Our 100 Year Old Family Baptismal Gown

Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs,

which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power.

In baptism we use your gift of water,

which you have made a rich symbol of the grace

you give us in this sacrament.

At the very dawn of creation 

your Spirit breathed on the waters,

making them the wellspring of all holiness.

The waters of the great flood

you made a sign of the waters of baptism,

that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness.

Through the waters of the Red Sea

you led Israel out of slavery,

to be an image of God’s holy people,

set free from sin by baptism.

In the waters of the Jordan

your Son was baptized by John

and anointed with the Spirit.

Your Son willed that water and blood

should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross.

After his resurrection he told his disciples:

“Go out and teach all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Father,

look now with love upon your Church,

and unseal for her the fountain of baptism.

By the power of the Spirit

give to the water of this font the grace of your Son

so that in the sacrament of baptism 

all those whom you have created in your likeness

may be cleansed from sin

and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit.

(Blessing of water from the Baptismal Rite)

Thirty-two years ago on August 11th, my parents and godparents brought  me to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church to the waters of Baptism.  So many things were special about that day when I was welcomed into the Church and washed clean of Original Sin, but probably the most memorable was the Baptismal Gown that I wore.

It is a family heirloom that now is at least 100 years old.  This Baptismal Gown has been passed down through the generations, but there isn't a good "record" or set of pictures to preserve exactly who has worn it.  We know it was worn by my grandfather in 1917, my dad and his siblings in 1946-1953, and my sisters and I in 1985-1990.

Last summer, it was worn by my adorable nephew, making him the fourth generation to wear the same baptismal garment.

As we prepared for his Baptism, there was a lot of talk among the family about who had actually worn the gown.  My grandparents have passed away, but one of my aunts thought that the gown might actually be older and worn by more people.  I scoured family photographs, but with no one left to ask, we can only be assured of the people we already knew.   

My sister came up with a brilliant idea to change that for the future.  She asked if we could embroider the names of those baptized in the gown in white along the bottom of the garment.  We checked with other family members and everyone loved the idea, so I sat down and in tiny white cursive, added stitching with each name and year that we know the gown was worn.  

The gown already had rows of embroidery along the bottom, so I just followed the rows and added in each generation starting with my grandfather and ending with my nephew.  Up close, you can read the information, but from a distance or in actual pictures when a baby is wearing the gown, it just blends in with the other rows of embroidery.

As a history lover, a genealogy nerd, and daughter of the Church, I love that we not only have this heirloom but have also preserved the story of what it means to my family.  There is plenty of room for more names, so I look forward to adding many more babies as our family grows.

Does your family have a special Baptismal Gown?  Or a tradition about each Baptismal garment?  I have heard of gowns being made from wedding dresses, using a new garment for each child so they can keep it in their family when they are grown, or gowns like ours being passed down through generations.  What is your Baptismal Gown story?  I'd love to hear more about how other families mark the reception of this first Sacrament.

Granny's Closet- The Jewelry {& an announcement!}

My Granny rocked the accessories.  All my memories of her include a unique and varied set of bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and broaches.  After giving her hair a final shot of hair spray, she always made sure she had on her lovely matching jewelry before leaving the house.  While she did have several nice pieces, many that dated back to her parents and had great sentimental value, she also collected quite a wide variety of costume jewelry over the years.  As we have been cleaning out her home and sorting her belongings after she passed away last year, we have found box after box of jewelry.  

You've probably picked up on the fact that I love all things vintage.  Blame the nerdy historian in me, the conservative feminine styles, or the overall sentimentality, but I love using, wearing, and knowing the stories of old things.  I'm the keeper of my family photos and genealogy. I like making new things from old ones.  Last summer when we started the cleaning process at my Granny's, we found some great clothes that she had made and worn in previous decades.  This post from last summer has lots of pics of the dresses I found, repaired, and have worn from her closet:

So a couple of weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I sat down to sort, clean, and prep some of the costume jewelry for an auction later this year.  The family heirlooms are set aside, the sentimental pieces are saved, and we have taken some lovely things to wear and keep.  As we were sorting, I couldn't help but take some photos of my favorites.

