Enjoy the Little things - Mother's Day Gift

Happy Hump Day Everyone! I have an exciting project to share with you all today. I have been working on this all week. I hope you enjoy the little things with in this mini album. I created this for my Mother for Mother's Day ... good thing she never reads this blog... lol. It pays sometimes to have a mother who hates technology. I can only get her to learn one new thing online every few months or so. Anyhow, this was the perfect project for her. I just love how it turned out.
I created this mostly out of one of the beautiful April kits from Coordinates Collections. This is the Petals kit for April and OH ME OH MY I loved every inch of this paper and the embellishments in the kit were so fun and adorable. I don't have time to go into all the details of an entire album but if you see something and want to know how it was done please feel free to post a comment an ask. I am happy to answer.

In Loving Memory of Nita

Nita was my Hubby's Grandmother, grand indeed. She was loving, caring and selfless. She lived her life according to God's word and seemed to always know what to say and how to handle things. Every time I saw her she always had a beautiful smile and peaceful heart. I only had the pleasure of knowing her for about five years and I sadly did not have a lot of opportunities to spend with her. The time I did spend with her she always was a good example of how I would want to live my life. She will always be remembered for many things and will always live in the hearts of her family.
Nita passed away a couple of years ago this past March. Last Christmas I created this as a shadow box for my Mother-in-law. The picture is of Nita in front of her house holding my daughter Trinity when she was 5 months old. It is one of the most beautiful pictures I have of Nita and I love the reminder, within the content of this photo, that life goes on.
Though this was created in December of last year I have not blogged about it yet. It still is one of my favorite pages. It just recently was published in Scrapbook News and Review. This is the Layout that led to me becoming a staff member for that wonderful E-zine. Now for the Details... if I can remember them...lol.

Details:
Upper Left: I this shot you can see the many layers that I used to create this shadowbox. Every thing is pop dotted the piece is about 1" thick. The background is simply a sage tone on tone paper that I cut large 1" scallops around. I lightly distressed the edges with versa mark and chalk. Within each scallop I too and punched out of scraps little flowers and glued them down. The next layer is the light purple. On this layer I printed Nita's favorite Hymn. You can see this better in the over all pic.
The hardware I used in this layout is an antique brass. This door plate was filled with a cream cardstock with a stamped image that has been heat embossed with an antique gold embossing powder. This same technique is found in the hand drawn and cut flourishes you can see here and throughout this page. The fabric flowers are all prima and the paper ones were all hand made. I used a lot of pearls to accent this layout and the flower clusters are no acception for this. On top of the purple paper is the photo backed with a cream card sock slightly distressed. The photo has an overlay on it creating that scalloped edge around the photo. The buttons here are just glued on however I love details and every button on this page had gold thread laced though them to make them appear that they have been sewn on. The last thing in this upper left detail shot would be the woven ribbon that I have used. It is a simple cotton crocheted ribbon that has a brown grosgrain ribbon woven though it every couple of inches.
Bottom Left: There is not much new here accept that one of the flowers I used in this large flower stack is a distressed chipboard flower.
Bottom Right: Here is the title of the layout. I used these wonderful letters from Joann's in an antique brass. The letters are stuck on with tacky tape. All of this title is popped up about 1/2" from the backing. It is sported with several layers of card stock. The only new element here is the ear ring. This is a vintage clip on earring that I broke off the clip part. I love how this is a suspended element on this page. The ribbons are the same type that go up the left side of the layout, however they are not woven together.
Not shown in the detail pics: There is a circular elements. The lighter patterned paper has Nita's favorite scripture. The edges have been distressed on this piece and little flowers were added around the edge. The darker brown circle was cut with fiskars decorative scissors. Inked with a cream pigment ink and doodled on. Then pearls were added.

Thanks for taking the time to look through the details with me. I hope that you too can find ways to honor those in your life that mean the most to you. Treasure all the moments you have with each and every one of your loved ones and let them know how much you care. If the events of these past two years have thought me anything it is that we need to be careful of how we live our lives and how our lives touch others.
An Inspirational Poem
Live…laugh…and Love
By John McLeod

Live well dear friends
In all you do,
Tho' paths be old
Or paths be new,
But to yourself
Be ever true,

Live well!

