Scrap Around The World September 2015 Challenge

I have decided to join in this month at the new challenge at Scrap Around the World. The moodboard is absolutely delicious!!! I just love the elegance and beauty of it, so inspirational, very poetic!!

Here is this month's board:

You will find the link to this month's challenge HERE.

I decided to create a layout based upon my Mother's letters and writing equipment. As you will see, I was inspired by the middle lower photo of the pen nib with the writing. I also took inspiration from the books, book pages, and wooden elements, and the pink rose.

Here is my layout:

I have so many letters from my Mother! They are all in a box, waiting!! Throughout the years, Mom and I corresponded with pen and paper frequently, a thing of the past, I'm afraid. When my Mother passed away, her writing equipment found a new home with me. How I treasure it!! She liked to collect old desk sets, pens, inkwells, etc. And she used them! She had a most distinctive handwriting, as you can see by the bits of the letters I put on the layout. The photo shows some of her writing equipment, now on my desk. On the layout I have embellished with one of her pens (left hand side, by photo), and also used some fabric lace that was once a dress of hers. The keyhole surrounds also were part of her "collections."

I began by using molding pastes and various inks, and stamping, to work on the background paper. Layered under and around the photo are tags and old book pages, drywall tape, and various cut out roses. I thought that I would be able to use a lot of pieces of her letters, but ended up finding one piece that fit right in the space I had in mind, which was not an easy task! The sealing wax blob is a gift from my friend Patty (thank you!)

Many thanks to all who may look at my page, or leave a comment. I hope you enjoy it!

Scrap Around The World July Challenge

I am joining in this month at Scrap Around The World, July challenge. The gorgeous moodboard, composed by Pamela Ellis, provided me with a much needed inspirational kick!! It is a rich and colorful board, filled with glorious summery feelings!

Here is this month's moodboard, and here is the link to the current challenge:

There were so many ways to be inspired by this board, I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go! But eventually I found myself so drawn to the summery field and glowing sky in the bottom left of the board, that this was my primary inspiration for my page!

Here is my layout:

My layout features a vintage photograph of my parents and uncle and aunt. The occasion was a July gathering, a housewarming celebration for another aunt and uncle who were recently married. My Father and Mother are in the center of the photo, and although my Mother turned her head at the wrong moment, I still love the way her hair is draped over her face! My Father's older brother is on the right and his wife is on the left. I am amazed at how dressed up everyone appears! Who would wear white bucks and pressed pants and a tie (as my uncle Joe is doing), at a picnic these days?! And look at aunt Rose, she was always a classy dresser! Of course I think my Mom and Dad look just so perfect, Dad handsome, Mom, beautiful. They were not married yet when this photo was taken. And they were sitting in a wonderful field of meadow grasses.....perfect for the challenge!

I began by doing background work with inks and sprays, which I slowly built up to the intensity I wanted. I was looking for something vibrant but soft, if that is possible! Then I applied molding pastes through various stencils. I layered under my photo with various postcards and frames. All of the clustered elements are real dried flowers and pressed weeds, grasses and pods. There are also some fussy cut elements and bits of old crochet work tucked in here and there. I hoped to create a lovely, summery feeling, such as this picture perfect day conveys!

Here is a bit of a close up of some of the clustered elements:

Thank you for looking!!!!

Scrap Around the World May Challenge Epic Event 2015

The Scrap Around the World Challenge site is having an epic event this month! There are lots of wonderful prizes to be won! Also, it is a special celebratory month, as it is another birthday for Scrap Around the World. Previous winners who were featured on the Wall of Fame are being asked to participate to determine the top ten winners of the year. The year runs from May 2014 to April 2015. Also, anyone can enter who has not been featured on the Wall of Fame. There will be 20 featured layouts, and I'm sure it will be an amazing show!

Since I was featured on The Wall of Fame for January 2015, I decided to participate in this month's challenge as a VIP. That is the designation previous winners are being given, VIP. Pretty humbling, as there are so many vastly talented and gifted previous winners. But, I thought, well, why not, might as well give it a try!

Here is this month's challenge and the celebratory Moodboard, composed by the site owner, Helen Tillbury:

As you can see, this board has something to offer everyone!

