Scrappin My Roots

This is Mya's favorite bibb! Last week was her birthday, she turned 3 yrs old and I should also add that her brother Justin turned 9yrs old. So I created this layout to look like her favorite bibb (minus the spaghetti sauce stains) and made it all about her birthday. When I showed her the finished layout, she yelled "My Bibb, My Bibb"!

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This is my Black History layout that I did last month. Black history is so rich, it's kinda hard to reflect on just one time period, invention, movement or person at a time. So on this layout I did my top 12 Black History moments in pictures. I choose The Little Rock Nine, The Buffalo Soliders, Rosa Parks, Jim Crow Laws, Slavery, Emmett Till, Wilma Rudolph, MLK, The Black Power Salute from the 1968 Olympics, Muhammad Ali, Barack Obama and my favorite one of all Harriet Tubman.

Then I wrote on each arrow alittle about each one. Then wrote down other famous black American's all around the boarder of the page (can't quite see it here). So, in all, I was able to honor 32 African American's &/or inventions or time periods.

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I decided to see if you could really make money online taking surveys. I had read something about it a couple of months ago. So in January I signed up for my first one. Fusion Cash. I decided to try them first because they had plenty of proof of payment from thier members on their forum. Let me tell you.... EASY MONEY!!!

They tell you up front how much each survery or offer pays and what you need to do to receive credit for it. Most of them are quick. The long boring surveys usually pay you more for your time.

You can request payment from them on the 20th of each month, so I requested my $70.50 to be paid by check and 6 days later, I had a check. Cool! I mean it's not a get rich quick type of thing. Just a little extra money. Check out this cool banner they give each member to keep track of how much you are earning. You can also join for free and receive $5 sign-up bonus by clicking on this banner.

So now I am a member of a couple other survey sites that pay. I will be posting some of the banners on my blog. If anyone is interested in signing up for one, please do so from one of my links so I can get referral points.

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted. My computer was sick with a nasty virus for 2 months but was able to get out of the hospital right before Christmas.
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Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday and I pulled out 2 of my favorite personal memories of Dr. King. He died in 1968 and I was born in 1969... so I have no photos of marching with him, but what I do have is this only authorized version of ...free at last Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. album.

It is by far the most significant album of MLK Jrs's speeches. It includes :
I've Been To The Mountain Top, I Have A Dream and Drum Major Instinct Sermon.

These photos show the album that was recorded in 1968 by Gordy Motown Record Corp. Front cover, middle and back of the album.

PS. I guess you are wondering how did I come to have this collection? My G. Aunt gave it to my mother and I listen to this album while doing a high school essay about Dr. King. Loved it so much I asked my mother if I could keep it, she said yes.

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This is my first scrapbook I did while in high school and in it I gave a tribute to MLK in my own little way. Mind you, this was way before there was a national holiday for him. There was a political newspaper cartoon script that I thought did a wonderful job illustrating the economic gap between blacks and whites at the time. So I recreated it in my scrapbook using my own hand drawing. Hard to see I know because it's in pencils... click on it for a larger view.

The bottom portion of this page was created with cut outs from Ebony articles.

Above is half of the old newspaper script I used as my inspiration.

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Just For Fun!

Here are some more images from this 1983 -1987 high school scrapbook. No laughing... and the condition of the book is bad, but hopeful you can make out these images.

I drew by hand a picture of our high school on the first page. The picture on the right is what the school actually looks like.

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More pages.

I was Essence Affair Junior Princess 1986.

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I received lost of trophies in the 4 years I ran track and cross-country, but my mother didn't keep them after I went away to college. So, as bad as these look, this is all I have left to remember those winning moments with. These are my letters for track and field (never purchased the jackets to attach them to) and 3 metals-- 4 x 100 relay(1st pl), 400 meter ( 4th in state), and 4 x 800 (1st pl).

The newspaper article on the bottom of the page is talking about how the boys cross county team did very well. Margaret Blake was the fastest girl cross country runner in the state and she was on our team yay! She came in first any and every meet, in fact, she was state champion all 4 years ( I wonder how she did in college..humm). The article states that she did not run in this meet and out of 180 girls running I finished 10th place and the rest of the girls on our team finished 16th, 31st, 32nd and 44th place.

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That's me in the middle of the left photo. I am proud to say that all of us in this photo turn out well in life except one who met up with the wrong guy or vise versa and ended up strung out on drugs.
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Mrs. Charolette, as we call her, who presented and signed this 1987 graduation card to me, is the Aunt of one of my friends Charlene.

Years ago Mrs. Charolette's Sister and Brother-in-law where killed in a car accident leaving behind 3 daughters. Mrs. Charolette, a single elementary school teacher, took all 3 girls in with a teachers salary. The youngest of the girls, Charlene, was around 6/7 yrs old when she beginned attending school with me. I am going to keep it real when saying that Charlene gave her sweet Aunt nothing but trouble.

Last year Mrs. Charlette won $1,000,000 dollars (yepper $1 Million Dollars) playing the McDonald's Monopoly Game!!! The first thing out of everyone's mouths who knows her was... she deserves it!!!! I recently saw her on a McDonald's commerical. WTG Mrs. Charolette!!

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I use to love to draw when I was younger! I loved to draw cartoon characters the most. These are a few that I found in this scrapbook.

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This is my all time favorite that I did in my art class 1985. On the back of the page the teacher said "very well done!" grade 13/10 "The highest grade in 4 classes!" I am so happy I still have this.

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Well, that's anoth of 1st scrapbook memory lane. I know I need to do this scrapbook over using acid free products, but I really like it just the way it is... it tells the story just the way it was.

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Oh, one more thing... it snowed not once, but twice last week in Atlanta! WOW!!! Totally unusual.

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Again ... Respectfully saying thanks to MLK Jr. in my own little way Jan. 21st, 2008!