There And Back Again

On our travels east to the beach each summer, we inevitably hit gridlock, as traffic nears the tunnel in Mobile. Recently we found a little detour that takes us through the old tunnel and keeps us moving towards our destination. My journaling describes the excitement we feel on our way to the beach and contrasts it with our feelings one week later as we envy those traveling the opposite direction.

Here is my layout, created with one of Scraptastic Club's April kits, Eight Days A Week, main and add-on:

The cityscape is supposed to represent Mobile, but it also kinda reminds me of a sandcastle! After all, it is a page about our travels to and from the beach. One layer of fussy cut buildings popped up over the other creates a nice little niche for adding all those flags. 

I loved the silhouetted building so much that I created a card with a similar design, using a washi tape banner in place of the flags.

 

Before I go, I would like to share one more page, also created with Eight Days A Week. On this layout, the bright colors of the kit give life to a very old, underexposed, pre-digital age photo.

 

And have you noticed? This month at Scraptastic, we are culling many of our page titles from songs. It's sort of fun to go through the music of favorite artists, picking out titles that work. "There And Back Again" is a song by Daughtry. "Come Away To The Water" is by Maroon 5. Have you ever used a song title or song lyrics on a layout?

What If...

Two of my favorite scrapbook idea books were written by Creating Keepsakes Hall of Famer, Rebecca Sower. She had a way of capturing those everyday moments, and preserving them with her unique vintage style. I could pick up her books today and still be inspired. 

Her poignant journaling on a page about her son motivated me to create the layout I'm sharing today, a page created with Scraptastic Club's Eight Days A Week kit. I made good use of the die-cut sheet on this page, layering several of the journaling blocks behind the photo, placing my title on another, and creating a banner with all the little triangular flags.

I wrote the journaling for this page years ago, and just recently came across the photo of my son, dressed in surgical garb after a week of summer camp at a local hospital. Cardiologist was one of the professions he wanted to pursue over the years. Here is what I wrote to him, with credit given to Rebecca Sower for the fabulous conversational style of the exchange:

What if I become an engineer?

If you become an engineer, I'll pray that the rails are smooth and your trains are on schedule, and I'll miss you when you're on a journey far away. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is an engineer.

What if I become a construction worker?

If you become a construction worker, I'll pray that you're safe on the job and that the structures you build have the strength of your spirit. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is a construction worker.

What if I become a cardiologist?

If you become a cardiologist, I'll pray that your hands are instruments of God, and that your patients find good health as you heal their hearts and souls as well. I'll tell everyone I know that my son is a cardiologist.

I'm sure my son will treasure this page in the years to come, as he looks back and remembers all the different dreams he had for his future.