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Lensography of Bev Owens aka BevsPaper

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A little history on Bev

Hello, I'm Bev Owens aka BevsPaper here on Squidoo and I would like to welcome you to my own little lensography. I'll start out with a little about myself trying really hard not to put you to sleep.

I arrived into this world on April 22, 1952 which just happened to be my maternal grandmother's birthday too. That made for a very unique connection between the two of us that went way beyond the already special bond between a grandmother and grandchild.

My first marriage was blessed with two lovely daughters who you see in the picture at the left. Erika, my youngest is on the left of me and Stephanie is on my right. So from that explanation, you've probably figured out that Bev must be in the middle.

After becoming a widow in 1995, I decided to follow a passion of mine that had been dormant for many years. I began to collect antique and vintage things and surround myself with history. That led to becoming a antiques and collectible dealer in 1997.

This lensography will share some of my past and maybe explain why I create the lenses that I create.

The Paper Trail and it's beginnings

A company owned by Bev Owens

I have a real affinity for graphic artists of the past. The artists who made a living illustrating advertisements, pages in books, magazine covers, and movie posters really intrigue me. Their styles and detail in their work just blow me away. They had a way of telling a story with just one illustration and making me fondly look back into life in America.

That love of the artistic work in advertising and magazine covers is what created the desire to open The Paper Trail. I opened shop online back on March 1, 1997. I had no idea what I was doing at the time, I just knew that I loved this old paper and wanted to share it with the world.

As The Paper Trail has grown, I have expanded to selling just about anything that involves paper including used books, comics, ephemera, sewing patterns, and back issue magazines. As I state on my website home page, "If it was printed on paper sometime in the past, you will find it in my shop."

Illustration Art Has Come into it's Own!

Illustration art has always been a love of mine and was how I got started in this business of antiques and collectibles with my specialty being in the form of illustrated paper from the past.

Apparently I'm not the only one who loves the illustrators of our past. The Heritage Illustration Art Auction was held in October 2008 and sold over $2 Million of original artwork used for magazine covers, calendars, and advertising in general. That is extraordinary!

One of the big winners of the day was the picture above done by John Falter for a Saturday Evening Post cover in 1953. The title "Young Astronaut" and the winning bid $83,650.

Out of the top 10 sales for the day, Gil Elvgren had the best results. Elvgren is famous for his tastefully done pin-up girls found on calendars, ink blotters, and advertising from the mid 1930's through 1972. Five of the top 10 were Gil's works bringing in a total of $272,459. Now that is impressive.

The Paper Trail Site Design

Bev Owens Ideas for Branding Your Website

As I started to build my website I wanted to have something unique and colorful for my logo. Something that would define my presence on the internet and be memorable.

I hired a graphic designer and told her that I wanted something with a retro feel. I'm a child of the 1950's so I wanted a look from that era with a sort of Atomic Age appeal. Something that kind of looked like a sign from a Drive-in Restaurant. She nailed it with the very first attempt and I was off and running. It became the inspiration I needed to "skin" my pages.

For my background I wanted something that fit the logo and stayed with the 50's theme. I came up with the polka-dots because dots were hot in the 1950's. There were polka-dots on everything from clothing, curtains, kitchen bowls, dinnerware, glassware, cookie jars, and sunglasses. The world was crazy for dots. I added the stripes as an accent to bring some color in from the logo and stripes were pretty popular back in the 50's too.

I think it is so important to brand our websites. Paying a professional graphic designer for your logo is, in my humble opinion, the best money you can spend in the beginning. You need something that sets you apart from the pack. Something that catches the customer or readers eye and makes them want to see what you have to offer. Have it be relevant to your website but also have your unique personality. Pick an era that you particularly like and that will fit with the content of your website and go with it.

A Niche Or Two From BevsPaper

aka Bev Owens

Below you will find the lensographies that I have created to contain what I consider my "niche" topics. These are the topics that I have written more than 5 lenses around a general theme.

  • Book Reviews And Authors Lensography I'm an avid reader and every once in a while I like to review a book, write about an author, or tell about books in general. To conserve space here on my general lensography, I made a special lensography that showcases all of the lenses about these topics that I've written.

