Friday, September 23, 2011

All Things British

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Although I’m eternally grateful that my colonial ancestors won their independence from Mother England, I always have—and always will—LOVE all things British…

DSC06136_edited-1 {a couple of images of British coins featuring Queen Victoria, found online}

Being about 3/4 British myself, it’s no wonder, I suppose…most of my ancestors came here from England in the early part of the 1600’s…the rest in the mid-1800’s…

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{a pub we visited for dinner on night…built LONG before my ancestors came to America!}

I have only been to England once in my life, but it was a dream come true…during my college years, just two weeks after meeting my husband-to-be on our college campus…I flew of to Jolly Old England with my roommate and her very kind parents…

DSC06144_edited-1  {Stamps from Artistic Outpost’s “London Underground” set}

I’ll never forget our first night in London.  We’d just arrived that afternoon…still a little wonky time-wise…

DSC06145_edited-1 {vintage stamp images found online}

Being later on a Sunday night, the city was relatively quiet…not to many people out and about…we felt like we had the place to ourselves…

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{found this adorable toy bus image online, too—don’t you just love it?!}

…we decided to take a ride on the Underground to see where it would take us…

DSC06135_edited-1 {it’s partly because of my love for England that my oldest daughter is Chelsea…sets used: “Loverly London” & “London Underground”}

…as we exited the tunnel in the center of London, my first wish was to see Big Ben…how would we find it?, I wondered…

hpqscan0009_edited-1 {the picture I took of Big Ben right at that moment of discovery…a bit grainy, but what a memory!}

…then, I looked up—right in front of my nose—Big Ben, in all it’s late night splendor! 

hpqscan0007_edited-1 {me on the tour bus…my roommate was always laughing at me because I was constantly taking notes!}

We visited so many wonderful places during our stay…the Cotswolds, the Lake District…

Julie at Windemere, England, 1986

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…Bath, Stonehenge, Shakespeare’s home town…

hpqscan0002_edited-1 {another moment I will never forget…Stonehenge was sufficiently gray, gloomy & mysterious that day…perfect!}

hpqscan0005_edited-1 {in front of Shakespeare’s birth house…my, what a poser I was!}

hpqscan0003_edited-1 {Anne Hathaway’s lovely cottage…}

…but your first time in London is really special…

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{of course, being women…the very first visit we made on our very first day in London…Harrod’s, of course!}

…a scrapbook page made this week—a fabulous jumble of iconic British images…all in remembrance of that wonderful time in my life…

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Stamps FINALLY purchased from Artistic Outpost…I’ve long admired them, but hadn’t purchased any until now…it won’t be my last purchase!

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{Just about my favorite sign of all times—so glad to have it in stamp form! From “London Underground” set}

And just as a little extra…a small card to remind a friend in need—if needed—to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON…

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Someday, I'll visit that magical place again…this time with my husband and three daughters…someday…

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{Windsor Castle…the Queen was “at home” that day…see the flag flying?}

See you soon with something new.

Julie

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Crafty Secrets DT Challenge: Retro!

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Hello, my friends!

I LOVED the theme this month—one of my favorites—Retro!  How can you not love all the fabulousness of Retro???

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I immediately thought of kitschy kitchens, aprons, housewives from the ‘40’s & all that goes with them…and decided on making a family recipe book.

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{images from Crafty Secrets’ “Homemade” Images & Journal Notes booklet}

All the fun retro paper patterns I used in my recipe book are found in Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD…

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What is it about a chunky board book that’s just so appealing?!

DSC06090_edited-1 {image from Crafty Secrets’ “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

I decided to choose recipes from several generations of the women in my family…

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…my great-grandmother Anna’s “Cream Cheese Tartlets”…

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{images from “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

Just a fun page here…no family recipe, but one for “Fairy Cake”…couldn’t resist!

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I just love these “buttons” printed from the CD…they really look like the real thing!

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Adorable recipe card printed from the CD, along with my mother Karen’s “Creamy Pork Chops” recipe…

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{image from “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

This fun kitschy kitchen image accompanies my grandmother LaPriel’s Pinto Bean” recipe…I make a big pot of these at least once a month (and always think of her when I do…)

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{image from “Girlfriends” Creative Scraps}

My grandmother Velda’s “Party Lemonade”…she and my grandfather loved to entertain, so I’m sure they used this often…

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Another of the cute recipe card designs printed out from the CD…this one features my great-grandmother Estella’s “Quick Spanish Rice”…delicious!

DSC06129_edited-1 (I just love all the layers on these pages!)

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This sweet, motherly image from the “Kitchen Time” Vintage Cuts illustrates my “Scottish Shortbread” recipe…

DSC06111_edited-1 {image from the “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

And another page left blank…just ready for another retro family recipe!  I used another recipe card image from the CD, and a perfect vintage soda popcap I had on hand…

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Just for fun, another little Retro Kitchen project….a card for a friend with the recipe theme… “What’s Cookin’?”, it says…love those colors together!

Well, that’s it for me today!  Hope you enjoyed your morning dose of retro…if you need a bit more to get your day started, stop by and visit the rest of my friends on the Design Team—you’ll find SO much to inspire you!

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Crafty Secrets Blog

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See you soon with something new…

Julie