Friday, September 21, 2012

Youth

So a few things to say about this one. It was actually the last layout I created with my Scrapbooking From the Inside Out kit. Although I do have one more page to share with you next week.
But this one above for me was the hardest.
It started out as an 8 1/2 x 11 layout. Then somewhere along the way it was 12x12 that eventually turned back into the smaller size. I think it had a little to do with what I had left to work with as a base. A brown piece of patterned paper and a Vanilla sheet of cardstock.
I had been experimenting with some trim and blue Tattered Angels mist which was an epic fail. But then liked the look of the blue mist on the paper scraps. Especially since my prom dress in the photo is blue :)
One of those misted scraps ended up on the upcoming layout I have left to share.

Once I saw the blue scraps, I decided to just mist the whole sheet of Vanilla cardstock I had left. The Vanilla just wasn't working for me because it was too bright. And the misting helped tone that down.

I absolutely love that quote by George Bernard Shaw. I have for a long time. And so this became a page about embracing life.
Here is the journaling:

I am pretty sure when George Bernard Shaw stated the above quote, it wasn't a criticism of the younger generation at all. He was just making an observation. 
I mean look at this photo of me on prom night before my date arrived. There I am "striking a pose" for the camera. And man was I skinny! I look back on this photo and think, did I really appreciate it all. My youth, the future that lay ahead, and what I was capable of doing. Probably not. But in a way that is a part of the growth process. There is no way to know what lies ahead, and life is a journey that you have to take and experience one step at a time.
Of course there are  are a few things I might have done differently along the way to spare some hurt feelings. But for the most part, I wouldn't change a thing because I love my life and family.
But one life lesson I am embracing as I get older, is to really appreciate each year and each milestone. Yes, turning forty was a little rough. But then I think to myself, when I turn fifty I want to be able to look back and say that I made the most of my forties! That I didn't take this time in my life for granted worrying about all that is changing or may come. I made it count!

Yes, that photo is me on prom night. And yes, I had truly big hair :) It was the style back then.
I will say that looking at that photo once again makes me glad that my daughter gets her hair from my husband's side of the family. She has such great curly hair!

Here is a photo of her from a field trip she went on with her class this week. I was so happy that I could go :)
And then just for fun later that night at haircuts, our favorite hairdresser blew it out and straightened it. Just to see :) Sigh...even straight her hair is ten times better than mine. Lucky girl! So glad she will never have to get perms like I did back in the day (lol)

So I will be back on Monday or Tuesday with the last September SFTIO layout. I am debating about switching things up and maybe only blogging Tuesdays and Thursdays for a while. I'll have to see. I do enjoy my "What's on your workspace Wednesday" group. Maybe I could rotate. MWF one week and T Th the next. We'll see :)

Have a great weekend!!



18 comments:

  1. what a great idea to mist the entire paper!! perfect

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  2. Wonderful layout!
    I love her 'do.

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  3. I'm glad this came together for you, Mary Jo. It looks awesome! Ah, the memories of proms and big hair and perms. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)

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  4. What a great layout!! I really like it! :)

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  5. Oh man, i had hair like that too. The bigger, the better! Love that you did a layout with an older photo :) Such cute pictures of Erin!

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  6. Great journaling, beautiful page. The misting made a wonderful background!

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  7. Great layout! I love your color choices!

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  8. Love the layout and the process story behind it :) And, how cute is your little girl?!?! I totally switch the posting schedule up on my blog... my general goal is to not blog twice in a row - I like the posts to marinate a bit - LOL!

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  9. Amen sister! Love you LO and what you have to say!Oh man - that second picture of Erin - you get a glimpse of the future, what she is going to look like - she looks so much older! :( She looks Gorgeous!

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  10. I loved the journaling on this layout...You are so right. We do just have to dive in and live our lives and embrace it at the same time.

    My life did not turn out the way I had planned and I love it just the same. It is different but different in a good way! I wouldn't change mine either and I am 58 years old.

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  11. Beautiful LO!!
    Love the strips you added!
    You look so pretty in your prom picture!!
    Love your journaling and what you said is so true!!
    TFS!!

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  12. You know I had to click on that layout to get a better look at your big hair, teehee.
    You know how hard I had to work to get my hair like that, and it still didn't look that good, lol.
    Girls now have the most beautiful hair, sigh.

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  13. Oh my, yes, I can agree with this sentiment! I had the big 80's hair too - you were not alone. :) Erin is so adorable with the curls or without. So lucky that she can choose and change it up. My thick hair does one thing - droop. LOL.

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  14. I love the prom photo and journaling on this layout. It really is so true, I look back on my photos from college and wonder if I really appreciated all of the freedom I had then (I know I didn't, I assumed I'd always have everything I wanted, when I wanted it, and would never need any sleep!)

    I love the big 80's hair! Although, I've been know the blow my hair out big, even though I'm a little late for it. I just do big 80's hair so well, I can't help it sometimes :)

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  15. Wonderful layout, photos and thoughts!!

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  16. Now that I'm old, I definitely agree with Shaw! What a great photo! Must have really brought back some memories to scrap it!

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  17. Oh you have beautiful hair!

    And I think I had that same style dress ;) well now that I am 45 yep I can agree with the quote. Amazing LO! I don't think I could relive those memories. Good for you in documenting!

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