Snow Delay

When Greg's flight home was cancelled because of snow, he took a train.  When Michelle's friend Allyson couldn't drive her to Morgantown, Michelle rented a car.  They were delighted to be reunited and our Christmas was complete having all our kids home.  2012

The ribbon idea was inspired from a card published in Scrapbook Trends.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday!
 

Frosty Fort

There was just enough snow on Sunday to make for pretty scenic pictures.  Bob took the last of his "Days of Choice" and took this day off.  We drove to nearby Fairmont, West Virginia to the Pricketts Fort State Park.

Prickett's Fort was constructed in 1774 and the Job Prickett House in 1859.  Colonel Jackquill Morgan, the first West Virginia settler and Morgantown founder, is buried here.

Christmas Eve

This design is based on Jill Cornell's "Twas the Night Before Christmas" published in the December issue of Creating Keepsakes.  I made the background layout yesterday before I went to work!

Every Christmas Eve, we string and hang our cards from our great room ceiling.  The strung cards on my layout are scans of some of the cards.  We also go to the Post (where Bob works) and pick up the Christmas edition of the paper.  They have an early press run on Christmas Eve so that the staff can go home to their families.  As you can see by these photos......even we can take bad ones!

I hope everyone is enjoying the gift of family.  Thank you for the gifts of creativity and friendship.

Wish

I was by the Shepherd Chapel when the clock struck 4.  The light and the Christmas decorations added to the festive mood in historic Shepherdstown.  December, 2012

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Going Home

Starting our drive to Maryland, Dad's 91 year old cousin Bernice said "I'm going home!".  My 90 year old Dad, with macro-degeneration, and my 87 year old Mom, with severe arthritis, made a great breakfast, enjoying the gifts of family.

For the background, I added a digital texture (from the Basic Grey "Dasher" collection) to a piece of off white cardstock.  I added my pictures, strips and scraps of papers, alphas, the picture "hangers" and journaling tags to complete the layout. I love hybrid scrapping!

I hope everyone is relaxing a little on this weekend before Christmas Eve.  It was windy and snowy yesterday (the first day of winter) here in West Virginia, and a great day to feed the birds.

Welcome Santa

The Olde Tyme Christmas in Harper's Ferry is so much fun.  This year's Santa did not have as good a beard as Bob's!

To make my banner, I typed "Welcome Santa" using a block font, then printed and cut around the words.  I ran those through my Xyron sticker maker and attached to the canvas trim.  I "hung" it like the actual banner which was strung across the street in Harper's Ferry.

I purchased 3 cards of the black poinsettia buttons for $2.00 at an antique shop last summer.  

Hope everyone has time to relax in this holiday season!
 
 

Weathered

The weathered ruins are all that remain of St. John's Episcopal Church--one of Harpers Ferry's 5 earliest churches.  Built in 1852, St. John's served as a hospital and barracks during the Civil War and suffered considerable damage.  December, 2012

I used several techniques on this layout to add texture:  I sprayed the circle chipboard with glimmermist, then added sea salt.  (After drying I removed the large chunks of salt).  I colored the texture paste with acrylic paint prior to icing it across the tree and fence masks.  Finally, I added a piece of adhesive dry wall mesh to the bottom of the layout.

Can you believe the blue sky we had Saturday?  Here's wishing you the same! 

1939

My Mother received this certificate when she was 13 1/2 for completing the advanced course in the Palmer Method of Business Writing.  The Palmer Method of penmanship, popular in the early 20th century, involved muscle motion, speed and plainness.  As you can see, there was nothing plain about Mom!  February 23, 1939.

The handwriting at the top of the page is from the Palmer Instruction material which I found on the internet.  The practice sentences said:  "It is not so much the amount of practice, as the kind of practice that counts.  It is the constant effort to acquire precision that leads to success in writing."

 The certificate is an actual photograph of the one Mom received.  The original is big and has pretty pink and blue ribbon attached to the seal.

