If you were raised on bangers and mash for dinner, weetbix for brekkie, played in the dirt, got your bum smacked, had three television channels, changed the channel by getting up and walking, had a bedtime, recorded the top 40 from the radio on cassette tapes, drank from a hose, played in the creek, rode your bike all day without a helmet, school started with the national anthem …
Are you ready for a shiny new Readers Challenge series?! We’ve got a lovely one for you this time – it’s not about colour or design or techniques – it’s about you! More specifically it’s about the differences between the generations – we want to take a look at what we did ‘in our day’ versus the childhood our own children are experiencing today.
Each week we’ll tackle a different subject area, and so you can start thinking about the possibilities, permutations and photographs I’m going to list them here for you below.
We really hope you’ll join us on this journey into your own past as well as your children’s present – I know how much I’d love to read about the everyday of my parent’s and even grandparent’s childhoods, so these pages could become an invaluable gift for generations to come. Check out this site for some great prompts.
The Details
To kick this series off, this week we’re looking at comparing and contrasting just some of the differences in leisure and playtime between two generations. You could tackle this as a general topic, as Sue has done in her layout, or just choose one aspect to focus on and just write about that as Kathie has in her page' ‘Doll Houses’.
If you’re stuck for photos of your own childhood, don’t let that stop you! Why don’t you just write down your own memories and include current photos. That’s a great way of providing contrast.
If you don’t have kids, don’t let that stop you! Share something about any two different generations, perhaps yours and your parents or grandparents.
If you can’t think of what products to use, don’t let that stop you! Below we’ve included suggestions including some of our favourite suppliers - many of whom are currently producing wonderfully nostalgic designs, and patterns and colour palettes from bygone eras. Having said that, you are free to use any product you like – as long as a good percentage of it comes from Aussie Scrap Source suppliers!
Please send images of your layouts to us at aussiedt@iinet.net.au by the end of next Wednesday 17th August. They will be judged by the Aussie DT and the weeks favourite will receive a fabulous prize pack.
If you participate in each weeks challenge, at the end you’d have not just a prize for completing every week, but an invaluable record to include in your family albums. Kathie Link and Sue Tonga provide some inspiration to start you off…
Kathie remembers the playhouse in the backyard of her Grandma’s house. Her mother had played in it as a girl but by the time Kathie and her sister came along, the house had fallen into disrepair and wasn’t accessible for playing in. Kathie thought it must be wonderful to have a house like that to play make-believe. Probably as a result she has always had a fascination for dolls houses.
When Kathie had her son she didn’t expect that playing with doll houses would be in her future. When he was a toddler she would borrow toys from the local toy library, but always steered clear of the pink dolls houses. Imagine her surprise then, when he himself bee-lined for them! She chided herself for her stereotyping. Because little boys like to copy daily life just as much as little girls.
Jamie borrowed several doll houses during his time at the toy library. And Kathie had just as much fun as he did playing with them. Times have changed though, now that he’s nearly six. He turns up his nose at the photos of himself playing with the dolls and the houses. Just not cool Mum!
Kathie’s layout features Crate Paper’s Emma’s Shoppe collection, tempered with a few boyish bits and pieces from Toy Box. The journaling cards from the Accent Cuts patterned paper make great photo mats for small photos and add lovely pops of colour to the background.
Sue has wonderful memories of a childhood spent enjoying the outdoors. She and her sister climbed trees, played in creeks catching guppies and turtles, explored the canefields and even rode wild horses! To capture some of those memories, Sue designed a layout with a picture of her Mum with her two children and then added a smaller photo of herself and her sister when they were small. Sue attached the smaller photo to her layout by simply sewing down the left side.
This left the space behind the photo free, so that a journaling card can be slipped in behind. Sue was born in the 70s so the gorgeous colours and patterns from the Sunshine Broadcast range from Sassafras were perfect to use.
So, are you game to join our Readers Challenge? Do you find yourself, to your dismay, starting sentences with ‘When i was a kid…? What did you do spend your play time doing when you were a child? How is it different to what todays kids do?
Tomorrow .. check back to find out the winners of a couple of past challenges, and some new Echo Park inspiration…