Check out these lovely oranges and reds:

And the blues and greens:

Golds and silvers:

The flowers (!):

Blacks and whites:

And the cameos:

I hope that these lovely pieces find their way into hands that love and appreciate them the same way that she did.

~~~~~

Last summer I used the post about my Granny's clothes to kick of the Why Make Beautiful Things Series, which featured some lovely guest posts and a giveaway with seven beautiful items.  I'm excited to let you know... that I'm continuing the series this summer!  Next week, check back Monday through Thursday for four new guests posts about women making the world a more beautiful place.  And next Friday, I'm hosting a giveaway you won't want to miss!

In the meantime, go back and check out these gem posts from last summer's series.  I've been rereading and enjoying them all over again, and I hope you do too!

Why Make Beautiful Things 2015 Series

Why Make Beautiful Things- My original post with seven reasons why making beautiful things matters
Granny's Closet- pictures of me wearing some of my Granny's vintage dresses
Love is the Beauty of the Soul- Guest post from Emily on hospitality, beauty, and home through the lens of being a military wife
Simple Beauty in a Picture- Guest post from Steph about the importance of printing and displaying family photos
God Cares About Skillful Design- Guest post from Kayla about the importance of good & thoughtful design in our work
The Beautiful Giveaway 2015

Dos and Don'ts for Preserving Family Photos

Need another random fact about Katie?  I am a genealogy nerd.  Since my early high school years, I have been collecting and scanning and documenting history in the form of photographs.  This early interest (not really a normal hobby for a teen) was a blessing in disguise because I had the chance to sit and talk about those photos and memories with my grandparents before they all passed away.  I treasure the opportunity I had to hear those stories and record them for another generation.

This spring and summer as my family has been cleaning out the house that my maternal grandparents lived in, they have found thousands of photographs.  Not a surprise considering the size of their family (7 kids, 18 grandkids, 29 great grandkids, and 6 great-greats...), but what was a sad revelation was that so many of the pictures were unlabeled, unsorted, damaged, and had never been seen by others in the family. We had planned a special memorial service/family reunion in the middle of the summer, so I set a goal for myself to get all of those pictures scanned, sorted, and ready to share with the people who would be gathered together.

Let me tell you, it was no easy task.  A lot of hours later, I had scanned a vast majority of the pictures, digitally and physically labeling them as I went, and sorted the photos into envelopes to be given to each branch of the family, including distant relatives that I knew would value pictures of their great-great grandparents too.  I then took all of the scanned images and info and burned CDS for all the kids, grandkids, great grands, etc. that wanted them- so now everyone has access to all of the family photos that we have discovered.

We found some real treasures, and now there are a lot of pictures that I want to have printed, both to hang in my home and to add to the family scrapbooks.  Unfortunately as I have worked with all of these photos, I have also found lots of damage and pictures we can't use.  For example-

This is a pic of my poor Granny as a toddler- we can't find the rest of the photo with her head...

Or there's this one of my Papa- It was originally a black and white military photo, but along the way some generous kiddo decided to add a little crayon, including a bit too much lipstick:

A sad picture that is discolored, cracked and broken:

And this is just one of many photos that we can't identify the people in.  I have a stack of photos that have been perused by all of my mom's siblings and some extended family, and we still can't name who's who.  (Also, the sweet little girls in this pic are holding up dead squirrels...what?)

:

So what can we do to preserve these family treasures?  I've been collecting, labeling, sorting, sharing, and storing old family photos for about 15 years now, and I've learned a few things along the way. Here are are my top dos and don'ts for preserving your family photos:

*Don't: Write ON the front of the photo for goodness' sake.  Don't write using a normal ink pen that can eventually bleed through and never use a standard permanent marker.
*Do: Write lightly on the back of the photo using a pencil or acid free archival pen.  If the photo is fragile, write the information on a small piece of paper or envelope and store with the photo.  Include any information you know- names of people in the photo, point of reference in the family tree, and even an estimated year if you can.  (If unsure, I include approx. or the ~ symbol.  I figure my best guess is probably better than what someone will be able to do in 25 years.)

