Matryoshka Doll

When I read the description of Tia Bennett’s Matyroshka  Doll class, I knew I would love it.  It’s so Ethnic Scrapbooking…looking beyond your own culture and seeing how you can connect to it.  The concept is based on the layers/nesting principle of the dolls, so I initially thought to include photographs of those within my nest (my kids).  After I started on the project I decided to make it about the layers that make up me…Lisa Sanford.

Click over to the photo album and view up close all of my pages in this mini-album and read the symbolism behind the photographs I used, the embellishments I chose and my journaling. 

I did divert from two items in the class kit.  (1) Tia used a masking tape technique on one page that reminded me of a grade school project and I wasn’t too fond of its ultimate look, so I skipped that item.  (2) Included was a page of text from an old book, my page seemed to be the index which included words that started with N.  When I studied the words to see which one I might try to incorporate into the project, I found the offensive “N” word…being African- American, I laughed at how high the probability it was that I would get the kit containing that word…good thing I was on my second glass of wine when I made this discovery.  Tia if you are reading this…my husband wants to know what book did you get this page from LOL.  We had a very, very  good laugh.

For those who care, I completed this album in two sittings.  First one being during the three hour class where I completed the doll on the cover…yes that is hand stitching, I cut and inked (my favorite technique) the inside pages and rubber stamped the images.  The second sitting, I spent well over an hour trying to hunt down the photographs of myself on my unorganized computer files. I assembled all of the pages while singing to Mary J. Blige’s new album and sipping Yellow Tail Shiraz wine without any kids interrupting me while chatting with my husband (who was surfing the net) and talking local politics.

I thoroughly enjoyed this project and it has inspired a few more projects that I will share with you in the very near future.

Comments

[Staci]

Beautiful doll Lisa!

[Aysha]

Great doll! This is a really cool idea, I think I am gonna try to do something like this. Thanks for the inspiration!

[tameka (prettyinpeace)]

I stumbled upon your blog while searching African American Matryoshka. I'm about to embark on a mixed media piece along those lines. I'm so grateful to have found you. I've forwarded your site and book to my husband as a birthday wishlist item. We're a multi-cultural family of color and as an avid scrapbooker, an inability to find materials or inspiration for scrapping about ideas like, gullah culture, or other ethnic tradition had cooled my scrapbooking fever-you just may have brought it back.

Peace and wellness.
Tameka