Because I felt inspired by the celebratory nature of the moodboard, I decided to create something lighthearted and playful! But I was also very much inspired by the basket of roses in the lower right corner, and took my cue from that. I also took inspiration from the softness of the ice cream, and from the crystals around the outer edge of the glass - both images in the upper left. 

Here is what I came up with:

I have titled this layout "A Bed of Roses".

I wanted to create something light, so I stuck with a lighter color palette, but worked in some brown tones along with the pinks and pale orange. Working with some antique silk velvet, I twisted and turned the fabric, trying to emulate the folds and softness of a beautiful rose. I was seeking to emulate the many layers of the rose, so I first of all tore and layered a lot of paper strips, again seeking to emulate the many layered rose. Over this base I put down my velvet fabric pieces. And then I placed a cut out photo of my Mother and her little sister taken in 1929. They look as if they were just having a happy time, carefree, loving life, celebrating the everyday. Behind them I placed a lot of fussy cut images of roses, and then placed bits of lace and crochet, and floral roses. Then I went in with a stencil and molding paste, which was inspired by the little round bumps on the shoes in the moodboard. There is also some stamping and some spritzing of mists, very delicate. And as the final touch, I scattered little glass beads in the upper right and lower left corners of the layout, as inspired by the coating of crystals around the glass on the moodboard, and added some twine.

Here is a close up of the velvet work:

Thanks for looking at my layout, I hope you like it!

Vintage Card Cafe Challenge

Totally by accident I discovered this beautiful site and was instantly captivated by the latest challenge, which is called "Family Values". The site is a Russian one, and such incredible work is produced here! There is a translate button, which helps a lot for all of us "foreigners", and I think I understand the general drift of this challenge!

Here is the challenge:

As luck would have it, I needed to make an introductory layout for a family heritage album, and I knew which photograph I wanted to use. So I set to work! I also knew that the layout I needed to make had to be fairly flat, with no bulky embellishments, as the album was already full. So I decided to go with an old fashioned vintage layout, mostly with layered and torn papers, and flat embellishment, without any mixed media, flowers, or fabric. (all of which I love to use, but couldn't!) It was a bit of a challenge to use restraint!

The challenge requires the use of a photograph with more than one person in it, and done in a vintage, retro style. Well, the photo I used has 30 people in it!! This is what I came up with:

The layout is entitled "Today - delivered - 1950". And the photograph shows the entire family of my Mother at the family picnic reunion in July, 1950. My Mother took the photograph, and because she was not in the photo for obvious reasons, I felt I needed to include her. So I cut out a small photo of her and layered it over a chipboard element and paper elements, and placed her on the far left, next to the larger family group. So now, everyone is present! There were 9 siblings in the family, and they are all present along with their spouses. The family Matriarch, my Grandmother, is standing on the far left. All of the children and babies are in the front. There are 12 children in the photo. All of the adults have now passed on, and 3 of the children have also joined them.

I like to use old elements that belonged to the person/place/timeframe I am scrapping. In this case I used an old lock surround that belonged to my Mom and Dad. I built up a lot of paper layers, along with drywall tape, to frame my photograph. I also inked and applied crackle glaze to the chipboard elements, which are the "Today" title, and the clock surround underneath my Mom's photo.

Thank you for looking at my old fashioned vintage layout. The photograph is a very special one to me, it holds so many memories of people who were dear to me and with whom I shared my earliest years of life!

Scrap Around The World February 2015

I decided to play along again at Scrap Around The World. The February moodboard is so evocative of Spring, and right now here in New England, we are buried under several feet of snow, with icy cold temperatures. So, I am imagining the unimaginable, nurturing my heart and creating a Spring layout in the midst of this interminable Winter!!

Here is the beautiful, romantic February moodboard....

Sigh, what a lot of loveliness!!! If you would like to play along with Scrap Around the World this month, HERE is the link to this wonderful challenge.

I seem to be taking my Mother as my muse lately, and have used an old photo of her taken in 1945. The photo was my jumping off point. I was very inspired by the quotation in the upper right and also by the ombre tones behind the quote. I loved the soft greens and yellows of the woods depicted in the lower left, and felt the photo of my Mom had that same sort of feeling. I was also inspired by the beautiful braid and soft curls of the woman's hair.

