Challenge YOUrself #13: Traditions & SBC #422

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited to be posting my First Design Team layout for the 
Challenge YOUrself Blog!

This month's Challenge is all about Traditions - here is how it goes:

Challenge YOUrself #13: Traditions

What are some of your traditions for the upcoming holiday season?  

Do you have an old tradition that you continued from childhood

or did you start your own? 

Tell us about it and be sure to include a photo with YOU in it 

when you play along!  

This "TRADITION" Challenge will close on January 4th, 2015.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My favorite Holiday is Thanksgiving.  I LOVE to cook, I LOVE making people happy with food that I prepare, I LOVE that we spend the day together as a family, laughing, eating, playing board games and watching football!

I LOVE the MEMORIES!

I LOVE that it is a time to reflect on our many blessings, and remember family members who are no longer with us, and who have graced our Thanksgiving Tables throughout the years.

One of those people was my Great Great Aunt Ethel.  It is in her house where I remember my first Thanksgivings.  It is in her house where we now live and have raised our family, 

and where I now host our Family Thanksgivings.

Aunt Ethel's Thanksgiving Table was always FULL of delicious food, and our table still includes her stuffing recipe!

Her cut glass pitcher was handed down to me, and quite a few years ago, I started the TRADITION of making Bloody Mary's in it. We enjoy them while we are gathered together, and waiting for the Turkey to finish cooking, and while my Dad carves the bird.  It sits on a shelf in my kitchen throughout the year, and is only used for Thanksgiving Bloody Marys.

I LOVE using these fall colors, and really had fun using my Cuttlebug and Tim Holtz Dies to make all of the leaves for my "piles!"  I used Distress Inks and a foam applicator on all of the edges of the leaves and papers.  I had a blast making the leaves change colors right before my eyes!

***I Double Dipped this one too!***

This layout was ALSO used as inspiration over at The Scrapbook Challenge Blog, where I am also part of their Design Team!  

I love participating in and challenging myself to incorporate 

2 challenges in 1 layout! 

You should try it sometime! It is LOADS of FUN!!

Here is SKETCH #422 from over at The Scrapbook Challenges Blog that I used for this layout:

This SKETCH challenge is Open until December 31st - so please play along!

Here are some close ups of the Layout with some more details:

I decided to make a pocket behind the photos, so after matting them, I added them to to page using 3D Foam ZAP DOTS, so that I could journal on the tag, and tuck it behind the photo, telling the store of the pitcher.  I added a few acorns and leaves to the top of the tag too.

 I really am in love with the piles of leaves I was able to create.  Inking them with distress stain and watching them change color and come to life was so much fun.    I also sprayed the leaves, with Butternut Squash Glimmer Mist, to give them a little shine! You can see the chipboard Chicken-wire from The Dusty Attic that I placed under the photo mat, in this picture.  I first hit it with Versamark, then sprinkled a few different colors of Distress embossing powder on it - then hit it with the heat gun.  I also embossed the chipboard heart in the upper right corner with Distress Embossing Powders too!

Here are the items used in this layout:

(all purchased at my Local and Online Scrapbook Store

Scrap-a-Doodle Doo)

  Bazzill Cardstock - Capers, and scraps of yellow, orange, kraft and burgundy cardstock to make the leaves

Simple Stories -Generations Collection: 

Together, Home Sweet Home, Live Love Laugh

Tim Holtz Dies: Tattered Leaves, and Tattered Gatherings

Ranger Distress Stain : Tarnished Brass 

Dusty Attic Chicken-Wire Panel #DA0177

Ranger Distress Embossing Powder: Fired Brick, Tea Dye, Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade, Goddess Gold

Ranger Distress Inks: Aged Mahogany, Gathered Twigs, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Ripe Persimmon, Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive, Vintage Photo.

Fisker's Punch # 51791

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Butternut Squash

3 D Foam Dots

Thickers - Sunset Gold

Letter Stickers

Dew Drops

If you've stuck with me and made it to the end of this post - 

I THANK YOU - and invite YOU to play along with one or both of these challenges!  You can find them here:

 Challenge YOUrself #13 Traditions - DUE Jan 4, 2015

Scrapbook Challenges Sketch #422 DUE Dec 31, 2014

I can't wait to see what you create!

((HUGS)) ~ Sherri