  • Flowers And Plants Lensography Growing flowers, house plants, and general gardening has been a large part of my life. I've written a few lenses about my love of plants in general and found that it was time for a lensography for those lenses. Feel free to click the link to see the things that I've written about on this topic.

  • Native Americans: The People, Culture, and Spirituality This became somewhat of a personal niche of mine and I decided to condense this general lensography by creating a separate lensography of my Native American lenses.

  • RocketMoms Lensography During the second session of Rocket Moms I wrote a total of 13 lenses. To conserve space on this my general lensography, I decided to create a lenosgraphy for all of those lenses to be in one place. I also have the lenses created from Sessions 3, 4, and 5 included in this RocketMoms Lensography.

  • Vintage Magazine Advertising Lensography Well, this is my specialty in the world of ephemera so naturally I would consider this a "niche".

GroupMaster - Ephemera and Paper Collectibles Headquarters

I'm the GroupMaster for the group Ephemera and Paper Collectibles Headquarters here on Squidoo. Our group was recently awarded this wonderful badge.

The group is for lensmasters who have written a lens about ephemera or paper collectibles.

If you would like to join the group, please submit your lens here: Ephemera and Paper Collectibles Headquarters

GroupMaster - Grieving Souls of Suicide

Another group that I started here on Squidoo is Grieving Souls of Suicide. It is a group for lensmasters who have written a lens about the grief they have experienced from the loss of a loved one from the act of suicide.

Other accepted submissions would be a lens about a person who made the choice of taking their own life.

The group exists with HOPE of many things - healing, support, and prevention.

I was honored to receive this badge for my lens that belongs to this group

You may submit a lens to this group at Grieving Souls of Suicide

Lenses Written By BevsPaper

My Squidoo lenses to date are divided into categories of interest, more for my own sanity but you might find it helpful too.

Animal And Pet Topics In Lenses

by BevsPaper

Animals and pets are topics that I love to write about. Dogs, cats, and other animals are included in the lenses that I have created.
Pet Athletic Club
The Pet Athletic Club, PAC, is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and provides doggie daycare along with training.
Mamma Cat And Her Kittens
The story of a rescue of Mamma Cat and her kittens.
Sheltie Gift Items
Ideas for gift items for the owners of the Sheltie breed of dog, also known as Shetland Sheepdogs.
Bernese Mountain Dog Gifts
Gift ideas for the owners of the dog breed, Bernese Mountain Dog.
The Northern Right Whale
Learn about the Northern Right Whale.
Photographic Posters Of Cheetahs
A display of some incredible photographic posters of Cheetahs along with information about the big cat.
Litterbox Tails
Chessie the tabby cat tells some feline gossip around the litterbox.
Beds For Indoor Cats
Shopping for beds for indoor cats with recommendations from Patches the calico cat.

Bev Owens (BevsPaper) Writes About Automobiles

toy car and garageGrowing up in the 1950s, I love the Fab Fifties Autos that are now classics. So many great looking cars that are highly prized by collectors today.

I have always loved fast cars too! Back when I was a kid we loved to race and we also loved our music to be about racing. There were many rock n roll racing songs for us to play as we barreled down the road.

BevsPaper aka Bev Owens Loves Baby Topics

babyBeing the Grandma to three adorable little girls, I love to write about baby topics. Sometimes, I have researched a toy that might be good for the girls to play with. When the girls were expecting, I had a ton of fun looking at baby nursery ideas. Here are some articles that I have written in the Baby topic frame of mind:

Birthday Gift Giving

Lenses that Bev Owens as BevsPaper has written with gift ideas for milestone birthdays and the different months of the year birthdays.
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Classic Cartoons And Comics

A Topic Bev Owens Loves To Write About

cartoon catAs a child, I loved to watch cartoons and read comic books. Well, truth be told, I still love cartoons and comic books along with animated movies. I am just a big kid at heart. Some of the articles that I have written about are:

Christmas Articles In My Lensography

Christmas has always been very special to me and I've begun to create some lenses about it.
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Easter Topics Found In The Lensography Of BevsPaper

vintage style bunnyBeing a collector of vintage illustrations, I love some of the collectible Easter items that can be found. Sometimes creative people will take old illustrations and make them into a new design. I found some fun Easter Cards with a vintage flair for sending to my family and friends.

