CSI 123 Angel Fire Inspiration

I don't get to play with the CSI Challenges often as I don't scrap until Friday night and the challenge is almost finished. I just loved the inspiration this week and made sure I made the time to get it done. The colours were the first attraction but I love the ethereal suggestion in the face and the softened dragon in the background.

I love butterflies and in the past 5 years they have become more important; Irish legend tells us that butterflies are the souls of the dead come back to visit us. I found after losing my son that if I was having a bad day I was sure to see an orange and black butterfly, sometimes totally out of place for the expected. I was walking through my city one day in an area that is all concrete and brick building, busy roads and railways with very little parkland; I was feeling low and struggling with my day and out of nowhere one of these butterflies flew close to my head and almost lit on my shoulder and then totally disappeared. Legend or not, it's visit lifted my spirits and got me through the day. It is not the first time it has happened and I truly hope it is not the last!

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

The image is from Google Images.

Sketchabilities #115

 I don't often have the opportunity of completing two Sketchabilities challenges in a row and even less so close together. This sketch appeared as I was completing my previous challenge post and was perfect to complete a second page about our little birthday boy. This little fellow has two older brothers and follows a miscarriage so is our 'rainbow baby'. Please see the previous post for an explanation. This little chap has boundless energy and doesn't see that lacking 6 and 7 years on his brothers should stop him being able to do just what they do! He is a bundle of energy raring to go and will take on any challenge. He was given this little bouncy toy only minutes early by his uncle and aunt and mastered the challenge and thoroughly enjoyed bouncing through his party. He has certainly brought a lot of joy to his family.
Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

Scrap the Boys - May Challenge

Scrap the Boys has challenged us to a grunge/messy page this month; I went through the multitude of boy photos I have and decided to scrap a 'baby grunge' page! I don't do mixed media well so simply threw everything I could at this page to see if I could pull it off in a cute baby way.

This is our youngest grandson celebrating his 1st birthday. He was born two years after his parents lost a child at 20 weeks gestation and is therefore their 'rainbow baby'; a 'rainbow baby' is a baby that is born following a miscarriage or still birth. In the real world, a beautiful and bright rainbow follows a storm and gives hope of things getting better. The rainbow is more appreciated having just experienced the storm in comparison. The storm (pregnancy loss) has already happened and nothing can change that experience. Storm-clouds might still be overhead as the family continue to cope with the loss, but something colourful and bright has emerged from the darkness and misery.

The party decorations were all brightly coloured and the cake, made by a friend who supported the family through the loss was layered in all colours of the rainbow. It was a beautiful celebration for this little one.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

 

Page inspired by Celmascrap.over-blog

Sketchabilities #114

I have had a day off work and enjoyed a pyjama day just scrap booking so I have been able to complete several challenges today; the sketch from Sketchabilites was perfect to finish a couple of pages of our granddaughters 2nd birthday party. I didn't want this photo on the first page as she has tomato sauce on her face but it was too cute not to be included and the colours were so bright; it is the same photo used twice. I don't have a lot of pink in my stash so really had to search for the few pieces of paper I have used here. She is a little cutie and can be such a little lady when she is dressed up but a bit of a tomboy as well; probably the influence of her many male cousins.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

Dusty Attic - May Challenge

Another great sketch from Nadia for the Dusty Attic Blog and Audrey Underwood. The only criteria is to use the sketch and Dusty Attic embellishments.

This is another photo from the photo shoot from June 2013; all the girls! Many regular visitors will know that I have a husband, four sons and six grandsons. The little girl in this photo is our only granddaughter so far and she is pictured with her Nan (me) her Mum (in white) and her three aunts, my daughters-in-law. We couldn't resist the opportunity to have a photo of just the girls.

I have used a DA scroll #10, DA alpha's, both glimmer misted and a couple of their lovely white blossoms all of which came from my stash. Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave.

123 Challenge - May

Another 'back to basics' page; I was really pleased to see that 123 Challenge is back and with a new owner; I have missed these challenges. This months challenge is Green, Time and Journaling; I do not like my own handwriting so haven't written much but it is there!
The photos are from the 2013 family photo shoot and this is our second grandson; he has quite a character and loves to pull funny faces. I am a bit particular when it comes to the family photo shoots we have done every five years and our sons and DILs know that I don't like them messing about too much; the little ones haven't caught on yet! I can remember standing there and saying 'next time can I have a lovely smile?' and he delivered. I have decided to make this a double layout for his album.
My page is inspired by layouts I have found on the 'So Major' digital website. Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

A2Z Scraplets May Challenge - Mum

Another of my back to basics pages...

My niece Bel is on the A2Z Scraplets design team and has access to many of their wonderful chipboard stock which she uses to make extraordinary scrapbook pages. Bel has posed the challenge for this month and as it is May and she is soon to become a mother again she has chosen Mum as the challenge subject.

Regular visitors to this blog will know I have four sons; each of them are married and have families of their own. I often write about my sons and our grandchildren but I rarely write about their wives and Mums. Two of my DIL, the ones on either side of me in the photo are sisters, it made meeting the families are whole lot easier when I third son married his big brothers wife's sister... confusing isn't it! Three of the four call me by name but the fourth one, the youngest in white, calls me Mum. She lost her own Mum to cancer just a few months before her own daughter was born. Her mother asked me when she was dying to take care of her daughter and I was honoured by her request. We have grown close and I was fortunate to not only choose the veil she would wear on her wedding day but also be present when my granddaughter was born.

I had a difficult relationship with my own MIL and made a promise to myself and my wonderful sons that I would be a good, supportive, MIL and not interfere in their lives or treat any of their families any different. At the same time I will not allow anyone to hurt the ones that were first to call me 'Mum'.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

Let's Get Shabby - Challenge 54

My first thought for the Let's Get Shabby challenge was that I don't like using my actual travel maps as a background to my scrap booking and I couldn't find my USA travel pics. I was flipping through my photos and paper and found these two; they were perfect for this challenge!

My youngest sister's eldest son has talked about being a pilot/astronaut for as long as I can remember; he has always shown a great interest in all things aeronautical so it was not surprising that he chose flying as a career. This photo was taken on his first 'solo with a passenger' flight as a student pilot. I thought his Mum was terribly brave but she had great confidence in his abilities and was happy to climb into the co-pilots seat. This flight was to be the first of many and he now flies very large planes for the USA Airforce and perhaps hasn't given up his dream of space flight! I often remind him of his promise to me when the family moved to the USA; 'I will come home and fly for QANTAS'. I am holding him to his promise; if he comes home his Mum and younger brother will come too. We miss them all.

Another of my 'back to basics' pages with inspiration from the amazing Heather Jacob.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.