Great news for those of us who are searching for more recent info on our UK ancestors as the 1911 census will be available here starting 2007.
However, it should be noted that in order to read any entries you will need to pay a non-refundable fee of 45 pounds AND have the address that you want to look at. Why? Well it’s not indexed yet. An indexed version is not expected to be available until 2009.
More important, however, is the fact that this census is being released early as a result of a request by Guy Etchells to look at a particular record for Bottesford in Leicestershire. This request was granted by Information Commissioner Richard Thomas via the Freedom of Information legislation. This is believed to be the first successful ruling of this kind, despite TNA’s attempt to block the release on the grounds of confidentiality. The ruling held that confidentiality could only be applied to details of people’s health or mental infirmity, which did not apply in the case of the particular record requested. This certainly opens up the possibility of more census records being made available early.
However, it should be noted that in order to read any entries you will need to pay a non-refundable fee of 45 pounds AND have the address that you want to look at. Why? Well it’s not indexed yet. An indexed version is not expected to be available until 2009.
More important, however, is the fact that this census is being released early as a result of a request by Guy Etchells to look at a particular record for Bottesford in Leicestershire. This request was granted by Information Commissioner Richard Thomas via the Freedom of Information legislation. This is believed to be the first successful ruling of this kind, despite TNA’s attempt to block the release on the grounds of confidentiality. The ruling held that confidentiality could only be applied to details of people’s health or mental infirmity, which did not apply in the case of the particular record requested. This certainly opens up the possibility of more census records being made available early.
Have you ever visited a website for a genealogical record or piece of information only to find that it has disappeared because the site no longer exists or the page has been updated? If so, the Way Back Machine could be for you.
The Way Back Machine is an online software program that stores copies of web pages as at a certain date. Unlike Google who stores the cached page only until a new copy is retrieved, the Way Back Machine stores multiple copies of the same page which you can look at by selecting the date you want.
While not every site or URL is in its database there are over 55 million pages. If you have a broken bookmark or link or just can't find something that you thought used to be there, then the check out the Way Back Machine at http://www.archive.org.
The Way Back Machine is an online software program that stores copies of web pages as at a certain date. Unlike Google who stores the cached page only until a new copy is retrieved, the Way Back Machine stores multiple copies of the same page which you can look at by selecting the date you want.
While not every site or URL is in its database there are over 55 million pages. If you have a broken bookmark or link or just can't find something that you thought used to be there, then the check out the Way Back Machine at http://www.archive.org.
Are you stuck? We all hit a brick wall in our family history research from time to time. Here are some strategies for breaking through these walls.
1. Make a list of everything you really know.
• You will need to revisit all your associated records to do this.
• You may have missed a tiny snippet of information that could be the key to the puzzle.
• Don’t be afraid to throw out family legends.
2. Determine what it is you really need to know.
• Are you looking for the right information to help you move to the next step?
3. Where are the logical places to look for that information.
• Use guidebooks (such as the LDS resource guides available at www.familysearch.org) to educate yourself on what is available.
• Check all available sources and record when you DON’T find something as well as when you do.
• Don’t assume that people are dead just because they are missing. Making sure you have exhausted all avenues before making assumptions.
4. Get creative with spellings.
• Try common misspellings or phonetic spellings.
• Try wildcard * ? searches on computerized searches (* = anything, ? = replaces one character only)
5. Try following other people.
• What about his/her siblings?
• What about their traveling companions or neighbors?
• Are there any clues in traditional naming patterns or middle names?
• Who are the witnesses to an event?
• Who are the neighbors/boarders?
6. Try following their land rather than them.
• If they are landowners follow the plot or find the same address on a census record.
Search Suggestion Tools
• Newer genealogy software has them (Legacy 6)
• Existing tools like Gensmarts
IGI Search Integration
• Legacy 6, Rootsmagic 3, TMG 6 – allows users to search on ancestor in database directly from the genealogy program and it will fill in info and retrieve matches based on the information you have entered into your genealogy program. Legacy has an advantage over the other software as you can do this for all or batches of people at a time.
1. Make a list of everything you really know.
• You will need to revisit all your associated records to do this.
• You may have missed a tiny snippet of information that could be the key to the puzzle.
• Don’t be afraid to throw out family legends.
2. Determine what it is you really need to know.
• Are you looking for the right information to help you move to the next step?
3. Where are the logical places to look for that information.
• Use guidebooks (such as the LDS resource guides available at www.familysearch.org) to educate yourself on what is available.
• Check all available sources and record when you DON’T find something as well as when you do.
• Don’t assume that people are dead just because they are missing. Making sure you have exhausted all avenues before making assumptions.
4. Get creative with spellings.
• Try common misspellings or phonetic spellings.
• Try wildcard * ? searches on computerized searches (* = anything, ? = replaces one character only)
5. Try following other people.
• What about his/her siblings?
• What about their traveling companions or neighbors?
