Scrap Your Crap Challenge: Tape!

It's finally time for me to share my very first project as a designer for Scrap Your Crap!

I am so excited to be among all the wonderful design team members on this super fun blog!

I hope you will check out the SYC blog and play along with us on the awesome challenges we will have for you.

This month's challenge is to use Deco tape- also known as masking or washi tape on your project.

I decided to use some Tim Holtz tissue tape that I have had sitting on a shelf for over a year. I had never even tried any type of this tape before, so it was great to finally bust that package open!

I created a 12x12 scrapbook page using a photo of my maternal grandmother. This picture was taken when she was a teenager, around 1908. I was extremely close to my grandmother, and I just love this picture of her.

I used the tissue tape on the bird cage. First I die cut some Tim Holtz grungeboard using the bird cage die. Then I adhered several strips of the tissue tape to a piece of card sock. When it was good and dry, I die cut that using the bird cage die. I adhered the tissue taped die cut to the grunge board bird cage. I added some antique mother of pearl buttons on the bottom and wove some gold leaf ribbon through it. I just love how it came out!

I can tell you this much: I plan on using a lot more tissue tape on future projects, now that I know how fun it is to use and how awesome the results can be!

For this page I also wanted to add a lot more fun and feminine elements; things that either reminded me of my grandmother or things I think she would have enjoyed herself.

I'd love to share some of my memories of this very special woman whom I called "Dee-dee". She was a wonderful seamstress, artist and designer. She made many of her own clothes and hats, and I remember her so often either making argyle socks for my Dad or my Uncle, or mending something for someone. Her knitting bag was always close by! She not only made me Barbie doll clothes out of scrap pieces of material, but she even made me a wedding dress for my doll from lace that was used on her own wedding dress. I remember when I was a little girl sitting snuggled right up beside her in an easy chair as she taught me how to sew by hand. But I can't imagine ever being as accomplished a seamstress as she!

She also drew and painted, and I have (and treasure!) some of the paper dolls she made when she was about 10 years old. She also designed furniture and jewelry. I have a brooch she designed which my grandfather had made from her drawing and surprised her with. I also have a lovely mahogany cabinet she designed which her father had made by a well known New England furniture maker. Her talents did not stop there, though. She was a concert pianist and among my favorite childhood memories are of hearing her play the piano. Claire de Lune was one of songs she'd often play. But she also loved The Beatles and would play Here Comes The Sun, too :-) And what a cook and baker she was! I have never tasted better home made bread or chicken fricassee anywhere!

So back to my page and some of the things I chose to use on it:

I picked these flowers not only to add a little color, but because they are so feminine and colors I actually remember Dee-dee wearing. I even recall a pair of satin high heeled shoes she had that were that pale and dusty shade of rose, and had a big flower right on the top. I used to slip them on when visiting her and playing "dress-up". And she so often wore pearls that I just had to get a couple of them in somewhere ;-)

Her initials were H.E.R., and I think the paper patterns I used are perfect for such a vintage kind of page.

My grandmother loved birds and so the bird, cage, and this little nest with eggs were wonderful additions. There were many other things I wanted to add, but could only fit so much. But I had so much fun making this and since I have many more photos of her, this is only the beginning!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed all that I have shared with you today and that you may have been reminded of a special person- your own grandmother, maybe?- who has left you with as many wonderful memories as my grandmother left me.

I have also entered this page into the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew challenge: "Vintage"

Papertake Weekly: Bingo

Let's Ink It Up challenge #21: Show Us Your Flowers

As always, I'd love to hear from you; your comments make my day!

Wishing you Blessings~

Sarah