Don't you sometimes wonder what your ancestors from old photographs would tell about their lives if they could still talk to you? I do. And today's art journal page is all about this question - showing my great granddad and his elder brother. This time I went once again for a reduced colour scheme - using only black and white with some sprinkles of Mr. Huey's "gold". I wanted to have the main focus with the script elements and the awesome texture they provide. I used my newly bought Tim Holtz layering stencils and some decoration paste for the background and once dry I gave the page some strokes with white gesso. Then I stamped the Kaisercraft dictionnary and the Red Lead statement text images onto sandwich paper which I tore to pieces afterwards. I glued them to the page, creating several layers. I partially blended the textures with DI "black soot". Then I die cut the Sizzix film strip and glued it in place after some sprinkeling my page with black and gold colour. The image of my great granddad and his brother is a copy, which I distressed at the edges before I placed it on my page with a piece of film strip washi tape and some glue. I die cut some letters for my "question" and combined them with some handwriting. I often read that one should learn to love his own handwriting...but I admit it is not that easy. Actually my own handwriting wouldn't be too easy to read (even though I like how it looks ;)... so I tried to give it a calligraphic touch instead. Some more embellishing with script candy and some Tim Holtz grunge texture stamp. Done. I hope you like this page! Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments on my first art journal pages! They really mean a lot to me and keep me going! :) How I love that picture! They look so brave and confident, dont't they? I really wonder how childhood was in those days.... I enter Journal Journeys Challenge #23 "Childhood" with my page. I also enter it to Simon Says' Wednesday challenge "Anything Goes" and Art Journal Journey's "Less is More" challenge. And last but not least I enter this to the Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2013, as I created the background with two of his awesome new stencils! Hugs and happy crafting! die amelie x