• Are there any clues in traditional naming patterns or middle names?
• Who are the witnesses to an event?
• Who are the neighbors/boarders?
6. Try following their land rather than them.
• If they are landowners follow the plot or find the same address on a census record.
Search Suggestion Tools
• Newer genealogy software has them (Legacy 6)
• Existing tools like Gensmarts
IGI Search Integration
• Legacy 6, Rootsmagic 3, TMG 6 – allows users to search on ancestor in database directly from the genealogy program and it will fill in info and retrieve matches based on the information you have entered into your genealogy program. Legacy has an advantage over the other software as you can do this for all or batches of people at a time.
The LDS Church has been making some updates to its www.familysearch.org site which doesn't happen that often so I thought they are worthy of mentioning.
First off is that PAF companion now has a FREE version. This version provides some new reports to PAF but is restricted to 3 generations only (full version offers 10 generations). For those of you using PAF 5 this is a great option for some new reports at no cost. It is interesting that this is being done now after the Church acknowledged that it is not actively working on a PAF6 although this was pretty obvious from the way PAF was acquired, the amount of updates occurring in the last 5 years and from its purpose - to help Church members collect information to submit for temple ordinances. The program meets those goals and does not need updating unless a major technological change occurs making it stop functioning (like the DOS versions of PAF when Windows 95 came along).
Secondly, the Church has just launched a new African American Resources page. This page organizes all resources specifically catering to this often neglected but very large segment of the US population. There are no new records yet but I notice there is a very prominent link to the indexing project on this page. This page will also eventually hold the video presentations from the Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society conference.
As a sidenote, if you don't know about the indexing project, the Church wants to accelerate the rate at which it is indexing its millions of microfilms by having us do it for them. Just 30 mins is all it takes to contribute to this project and the records will be made available to the public for free (the Church is an official charitable organization). A quick look at this page indicates they are working on the 1900 US census as the next major project. If you'd like to help, you can sign up here.
First off is that PAF companion now has a FREE version. This version provides some new reports to PAF but is restricted to 3 generations only (full version offers 10 generations). For those of you using PAF 5 this is a great option for some new reports at no cost. It is interesting that this is being done now after the Church acknowledged that it is not actively working on a PAF6 although this was pretty obvious from the way PAF was acquired, the amount of updates occurring in the last 5 years and from its purpose - to help Church members collect information to submit for temple ordinances. The program meets those goals and does not need updating unless a major technological change occurs making it stop functioning (like the DOS versions of PAF when Windows 95 came along).
Secondly, the Church has just launched a new African American Resources page. This page organizes all resources specifically catering to this often neglected but very large segment of the US population. There are no new records yet but I notice there is a very prominent link to the indexing project on this page. This page will also eventually hold the video presentations from the Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society conference.
As a sidenote, if you don't know about the indexing project, the Church wants to accelerate the rate at which it is indexing its millions of microfilms by having us do it for them. Just 30 mins is all it takes to contribute to this project and the records will be made available to the public for free (the Church is an official charitable organization). A quick look at this page indicates they are working on the 1900 US census as the next major project. If you'd like to help, you can sign up here.
I thought you deserved an update on the Rootsmagic situation as I mentioned a while ago that it was in the mail. I received the disk and manual a little over a week ago and was very impressed with the packaging of the product as the CD ROM is well packaged in a sturdy protective case (albeit oversized like a DVD case) and the book was very professional in appearance.
I have been carrying the book around with me waiting for some time to read it before I installed the program. Yes I am one of THOSE people (gotta read the manual, typical woman). I finally finished reading it yesterday. It was a well written book and only took a few hours even though it was packed with lots of useful information and thorough explanations of how the program works.
I am glad I read the book as I was pleasantly suprised to learn that Rootsmagic has the following features:
- IGI search and UPDATE (Legacy has this, but TMG only has the search);
- book/report publishing center (Legacy has this, TMG doesn't although you can have multi report table of contents and indexes);
- real footnotes/endnotes (actually I was told this and it is the only reason for getting Rootsmagic, Legacy doesn't but TMG does);
- integration with GenSmarts. I love Gensmarts - if you haven't tried it and you don't have Legacy - get it! (Legacy has a similar feature and I am not sure if you need both although I hear GenSmarts is better, subsequently Legacy doesn't have in-program integration although TMG does);
- communication log. I mentioned the communication log in one of my previous postings. The fact that it has custom fields for recording your emails and letters etc is great. Legacy only offers a workaround using the research log at this time, same with TMG.
Anyway, stay tuned as I'm planning a more in depth review/discussion of this program in the next week, just as soon as I've given it a thorough test drive.
I have been carrying the book around with me waiting for some time to read it before I installed the program. Yes I am one of THOSE people (gotta read the manual, typical woman). I finally finished reading it yesterday. It was a well written book and only took a few hours even though it was packed with lots of useful information and thorough explanations of how the program works.
