Thankful for Family

Looking at these photos reminded me of how thankful I am for my husband and my three sons. They are all so special!

Fresh Start by Jen Reed; Word Art by Binty; Font: Rockwell Bold
I submitted this layout to the November DSO Ad Challenge
and the November IL Word Art Challenge.

a. MN, 1988; b. Honolulu, HI, 1992; c. Tokyo, 1994; d. Re-entry Camp, IA, 1996; e. Crystal, MN, 1999; f. Hirakata EFC, Osaka, 2000; g. Osaka Castle, 2000; h. Nijo Castle, Kyoto, 2001; i. Hedo Point, Okinawa, 2002; j. Catigny Park, IL

Sue

Concentrate!

These are some of my favorite photos of the boys when they were little. I was amazed by the level of concentration they showed when they were toddlers.

DSO November 2010 Color Challenge kits by: Joni Gray Digiscraps (paper, staple); KimB Designs (paper, clock); Chaos Lounge (paper); Freesia Scraps (paper); Sky’s the Limit Scraps (thistle pod, seed pod); Deatles (acorn); file tab by me; Inspiration from Anthropologie web page; Fonts: Monospace Bold, Rockwell, Teen, Times and Times again, Love Ya Like A Sister, Huxtable, Tandelle, Pea Katie, Myriad Web Pro Bold. Mufferaw, Ligurino Condensed
I submitted this layout to the November DSO Color Challenge and the November IL Inspiration Challenge.

David (1986) – One-year-old David was fascinated by the daisies along the path.
John (1989) – Two-year-old John carefully caught soap bubbles as they floated by.
Steven (1989) - One-year-old Steven sat in a cardboard box, totally focused on his pop beads.

Sue

Some Things Never Change

Some things never change, and these pictures prove it. Just like little boys, big boys like to play with little cars. Mine like to all squeeze into the smallest car they can find.

Let It Rock by A Work in Progress and
Sweet Blossom Designs (clip modified)
Fonts: Pea Katie, Stamp Act Jumbled, Arial

Sue

B is for Boy

Here are some fun photos of my boys over the past ten years.

Fresh Start by Jen Reed
B template by Scrap'Anges (modified)
Font: Holmes 207, Arial
I submitted this layout to the DSO November ABC Album Challenge
and the IL November Fontastic Fun Challenge.

Sue

North Shore Memories

It was a special time when my sisters and I went up to the North Shore together. (2008)

Golden Vanity by Jen Reed
November Blog Challenge Template by Jen Reed
Font: Monotype Corsiva Italic

Sue

Not the Brady Bunch

My boys complain when I want to take a good family photo. Now they can see it's hereditary.

This was our family in 1970. When I finished this layout, I realized it kind of looked like the photos at the start of the Brady Bunch. It's even from the right time period. What do you think?

Jen Reed’s part of the IL November 2010 Weekly Download Kit
Fonts: Arial, Arial Heavy
Scraplifted from Toadally Cute by Jennifer Schmitt

To make this page, I used Jen Reed's part of the Inspiration Lane 2010 Weekly Download Kit. This is a HUGE kit the you can download in weekly portions for free during the month of November if you are a member of the IL forum. Check out the whole kit here or click on one of the previews below.



Sue

Fashion Shoot

When my sisters and I visited the Arboretum in June, Nancy and I found these fun hats at the gift shop, so we modeled them for Liz. No, I didn't buy the huge hat.

Jen Reed’s part of the IL November 2010 Mega Sampler
Fonts: Freebooter Script, Square721 BT

For this layout, I used Jen Reed's part of the Inspiration Lane IL November 2010 Mega Sampler. Click on the preview below visit IL and see the whole kit.


Sue

Memories of Art

My mom, my sister and I spent a day at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It was a day to remember in many ways.

Cherish by Jen Reed
Some photos of art taken by myself or my sister
Other photos are stock photos

Our visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art brought back memories for Mom, Liz and me.

Mom remembered the many times she went to the museum while she was in nurses’ training. She attended classes at Macalester College in St. Paul, but she worked and lived at Northwestern Hospital, very close to the Art Institute.

Her hometown was many hours away in west central Minnesota while most of her friends’ homes were around the Cities, so when they went home for the weekend, Mom walked to the nearby Art Institute.

Admission was free and Mom loved art, so it was a wonderful place for her to go on weekends.



Liz and I remember various trips to the Art Institute we made over the years with our family, Girl Scout or Brownie troops and schoolmates. Certain pictures stood out in our memories, while we viewed others as new-found friends.

