I still have Take Twelve for August to scrap, but I got this layout done this weekend. I still haven’t found a way to photograph a two page spread effectively. If anyone has a good process, I’d love to hear about it. Take Twelve seemed overwhelming this month because, truthfully, there wasn’t much happening that day. I had just decorated the house for fall, however, so I decided to take 12 shots of some of the decorations.

I decided the layout really didn’t need any journaling. I put the photos together in PSE without a template this time, just arranging them on a grid. It turned out pretty well. The background paper is more BoBunny Dots, and the cardstock for mats and letters is Terra Cotta Tile by Papertrey Ink. I cut the letters with my new Memory Box dies: Typewriter. As soon as I saw them on Jennifer McGuire’s blog, I knew they were a “must-have.” They’ll be perfect on cards as well. The leaves are Amy Tangerine by American Craft and the buttons from a collection by Papertrey Ink.

I finally found some time this weekend to scrap. Ever since Adam posted these photos I’ve wanted to do a layout. The tiny letter stickers provide the journaling, “The pictures tell the story.” I think the last photo sums it up, “What were you thinking, Dad?”

I used BoBunny dots for the background, always one of my favorites! The corrugated letters are Jillibean stained with the Tim Holtz Wild Honey. The tiny letter stickers are by Jenni Bowlin. All these supplies have been in my stash for quite some time. I cut the lemons with my Silhouette, and backed the slices with vellum.

Yesterday was Skylar’s first birthday. She’s walking, has four teeth, and is still just a delightful, happy little girl. The two photos of her aren’t the best as the light left a lot to be desired, and I’m so reluctant to use a flash. (I ought to get over that!) She was more interested in the bow than the package or what was in it. Pretty typical for a one year old.

Here’s the card I made for her:

Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse and Select White (PTI); patterned paper: A Muse; glitter paper: American Craft; dies: By the Number, Double Ended Banner, & Tag Sale #3 (PTI); Stamp: Big Birthday Wishes (PTI); ribbon from stash.

And a peek at the inside:

Stamp:  Heart2Heart 2 (PTI); patterned paper:  A Muse and American Craft (glitter); small scallop die (PTI)

At the other end of the spectrum, a dear friend of ours turned 81 last week. Here’s the card I made for him.

Card:  Paper Source; Stamps: 2012 Birthday Tags, Fabulous Frames, & Background: Herringbone (all PTI); button: Pure Poppy (PTI)

I’m somewhat amazed that I’ve continued to take a photo every day for the last eight months. I can’t say it’s always been easy, and there are evenings when I really need to scramble, but it’s so satisfying to see them all arranged on a layout. These calendar templates have prompted me to do a recap (somewhat like “My Month in Numbers”) of what I’ve done and accomplished each month. This month was all about travel, and the tag hiding under the layout has a summary of all the places we visited during our three week trip. I just barely managed to get it all on the two sides of the tag.

I was quite pleased to see this map paper in this month’s Studio Calico kit–perfect timing. The ribbon on the tag was also from the kit. The two dimensional stickers are Amy Tangerine by American Craft and the Flair Button is by Ormolu. The woodgrain Thickers are also American Craft.

Feel free to skim (or skip) all the journaling, but I thought I’d add it in case anyone wondered about the trip. Photos are coming. Every day I make some progress on culling and editing them. I bracketed most of my shots in Rocky Mountain National Park, and now have to learn how to use the PhotoMatix software I purchased earlier this summer. Here’s the August recap:

We were on the road for three weeks in August. Like our previous two big trips, this one met or exceeded all our expectations. After a lovely weekend, with Carol & Gordon in Charlotte, we drove to Atlanta to babysit with Caleb while Sarah & Adam worked at a conference. While they were visiting with friends on Monday night, Tracy & I splurged on a fabulous meal at our #1 restaurant, Canoe. 

We spent four relaxing days at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island. Sarah and I did some serious shopping at the outlets, we took Caleb to the pool and to the beach, and we enjoyed some great food. We spent our last day together at Zoo Atlanta. 

When we left them at the airport, we headed toward Denver. We enjoyed our stay in lovely Birmingham, AL.  We visited Vulcan Park, the Peanut Depot, and spent a morning at The Civil Rights Institute. The next morning we visited the National Historic Site at Central High School in Little Rock, AK. After reading Elizabeth and Hazel:  Two Women of Little Rock on the way to Atlanta, I was particularly moved by seeing video interviews with The LIttle Rock Nine. The only other book I managed to finish this month was Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. 