I am glad I read the book as I was pleasantly suprised to learn that Rootsmagic has the following features:
- IGI search and UPDATE (Legacy has this, but TMG only has the search);
- book/report publishing center (Legacy has this, TMG doesn't although you can have multi report table of contents and indexes);
- real footnotes/endnotes (actually I was told this and it is the only reason for getting Rootsmagic, Legacy doesn't but TMG does);
- integration with GenSmarts. I love Gensmarts - if you haven't tried it and you don't have Legacy - get it! (Legacy has a similar feature and I am not sure if you need both although I hear GenSmarts is better, subsequently Legacy doesn't have in-program integration although TMG does);
- communication log. I mentioned the communication log in one of my previous postings. The fact that it has custom fields for recording your emails and letters etc is great. Legacy only offers a workaround using the research log at this time, same with TMG.
Anyway, stay tuned as I'm planning a more in depth review/discussion of this program in the next week, just as soon as I've given it a thorough test drive.
I've been watching the "Ancestors In The Attic" show for a few weeks now and while some of the research scenarios are quite touching, I am highly disappointed in the research methodology and tactics being taught.
For a couple of weeks now the online version of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) has been used to piece together 3/4/5 generations of a family. The IGI can be quite useful when the records referred to are extractions as opposed to patron submissions (although these have their value too), although frequently records are incorrectly transcribed. As with any index you need to consult the original records to check for errors and, often where there is a lot of people in one area or parish with the same surname, use other corroborating evidence to check that it is the same person or family (address, witnesses, occupations). Yet none of this is mentioned when genealogy expert Paul McGrath puts together entire family trees using this tool.
In addition he even seems to fail to understand what this database actually is as he tells the audience it is a database of births and marriages, when in fact it is a database of people having had LDS temple ordinances performed for them and as part of the identification process, christening NOT birth, marriage, burial NOT death events have been recorded (included extracted from original records around the world). It is not complete for any geographic location but is substantially complete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Another thing that concerns me about this show is how the experts fly to the geographic location in question or visit an archive in person. Do none of these archives have a telephone? What about address or web site?
And I guess none of these archives have had their records microfilmed by the LDS church so they aren't available through the 3000 or so family history centers worldwide.
I can't fathom some of the conclusions being offered on the show. This week Paul McGrath concluded that because two people had the same MacAdam surname, lived 13km apart, one generation apart, that they MUST be related. Not could be, may be, probably were, but ARE related. He told the woman in question that she was a descendant of this famous person when in fact there was no supporting evidence just a common surname and locale. Amazing!
Over the past 8 years or so of working in family history centers, I have seen lots of questionable research by patrons. And while it is commendable to try to encourage genealolgical research using the mass medium of TV we have to make sure that the research being performed as a result is held to the same standards of evidence as that used by the rest of the genealogical community. If we don't, these people might be claiming ancestors that don't actually belong to them.
For a couple of weeks now the online version of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) has been used to piece together 3/4/5 generations of a family. The IGI can be quite useful when the records referred to are extractions as opposed to patron submissions (although these have their value too), although frequently records are incorrectly transcribed. As with any index you need to consult the original records to check for errors and, often where there is a lot of people in one area or parish with the same surname, use other corroborating evidence to check that it is the same person or family (address, witnesses, occupations). Yet none of this is mentioned when genealogy expert Paul McGrath puts together entire family trees using this tool.
In addition he even seems to fail to understand what this database actually is as he tells the audience it is a database of births and marriages, when in fact it is a database of people having had LDS temple ordinances performed for them and as part of the identification process, christening NOT birth, marriage, burial NOT death events have been recorded (included extracted from original records around the world). It is not complete for any geographic location but is substantially complete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Another thing that concerns me about this show is how the experts fly to the geographic location in question or visit an archive in person. Do none of these archives have a telephone? What about address or web site?
And I guess none of these archives have had their records microfilmed by the LDS church so they aren't available through the 3000 or so family history centers worldwide.
I can't fathom some of the conclusions being offered on the show. This week Paul McGrath concluded that because two people had the same MacAdam surname, lived 13km apart, one generation apart, that they MUST be related. Not could be, may be, probably were, but ARE related. He told the woman in question that she was a descendant of this famous person when in fact there was no supporting evidence just a common surname and locale. Amazing!
Over the past 8 years or so of working in family history centers, I have seen lots of questionable research by patrons. And while it is commendable to try to encourage genealolgical research using the mass medium of TV we have to make sure that the research being performed as a result is held to the same standards of evidence as that used by the rest of the genealogical community. If we don't, these people might be claiming ancestors that don't actually belong to them.
This posting was made in response to DearMyrt's October podcast where she discusses the parentsearch function which is only available in the CD ROM version of the IGI (available in Family History Centers). The IGI is an event based database and families are not organized by family group sheet which makes finding all the children of a couple difficult unless you use this parentsearch feature. As the CD ROM version of the IGI is no longer being updated and the newest version is the online version, many people are disappointed that they can't to a parent search using the online version.
