Altered book swap #3

Greetings Everyone,

Sorry to get behind on my altered book swap postings. I got a little side tracked with my new classes. But I am here now to show you my third entree into my altered Book clubs swap.  This time around I received Jolene's book "called Pick an Ancestor".  In other words if you could add someone to your family tree who would it be?
For me it would be Elizabeth Tudor otherwise known as Queen Elizabeth I of England. Why you ask?
Well to me she's a hero.  She was incredibly intelligent, shrewd, caring and courageous.  She could also be vain, capricious, cheap and enormously aggravating to those around her.  In short she was an enormously complicated and intriguing woman. 
To give a little information about Elizabeth I decided for the purposes of this swap to again use a very simple collage style and to try to add interest by using pockets and all the beautiful papers that I have been hoarding for years. 
The first spread above shows a portrait of her at her coronation at age 25. Yes at that young tender age she had the enormous responsibility of running a country. I am so glad that wasn't me.  Above the portrait is one of her quotes that I always find quite revealing.
"And in the end this shall be for me sufficient,
that a marble stone shall declare that a queen
having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin."
On the next page is a pocket with some Elizabeth I flash cards. These are always great at parties. You can view some of the flash cards below:

Each flash card has one fascinating Elizabeth fact.  Like this gem:  At the time of Elizabeth's death she owned over 300 gowns encrusted with gold and jewels.  Apparently the term Less is more meant absolutely nothing in Elizabethan England.  Was she one stylish lady or what?

Above you can see the next spread and even more incredible gowns.  The left side of the page has the "Darnley Portrait" and one of Elizabeth's poems.  Yes she wrote poetry too! There is one lovely phrase that has always been very evocative to me:  She says "my care is like my shadow in the Sun, follows me flying, flies when I pursue it"... Isn't that a beautifully turned phrase? 
Across from the poem is the text of Elizabeth's last know speech.  I've always tear up during this section.  I've always felt it was quite sincere.  She says:

For it is my desire to live nor reign no longer than my life
and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had
and may have, many princes more mighty and wise, sitting in
this seat. Yet you never had nor shall have any that will be
more careful and loving . 

This last page contains another pocket with and Elizabeth tag telling the reader why I choose this woman to be my ancestor. This is perhaps my favorite portrait and definitely my favorite dress.  You can see it better below.

This is called the Phoenix Portrait because the necklace she is wearing has a phoenix rising from the ashes worked in Gold and jewels in the center. If you blow up the picture you can see that this dress is absolutely covered in Gold Embroidery, bullion, jewels and peals.  Exquisite! My compliments to the seamstresses that made it.  It must have been very heavy and  take the better part of an hour to get into. Yikes!
I know this woman had her bad points.  But I honestly believe her good points outweighed the bad. When I am being tested by life (like now) I think about her intelligence and courage.  I can only hope that I measure up to her in some small way.
Until my next posting,

Connie