There are some photos that need a layout dedicated just to them, and this is one of these photos. I was blessed to have amazing women in my life who shaped me and role modeled what a Godly woman looks like. I not only had a mother who was a good example for me to follow, but a grandmother as well.
My mom took this selfie of her and Grandma towards the end of my grandma’s life. It was so hard to get a good picture of Grandma because she did not really like her picture taken. When I saw this, I knew it was priceless because both have natural smiles, and this is how I like to picture them.
My grandma had a hard life but was one of the most positive people I knew. She would not let you stay down for long, sometimes aggravatingly so! Even when you wanted to be in a bad mood, you couldn’t around her.
My Grandma also knew how to pray! I remember in my teens when I was upset or troubled about something, I would ask my mom to call Grandma to pray because in my mind, she had a direct line to God. She prayed about anything and everything and always seemed to get miraculous answers to her prayers.
When I was little, Grandma and Mom could turn any conversation into a discipleship lesson. My brothers and I did not stand a chance! We were going to learn about Jesus and the Bible no matter what. When I was four years old, I told Grandma that I had asked Jesus into my heart. She reminded me about that significant conversation every chance she could, and in every birthday card from that day forward. I can see in my mind’s eye her handwriting on the bottom of every card, “Always remember, you are going to live for Jesus all the days of your life,” because that was what I told her on that day.
Grandma struggled with dementia in the later years of her life. Her memory became fuzzy, and she was downright funny with some of the things she said. “I may have lost most of my senses,” she once said, “but I haven’t lost my sense of humor!” Right up until the last days she radiated Jesus' love and I am sure that Jesus was waiting to welcome her into heaven with, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
My mom is a lot like my grandmother. She has always lived a life serving those she cares about - sometimes to her detriment. I watched the emotional toll it took as she would take my brother for chemo and radiation when he battled (and beat!) Hodgkin's lymphoma. She cared for my Aunt Diane as she battled colon cancer for three years and later went into Hospice care. She lovingly cared for my grandparents as they aged, and I watched as she walked them to the gates of heaven.
She has been there for each of her three children in turn, as we have come up against some unbelievably hard challenges in our life. I know I have probably driven her crazy with some of the things I once believed to be serious challenges and it broke her heart when I was living in life's storms as Caleb was diagnosed with SMA and losing Dave in a tragic car accident. She has helped me shoulder life's burdens and prayed for wisdom, direction and comfort in those dark times when the only thing we could do was turn to God.
So, when I see this picture of them together, during what I know was a hard and exhausting time for my mother, I smile. The older I get the more I realize how much I have taken them for granted at times. I know that I am truly blessed to have these wonderful women in my life, and I want to be just like them when I grow up.
Scrapbooking Tips:
This idea for this layout came so easily, but it took a lot of time to execute.
I had seen this beautiful die cut heart with vines on the Silhouette Design Studio and I thought it would be pretty to make that a focal point of a page. It was a little plain though and I looked for a smaller flower that I could die cut. My goal was to scatter the flowers around the vines, and I used Nuvo Cloud Dream Drops to create the center of the blossoms.
I also die cut the title “Blessed” using cursive font and my Silhouette Cameo. I wanted the font to be feminine to match the design of this page.
The most time-consuming element was the stitching I added. I enjoy stitching, so I did not mind the extra time it took. I also knew this would a pretty special layout when it was finished, so I wanted to make sure it was spectacular. I first adhered the die cut in the center of the page and added my photo. Then very carefully I poked holes in the leaves and stems with a sharp paper piercer. I then added stitching in a green that was just a shade darker than the paper. I wanted my stitching to stand out but not overtake the image.
I kept my journaling short and sweet and added the strips once the stitching was complete. I then added my title, having it slightly overlap the photo in some “white space.”
I was honored when Creative Scrapbooks Magazine selected this layout to be published in their spring 2023.
Supplies used: card stock Bazzill
Pattern paper - Coco Vanilla
Die cut heart - Silhouette Design ID 314208
Die cut flowers - Silhouette Design ID 195427
Embroidery Floss - DMC
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