Myrtle offers a simple solution to this by suggesting that you can leave the first name blank, enter the last name and then put in the parents names to search. However, in 7 years of using the site I have NEVER been able to do this. In fact, I checked again after listening to DearMyrtle's podcast. I receive the error message:
"If you enter a last name without a first name, you must either not enter parent or spouse names, a year, or you must enter a batch number or a film number"
I don't know why DearMyrt thinks it can be done but if I can't do it (and I've worked in the software industry for 9 years) then you probably won't be able to either!
However, over the years I've developed my own way of doing a similar search and am going to give you instructions that will enable you to search on all children with a specific last name in the same parish. While this is not a foolproof method to identify all siblings of your ancestor (some might be christened in other parishes) it does work for those in the same parish. Here are the instructions.
First if you go to the
Myrtle offers a simple solution to this by suggesting that you can leave the first name blank, enter the last name and then put in the parents names to search. However, in 7 years of using the site I have NEVER been able to do this. In fact, I checked again after listening to DearMyrtle's podcast. I receive the error message:
"If you enter a last name without a first name, you must either not enter parent or spouse names, a year, or you must enter a batch number or a film number"
I don't know why DearMyrt thinks it can be done but if I can't do it (and I've worked in the software industry for 9 years) then you probably won't be able to either!
However, over the years I've developed my own way of doing a similar search and am going to give you instructions that will enable you to search on all children with a specific last name in the same parish. While this is not a foolproof method to identify all siblings of your ancestor (some might be christened in other parishes) it does work for those in the same parish. Here are the instructions.
First if you go to the
Its nice to know that there is still some innovation in family history software. Yesterday I received a press release from Rootsmagic Inc (the company that puts out the Rootsmagic program) about a new software product called Family Atlas.
This program creates family maps by plotting locations from your genealogy program (most programs are supported). You can select places by event or ancestor as well as mark them by hand. You can also use the program like a gazetteer and with 3.5 million places it looks like you will almost always be able to find the right place. Border and boundary changes are also shown (something really important if your ancestors are from the US or Continental Europe).
Too bad there isn't a trial version. I'm still looking for hubby's great-grandparents birthplaces in Poland: Wilcziska, Schedletz and Andreaspol, Sulsfield, Petergow (and if you know where these places are, please drop me a line).
Anyway, I'm hoping that we'll hear more about Family Atlas soon and maybe even more from Rootsmagic (I'm still waiting for a version of Personal Historian that will import citations from your genealogy program - aren't we all about citing our sources!).
To read more about Family Atlas see http://www.familyatlas.com/
This program creates family maps by plotting locations from your genealogy program (most programs are supported). You can select places by event or ancestor as well as mark them by hand. You can also use the program like a gazetteer and with 3.5 million places it looks like you will almost always be able to find the right place. Border and boundary changes are also shown (something really important if your ancestors are from the US or Continental Europe).
Too bad there isn't a trial version. I'm still looking for hubby's great-grandparents birthplaces in Poland: Wilcziska, Schedletz and Andreaspol, Sulsfield, Petergow (and if you know where these places are, please drop me a line).
Anyway, I'm hoping that we'll hear more about Family Atlas soon and maybe even more from Rootsmagic (I'm still waiting for a version of Personal Historian that will import citations from your genealogy program - aren't we all about citing our sources!).
To read more about Family Atlas see http://www.familyatlas.com/
Well I'm sure we've all heard the phrase "the cheque is in the mail" but this time it's a copy of Rootsmagic. I'm actually looking forward to seeing the program especially as it is supposed to solve my pet peeve, real MS Word footnotes in reports.
Anyway, I'll let you know what I think once I get it installed. I have high hopes as TMG is so clunky and unintuitive and there's no word from Geoff about a Legacy 7. I find it strange that there are still software programs out there that are so awful to use in practice. During all my years as a Business Systems Analyst working in the software industry and defining user requirements, the number one request was always "ease of use". TMG really missed the boat on this one! When are people going to learn to get the user's input on these things.... (ok, rant is over)
Anyway, I'll let you know what I think once I get it installed. I have high hopes as TMG is so clunky and unintuitive and there's no word from Geoff about a Legacy 7. I find it strange that there are still software programs out there that are so awful to use in practice. During all my years as a Business Systems Analyst working in the software industry and defining user requirements, the number one request was always "ease of use". TMG really missed the boat on this one! When are people going to learn to get the user's input on these things.... (ok, rant is over)
J's 1st birthday fell on a Thursday this year so he got two celebrations. The first on Monday (Thanksgiving Day) when Grandma and Poppa stopped by to visit. J got to open some presents and get a bit spoiled.
