July/August Eyewitness Challenge - UPDATED with Winner

[sherelm]

Congratulations Amy Jo! You've won the Eyewitness Challenge! I've ordered your gift card. Thanks to all who.played.



So I decided to finally make time to do this. It's been in my mind for quite awhile, so I'm going to jump into it.

A few years ago my son and niece both announced at a new year's eve dinner that they had no plans to keep my scrapbooks when I died! I know, nice NYE conversation, but they were young. My SIL said "I'll take them" to which my niece/her daughter said "You'll be dead too!" While we all laughed, I seriously thought about the finally resting place of my scrapbooks (not me!). What really will happen to them?
Consequently a few more years passed and I read on line an article about the scrapbooks everyone was making. The author, to sum it up, said not too many are going to care about Mary's 7th birthday party, or your son's hunting trip, or even that family trip to Disney. What they will want to see is how birthdays were celebrated in the 2000's, that we hunted animals and oh! THAT'S how Disney looked liked back then. And then a thought was thrown out: what if one of your relatives told you in a scrapbook about arriving in America? What were the roaring 20s parties like? What did they do for family trips? She would be your "eyewitness". Even without photos (or with) you can explain some of the things you were a witness to! I personally lived through more than I can scrap!

So this challenge is going to me throwing out a challenge and how you lived through it. Rule 1 is if you weren't born yet - you can't call me old! But you are able to find a suitable replacement event. Rule 2, is more for me than for you : I don't want this to be all about negative stuff, which for some reason we tend to be clearer on that something that went right. So I'm going to have some "recall your personal day when this tragedy struck" but I also will hopefully ask you to recall positive events. Some will be worldwide, some only you and your family may be involved.

So for us to begin, I'm picking a really easy one we all can scrap about: the Covid pandemic. I'm letting you go anywhere with this, from when you personally realized this was going to hit big, to how you lived through it. Add funny moments, or stick to it more seriously if that was what effected you most. Did you lose someone from it? Did you think it would take down everyone at one point? What funny little thing happened (like you didn't have a mask so you couldn't do something) . I'm looking for the details, not a rundown of the chemistry of the disease and the never ending vaccines and booster. Unless that's what you want in your book! I'll accept everything!

My sample is from when I realized I needed a real project to keep me busy , one that not only begins but an end like hopefully COVID.  Since I love reading biographies, I thought of reading all the First Ladies of the US's biographies. First thing I found out was they all don't have one, and many of the early Presidents had their wives die before they took the office.  So I did purchase a filler book "Wives of the American Presidents" and used that for a filler if there were NO biographies to be had, or if the President's daughter/niece etc filled in.  
This is a mini album from a cardboard kit and has slots and room for things I want to enclose.  This is the page of my "Project" of the First Ladies.  Very simple, but told the story.



Deadline will be August 31 at 11:59pm.
You may do any size page you wish - some of you may think this is a good stand alone album. No cards, tags, etc. Any medium from digital, hybrid, or traditional scrapbooking.
A $10 GC will be presented to a random winner.
Questions, please pm me. But if it's "is it OK to...." the answer is yes unless mentioned above.
Post your layout to this thread, please! I don't want to miss it! Have fun!

[QueenBee89]

4 days before the “shut downs” were announced in Maryland, we had an offer accepted on a house to move back closer to family. I was also 16 weeks pregnant. I have A LOT of things to still document about the craziness of 2020… I can definitely do this!

[sherelm]

4 days before the “shut downs” were announced in Maryland, we had an offer accepted on a house to move back closer to family. I was also 16 weeks pregnant. I have A LOT of things to still document about the craziness of 2020… I can definitely do this!

Lol! You sound like me during Three Mile Island! I had JUST had a baby a week earlier, was an xray tech so already had radiation to me and baby, and lived close yo the nuclear plant. So close that I could see the island from my home in Middletown.

[Yankeegirl]

A great challenge, Sher.  I hope it will encourage us to leave memories that are important and personal!  Love it!  I'm going to make a separate book for mine.

[oceanbreezes423]

I think I may try to do a separate book for this as well. Sounds very informative, yet historic so to speak. A great "time capsule" if they are not interested in the books.

[VickiR]

Oh, this is a good challenge for starting  a TN.   Would they be allowed?

[Monroe1218]

I definitely want to do this one!  I have so much from this time that I can scrap!

[Mommyof5]

I can't believe that they told you they weren't going to keep your scrapbooks!!!!  That's heartbreaking!  Maybe that will change as they age. 

That is a good point, however, about the eyewitness point of view.  
I was not scrapbooking much back when 9/11 happened, but that was something that my kids have asked me about on numerous occasions.  I can tell you where I was-what I was doing-the phone call I got to turn my TV on, and the feeling that washed over me when I saw the 2nd airplane hit on live television.  My husband at the time was working at the Houston airport (where I work now) and they locked it down completely.  

Anyway...this is a great challenge.  
I got proposed to on Christmas morning of 2020---sick with Covid and all.  lol.  It was definitely a year.  

[SandyJay]

Maybe this is a good idea for me.  Maybe it can be healing.  I don’t want to hear any of the words “pandemic, vaccine, COVID” ….nor do I ever want to wear a face panty if I can help it!!  I am very bitter and angry about this, but maybe my untold story would heal me.  I don’t know if I can do this, but I will consider it.  

[suewho372]

I , too, have some much that happened and although I’ve scrapped some of it, have lots I still can.

Great challenge!

[sherelm]

Oh, this is a good challenge for starting  a TN.   Would they be allowed?

Of course! It's all allowed!