Here is my layout:

I have titled my layout "Reawakening," and included some lines from a piece of poetry by W. de la Mare that I thought worked with the whole theme of the moodboard and the photograph.

I began with a plain piece of white cardstock. Onto this I did some random stamping, and then put molding paste through various stencils. Inspired by the ombre tones of greens and yellows, I sprayed inks, and also applied them with a brush, building up the layers slowly. When I finally got the colors where I needed them, I did more stamping.  I framed up my photo over many layers and applied it to the background piece over a bit of a lacy trim which I colorized. Then I began adding little pieces of more trims. All of the lace pieces, etc., came from my Mom, who had acquired quite a lot of old textiles. And because I like to use something that belonged to the person I am doing the page on, if I have something, I also did some fussy cutting from a piece of wallpaper that Mom saved. This wallpaper hung in one of the rooms in her home. These pieces I layered under and around the photo, the quotation and the right hand side of the layout. I added some beads in various spots. Inspired by the braid in the hair of the woman on the moodboard, I braided pieces of jute twine, very loosely, and fixed it to the right hand side of my arrangement.

A close up:

This gives a better look at the old pieces of textiles, and some of the fussy cut wallpaper, and the braid.  And the beautiful, old photograph!

Hopefully those soft, sweet Spring days are just a few months away, but the layout has greatly eased my longing, and reawakened my soul to the delights of Springtime! I hope you like my page, and a thank you to all who look at it!

Scrap Around The World January 2015

I am playing along this month at Scrap Around The World. The mood board is just so romantically shabby and beautiful!! So I had to give it a try!!

This is the wonderful moodboard, and here is the link to this month's challenge.

I was inspired by the general shabby mood of the board, the bucket of flowers in the upper right photo, the collection of frames and the time elements.

Here is my entry:

The title of my layout is "Holding On to Memories of You"

Six years ago I had to let go of my dear Mother. That is her photograph in the tiny frame on the right. And although I miss her every day, and our times together, I have my memories to hold on to. And I have saved precious items that were a part of her. In the large photo you see roses and peonies that Mom patiently dried in her spacious attic. I like to display them at certain times of the year on various tables throughout my home. They remind me of our happy times together in the garden, and the effort Mom made to save her flowers.

I used various framing elements - some I whitewashed with gesso, other I left alone in their metallic gold state, as they already had a nice, aged patina. I applied molding paste through various stencils. Then I made a "shabby" frame for my larger photo with layers of distressed papers. I applied my frames over a distressed and gessoed piece of corrugated cardboard, applied spray inks and from there built up the elements, using cheesecloth, torn papers, bits of fabric, flowers and fussy cut elements. Lastly I added beads and paint splatters. Then I applied paint to the floral elements and added the little key. Also I used twine to tie the arrangement together.

Some close ups:

For whatever reasons, I had a very difficult time pulling this layout together. I suppose my brain just stopped functioning after the intense holiday work load, and perhaps I needed to let it rest a bit, LOL! Although it was not funny trying to get this page into some kind of order. Anyway, I hope you like my layout, and let's hope my brain cells are more cooperative next time around! Best wishes to all for a great new year!

November Scrap Around The World

Because I was so inspired by the November mood board at Scrap Around The World, I created a second layout for this challenge!

Once again, HERE is the link to the challenge, and here is the vintage, nostalgic, beautiful mood board:

For this entry I decided to create a masculine layout. The source of my inspiration was the image in the upper left corner of the sheet music stacks, and also the doilies in the window, the image in the center bottom. Seems I can't get enough of these two images!!

Here is my entry:

The photograph is my Grandfather, who indeed was very elusive for the longest time!! It took many,many years of searching, untold hours of research and painful discovery, to finally find this man and learn his tragic story.

The layout is composed of many heavily distressed and torn layers. Various ink sprays and inks were applied through a stencil. Then with molding paste applied through a stencil another layer of texture was added. Seven layers of torn and distressed papers were used to frame up the photograph. All of these layers allude to the many layered journey to discovery of this man. Ink drips and mica flakes were added to the page. I added pieces of vintage window doilies, as I always like to have something old on my heritage layouts. And I had 2 old lock surrounds that belonged to my Mother, (his daughter), which I used as embellishment to anchor two corners of the photograph stack. It is important to me to use items that actually belonged to the person if possible, and in this case I was able to use something that belonged to his daughter. Because I did not want to use any flowers, I added a couple more pieces of metal, and an old, screen washer. I tied up the page, reminiscent of the photo on the moodboard, with twine, and also added some thread. Then went in with more ink, lightly washing in areas for an old, worn look.

