Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #50

Here is the latest Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge! This week the challenge calls for a project using red, white, and blue - plus ribbon.

Now, please don't faint...I did a page layout! This is the first time EVER that I have done a layout for RRR! However, when we were told that the challenge was "red, white, blue" and I saw the July Ribbon Club...I knew exactly which photo I wanted to use! This is a photo of my three older brothers, my oldest son, and my husband.

This photo is from summer 2009. I have not scrapped it before because it's a sad photo for two reasons. The first is that in 2011, my mom sold my childhood home, making this is one of the last photo shoots at the old "homestead" in Pennsylvania. But the main reason I have not scrapped this photo before is that my younger brother was not there that day, and tragically he was killed in July 2010. Seeing this photo will always remind me that I will never again have a chance to photograph my brothers together. (Nathan and Matt, my son and husband, sneaked into this photo, because they "matched.")

As I said the other day, all of my brothers were in the military. The three shown here were all in the US Navy, making the red, white, blue theme perfect. Plus, on this day all the guys dressed in red shirts, by accident, not by design. They were ribbed about it all day! My mom kept calling them "The Red Shirt Gang."

All of these guys are courageous in different ways. I was a joy to see my son hanging out with his uncles, which happens so rarely. And it's so comforting to know that my brothers all adore my husband, despite the fact that he does not follow NASCAR!

These are the "big boys" in my life. My dad and father-in-law are no longer with us, having both passed, making my other men so very important to me! I used large chipboard letters to spell out my title. I inked the letters and covered them with red embossing powder. I made sure to give the letters a bit of a distressed look.

Make sure to drop by the RRR Blog and see what the rest of the DT made, and to enter the challenge! I am officially on the "boat" cruising the Alaskan coast as this post goes live. I will "see" all of you when I get back!

Cardstock: American Crafts red, blue; Neenah cream
Designer paper: October Afternoon
Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Mix'd Media Inx: Schoolhouse
Embossing Powder: Hampton Art Stamps red
Metal items: Tim Holtz Idea-ology token; We Are Memory Keepers buckles; craft supply stars
Chipboard: Imaginarium Designs
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon July Ribbon Club
Die cuts: Spellbinders Labels Small
Adhesive: Scotch 3M tape runner; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares; glue