Mother's Day Already?

To my mom - Happy Mother's Day and to all of you out there are Mom's as well.

I've said it before and you will hear it time and time again, I am 3 years behind on my personal albums.... and I am trying to do a little here and there as I can. I am always so busy though that I just keep getting farther and farther behind.

With the help of Susan at the ScrapyLand Blog and her Starting Blox, I threw this lay-out together in no time and I love the finished result. This is a picture of my mother-in-law, Karen, who has since passed away and my own mother who since this picture was taken has struggled with getting well after suffering some bone crushing injuries as a result of a car accident. She is now doing remarkably well.

I used several techniques/products to get this lay-out finished. I used my Gypsy to make the scalloped circle that I cut in half and used a piece on each page. (I hate paying $1.50 or more for one of those specialty shaped papers when you can make your own for the price of a 12x12 piece of cardstock.)

I used a new program called Make-The-Cut to cut out our mom's names. I am still learning how to use that program but so far I love it. It allows you to cut any True Type Font, that you have stored in you computer, using your Cricut Machine.

I used only one QKs Dies, the font is Stardust Cookie Cutter. A Martha Stewart punch set was used to make the lacy doily and a Dies Direct Pretty Petal die was used to make the flowers.

This first page is my Mother-In-Law:



The second page is my mom:



This is a view of the two pages side by side (I used the same starting blox for both pages but flipped the design on the second page.)



I am hoping to scrap more in my personal album in the coming weeks. I just have to get motivated.

Happy Scrappin; ! ! !

Brenda

Happy Cinco De Mayo

I have to admit I don't celebrate Cinco De Mayo but a few years ago we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and it happen to be May 5. So I took out my camera and shot a few pictures since everyone was celebrating. I think my camera got passed around because there are even pictures of me, which almost never happens.

These pictures are from 2007 so I am exactly 3 years behind on my personal scrapbooks.

I took a Starting Blox from Scrapyland.com's Blog and used that as a guide and then used several of the dies that I bought from the ScrapLand.com store including the Paper Doll (and I also used the boy hair and boy clothes,) Mexico Collection, 4x8 License Plate Font, Triangles (Retired,) QK Tangerine Classic Font (retired,) and then I also reached for a Dies Direct set called Optimistic 1/2" Font, and I also reached for a stamp set from a company called Peachy Keen.

Every one of those peppers is two pieces and layered. The triangles are also each cut and layers.



To pull the two pages together a few peppers found their way on to this page.





I have to say I love the way my little Mexican dude turned out,



I guess even holidays that aren't holiday's in the U.S.A. can be celebrated. So with that I will say Happy Cinco De Mayo and let it go at that and my challenge is that you carry your camera with you because you never know when a holiday might present itself.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Rich In Tradition

Sometimes a holiday isn't a holiday at all. Sometimes a holiday is a memory of a tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. You don't hear of May Day very much any more nor do you see the little signs of May Day sitting or hanging on a door but I still love to surprise a few people (family, friends, and neighbors) with a little something to keep May Day alive.

For me, today is all about my mother's memories. She tells stories of her childhood, making a little basket and picking wild flowers and weed flowers, putting them in a little basket and adding a piece of candy or two, knocking on neighbors doors and running to hide to have the person answer the door and a little treat being there.

As a child my mom would help us do this to our favorite neighbors, Mrs. Zoe Witt and Mr. Gus "Doc" Greer and others. Those two would come looking for us because they would see us going back into the house laughing. For me, this day also brings back very fond memories of those two neighbors.

I always remember the stories that my mom tells and then think back to how much fun it was, as a child, to do this. So a couple of weeks ago I got busy and dug out some dies and made a few little door hangers for my family, friends, and neighbors but I did not add the candy nor am I going to ring bells and run. Early this morning I walked the neighborhood and left the little anonymous hanging cards on door knobs and then drove to my mom's to leave her one. Twelve little gifts in all were left and a feeling of happiness will stay with me all day thinking that I might have brought a smile to their faces and reminded them of childhood memories.

Here is what I left them:

This is the hanging card open:



On opened and one closed and tied with a ribbon:



A this one hanging on my bedroom door just to make sure that it would hang on a standard door knob.



I do not know where May Day originated, what culture welcomed spring with gifts for those you are fond of, but it brings back some wonderful memories of my mom and of my own childhood.

So I challenge you to make a little something for a friend, family member, or neighbor, if for no other reason than to brighten their day!

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda