...UP ON THE ROOFTOP...

There was another snow-themed collection for the Creative Team to work with at Gingerscraps. By this point, I was really feeling kind of snowed out and bored with snow-themed pages, but I made myself think about things for a little bit and finally decided on a route to go. 

This time I took photos from my husband's life. I'm glad his mom has always been a picture person, it helps more often than not. 

Apparently, there was a bad snowstorm at some point in our childhood. Though we didn't really know each other at the time, my husband and I lived about 5 minutes away from each other and attended the same Jr. High, so what happened weather-wise at his house, happened at my house as well. However, I don't remember this particular snowstorm. I have a vague memory of having a snow day at some point during this time frame, but I don't know if this was the same snowstorm. 

Whatever the case, it was a bad storm, and it required people to remove snow off of their roofs, (apparently). I don't know if we did it at our house or not...my older sister might have actually done so, but my memory isn't recalling this event very well. So my husband's older brother, uncle, and neighbor got up on the roof and shoveled off all of the snow. Sounds like a fun adventure - even with my fear of heights. 

SUPPLY LIST 

TEMPLATE: Rainbow Magic (Retired) by Connie Prince 

COLLECTION: It's Snow Time by Scrappin' Serenity 

FONT: Hot Thin Roof

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...MISTER SNOWMAN...

There are plenty of times when kits are released and though I really like the kit, I sometimes struggle to figure out what to do with said kit. This was the case with Frosty Fun. The collection is amazing, but I think in some ways I was just done with creating layouts regarding snow. However, I really couldn't let this collection go by, so I figured it out. 

We had just recently gone to the planetarium to see a show, and it's located in a downtown area and next to an outdoor mall, so we headed there for dinner. One of the decorations was a snowman made of what looked like 3 different mirror disco balls. I really wanted a picture of everyone in front of it or rather next to it, but I knew the only person who would do it willingly would be the youngest of the family. And he posed for just a short time before his attitude matched that of the rest of the family. 

Because this collection was released shortly after our outing, these photos are the ones that were on my mind. And that is how this layout was created. 

SUPPLY LIST 

TEMPLATE: Standing Alone Volume 8 by Trixie Scraps 

COLLECTION: Frosty Fun by Aimee Harrison
FONT: Snowfun

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...A TALE OF TWO ELVES...

Every year my mom does some kind of fun party for Christmas. Usually, it's held on a different day than we actually celebrate Christmas, and usually towards the beginning of December. For this particular party, we spent most of it prepping gifts to take to an unknown family as Secret Santa, however, there were also some fun games to play and other activities to do. 

For one activity my mom requested we all pose behind this little elf standee and take photos. Most of the family took it as seriously as you'd expect posing behind an elf standee and were good with just taking one photo. My little brother and I decided however that we'd have a little more fun and make good use of our time. It sure beat standing around doing nothing.

When I finally got around to looking at these photos, I realized quite quickly, that my brother and I really are related and we pretty much have a similar sense of humor. 

ScrapChat Designs Fresh Baked release for today made me think of these photos and I decided it'd be a fun kit to use with them. 

SUPPLY LIST

 
TEMPLATE: #2018 May (Retired) by Connie Prince 

COLLECTION: Mission: Mischief by ScrapChat Designs

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...WELCOME HOME...

I grew up in a large family. Coincidentally, my parents also had seven kids. 4 boys and 3 girls. And, as most families and children, we are all a little different and our interests vary from person to person. 

One of my younger brothers has always been a quick learner. He was reading before he even started Kindergarten and he just caught on to things quickly. He plays the piano quite well though he's never really had real lessons. In high school, he took Japanese and French, and he had no trouble learning either language. 

Back in about 2012, he took a job in France. It was one of those teaching jobs. He was teaching English to the French kids, and if I remember right, it was kids in that 13-16 age group. He did that for a few years and then came back to the States, but settled in a state where none of the family lived. After the stint in the States, he got another teaching job, but this time it took him to Japan. 

Needless to say, we rarely saw this kid during these years. He's kind of a free spirit as well, and just kind of does whatever he wants to do when he wants to do it. So one year, a few days before Christmas, we found out he'd be coming into town. The rest of the siblings did whatever we each had to, so that we'd all be together for at least a few hours on Christmas. I hadn't realized how much I missed him and it was good to have the family all together again. 

SUPPLY LIST 

TEMPLATE: Home For Christmas by Gingerbread Ladies 

COLLECTION: Home For Christmas by Gingerbread Ladies 

FONT: Winter Family

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...SANTA WHO?!?!?!...

My father-in-law loved stuffies and had acquired quite a few over the years, especially for Christmas. There's one stuffed Santa that's been around for as long as I can remember and most of the kids have snuggled this Santa at one time or another. 

The first Christmas after my father-in-law passed, baby #6 was only a few months old and my mother-in-law and I decided we needed to take some pictures of my baby with the different stuffed Santas. 

While we women thought it was a cute idea, my little guy thought a little differently. He wasn't quite sure what to think about the whole situation. 

SUPPLY LIST 

TEMPLATE: Life Pages Pocket 6 by JB Studio 

COLLECTION: Tinsel in a Tangle by Memory Mosaic

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...SNOWFUN...

On the whole, I hate the snow. So why do I continue to live in a state that is proud of all the snow we receive, I don't know. Even though I dislike the snow, I can't help but love snow-themed collections. Thankfully, I have plenty of snow-themed photos I could pair with these collections, though it's not always easy to choose which ones. 

Gingerscraps Challenge Reward for December of 2022 is called: Winter Memories and it is beautiful, I absolutely love the color palette. I decided to pair this collection with photos I took of my little guys on New Year's Day. 

I don't get outside as much as I should so, I told myself it would change that winter. Well, I didn't get to fulfill that promise to myself until New Year's Day, but I finally fulfilled it and I had a good morning with my youngest babies. 

SUPPLY LIST 

TEMPLATE: Pics Galore Volume 26 by Connie Prince 

COLLECTION: Winter Memories by Gingerbread Ladies 

FONT: Snowfun

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