AuntieReCreates: Family

Happy Little Moments *Studio Calico Class

Finally! It's completed! I enrolled in Maggie Holmes "Happy Little Moments" altered book class at Studio Calico in March and have just now been able to work on it and get it completed. I ordered the kit to go along with the class which was packed with such yummy goodness! I love the color scheme of the kit and I chose to go strictly with Maggie's design because it just made me happy! My book ended up being many more pages than she covered in her class but by the time I reached those pages, I was well on my own anyway with my own design and embellishment choices.

As I shared in my last post, my family surprised me with a visit, so that is what my book is about....that surprise visit! I actually started this project while they were here during our crafting sessions. While everyone else was doing some sewing, I took out this project to focus on.

Love the little confetti pocket sewn on in a glassine bag.

I put a special quote underneath so when you lift up the bag, you see that special quote.

I have never created an altered book before. The thought of cutting sections out of a book scared me honestly. That's why I love these classes. They really get you out of your comfort zone. I have to say, this has been one of my favorite projects to date! Now that I know how, I'm sure I will be searching for old books to cut apart! (Shhhhh don't tell the book lovers!)

There are lots of bits of paper and embellishments....

layer upon layer of goodness....

Confetti is the craze along with banners and Silhouette cuts...

And the punches through the book pages creating windows with peeks into the next pages....

I love the look of the thread hanging....guess my style is just a bit more messy.

Another one of those windows! Love this idea.

I just love hanging on to bits of paper and scraps for this kind of project. You can really use those pieces up.

I would highly recommend taking a class like this if you feel like you have lost some of your creative mojo. I have been fighting with that for some time now and this really helped get me back in the groove again. I loved the process of this book and love the finished product!

Now, anyone want to come help me clean up this mess?

Happy Monday!

A lovely but shocking surprise...

Not long after my last post, (actually it was the day of my last post), I was totally shocked with a surprise visit from my sister and her four kids from who live in California. Now typically when they come to visit, we plan for a few months and look forward to it, scheduling things to do, cleaning my house top to bottom and getting the sleeping arrangements planned. So, needless to say, when a friend called me on Saturday, July 21st and asked if she could stop by because she had something for me, the last thing I expected she had was my family from across the United States!

My friend had me come out to the driveway because "she couldn't carry it in"....as I turned the corner, I saw my nieces and nephew along with my sister standing in the driveway! Total and utter shock would be an understatement! My oldest niece had already been here visiting for two weeks but I never in a million years expected my sister and the other kids to come. I was so happy I cried (which isn't easy to get me to do!)

This was right after my surprise! My sister probably would not want this posted because they all look so worn out...it took about 28 hours to get here from California, thanks to getting stuck in Dallas overnight due to storms, which also sold out every hotel in the area. Imagine being stuck in an airport with 3 kids overnight! Thankfully, some friends live in the area and took them in for the night. The photo is still priceless to me!