The Great Outdoors…

Hello, dear friends!

Whew!!!  What a long & busy summer it’s been for our family!  Finally home after a couple of long—but very fun & happy—trips…

I spent last week at a girls’ camp with my two younger daughters and lots of women up in the beautiful Santa Cruz mountains….just look at what I was surrounded by…

 {the spectacular view looking towards the ocean…}

…DIRT…sneaky raccoons…rustling leaves…fresh breezes…LAUGHTER…walking, hiking, climbing…lovely friends…clear, star-filled skies at night…pesky flies…DIRT…

{majestic, towering redwoods}

…the sound of crickets cricketing…finding our way by flashlight…shooting stars…DIRT…LAUGHTER…not enough sleep…cold showers…sweet-spirited girls by the score…DIRT…chatting about life until we drifted off to sleep………………………

 {beautiful, quiet groves….just perfect for a little self-reflection…}

…WONDERFUL MEMORIES…

The week before camp, we were still in Utah with my parents.  A few days before we were to leave, my dear Dad decided he wanted to take the grandkids out for a hike to a nearby waterfall…

{beautiful, clear, cold mountain water…}

{my sweet Dad with my Sarah…aren’t they cute?!}

{Dad with my nephew, Luke…making memories…}

 

I didn’t go with them that afternoon…was spending some time with my Mom, so I love these photos my sister-in-law took…….

{…my favorite photo of all…}

…they are precious to me…

How about a little view of some vintage camping???

{don’t you just love the old cars, draped canvas tent, the pony & cart….and how about those haircuts on the girls?????}

I’ve always loved this old family photo…my great-grandparents…young and fun-loving…taking their three daughters on a camping trip, along with a couple of their family friends…

This is the only photo I have of them in such a relaxed, casual style…they were really quite elegant people…so I love this even more!

So, in the spirit of camping—then and now—I put together this little layout…

I really had fun with this!  I was having a little mojo trouble at first…it’s hard when you haven’t had any creating time for weeks & weeks!

But, things came together…so many fun, natural elements I was able to use here…lots of hemp cording for texture & campiness…

…the green gingham paper design & vintage journal page were printed using Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD—so fabulous!

The Stapley Family camping…the little girl standing right next to the pony (with the very interesting hair cut!) is my grandmother, Velda…she was about seven years old here…

I kept my journaling here very simple…just the important facts placed on some tags—also printed from the Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD…and this wonderful metal tag from the Tim Holtz collection…“wander”…

…a strip of burlap-like fabric across the page…and I had to add a little of the outdoors for some interest and the pop of green I needed…a bit of cypress from my front yard…reminded me of the sequoias I had all around me last week………………..

Well, that’s about it!  The laundry’s just about done, the house is clean…we’re clean!…I think I’m ready to get back to business!  Looking forward to finally visiting you all—hope your summer has been as lovely as mine!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,camping,Stapley Family,Tim Holtz,Creating with Vintage Patterns CD