[sherelm]

Maybe this is a good idea for me.  Maybe it can be healing.  I don’t want to hear any of the words “pandemic, vaccine, COVID” ….nor do I ever want to wear a face panty if I can help it!!  I am very bitter and angry about this, but maybe my untold story would heal me.  I don’t know if I can do this, but I will consider it.  

Oh we will all be here to cheer you on! And I promise September's won't be negative!

[VickiR]

Oh, this is a good challenge for starting  a TN.   Would they be allowed?

Of course! It's all allowed! 

Thanks, Sher!  I have some TN on their way, so this will work out great for me.
 

[GinniG]

What a great idea Sher!!!  I definitely have things that I've been saving to scrap about the Pandemic.  Even bought the first PhotoPlay kit that goes with it.  This is the push I need to get those pics and journaling printed and scrapped!

As for 9/11 I was very much affected by those events.  Most of the people who lived in our area were from New York and many had family members who were in those buildings. My DH had two cousins who worked at the Pentagon and one had just moved his office to the section that was destroyed the worst.  Unbelievably they were both working off site that day! Through scrapping I later met a lady who actually worked in the first building that was hit.  She and a co-worker had gone down to a bakery near the building and were getting donuts for a morning meeting.  The plane hit the building while they were in the bakery!  She lost most of her fellow co-workers that day. My father worked just a mile down the road from the Pentagon.  They heard and saw the plane flying low and felt the impact.  That plane also flew over our family home and over where my mother worked.  I wanted to scrap about it and I ended up doing an entire album instead of a couple of pages.  I downloaded things from the internet and incorporated pictures of the Pentagon that my dad took afterwards.  And then at Christmastime we went up to Virginia and made a special trip to go see the Pentagon.  It was bitterly cold and there was a very very strong wind.  But on the hill up above the damage was a veteran standing stock still holding a flag.  He never moved while we were there.  I started getting tears in my eyes and they were freezing on my face - that's how cold it was!  I was so impressed with that man!  I even included the picture of him and the story of seeing that building that I'd passed so many times when I lived and worked in Northern Virginia.  I made sure to include stories of amazing circumstances that kept people away and of survival stories and of heroes.  There were many positives that came out of that horrendous tragedy.  But definitely not enough...

[Jolly Holly Scraps]

I love THIS Susan!!! I have plenty to say about Covid, and even though I normally do  single page LOs, I do have some LOs that have the same photos but different stories, etc. I have a stack of magazines I am gonna be cutting up to scrap things with and THIS is something I've been wanting to document. I have tons of supplies - including some covid-themed products that I bought because (1) at the time, I hadn't bought stuff in forEVER and (2) I REALLY felt like this was something that I needed to talk about in my albums. THIS challenge will give me the push I need to write more! 

[sherelm]

What a great idea Sher!!!  I definitely have things that I've been saving to scrap about the Pandemic.  Even bought the first PhotoPlay kit that goes with it.  This is the push I need to get those pics and journaling printed and scrapped!

As for 9/11 I was very much affected by those events.  Most of the people who lived in our area were from New York and many had family members who were in those buildings. My DH had two cousins who worked at the Pentagon and one had just moved his office to the section that was destroyed the worst.  Unbelievably they were both working off site that day! Through scrapping I later met a lady who actually worked in the first building that was hit.  She and a co-worker had gone down to a bakery near the building and were getting donuts for a morning meeting.  The plane hit the building while they were in the bakery!  She lost most of her fellow co-workers that day. My father worked just a mile down the road from the Pentagon.  They heard and saw the plane flying low and felt the impact.  That plane also flew over our family home and over where my mother worked.  I wanted to scrap about it and I ended up doing an entire album instead of a couple of pages.  I downloaded things from the internet and incorporated pictures of the Pentagon that my dad took afterwards.  And then at Christmastime we went up to Virginia and made a special trip to go see the Pentagon.  It was bitterly cold and there was a very very strong wind.  But on the hill up above the damage was a veteran standing stock still holding a flag.  He never moved while we were there.  I started getting tears in my eyes and they were freezing on my face - that's how cold it was!  I was so impressed with that man!  I even included the picture of him and the story of seeing that building that I'd passed so many times when I lived and worked in Northern Virginia.  I made sure to include stories of amazing circumstances that kept people away and of survival stories and of heroes.  There were many positives that came out of that horrendous tragedy.  But definitely not enough...

Ok, we can do 9/11 in September (a perfect month for it!l) My son was a senior at Southampton College on the island, recuperating from a splenectomy from an accident and couldn't drive. My brother lost two of his staff in the plane that hit the Pentagon. Sounds like we can move story to story on topics for awhile.

If ANYONE WANTS TO SUGGEST A TOPIC ( any historical event or topic that you want to scrap in this) please PM me. Even if you think it won't pertain to everyone, I'll see if I can make it a more general topic. Ok?

[GinniG]

That sounds like a good idea!

[Elysandrra]

Aww Sharon I’m sorry the kids said that to you! I wish they had just kept it to themselves!!! I know I do when it comes to inheritances I have little desire for, because I don’t want to hurt their feelings.

Now you can scrapbook for yourself and for fun! And besides, it’s basically creating biographies of your family- but with full color photos.

[traveler]

I’m not really able to scrap this summer because of moving, but I’ve already done a 2020 album and a whole bunch of pages about covid. Looking forward to future months of this challenge.

[scrappinmom99]

We've had similar conversations in my house about the final resting place of the albums lol. I sometimes get anxiety about how many albums we have, or I'll need or where we will put them now, let alone in the future lol. I love your idea of the eyewitness to history angle! Having said that, I have started a pandemic album which I jokingly refer to as "historical documents" and plan to start a 9/11 one too. I have a priority size box full of 9/11 stuff to scrap so...I like your idea for September too! Can we do more than one entry?