Best Buddies

This is one of my favorite pictures from 2014! That was such a painful year of firsts for me, moving on without Dave. I felt like I was just existing, going from one day to the next. Most days I was numb, and other days I missed Dave so much it would feel like I could barely breathe. Without a doubt, the boys kept me going. I would look at them and remember that they were Dave’s living, breathing legacy and I would determine again that I couldn’t let Dave down in this area. His boys were the love of his life and it was up to me now to raise them to be like their father, and remind them about their Daddy. Not a small task!

We were given a week at a Christian camp, Camp of the Woods, in Speculator, NY. I didn’t feel like going, but was so glad we went because the boys had an absolutely FANTASTIC time! Our cabin faced the lake and we enjoyed this beautiful view.

I love this photo so much because all I said to the boys is, “I want to take your picture here,” and Zach, completely unprompted, threw his arms around Caleb. Although the boys were always close, after Dave’s death they were inseparable. It was if as long as they were together, everything was ok, and in spite of the pain and grief, they were smiling happy boys. With these two in my life how could I not smile and move forward?

Scrapbooking Tips:

Because I loved this picture so much I gave it a full layout, and I went all out! It was later published in Scrapbook Generation’s Create magazine.

One area that took a lot of time and attention was the banner border on the bottom of the photo. It always takes some time to cut out and ink the banners, but one advantage of this type of embellishment is I got all the paper from my scrap pile. I always struggle with placing the banners on the page in a way that looks good. Two things that I have learned to do are cut the banners in varying widths and lengths and then layer them. This will give the border a more dimensional look.

Another element I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with is adding stitching to my pages. A lot of the 

sketches I use call for stitching and as much as I like the look of it, I don’t always take the time to add it.

One technique I’ve learned over the years, which I tend to use a lot, is to turn my stickers into 3-D embellishments by adhering them to the layout with adhesive foam squares instead of placing the sticker directly on the layout. It’s also a great way to create layers with stickers and add some extra pop to the page. 

Journaling: