Day 9: May-Mother's Day - Homage to Mama

¹³ She is always gathering wool and flax and enjoys making things with her hands.
¹⁴ She is like a ship from a faraway place.  She brings home food from everywhere.
¹⁵ She wakes up early in the morning, cooks food for her family,

¹⁷ She works very hard.  She is strong and able to do all her work.
¹⁸ She works late into the night…

²⁰ She always gives to the poor and helps those who need it.

²¹ She does not worry about her family when it snows. 

She has given them all good, warm clothes.
²² She makes sheets and spreads for the beds, and she wears clothes of fine linen.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom and teaches others to be loving and kind.
²⁷ She oversees the care of her house.  She is never lazy.

Proverbs 31 – selected verses

 Welcome to the Third Annual ’25 Days of Christmas’ in conjunction with My Paper Crafting.com, the blogsite for which I am on the regular Design Team – and loving it!  Here’s a bit of an introduction, history and explanation of what you can expect during this 25 Days of December.  Don’t worry if you’ve missed any of the original posts to this point – You can click on links on Melin’s post to get to posts from previous days.  I am posting on Days 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 18, 20, and 25, corresponding to the days of this month – and possibly some other days in between, depending on how my time goes…

We have almost 30 designers who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to create some spectacular projects to share with you! So pull up a comfy chair and get ready to be inspired! There will be daily projects featuring:

* Cricut Cartridges

*Electronic Die Cutting Files

(Svg type, using Pazzles, Silhouette, Gazelle, Cameo type Machines)

*Digital Stamps with Coloring
(Using Copics, Digital and other coloring mediums)

*Stamping and Inking

*Traditional Dies, Punches and all the other tools we love.

A Little Something For EVERY TYPE of "Paper Crafter"

Format:  Each day the designers were given a “theme” to work with, so each day will be different.  We will also have a daily FREE Cutting File and a daily FREE Digital Stamp-Printable along with some FREE Royalty-Free Vintage Graphics. Today's theme:

Today’s theme is May – Mother’s Day.  I chose to make a 12 x 12 layout as an ‘Homage to Mama.’  She passed away a few years ago and there were a lot of things that she wasn’t, but I dwell on the good things that she taught me and I’ve chosen as many attributes from the famous Proverbs 31 passage that she did possess.   One of several, which she had, was her excellent and inventive sewing abilities.  She taught me when I was in grade school and I have sewn some amazing items through the years.  She loved her gardens and houseplants even to the end when she had very little. 

I incorporated several of Melin’s files in this one page.  I used today’s FREE ‘Lilacs’ Vintage Digital File from MyPaperCrafting as the focal background.  I used the ‘Oval Flourish and Frame cf’.  I used the ‘Dressform2 cf’ and the FREE ‘Dressform and Tag cf’ and the as one of the design elements and the Journaling Tag.

 

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*  My favorite color combination is Lavender and Black and I decided to use it for this layout because of the Lilac digi and memories of Mama.  We had a Lilac bush in the yard where I grew up in MI and many years later I had a huge one in my own yard there.  I’d bring in baskets-full and make bouquets for each room late at night when they were in bloom, so that we all awoke to the smell of Lilacs in the morning.  

*  I put the ‘Lilacs’ digi into my PSE 10 program and changed the Hue/Saturation to make it a light lavender color and then lightened it even more, so that it was pale and ethereal in feeling.   

*  I printed this on white cardstock and then punched around the edge with a MS punch.  The top and bottom edges allowed for a complete set of the punching.  The sides didn’t, so I began at the corners (as I always do), punched with the straight punch on either side and then used the corner punch in the middle, trimming just a bit of the paper to make the design consistent all around. 

*  I adhered this piece to the center of an 8.5 x 11” medium lavender cardstock.  I added a light lavender piece of cardstock to the bottom edge to make the page 12”.  Unfortunately, I realized after I submitted the photos for today’s post that I needed to add a half-inch black border piece to each side of the page, so that it would be 12 x 12”.  Imagine that it’s there.  ;-}  I adhered a piece of patterned ribbon at the seam between the two pieces.

*  I used a MS Punch to make a bottom border element.  The ribbon had a design similar to the border punch and the design on the Journaling Tag.  I love it when things ‘come together’ from what I have here!

*  I cut the Frame from the lavender print cardstock and a shadow of it from silver cardstock for the top right corner.  I will print a small photo of Mama and place it in there.

*  I cut a ‘Dressform’ from silver cardstock and then a ‘Dressform 2’ from the print, adhering them together.  I added 3 flower buttons to the waist and lace around the bottom of the skirt.

*  I cut a sewing machine and 3 spools of thread from the print cardstock, using a file I’ve had for a long time.  I didn’t notate where I got it from back then.  I added thread and a real needle and adhered them.  (I learned to sew on a very old black Singer sewing machine, so I used the ‘older’ model of the 2 files I have.  I now sew on a ‘newer’ model, which is now an ‘older’ model to people of today…!)

*  I cut a Journaling Tag using the FREE cf offered today.  Journaling can be written on the back and it can be inserted in the ‘pocket’ I made for it from Vellum.  I cut a half-circle piece from it using a MS scalloped circle punch.  I adhered the 'heart' from the Dressform to the pocket.

*  I faux-stitched around the edge of the page with a fine black felt pen. 

I enjoyed making this layout this week and ‘remembering the good’…   I hope you enjoyed seeing it.  