From what I have been able to piece together, I believe the photograph was taken about 1895.

I have followed the ten golden rules for the Scrap Around The World entry requirements. Thank you for looking, and I hope you like my page!

Scrap Around The World November

Happy November to all! This month I am playing along again at Scrap Around The World. The mood board is absolutely inspiring in every way.

Here is this month's board. Is it not beautiful?? My very favorite vintage look. Love every bit of it! I could look at this board all day long and be inspired by so many different aspects of it!! If you would like to play along, here is the link.


And here is my layout.............

Zest For Life

I knew I wanted to use this photograph taken of my Mother in 1946 for my layout. Inspired by the mood board's sheet music stack, in the upper left, this was my starting point. I layered up under the photo using sheet music paper, script, and a scrap of vintage silk velvet, which is a nod to the velvet dress my Mom is wearing in the photo.

Very much inspired by the center photo on the bottom of the board of the doilies in the window, with sun gleaming through them, I created a textural background using  gloss gel medium, and also molding paste.

After this was dry, I applied spray inks of various colors.

I was also very inspired by the beautiful bouquet of flowers, especially the colors. I used some very vintage embroidery floss, that was the perfect softness of color, to fill in under and around the photo. The pinks and oranges were perfect, though not as bright as the colors on the board. Adding bits of old beaded bracelets in the same area also, to give a bit more glinting light effect. The flowers were lightly touched with silks paints, then swabbed over with fluid acrylic in a natural tone. I also added 2 tiny feathers that I found in my garden, they are the palest orange, a gift from a cardinal bird!!

Behind the photograph are 2 vintage doilies, and various pods from my garden are scattered around on the page. And of course, twine! I love using twine on my pages, it gives a very organic look that I adore. And as a final touch, ink splatters.

I titled my page "Zest for Life", which I felt embodied the spirit of the quotation in the lower right, "life is beautiful," My Mother surely had a most wonderful zest for life, and was a very inspirational and strong woman.

I believe I have followed the 10 golden rules of the Scrap Around The World challenge site. I hope you like my layout.

Altered Book

Throughout the past several months I've been working on a little altered book project that I intend to give as a Christmas gift to my cousin. It's been a lot of fun! As the book is quite small, only 7 x 5 inches, it is like working in miniature. Not having to stress out about filling up a 12 x 12 space frees up my mind a bit and relaxes me in a way that making layouts does not! And I get to use up little bitty scraps that I can't seem to throw away.

The theme of this book is the family history, and it is titled "Portraits." Since my cousin and I naturally have the same ancestral family, and she very much enjoys our joint history, I wanted to make something special for her so she could record her thoughts, etc.  I left the "journaling" spaces blank in some cases so that she could write in her own words and handwriting.

I found the most difficult part to be the cover, and I can't say I am entirely happy with it! It was a huge learning experience - lots of pulling things off, wiping ink off, starting over - but at least I got something! It is my first ever book cover! Hopefully I will improve the more I do!

To make the cover I first gessoed the entire book. Then I applied molding paste through a stencil. After this I sprayed the whole cover with inks, many times, building up layers of transparency. I then positioned my title and main floral element (which was first colored with inks) and laid that down over lace scraps. Everything was secured using mat gel medium. Through much trial and error I proceeded to add more ink, spraying on and wiping off, to achieve the look I was after. I must have wasted a ton of spray ink doing this, and have now learned that applying the ink with a brush is the best way to go as I can slowly build up color intensity without wasting a lot of product. I finally secured the buttons and the roman numeral, with gel medium. The button serves as a wrap -around for a piece of twine which secures the book closed.

Grandfather

First entry is our illusive Grandfather, whom we never knew, and our parents did not know him either. He died when his children were very young, and his story is a tragic one, which I will not get into here. The individual pages were first given a coat of gesso, then modeling paste was applied through different stencils. The page was inked and elements glued down, and various touches of spray were applied, along with thread and ribbon.

