THE scrapbook to end all scrapbooks

THIS box was waiting for me in the lobby of my building when I got home from work today. Ohhhhhh, boy! A box this size doesn't often land on my doorstep, so I was thrilled to get it inside and rip it open.I had an inkling it was from my Aunt Joycie, who wrote me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in her grandmother's scrapbook. Now, when someone offers me anything from their grandmother (or grandfather or old uncle or great-relative...), I jump at the chance of being the receiver of goods! Joycie told me she and her mother used to sit down together and spend hours looking through the book, turning each page carefully and talking bout what the stories might be behind each piece saved.
I carefully peeled back the cardboard edges and, I don't know if it was on purpose or not, when I opened the box, the first thing I saw, almost like it was sneaking out to say 'hello' was this tin-type photo.
I need to ask Joycie if one of these three women is her grandmother. I only own two tin-type photos, so I will add this to my tiny collection of "most important" things. On continuing to open the box, I came to the prize itself. This is the cover of what I'm now calling 'the original scrapbook' scrapbook. This woman didn't just save things and toss them between pages. She lovingly pasted stories together.
I couldn't stop taking photos of the pages, but knew I had to....So, here's a few to start with...


I'm actually quite speechless about the whole thing. If you're a paper lover like me, this is something you search for at every estate sale, flea market or antique store you go to...and here it is, page after page, filled with these old german cut out cards, and fur-lined dresses on women, and old soap ads that are actually photos turned into postcards....

I've got hours ahead of me to spend peering into these pages. And, all the while, I'll be thinking about Joycie's grandmother, too.