The Carnival's In Town

16th EDITION

Smile For The Camera
10 August 2009

Put on your Shades, the bling is blinding. We have a jewelry box filled with the images of your "Ancestor Bling." The common thread that runs through these submissions is that the true value of our "bling" is not the value used for insurance purposes, but rather the sentimental value of the piece or the photograph. That value can't be quantified, but we know it is priceless.

Again, you have outdone yourselves presenting a very interesting and varied group of photographs depicting friends and relatives and their "Ancestor Bling." From a fob made of hair to a tiara and everything in between, they're represented here.

Let's open the cover of this edition of Smile For The Camera's album of "Ancestor Bling."

Cyndi Beane Henry owns the bling she writes about at Ancestry Bling..., but what she'd really like is a photograph of her Great Grandmother wearing it. The beautiful handmade "Annette's Cross" is the centerpiece of this exceptionally well written family story at Mountain Genealogists.

Lorine McGinnis Schulze displays Grandpa's Gold Pocket Watch engraved, From Mum & Dad, April 24th, 1914 in her Smile For The Camera "Bling, ancestor Bling" post at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog. The watch was a gift to him on his 21st birthday in 1914. Lorine gives us photographs of her grandfather and the watch as her "Bling" submission. She also teaches a lesson regarding displaying our cherished family possessions. Heed the warning!

A beautiful "Old World" photograph provides the backdrop for T. Casteel's Old World Bling submission at Tangled Trees. I wonder if the lockets worn by the two young women in this photo contained a photograph or some other memento.

"It's charming little girl, bling! A tiny child's bracelet that holds special memories and a place in my heart," Midge Frazel tells us in Watch Hill Bracelet posted at Granite in My Blood. "Forever intertwined with the peaceful sea and hurricane disaster, this bracelet is a precious reminder of life." We can always count on Midge for a wonderful story.

Three photographs from 1860 to 1910 show a Locket Forever, recycled, repolished, reset for a chain, repinned and obviously cherished in Leslie Mehana's submission, Wordless Wednesday: Ancester Bling at Rooting Around Genealogy. Leslie, do you own the locket? I'd love to know.

"Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung." This is the beautiful quote Evelyn Yvonne Theriault attaches to her photograph La Dolce Vita: Italian Sophisticates from 1950s Milan (Italy) posted at A Canadian Family. A very intriguing photograph. And don't miss Evelyn's carnival, A Festival of Postcards. I love it.

"Raquel del Castillo wore this gold chain and pendant most often. This was her most prized 'bling'." Lucie LeBlanc Consentino also tells us that the woman behind the "bling" epitomized the old adage "pretty is as pretty does" in Acadian Ancestral Home: Rachel [Raquel] del Castillo Dumais posted at Acadian Ancestral Home. A lovely photograph!

Julie Cahill Tarr has posted a photograph of her Grandmother wearing a piece of photo jewelry in her post GenBlog: Grandma’s Bling at GenBlog. Julie believes it was a gift at a special occasion, the photograph showing that occasion. Lucky woman, Julie owns the "bling."

Linda Hughes Hiser says, "This is Ancestor 'Bling' featuring a little twist--rather than an ancestor wearing bling, the ancestor is on the bling." I won't spoil the surprise. Visit Linda's article 16th Edition of Smile for the Camera--Bling posted at Flipside. Hint - it's one of the three areas I collect.

Diane Manley's husband's family must have set great store on being on time. Take a look at the photograph posted on Smile For The Camera - Bling at Attic Treasures and see if you don't agree.

Alex Coles is from Aukland, New Zealand, and writes the blog Winging It. I love the name. Winging It is The Research Journal of the Wing One Place Study (and other genealogical ramblings). Alex has chosen to show us a little "bling" and its journey in From Wing To Eternity. Alex is a kick!

"My own knowledge about jewellery is almost non-existent but the brooch being worn by the young woman in this photo is one from which even I can derive some information immediately," says Brett Payne of the Photo Sleuth. Brett does it again. An amazing photograph and equally amazing research combine for The latest 1897 Paris fashions in Walsall. And Brett, there are extra points for the lorgnette.

Kay Bauman's Time for Bling is an excellent article and an education in timepieces. It should be required reading for those of us who have inherited a pocket watch. I suspect Kay and her husband, as collectors of watches, have had quite an education. We're fortunate they're willing to share. Stop by Kay B's Place you won't be disappointed.

No matter what a woman wears she is perfectly turned out with the addition of one particular piece of jewelry as Ambar demonstrates in Great-Grandma's Pearls posted at Still More Genealogy. Timeless, the pearls and the photographs.

Mad, my friend Kiril Kundurazieff, displays his personal "bling" in a musical jewelry box that belonged to his mother. In his post Jewelry Box, Belonging To Mom, Still Plays Tune, and Now Holds My Class Rings, he takes us on a tour of the family "bling" chest at Musings of a Mad Macedonian.

If you're looking for a twist on "bling," make that "twisted bling," you need look no further than the Poinkouski clan and friends. These people are not only attractive, but inventive. Well, they say seeing is believing and this must be seen. So go, visit Donna Pointkouski at What's Past Is Prologue for a A Different Kind of Bling!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff weaves a garnet tale in Bling! Bling! My Garnet Ring at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. A bitter sweet story where one ancestor fails to understand the significance of something sentimentally precious and another understands completely. The result appears in the photograph.