Grandmother

This page, done in the same manner with gesso, laces and wallpaper is about our Grandmother. It also includes a photo of her tea set, as the page alludes to a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "A woman never knows how strong she is until she gets into hot water." Our poor Grandmother was in hot water an awful lot, and she was very strong indeed!!

Now we go back to the old country, to this lost place in Poland, and some of my Grandmother's family. The old woman on the blanket is my Grandmother's Mother, and the woman kneeling is one of her sisters. Those are her children alongside her. Again, the same technique, layering strips, gesso, inking through a stencil, applying paper strips and fabrics, some stamping.

Another page featuring Grandmother's family in Poland. I wanted to keep some of these early pages similar in feeling, so I stuck with a neutral, earthy palette, as I felt it suited the place and time.

This page features my cousin's Father as a little boy. He was my Grandmother's 4th son. He and my Mother were very close.

And this is my Mother. She was my Grandmother's 5th daughter, her 9th child.

Here we have my Mother with my cousin's Father, together in their first communion photo. Can you see how close they were?!!

That's it for now, more to come!!

Scrap Around the World September 2014 Challenge

This is the delightful moodboard for the month of September 2014 at "Scrap Around The World", a wonderful challenge site. I am playing along in the challenge this month after a too long break away from scrapping! Here is the link to this month's challenge at Scrap Around The World.

I was inspired by the image in the upper left corner of the moodboard of the gossamer winged fairy in her lovely draped dress, and by the fairy tale quotation in the upper right corner of the moodboard. Also, the whole magically charming atmosphere of the board and its sweet pinks and blues really captured me!!

Here is my layout, entitled "Their Own Special Fairy Tale":

THEIR OWN SPECIAL FAIRY TALE

I took a vintage photo of my Mom and her little sister from 1930 and placed it in a little Fairy Garden I created. The photo was taken during the height of the Great Depression. Mom and her sister were the youngest in a family of 10. They were very poor, and their mother was a Polish immigrant, so there were no toys and no luxuries. But they created their own little world that sustained them. They were children of the meadows and forests that surrounded their hometown, and their childhood was spent outdoors. The private world they created included lots of "make believe" amongst the streams and flowers and trees. They loved to make up fairy stories with themselves as the main characters, and were free to spend untold hours outside in the summertime, playing and dreaming.

I found a poem that was written by my Mom when she was in her late 70's. It is so clearly nostalgic and filled with yearning for the lost days of her childhood. So I carefully altered this fragile bit of paper to fit into my design by tearing and distressing the edges, inking it, and tracing over her own handwriting (which was written in pencil) in ink. So what you see is truly a piece of her!

After I applied molding pastes and sprayed various inks, I layered on pieces of an old, vintage bureau scarf and a piece of old lace, along with the chipboard piece, which was inked and applied with crackle paste. Then I built up the "fairy garden" with lots of fussy cut elements. I tried to include some of the favorite flowers of my Mom's, especially ones she may have encountered on her walks all those years ago. Along with the gossamer flowers there are also dried elements, pods, dried flowers and a stalk of a pressed weed, which seemed fitting!

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of my family story. And even though my Mom and her sister had nothing and lived in poverty as children, their "fairy tale" dreams eventually came true! They made beautifully satisfying lives for themselves as adults, married handsome "princes", had lovely homes, many children, made some money, traveled and lived to old age. So......fairy tales can come true!!

I believe I have followed the 10 golden rules of The Scrap Around The World challenge site, and I hope you like my layout.

 

Scrap Around The World September Challenge 2013

I am joining in this month at the Scrap Around The World Challenge site. The moodboard this month is dramatic, bold, and quite open to various interpretation!

Here is the moodboard for this month's challenge!


The moodboard seems to me to be all about feelings and emotions. I was inspired by the more somber aspects of the board - the image in the lower left with all of the thoughts radiating from the head, and the image of the face in the lower right, that look! I thought of my Grandmother, and her usually sad face.......

                                   
                                                              "Tesknota"  -  (Melancholy)

Here is my layout. My Grandmother, the photograph taken about 1935. The photo captures her sad face perfectly. She seldom smiled, and always had a handkerchief in her hand to wipe away the tears that seemed to fall on a regular basis. She exuded a certain melancholy - "tesknota" - a specific kind of Polish melancholy which for an outsider is hard to understand. It roughly translates as a nostalgic yearning or longing with tonalities of sadness, precipitated by a "forever parting", in which life figures as a river of pain and suffering.