Digital Tutorial: Color Enhancing Photos

It didn't have to be Christmas for our younger son, Chris, to have fun with his friends. When this picture was taken at the start of the holiday season 2010, he called it "festive." The photo was taken with a cell phone camera and was not very sharp. The kids both wore red shirts. To enhance it, I edited it in Photoshop by duplicating a layer in black and white, then erasing the shirts to reveal the reds.  I will demonstrate using a recent photo of my Mom (donning a Christmas sweatshirt!):

Open the photo, then duplicate it in a second layer. 

Convert the second layer to grayscale. To do this click on "Image," "Mode," then "Grayscale."

Select the eraser tool.

Make the brush diameter bigger at first to erase the center of the shirt, then smaller for the edges of the shirt.

Erase the shirts to reveal the red color:

This is the final image:

This "Digital corner" is published in the December issue of Scrapbooking.com. 
 

The Light Shone

The day was beautiful and the enclosed Nativity scene the same as Bob and I photographed different characters from different angles.  I was looking for the right title and quote for my layout when my blogging friend Amy posted this quote on her site:

"Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn,

Draw forth the cheerful day from night:

O Father, touch the East and light the light

That shone when Hope was born."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Photo from Oglebay Park 2012.  I used the back of a beautiful die cut paper as a mask for my background.  (I can still use the paper on another layout.....) 

FNCE

Over the years I've had my picture taken with the Bush Beans dog and a California Raisin.  I've donned the milk mustache and sat on the throne as the Pistachio Nut Queen.  This year I guess you could call me a ham when I posed for the "cover" of the Academy's Food and Nutrition publication.  I chose the grain prop as I really am a whole grains star.  I'm fortunate when I'm able to attend the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.  2012

My layout has some ephemera from the expo.  Note the egg carton brochure cover  and the pear CD cover which I kept thinking I might be able to use them someday!

Merry

It has become a tradition to go to Oglebay's Festival of Lights and this year was extra special when Chris went with us.  The music was festive and the weather perfect.  November 2012

 

Loyalty

Michelle's sister Christina's toast at the wedding reception:  "Michelle taught me the meaning of loyalty.  She's very quiet, but she's always there for you."  May 2012

This layout is modeled after Lisa Dickinson's "Have Faith" layout in this month's Scrapbook Trends.

Yesterday was Greg & Michelle's 10th anniversary as a couple.  Their first date was 10 years ago when they went to see the second Harry Potter movie.  They celebrated with a dinner out and drinks in the "tallest bar in Minneapolis".  They have made us very happy!

Have a great week, my loyal followers!

Thankful

"There's always something to be thankful for" is a quote I saw on another scrapper's layout.  Here's my list this Thanksgiving 2012:

1)  Good kids.  2)  Devoted husband.  3)  Loving parents.  4)  Sweet kitty.  5)  Comfortable home.  6)  My health.  7)  Bills are paid.  8)  Meals on wheels (for Mom & Dad)  9)  Fun times with Bob.

Of course there's so much more.  My siblings who take care of my parents, my lifelong friends, being able to create.........the list goes on.

This is a paper I purchased at Mom's Memories scrapbook store in Wheeling, WV on Wednesday.  I also got the beach (grass) stencil there.  Today is "Small Business Saturday", and I'd like to acknowledge this store that also has a branch in Washington Pa.  I posted pictures last year on Small Business Saturday from the Wheeling store.  

The "left arm" picture was taken last Saturday on the Caperton Rail Trail here in Morgantown.  I'm thankful I live in a great place too!

In the Spirit

For Thanksgiving this year Chris, Bob and I went to West Virginia's Oglebay Park "Festival of Lights", one of the largest light displays in the country.  The weather was gorgeous and the music festive.  We had a great time.

The local scrapbook store in Wheeling, Mom's Memories, is on the National Highway just a few miles from the hotel. These are the papers I purchased there, from the Authentique line.  The Vintage buttons were another great find:

When we arrived home we filled the bird feeders and enjoyed our winter birds in the pretty sunlight.  We do not feed in the summertime, and the chickadees and titmice started telling us it was time back in September.

