2 photos

BFFs from the start

March 3, 2012 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 4 Comments

These two random photos of me and my baby brother prove how long we've been BFFs.

I continue to scan, organize and scrap photos from our childhood, and when I was looking through my vintage photos yesterday these two unrelated shots from 1969 lept out at me. They make me SO happy and grateful that Phil and I are so close in age (13.5 months). Look at what good friends we were, even then.

The top photo was taken in our living room in September, and the bottom one was taken on Mom and Dad’s bed in December. Here we are, not quite two and three years old, forming our bond—our lifelong friendship. My relationship with my brother is truly one of my greatest blessings.

I created this layout based on the following fabulous PageMaps sketch and am entering it in their Webster’s Pages sketch contest.

Tickling the ivories

March 1, 2012 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 5 Comments

The March Sketches with a Twist sketch and design team sample layouts are now live on their site. I am very proud to have created the sketch and really in love with all the design team’s samples based on it!

Sketches With a Twist is a new sketch challenge site where each comes with an extra requirement (for example, this month’s twist is to use 3 identical embellishments somewhere on your layout or card.

Here’s a little peek at my new sketch:
A peek of the new sketch

And below is my design team layout based on the sketch. Please head to their blog to get the printable version of the sketch and play along (there are two prizes available each month).

In this first photo I was 6 years old, and in the second I was not quite 10.

I was very fortunate that as a child I took piano lessons. My mother had always wanted to know how to play, and I think her enthusiasm for the idea must have made me want to do it, too. When I was really little my parents would walk into a room and find me sitting sideways in an overstuffed chair “playing” the arm. I think they must have told Santa Claus about this because in 1972 he left an electric organ (that’s what they were called then, instead of keyboards) under the tree! Boy howdy, was that a great gift.

The whole family played the organ, but perhaps I played it the most because when, in 1976, my parents finally fulfilled my mom’s dream of owning a piano, I was the first one to get lessons. Eventually Phil and Mom also took piano lessons from my teacher, Alice Shimmels, but I took lessons the longest (until I was 18, I think). Unfortunately, at that point in my life I didn’t think I had time in my busy teenager schedule to continue with lessons and practice, so I let them go.

It’s a lovely thing to have had music lessons in my past; it’s such a great skill to have and is a practice rich with opportunities for developing personal discipline. I now have that piano in my home, and I love to play carols in the winter on a cold evening when I’m full of Christmas spirit. So, another debt of gratitude is owed to my wonderful parents for filling my life with the ability to make my own music.

November 24th

November 23, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

Twisted Sketches has revealed its latest sketch, #129, and the twist is “ribbon.” Be sure to head over to the site to grab the sketch and see all the other design team members’ beautiful examples, then create something of your own and link it up! 🙂

Here is what I created using this great new sketch:

Being born on Thanksgiving means my birthday falls on the holiday every so often!

The whole point of my layout is to express how much I have always loved that my birthday falls on or near Thanksgiving Day. I was born on Thanksgiving, which means that every several years it cycles back around and lands on the holiday again (like this year). But the wonderful thing is that because of its proximity to the holiday, even when it isn’t on the day there’s always a fun, relaxed, family, thankful feeling in the air. I just love it! And it’s one of the things I’m always thankful for on Thanksgiving. 🙂

These photos are from two different years in my little life, but they both show the relationship between my birthday and Thanksgiving. The first photo is my 2nd birthday cake, flanked by seasonal Pilgrim and turkey candles. The second shot is from 1969 and shows me, flanked by two of my cousins, Dick and Tom (both turkeys in their own right!). Their family has come from Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with us, and we’re all having dinner in our basement. They seem to have been quite gracious about sharing the little kids’ table with me. 🙂

Because the twist on the sketch this week was “ribbon,” I decided to create a little turkey with ribbon tail feathers. He seems pretty happy with himself!

This year, as I celebrate Thanksgiving and my birthday, I will add my blog readers to my gratitude list. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blogtoberfest Day 16

October 16, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

National Feral Cat Day

Today is National Feral Cat Day! This annual event is coordinated by Alley Cat Allies as a way to raise awareness about feral cats, promote Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), and recognize the millions of compassionate Americans who care for feral cats. Each year cat welfare groups and cat lovers across the country plan events to help educate people in their communities about feral cats and TNR. This year there are over 300 events planned in all 50 states.

Matt and I are involved in feral cat rescue efforts in our local area. We take great pride and pleasure in helping improve/save the lives of cats without homes. In fact, layouts of cats that you may have seen or will see on my blog are of those we have trapped and fostered.

Our favorite local cat rescue organization is Shadow Cats, a group “dedicated to improving the lives of community cats through humane advocacy.” The reason we like them so much is that they are dedicated to the care of the current resident population of ill, immune compromised, injured and senior cats. In other words, they take the cats who would not otherwise have any hope.

So, when Shadow Cats recently held an art market fundraiser, I decided to use my craft supplies and creativity to make a scrapbook album for them to auction. I made the album in all one color palette, using a subtle cat theme (mostly through my titles and a few images) and with spaces for only 4×6 photos (so there would be no cropping needed by the person who ends up with it).

I had a great time creating this project and hope that someone who has a beloved cat or cats will enjoy it forever. Have you ever used your crafting habit to help an organization in whose work you believe? I can highly recommend it. It made me feel warm and fuzzy—like a cat! 🙂

Royalty in residence

Purrsonality

"One cat just leads to another." Ernest Hemingway

"The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat." Jules Renard

Meow, purr, yawn

"What greater gift than the love of a cat?" Charles Dickens

"Cats are the connoisseurs of comfort." James Herriot

I love you, purr & simple

Showing cattitude

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." Sigmund Freud

Naptime

Blogtoberfest Day 4

October 4, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

Companions on a journey

Today is the fourteenth anniversary of the day I married my beloved. I was talking to my bro last night, who said, “No way would I say it’s been 14 years! It seems more like four!” To that I say, “Amen!”

You know, I had a little suspicion—even while we were dating—that life with Matt might fly by. In particular I remember one beautiful Saturday afternoon back in 1996, after we had spent most of the day together exploring town, eating out and hiking through a park. Matt turned to me and said, “Woah, we’ve been together for eight hours and it hardly feels like two. Imagine how fast 20 years could go by together!” He was right, and now I know how fortunate I am to have time feel so swift with him. Because it tells me that I’m happy and where I should be. I’m so grateful for that and for his love.

The layout I’m sharing today is one I did based on a quote from Pythagoras (Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism): “Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.” I think this quote aptly describes our friendship and marriage. I also chose to use several patterned papers from October Afternoon’s Boarding Pass line to accentuate the “journey” theme.

Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life. ~Pythagoras

So, my challenge to you today is to take inspiration from this layout in one of three ways: 1) Do a layout or card that celebrates a friendship; 2) do a layout or card that features a favorite quote; 3) do a layout or card that highlights a journey of some type (physical, spiritual, emotional, etc.). If you do, please link it up here in the comments so we can come and peek!

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