*Don't: Keep photos in cardboard boxes or store them in haphazard stacks that lead them to be bent or folded. Don't store photos in boiling hot attics or damp, cool basements or other non-climate controlled environments.
*Do: Store photos in a flat, acid free container of some kind.  There are lots of inexpensive options. Use folders or other dividers to organize and separate photos. A good rule of thumb is to keep the photos where you "live."  In other words, store them on the main floor of your house where temperature and humidity are the most consistent.

*Don't: Just tuck the photos away in a "safe" place or divvy them up among family members...yet. Safe storage places are susceptible to fire, basement floods, misplaced boxes... Think about it- they're the one thing you can't replace.
*Do: Scan everything first.  Seriously.  Take them to a professional photo place and have them scanned, or buy your own scanner and learn how to use it.  Enlist help if you need it, but then you can have infinite digital copies of those precious photos.  You can personally back up the photos on an external hard drive, store a copy in a safe deposit box, and burn a CD for every sibling, aunt, and second cousin that wants one.  Even if the originals are lost or damaged (sob) you will still have the photos. (Also, remember to save the photos using a files name that identifies the people in the picture. Hundreds of IMG504s won't do your grandkids any good.)

*Don't: Please please please don't store photos in magnetic photo albums.  If you have any pictures in those monstrosities books, here is an article with tips for safely removing them. (I am cringing inside thinking about what those albums do to photos...)
*Do: If you want to store photos in an album, binder, or scrapbook, that is great!  Just make sure the book and all materials are acid free.  It is amazing how fast items will discolor and be damaged from the wrong materials.  I have lots of pages from my early days of scrapbooking that have completely fallen apart and discolored.  (Fortunately, I was using copies of the photos, not the real deal!)  I also highly recommend using photo corners like these, especially for old photographs, because none of the adhesive actually touches the photos.  Scrapbooks should be stored vertically to prevent embellishments on pages from making impressions in photographs (crazy, but even seemingly flat stickers can do this over time).

*Don't: Assume who is in pictures, or guess at spellings, or get rid of pictures that you can't identify. Also, don't just stop at names and dates; see if you can find out the story and context behind the photograph.
*Do: Take your photos to a grandparent or other older family members and spend time asking them to help identify people and tell stories about the pictures.  Better yet, gather many family members at once to go through the photographs, collect information, and check facts.  Jot down notes to record alongside the photos.  Check names against genealogy records (for example, finally figuring out that my great great aunt Mary Geneva went by the nickname Neva made some pieces fit together.)

My goal is always about preserving the memories and stories of my family.  Photographs are tied to that mission, and caring for them properly will help many more generations know and understand their past.

***And- All the pictures in this post are in terrible shape! If you would like to see some my favorite family photos and the stories they tell, you can check out these posts:
Throw (Way) Back, Edition 1 (My mom's side- and this post also tells a bit of the story of how and why I got started in genealogy)
Throw (Way) Back, Edition 2 (My dad's side)
All those pictures with their wonderful fashions, and still haven't found a picture with my granny wearing any of the dresses that I model in this post.  Maybe, maybe, if I keep digging I will! :)  You also might like reading my sister's post about printing your family photos from today so later generations will have them for tomorrow.

I'd love to hear about your adventures with family photos- finding them, preserving them, telling their stories...what have you done with your heirloom photographs?

Granny's Closet

When given a choice, I very nearly always pick old over new-- used, loved, and classic over shiny and trendy.  My apartment is filled with antiques and thrift store treasures.  The absolute best books I read as a child were those written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I still gravitate towards historical books, movies, and TV shows.

