Challenge #8-2013 MMDT The Fabulous Fifties

Life in 2013 has been a series of crisis events for our family. Each week has brought a multitude of issues to deal with and keep moving on to what is next. So as I approached this challenge I looked forward to reflecting on a time I am told was simpler, and less complicated. My personal recollections of the fifties are very limited. I was two and a half when my brother was born in ’59. Long before families got to join in seeing the new baby I got to wave to my Mum from the parking lot of the hospital. The next event two months later was a return to the hospital, but this time they were letting me in…via the ER entrance…emergency appendectomy. The memory is so vivid. So not something I need to or want to scrap about! I chose instead to sort through Dad’s old slides, his records, pulled some things from closets and bins. Then headed out to the old Drive-In Theater down the street where I started shooting some photos. I searched fonts & styles in advertising, scoured Pinterest for inspiration, searched Google under Pop Culture and countless other resources for this the final challenge in our first unit…

Challenge #8  -  Photo Challenge - Inspired by… Pop Culture from the Decade you were born.

Do a little research about the Pop Culture in the decade you were born – let it inspire the photos you take/use

Create a page that is inspired by the events, entertainment, or fashion, etc. of that decade.

So, here’s the journey I took:

Finally settling on the Brick Grid 12 x 12 with black and white Paper Tiles and making some of my own “chrome” 1” tiles I used a ribbed embossing folder to recreate the pattern of chrome edges found on tables and chairs and diner stools typical of the era. For the title, a large Robin’s Egg Paper tile was used to print out the title according to Tami’s technique, then trimmed to the desired retro shape, the font was “Fabulous 50’s”.  In addition the records for some of my journaling were created with several sizes of Spellbinder’s Circles, black and assorted colors of cardstock and mounted with mini-foam mounting squares.

Page 1

Here’s the journaling:

The first row of photos contains prints of my Dad’s slides…the subject…me. In the first My Mum is wearing a typical shirtwaist dress with a full skirt worn in the decade. The second shows one of those modern conveniences for making hanging your laundry out on the line…a double laundry basket. (Apparently, it also made a good place for me to sit) The third is actually from the 60’s…but it’s here to show off the saddle shoes that were so popular in the 50’s and 60’s and I can remember having a pair at college in the 70’s, they were so comfy! The final shot on that line is of the Presidential Motorcade of Dwight Eisenhower on the campaign trail in 1956 in Cleveland right in front of my parent’s apartment…if you squint above the heads of the people you will see Ike standing up in his car waving. This could have been the first of many campaign events I would attend, but I’m not sure if I was here yet!

The bottom row is one of the favorite events of the summer around here, where all the owners of classic cars pick a local spot to congregate and show off their “pride & joy,”

With Chevy’s being the first car I can remember being able to identify as a kid and my favorite car Ford Thunderbird I just had to feature their distinctive styles.

Page 2

Top row begins with our local Drive-In Theater. This is still the go-to place to catch a double feature in the summer. While many of these theaters have long gone out of business, this one like many others doubles as the local Flea Market in the daytime.  The Cowboys were the Kings of the Silver Screen and the television screen too! These have been many of my favorites and with modern technology I have been collecting some of the best on DVD’s. Given that many began in the 50’s before I would have seen them, I have to conclude I fell in love with the cowboys in re-runs in the 60’s. It’s been wonderful going back to an even simpler time wonderful story lines and great characters. The diner stools, the juke box and the diner counter complete with a waitress in her poodle skirt with her crinoline showing were all from a visit to 5 & Diner in Tulsa, OK while at the Oklahoma State Fair’s Wedding Cake Show.

The “portable” record player has been a part of our home for years, the rainbow crayon design is, I suppose, a customize job by the kids. Being tossed out by the school my husband worked at years ago, it worked great until we could no longer replace the needle.  Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop made their debut in March 1956 on the Captain Kangaroo show. This iconic lamb has traveled the generations well. She was there for my kids in the 80’s and 90's, the puppet was Libby’s favorite. Most recently “Aurora” has brought out a small version for new and old fans. Dad’s record collection came to me somehow and I arranged some of the 78’s and 45’s of the time. Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Rosemary Clooney are a few of the records here.

 Overall, when I think of the 50’s it is the black and white square tiles so typical in the malt shops or diners, We used to have a 50’s red kitchen table with chrome edge that always figures into the color scheme for me.  The other color I associate with the time is the aqua. It just had to be those colors for this layout. 

I know it is easy today for the fifties to become a target to mock. The TV shows reflecting a lifestyle that few today can relate to, but it certainly wasn’t foreign then, and after the drama in our lives in recent weeks, it has been a comfort to travel back, if only for a brief time and revisit that time and place in history. Thanks for sharing it with me!

 Be sure to stop by everyone and cheer them on, thanks so much for all your comments they are always an encouragement!

Andrea