It's good to see Dru Pair at Smile and she's accompanied by the Bling of Aunt Lucy Bullock Russell, a sister of her great great grandfather Andrew Bullock, and some of Lucy's daughters. From a chatelaine to a string of pearls you'll find them in Dru Pair's photographs in The Russell Family's Bling at Find Your Folks.

"In a series of posts called 'Please Keep These Things' I have been cataloging items that I want my daughters to keep to pass down to their children," Greta Koehl tells us. "This article covers the few items of jewelry that I inherited from my mother and grandmother. When I was going through my pictures to find a photograph showing my mother wearing some of this jewelry, I found three pictures that brought back a fond memory of my mother and me playing Fashion Show." You can attend the show at Please Keep These Things: Mom’s and Grandma’s Jewelry on Greta's Genealogy Bog.

Tina Micheal Ruse tells us her family was pretty much blingless, yet a tiaraed Tina graces one of the photographs in 16th Edition of Smile for the Camera--Bling posted at Highway 99. It's a wonderful post in which we are given the provenance for each of the items pictured. The value of ancestor bling rarely lies in diamonds and gold. Tina knows where it is.

I am a fan of Caroline Pointer's Family Stories blog. She is one very creative woman. In The Family Jewels we are treated to a photographic feast of "ancestor bling." Caroline has done an excellent job of representing both the men and the women of her family. There is some very unique "bling" to be seen here. Don't miss this fantastic submission!

Becky Wiseman has a photograph of a lovely woman in a lace accented dress wearing a chatelaine. Attached to the chatelaine is a watch tucked into a hidden lace pocket in the lace accents. They've got just a little bling posted at kinexxions treats us to more of Becky's wonderful family photographs. Here she also has a family group in which one of the little boys wears a medal pinned to his jacket. Could it be an attendance medal for Sunday school or a medal belonging to his father that he's allowed to wear? What do you think?

In Not much Bling in the Carringer-Auble families posted at Genea-Musings, Randy says, " My grandparents and earlier generations were frugal and simple people. They did not spend much, if any, money on jewelry or expensive things. I managed to find a photograph of my mother and her mother wearing beautiful pearl necklaces dated around 1930. The best part of the picture is the beauty of these two special people in my life. That's my favorite bling!" Randy knows true jewels when he sees them.

Jasia creates another beautiful digi-scrapping page in A Woman's Hair is Her Crowning Glory, And it Makes Good Bling Too! at her blog Creative Gene. Jasia tells us, "This was a tough theme for me fM. Being as I'm a bling collector, I had so many possible choices! In the end, I opted for one I do not own (my brother does) but I think it's the most precious of all the family jewelry." Yes, Jasia's family has something very unique. Queen Victoria gave pieces of jewelry made from her hair as gifts, many given to her children and grandchildren. Napoleon wore his watch on a chain made from the hair of his wife Empress Marie Louise. Your family is in good company.

"Almost all the women in our family are definitely" into jewelry...for that matter what woman isn't?" says Leilani of FamilyHistoryImages in her post "Life with a Spy." Now this is a family that knows its "bling" and Leilani has the photographs to prove it. Her mother had a story to go with every piece and Leilani inherited them stories and all.

Vickie Everhart's digi-scraping work is so beautiful. Just when you think she won't be able to top her last creation, she does. Here she has something specifically for Smile for the Camera :: Girls and their pearls at her Blog -- BeNotForgot. Vickie tells us, "The family history collage I created for the 'bling' edition of Smile for the Camera is not very 'blingy,' but it does feature three generations of women who are all wearing their pearls and a slight smile as they pose for the camera. And just for fM, two of these women are even wearing glasses!" Love them!

Ruth Stephens of Bluebonnet Country Genealogy has given us the post not to miss. This is an amazing collection of photographs of The Broach being worn from about 1865 to 1994. It's beauty is timeless.

Illuminated Ancestries' Carol Genung introduces us to the signature pearls in Smile for the Camera, 16th Edition. There are some women who are not properly attired until they have closed the clasp on their beloved pearls. Carol is related to one such woman.

foonoteMaven closes the album cover on this edition of Smile For The Camera with Diamonds Are Not This Girl's Best Friend posted at footnoteMaven. My ancestor bling contains no diamonds, no sapphires, no gold. It wasn't crafted by Tiffany. It is a simple brooch. A brooch that contains something near and dear to the footnoteMaven's heart. It is a brooch that contains a photograph.

Thank You All!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this fantastic 16th Edition of Smile For The Camera and welcome to all the first-time contributors. It is evident from each and every article that a great deal of time, effort, love, and research went into each photographic contribution. As Randy Seaver would say, please take a moment to stop and comment and show your appreciation!

Now The Call For Submissions!

17th EDITION

Smile For The Camera
10 September 2009

The word prompt for the 16th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "School Days." It is September, historically the month when a new school year begins. We all have images of the days spent in school. The barefoot children gathered together with their teacher in front of the rural school your ancestors attended. Children at their desks, children at play in the school yard, and those obligatory school photographs - one for every year. Show us your family memories of school days. Admission is free with every photograph!

Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

Deadline for submission is midnight (PT)
10 September 2009
Posted - 16 September 2009

HOW TO SUBMIT:

There are two options:

1. Send an email to the host, footnoteMaven. Include the title and permalink URL of the post you are submitting, your name, and the name of your blog. Put 'Smile For The Camera' clearly in the title of your email!

2. Use the handy submission form provided by Blog Carnival, or select the Bumper Sticker in the upper right hand corner.

See you at the Carnival!