In Celebration of Sistahood Blog Hop

All my life, I have made sure that I align myself with the right people.   These people do not have to be able to validate you as a person and the skills that you have.   These are the people who have your back, and make you feel good about yourself.   For a long time, it had to be my family, my church family, and I left it at that.   when I started scrapbooking, I felt that I was the only african-american female on the planet who made scrapbooks or greeting cards.  Did I stop?  No, I did not.   I was just the only one of my friends and family who did that sort of thing.  

In 2010, I was wondering through Google, and I decided to look up African American Scrapbooking, or some term I can not remember, but I came upon "Scraps of Color", so I decided to take a look.   I could not believe what I saw.  Sistahs, like me, who did the same thing I did were staring back at me, and  I felt like I found Mecca.   I was so happy.   Now do not get me wrong, I do enjoy being in the other groups, and I do have friendships in them, but there is nothing like seeing someone who is the same race as you crafting.  These people at least know what you been through, and when I post on this group, I do not get the blank post I may get from other groups.

So now, I am in another blog hop, and this time it for Scraps of Color.   The item I want to show you is in celebration of Sistahood, and it is an item I am presenting for a silent auction on Saturday, at the Longaberger Golf Club for my central branch's team. Every year we have this luncheon, celebrating life and in memory or a person who has survived breast cancer or has died of it.   The money raised for this event will go towards the Horizon of Hope campaign Longaberger has each year, and it is my hope that we find a cure not only to breast cancer, but all cancers in my lifetime.

This is a paper bag album.   It is my intent that the winner of this album will do whatever they wish to put inside.   The album is super roomy.   Not bad for a first time paper bag album maker.   The covers are made out of chipboard, and the flaps (the part that makes the paper bag stand up) are glued together, as well as the back of the bags.  I suggest that you Google search the term "paper bag albums" or if you have a You tube account, look up the term there as well.  I used burlap for the spine, but I have seen some videos where people have used paper or canvas for the spine of the album.  The papers used in the album come from Die Cuts With a View Old World Collection (6x6 paper pad)

The cover is really simple.  I used prima flowers and flat pearls.   Dream is at the bottom of the cover.

Food is the theme for the next two pages.  As they say, good friends, good food.   The backdrop is a French impressionist painting with wine a cheese to be the celebratory element.  This is a photo mat.   

The next page is a continuation of that celebration, and this page not only holds a photo mat, but two tags on the inside of the page.

This is a better view of the tags inside.

The next two pages are all about being girly.  I thinking more of a french girly, but celebrating the fight against breast cancer at the same time.  I have two large prima flowers that were originally ivory, and I colored them with three different copic makers:  Pawn, light Prawn, and Sanguine. I have a bling pink ribbon in the corner.   the photo mat is edged up with sepia ink, and washed with Glimmer Glam's Rocking on Sunshine.   there is one tag on the inside.

This first half page is actually the flap of the bag, and I have a Coconut Swirl photo mat edged up with Stampin! Up's Chocolate Chip, and lace at the bottom, I purchased at a thrift store.  Tip:  Do not disregard your thrift stores, ladies, they do provide wonderful scrapbook and other supplies for you at a fraction of a cost.   

This is another half page with tags I got a Michaels for $1.

I was in a swap over the summer with a woman in Canada.  Her name is Tracy(Tracystreasures24), and she has a you tube channel called Tracy's Treasures.   she made this envelope, with a birdcage on it.   The saying she has on it says, "The greatest gift is a portion of Thyself-Ralph Waldo Emerson".  I want to thank her again for inviting me to participate in the swap. 

This page is one of my busiest pages, as it has a lot of stuff going on.  Many of the elements here were from a mini album that I was going to make, and did not get a chance to.   This is a pocket within a pocket page.  You have a regular pocket (tag not showing--sorry!), and definition about Cherish (distressed for this page's purpose), a Maya Road pocket for something personal (just sitting empty for someone to  place something inside), the pocket, which was meant for another album fits better here, and two little tags from Michael's. 

This is a half page, with the word "Imagine" and a bling cupcake.  Turn on the other side, and you will have...

Another half page for a photo.

This is another pocket page, with two tags on the inside.   The stamps are from Stampin! Up's "Bliss" Collection.  More lace, and a Martha Stewart item left over from a previous card project.

Busy pocket #2:   Where to start... Prima flowers (note since this picture, I switched one of the flowers to the cover), a a friend made the second element for me, and the corner item is from Making Memories.  There is a little surprise....

Another pocket Page!   How this was made was I goofed when I was making the bare bones of this album. I was folding, and doing my measurements, and where the flap is at on the album, I glued it shut.   OK, I chucked it aside, thinking that I was not going to do anything with it.   As I was doing the last minute touches to this album, a thought came to mind, of making it a secret page.   So I cut it a lot shorter than the rest of the pages so it can fit inside, used my 1 1/2" circle punch so the tags can come out easier.   I also cut the flat (well carefully pulled the flap from the rest of the bag), and with the glue already on, I added paper, cut a slit on the side, and added two more tags.   One side says "Peace and Tranquility", and the other says " Laugh, Love, and Live.

The last page I want to show you is a page similar to another page with the Maya Road pocket, a corner by making Memories, and a quote, which says"The stars are God's dreams, thoughts remembered in the silent of the night--Henry David Thoreau.   

 Celebrate Sistahood Blog Hop In honor of Scraps of Color's 7th Anniversary, myself along with some talented papercrafters, have teamed up to honor and celebrate sistahood and the wonderful women in our lives who make us laugh, cry, shout, scream, play, live.  We honor through our creativity and sharing our stories during this blog hop. Each sistah blogger will inspire you with her creativity and will also be offering up some blog candy! What is blog candy you ask?  It's a giveaway!  So sit back and get ready to be inspired with the Celebrate Sistahood Blog Hop.  Just start here, check out what I've created, and follow the rules for entry and then move on to the next blog hop participant for your chance to win again and again. Be sure to visit each blog between Friday, October 21 and Sunday, October 23 for more inspiration and chances to win.  This hop closes on October 23, 2011 11:59 pm EST.   Winners will be posted on each blog on or before October 28, 2011. So be sure to check back!  

Tiare: http://www.iclassygirl.com

Treva: www.scrappint.blogspot.com

Patricia: www.triciatreasure.blogspot.com

Da Shawnna: http://creativedaze.dashawnna.com

LaShawnda: http://lashawndawrice.wordpress.com

Margaret: http://margaret-ilovecrafting.blogspot.com

Tina: http://www.parablesproductions.blogspot.com/

Cyndi: http://nashvillesscrappinsisters.blogspot.com/

Teniera: www.giftsgalorebyteniera.wordpress.com

Karen: http://www.in-the-spirit.blogspot.com/ 

Kate: http://www.kateblue.blogspot.com/

Yvonne: http://www.grantinfavors.blogspot.com/

  

Again, thank you for stopping by, and if you are following this blog hop, this next one on the list is Da Shawna at http://creativedaze.dashawnna.com.  There is Blog Candy, and it will be coming out of my stash.    God Bless