My Grandmother was an immigrant from Poland, she was never really "happy" here in America. Here life was difficult and she never overcame the social, cultural and language barriers.

I hoped to create a layout which presents this sort of particular feeling of sadness. I wanted the page to be "moody", using the monochromatic palette with subdued "sad" purple/blue colors, along with black. I added some personal objects in the form of two medallions taken from old Polish rosary beads. One is of "Our Lady of Czestochowa", a special image beloved by Poles. A framed image hung on the wall in my Grandma's bedroom. I used two old keys that belonged to my Grandma, and also two vintage "jet" buttons. In keeping with the inspiration from the image of the head with radiating thoughts (on the moodboard), I used mists, inks and torn papers, but in a "downward" pattern, as down always seems to signify sadness. There are also tear drops falling on the lower part of the page, but they are difficult to see in this photograph.

Scrap Around The World June Challenge

I am joining in this month's challenge at the Scrap Around The World site. Here is the challenge mood board, used for inspiration.......

I was inspired by the images in the upper left and the lower right. I loved the worn, soft brownish/golden tones of the old suitcases, books, cameras and the grasses. I thought of a sweet little photo of my Mother that was taken when she went to school. It is the earliest photograph I have of her. And she is giving a hesitant, yet dear little smile for the camera!

Roughly based on the sketch, I put my Mom's little photo over to the right. Substituted the clock and the drips, and the berry vine for the banners. Then along the bottom of my page I added elements that had special meaning to my Mother's life when she was a little girl. I also added some mementos, the little tag with the basket was actually made by my Mother. She made the most incredible dried floral arrangements on paper. And she grew and pressed her own herbs and flowers. On this adorable little tag you can see the tiny little johnny jump ups that she featured in the center of her basket, and on the handle. The body of the basket was made out of little bits of herbs, and decorated with tiny vetch swirls. There is also a little basket made out of an apricot pit! This was made by my Dad, it was something he learned to do when he was in WW2 over in Europe!

When Mom was a little girl, she was always outside in the fields, meadows and woods that surrounded her home. Gathering berries, fruits, mushrooms, flowers and all manner of wild things, was a very big part of her life. She went with her immigrant Mother often to collect things for the family use. And they always used baskets to collect their treasure. Thus the many baskets on this page. Mom also was an avid recorder of the natural world, she sketched and drew and observed all manner of wild things, loving especially birds and wildflowers. Looking back on her early years, she always recalled with great fondness how lovely and simple and poetic life was back then. (1920's)
So I incorporated the torn poetry scrap as part of the title, and then added the "my childhood" pieces. This page, filled with wildflowers, grasses, and other objects from the natural world, reflects the innocence and wonder of a childhood unfettered by modern technology. It is my way of honoring her youth.


A closeup of the upper right corner.

And the lower left corner.

OUAS May Entry Challenge

                                                          GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES

This is my entry for the May challenge, which requires a visible number on the layout. I based my page upon the sketch, but decided to use only one photograph.

The photograph is of my Mother, on her First Communion Day, in 1929. As I do not actually know the exact date, I am only able to use the year it took place.

If one pulls on the tiny chain attached to the little cross in the upper left, the full journaling will be revealed. The chain and cross belonged to my Mom.

Journaling reads: " How special this day must have been for you!! Every little girl dreams of wearing a beautiful white dress, feeling like a little princess! Although I am sure the dress was a 'hand me down' from your older sisters, it did not matter, you were still the most lovely girl, so poised and elegant looking, even at the tender age of 8!! "

May CSI entry, such a beautiful Spring palette!!

Norah Through The Appleblossoms #70

#70, used all colors
Evidence: flowers, wood, something woven, circles, distressing
Testimony: Documented Spring with the poem excerpt on the page. Then I chose to use the "roll-role-the roles you play" prompt. With this I've written about the role of women in the garden throughout time, and then about my role as a gardener. I wrote my words on the little "sc-rolls" and tucked them into the little basket.

The photo shows my garden "mascot" Norah, named after an inspirational woman gardener. Photo shows her through the frame of the blossoming apple trees.

