Ethnic Scrapbooking

Ideas to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

1.  Listen to Spanish speaking music for a day or a whole month, like we are this year...Caliente on XM Sirrus.

2.  Eat a Spanish meal.

3.  Dance to Salsa music

4.  Watch Spanish speaking t.v. show...all the way through

5. Play Spanish Bingo

 

A German Back-to-School Tradition -Schultüte

I still think of the day after Labor Day the official start of the school year (although my kids have been back to school for two weeks already).

In Germany, there’s a lovely first-day-of-school tradition called a “Schultüte” or School Cone.  Parents prepare a giant cardboard cone and fill it with back-to-school supplies, candies, and other small goodies. This gift, rather like an academic Christmas stocking, makes the first day of school extra special.  The tradition dates back to the early 1800′s in Germany, and was implemented at our house this fall.

Source:  Foreign Language Fun website

I surprised my son with a Schultüte on his first day of First Grade.  I filled it with sweet treats including German gummy bears to add some cultural flavor.

Just another "Ethnic Scrapbooking" Tip from, Lisa, author of Ethnic Scrapbooking.

  

Family Reunions

What an excellent time to have fun and preserve memories.  This year we celebrated our family in a very big way at a cemetery of all places.

On a gorgeous Saturday morning we had a mini-african drumming session where we called out the names of our slave ancestors and all of their children and dedicated a headstone to our patriarch.  To top it all off the local newspaper shared our inspiring story with the community with a front page feature story.  What a blessing.

We captured this event on video, digital photos, camera phone photos, cassette tape audio recording and through the print media...what a day.

 

Kwanzaa Can Be For EVERYONE!

Although it's a weeklong celebration in the African-American community, everyone can reflect on the principles during December 26 - January 1and apply them to your own life.

For more ideas, check out Lisa Sanford's BLOG, or the ideas in Ethnic Scrapbooking.

 

Good Hair!

Chris Rock's movie Good Hair is a great example of Ethnic Scrapbooking.  Many women of all races come to me and ask me how to scrapbook their hair journey.  Some just want to create a compilation of their various hairstyles, some want to make business portfolios, others want to scrapbook their journey as a form of therapy showcasing how they have come to grips with their hair.  Every woman can write a personal story about their hair, jot down a story or two today.

Over on my blog, I let my hair down a bit, check it out CLICK HERE

 

Making Ancestors Relevant

I am extremely flattered that someone recognized my parenting style...the heart of Ethnic Scrapbooking.

CHECK IT OUT!

Here's my latest ancestor find, Uncle Dock Mickens' portrait hanging at a relatives home  St. Croix, VI

Connecting to the 2008 Presidential Election

The scrapbook layout below (found in Ethnic Scrapbooking) was a tribute to my father's dream of seeing an African-American fire fighter in our hometown in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  I'm pleased that my Dad got to witness the unthinkable, an African-American man elected President of the United States.

I encourage you to document your part, your thoughts and feelings on this historical moment even if you are not an American.

Another Amazing and Glowing Review!

Please check our what the ladies at SCRAP FRIENDS had to say about my book.  They all said exactly what I want people to say and feel after reading my book, Ethnic Scrapbooking.  Please leave a comment here and let me know what you think of their reviews.

Making an Irish Connection

Here's a link to my blog where I feature my most recent connection to the Irish tradition of St. Patrick's Day <CLICK HERE>  be sure to follow the links to the instructions and the photo album of the inside pages.

Black History Month Outing

Please click over to my blog and check out another example of Ethnic Scrapbooking!    <CLICK HERE>