Hodge podge books...

So, for my scrappy weekend away I decided to take along a couple of Jenni Bowlin hodge podge books that I liked the look of and intended to use for heritage projects. Well I always like the look of "alterable" things but I'm not so great at envisioning how the finished article should look. In the end I used the pages more as backgrounds that got rather covered up - since they looked a bit out of place when not covered up so much... lol

But this is what I made:

Here are the pics a bit bigger - I still need to work out a way to add accents to the stamped letters, it was enough of a challenge to stamp some of them without getting lost in the consonants!

So yes, this is a Jenni Bowlin hodge podge book combined with Crate Paper Story Teller and some bits and pieces from Crate Paper's Portrait line.

Well, it is a mini book after all - the journalling would never fit in here and would make it as heavy as a phone book, but I can happily report that most info is now recorded on Ancestry by my dad - a lot of great information has recently come to light.

My Great Grandmother Maria Lukasiewicz née Tustanowksa photographed in Sternberg - then in Austro-Hungary.

My Grandfather as a toddler - the prominent family hairline was already in evidence! This photo was taken in 1911 in Lwow or Lemberg if you wanted to know the Austrian name.

Here he is as a young boy - the back of the photo is just as interesting as it is a rather sweet postcard he wrote to his Uncle Romuald in pencil (without a date). This uncle was sadly later shot in the Mednoye-Katyn masacre.

Here we are back with Great Grandma Maria and Great Grandfather Michal Lukasiewicz some time in the 1920/1930s(?). The Lukasiewicz hairline once again on display. The genes must be very strong as I think my Uncle Mark is a dead ringer for Michal Lukasiewicz... minus the moustache!

Judging from the necklace I think this must be from the same photo session as the previous photo of Maria.

We only have photos of two of my Grandfather's three sisters - this is Renia.

And Alicia, who I remember meeting sometime in the early 80s and remembering she had a very high-strung Dachshund that chewed everything within an inch of its life. Glad to say the Lukasiewicz hairline is not passed down on the female side!

My Grandfather after the war having made his way here via Kazakhstan, Italy and who knows where else.

Nice to use that protractor and postage stamp chipboard since he then trained as a graphic designer and indeed designed postage stamps (among a lot of Disney artwork for Waddingtons) for such far flung places as Bermuda.

And his wedding to my Grandma in good old the good ol' West Riding. Here ends that particular Polish adventure...

Comments

[lynetta]

Oh Nats, how fab is this book. I really wish I had an interesting heritage to document. Loved looking at this great little book.
Lynetta

[Vintage Rose]

What an impresive family document you made!

Tonight at 20:00 for 2 minutes the whole of the Netherlands are supposed to shut up and think about the losses (during World War II)
but I think holding this mini makes anyone speechless for a while...

TFS, hugs

[Jo]

That is a fabulous book - all the details are so interesting - I loved reading it all!