Testimony: "Throughout the ages, gardening has always been an accepted form of self expression for women. From the humblest cottage gardens to the grandest estates of splendor, women have left their mark!
Oftentimes, the garden offered the only delight in the lives of hardworking poor women. And conversely offered solitude and peace to the ladies of the upper classes. Gardens fed the soul.
Over the years, many women recorded, painted, designed,stitched, and wrote about their private paradise. So many remain unknown to us. And then there are the more famous women who courageously established their place and made a name and a career for themselves. The greats such as Gertrude Jekyll, the illusive Norah Lindsay, the bold and quirky Vita Sackville-West, the sweet and earthy Elizabeth Lawrence, the refined Edith Wharton, and many, many more, still inspire and instruct.
My role as a gardener began at a very young age, poking around in the dirt as a child! When I finally had a piece of land to call my own, the real work began! I read as much as I could, learning about plant lore, design, soil and site conditions, organic methods,etc.,....so much to learn. I drew inspiration from the greats as well as the humble. I dug, planted, hauled barrows of manure, built walls, carved out paths...learning as I went along, editing as needed, always learning from my mistakes, there were plenty of those! To use the words of Miss Jekyll - " a garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness, it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."
So I am the gardener, I have the calluses, the broken fingernails and cranky knees to prove it. But I am also the recipient of much delight, and every year when the fresh and lovely Spring makes its eternal reappearance, I feel blessed beyond measure."

CSI Week Three, April Special Investigator

Organic Girl   #68

CSI #68
Used all five colors
Evidence: clouds, polka dots,stripes (last paper layer),flowers, owl
Testimony: Wrote 3 important things and 5 less important things about my subject in the scalloped journal spot, which are the clouds in the upper right.

The layout shows my oldest daughter so many years ago, more than I care to remember, oh dear!!! The photos are not the best quality, they were taken before digital cameras etc., probably with an old Kodak Brownie or something like that. But I love them because they show her spirit and personality so very well!!
She looks like part of the landscape, like she is growing out of the grasses, and that's why I named this page "Organic Girl."

"Brave
Smart
Strong willed
Wise
Free Spirit
Out Spoken
Strong
Sassy
and for good measure:
Red Curls
Too Cute
That's my organic girl!!!!!"

Lots of molding paste on this page, inking, fussy cutting and some dried items from my garden.

Guest Investigator CSI April, week two

Grandmother's Box   #67

Used all five colors
Evidence: stars, bird, lots of fussy cutting
Testimony: I hand wrote a question on the front of the layout, in which I used the inspiration word, chaos. In the full journaling I asked a series of questions. (on opposite page of layout in book)

This is a layout about my Grandmother's box, and it is also a layout about her life.

When I saw the inspiration picture, all I could think of was the story of "Pandora's Box", all those elements flying out of it. Then I thought of my Grandmother's box, which is now mine. And this is how this layout was born. And also how the story of Pandora's Box translates to her (my Grandmother's) story.

My journaling as a series of questions:

- Amidst the chaos did hope remain?

- What caused you to run away from the safety of your older sister's lodgings?

- Why did you reject the job she arranged for you?

- Where did you run to?

- Were you dreadfully unhappy?

- Were you impetuous?

- Were you just plain stubborn??

- What kind of courage did you possess after you unleashed the "evils" of the world upon yourself???

- Did HOPE remain strong in your soul????

CSI Guest Special Investigator, Week One for the month of April

Two Jokers 1947 #66

I have used all five colors
Evidence: buttons, arrows, something fuzzy (flocked paper), ribbon, hearts (large metal heart), holes (washers)
Testimony: A layout about my parents on their honeymoon in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1947.
I have handwritten the journaling as a postcard. This is on the back of the actual postcard seen on the left side of the layout, the postcard can be slipped out by pulling on the attached string, (which is not visible in the photo). I wrote something funny as I imagined my Mom might have written it, (she was a very good writer). I used the inspiration word point.

"Hello Everyone! Well here we are, and wouldn't you know it, married life is not what it's cracked up to be!!! Case in point: we got hitched and look what happened, we were immediately thrown into the stocks!!! Marriage has made us laughingstocks, bound and jailed for the rest of our days!! Why didn't anyone tell us this???!! Sue & Ernie
p.s. just kidding, loving every minute!!!!"