Bob took this terrific picture of the titmouse hopping in mid air and also got pictures of the birds in the bird bath.  His page ran in the Post a few weeks ago:

Notice I got a few Christmas lights up today and am officially in the holiday spirit.  Hope your day was a happy one too! 

Brats & More

Greg grilled and all the guests sat on the lawn of their home the night before the wedding.  May 2012

Wedding Eve

Arriving in Minnesota the day before the wedding, we were a little emotional and like everyone at the rehearsal, very happy.  The gardens on Lake Minnetonka were lovely.    May, 2012

The ribbon in the layout were the ribbons used in the wedding.  Lacing Michelle's wedding dress took 3 tries before it laid just right.  This is why she was 40 minutes late for the wedding:

 

Beauty Speaks

The pictures were taken in mid September at Deep Creek Lake on my way back home from a friend's Dad's funeral.  The quote was posted yesterday on Facebook by another high school friend.  It is by John Eldridge:

"We need what Beauty speaks.  What it says is hard to put into words.  But part of its message is, all is well.  All will be well."

My friends at work who see my scrapbooks say I must not do any housecleaning.  But every Saturday morning I clean my house.  After that Bob and I go out to lunch and do something we enjoy on our only day off together.  Today we walked the rail trail:

We watched our Netflix DVD early today (WVU football on now!).  While the "Most Exotic Marigold Hotel" was playing, I cut out my alphas and arranged the background for my layout.  After the movie, while the fresh green beans were cooking for dinner, I printed my photos, painted the cardboard and adhered the elements.  A full fun day.. . . and I have more photos for another layout!  As John Eldridge said, "All is well".

Sugar n' Spice

On the last day of Greg and Michelle's Istanbul honeymoon, they visited the Spice Bazaar.  The bazaar is the center for spice trade in Istanbul and also houses other shops.  It's main entrance faces the Yeni Mosque.

Greg's pictures showed beautiful tile art:

My west coast friend Shawn sent me a package of lovely homemade tags, cards and scrapping materials.  The tea canister stamps on my layout were on the envelope.  Shawn (Mycupoftea)  loved Greg's tea pictures from this day's adventure:

I bet the Spice Bazaar smelled good!  

Happy Friday and safe travels to all!
 

Wall of Blessings

On the hill overlooking Ephesus is the house of the Virgin Mary and a wall where people leave prayers and blessings. June 2012

These were pictures from Greg and Michelle's honeymoon (Day 6).  I was fascinated with the wall and the numerous notes on paper, tissues and handkerchiefs:

Here is the blessing I made for them where I stamped the words on a cloth napkin:

I would be amiss if I did not show their photos taken that day from the remains of the Temple of Artemis - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world:

Blessings to all of us!
  

Us in Topkapi

On Day 5 of their honeymoon Greg and Michelle toured the Topkapi Palace, the primary residence of the sultans for 400 years.  The Topkapi is an ensemble of palaces, courtyards, chambers and collections, with a panoramic view of Istanbul.  May 2012

 

The mosaic tiles on my layout represent beautiful tile work on some palace interiors.

I added the stamp and postmark digitally.  They say:  "Hold my hand".

I got tickled when reading Greg's caption with this photo from the Topkapi. "Now there's a couch I could read a book on":

I can't wait till they are home at New Year's and he can lay on our couch!

 

 

My Favorite Veteran

My favorite veteran is my Dad, pictured here as a young Marine in the early 1940s and (center) today.  For Dad's 90th birthday earlier in the year, I asked a few of his favorite race car drivers and a few other prominent people to send him cards.  One of those who sent cards was Hershel Woody Williams, West Virginia's only living Medal of Honor Winner.  My Dad was in the 5th Marine Division, wounded at Iwo Jima and a Purple Heart recipient.  Woody was in the 3rd Marine Division and received his Medal of Honor for his heroic service at Iwo Jima.  In his card to Dad he wrote:
     "Life is God's gift to us.  What we do with it is our gift to him.  You have done well."

 Woody Williams also sent me a card, saying "Thank you for giving me the chance to send the card.  it was my pleasure to honor a Marine".  I think Woody is my 2nd favorite Veteran!