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As mentioned above, Melin will be giving away FREE digital die cutting files, digital printables and vintage graphics. Please note: Each day we will have new files. Be sure to stop by each day as they will be free one day only! Please also note, the free files will have a price listed by them, but when you add them to your cart to check out, they will be free during the day they are posted only. These files have been generously donated by PaperCraftingWorld.com. Be sure to take advantage of the great 50% off sale on all downloadable files through December!

Today’s FREE files are –

Here are just some of the prizes we will be sharing with you!

~ Quick Quotes Prize Pack
~ The Twinery: Twine
~ PaperCraftingWorld.com: Gift Certificate
~ Page-Kits.com: Gift Certificate
~ Melinda Beltran: Close To My Heart Stamping Items
~ Miscellaneous Weekly Prizes

We will share details on all of these prizes as the days unfold. 

SO HOW ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO WIN?!!!!
Be a follower of Melin’s My Paper Crafting blog AND leave a comment on any of our daily posts.   That's it, that's all we ask!!! Please only one comment per day.  ALSO join us on our Facebook Page and leave a comment telling us you did and that will be an extra chance to win! Pretty easy!

Thank you for joining us today. Be sure to go back tomorrow for some more great projects and our new FREEBIES!

In the Spring...

 

       Behold! The winter is past;
   the rains are over and gone.
 Flowers appear on the earth;
   the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
   is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:11,12

The March Assignments for the ‘Create, Share & Inspire’ site - for which I do those things - were to make the following projects.  I’ll share the two projects I’ve made - one a Layout - one a Card -

The requirements for the Layout/Mini Group were:  Use a Spring theme, journaling, a picture and a creative title.  The requirements for the Card Making Inspiration Group were:  Use a Spring theme, pastel colors of greens, blues, yellows and include a stickpin or dangle charm.  I decided to use the same color scheme for both projects, with a few changes so that they look quite different. 

Here is the Layout - with Comments on what I did to follow:

I used coordinated papers from s.e.i., and although it’s supposed to be for Babies, I changed it up and by adding a few touches, I made it ‘more elegant.’ 

            *  For the title and journaling I used a few lines of a very long, well-known poem, “Locksley Hall,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:  

                        “In the Spring a livelier Iris changes on the burnish’d dove; 

                          In the Spring a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love.”

            *  I used the light green as the base piece, with the light blue and yellow as accents and elements.  I used my stitching tool from WeRMemoryKeepers  and faux-stitched around the edge with gray marker pen.

            *  I punched around the edge of a piece of Translucent paper with a Martha Stewart set of lacy punches.  I smudged around the edge with light green chalk ink.

            *  I cut a circle of the light yellow, punched around the edge with a Fiskars Circle Border  punch, embossed it in my Cuttlebug, then smudged it with several chalk inks in grey, beige and pearl.

             *  I used a picture of two young people which I have in an original copy of a 1901 ‘Delineator’ women’s magazine that I found in an Antique Store last year.  I’ve made scans of many of the wonderful photos in it and will use them on future projects!  I scanned the page, then in PSE 8 I changed the color to ‘true’ B/W, then changed the Saturation and Lightness until I found the shade of blue I wanted to print it in.

            *  I cut a circle frame with flourishes and its shadow in two shades of gray.  I added jewels from Recollections.  I matted these with the light blue shade of paper that I’d ripped the edge of and smudged with gray chalk ink.

            * Across the bottom, I put a piece of the light yellow that I’d punched with an EK Success punch.  I then wrinkled it and smudged it with the gray, beige and pearl chalk inks.

            *  I cut the leaf flourishes out of green/white print paper with my Cricut/SCAL2.  I made the larger yellow flower from ribbon.  I sprayed it and the smaller flowers ($ Store) with Opalescent spritz and added jewels and pearls from Recollections to them and to the flourishes. 

            *  I used the ‘negative space’ cut from the circle frame as the journaling piece and printed the poem selection on it.

            *  I printed the title on the light yellow paper, cut it with a 2’ circle punch and smudged it with the chalk inks. 

Here is the Springtime Card I made, with Comments on it following:

            *  I used dark brown cardstock for the card base, so that the pastels would show and it would coordinate with the nest twigs.

            *  I used the same punch for the yellow trim at the bottom.  (By the way, I saved all of the tiny ‘lily-shaped’ pieces from punching and you’ll see them in future projects…as Easter is coming soon!)

            *  I used the same punch on the white trim at the top that I’d used on the Translucent paper for the layout.

            *  I pleated a strip of the green/white paper for the middle section.

            *  I covered the ‘seam’ with green grosgrain ribbon and added a bow.

            *  I found the bird’s nest online a long time ago.  I actually changed the color of the original in my PSE 8 program to be brown twigs and light blue eggs.  I printed it and then lightly ‘greened’ the leaves with colored pencil.  I cut it with an oval template and mounted it on the blue/white paper frame cut on my Cricut/SCAL2.  (I was surprised that my ‘printed blue eggs’ matched the blue paper so well!!)

            *  I made a mini-stickpin from a quilting pin (!) - the head of which I covered with silver glitter glue - then added a tiny organza yellow rose, spritzed with gold, and a silver butterfly which I then put  in the bow.

            *  I added a small yellow title tag that I made with my scalloped circle punch and then trimmed with my scallop scissors.  I added a gem.

            *  I printed the verse I decided to use (see above) on the light yellow paper and cut it to fit inside - waiting for a brief note and signature…

What things and what colors do YOU think of ‘in the Spring’??  Share with us!