The Funkie Junckie Boutique Challenge #11 Tickled Pink / Mini AlbumMakers Challenge June...Strawberry Fields Forever- in a Book!

    Finally JUNE...the reopening of places and businesses is going on, but things are still pretty 'new normal' for me here at home. After making a 1st trip out to a store to shop (the ChiefHubby along with) and pick up things myself for once, turns out that may be just that- one time. Since I'm starting back again with the 2nd immunosuppressant (a type of chemo) weekly, one of my 3 Doctors said to just keep 'laying low' for a while yet. That's not news that had me dancing for joy. I miss being in church physically & miss seeing my friends, but on the other hand, I've been able to see them in smaller groups of us together- camping & fishing. And while being in church & worshipping together can be very uplifting, most people don't realize how ALONE a deaf person is- especially in a crowd. Even my own ChiefHubby forgets now & then how much is being said amongst everyone that just passes me by; reading lips in a crowd of people talking can be just as draining as trying to follow one person talking animatedly. Our Preacher always puts his sermons to text and emails them to those who ask -as well as putting them online for anyone to read- and that helps me more than anything else. So that's why being at home and seeing the service taped and online has actually been more beneficial to me- the service is CLOSED CAPTIONED!! After both Ministers tweaked the entire process, I have been their No.1 Fan over it! Now, don't get me wrong, here...nothing takes the place of being together with the Besties and the people you have come to love as Family. But during the recent months, it has been a HUGE BLESSING for this deaf girl! I can't imagine how tired a person could get always doing ASL. I did try ASL, but reading lips came so easily to me that my then-counselor and doctors chose to help me keep on this route. Hearing aids are no longer any help at all. I have been the entire road since I was 15 years old- including Cleveland Clinic and Nashville. But being deaf is not much of a problem anymore...it's just a by-product of a disease that is the root of the problems. And all those resulting problems are the reason I have to "lay low" during these times. You see, what most don't understand is the fact that I CAN go out, and I am NOT "afraid of COVID-19"; it's what happens if I get it- the pain is going to be just MORE of what I already LIVE WITH DAILY. More to the point also; I won't get to be with any of my 3 precious Grandbabies. All my life, I have believed that GOD has His reasons for everything, even in all the ills and pain. And I will continue to just pray and ask for HIS guidance in this entire matter, and go with whatever He leads.

        THANKS for the listen! 

           Now...let's get down to the reason for this project This is another one of those "had this in mind for awhile now" makes. It all began with thoughts of my Maternal Grandmother, whose middle name I inherited. Isabelle Louise (Dowdy) Raymer did not have it as easy in her adult life as she did in her childhood. She was doted on by her Mother, and was quite the dish, as you can see from her HS photo above. The story shortened is really about strawberries. My earliest memories are of being on "The Farm" with my Grandparents, and while they'd moved several times after 'flipping' each home to extremely nice places (Grandpa Odus Gordon Raymer was a carpenter, machinist, farmer, and antique car restorer/owner...a real life do-it-all-yourself-er), they said they never really had 'loads of money', but both said they always had everything they needed- and most things they wanted as well. My own faith in The LORD came from early lessons via both of them; both at church as well as in seeing their example to others. Grandpa and Grandma Raymer were very generous, helpful, practical, and downright smart, as well as very wise. They'd lost their first child/only son to drowning in their own flooded basement. I believe it was a tragedy that was never far from Grandma's mind- as well as his death being on Grandpa's birthday. He was just 2 months shy of 3 years in 1943. (They did already have my Mother- a newborn, and another daughter 10 years after her). I always believe that was the reason Grandma could cry at the drop of a hat- but she REALLY felt that sad at that moment, and I also believe that is where my own deep feelings come from- as well as shared eye and hair coloring, and that passed on to both my own sons, with Baby Jamie getting the shade of blue we have. I actually spent so many weekends and the days before school with them on the Farm, that it felt more like I lived there. Once they moved into town again, I made just as much time at their house/workshop/gardens during the school year as before. The bonus Grandma always had was Grandpa being talented in carpentry & able to make Grandma's home however she wanted it designed.  I'd heard many times over how Grandma's Mother had "the most beautiful wallpaper" in her kitchen, and how it was a perfect pinkish shade with strawberries all over. Grandma bragged many times on that strawberry kitchen: "Our Postman always told my Mother that she had the prettiest kitchen in Logansport!", even while Grandma herself had the most personalized, beautifully carpentered, professional quality kitchen herself...complete with as close as possible to replica wallpaper as she could find!

When we got married in 1984, the ChiefHubby and I had to fill out gift registries for both bridal showers and the wedding itself, and colors/designs had to be chosen. His favorite color was red and mine was pink- the colors of our wedding. We still have the same fave colors, and I still keep the same theme to the kitchen. You guessed it: strawberries! Blame it on Grandma Raymer!! At that very time, there was a grocery chain that had a set of dishes you could collect and, of course, since they were all strawberries, Grandma and I had fun buying each other parts of the set. So each of us had the full set because she finished hers and ChiefHubby's Mom helped round out ours. I still have my full set and those precious memories while I watched Grandma pass on to Heaven back in 2003 just before her birthday in January. Over the years, Besties and family have added pieces to my kitchen that round out the look and give me more nice memories of each person.

