A Wedding, A Fishy Story...and a Giveaway!!!

Good morning, my friends!

Hope it's a beautiful day so far for all of you--it's really gorgeous here--the rain has passed, the sun is out, and it looks like a perfect day ahead!

And speaking of a perfect day, today is my turn to host the Crafty Secrets' $50 giveaway! 

I'm so excited to participate with Crafty Secrets' in National Scrapbooking Day--which we've turned into a weeklong celebration--more fun for all of us!

In keeping with my love of vintage and family history...that's once again what my cards today are all about...Here's my first:

This is one of my favorite of all of our family photos...my great-great grandparents, Orley S. and Polly May Stapley on their wedding day, August 22, 1894...she was just 20 years old, he was 22...so young!

 I love her beautiful dress, her floral garland and necklace, and just the way they're sitting--a classic!

They were one of the early families in Mesa, Arizona and had a very large family...many Stapleys are still there in Mesa....I love that old town!

For this card, I used Crafty Secrets' "Classic" paper pack for just about everything--the beautiful background paper, "The Lover's Wish" saying is cut from the sheet music design in the pack, as is the little scrolled corner piece on the bottom right of the photo...

I also pulled our the sewing machine for the first time on this card--it won't be the last time, I can tell you!  What fun!  I also made the lace flower at the top by simply gathering lace--topped it with a beautiful vintage pearl button.  Lace, satiny ribbon and lots of "Platinum" Stickles finished off the job...

Next, another photo that just makes me smile!

Here's my great-grandmother, Pauline telling us a bit of a fish story!  Postcard photos like this were a fairly common thing to do while visiting a vacation spot...fake ocean backdrop...VERY large fake fish!

Here, in Pauline's own handwriting--"Ocean Park, Calif.  July 30, 1908".  Pauline was a schoolteacher in a little town in northern Arizona, and had taken a well-deserved vacation to visit cousins in California...she was 21 years old that year.  Love her smile!

I used Crafty Secrets' "Classic" paper pad again for this card.  The "Seaside Memories" saying, the starfish and seashell stamps are all from one of my favorite newer stamp sets, "Mermaids"...

...isn't it wonderful?! 

Lots of Dazzling Diamonds on the shells & starfish, silver Stickles dotted all around and framing the photo, some beautiful light blue lace and soft white ribbon--topped off with some of my favorites--vintage mother-of-pearl buttons.

Well, that's it for me today!  Hope you're having fun with all the Crafty Secrets' giveaways this week!  Now, it's time for you to enter mine...

***All you have to do is leave a comment on this post--nothing fancy...that's it!*** 

Please make sure to leave me your email or a link to your blog so I can let you know if you're the winner!

Good luck to all of you!  The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 1st--see you then!