Then on Thursday after work/daycare, we had a party for J with chocolate cake. He was quite scared of the cake and candles (whereas K wanted to blow them out for him). They both had a good time as I don't think K can really remember her last birthday (her 2nd).
The funniest part of the evening was when J opened his gift from Grandad and there was a toy dog inside. The dog sings and moves around. K and J were absolutely fascinated by this and couldn't get enough of it!
Check out the photos here
Then on Thursday after work/daycare, we had a party for J with chocolate cake. He was quite scared of the cake and candles (whereas K wanted to blow them out for him). They both had a good time as I don't think K can really remember her last birthday (her 2nd).
The funniest part of the evening was when J opened his gift from Grandad and there was a toy dog inside. The dog sings and moves around. K and J were absolutely fascinated by this and couldn't get enough of it!
Check out the photos here
I rarely get to spend any time with K alone. Last Sunday while J was sleeping, I took K to the playground in the schoolyard. Here are some pictures from that outing.
Normally Craig doesn't ask me for birthday cards (not sure why) he just buys them. But this time he asked me to make a card for his father (perhaps he's figured out that with all the stuff I own I can just make them?) Anyway this is what I rustled up for his dad this weekend. I CASED the design from the 2006-7 IB&C (level 3 Hostess set) but substituted a few things.
Recipe: Look Like Spring, It's Your Birthday stamp sets; Brocade Blue, Always Artichoke Inks; Brocade Blue, Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory CS; Old Olive Button.
Recipe: Look Like Spring, It's Your Birthday stamp sets; Brocade Blue, Always Artichoke Inks; Brocade Blue, Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory CS; Old Olive Button.
While I can spend all day on the Splitcoaststampers website I don't often participate in challenges. However, the brown snowflakes challenge intrigued me and once I saw some sample brown snowflake cards I had to try too! I really love the brown snowflake look, I think it's pretty classy.
Recipe: Sweet & Simple, Many Merry Messages stamp sets; creamy caramel, close to cocoa, naturals ivory CS; close to cocoa inks; chocolate grosgrain ribbon.
Recipe: Sweet & Simple, Many Merry Messages stamp sets; creamy caramel, close to cocoa, naturals ivory CS; close to cocoa inks; chocolate grosgrain ribbon.
I made this card for a swap I'm in. It was the first time I've used my new Roses In Winter set. I have to say I am pleased with how it turned out (although you really can't go wrong with RIW).
Recipe: Roses In Winter, It's Your Birthday stamp sets; Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Whisper White CS; Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss inks; Hodgepodge Hardware; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon.
Recipe: Roses In Winter, It's Your Birthday stamp sets; Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Whisper White CS; Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss inks; Hodgepodge Hardware; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon.
Well it might be the beginning of Fall, but the cards I've been making are very Summery. This Stampin' Up! set is called In Full Bloom and is a great set if you like to watercolor images. I made these card fronts for a swap that I'm in with other SU! demonstrators in Kelowna later this month. I hope they like them as much as I do!
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamps Sets; Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Regal Rose CS; Watercolor Paper; Regal Rose, So Saffron, Always Artichoke inks.
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamp Sets; Always Artichoke, So Safrron CS; Watercolor Paper; So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke inks.
This is my favorite of the four cards, I just love the color of this flower!
Recipe: In Full Bloom and Curvy Verses Stamp sets; Always Artichoke, Regal Rose CS; Watercolor Paper; Ruby Red, Always Artichoke inks; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon.
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamp sets; Regal Rose, So Saffron CS; Watercolor Paper; Regal Rose, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Versamark inks.
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamps Sets; Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Regal Rose CS; Watercolor Paper; Regal Rose, So Saffron, Always Artichoke inks.
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamp Sets; Always Artichoke, So Safrron CS; Watercolor Paper; So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke inks.
This is my favorite of the four cards, I just love the color of this flower!
Recipe: In Full Bloom and Curvy Verses Stamp sets; Always Artichoke, Regal Rose CS; Watercolor Paper; Ruby Red, Always Artichoke inks; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon.
Recipe: In Full Bloom and It's Your Birthday Stamp sets; Regal Rose, So Saffron CS; Watercolor Paper; Regal Rose, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Versamark inks.
Here are the last two card designs to make a total of 5 cards. Each participant will make two of each card for a total of 10 cards. For further details see the first part of this post.
I missed posting this card I made a few days ago, so here it is.
Recipe: SU Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Sweet of You Stamp Set; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa Inkpads; non-SU green grosgrain ribbon.
Recipe: SU Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Sweet of You Stamp Set; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa Inkpads; non-SU green grosgrain ribbon.
Ok, I've been reluctant to purchase blender pens as I already had the Aquabrushes and didn't see the point in having two similar products. I use the Aquabrushes to lift ink of the lid and watercolor my images. I also have the Stampin' Pastels but was disappointed when using the Aquabrushes with them as the color was so weak.