We arrived at the stunning Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville about 2:00. After three hours in the galleries and a short walk on The Art Trail, we had dinner at Eleven, the museum restaurant. The salmon with blackberry salsa was the best salmon dish I’ve ever had. Then it was a day and a half of driving across the plains to Denver.

We had a great time in Denver with all the Collins. When Matt finished the practical exam for the national landscape certification Saturday morning we left for Boulder. Boulder is one great university town. We walked the Pearl St. Mall, sipped beer at the Avery Brewery, and took a short drive around Boulder Chautaqua. We spent two days in the Rocky Mountain National Park, hiking one day and driving across the park the second day. In Estes Park, we had a great dinner at Twin Owls Steakhouse.

On our drive home, we spent a morning at the Amana Communities in Iowa, and started planning our next adventure.. All told, we put 5,417 miles on the van and enjoyed it all.

Before we left, I managed to squeeze in a night volunteering for RAIHN and three lunches with friends. We hosted a dinner with Tina, Bill, Gary, and Chris as well as our book group. I participated in the Liberate Your Art swap, receiving six postcards from around the globe when I arrived home. Quite a lovely August!

When we left for our trip I had just two photos to find for Rinda’s Summer Scavenger Hunt. I knew finding one of them wouldn’t be a problem, but in the end, I found both and a little extra, too.

#12 was to find “A maze, labyrinth, or trail.” Since we were going to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, I knew I’d find a trail for sure.

This trail ran along a stream hiking back from Emerald Lake.

I think this trail was on the way to Alberta Falls, but I’d have to go back to Lightroom and check the photo sequence to be sure.

That satisfied the requirement, but the next day we stopped in Winter Park, CO and Matt spotted this:

It wasn’t the kind of maze that I was looking for, but it fit the bill. I love that my family and friends are on the lookout for the scavenger hunt items when they’re traveling with me.

#21 was to be a photo of you with something that symbolizes your nation. We’ve had a lot of good conversation about this one over the summer. One of the possibilities was a photo with a piece of apple pie. I wasn’t quite sure where the saying “as American as apple pie” came from so I looked it up and found this explanation online:

“As American as apple pie” is a common
saying in the United States, meaning “typically American” However,
the expression (its full form being “As American as motherhood and apple
pie”) is clearly metaphorical, rather than literally ascribing an American
origin to either apple pie or motherhood, since both motherhood and apple pie
predate the United States. To some, the saying expresses the feeling that the
concept “America” is not just geographical, but is instead – along
with motherhood and apple pie – something wholesome.

While we were in Hilton Head, I stopped a bakery to pick up some desserts for dinner. When I saw the apple pie, I knew I had my photo. Thanks to Adam for taking this great shot.

So there it is. Last year I lacked two items, so I’m pleased to have found them all this summer. I want to find some way to document this project, so that’s the next and final challenge. I love this project, and hope it continues again next year. Thanks, Rinda!

First off, a post for the current Casual Friday challenge which is a Back to School challenge. I’m really grateful that I’m not going back to school. As much as I loved teaching, I love retirement more. I needed one more thank you note for friends we visited while we were away, and thought the notebook paper and pencil filled the bill for both the challenge and the card.

Card:  Hero Arts; Stamps: Happy Trails (PTI) and pencil (Judith); die: Fabulous Frames (PTI); punch: Knock-outs (American Craft) and Copics.

And now for a bit of an update and a few projects I finished before the trip. We got home a day earlier than we planned, and it was a good
thing. Tracy’s stepfather was admitted to the hospital a week ago. At first it
appeared that an ulcer was causing the difficulty and some medication and new
diet would be the answer, but then he suffered a heart attack in the hospital. It
was touch and go for several days, but he seems to have turned a corner in the last
36 hours. My mother-in-law is sleeping here as it is closer to the hospital
than my sister-in-law’s where they have been living since their bed and breakfast
burned in February. The family has gathered round and is providing almost 24
hour coverage at the hospital. That and getting ourselves back into some
semblance of a routine has taken up our time since we’ve returned.

Before we left, I wanted to prepare a hostess gift for the friends we were staying with, and I wanted it to be local products. A friend had given me a bottle of lemon olive oil and honey and garlic balsamic vinegar from a shop in East Rochester which we have loved. They encourage you to taste whatever you’d like, and are ready with all kinds of suggestions. It was wonderful! I ended up buying myself a bottle of the basil infused olive oil and have used a good portion of it already. Next on my list is a bottle of the raspberry balsamic vinegar.  These bags have the basil olive oil, a white balsamic vinegar and homemade pasta in them.

