Cowgirl Tough

After attending a recent Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention (yes… I’m serious. We actually went to a two day convention), I decided that it was time to dust off my Cricut machine, catalog our embellishments and reorganize the craft room.

What I found while doing this was a project that I started in 2011 that I never completed. It goes back to a visit to Texas were Kensington and her cousin Roni went horseback riding at the BlackHawk River Ranch – where Roni worked as a ranch-hand. The issue that I ran across is that I have no clue as to the look I was going for. I couldn’t find my original sketch or an image of an existing layout that I saw that I was trying to replicate. After staring at it for more than thirty minutes I decided that I hated it. I started tearing the pictures off the page when Chris came in and asked me what I thought I was doing.

 

He tried to convince me to go back to the page and rework it, knowing that there is no wrong way to create a page.  Once he realized there was no turning back, he steered me in the direction of doing a shoestring project, using the inking and chalking techniques that I learned in one of my breakout sessions, as well as multiple layering techniques.

This is what I came up with. Notice the horseshoe I used for the letter "u". This was taken off the Christmas tree in the hotel that we stayed at the day that Kensi was born. I knew I wanted to keep it but didn't know how to display/preserve it. I think this is the perfect home for it. 

 

Now I only have 2 more layouts to compete for 2011, three for 2012, and then I can get started on her 2013 book. Onward and upward!

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.

Around this time of year, our mailboxes get filled up with advertisements for the latest and greatest Halloween costumes and major retailers that have gone out of business (i.e., Circuit City, Linens and Things, Borders Books), have had their former real estate turn into pop-up costume stores that seem to always be having a sale. While Chris and I may go into these stores for the occasional party prop, colored hairspray and bags of candy, we have stayed very loyal to our children’s boutique that has been outfitting K-Grace since her first Halloween appearance as Swine Flu - Chasing Fireflies @chasenfireflies

Kensington was like thousands of little goblins this week that went giddy over the gargoyles, ghosts, princess and cute critters costumes when they received the newest Chasing Fireflies Wishcraft catalog. She opted out of her regular “Seek and Find” and chapter books at bedtime and wanted me to read every description for every costume in the catalog and upon turning to the very first page, she declared that she had chosen her costume – the Skeleton Princess. 

 

My first thought was this was going to be an extremely long process if every costume we'd see she would be picking. But she didn’t. With that wicked sense of humor of hers, she was adamant that the Skeleton Princess was the costume that she wanted which threw me in a tailspin. You see, I have been waiting for THIS particular Halloween – the Halloween where she can finally fit into a 4T costume. Since I first laid eyes on the Chasing Fireflies almost 5 years ago, I have had my heart set on the Marie Antoinette costume which she could never fit into - unit now.  I know this is no longer about me, but… well, it’s all about me and the pictures. There will be tons of ghost and ghouls and skeletons running about but the likelihood of another Marie Antoinette (outside of the queens running around in the Village) is slim to none.

I mean, just look at it… the lavish confection of gold lamé, lilac and gold brocade and ivory lace, THIS is a costume treasure worthy of our little French queen. Plus, the stunning wig – just look at it! And the accessories add that ooh la la that is just to die for.

So, what am I going to do about it? Well, I showed her the Marie Antoinette costume and asked her if this could be the back-up. If they didn’t have the dark princess in her size, then she wouldn’t be able to reign over a vast scary-tale kingdom and would have to tell her real kingdom that "In honor of Halloween, let them eat . . . candy!" She was fine with that compromise. The way I look at it, 10 years from now, she couldn’t care less about what she wore for Halloween. 10 years from now, I will still be looking at pictures of her in a 2 foot wig, wearing a smile on my face. So… here’s the deal. It’s up to you. Place your vote, we want to hear what you think - Dark Princess or Prolific Queen?