colors were even perfect for my kit, but what to do with them? I saved them all hoping I would come up with something. Then when I was going through all my Grandma's treasures I came across this fan. It is a souvenir fan from The Alamo in San Antonio, TX. Each blade has a picture from the history of the Alamo and is actually rather garish in colors. *lol* But the fan part was so pretty! I instantly knew I was going to chop that thing to bits in PSP and put my lovely Edwardian ladies in place of the brightly colored Alamo pictures. It took me forever, but I love, love, love it!!!

Now, I have to introduce you to the ladies that made this kit possible.

The little baby on the Dad's knee is my Great Grandmother Nora. She was born in June of 1891 so I figure this picture was taken sometime in 1892.


Don't they look so serious? Why didn't they smile in pictures back then?

Now this pretty little girl is the namesake for the kit, my Grandmother Grace at 3. She was born in 1913, so this picture is from 1916.

Wasn't she cute?

I hope you enjoy Vintage Grace as much as I do. It was so much fun to create and I'm thrilled to share it and a little bit of my family history with you.


91 comments:

  1. What a beautiful Kit! Thank you so very much for sharing. I have a few old photos so look forward to delving into your treasure chest. Kay.

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  2. Thank you for freebies. Link on your post was added to Lori's freebie list

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  3. This is such a lovely kit, a work of art truly. I loved reading about it and I thank you so much for sharing it. I am adding your blog link to the Yahoo Scrap Group so they can all come by and visit your beautiful site, they are going to LOVE this!
    Stacy

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  4. One more message, an invite actually to the Yahoo Scrap Group, will leave you the link.
    Hope you will join us.
    Stacy

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  5. Absolutely beautiful kit, thank you for sharing (kit and memories!!!)

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  6. Thank you for sharing this. I love the bits of history and memories you wrote about. I was looking for something just like this and once I finish my project I will send you a link.

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  7. Thank you so much for sharing these lovely items with us. Best wishes, Sylvia (aka Broody Hen)

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  8. Thanks for sharing. I myself have photos of my mother from the early 1930's and can't wait to use this kit.

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  9. This is such a lovely kit that you have offered. I love it and would love to use it, but when I download it, it's not a file I can access. Have I done something wrong or do I need something to extract it possibly? I really do love this kit and I think it would be wonderful to use it in the Heritage album I am making for my twins. My email is vampire_eyes@msn.com if you have any suggestions for me. Thanks for your generosity! It truly is a gorgeous kit!

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  10. Thank you so much for sharing this gorgeous kit! Blessings, Seren

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  11. What a gorgeous kit and most remarkable story behind it. Thank you so very much for you generosity in sharing this lovely kit and all your hard work.

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  12. Awesome kit...
    Many Thanks,
    MamaWolf

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  13. WOW! Thank you so much for sharing your talents with us. I LOVE these colors with the vintage. I would have never thought of that but seeing it done the colors were made for the vintage. Your kit is my favorate of these colors.

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  14. Thank you so much for this Freebie. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 1 post on Feb. 21, 2010. Thanks again.

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  15. Thank you for this beautful kit!

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  16. I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful vintage set...these are just awesome. You are lucky that you have remembrances of your Grandma and I enjoyed seeing them too...I have no such things..my Grandma's family came in and did not share...so all of the pics and her remembrances are gone to me.
    Most people that create this quality of scraps do not share and I sure thank you for doing so. Some of us on limited income can't afford to buy them..You have a good heart hon...Have a blessed/happy Sunday.

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  17. Thank you so much for sharing your creative talents with those of us who are somewhat "digi-challenged"...I much prefer to call these offerings GIFTS rather than freebies
    ---the very word cheapens the true gift of time, talent, creativity & love they reprsent...again THANK YOU
    way2coolgrany

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  18. Oh my! what an interesting history for your gorgeous kit. Because I too had a grandma Grace, this will have even more meaning to me. Being that I collect all the "vintage" I can fine, you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover yours.

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  19. Beautiful story and kit-thank you so much Judy

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  20. Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful vintage kit and your stories. I love both!

    Dee

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  21. Absolutely wonderful! Thank you sooooo very much!

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  22. Thank you for sharing this beautiful kit with us.

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  23. Thank you so much for sharing the absolutely beautiful kit with all of us. I know all my victorian pictures and going to look great with your kit.
    Jackie

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  24. Thank you for the beautiful kit and for sharing the story of your grandmother with us.

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  25. Hi! Thank you for sharing this stunning kit! and the story behind it too =D

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  26. This is one of the prettiest kits I have seen. It is something that I know I will get great use out of. I have been looking for something to scrap old pictures of my mother and this is perfect.
    thank you

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  27. This is exactly the kind of kit I have been looking for. I have alot of old phots and this will work great for them. Thank you!