Laugh often friends
Tho' passing years
Bring, sometimes, smiles
And, sometimes, tears,
For mirth forever
Warms and cheers

Laugh often!

Love much dear friends
For love will bring
The healing joy
And hope of Spring,
Where pain and fear may never dwell
Nor anguish touch….

And so Live well,
Laugh often too,
And more, dear friends,

Love much!

Iron Man - Invites

Hello everyone! Happy National Scrapbook Day. I had to take time to day to post something for such an event. Though I will not be scrapbooking today.
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, I am! Tonight we are celebrating my Hubby's Birthday with just us family. Next weekend is my son's Birthday and I finished these invites a couple of days ago. I just had to share them with you all. My son choose Iron Man as his theme this year. He will be turning 7 years old already. I can't believe it! I love to entertain so this is just the start of a crazy whirl wind of a week we have planed.
These invites I created with just a paper piecing technique and some basic applications of Tim Holtz Alcohol inks. They look pretty simple because they are modeled after the comic book character. I took the picture of the Iron Man mask that we ordered from the party supply store. I printed it out at the size of 4.25 wide and 5.5 high. This allowed me to use the standard size card envelopes. I took the picture of the mask and printed it 3 times. Cut out all the different pieces to the mask (that would all be cut out separately and then layered) this gave me a templates for the base of the card the top of the head, the jaw, the face and the eyes. I used 11 pieces of paper total for each of the invites. You cant see several of them in this pic but if you check out the picture of it opened you will see a few more of the layers. It is completely finished on the back with a black cardstock.
I used regular adhesive tape runner and pop dots. With some key scoring and folding it created a slight 3-D look on the top of the face. I used the Pilot gold ink pen to create the thicker gold lines. Highlighted or rather low lighted the face in key places to make shadows for more of a dimensional look. I did this with the Tim Holtz Alcohol inks. I found a font on the computer that matched the Iron Man movie title font and created the text in a word document. Printed that out on cardstock and added it inside the layers of paper. You pull the jaw down and the information slides out like a hidden message. It is so cool and really easy I cant believe how easy it was to create this interactive effect.
After creating 28 of these I feel like I can do just about anything. I thought because of the simple look to the character it would be easy.... ummm... easy yes but really tedious. Each of the eleven pieces had to be hand cut and then five of them had to be hand shaded.
The envelopes I just added a graphics I found online, of the Arc Reactor and the movie title, on the front and used the same font to put "Your Invited" also on the front of the envelope. My son was so cute running around handing them out. He cracks me up. I hope you enjoy this. I go nuts during the kids' birthdays so you will probably see another post about this event.

I have a question for you all... Do any of you as paper crafters make your own invitations and/or party favors?

Have a great weekend.

More Birthday Party Invitations I have created:

Boy Birthday Invitations:
- Minecraft Birtyday Party Invitations
- Harry Potter Hogwarts Birthday Party Invitations
-Lego Bionicle Mask of Light

- Lego Starwars Light Sabers

- Iron Man Mask Brithday Party  Invites

Girl's Birthday Invitations:

- Fashion-ista Pink and Black Designer Purse

- Angelina Ballerina Birthday Party Invitations

CCAF Graduation

This Layout or project has been published in Scrapbook News & Review. If you wish to see it please click on the "Out for Publication" image below. Thank you! ~ Grace ~
I have to admit that this past week I have been feeling quite uninspired. I wish this was not the case. I usually just push though this and in a week or so it all comes back to me. So this week I worked on a wonderful sketch from Liz over at The Scrappiest Blog. For some reason I can always work with her sketches.
This is a layout of my Hubby's Community College of the Air Force graduations ceremony. He completed all the courses they offered gaining a degree from this wonderful program. He is no only a few classes away from completing his Bachelors Degree through the University of Colorado. I was in my last term of pregnancy with my youngest child during this point. His Parents and my Mother also attended the event. We all enjoyed it together, all of us so proud of his accomplishment.
There is not much to explain with this layout since it is more on the sweet and simple side of scrapping. So I will just leave you with this photo. Thanks so much for looking and I hope you all take a moment to head over to Liz's Sketch blog. She holds a monthly contest and has some great sketches!

