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MammaJamma
March 6, 2006

Bella - Entry #2

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This layout is one that I've wanted to do for as long as I've been scrapping, however never could seem to quite find the right papers. Thankfully, Urban Couture came along! It's perfect for what I had in mind.

The journaling is hidden on a sheet that slides out from behind the large photo. The rounded part of the frame is actually the top of hidden journaling. I created a sleeve for the sheet to slide into so that it would hold the correct placement since it is a key part of the page design.

I've also stamped a small flourish (Heidi Swapp "Drama" foam stamps) under the title to carry some of the yellow from the Urban Couture paper up higher on the border framing the title.

The scan is cutting off just the tiniest margins of the background paper (BG Ruby Shoes) from the top and bottom of the layout.

Thanks for looking!

TITLE:
Bella

PRODUCTS:
Cardstock (all Bazzill) - Beetle, Red Robin and Chowder
Patterned papers (all Basic Grey) - Fusion (Ruby Shoes); Urban Couture (Jacquard and Brocade); and Black Tie (Diamante)
[i]Rubons[/i]-
Basic Grey Holy Cow black alphabet
Basic Grey Holy Cow white flourish (on top of journaling card)
Heidi Swapp Scrapbook Scenery Diamond Drama 2 (directly on photo)
All My Memories Decorate Ribbon Deep Black (striped)
Heidi Swap Chipboard letters - Crimson upper and lower case (title)
Heidi Swapp Silhouette Images - Shapes black (on date tag)
Basic Grey [un]dressed chipboard tag
Heidi Swapp foam stamps - Drama

Non sponsor products
Making Memories Scrapbook Colors paint - banana
Melissa Francis Monogram Transfer frames (on date tag)
Crat-T Products Metallic (cream) rub-ons "ruby" (used to color date tag)
Colorbox Fluid Chalk inkpad - Chestnut Roan
Hero Arts Shadow Ink - soft grey

JOURNALING:
"Que Bella! That’s what comes to mind when I see this photo. The phrase means “how beautiful” in both Spanish and Italian, and it seems a perfect statement on this portrait. This beauty is my grandmother Maria de Jesus, known to her grandchildren simply as Nana Mary.

Our family is fortunate to have some beautiful portraits of Nana Mary when she was young. She was striking, photogenic and clearly enjoyed having her picture taken. Of all the early images of Nana, this one intrigues me the most.

There are so many things about this portrait that I adore. It’s a work of photographic art, elegant and sophisticated. I love her non-traditional yet perfectly chosen bouquet of calla lilies picked from the family’s garden. I’m fascinated by the absolutely tranquil and serene expression on Nana’s face. Most of all, she is wearing the most stunning wedding dress I think I’ve ever seen, and I only recently learned she made this couture gown with its frothy train herself. This photo is a family treasure cherished by all her descendants and often referred to simply as “Nana’s picture”.

The portrait, however, is most compelling to me for the untold stories that lie within. I want to know more about the woman in the portrait. Who was she? What were her hopes? Her dreams? What attracted her to this man that she married? What were those early years like for her? How did she cope when he abandoned her?

Nana was very reserved when discussing her past. She wouldn’t talk about that first marriage. Despite its beautiful inception it ended after less than ten years, leaving her alone with three small children in the middle of a world war. Joe left the country and returned to his native Mexico. I can’t help but wonder what affect this had on Nana. Did this contribute to the hard, bitter side of her that we sometimes saw?

Happily she found a new love and remarried, so maybe it was respect for Grandpa Mike that kept her quiet. Or perhaps simple vanity was at the root. She had been such a beauty and as the years passed she seemed to find aging difficult. Whatever the case, it was a closed chapter and try as we might we could not find a way to re-open it.

Sadly, Nana has passed now so there are no more opportunities to unlock the mysteries of this portrait. I don’t expect to find answers to my questions, but I keep hoping somehow that I will."

The portrait was taken by Ricci Studios of Los Angeles (apparently no longer in business).


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