Ideas on How to Present Family Tree? Gift for Elderly Relative.

BeausBo

Hi All :j

I was a member of this forum maaaany moons ago but for the life of me I cannot think what my username was or what my email address would have been to reset my password :think:

Anyway, I have decided to register again as I often find myself answering other members questions but of course I cannot post which is rather frustrating......I'm sad I know

Okay, so I can't be much help to anyone else right this minute as I need my beauty sleep for work in the morning (and boy do I need it :eek: ) but hopefully what I am *trying* to achieve might help give others inspiration for relatives....Especially older ones who don't want anything as such.
It might also prove a nice gift for anyone who knows someone with dementia- But I have no experience in this area to say for sure!

Soooo.....(I know you must be thinking "Just get to the point already!!!" lol) I have a very old piece of paper with my family history dating back over a hundred years- Since it was written we have newer additions and I would basically like to 'make' it in to something nice for my Great Aunt who dotes on the family and is very proud of her roots.

How can this be done without it just being typed up? Can anyone think of anything fancy but not tacky that she can maybe display in her home?

I'm usually quite good with ideas and crafting but I'm at a loss with this one- I think I'm feeling the pressure because I want it to be perfect for her.......If it turns out right then this could potentially be the best present I have ever made If it flops then....well......I have no backup plan so it can't possibly flop!!!!

Thanks for reading this far Hope to see you around the forums xx

RainbowChild_2

Welcome back! I returned tonight after many moons too.

What a wonderful idea you have come up with... I thought of a couple of ideas...? They might not be wonderful but....

A scrapbook using the modern scrapbooking methods..there are so many materials and ways to display things out now that you could utilise to make it beautiful...even if you don't have photos or pictures of family members you could use...headlines/news/pictures from the relevant times you could also include a printed chart in this

Write a story

This one will take a lot of time ......but possibly a cross stitch chart?

The first idea is definitely my favourite!

I hope this helps to get your creative juices flowing and I am sure that whatever you decide on your Aunt will be delighted with something so personal and meaningful...remember to take plenty of hankies when you present it to her ( maybe embroider her name or initials one )

BeausBo

Thank you for your ideas RC and welcome back too :beer:

I love both of your suggestions although I don't think I would be able to make a cross stitch chart for over 10 generations of family dating back to the 1700s :eek: I'm not that talented unfortunately

And the scrapbook idea is fantastic- I LOVE it!!! I have a fair bit of information as to who did what job, who married where, photos, army memorabilia etc. etc. so that idea is truly wonderful although I think I have left it too late to start for this year. I think I may draft up an updated version of the family tree and jazz it up anyway I can and then collect scraps that I can add to a scrapbook and present it to her for her next Birthday in the summertime

Thanks again RC xx

nearlyrich

I did a family tree for a friend who was 90, what do you get Men anyway ? I just did three generations back and three forward included all the grandchildren and great grandchildren and researched his grandparents and great grandparents. I put it all into a tree in Family tree maker software and had it printed and framed locally. He thought it was great and so did all his family..very rewarding.

BeausBo

And for anyone with a slightly less 'busy' tree than mine, I did come across this which looks beautiful if you scroll down to the finished framed product- There is also a template on there to help you get started :j


decoratingtheville.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/family-tree-artwork.html[/url]

BeausBo

I bet he was made up nearlyrich :T Its something that I would personally love myself :j

Can I ask if you had to pay for the software? I'm useless at anything techy xx

Sticky77

What I have seen and this may not be any use for a big family tree is a cushion with an appliqu! tree decorated with hearts where the leaves should be and on them the names of the family.
HTH x

nearlyrich

I use family tree maker which does have a cost however you don't need to keep updating it I think the total investment was about £40 as I got it on offer as few years ago from Ancestry which I subscribe to it was part of a sign up deal. It integrates well with the Ancestry files and you can work out how many cousins in a generation etc all very interesting.