Thrasher?

What's going on here?  It's only Saturday and my weekly post is already up??  Let me just say it is FREEZING here today.  Cloudy, cold, rainy.....blah.....good day to scrapbook.  The mystery papers I picked this week are very masculine.  Navy blue, light blue, dark green.....perfect for an event involving tractors.

I had never heard of a Thrasherman, much less known about their yearly festival in a local town.  But one warm, sunny, beautiful October morning the family headed to an orchard to have lunch, wander through the pumpkin patch, have our picture taken on a haystack and watch little kids try to carry pumpkins as big as they are. 

On the way to the orchard, I discover we're stopping to see the Thrashers.  Who?  What?  I thought it kinda sounded like the people that stomp on grapes to make wine.  Reminded me of that hilarious I Love Lucy episode.  Nope, no wine.  I'm still not entirely sure what a Thrasher is, but it has something to do with steam and engines and farming.  The event was a cross between a tractor pull and a flea market with funnel cakes.  So this layout commemorates my first, and last, Thrasher Festival.  The last line of my journaling says it all.....lots of guys in overalls. 

Till next week......

Vintage Christmas

Happy Sunday to you!  I can feel it in the air....Spring is almost here!  The days are longer, the sun shines through the clouds more often, March Madness is on TV, the birds are chirping and the rabbits and squirrels  are running around the yard.  My scrapbook work area looks out a sliding glass door into the back yard so I've been watching the acrobatics of the squirrels today. 

I worked on my Christmas in March cards this morning.  I used a 6 x 6 vintage Christmas paper pack from Webster's Pages.  The graphics are amazing on both sides of the paper and everything coordinates really well.  I completed two 5x7 cards and two 4.25 x 5.5 cards.  Very simple, but since I mail most of my cards, they need to be flat.  The vintage papers have the appearance of multiple layers but without the bulk. 

I picked my layout mystery paper last night.  I was hoping for something I could use for wedding photos, but instead picked a set with bright orange and turquoise.  I'm all for using non traditional color combinations, but I don't think the patterned paper with the cartoon lions will work well with formal dress attire.  Looks like I'm heading to the birthday pictures for this layout!  

Vintage Birthday Card

Hello Again, jumping right into this weeks card.  I love the look of vintage cards and layouts but I have a very difficult time achieving the look.  This is my latest attempt.  Kinda close.  I started by using a border leaf stamp with Versamark ink and stamped the border repeatedly down the cardstock to create the background.  Next I stamped and colored the glass canning jar.  The lid and label were stamped separately onto patterned paper and hand cut to layer over the jar.  Note to self:  Pick up the jar dies :-)  The key to vintage is in the layers.  With this in mind, I added a doily and matching plum ribbon.  The focal point felt like it still needed something so I added the tail of a paper ribbon peeking out behind the jar in yellow. 

My Grandmother's 90th Birthday is next week and this card is heading her direction.  I layerd a little on the inside as well.  Hope she likes it.

Now, I'm off to work on this weeks layout.  I have the papers picked out but still need to look through the photos.  And, I have a few ideas floating around the old noggin for Christmas cards I still need to work on for March.  Till next week.....

Baby Shower

Did you think I forgot about you?  I didn't forget, but I was so far out of the scrappy mood this weekend I wasn't sure I would get anything finished!  Believe me, if there had been anything halfway interesting on TV I would not be posting right now.  I think it's the weather.  We had several days in a row of sunny, 50-60 degree temps and Spring seemed to be right around the corner and then the thunderstorms started Friday night.  Saturday was full of gray, a steady rain and chilly temps, which are just depressing when you're longing for Spring.

I did spend a few hours blog surfing yesterday and found a sketch support blog for cards and layouts.  I found one card sketch that really impressed me with the variety of ways the designers interpreted the elements.  I ended up creating a birthday card full of bright, cheerful colors.  I think I'm going to try the same sketch again using pastel shades or maybe try to make it monochromatic. 

Since I seemed to be making a little scrappy progress, I decided to go ahead and select a layout package.  The one I selected only had three pieces of single sided patterned paper: a stripe, a floral and a page with multi-colored elephants.  Yes, I said colored elephants.  No embellishments, no ribbon and no cardstock!  Huh, what am I supposed to do with that??   Well, the colors aren't quite pastel, but I thought I could turn it into a baby layout.  Like I said earlier, I wasn't in full scrappy brain mode, but I think it turned out OK.  I mirrored the single page layout so the baby shower pics are on the left side and the hospital pictures are on the right side.  And, without any embellishments in the package, I was able to use a few flowers, gemstones, tags and letters.  Here's to warmer temps, sunny days and scrappy brains!  Cheers!