I routinely use vintage fabric or repurposed antique tablecloths, curtains, etc. to make new things like aprons and purses.  I don't blog about it much, but you can see one example in this post, or you can visit this page to see more.

Twice in the past two days two different people joked that maybe I was born in the wrong era.   I don't doubt God's providence, but it is fun to romanticize and look for the best of past decades.  I do think that sometimes in the simplicity of the past, we can look back and see the beauty that has endured over time.

So, it probably comes as no surprise that I am acquiring a vintage clothing collection. :)  My grandmother passed away earlier this year.  She was 92, and left a legacy of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.  As the family has worked to clean out her home and share belongings amongst her descendants, they found a stash of old clothing in the back of her closet, dresses and coats, many of which she had sewn herself.  My mom brought a bunch of them home, and awesomely, we discovered that many of them fit me!



Wearing vintage clothes isn't quite as simple as picking up something new off of the rack.  Here are a few things that I have learned:

1. Cleaning vintage clothing or fabric can be interesting.  Stains can be set in, and often times there is a strong, stale, old fabric smell that is hard to shake.  I washed the clothes on gentle settings with cold water.  Sometimes, I let them soak for a while, and I almost always ran them through the washing machine twice.  I also always air-dry everything.  This prevents further damage to possibly weak or stained fabric.

2. I also had to repair some of the clothing.  Sometimes a seam needed to be sewn where thread had rotted away, zippers needed reinforced, or buttons needed replaced.   I also tried to creatively cover up some...problems.  I tried to fix a white coat that was completely discolored by dyeing it tan, and unfortunately it didn't take the dye evenly.  However, I was able to fix this navy blue dress with some dye and a little bit of...white paint.  I literally painted some of the polka dots- but it worked!

3. Wear it!  The best fashion advice I've ever received is to find what you like and wear it with confidence.  There was clothing that I could have taken but it wasn't my style and I knew that I wouldn't be comfortable in.  I wear a lot of skirts and dresses, and the dresses I have usually fall into the 1950's high waist, full skirt variety.  Going through the clothes from my Granny's, I picked out things that I liked and knew that I would wear. 

4. And finally, accessories.  Sometimes, you can take vintage clothes and wear them with a modern twist.  Other times it is really fun to match up the clothes with retro accents like these fabulous shoes that I got here or an antique clutch purse.  Like dress up, only better. :)

So, I've worn these dresses to work, and to church, and to a wedding.  I love them, love that they help me remember my granny, and love the story they tell.

Would you like to see more of the clothing :)?  I am not a huge fan of having my picture taken, but I did want to have some photos of these dresses.  And I have a sister who is an awesome photographer.  She has been insisting that I get updated headshots.  And my brother-in-law and my friend Kayla wanted to practice some of their photography skills with someone who would stand still and pose as long as they needed.  So the four of us met up in downtown Peoria and took some very fun pictures.

And, for the record, this was my view for the afternoon:

Me, vintage dresses, an antique suitcase, downtown city, and three photographers.  It's no wonder we got some funny looks!

Want to see more of the pictures? You can see Steph's post and the rest of the photos here.

What do you think of vintage clothes?  Any favorite tips for pulling off styles from another era?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post is part of my Why Make Beautiful Things week.  You can read my original post here.
-Wednesday, come back for Emily's story about the beauty of homemaking and hospitality in military family life.
-Friday, Steph will write about the importance of taking, printing, and displaying beautiful family photos.
-AND on Sunday, I'll be hosting a special giveaway with seven beautiful items that I know you are going to love from Kayla Phillips Design, Steph Zimmerman Photography, and [un]common workbasket.  You don't want to miss it!

Your Handwriting Matters

I am an advocate of handwriting. Handwriting is an undervalued art form, one that's meaning comes from a deeper layer than the words themselves.

