Dude! (How many times will that be a blog title I use?)

Good Morning! How does this day find you? Yes, I really like to know these things. In my house we are taking turns with a head cold; right now my son is "IT." This means I get to play rousing games of Make the Three Year Old Blow His Nose; but they aren't as tricky anymore. Woohoo for that, huh?

I digress. I have another little story and a layout to share; based on Challenge 22 at Sketches In Thyme:



And here is my take:



As you may be able to tell, I had a lot of fun with this one. I was able to start it quickly so I could spend most of the week on the details. I inked the edges of the photos. I wasn't terribly concerned with staying in the lines; which is also why I went with sepia tones to play on my own messy tendencies.



I decided on the stamp shape AFTER I had glued down the photos and green paper. Rather than overlap onto the photos, I cut off the excess to create a double frame. Initially, I was only going to stamp the misted chipboard and leave it alone. Then I got the urge to highlight the feathers on the end and stitch my little heart out. It was an experiment...I'd do it differently if I tried it again.



The title threw me for a little while (like four days). I knew where it was "supposed" to go but it wasn't working for me...Then I got the urge to paint up some grunge stars, ink the edges and put the title on them. That made me happier.



The button tag was a matter of playing with a pool of glimmer mist left on wax paper AFTER I had finished misting the stamp frame. I added some red and just covered five Jenni Bowlin journal spots, two stickers and a few bracket chipboard shapes to be used later. Since I like the colors, I know they'll get used somehow in the upcoming season.

The subject is my nephew. A couple months ago, there were a number of teen and tween cousins at my Mother In Law's house; just spending some time hanging out. Often, she'll get up two twenty family members filter through in a day just because. My husband and I were also filtering through because the days are getting more rare when schedules mesh and our little boy gets to spend time with his older cousins. So, in the spirit of hanging out, I grabbed my camera and clicked like there was no tomorrow. This was especially true when zee nephew decided to jump hurdles over four bales of hay in the back yard. Half way through, I remembered I had a Sports setting on my camera and had even more fun than he.

One of my constant thoughts was, "Dude!"

Dude, I cannot jump four bales of hay! I don't even know that I can jump one. This is very cool.

Dude, he's got good form! I wonder if he'll try out for track someday.

Dude, he's having fun!!!!

The fact that he was having fun warmed me the most. He has fun often in life, but I firmly believe he could be having more. He's a great kid and I consider it an honor and privilege to have watched him grow from an infant into the beginnings of a young man. He's so smart and so strong and I want him to know that he has every capacity to take on the world and win it all, because, well...

Dude.

So, I think highly of my nephew. He is one of the people for whom I am thankful to know on this rock. In the spirit of preparing for Thanksgiving, I wanted to capture this special moment all about him.