I love everything about...

For some reason, participating in challenges and having a deadline to finish projects makes me feel important. So when I see new ones posted online I'm excited to jump on board. My most recent layout goes along with a My Mind's Eye challenge where they give you a sketch and a theme. The theme for this page is "I love everything about...". A few weeks ago I found a great picture of my Grandpa hugging my dad when he was just a baby, so I figured this was a good page to use it on.

The red paper and star patterned paper are from My Mind's Eye 'Alphabet Soup' line, while the green paper is from the 'Fine and Dandy' line. I also got crafty with the corrugated stars by making them myself. I had kept a piece of cardboard from a package I'd ordered online recently and used an Exacto knife to cut away one of the top layers so I could see the inside. I used my Quickutz star die cuts to trace the shapes and then cut them out by hand. To add a little interest, I used my white paint dauber over the top and inked the edges with brown ink. I like how they turned out, especially since I saved around $5.00 by making them myself.

I usually have a hard time figuring out where to put my journaling. For this layout, I wrote it around the outside edge. It reads... "Even though I never got to meet him, I love everything about my Grandpa. From stories I've heard, pictures I've seen, and the kind of guy my Dad grew up to be; I know he was amazing. I never learned why his nickname was "Buck", but I know he was nice, hard working, and loved his family. So it always makes me happy to hear he would have loved me... and spoiled Tara and I rotten." I like having a page explaining how I feel about my Grandpa... makes me feel closer to him.