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  28. Thank you SO MUCH for such a GREAT kit and for sharing so much of your history and talent with us. :D

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  29. Thank you so much for this gorgeous kit and for the history that goes with it. I love your fan, well worth the hard work you put into it.

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  30. lovely kit, such an awesome memory package of your great grandmother, thanks for sharing her things.

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  31. Absolutely beautiful -- both the story and the gift As to why they didn't smile -- pictures had to be exposed for so long that no one could hold a smile that long without it looking "faked." A serious look was easier to hold. Mary Lou

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  32. Thank you, Mary Lou! I never knew that. It does make perfect sense though. I never thought about how long they had to stand still for photos back then. Can you imagine keeping 8 kids still for a photograph? *lol*

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  33. Bonjour Sky,
    Such a moving story ! Thank you very much, it was very pleasant to read and merci BEAUCOUP to share this beautiful nostalgic kit with us !
    C from Paris :)

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  34. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful kit. Love the fan. Also thanks for sharing your family photos and history.
    Sue

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  35. Wow, I'm in awe that you would share such a lovely kit with us, especially one with the background this one has. Thank you so much, I'll definitely cherish this kit.

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  36. Thank you so much for this beautiful kit. I have been privileged to have been allowed to scan many old photos belonging to other members of my extended family, and this kit is absolutely perfect for scrapping some of these.

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  37. Beautiful family heritage! Thank you for haring it with all of us. I am glad I stopped by here and read your entry!

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  38. What a lovely kit! Loved the family history, too! Thank you so much for sharing both the kit & the history! By the way - if you should want to extract the bonnets, you could try putting them on someone and extracting the bonnet from the background and the person.

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  39. Great kit! Thank you so much, you have done a marvelous job with this kit. Your grandmother certainly knew you would treasure the things she left to you. Thanks for sharing the story. Best to you.

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  40. Thanks Sky for sharing your family treasures and stories... Hugs, Lainey

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  41. Beautiful kit and a tribute to your grandmother. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

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  42. An absolutely beautiful kit - thank you so much for sharing not only the kit but also the history and memories!

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  43. I also saw the DSO-Color-Challenge but had no time to make a kit with those beautiful colors - but I could not image making something more beautiful out of it that you did. This kit is wow - awesome!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!

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  44. Very beautiful kit. I loved the history about the elements. It actually made me teary eyed thinking about my grandmother. Her name was also Nora and I really miss her. You made my morning. Thanks!

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  45. You have beautiful kits. Thank you very much for sharing.

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  46. Wow, this is one GORGEOUS kit! I don't think I can thank you enough for this, the kit and the sharing of your family history is just such a generous gift; thank you very, very, much!

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  47. Love this kit. I have those same 2 doily's that my Momma made when she was young and my great grandmother was teaching her to crochet. Thanks for the lovely kit.
    Sandie

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  48. Oh What a beautiful kit!!
    Thank you so very much for sharing it with us!!

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  49. Thank you so much. I will use if with my heritage scrapbooking!

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  50. Good morning, Sky! I have a nephew whose middle name is Skye...it's a name I really love!
    I visited your blog last night and left a message for you in 4shared regarding this WONDERFUL kit and memories.
    I wanted to ask a HUGE favor for your next BIG kit. I was SO happy to think I could snag Vintage Grace and left the message for you before it dawned on me to notice the size of it. OMG!!! Unfortunately I am on Dial-Up so there's NO way I could ever get it downloaded. I did click to download the elements just to see how long it would take to download them and was I ever shocked!!! It would take me 38 hours and 10 minutes...just for the elements! The favor I am asking of you is to PLEASE think of those of us who are still on Dial-Up when you divy up your next kit into parts. Even divided into quarters, it would still take me close to 10 hours for each part!!! I do sincerely ADORE your creation and your style....hope you will bear in mind the dial-up thing next time. Thanks!!!
    Sue (ggsueellen@yahoo.com)

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  51. Absolutely beautiful kit... you have some awesome talent and generosity!!

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  52. Beautiful! I can't wait to use this on my heritage pages! Thank you!!!

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  53. Lovely kit and such a wonderful story. Thank you.

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  54. Beautiful kit and there are a couple of reasons they arent smiling in pics....(1) the exposure was much longer most of the using natural light and not the "flash of powder" so it was almost impossible for people to hold a smile for the picture (2) it was considered a more serious "event" to have a family portrait taken for posterity. Thanks again!

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  55. How lucky you are to have all these memories and things! Awesome kit, Thank you so much!

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  56. Thank you for such a wonderful kit!! I love it!! As others have mentioned about exposure time and having to hold a smile too long.....it's funny too when you see some of the old pictures taken right in the middle of town....there's no people captured walking around or cars etc driving by because of the long exposure time to capture the image!! So the pic only captures the images that were stationary long enough to be exposed on the film! Anyway, I'm rambling...
    Thanks again for sharing!!!