The photo is actually 2 separate photos pieced together. I used a lot of personal items on this page. The large tarnished heart is a bookmark that belonged to Mom. The silver button and the red small crystal buttons were hers. As well as the postcard, which came from her collection of old postcards. The joker card belonged to Dad, as did all of the many washers on the layout. The key and lock surround also belonged to him, and the watch face is set into an old watch back of his.

True Confessions

I'll be the first to admit it, I'm the world's worst blogger!!!!

Oh, I had all these glorious ideas about how beautiful everything would look, how wonderful my writing would be. But my thoughts could not just jive with my actions - or is it the other way around??! Truth be told, I'm so technology challenged, that everything becomes overwhelming.

Now, if I would have the common sense and decency to post more often, I'd say that sooner or later (probably later), it would come together, be much easier. But I'd rather be digging in my garden or even (gasp) scrapping, than sitting at a computer struggling with cyber space!! So it all falls by the wayside.

And then, every so often when I decide to post - frustration sets in and I have to call in reinforcements. That would be my son, when he is willing. And I suffer severe embarrassment  when he says with disbelief in his voice "I just showed you how to do that last week!!" I wince, and say "well -  yes -  but - huh - I can't".......whilst looking frantically for the scattered notes on scraps of paper that are willy-nilly here and there, instead of being in that special little notebook specifically made for this purpose!!

Thus, you see this mess, a blog that wants to be spectacular and has big ideas, but no will power!!!!

So now I must get serious!! I must figure out how to get followers, I must post regularly. I must post close ups, as well as full layouts. I must explain a few things......because I am a Guest Special Investigator for the month of April at the challenge site CSI. And I am quaking in my boots, which are actually my socks and beat up old slippers. Here goes......wish me luck! All very well and good, because basically I'm talking to myself. Still no followers!! And well aware of that!

And my first post will come up in a couple of days!!!!!

River Reverie

#58, Used all 5 colors, and my interpretation of the sketch.

Evidence: wood(buttons), twine, fabric(tulle & cheesecloth), jewels(crystals & antique glass beads), jagged edges, sheer(soft gel medium & tulle)

Testimony: I documented a getaway from the past by letting my thoughts wander back, used the inspiration words escape and reverie. Full journal is found by pulling out tag attached to twine at the top of the layout.

"Such a hot summer day! We longed for a cool place! We were visiting Grandma and Grandpa. We drove to the Old Mill in Arlington, and there we found our escape on the banks of the Battenkill River. Lovely cold water rushed and tumbled over smooth rock boulders, sending up spray everywhere!! There were shallow pools in the broad ledges, and we dangled our feet in the bracing water enjoying its' tonic effect. You were a bit shy of water at the time, being just 3 years old. Whilst your older sisters and brother splashed about in the riotous water, you remained apart, seemingly lost in reverie, quietly gazing off at the surrounding beauty....a most private child...."

Forget Me Not

#54, used all 5 colors, sketch

. Evidence: punched circles, polka dots, text pattern, music pattern, tea cup accent.

 Testimony: journaling inspired by the quote by E. Roosevelt,used inspiration words, written on the page opposite the layout as this is going in my Grandmother's book.

"Today, Jan. 16, 2010 - After a long morning researching family history, you and I were feeling the need for a hot drink. Of course it had to be tea! And it had to be served in the precious teacups that once belonged to the woman whose life we had spent hours on trying to piece together. We cleared a space on our worktable for the tea things. It seemed necessary to place her old tea tin from Russia, that had miraculously survived through the years, next to the cups. You poured the tea. We looked at the tableau and quickly snapped photos as the steam rising from the cups was visible in the light from the window. We felt her "presence."
Today, Jan.16, 2013 - 3 years have gone by, so much learned, so much still unknown. My Grandmother truly was a strong woman. Dead infants, two husbands who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, language barriers, poverty, social stigma. Tested, she emerged from the "hot water" again and again, propelled by a strength I can barely comprehend."
The photos are of her teaset, which she purchased from a traveling peddler and paid 10 cents a week for. The set is painted with a lovely vine of pink roses, yellow daisies and blue forget me nots. And that is my Grandmother in 1937.