Take Twelve Project - March 12

March 12 was just one of those days.  Things seemed to start against me and wouldn't let up as the day went on.  From disappointing doctor visits to breaking cameras, it was the last type of day that I would want scrapbooked and shared with the masses.  However, I think that is the beauty of Ella Publishing Co.'s Take Twelve Challenge - it encourages us to document our lives as they are - the good and the bad, the bright and the dismal.

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The design inspiration for the layout was actually a JCrew store window in Cambridge, Massachusetts filled with accordion rosettes of various shapes and sizes swirling against a black backdrop.  There is additional meaning behind this design, however.  For the most part, March 12 felt like a really dark and dreary day filled with black and gray clouds hanging over me.  However, despite my own self-pity, there were the bright moments of sunshine that made me remember that my life isn't that bad and that I too can overcome this day.

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The array of yellow accordion flowers in my layout represents these moments of sunshine on my gloomy March 12th day - lunch with dear friends, Charlotte's silliness, watching her play with Justin.  And so, even though it wasn't the perfectly balanced day that I wish every day was, March 12 was a reflection of my life and I think is definitely worth remembering.

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Supplies:  Patterned Paper (Echo Park, My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper, Sassafras); Letter Stickers (American Crafts); Buttons (Basic Grey); Other (Fiskars Punches; We R Memory Keepers Floss).

You can find my other Take Twelves layouts here and here.

Remember, you have until midnight EST Sunday, March 18 to upload your project here to win the awesome prize given away at Ella Publishing worth $50!!  Hope you get to play along!!

Project 100 Update:  80 down, 20 to go.

Project Life - Week 2

Here is my Project Life spread for Week 2 (January 9-15).  Again, I reached for bits and pieces of my January Counterfeit Kit to put the photos and journaling cards together.

I'm still using 8.5 x 11 page protectors for larger memorabilia and other photos.   This week - a place mat from Newport Creamery and a map from Mystic Aquarium.

 

Week 2 Highlights.  Charlotte's belated birthday cake.  Mystic aquarium (despite the freezing weather).  Ten pounds of lobster. 

Project 100 Update:  22 down.  78 to go.

A Love Story at the Hermitage {a scrapbook layout}

One of my favorite stops during our cross-country drive was Andrew Jackson's personal residence, the Hermitage.  The grounds were simply stunning and, while the home itself was relatively modest, it was filled with period furnishings and artifacts original to President Jackson.  Amazing.

Now this is pretty uncommon for me but for this layout I focused my layout on one of the stories we learned about during our visit to the Hermitage.

The inspiration for this layout was this sketch from Practical Scrappers. 

 

Since the layout was about the garden and Jackson's love for his wife, I wanted to focus on using floral embellishments.  Thankfully, my January Counterfeit Kit had plenty of Sassafras foldies and blooms.

For the title, I used a combination of American Crafts Thickers and Basic Grey alpha stickers.  I also stitched across the actual letters, a technique my amazingly talented and crafty friend, Brenda, frequently does and I always swoon over.  I also wanted to incorporate some memorabilia into the layout so I printed a map of the grounds on vellum and adhered behind the photos.  

I reached for the vellum again to do the journaling.  I wanted it to look like the words were typed right onto the lined background paper.  Since I physically can't print on 12x12 paper, I instead printed the journaling on vellum, cut them into little strips and then adhered it directly onto the paper.  

I also wanted to share a card that I made using my January counterfeit kit.  This is for a dear dear friend who lost his father recently.  

Project 100 Update:  21 down, 79 to go.