And a closer look at the tags:

One of the friends we’re stayed with is a young couple with a new-to-them house, so we picked up a Home Depot gift card for them as well. Staying with them was so much fun. Dan’s parents (also friends of ours and from Rochester) happened to be there for some of the time as well, so it was a great get-together.

It will be a few days before I make the rounds of all the blog entries that you’ve posted while I’ve been away. I’ve read many of them, but I hope to be back into the familiar routine by the end of the week.

At the last minute I had time to scrap these strip of photos I printed a week or so ago. Larger versions of them have been on our kitchen bulletin board for over a month. Caleb just gets cuter and cuter. I can’t wait to get my hands on him on tomorrow night. Tracy and I will have him for nearly 12 hours on Monday while Sarah and Adam are involved in a Fund for Theological Education conference in Atlanta. I hope he still likes us!

These photos seemed like the perfect place to use the Studio Calico quote bubble stamps. The red background paper is from “American Made” by My Mind’s Eye, the title and the border strip are also MME, the “Good Day Sunshine” line. The heart is very, very old Heidi Swapp chipboard.

Here’s a closer look at the cute photos of Caleb and Sadie, who really are best buddies. I just loved the quote Adam put on Facebook for the first photo:  “Hey Sadie, look at me! That’s me!” Caleb is now able to recognize faces on the iPad when we do Face Time. I hope he remembers us tomorow.

Before we head out on our road trip, I thought I should get my POTD layout completed. I printed differently (by accident) this month. The plus is that the photos are larger, but it seemed more difficult to scrap.

I used a few Papertrey Ink dies on this one: Heart to Heart #6, Clouds 1 and 2, and the Block Alphabet. I hand cut the banner. I love the little button on the tag that says “Here’s the Story” . . . and here it is:

July started with a birthday cruise on the Erie Canal to celebrate Ellie’s birthday. Greg and Sonora were here from Texas, so it was a bigger family group than usual. We left on the 4th for Hyde Park to celebrate Stephanie and Kevin’s wedding on the 6th. All the festivities were wonderful! We had an early breakfast with Dane on the 7th, and arrived home in plenty of time for Dane and Jen’s wedding here that afternoon.

Other fun events:  the Giant Panda concert at Highland Park, camping with Bob & Cathy at Keuka Lake, Mati’s baptism, and a day in Niagara-on-the-Lake with Dane who came for a three day visit. It’s not often we see one another twice in one month. We entertained our bridge group, attended a film at The Eastman House on the Lost Bird’s project, and went to the Third Church Picnic.

On the 28th, we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary. Amazing how time flies! It’s still great after all these years!

Our neighborhood had it’s first-ever book group and the author attended. He gave us some advice on how to create a more active, caring, and interesting neighborhood. I had lovely meals and visits with Nancy & Karen, Chris, Mary & Jean, and Tina. It’s so nice to have the time to really catch up with friends.

 I finished three books:  Canada by Richard Ford, The World Without You by Joshua Henkin, and The Cost of Hope by Amanda Bennet. I liked them all. I started and abandoned John Irving’s new novel. After 80+ pages, I hadn’t become invested in the narrator’s story. There are just too many books I want to read to finish one I don’t care for.

 I have all but two of the photos for Rinda’s Summer Scavenger Hunt, created 13 cards & 2 layouts, and made great progress in another purge of unused/unwanted supplies in my studio.

Hopefully, I’ll have time to schedule a post or two before we leave tomorrow morning. We’re lucky to have a friend’s daughter living here while we’re away, a young couple who will harvest the vegetables from our community garden, and neighborhood kids who will water plants and mow. I’m quite sure time at the computer will be sporadic, but I’m hoping to visit blogs occasionally, and perhaps do a post or two from the road. I’m so looking forward to time with my kids!

I’ve recently had two occasions to send sympathy cards. One to a friends whose mother passed away, and another to Sarah’s mother-in-law who lost her father last week. Both of the deceased were in their 90’s, and both were ready to go. Nonetheless, it is always hard to be the ones left behind. I know that they have many happy memories to help ease the loss.

I actually created this card for one of the challenges in an online class, “Stretch Your Stamps.” I’ve only seen one or two days worth of the wonderful videos in this class, so I’ll be working on it again in the fall. The stamp is one of my Hero Arts cling stamps that doesn’t get enough use.

Once again Lovely Layers came to the rescue. This stamp set seems destined for a record number of uses. It looks so different depending on the colors you use. I also used my new PTI Impression Plate, “Stripes,” which will also see a lot of use. Both cards used a sentiment from Botanical Silhouettes (PTI).