Focus on Hope Round up and Review

This post was started last fall. Then it sat in drafts until I stumbled upon it again. No time like the present so here it.

Focus on Hope was assemble in March of 2016.
The kit was created here: http://sherriesmuddlepuddle.blogspot.ca/2016/03/focus-on-hope.html

The inspiration kit looked like this:

It is an interesting twist. There is no patterned (12x12) paper in it. Designed for pocket style albums, the cards are 4x6 and 3x4.



My counterfeit kit looked like this:

The layouts I worked on in March 2016 look like this:

And then life changed for me. In April I learned that the location I wanted to rent for the store that I was planning to open was to become available a year earlier than expected. Throwing caution to the wind and with the cart before the horse, we plunged into a new adventure. Opening Lolly Pop Thrift Shop in Athabasca Alberta has been nothing short of FANTASTIC!! Robin and I are kept busy from 9 am to 7 pm every day. No time to mope about feeling sorry for one's self. Robin gets to talk to lots of people everyday. I get to sort, clean and price donations. No end to the organizing! If you haven't learned this about me yet, let me tell you a secret. The only thing I like to do more than play with paper is to "organize" ( If I were an animal, I would be a sheep dog. Or maybe "Babe" the pig. )

So with all our time and energy focused on a new start up, scrapping not only took a back seat but was almost shelved for good. I still followed the CKC blog and clicked through the hops, whenever I could. But actually doing any scrapping was out of the question.

Then I joined a group of quilting ladies on the first weekend of September, for two days. My sewing projects are quite small (meaning quick to complete) and I have only sewed twice in the past year (which is twice more than I did the year before). While these ladies skillfully zip together intricate tops, I put scraps together to make coasters and mug rugs. The point is that at this outing, I saw many colourful quilt tops being assembled with white boarders and banding. They were so light and airy. The colourful blocks just popped!

Now I would never want to use white fabric in my sewing as country water turns it to tea stained in a couple of washings. But on paper! What potential! Using the pocket cards like quilt blocks, I wondered if I could capture the look and mood of these modern quit tops.

So for the rest of September I pulled from this inspiration and worked some paper magic. These layouts came together so quickly. I went from one to the next in record time. All be it, there is journaling and other details to be added. Ah but that can be completed another day.

A bit about Chuckie. Used two of the cards I made that used thumbnail prints.

The only time Chuckie "meows" is when her food bowl is empty. Chuckie likes to sit in the window and watch "Nature TV". I like to sit on the sofa and watch her. #live entertainment

Pintrest Fail! Oh well...a girl can dream....can't she? Top photo is stock picture of Buchart Garden's on Vancouver Island.

Weather Watch. Run Dorothy! Run! Today's weather: Sunny, Cloudy, Rainy, Windy, SCARY!
With a nod to the September CKC kit, the alphas are coloured with a French Manicure pen, to mimic being dipped in paint.

This makes me smile. Journaling to be added. This was the place I stayed for a week, while Robin had his surgery in Jan 2016. Bottom Picture, Best Day Ever was when Robin was released from Hospital.

January through March 2016 Getting Better Every Day. #Day By Day. #Recovery
Daily Routine listed, and a hidden photo of Robin's incision. Not to be Viewed by those of a delicate constitution.

Wonderful Woofs. Stock photo of wolves. Robin needs to help me get down the story of the puppy he found in a ditch, that turned out to be a wolf. True Story!

This next layout needs a title. Maybe "The Real Thing" or "True Love" I used two more of my pocket cards. Journaling reads: At the beginning of our relationship we had to navigate some bumpy patches. One was the differences in how we show our love and interpret it. You feel loved when I spend lots of time with you and I show love by making things for you like these slippery slippers.

These are the days. Green pen on green paper didn't work so well. This amazing light as the sun breaks through the clouds after a late afternoon shower in August, gave us a rainbow...so close.... you could almost touch it.

It's a Beautiful Day. Needs some journaling. When we both get our hair done at the same time, we become the best looking couple in the mall.

Live for Right Now. This is Robin's older brother who died at a young age. When I showed R the layout he said, "That about sums it up" We will have to work together to get some stories down on this one, also.

Robin's grandchildren on Christopher's graduation day. Still need dates and journaling.

Robin's younger granddaughters.

Loving Every Minute of it. From Ellscott to Tiger Lily and places in between, 31Gifts takes me places I have never been before. This photo is at Ellscott Hall, April 2015.
Also the large dot pattern and the floral below it are fabric samples from my kit.

Chuckie you make me laugh. Today's Menu, Breakfast-Kibble. Lunch-Rodent Sashimi Dinner-Fresh Fowl Dessert-Kibble

Sponsor a thermal lunch kit 2015. The ample counter space in our kitchen was put to good use while packing 25 lunch kits. (Once again, I used bits of fabric samples that remind me of the kits we made.)
"Dream then make it happen," reminds me what can result with a little passion and a bit of networking. Going to need another layout to tell the whole story.

The next two, I used a Heidi Snap stencil and Mr. Huey mist. At first I put it on the craft paper but the photo didn't gel with it.. So I did it again on the white and the freshness of the day is reflected well.

So what to do with the out take base paper? Why, make another layout, of course!

Happy Life. This is us. Best Friends. We are quite a pair.

Happy with you. What a lovely day with you. You are my Anchor.

 And yes, those are eyelets. Talk about using OLD stash.



Last one for the kit. Yet to be assembled. Lucy and Kiwi, before and after a day at the groomers.

So that is 7 layouts in March and 17 in September and one to put together for a total of 25.  Used up more than 10 of my counterfeit project life cards. And lots of pocket cards from my stash.  Such a nice pile of layouts. Now to finish with the details and file them in albums. The March 2016 kit, Focus on Hope has been retired. Remaining supplies put back in the stash. All said and done, I am really happy with the lot. 

Thanks for stopping by. Double thanks for comments.