          I had a slightly dysfunctional childhood. I grew up the youngest of 10 kids, but actually have 14 siblings with 1 younger than myself by three years, whom I never got to meet until 1994. Not one of these siblings have both the same Mother and Father as myself. 5 of us are my (biological) Father's. 8 of us are my Dad's with 6 being born to him and 2 of us as Stepchildren. 5 of us are born of my Mother, but only 2 share the same father. My (bio) Father was actually 2 years older than my (maternal) Grandma and Grandpa Raymer. Quite frankly; being deaf is EASY compared to keeping all that straight! LOL!! But; the younger Sister grew up to be a kindred spirit of mine, and we often joke about "Great minds think alike!" because we often think or feel the same way even miles and time apart. She looks so much like our Mother and Grandma Raymer- more than any of us 5- and has many of the same mannerisms ….growing up adopted totally away from any of us. We did figure out that she and I accidentally ended up at the same school together and the Nurse (who was a cousin in our family) saw us playing together on the playground. She was moved to another nearby school, and we never saw each other again until she found our Mother in 1994.

           And....she had a STRAWBERRY KITCHEN. *mic drop*

                                           Now comes the Challenges: The Funkie Junkie's "Tickled Pink" 

                                                 

                                                      and the (anything goes) JUNE Mini Album Makers

         

            

I knew ahead of time that I'd need a bit of space in this book, so I again

chose Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook die. I just ADORE this die!!

PINK is the requirement for The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #11 "Tickled Pink"

and I had lotsa PINK!

That's when I found out that I could make BOTH books be PERFECT:

Mine would be PINK, and my Sister's would be LAVENDER (with some pink)

which she shares as a favorite color as our Grandma Raymer!!

I started out separating the chosen outside sheets from the ones to go inside.

Then cut the inside choices in half and divided each half to a book.

These papers were all 8 & 1/2 x 11 inches.

Then I started stamping each page with some red-rubber strawberry stamps- 

in TH's Distress Archival Ink, using the Ground Espresso...just for the caffeine lift...lol

I also found enough leftovers in a K&Company stack

to make some nice little additions inside both books that would complement all the pink.

All this put together really had me excited to make these!

Using the only two matching full sheets from the wallpapers stack (above)

I simply folded and cut until I had a 3-in-1 pocket and folder type of piece.

I like playing around with paper just to see what I can come up with,

and some of my best ideas come about in this manner.

Both books' covers/spines were assembled in the same manner as my last post,

but I must have forgotten to take a photo while I did this step.

You can rehash a visual HERE (scroll down to the middle photos) .

Shown here: some tags for the pockets and more of Tim Holtz Stitched Pockets Die cuts-

all sanded for some distress and just a tiny touch of my favorite TH Distress Oxide Ink

Vintage Photo.

I sanded both books' covers and spines, burnishing the edges as well.

Adding in a stack of notebook paper (all my recently posted books have this paper as well),

to the folded pieces and the pink stamped stack; each book was pretty full and I 

was ready to sew the signatures into the covers and work on just the outsides.

I'd saved these during all those loooooong shut in days from the tons of fresh fruit

brought in by my wonderful ChiefHubby.

These labels looked soooo cute!! I sanitizer-wiped them and stuck them to plain white

cardstock, then fussy cut and lightly inked the edges. Instant vintage STRAWBERRY labels!

I even broke out the much hoarded TH Crinkle Ribbon for the perfect touch on the tag pieces.

PUUUULEEEEEEEASE, Tim...manufacture MORE!!!

I texted my Lil Sister earlier this Spring with a pic of the couple on the left

because the wife resembles her.

But it's the kind of dress our Grandma might have worn- in LAVENDER or PINK.

TH Distress Crayons came in on the fun here.

And the set of girls?

They could be either of 2 sets of people...

My Grandma as a girl in the pink and me in the lavender-

 just like the lavender chair I was sitting in for a photo as a baby, 

OR...

myself in the pink with my Little Sister, Debbie, in the lavender.

Again, I got out the TH Alcohol Inks and changed the shades of the mechanical pencils

to match with each book. Alcohol inks can color SO MANY things!!

Here's what came from the story...

A look at a few of the pages...

Grandma & Grandpa were both gifted musically- 

Grandpa played guitar, banjo, and ukulele,

with Grandma playing piano, and she could really get down on the organ

with all it's beats & sounds. But my favorite was seeing her on one of her three accordions.

Packaged up and getting it to my Sister...somehow!

THANK YOU!! for hanging in there during this loooooong and =windy post!

I absolutely love putting my memories into what I make.

The makes that I keep for myself pile up in the box I keep them in will -hopefully- one day

make some great keepsakes for my Kids, Grandbabies, and anyone they share them to.

I do use some of them for display in my Craft Studio as inspiration for more ideas.

Shoutout: THANKS! for the sweet comments,

but especially thank you all for just stopping by!

I really hope it spurs your imagination to use some of your own

fondest memories to create something from paper and paste. :)

Remember to check out the SUPER crafted items that my own will enter alongside with:

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog

(Sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique )

~AND~

The Mini Album Makers Challenge

(which just happens to also be Sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique this month!)

In the meantime...

I'm FINALLY back up in Red Wing to see our youngest Grandbaby- he's a whopping

HUGE 6 months old already! That's one part of the COVID-19 that really had me upset;

we had planned out to be able to see Jamie once each month, and that plan was not to be.

This year certainly turned out...different. And more than slightly challenging. 

Especially when it came to plans.

We spent Saturday, June 6th with the older two Grandbabies, celebrating the oldest- Cole- turning 3 years old on June 7th. But took the actual day of his birthday to drive to Red Wing and see the youngest baby. It was a flip of our plans back in April, when we had spent the day of younger Son's birthday being out in the boonies for the older 2 Grandbabies to play outside during "The Quarn".

I'm sure everyone can relate....EVERYONE.

So, we really ARE in this TOGETHER!

Stay safe during REOPENINGS, & 

HAPPY BLOGGING!!!