Scrap Matters June 2013 Color Challenge-Free Papers

I joined an online group called Scrap Matters.  They were having a challenge with a really pretty color palette so I created a set of six digital scrapbooking papers.

Download them here

Visit Scrap Matters to see the beautiful layouts and kits created by others here.

Inspiration Avenue Challenge-Birds

My friend Maggie challenged us with creating an image about birds this week.  I love using birds in my digital collages and decided to put a piece together using some Victorian scrap pictures of birds.

Credits for image components-Granny Enchanted, Busy Crafting Mommy Designs, Scrappiness Down Under, Aneczkaw, My Warehouse of Dreams, Ditz Bitz, Booland Designs, 2 Curly Headed Monsters, Lavender Designs, and Ruby Blossom.

The Language of Flowers

I recently participated in a swap hosted by Alpha Stamps.  I created three ATCs on a theme entitled The Language of Flowers.  It was lots of fun making the ATCs and, as usual, I really wanted to keep mine.  Of course, if I kept them I wouldn't get three wonderful surprises in the mail from other swappers so I diligently mailed them off.  I can't wait to receive them!  For now, I'm sharing the three I made.

 

These are screen shots from the Alpha Stamps site.  You really should go to their gallery and see all of the beautiful ATCs.  For that matter, there are other wonderful things to see there too.

 Here is the link to the gallery

Inspiration Avenue Challenge-Nautical

I love to make shadowboxes with lots of compartments.  They are usually created around a nautical theme, with mermaids somewhere in the mix.  This digital collage was inspired by that idea. 

Credits for image components:
Beth Rimmer (Deviant Scrap), Courtney's Digiscrappin',  Finecrafted Design (Deviant Scrap), Raspberry Road, Cajoline, and Dover Scraps.

Inspiration Avenue Challenge-Memorial Day

I chose Memorial Day for this week's challenge because the first day fell on Memorial Day.  I thought of the 7000 military personnel we've lost in the two wars we've been fighting for over a decade.  I considered all of the men and women who have served our country and died to protect it.  Then I thought about my cousin's son, who survived the war in Iraq but committed suicide after arriving home.  I never realized that more veterans kill themselves than die from combat.  There is an epidemic of suicides among American veterans.  It doesn't help the situation that there is a monstrous backlog of applications for veterans' disability claims. There are 600,000 pending claims and no solution to speeding up the process in the near future.

I hadn't planned on creating a collage filled with sorrow, but I couldn't forget that every soldier who lays down his or her life for our country is someone's son, father, nephew, cousin, niece, daughter, mother, uncle...well, you get the picture.  I believe they all deserve recognition for their sacrifice.

Credits for image components: Marisa Lerin-Pixel Scrapper (Navy Kit), Pewter7, Far Far Hill, and Land of Nod Studios.