Now that my demo kit just arrived and I watched the Getting Started DVD's blender pen demo, I've been giving these blender pens a whirl with my Stampin' Pastels and I LOVE them
Now I get why the pastels are so popular but you NEED to have the blender pens to get the full benefit.
If you don't have blender pens yet, get them!
Now that my demo kit just arrived and I watched the Getting Started DVD's blender pen demo, I've been giving these blender pens a whirl with my Stampin' Pastels and I LOVE them
Now I get why the pastels are so popular but you NEED to have the blender pens to get the full benefit.If you don't have blender pens yet, get them!
Ok, I've been reluctant to purchase blender pens as I already had the Aquabrushes and didn't see the point in having two similar products. I use the Aquabrushes to lift ink of the lid and watercolor my images. I also have the Stampin' Pastels but was disappointed when using the Aquabrushes with them as the color was so weak.
Now that my demo kit just arrived and I watched the Getting Started DVD's blender pen demo, I've been giving these blender pens a whirl with my Stampin' Pastels and I LOVE them Now I get why the pastels are so popular but you NEED to have the blender pens to get the full benefit.
If you don't have blender pens yet, get them!
Now that my demo kit just arrived and I watched the Getting Started DVD's blender pen demo, I've been giving these blender pens a whirl with my Stampin' Pastels and I LOVE them
Now I get why the pastels are so popular but you NEED to have the blender pens to get the full benefit.If you don't have blender pens yet, get them!
I don't know why, but I always seem to make cards in pairs lately. For some reason the kids were in bed super-early tonight so it gave me a chance to work on the pile of pre-stamped images on my craft desk.
This design was lightly CASEd from SU IB&C 2006-7 p.83. I did two similar cards for different occasions.
Recipe: Nice & Easy Notes, Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp sets; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip CS; K&Co PP; Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon; Basic Black, Close to Cocoa inks.
Recipe: Nice & Easy Notes, Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp sets; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel CS; K&Co PP; Glossy Paper sandpapered and stained green; Basic Black, Close to Cocoa inks.
This design was lightly CASEd from SU IB&C 2006-7 p.83. I did two similar cards for different occasions.
Recipe: Nice & Easy Notes, Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp sets; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip CS; K&Co PP; Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon; Basic Black, Close to Cocoa inks.
Recipe: Nice & Easy Notes, Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp sets; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel CS; K&Co PP; Glossy Paper sandpapered and stained green; Basic Black, Close to Cocoa inks.
Link to information on acid-free, lignin-free, buffered definitions.
http://www.amigos.org/preservation/faq/preserve.html
http://www.amigos.org/preservation/faq/preserve.html
I've been planning out my heritage scrapbook album yesterday and today but ran into some issues regarding which cardstock and stamping inks to use. It may seem an easy enough problem at first glance but let me elaborate.
Dye based inks fade over time. I've no idea how quickly but printer manufacturers suggest 20-30 average. Pigment based inks last much longer 200-300 years. Well what works for printers should be the same for stamping inks. As far as I know, Stampin Up! is the only manufacturer that has pigment based ink pads to coordinate with a line of cardstock. The only trouble is that their cardstock doesn't appear to be buffered (at least the color cardstock isn't advertised as such - the white and vanilla is). Of course, I could use another brand of cardstock but the inks wouldn't match (note, CTMH inks aren't pigment based either).
So what is buffered paper and why do you need it? Today in response to a thread I posted on SplitCoastStampers I was asked that question. Here is my response.
"Not at all, it is a good question and most people don't think about it.
Over time any paper based items will deteriorate. They will turn yellow and start to crumble until they disintegrate. You've probably seen things that look like this. This is because all regular paper items have acid and lignin in them (lignin is like the sap from the tree and is also destructive). Newspapers are really bad (they look terrible after just a few years), photographs aren't as bad but still yellow and fade (especially the color, the B&W are a bit better). And people that write in ballpoint pens on the backs of photos are adding more acid.
Now you can spray these things with a spray that supposedly neutralizes them but it is expensive. I was told that it only affects the acidity and not the lignin.
I prefer to accept that these items will eventually deteriorate. What I have done is scan them all into my computer in their current state. I will scrap the originals because it is nice to see those up close. Actually that isn't entirely true, I always make a copy of newspaper articles (on acid & lignin free paper) to scrap because you'll only get 10 years or so otherwise.
However, I'd like to slow the process of deterioration as much as possible by used acid-free, lignin-free, buffered products. Buffered products really just have a protective coating that prevents things from affecting other things in the layout (or the layout behind).
Anyway I hope this is what you're looking for, if you have any more questions about this let me know.
One tip I will pass on, is to use photo corners on all items in a heritage album. That way any items that get really bad and need to be removed or replaced can be done without destroying the layout.
Regards,
Marina "
Please feel free to comment or correct me on the above. Think ALB (acid-free, lignin-free, buffered) if you want your ALBums to last!
