A Vintage Layout for Grandma

Two months ago, Nadia Cannizzo was the guest designer at Scrap for Help, and for their monthly challenge she provided a sketch.  At first I was nervous about trying that challenge, because Nadia's style is so very different from mine.  I tend to create simple, graphic, cutesy pages, while Nadia's layouts are detailed, layered, and flowery.  But, since the point of a challenge is, after all, to be *challenged*, I went ahead and tried Nadia's sketch.  And you know what?  I absolutely loved the result!  So, when I found out that Nadia runs her very own sketch challenge blog, Once Upon a...Sketch, I knew I wanted to participate.  I am participating for the first time this month, and here is my take on the current challenge at Once Upon a...Sketch.  My layout, which you see below, is called "2010."  (One of the rules for the challenge was to use a year as the title of the layout.)

Supplies: cardstock (The Paper Company), snowflake & ledger patterned papers (The Girls' Paperie), tan lattice patterned paper (Graphic 45), green/cream patterned paper (7 Gypsies), brown/white/blue floral patterned paper (Bo-Bunny), pale cream patterned paper (Fancy Pants Design), vintage-look circular embellishments (Bottle Cap Inc.), acid-free notebook paper (Earthbound), die cuts (My Mind's Eye), polka-dotted sticker frame (Basic Grey), numeral stickers (American Crafts), all other stickers (Bo-Bunny), ribbon roses (Offray), button (Blumenthal-Lansing), thread (DMC), pens (Zig), ink (Color Box and Versa Color), frame mat (repurposed), twill ribbon (repurposed), twine (vintage), torn book page (vintage).

The journaling reads: "This was the last year we celebrated Christmas with "Gramma."  We'll sure miss her."  In fact, my grandmother just passed away on August 26, so I am still in the throes of grief.  I wanted to create a special page to commemorate the last holiday I spent with "Gramma," and Nadia's sketch seemed like just the thing to guide me.

I wanted to fill this page with things that look old, beautiful, and cherished, like my grandmother was.  Some of the items on the page just look old (like the torn papers and the curled edges), but the frame and twill are repurposed household items, and the twine and book page are vintage items.

To make the frame (above), I repurposed an extra mat insert that came with a photo frame.  The mat was plain white, so I covered it with Graphic 45 paper.  To enhance the aged look of the paper, I dabbed green and brown inks on it, concentrating on the edges.  Then, I distressed the edges, allowing bits of the paper to crumple, fold, and tear. 

To create the illusion that the frame was hanging on the page, I made a "hanger" from twill ribbon, a fancy die cut, and a button.  The twill ribbon actually came with some dish cloths that I bought recently (see above).  After I got home from the store and unwrapped the dish cloths, I stuck the twill ribbon in my scrap bag, knowing it would come in handy someday.

Many of the stickers on this layout are from a vintage-themed Bo-Bunny set.  I added ink to some of the stickers, to add to the vintage look.  The set even came with tiny alphabet stickers, which I used to spell out my grandmother's name, Myla (see above).

The twine that is tied around the frame and the title block is vintage twine that my husband's grandmother gave to me.  She gave me a huge ball of this twine, and bits of it have been appearing regularly in my projects lately--anywhere I need to create a soft, vintage look.  The book page (above) is also vintage--it's a reproduced 1904 illustration from a Bobbsey Twins book (see this post for more info).  I chose this illustration of a granny-type lady giving cookies to children, because when I was young my grandma was always feeding our extended family, and cookies--especially Christmas cookies--were her specialty.

Hospitality was important to my grandmother.  To her, feeding her guests was a way to show them kindness.  If she were still here today, she would love to sit down and share some cookies and coffee with YOU.  I'm trying to carry on her tradition, and I love to cook and bake for guests.  Here is a picture of me with some of my holiday baking from last Christmas (below).  Imagine that you are sitting down now with me in my kitchen, and we are sharing coffee and cookies as we look through each other's blogs.  Grandma would be proud!  Thanks for stopping by today.