When the topic comes up, I always encourage people to use their own handwriting instead of typing/printing/etc.  A sign in their home, a letter, captions in a scrapbook, a birthday invite, addressing wedding thank yous- all in your handwriting.  Many argue with me that their handwriting is messy, that writing is more time consuming, that they just don't like their handwriting.  I think that there is a lot more to it than that...and here are a few reasons why:

1.  Just to be clear, I am not just talking about neat, beautiful, or perfect handwriting.   I am not just talking about teaching "correct" handwriting to my 5th grade students.  I am certainly not just talking about my own handwriting.  I mean that I am an advocate of your handwriting, my handwriting, your children's handwriting- all handwriting. Neatness and penmanship have their place, but as I am writing this post I am thinking about the uniqueness of the way that you write, possible messiness and all.  Your natural handwriting is what others will remember.  When I encourage someone to handwrite something, they often say that it is just because I have great handwriting.  While I will admit that my writing isn't terrible, I certainly don't always like it.  Anytime we are close to something, we often are the first to see its flaws.  I don't typically love my own handwriting, but that doesn't mean that I am not going to use it.  Perfect is not a qualification for sharing a part of yourself. 

2.  Handwriting reveals personality.  I remember using these cheap handwriting analysis books in jr. high to analyze how the slant of my l's revealed that I was an optimist and the curve on the tail of my y's showed that I was an introvert.  I would not put a lot of stock into what official graphology says about you through your handwriting, but just remember on a personal level that your handwriting is a bit of, well, you.  Your personality is carried and emotions can be expressed through handwriting.  Despite the fact that the twenty two students in my classroom have almost all been taught by the same teachers, their handwriting is very unique and I can usually tell their papers apart easily even when they don't have names.  I can also tell when they were in a hurry, when they were confident, and when they were unsure.  I can see them in their writing.

3.  In a world that limits human interactions more and more, handwriting helps us continue to share a bit of ourselves with another.  It allows us to be Incarnational, to show that another is worthy of our time, and to help us see the person behind the communication that we share.  This can be a lot harder through type-written texts, emails, and letters.

4.  Handwriting is sentimental.  Even if you are the opposite of a pack rat, I bet you have a few notes or cards tucked away in a drawer.  You don't keep those cards for the pretty typeface "Happy Mother's Day" on the outside.  You keep it for the scrawled second grader's message printed in pencil on the inside.  Or you keep the note with the spidery cursive that was your grandfather's handwriting near the end of his life.  My dad has some of the worst handwriting I have ever seen (which is saying something as a middle school teacher).  However, the notes that he tapes on my mom's mirror in his terrible handwriting stay there for her to see and mean much more than anything he could have typed.  Being sentimental doesn't mean that we are attached to the object, but to the person behind the object, and it is a good reason to handwrite things that might mean more to someone else.

5.   Handwriting is a little piece of history.  As a genealogy nerd, I savor finding something handwritten by an ancestor. Handwriting is a missing piece of a person's story that can't be recreated after they are gone.  Much like a photograph, that handwriting is unique and important.  Finding original captions on the back of a picture, or a diary penned over time, or a note tucked in a box meant for a loved one from the past is like finding a unique treasure, one that I think we all can appreciate.

6.  Your handwriting is a witness to what you believe.  There is a reason that our signature is still (usually) required to be in our handwriting, even if it is created with a stylus and a digital screen instead of a pen and paper.  Adding your handwriting to something is like adding a stamp of approval, an acknowledgement that testifies to the content of what you are writing.

7.  Finally, handwriting is a connection between the words we live by and who we have been created to be.  "Keep my commandments and live.  Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye.  Bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart."  ~Proverbs 7:23



I challenge you to remember that your handwriting matters, that it means something to those around you, and that perfect isn't a requirement for something to be important.  Find ways to incorporate handwriting into your days, and learn to love that you share a bit of yourself with each stroke of the pen.