Day 10 of the 30 Day Photography Challenge

Today's photography subject matter has to do with childhood memories. I have a lot of great memories. But I've photographed just one today.

My mother was very artsy-crafty and was always working on home projects with us kids, there were five of us in the Hinsvark family. Especially at Christmas we would sit around the dining table making ornaments and decorations out of whatever Mom could get her hands on for free. We lived on very frugal means, and that meant finding ways to be creative without too much expense. She would collect used Christmas cards, wrapping paper, outdated wallpaper sample books--anything and everything--and we'd have a blast with poster paints, papier mache, flour paste and lots of glitter.

I immediately thought about the fun we had cutting lengths of paper and gluing them together into links for paper chain garlands. We were boisterous, all actively grabbing for glitter or what not, singing Christmas songs. It is a good memory.

Once the decision of subject was made, I also decided to use an outdated calendar of ancient Japanese woodblock scenes for the strips. I spent four years of my childhood in Tokyo, Japan and I'm still very much attracted to Japanese art, textiles, decorative aesthetic. I cut strips from the calendar and linked them together. There are bits of Japanese landscapes, snow scenes, and/or calligraphy on each of the links.

As a result of talking with my sister, Mel about the subject of today's photo, we're going to continue making the links and use the paper garland in the living room. We've both been a bit "Bah! Humbug!" and perhaps this will ease us into a more festive frame of mind.

Day 10

Childhood Memory

30 Day Photography Challenge