Sweet Little Boy

Hello, my friends!

Another beautiful day…all except for my little trip to the dentist this morning…oh, well!

Just a quick post today…I wanted to share a companion card to the one I showed you in my last post…another new set from Crafty Secrets, and it will be available tomorrow!

Isn’t it adorable?!  Here’s the card I came up with:

Just a simple one…no lace or ribbons…and just a touch of sparkle—can’t quite seem to stay away from it!

Another paper-pieced image—I just love “coloring” my stamped images this way.  Just stamp the image on all the colors of cardstock you want to use, cut them out with wonderfully sharp little scissors, then put them all together—a bit like a puzzle!

 

A popped-up kite complete with string tied around the bobbin…

I had so much fun with this one!

One of my favorite things about working with vintage stamps and printed images is the way they usually remind me of old family photos…makes crafting such a fun experience for me…

Here are a few sweet little vintage boys to introduce you to…

One of my favorites…my dad, Clayn, on the right having a laugh with his older brother, Grant…don’t you just love those suspenders?!

Here they are again…Dad on the left…a bit more serious this time, and in their dress-up clothes…

This colorized photo of my Dad has always just made my heart melt…from about 1942…

Here’s another sweet little boy…from the mid-1960’s…my husband, Roger…wasn’t he so cute?!  One of my favorites of him as a child.

 

A bit older here, and in his fancy duds…pretty handsome!

And again…in normal, everyday boy mode…on a bike with a soldier helmet on, of course!

Well, that’s it for me today.  Hope your day is filled with joy!

Julie

 

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Sweet Little Boys,Clayn Riggs Smith,Roger Campbell

Sweet Little Girl

Hello, my friends!

What a beautiful day we’re having…really feels like spring today!  It really put me in the mood for springy colors…soft & fresh…

And what better to go with those colors than a wonderful new stamp set devoted to sweet little girls?

Available February 11th from Crafty Secrets, this medium-sized set, “Little Girls” is just filled with vintage, girly charm…here’s my little card…

Lots of paper-piecing here…one of my favorite techniques…I find it very relaxing, and I love the depth of color & texture it gives to the images.

Soft yellow, cream & coral…with a little bluebird of happiness thrown in! 

Some vintage seam binding dyed to match what I needed by combining a few colors of “Glimmer Mist”…I just love doing that…makes me feel like an alchemist or something!  Can you see the slight variation in color?  So pretty!

I stamped the scallop binding three times to make this layered topper for the image…then accented it with my favorite Platinum Stickles…

 

Of course, this sweet little girl reminded me of a few little girl pictures of mine that I’ve always loved…

My adorable mother, Karen…about 1941…doesn’t look like she’s exactly thrilled with her sucker, does it?!

What is it about a child’s silhouette that’s just so pure and magical?  Here’s Mom again…about 1943 at 4 years old.  I just want to squeeze her!

And me…about 1964…I’ve always loved this dolled-up photo. 

Before I sign off, I wanted to share this absolutely gorgeous sunset from a couple of nights ago, as seen from our side yard…

What rich color—love the silhouette of the landscape in contrast to the vivid color in the sky…

…and just a minute later…so much more intense!

And here is one of my sweet little girls, capturing the moment by my side…my budding photographer, Sarah.  Can you see the rosy glow reflected on her?  (Not to mention her already sunset-colored hair!) Beautiful…

Wishing you all a beautiful, rosy sunset and some peaceful moments to be able to enjoy it with those you love…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Little Girls,Karen Ostlund Smith,sunset

The Big Dance

Hello, my friends!

So happy to finally be able to share this layout with you that I made for CHA using the new “Dimestore Vogue” Paper Sheets & Tags Kit by Vintage Street Market–so vintagely fabulous!

Here’s the kit:

I love the variety of color provided in the kit–wonderfully sized at 12″ x 12″ for larger scrapbook pages...you can even use the paper for wrapping that special gift or creating a 3D project—so many uses! 

(Each sheet in the pack is sized at 24” x 36”.)

I usually make my scrapbook pages 8 1/2″ x 11″…just my preference…but you can do either with these!  I cut a “patchwork” piece of the pattern page and the blue  & white gingham for a bit of pop and color on the pink background.

I focused here on my adorable mother, Karen, when she was 16 in 1956.  Here she is getting ready for one of the formal dances she went to in high school…modeling two trial dresses…

First…the blue dress.  Mom designed and made both of them herself…quite the clever girl!  It was fun to find  the “View 1″, “View 2″ in the dress pattern print on one side of the paper sheet and use it for the images here.

Now for the yellow dress…

Don’t you just love those silver shoes?

Which one do you think she chose for the big dance?  We’ll just have to wait and see!

The cut-out tag pieces in the kit are just wonderful!  I used this button card for a bit of journaling…also added a bit of the Cappuccino Baker’s Twine to the tag…

Don’t those crystal buttons look real?!

A pleated rosette made from the beautiful aqua foil included in the kit, sits atop another roughly-wound rosette made from the lovely crepe (so fun to work with!)…topped with a vintage mother-of-pearl button.

And isn’t THIS fun?!  These beautiful, clear acrylic snowflakes add a bit of retro whimsy to any project–love them!

Well…now to show you which dress Mom chose for the Big Dance…

Here she is…in the blue dress!  A couple of friends joined in for a double date.  And Mom’s date?  That handsome young man would one day be my Dad…

Hope you’ll give Vintage Street Market a visit—so many wonderful vintage treats in store for you there!

Hope you all have a beautiful day!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Vintage Street Market,Karen Ostlund Smith,school dance