May | 2014 | Girl With a Past

THIRD INSTALLMENT

STEP THREE: I really wanted to display photos and saw a great idea for doing this in the archive room. My husband made some wood frames for sheet metal so I could attach photos with magnets. We distressed the frames and painted them a flat brown. I was able to change out the photos frequently and give all the ancestors their moment on the wall of fame

The finishing touch was the family tree I designed. It not only displayed my ancestors, but also my husband’s.

The three baskets were for each of our three daughters and their families. The swings indicated which side was for my ancestors and which side was my husband’s. I asked my daughter, Brenda, to paint the tree on the wall, but she had a better idea – torn paper!

I eventually transferred the tree to a piece of heavy, clear vinyl and held it on the wall with thumb tacks.

I loved this little archive room and my grandchildren spent lots of time there. But some items were missing — the trunk, my mother-in-law’s table, some vintage lamps, the tools, and other larger items. And I kept finding more heirlooms that I had forgotten about. What to do? My family knows I love change, in fact I thrive on it, so watch for my next post, the final (maybe) installment of Knick Knack Paddy Whack.

SECOND INSTALLMENT

STEP TWO: So much stuff and so little space! Luckily the small room I had earmarked for the “archive room” already had a bookcase covering one wall, so I started there.

I began with a whole shelf dedicated to each person, but quickly ran out of room and had to double up. But I liked the effect. Now each ancestor’s memorabilia was on display, much of which had previously been in storage.

It seemed right for the scrapbooks and the genealogy to be in this room too, so the scrapbooks went on the bottom shelves under the heirlooms. The grandkids immediately began spending time in the room looking at scrapbooks on the floor, so my handy-dandy carpenter husband installed a long shelf on the adjoining wall and I covered it in white padded vinyl. The grandkids could put the large scrapbooks on the shelf and have plenty of room to maneuver them. We already had a wooden bench that fit perfectly under the shelf.

My 1966 Magnavox stereo console, which still worked like a charm, had been in my mom’s living room since the 70’s, so I reclaimed it and put it in the “archive room” with some vinyls from the 60’s. The grandkids promptly asked, “What are these???” It was fun showing them how a phonograph worked! There was also room for my mom’s 1940’s rocking chair and the rocking chair I received for Christmas when I was two.

My husband had made a bookcase for another room, but it was perfect for the genealogy binders (you will recognize them from a previous post). An unfinished lace tablecloth started by my great-grandmother topped the bookcase with a wooden candle box and a lamp inherited from my mother-in-law’s fireplace mantel.