Always in our Hearts, Forever in our memories

Well I have returned home. I am quite overwhelmed now with catching up and settling in after being gone for two weeks. As many of you know I have been away due to the death of my Grandfather. A man that has meant so much to me in my life. He has been my Father figure, my Grandfather, my councilor, my friend and my Hero. I loved him so much and still do.
My Grandfather Leland LeRoy Bechard born May 10th 1926, lost his battle with emphysema on Wed, April 8th. Just one month shy of his 83rd Birthday. My Grandmother and Uncle were with him. I received the call as I was departing from my driveway heading to the airport to see him. I was one of the lucky few though, since I was able to spend some time with him this past December before his health got really bad. Seeing the way he has had to live for the last 5 years of his life is enough to make anyone stop smoking. I will not go there though today I will leave that soap box for another time. I want to recount all the good times He and I have shared and his wonderful life.
My Grandfather's parting words to any of us who visited were always "Come back when you can't stay so long." Sarcastic... I know, but if you knew him, teasing and sarcastic comments were his way of showing you how much he loved you. The beautiful testaments to his life that were given at the funeral recalled many of these moments. The memories of how everything he touched with his loving hands were fixed and mended, be it a fiscal item or an emotional one.
From my earliest memory of him, I always remember him crafting or fixing something. He was always willing to teach you anything he knew at any age. I have helped him build many things, fix shingles on roof tops, helped him make picture frames, and change an alternator in my best friend Dana's car. He was a true crafts man and knew how to work the wood into anything. He made toys big and small for many of us grandkids all of them full of love.
My Grandfather served his country in the Navy. He signed up right after Pearl Harbor and was stationed in the Philippines. Though his time in service was short I believe he inspired many of us to do the same. My Uncle was a Marine, I have three cousins and a cousin-in-law who have served in the Army and I have married into USAF. After his return he married the love of his live my Grandmother Marcella. They had eight children, who have had 33 grand children who have had 32 Great Grandchildren and then also 3 Great Great Grandchildren.
Each one of us showed in our own special way how much we loved him. The boys built the beautiful natural wood casket. My Grandfather insisted that we would just bury him in a pine box and stick him in the ground. Honoring his wishes the Bechard men and boys began to build him his "Pine Box" though my Grandfather should have known better. We being Bechards, put our whole heart into our work and creativity. This beautiful box represents the lessons of handy work he gave us and the love we have fore him. The Girls worked on the lining of the box and took great care to pick out a quilt and to fold and arrange the design around the head of this coffin.
The lid to the casket was pronominal. It had a beautiful cross design on the top and was edged in multiple moldings. It was carefully cut to allow for an open casket and the funeral. The attention to detail was second to none. Even the time it took to search out the right pieces of wood with the best grain and color. Every inch of this was drenched with the love we all had for him. We were discussing at one point how much a custom made casket like this would cost and my cousin said "You cant put a price tag on all the love put into this one."
While they were adding the finishing touches my Mother and I were working on our own project for him. We decided to make a shadow box for the funeral and ultimately for my Grandmother. Some of the best photos we had on hand were used. Photos that were important times in his life. My cousin Luke took time one night to make the frame for this out of the scraps of the coffin. After the funeral there were a few more things added per my Grandmothers request. There was a childhood photo of him and the coin the Veterans of MO gave her at the funeral. A few more of Grandpa'isms were also added and His wedding ring. This project was created with coordinating products from Cosmo Cricket's Everafter line. This saved us some time and created a wonderful backdrop to all these handsome photos of my Grandfather.
Though many things were crafted in his memory. We also had relatives put his life in written words, they spoke about his life and told us stories. They reminded us of the wonderful memories we have of him. We also were blessed with a song played on the harp by my Uncle Armand's oldest daughter.
Over all as my Grandmother put it... this was the most beautiful funeral she had ever attended.
I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible for me; My Mother, my hubby, my Uncle Armand and Uncle Paul and their families, my Cousin Luke, my Aunt Joann, my Grandmother, my Mother-in-law, and my Sister-in-laws. Thank you all so much! I enjoyed seeing all of my family. It has been years since we were together like this.