One down, six to go before I balance the layouts between Rowan and Molly. I think Molly has already overlooked it, so I slipped in a layout about my grandmother today. I'm so glad I got this one done. It wasn't something I was planning, but when I found this photo of her, it all just came to me right away. I incorporated lots of fabric scraps on this layout to make a quilt like backround, and used some of her vintage buttons that she lovingly saved for many years. I also used bits and pieces from Crate Paper's "Restoration" line, that worked perfectly with the fabrics. This is a photo of her on her 100th birthday. She lived to be 102. My journalling is on both sides of the tag. Here's what I wote:
Gram was no spring chicken, as we used to call her, when this photo of her was taken on her 100th birthday. She was born in Kingsport, Nova Scotia in 1895, and lived to be the oldest in her family, when she died at 102. She was the only grandparent I ever really knew, and I loved her and learned so much from her. Like how to make a good broth. Always plan your dessert early in the day. Never throw away those bread tags. Don’t sit next to boys in a movie theatre, they may get “fresh”. Never a end a sentence with a prepositional phrase. The is no place like the cottage. You have to be a good camper. It’s never too early to press the panic button. She taught me how to play Solitaire and how to sew. She taught me how to help her when we would go for a walk. Most importantly, she taught me that I can be anything I set my mind to.
She loved hot tea and bran muffins. Knew the importance of prunes in maintaining a “regular” diet. Was the biggest kid on Christmas morning you have ever seen, and believed wholeheartedly in the rip and tear method of opening. Loved to laugh, and found humour in any situation. She was queen of the whoopie cushion. She disliked dogs, but knew how to get them to like her (“does he want a chip”), listened to the stock market report daily, and loved to talk “money”. She loved Laura Secord French and Frosted mints. Was always prepared with cookies and sandwiches on any outing, especially on her favourite trips to the Annapolis Valley. She knew how to make do, and did it well. She opened her home and heart to anyone in need. She loved a good story, a good joke, and a good party. She was thrify and would have loved that I am using buttons she lovingly saved from her old clothes to embellish this page about her. I only wish I could have know her for longer, but I try to remember these things that she taught me, and how she lived, and know that in doing so, she is still part of me.
I love how this turned out, and I think she'd approve as well - except for maybe the grammar.
The next layout is one I did for a sketch challenge at Studio Calico. It was very different feel that the about layout! Much more modern and trendy. I loved the pose and expression I captured of Molly on our way to Centre Island this summer. This photo was taken with my iphone, and just worked better when printed in a small size. I used my Silhouette to cut many of the elements on this page.
