self portrait tuesday - personal history

i am really excited about the theme for january's spt, a reflection on personal history through old family photographs and portraits. i had forgotten how much i loved to pour over my mothers old photos when i was younger, and amandas lovely post jogged my memory. she has also motivated me to get over to my grandma's house and do some scanning of some of the treasures she has on her walls. for my contribution this week, i am using some photos i have posted in the past (until i get some new ones scanned!) but which i think really fit the theme.


this first picture is a watercolor done by my aunt of a photograph, also taken by my aunt, of me when i was about four years old. this used to be hanging at my grandmas house (with all the other treasures) and i loooooved it and gazed at it for years and years and years growing up. i remember distinctly thinking, "wow, I am in a painting! me! that is a painting of me!", arent all kids self centered early on in life?? my grandma gave this painting to me for christmas last year, much to my surprise and delight. now when i look at it, it is an entirely different thought process running through my mind. it goes more like this, "i really wish i could paint. that watercolor looks great... i love this old frame." and just last night, as i was looking at it again with thoughts of this spt, it struck me like a ton of bricks, this painting looks exactly like collette now!! look for yourself!


can you believe it? of course she is a few years younger than i was in the painting, but the cheeks, the hair!! its all the same! it makes me so happy to think that besides passing on genes, perhaps i will pass on a love of family history to eliot and collette. whether that comes through photographs, or crafts or quilts (someday...) just the idea of them enjoying things like this later in life makes me smile. check out more stp bloggers here.