A. We both remembered Van Gogh’s vibrant painting, “Olive Trees”.

B. The intricate ruffled collars seen in some portraits were also etched in our minds. One example is Paulus Moreelse’s portrait of Catharinava Voorstmia.

C. I also remembered dark paintings like Rembrandt’s Lucretia, although they weren’t my favorites.

D. Nowadays, Liz especially likes the work of artists like Monet. This is one example.

E. As soon as we saw it, Liz and I both liked George Morrison’s landscape collage made of driftwood. However, we didn’t know it portrayed the shoreline of Lake Superior until Liz read the written description.

F. We both appreciated the artistry shown in “Fishing Vessels Offshore In A Heavy Sea” by Ludoph Backhuyesen. Liz admired the roiling clouds while I felt the roll of the sea.

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For this layout, I used "Cherish" by Jen Reed. You can receive this kit for FREE if you complete Jen's November blog challenge. All you have to do is make a layout with a free template, also available on Jen's blog. Click here or on the template preview to check out her challenge.

For those who wish to purchase "Cherish", click here or on the kit preview. It's half-price this weekend only.

In fact, ALL of the items at Jen's store are half price for this weekend only, November 6 and 7. Take a peek at the goodies available by clicking here.

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I'll be back soon with our family's version of the Brady bunch!

Sue

Once Young with a Freebie Alert!

Do you think of your great grandparents as always being old and proper? Naturally, that’s not true.

This is my Great Grandpa Julius' customs entry card from around 1900 when he emigrated from Germany as a teenager. It was so creased and stained (probably from being carried around in his pocket) that I had to do a lot of touching up on his photo.

Great Grandpa wasn’t always exactly proper, either. He traveled to the US aboard the steamship on which his brother worked, but Julius probably didn't have money for the fare, so he stowed away.

Yesterday by Jen Reed
Font: Old Newspaper Types Medium
WW Scraplift Template by KennaE (modified)

To make this page, I used "Yesterday" by Jen Reed. This kit works wonderfully with black and white, heritage photos. I plan to use it to make more pages about my great grandpa and other relatives.

You can get this kit FREE in November. Jen is the E-scape and Scrap Blog Designer of the month for E-scape and Scrap, and she is offering "Yesterday" free in her ESS store. No purchase is necessary. Check it out here or click on the preview below.


Don't wait until tomorrow; get Yesterday today! LOL

Sue

Sweethearts

A Quiet Place by Jen Reed
Font: Monotype Corsiva Italic
Scraplifted from layout by scrappycharmer (rotated, used one photo instead of two)
I submitted this layout to the IL November Scraplift Challenge.

Sue

Japanese Dancing

We attended a demonstration of Japanese dancing at the Minnesota State Fair. At the end, the dancers invited the audience to participate, and Harry joined in. Can you spot him in the photos?

The Orient by Jen Reed
**Jen’s contribution to the November Blog Train from the Blog Train Blog**
Font: Square721 BT
I extracted the Japanese lantern from one of the photos I took that day at the fair.
(Hint: Look at the upper middle photo to see Harry.)

For these pages, I used Jen Reed's contribution to "The Orient" Blog Train, the November blog train kit sponsored by the Blog Train Blog. If you are a digital scrapbooker, you MUST check this out (if you haven't already)!

Through mid-November, you can download the kit I used for FREE on Jen's blog. Click here or on the preview below to visit her blog.


The Blog Train Blog lists all 100+ designers who made FREE contributions to the November blog train kit, "The Orient". All the designers' names listed on the blog are linked to their websites. You can download from each designer or you can pick and choose the kits you like. Click here to go to the Blog Train Blog to see the whole list and start on the trail of collecting freebies. There are a couple of linked previews below to get you started.


Don't you just love free stuff? Happy Scrapping!

Sue

Just Rockin'

Weren’t Nancy and I adorable when we were little? I'm sure Mom and Dad took this picture of us because we were so cute. In fact, we were just rockin’!

Another Day by Jen Reed

**posting bonus for Jen’s November Ad Challenge at DSO**
Fonts: Kristen ITC Semi-Expanded, Tiza, Stamp Act, Roman Antique, Pea Katie Jo, Old Newspaper Types Medium, X-Files, Baveuse

I made this layout using “Another Day” by Jen Reed. You can get this kit FREE during November. Just participate in Jen’s Ad Challenge at DSO and receive this cute kit as a posting bonus. Click here to check it out!


Rockin' Sue