Come visit me on Saturday, November 12th at St. Matthew Catholic Church. It’s their first annual Craft Show and it runs from 9 till 2. They’re located in Lake Worth Florida on 6090 Hypoluxo Road just east of Jog road on the south side. I’ll have all of my Heritage Books as well as my handmade jewelry, greeting cards, frames and more! Hope to see you there. Here’s a sneak peek at one of my handmade frames . . . the pink flower is a vintage pin that you can wear!

To me California is all about food, wine and beauty . . . . all that delights the senses. Michael and I first experienced California with our friends Bill and Cindy Cannova in 2005. Our travels began in Pasadena to antique hunt at the Rose Bowl Flea market. We drove along the coast to Hearst Castle and on to San Francisco. We ended our journey in Napa Valley.

We fell in love with wine country and returned the following year to celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary in August of 2006. A week just wasn’t enough so for our 25 year anniversary in 2011 we rented a home in St. Helena. We spent 2 weeks taking in all the things that we love about California. Food so delicious that I had to close my eyes to savor every flavor. Wineries at every turn, each one more beautiful then the next. A cool breeze blowing through the window. The fog burning off the mountain. Vineyards, rolling hills and windy roads. Flowers a bloom with hummingbirds hovering. Art of all kinds. Fantasy gardens with crystals dangling from trees. Beauty surrounded us. Relaxing and enjoying this special occasion, celebrating 25 years of marriage in beautiful sunny California.

Michael’s brother Dave joined us at the end of our vacation along with his wife, Barbara and daughter Paige. They stayed on at the house that we rented for the third week. It was such a joy spending time with family and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Life is good!

I am almost finished the book I am making with all the thousands of photos that I took on our trip. Here’s a preview of some of the spreads . . .

Twenty-five years ago on August 16, 1986 Michael and I were married. The big day took place 7 years after our first date on August 16, 1979. Our love has grown stronger with each passing day. Two people, one life. I couldn’t be happier.

The following photos are courtesy of Virginia Streader. She is so fortunate to have such a lovely collection of photos of her family that she can incorporate in to her genealogy research.Virginia’s mother, Lillian Roth Folk

Lillian and Frederick Roth

The Roth family at Coney Island New York

I am trilled to announce that the heritage book, “The Maternal Ancestors and Family History of Barbara Ann Page Stocks”, which I designed for Leanne Stocks Baraban, was admitted into The Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Washington. D.C. The DAR Library is very selective about accepting books to their inventory and it is an honor to be approved.

The library of the Daughters of the American Revolution is one of the most valuable research facilities in the country. The DAR Library was founded in 1896 as a collection of genealogical and historical publications for the use of staff genealogists verifying application papers for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Shortly after 1900 the growing collection was opened to the public and has remained so ever since.

This is a page from the book about Frank Miller. What a treasure it is that the family still had his diary which he kept while he served in the Civil War. He even spoke about the death of Abraham Lincoln.

My latest project is a book about a wedding veil bought in the 1920′s and worn by over 20 brides. Each couple’s initials and wedding date are embroidered into the veil. I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph the veil and take closeup detail shots of each one.

Now we are collecting all of the brides photographs wearing the veil. However, there was one bride who was married in 1947 that no one seemed to be able to identify. With only the date and initials to go by I set out to see if I could solve the mystery for my client. I am happy to announce that the “mystery bride” has been solved. I was able to track down the wedding announcement in the New York Times, which is no easy feat since most searches require a name.

Above is a photo of 3 generations of extraordinary women that wore both the veil and the wedding dress.

We are off to a good start. I can’t wait to continue on!

Here’s a photo of the nineteenth century Wesel iron handpress which is the central feature in the Letterpress Studio.

Their library focuses on the artists’ book and on all aspects of the Book Arts. This includes artists using the book as a means of artistic expression, fine bindings, limited edition printings, hand papermaking and paper decoration, and any of the handcrafts that artisans use to create books. I am so happy to have discovered this wonderful place!

I love this quote from Maureen . . .

“A family photograph collection is more than a random assortment of images—each picture is a time capsule that documents a moment from the lives of our ancestors.”

Maureen Taylor is an internationally known expert on photo identification. She will be giving private photo consultations at the Florida State Genealogical Society Conference November 12-13, 2010. So find those photos. Hurry and set up your appointment. Slots are limited and will fill quickly.

Maureen travels extensively giving presentations on photo identification, photo preservation and family history. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and on NBC’s The Today Show, ABC’s The View and NPR. In 2007, the Wall Street Journal called her the “nation’s foremost historical photo detective.” I am so excited to have the opportunity to meet her. I hope that she will visit my booth.

Maureen Taylor will be speaking on the following topics

• Discovering Genealogical Clues in Family Photographs
• How to Find Family Photographs On and Off-Line
• The Last Muster: Photographs and Stories from the American Revolution
• Telling the Family Story – From DVDs to Self-Publishing

Maureen Taylor’s book “Preserving Your Family Photographs” is an invaluable source of information. The best book out there for anyone interested in this subject. Maureen has really influenced and inspired me to spread the word on how important and worthwhile it is to preserve your own families past, especially family photos and the stories behind them. I look forward to meeting her at the conference.