Thursday, March 13, 2014

All for the Love of Tigers (SA & SATW)


Supplies: alphabet stickers, "Place" sticker, & grid paper from October Afternoon; all other paper from KaiserCraft; "Adventure" sticker from Echo Park; all metal embellishments from We Call Her Happydaks Etsy; rhinestones from Dee's Place; pen from Zig.

Welcome to my blog, whether you are a returning reader or a new one.  If you're a returning reader, you probably know that I love nature, and in particular I love animals.  You also probably know that my family visits zoos frequently to see the animals there.  Perhaps you've sometimes wondered how I, as an animal lover, can justify the fact that zoos "incarcerate" wild animals.  Well, I am actually a big fan of zoos (as least the two zoos in our Twin Cities area, which are very humane), and this layout explains one reason why I feel this way.  But before we get into all that, let's take care of the particulars.


I'm always looking for sketches that include multiple photos and space for lots of journaling, so I was very excited to use this sketch from the current Scrap Africa challenge.  I flipped it to suit my photos and filled the "white space" with my journaling.


With this layout I'm also playing along with this month's Scrap Around the World challenge.  I was inspired by their mood board (pictured above), but not in the obvious way, since I used very little pink.  Instead, I was drawn to the image of the big, beautiful rose that crowns the cupcake, so I used various papers with images of roses on my layout.  I also liked the keys on the typewriter, so part of my page title is spelled out with round alphabet stickers that resemble old fashioned typewriter keys.

A few detail shots...
~ a fussy-cut rose is peeking out from behind the photo~

~a pretty rose printed in the corner of the paper helps anchor the design~

~the tiger's tail helps break up the long title, leaving a space between "love" and "of" :)

And now, if you're still wondering about my feelings regarding zoos and tigers, here is my journaling.  It's pretty long, so feel free to skip it if you're not in the mood for reading an essay.  :)  The gist of it is that I'm proud of and thankful for the conservation work that our local zoos are doing, to save tigers and other endangered species.

My journaling:

I count myself lucky to have seen tigers in my lifetime.  According to the professor of the ecology class that I took in college, the world's tiger population is so severely depleted that the remaining gene pool might not be large enough and diverse enough to sustain many more generations. In other words, the tiger is so endangered that it might even go extinct during my lifetime.

However, the Como Park Zoo and the Minnesota Zoo are trying their best not to let this happen.  Both of these local zoos have Amur tigers, formerly called Siberian tigers.  (The Russian signage at the Minnesota Zoo even makes visitors feel like they're in Siberia!)  Usually the best place for wild animals is in the wild, but in this case a well-designed zoo environment is actually quite good.  The Twin Cities zoos' tigers participate in breeding programs devised to try to increase and diversify the tiger population.

I fervently hope that captive breeding programs (as well as conservation efforts in the natural habitats of tigers) can save this gorgeous beast.  It would be a shame if we humans, with all our knowledge and technology, could not save the largest of all the big cats from extinction.

~Are we in Russia or the USA? :)

~some bilingual signage~

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.  :)  Thanks for stopping by my blog today to see my tiger layout.  Take care!

22 comments:

Val-Belle said...

Denise I happen to agree with you and as long as the zoo is humane I don't have a problem with them I also think that they are a great teaching facility. I was lucky enough to get to play with some Siberian Tiger cubs here at Zebula Game farm.. They were raising them for a reserve so they could be released into the wild. It is very sad to think that they may become extinct. I think you have created a lovely layout in their honour. We need to get the word out and what better way to do it. Love your take on the sketch. Thanks for playing along with us at Scrap Africa. :D

Eila Sandberg said...

How glad I am to se you joining in with us at Scrap Around The World this month Denise! Your interpretation of the moodboard is so interesting. Love that you used roses as the anchor of your layout. What magnificent animals tigers are! Thanks for sharing your beautiful journalling and work with us at SATW, so important! xx

Unknown said...

Great layout Denise! Roses are an odd juxtaposition to tigers, but you make it all work out splendidly. I learned something new, always a plus, about tigers too. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity you are very inspiring.

Lisa Rukin Swift said...

Love your take on the sketch and moodboard, Denise.

Lynette Jacobs said...

Wow...you have an awesome take on the Scrap Africa sketch. So glad you are playing along with us this month.

Denise van Deventer said...

Super page Denise and so love your theme! Love the Tiger photo and your journalling! I really hope that the tigers will survive and have many more years on this planet...they are such amazing creatures!!! I have to believe that nature will find a way..

Denise van Deventer said...

Sorry, was so caught up thinking about the tigers, that I forgot to say thanks for joining us at Scrap Africa!!!! ;-)

Channa said...

Excellent take on the sketch denise!
Love your journaling, hopefully the tigers will stay alive for a long time. Thank you for joining us at Scrap africa.

Maremi's Small Art said...

Lovely page, great writing !!! Very interesting and original. Thank you for taking part in Scrap Africa Challenge. Love Marta xx

Patricia said...

beautiful tiger layout !

Billie-Jean Beveridge said...

oh my i love love love your journaling. Both the content and how it cascades down the page :)I love your use of the sketch this fortnight :) TFS with us at scrap Africa!

Таня Паламарчук said...

Very interesting and beautiful LO!
Thanks for joining us at Scrap Africa!

Cathi ONeill said...

Great layout, love the torn paper effect and your great journaling! So glad you joined us at Scrap Africa!

Keren Tamir said...

great LO!! and I love how you journaled in the middle of the ripped papers. fabulous idea! thanks for joining us at SATW!!

Erica said...

Such cool journaling - LOVE that you did it down the middle of the layout! Thanks for playing along with us at Scrap Africa!

Gayle Price said...

As usual, a wonderful page full of meaning and visual detail. Thank you for playing along with us at SATW.

Helen Wallace said...

A superb page and your passion for wild life shines through in your journalling.…thanks for joining us at Scrap Africa :D

Halle said...

Love what you did with this challenge!
The tigers at the MN zoo are just gorgeous! I love that they walk so close to the glass...feels like we are right in their habitat. They are so amazingly huge too when you stand next to one.

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

This is gorgeous, you totally made everything shine!

Marilyn said...

Great page and cool journaling Denise! Thanks for playing along with us at Scrap Around The World!!

Ella Swan said...

What a super take on our mood board Denise!! Thanks so much for remembering SATW :) I have seen a white tiger in Singapore - it was awesome!!

Amy Voorthuis said...

Oh wow your journaling is just wonderful like you page thank you so much for the wonderful inspiration!!
Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Scrap Around the World hugs Amy