Dye based inks fade over time. I've no idea how quickly but printer manufacturers suggest 20-30 average. Pigment based inks last much longer 200-300 years. Well what works for printers should be the same for stamping inks. As far as I know, Stampin Up! is the only manufacturer that has pigment based ink pads to coordinate with a line of cardstock. The only trouble is that their cardstock doesn't appear to be buffered (at least the color cardstock isn't advertised as such - the white and vanilla is). Of course, I could use another brand of cardstock but the inks wouldn't match (note, CTMH inks aren't pigment based either).
So what is buffered paper and why do you need it? Today in response to a thread I posted on SplitCoastStampers I was asked that question. Here is my response.
"Not at all, it is a good question and most people don't think about it.
Over time any paper based items will deteriorate. They will turn yellow and start to crumble until they disintegrate. You've probably seen things that look like this. This is because all regular paper items have acid and lignin in them (lignin is like the sap from the tree and is also destructive). Newspapers are really bad (they look terrible after just a few years), photographs aren't as bad but still yellow and fade (especially the color, the B&W are a bit better). And people that write in ballpoint pens on the backs of photos are adding more acid.
Now you can spray these things with a spray that supposedly neutralizes them but it is expensive. I was told that it only affects the acidity and not the lignin.
I prefer to accept that these items will eventually deteriorate. What I have done is scan them all into my computer in their current state. I will scrap the originals because it is nice to see those up close. Actually that isn't entirely true, I always make a copy of newspaper articles (on acid & lignin free paper) to scrap because you'll only get 10 years or so otherwise.
However, I'd like to slow the process of deterioration as much as possible by used acid-free, lignin-free, buffered products. Buffered products really just have a protective coating that prevents things from affecting other things in the layout (or the layout behind).
Anyway I hope this is what you're looking for, if you have any more questions about this let me know.
One tip I will pass on, is to use photo corners on all items in a heritage album. That way any items that get really bad and need to be removed or replaced can be done without destroying the layout.
Regards,
Marina "
Please feel free to comment or correct me on the above. Think ALB (acid-free, lignin-free, buffered) if you want your ALBums to last!
Thanks again to Carol and Dee for organizing the Tuesdays With Tina Art Show. I thought I'd post a few pics from the event.
First up, the lovely Tina herself (center). The two large paintings on the top left are mine.
Musical entertainment. Dee's son, Patrick, on tenor sax
J is still having 2 naps a day, so while he was down this afternoon I had a chance to make two cards with my new Sweet of You stamp set (yes, I admit it, eBay again!).
Recipe: SU Sweet of You, Curvy Verses stamp sets; Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana inks; Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon.
Recipe: SU Sweet of You stamp set; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana, Bliss Blue inks.
Recipe: SU Sweet of You, Curvy Verses stamp sets; Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana inks; Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon.
Recipe: SU Sweet of You stamp set; Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory CS; Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana, Bliss Blue inks.
I often stamp a whole bunch of images and color/cut them in advance of making cards to save time. Well if you do this you'll know that you end up with a big pile of stuff on your table. So this morning during J's nap (1 hour) I decided to see what I could do with some of these odds and ends. This is what I came up with. But first a little history.....
I really like the flower in the SU Be Happy set but realized that it was similar to the one in the Love Without End set minus the words. So I thought I'd make my own version by stamping the By Definition over the top of the flower. I cut out the flowers and stuck them to the tags using dimensionals for a 3D effect. I also used versamark with the repeat flower in Pocket Full of Posies to create a background on the tags.
I'm saving this one for my mum as green is her favorite color! This way I'll be prepared for British Mother's Day in March instead of missing it like I usually do :(
Love Without End Mother Day Card
Made with: Love Without End, Pocket Full of Posies, By Definition SU Stamps; Anna Griffin Happy stamps; Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, Whisper White SU CS; K&C PP; Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa SU Inks; Versamark; CTMH Sweet Clover eyelets; Pretty in Pink SU Buttons; SU Dimensionals.
Love Without End Friendship Card
Made with: Love Without End, By Definition, Curvy Verses SU Stamps; Close to Cocoa, Whisper White SU CS; K&C PP; Celery, Close to Cocoa SU Inks; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon; Mellow Moss Button; SU Dimensionals.
I really like the flower in the SU Be Happy set but realized that it was similar to the one in the Love Without End set minus the words. So I thought I'd make my own version by stamping the By Definition over the top of the flower. I cut out the flowers and stuck them to the tags using dimensionals for a 3D effect. I also used versamark with the repeat flower in Pocket Full of Posies to create a background on the tags.
I'm saving this one for my mum as green is her favorite color! This way I'll be prepared for British Mother's Day in March instead of missing it like I usually do :(
Love Without End Mother Day Card
Made with: Love Without End, Pocket Full of Posies, By Definition SU Stamps; Anna Griffin Happy stamps; Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, Whisper White SU CS; K&C PP; Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa SU Inks; Versamark; CTMH Sweet Clover eyelets; Pretty in Pink SU Buttons; SU Dimensionals.
