My Favorite Things

 

When I saw this stamp in my local scrapbooking store “The Scrap Yard”, I knew immediately that I had to have it. Not just because it is part of the lyrics to a favorite song (“My Favorite Things” from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music), or because the production is one of my all-time favorites, it’s because everyone knows that brown paper packages tied up with string are wonderful to give and to receive.

For me the excitement is as close to receiving that little blue box from Tiffany’s. As a child I remember my grandma going out for her daily messages with her big carry basket and coming home with the preparations for the evening meal in brown paper packages tied with string. The meat and cheese from the butcher shop and the fresh rolls from the bakers all tied up in brown kraft paper. When she would bring me a small gift it was always wrapped in this same manner and I was always so excited to see what was inside the wrapping.

In honor of this very fond memory I decided to create this journal using the stamp as my theme. I seem to be on a journal kick right now but I think I’ll pass this one along to someone who would enjoy writing about their favorite things.

*Creative Scrappers Challenge*

There is nothing like experiencing a day at the park through a child’s eyes, the wonder and excitement of all the playground equipment and the dilemma of not knowing which to choose first. I watched as my two year old great-niece Eve ran from one apparatus to another…. I think her favorite thing to do was go down the slide. She spent hours climbing up the stairs and sliding down…. Tired me out just watching her!

This week’s challenge at Creative Scrappers was to create a layout using one of their layout sketches and I chose layout sketch #117 and designed a layout describing “A Day at the Park”.  Hop on over to their blog and take a peek.

I just love Basic Grey (and have a stash accumulating) so I used their “Wassail – Cranberry Sauce” as my background and “Polka – Party Collection” by Necessities as my photo mat. I love to sew on my scrapbook pages. I feel it adds some interest and makes the page unique and it’s a great alternative to adhesive. I dry-brushed the coordinating green on the background paper and used the same paint on my chipboard circles and letters. The letters looked a little stark so I distressed them with my sanding tool. The little charm hanging from the rope around the rolled photo mat says “family”.

I hope you took the time this summer to spend a day at the park with someone you love!

The Dance

“Looking back on the memory of
the dance we shared beneath the stars above
for a moment all the world was right
how could I have known you'd ever say goodbye
and now I'm glad I didn't know
the way it all would end the way it all would go
our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
but I'd of had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
for a moment wasn't I the king
but if I'd only known how the king would fall
hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
and now I'm glad I didn't know
the way it all would end the way it all would go
our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
but I'd of had to miss the dance"

In order to like a song you must be moved, in some way, by it. Sometimes it’s the artist, the music, the melody or the feel of the song but more than likely it’s the lyrics. The Dance by Garth Brooks moves me like no other, in ways that I cannot find the words to express. This song was probably one of the best songs he ever did and I would venture to say one of his most popular. It doesn’t take much to explain, the lyrics tell the story.

“Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I’d of had to miss the dance”. My dear Brad; thanks for the dance. You are missed and loved each day.

This layout was submitted to The Inspired Scrapper for this week's layout challenge.... "Music Inspiration".  Take some time to look at their blog.

Altered Tool Box

When my kids started junior high school and had the option of taking “shop” or “home economics” class I persuaded them to sign up as these were classes that would help them along in life…. At least that’s what I thought. After all, I had taken home economics throughout my junior high school years and that led to my love of sewing. Meagan took home economics (or food services as it was sometimes called) in grade 7, which led to disappointment as all the recipies were made from a “Betty Crocker” mix, no home-made, start from scratch, baking at this school. So the next year she decided on “shop” class (or woodworking) where she made a few things “from scratch”. One of the things that she made was a metal tool box for Grandpa Ed as he had hundreds of tools and was always making things for us. She was proud to present it to him on one of our trips to Saskatchewan, where he proudly displayed it in his workshop.

Gone, but not forgotten …. when Grandpa Ed passed away Grandma gave the toolbox back to me and a flood of memories with it. Inside Meagan had written her initials and 1998 (she was 13 years old) and it still opened and closed with a bit of a tug. I put it away for a couple of years and the other day when I was searching for something, I came across it. I decided that it was time for it to be displayed again so I got out all my crafting supplies and altered it. It now sits on the shelf in my scrapbooking room holding all my vintage ephemera….. wouldn’t Grandpa be proud!