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  57. What a stunning beautiful kit thank you so much for sharing it and your wonderful treasure memories with us.

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  58. This is a beautiful kit. Thank you so much for sharing your talent.

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  59. Thank you very much for this amazing kit. It is perfect - as I am working on my family heritage books. I love these colors.

    I appreciate you sharing this kit.

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  60. Hi Sky,

    can't open the rar file, could you send me a zipfile? Hope so, it looks very beautifull!

    Thanks, Lydia (The Netherlands)

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  61. Thank you so much!

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  62. Geez, Sky, even I love the kit and I haven't even started to download it yet!! ha ha All I did was read about it and it's one of the nicest kits I think I've ever come across. I admit, I don't use them alot, but I am an artist and I have an eye for quality. You have a gift and you should be proud of your work because it's really THAT good.
    Thanks for the goodies. I can't wait to make something!
    Pete
    goudeyny1@gmail.com

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  63. Stunning work of art. Yes, ART! You should be very proud!
    I must say, when I saw the word cedar chest, my heart swelled up. My mother passed away recently and I am just now going through hers. It's very emotional, so I can imagine how you felt while sorting through your Grandmother's.
    Thank you so much for sharing this lovely kit with us! It truly is a treasure.

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  64. Fabulous, thank you for sharing.

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  65. It's wonderfull ! Thank you so much !!I love it !
    Cyl

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  66. I previously had no desire to create digital scrapbook pages with all of my grandmother's and great-grandmothers' pictures, but because of this absolutely GORGEOUS kit, I've received the inspiration & creativity that I've needed! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!

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  67. Hi Sky

    I have a surprise for you on my blog ;)

    Please email me for your gift

    Di

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  68. Hi Sky! Beautiful scraps you have here! :-)

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  69. Sky, what a beautiful Vintage themed kit and what memories it brought back for me.

    My mother and father were both born in 1913 also. My mother and grandmother were savers.

    I value the many keepsakes that I now have that
    are my treasures.

    My husband took a large antique frame and built a shadow box on the back and I have many of the items displayed in it so I can see them. It is one of my most valued possessions.

    Thank you so much for sharing this kit and for the walk down memory lane.

    I hope all is well with you.

    Big Hugs!

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  70. I just found your kit and have to say Thank You! for the beautiful kit and the great story that goes along with. I love everything vintage. However your story makes it even more exciting for me to use. It's always more special to know the people in the pictures! The reason they never smiled in pictures those days was because they had to hold perfectly still for a long time for the exposure of the "film" or glass plates as the case may be. If they smiled it would have looked very fake.
    My gift of tidbit back to you! Thank you again! Craftychick

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  71. OMG! This is fantastic! What a treasure! Can't wait to do some heritage pages. Thanks!

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  72. It's beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely work! =]

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  73. from the bottom of my heart thank you. wonderfully done

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  74. Beautiful kit that I've just come across because of your July Color Challenge kit. Beautiful. I also had a Grandmother named Grace...born in 1921. She passed 2 years ago and I've since had a second daughter named Grace in her honor. Beautiful kit and hope to make something for my Mum with it. Many thanks for ALL your freebies Hun!

    Much Hugs,
    Stacie

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  75. This truly is a wonderful work of love and care. It's marvellous that you can have these treasures digitally for your own vintage photos. Having the history behind this kit further enhances it. Thanks for sharing that. I found it quite fascinating.

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  76. Oh, and of course, thanks so much for your beautiful kit!!!

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  77. what a beautiful story and fabulous kit. thank you so much for sharing with us. it is truely beautiful. i do lots of family and local history here where i live in remote south australia and cant wait to use this kit. thanks again, it is gorgeous. sueceduna

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  78. This is fabulous...I really do love anything vintage. I'm looking forward to using this kit...thank you so much.

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  79. This is so beautiful. I loved reading all you wrote about it too -- that even makes it that much more special. Thank you for sharing this beautiful gift of your wonderful talent.

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  80. Amazing! Thank-you so much,quite a beautiful kit!!

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  81. Thank you for this. It'll be great for all those old photos I inherited from my mother.

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  82. Many thankyou's for this beautiful kit, it is much appreciated. x

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  83. thanks darling, quite nice job lol

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  84. Thank you so much for the freebies. There GREAT!

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  85. Thank you for this and your other wonderful kits - I found many that I know I can use - thanks so much.

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  86. Thank you very much!!t This is so beautiful kit:-)

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  87. Thank you so much for sharing. I love the colors. Maybe they didn't smile because of the hard times, if they were immigrants. I can't remember my grandmother ever smiling either. But I love the sentiment and the colors in this kit. Thank you very much.

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  88. this is beautiful kit...thank you so much

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