Electronic Device Topics

by BevsPaper

nook ereader

An article or two about electronic devices and items that go with these devices written by BevsPaper.

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Kindle: The Next Generation

On February 24, 2009 the next generation of the di more...0 points

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NOOKcolor Covers And Cases: Color Field

Lovely and colorful NOOKcolor covers and cases are more...0 points

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NookColor: Industriell Easel Cover

I love the Industriell Easel style cover for my No more...0 points

Famous People and Celebrities

Lenses by BevsPaper about People, some are famous and some not famous at all but people who have touched her life in some way.
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Food topic articles by BevsPaper (Bev Owens)

A few articles under the topic of food that I have composed.
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Giant Squid Community Fair

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Grandparent Topics

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Halloween Topics Written by BevsPaper

Bev Owens as BevsPaper created these articles about Halloween.
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Health Concerns

The lenses I have written about Health concerns. Whether it be our mental health or our physical health.
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Holidays (General) Topics

Articles written by BevsPaper (Bev Owens) about holidays from a general standpoint. Whimsical and odd days that are celebrated along with celebrations that are of a local nature.
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Bev Owens Loves Interior Design Topics

Lenses written by BevsPaper (Bev Owens) with the theme of Interior Design.
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Bev Owens And Jewelry

Articles showcasing specific types of jewelry.
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Magazine Cover Art and Illustration Art

Lenses written by BevsPaper about the magazine cover art and artists of the past.
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Mens Fashion

A collection of articles written about mens fashion. Some look back to the history of the clothing that men preferred in different eras of style and others showcase fashion preferred by men today.
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Movie Reviews

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Old Sheet Music Lens

Another type of paper that is sold at The Paper Trail, so from time to time Bev will write a lens about the wonderful old music sheets of the past.
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Bev Owens (BevsPaper) Writes About Paper Dolls

I loved playing with paper dolls when I was a little girl. Now some of those books of dolls are collectible.
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Personality Series Of Articles By BevsPaper (Bev Owens)

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Bev Owens Recommends Places To Visit

The articles that I have written telling you about places to visit. Mostly I discuss places in Indiana where I live but there are other places, too.
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Railroad Topics

Lenses that BevsPaper has written about the old Railroads
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Recycling Topics Written By BevsPaper (Bev Owens)

For a greener earth we can all use some ideas on recycling and re-purposing items in our homes. Such as:
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Sewing, Sewing Patterns, Fabric, And Crafts

articles by BevsPaper and Bev Owens

Under the pen name of BevsPaper, Bev Owens has written the following lenses about Sewing and Sewing Patterns. Along with fabric suggestions and crafting ideas.
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Spirituality and Personal Growth

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Sports Topics

Lenses written by BevsPaper pertaining to sports.
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Squidoo Topics

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Thanksgiving Lenses In My Lensography

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BevsPaper Loves Tinkerbell

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A Virtual Toy Chest Of Articles In The Lensography of Bev Owens

aka BevsPaper

These lenses will, mostly, be about toys I remember my girls playing with although they won't all be from that era. I get nostalgic sometimes and think of toys. Oh my! I just realized that I'm old enough to have children whose toys are now considered vintage! Modern toys will also be included from time to time.
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Valentines Day Articles By Bev Owens

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Shopping Reviews By BevsPaper

Articles written by BevsPaper giving shopping reviews of products that we purchase from time to time.
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Wedding Topics In The Lensography of BevsPaper

aka Bev Owens

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Western Topics By BevsPaper

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BevsPaper also Blogs...

Native American Totems
Discovering the medicine and lessons learned from the spirits of animals and all living things.
Bevs Coffee Break
Bevs Coffee Break: Come sit a spell and enjoy a little coffee with me as I talk about antiques, collectibles, Native American Wisdom, writing on Squidoo, and just anything on my mind.
DIY--Do It Yourself Reviews
Product reviews for products that will help you do DIY do it yourself home projects yourself including home improvement, interior decorating, redecorating, saving money, energy saving, hobbies, and home maintenance.
Gifts From Grandma
Suggesting gifts for girls and boys from a Grandmother's point of view.

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BevsPaper

Hello, my name is Bev Owens and welcome to my lenosgraphy where you will find an index of all of my work here on Squidoo written under the pen name of... more »

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