My hometown...Rauchtown, Pennsylvania. I have not lived there since 1984. After I started my sophomore year of college, I never returned to my hometown for longer than a week or so, to visit my family. I grew up in the country, with a large creek running through my backyard. I miss it in the summer when everything is green, and in the fall when the leaves turn fantastic colors. We don't have that really vivid green here in southern California, nor do we have fall color.
Sadly, my family no longer owns the property; my mom sold it last summer. I am happy I have these photos, from the summer of 2009.
We spent a week, in August 2009, visiting family. We always have a huge BBQ (or as we call it, a cook out) next to the creek. We keep the watermelon cool in the water...and every time...it rains buckets at some point during the day! Never fails! We all take refuge under the covered porches and watch it pour!
One of the days, my oldest brother took my two younger kids fishing. We don't get to see him very often and the kids enjoyed hanging out with him for the day. He had made the trip from NC and we had traveled from CA for the week. Visiting family is a big deal - I am one of 7 children (5 still living) and my mother is one of 15 children. I have a HUGE extended family!! Plus, I have lived a "far distance" from family since 1984 and my homecomings are always filled with "visiting."
I used the Becky Fleck Office Supplies die set to create my note paper border. First, I printed my text onto the paper, then cut and embossed with the die template. I combined several Graphic 45 collections: Tropical Travelogue, Once Upon A Springtime, and An ABC Primer. They all worked very well together.
To create this really cool flower, I used the Flower Topper, Bitty Blossoms, and Bauble Blossoms One die templates. Some Star Dust Stickles make the flower sparkle with "dew."
I hope you enjoyed this peek into my life. Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite memory is from your hometown?!
S4-114 Standard Circles LG
S4-116 Standard Circles SM
S4-161 Labels One
S4-308 Labels One SM
S4-328 Foliage
S4-359 Office Supplies
S5-061 Daisy Flower Topper
S5-086 Bitty Blossoms
S5-103 Bauble Blossoms One
E8-007 Classic Edges One
Spellbinders™ Grand Calibur® Die Cutting and Embossing Machine
Other:
Graphic 45 papers:
Tropical Travelogue: Jungle Fever, Rainforest, Paradise Postage
Once Upon A Springtime: Enchanted Forest
An ABC Primer: Grammar School
Core'dinations: Graphic 45 Signature Series Antique Moss Cardstock
Clearsnap: ColorBox Graphic 45 Photogenic Antiquing Ink, Deep Green Fluid Chalk Ink; Dragonfly Black Pigment Ink
Beacon Adhesives: Zip Dry Glue
Textured Black Cardstock; Date Stamp; Glitter Glue; Adhesive Tape; Foam Tape
love the layout and the memory, G! I think the town I grew up in was perfect for growing up but I haven't ever wanted to live there as an adult. Lots of wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Gloria! I love that flower! Gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in rural Vermont. My favorite memory is the view of Camel's Hump, a local mountain so named because it perfectly resembles a camel's back. We lived at the top of a winding hill, and waited for the school bus at the bottom. Many and many a morning, I watched the sun rise over Camel's Hump as I waited in lilac scented spring air or crisp, smoky fall air, or freezing winter morning air. The winter mornings were brutal...but the sunrises made up for it.
My parents still live in the same house I grew up in. They live in the middle of farm-country Maryland and while I used to think it was SO far from anyone and anything (15-20min actually and only and hour and change from Baltimore... but to a teenager... SO far!). Now I enjoy being there at night and listening to the crickets and seeing the incredible amount of stars that you can see with little light pollution.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful!!! You always do beautiful work, kind regards, jas
ReplyDelete