I have been wanting to make a family tree for sometime now. Something that visually showed a connection to my ancestry. Martha Stewart has the best collection of tutorials on ways you can make and display your lineage.
I was inspired to try something like the Hand-Lettered Family Tree tutorial. This project ended up being as easy as they come. I broke down my knowledge of my family heritage into four parts, representing my four grandparents and wrote out the lineage as far back as I knew. I was then able to get an idea of how to best form the tree. I had a great deal more knowledge of both of my grandmothers’ family histories, so I placed them in the center of the tree to add a fuller look. I started at the base by writing my name and my brothers in pencil. I then wrote out the different names of family members creating the branches. I thought I would keep needing to re-do the tree to get just the right look, but actually this was my first attempt. It all came together organically. I was then able to trace over the pencil with a black gel pen and erase the few pencil marks.
I then framed the picture and decide it would go well amongst other nature scenes in the living room. I like that from farther away you may not even realize that the tree is formed in words. Yet, upon closer inspection it is easy to see and understand my lineage.