Love Without End Friendship Card
Made with: Love Without End, By Definition, Curvy Verses SU Stamps; Close to Cocoa, Whisper White SU CS; K&C PP; Celery, Close to Cocoa SU Inks; Celery Grosgrain Ribbon; Mellow Moss Button; SU Dimensionals.
So yesterday was the long awaited Tuesdays with Tina Art Show. It was a great hit with easily 100 people attending. There were lots of compliments on my paintings and I actually sold an 8x10 print of my painting of Idabel Lake for $30! This is the first thing I've sold and I was so happy that someone actually liked my work as much as I do.
Thanks go to Dee and Carol that organized everything and did almost all the work! Thanks gals!
This morning I attended my first life drawing class at Rotary Center for the Arts in Kelowna. The Livessence group is a group of artists that meet twice a week to draw/paint from a life model. This is the first time I've done anything like this and it has taken a few months for me to pluck up courage to attend. At first it was terrible, the poses changed way too frequently for me to get anything down on paper worth looking at, but by the time we got to the 10 minute poses I was much more loosened up and able to work in the charcoal quite well.
This sketch is from one of the 20 minute poses (I think, I don't really remember) and was the only sketch from the day that I thought was good enough to show anyone.
J has discovered the keyboard and loves it! K and J hammer on it (one at either end) making a hell of a racket but having so much fun. Hopefully one or both of them will have some musical talent.
This is my second mixed media effort. This one is also on 22x30 300lb rough texture watercolor paper. If the scene looks unreal then check out one of the photos that I based this on. You can just see the lighthouse (I have another picture taken at a closer zoom). Obviously the colors have been exaggerated but not by much!This painting will be exhibited at the "Tuesdays with Tina" Art Show on Saturday 26th August 2006, 3-7pm at 1701 Highland in Spall/Glenmore area of Kelowna, British Columbia.
I could have called the title to this post "My first mixed media" or "My first really big painting", either would have been applicable. This painting was done on 22x30 300lb rough texture watercolor paper.
After drawing a rough sketch in willow charcoal, the mixed media process was started with mixing up the watercolor paints. The colors chosen were based on those used for a series of paitings in 1999 by a BC watercolor artist that I admire (Linda Frimer). Then the watercolor paper was soaked with water (literally poured on). Once good and wet, the watercolor paints were brushed onto the paper and because it was already wet, they bled quite a bit. The painting had to dry and I clipped it to a sturdy board to keep the paper from buckling. Pastels were used over the top in similar colors to define the wood fence, the wheel (which was made completely with pastels), texturize the grasses and add the flowers.
This painting will be one of those exhibited at the "Tuesdays With Tina" Art Show, to be held Saturday 26th August 2006, 3-7pm at 1701 Highland in Spall/Glenmore area of Kelowna, British Columbia.
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| Father Pandosy Mission |
Well you could say that about the colors I picked for these cards. I don't know what came over me... I'm all pastel-ly.... Anyway, each image was stamped again with Versamark and then Startdust embossing powder for a sparkly look (which the scanner didn't capture well). Hope you like!
This is my first attempt at faux stitching using white signo gel pen. I'm gonna have to work on this some more, I think I need to pierce the paper.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery CS and Inks. Celery grosgrain ribbon.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Pretty in Pink CS and Inks. Pretty in Pink button, gold metallic thread.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Apricot Appeal, Pretty in Pink CS and Inks. Pink grosgrain ribbon.
This is my first attempt at faux stitching using white signo gel pen. I'm gonna have to work on this some more, I think I need to pierce the paper.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery CS and Inks. Celery grosgrain ribbon.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Pretty in Pink CS and Inks. Pretty in Pink button, gold metallic thread.
SU Blooming With Happiness, Apricot Appeal, Pretty in Pink CS and Inks. Pink grosgrain ribbon.
A couple of quickies using the mellow moss, ruby red and chocolate chip theme.
First up, a quick thank you to Pat and Ray for dinner!
SU Toile Blossoms, Noteworthy. Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Natural Ivory CS. Basic Black ink. SU Chalks. Chocolate grosgrain ribbn.
Then a birthday card for my stash!
SU Nice & Easy, It's Your Birthday. Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Natural Ivory CS. Basic Black, Close to Cocoa ink. SU Chalks. Chocolate grosgrain ribbn.
First up, a quick thank you to Pat and Ray for dinner!
SU Toile Blossoms, Noteworthy. Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Natural Ivory CS. Basic Black ink. SU Chalks. Chocolate grosgrain ribbn.
Then a birthday card for my stash!
SU Nice & Easy, It's Your Birthday. Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Natural Ivory CS. Basic Black, Close to Cocoa ink. SU Chalks. Chocolate grosgrain ribbn.
Here are the remaining 4 cards (Picasa & Blogger only upload 4 at a time).
