Shades of Cool

I can't exactly say I've dived back into scrapbooking, but I have been working hard at setting my room back up, and sorting through all my long lost stuff. Grown kids don't move out and stay away, they come home, and when that happens, my scrap room becomes dismantled to make space. My husband finally suggested I make a place in our sun room. I was reluctant, due to the huge windows and so much light that could potentially damage my products. However, I love that particular space. It's a very refreshing place to be early in the morning. I enjoy reading my Bible and having my quiet time with God in my rocking chair there. Needless to say, the rocking chair has a permanent spot in "my space." We found room dividers at Hobby Lobby, and dear hubby hooked one side to the wall for me, so as to make it a temporary, yet stable divider.  The room is long and narrow, and I still have plenty of space for the sun room to feel like it's own room. I have been sorting through paper, embellishments, dies, stamps, etc., and I have tried to really look at what I want and don't want. I actually discovered that my taste hasn't changed much, and it was refreshing to know that I can still use "old" stuff with a fresh look with the new things I have.

Graduation came and went last weekend. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders to know that I am completely finished with my education.  I'm tapering off my caseload in the rehab center as an addictions counselor, making way for more time at home for the individual we care for, as she needs me to be home. This is giving me more time for what I enjoy, and that is putting my memories on paper!

 I did a layout today and used my March Doubleshot kit to create "Shades of Cool" of the granddaughters showing off their "shades." The kit was from The Scrap Room and it is the American Crafts On A Whim by Amy Tangerine. Everything is from the kit except a the black paper for matting, and a few accent pieces that were in my stash. I followed the May sketch challenge from The Scrap Room. I fussy cut the sunglasses as one of the "rings" in the sketch. I used a circle punch to make another "ring," sort of rainbow style to pick up more of the paper in the horizontal banner. I punched black dots and placed rhinestones on them to connect the circles. I matted the photos and the "shades" paper in black in order to keep them the focal point of the layout. The title Shades of Cool represented the theme of the photos and the paper, making for a fun layout!