Celebrating Relationships

One of the best results of starting to scrapbook has been the opportunity to put down on paper those special relationships in our family. When Susie put in some pages from the Pet Journals, I thought that I would print out some pics of our new pet bunny and talk about her. As I went looking through photos, I found this old picture of my dad with my first dog, Dabney. Dad and Dabney spent a little more than a summer together during a time when my sister had moved out, I took a full-time job at school, and my Mom was living out of state when her job moved a few states away. To say the least, they bonded. Dad taught my beagle how to bark at strangers... much to my dismay not to mention the next door neighbors and the property manager at my complex (I actually almost got kicked out of my apartment - yikes!), ...he took her to the Taco Bell drive-thru window to have bean burritos, he used powdered donuts to teach her to catch, and they kept enough other company. The following semester, when I would come to visit Dad would often greet the dog first... with a bowl of powdered donuts! Dabney passed away a few years ago, and I thought it was really important to write down the story of their relationship before I forgot it completely.

To complete this layout, I used simple blocks of patterned paper, my corner rounder, some machine stitching, and the Pet Journal pages - cut down to let overlap portions of my photo. I loved the bird and tree patterned paper, so I cut that piece the largest. Scraps of some of the other Jillibean Soup neutral papers filled in the rest of the spaces and the cardstock filled in the middle. The torn edge and uneven stitching give it a warm, homespun feel to balance the bright colors and clean lines. The end result is simple and focuses on the photo.

So here is my challenge to you... celebrate a less-than-obvious relationship in your family. Perhaps it's a pet, a neighbor, a teacher, or someone that you just can't believe hasn't been featured yet on a page in your scrapbook.

thanks for stopping by,
erin