If I'm not scrapbooking I'm thinking about scrapbooking!
Merry Christmas from me in 1972!
This is a formal portrait that was taken of me at Christmas time in 1972. On the back of it my mom had written a note, in my voice, to my Papa wishing him a merry Christmas from me. At the age I was in this picture, I was very excited about Christmas, which I think shows on my face.
I used papers from BasicGrey’s “Jovial” 6×6 pad to create this simple design. The poinsettia and title are files from the Silhouette store.
Here I am opening a little tea set at my birthday party.
This is me opening presents at my second birthday party. I don’t remember it, of course, but my mom tells me that she remembers being really tickled that I said “thank you” each time someone handed me a gift.
I followed sketch #256 from Creative Scrappers for this layout and used supplies from Crate Paper’s “Party Day” collection.
Day 158 of my captivity. 😉
I was recently scrolling through my photo-organizing program looking for something compelling to scrap, and I found these two random pictures of me as a baby. They aren’t particularly good photos, and there’s no special story to tell about them because they really just capture me at about six months old wearing my stylish onsies. But I wanted to scrap them, so I decided to group them together and have a little fun with the journaling and title.
In case the journaling is too small to read, it says:
Day 158 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. Do they really think those look like animals? In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on their clothing. They merely make ridiculous cooing noises and pat my back. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape …
I followed this sketch from Juliana Michaels of Paper Bakery. And all the patterned papers are from Crate Paper’s “Little Bo Peep” and “DIY Shop” collections. I created the title in the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software and cut it on my Cameo.
Mom is having her own little beach dance party at Jordan Lake in NC.
In August I went home to North Carolina to visit my mom and bro for nine days. In looking for things to do to get out of the house a bit, we spent one afternoon at nearby Jordan Lake, where we had plans to walk one of the short trails that leads out to the water. Well, we didn’t plan all that well because not one of us thought to take insect repellent with us. What a disaster! I’m not exaggerating when I say that no more than 15 feet along the trail, all three of us shrieked and ran out of the woods, abandoning all hope of entering there.
At the park but banned from the woods by that angry gang of mosquitoes, we headed instead to the other side where the beach area is. We used the swingset for a while and then walked down to the water, where it seems Mom was possessed by the desire to twist and shout a bit! Fortunately, Phil had the camera at the ready, and he captured these shots. They are my new favorites.
Most of the products on this layout came from the My Mind’s Eye “Miss Caroline” collection. The arrows are from an ancient Daisy Dee’s sticker sheet. I designed and cut the title on my Silhouette Cameo. And I decided to stitch the circular elements. The whole page was inspired by this sketch by Simple Scrapper for Paper Issues.
These photos are from the Diocesan mass of ordination in June, when five men were ordained as Catholic priests. It was so moving.
The ninth sketch challenge has been posted at the SCRAP & MUSIC challenge blog! Head over to the site to grab the sketch and play along. This ninth sketch came with the song “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” by U2.
I found this piece of music a challenge to create with at first. I mean, it feels when I listen to it like it’s about dissatisfaction, doubt and searching without yet finding. So I had a difficult time figuring out how to pull together the tone of the lyrics with any personal photos I have to form the basis of a scrapbook layout.
But with repeated reading of the lyrics, I was finally struck by the line, “I believe in the Kingdom Come.” Why yes, I do! And because I often take photos of events at my church in order to do their website and social media, I have photos from an ordination mass that took place there earlier this summer. It was difficult to choose just two photos once I started reviewing all the beautiful moments from that mass.
And so my layout came together rather easily after that. It was so moving to witness five men dedicate their lives to the service of God and human kind, so I am quite happy to have chronicled this event with a layout.
*Note: The priest in the left photo who is praying over one of the candidates for ordination is our pastor, Fr. Danny Garcia. The main celebrant of the ordination mass, who is incensing the altar in the right photo, is the Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, Joe S. Vásquez.
The patterned papers I used on this layout are all from My Mind’s Eye; the background is from the “Lost & Found collection,” and the other patterns are from the “Lost & Found 2: Sunshine” collection. I designed and cut my title using the Silhouette Cameo and spritzed it with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in the gold lame color so it would pop a bit as well as lead your eye back to the photos (the priests’ robes have gold accents).
The challenges on this blog involve following the sketch and using a title on your layout with a line from the provided music. Below I’ve included the video as well as the lyrics for this song:
“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” by U2
I’ve climbed the highest mountains
I’ve run through the fields
Only to be with you (2x)
I’ve run I have crawled
I’ve scaled
These city walls(2x)
Only to be with you
(2x)
But I still haven’t found
What I’m looking for
I’ve kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire
I’ve spoken with the tongue of angels
I’ve held the hand of the devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
(2x)
But I still haven’t found
What I’m looking for
I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will
Bleed into one
But yes I’m still running
You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains
You carried the cross
And my shame
You know I believe it
(4x)
But I still haven’t found
What I’m looking for
